Eddie Vedder has released a new single, “Cartography,” along with “Cartography (Nick Zinner RFK remix),” on digital platforms as part of Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 5.
Vedder originally recorded the instrumental track for the soundtrack to Eric Becker’s 2018 documentary film Return to Mount Kennedy, following Senator Robert Kennedy and his guide Jim Whittaker’s 1965 ascent to a peak in the Canadian Yukon that was replicated by their sons 50 years later. Vedder pays homage to the film with a visual directed by Julian Gross for the “Cartography” B-side remix by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner. The video is set to images of mountains and archival footage of Kennedy delivering a speech that reflects on the death of Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Listening to the speech delivered by Bobby Kennedy in regards to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. 50 years ago, you are reminded that once again we are at a moment in time when our society can and must do better,” Vedder wrote of the single. “Voting is our most powerful form of nonviolent protest. And those whom we vote for must be made deeply aware that the issues of equality and justice in America are of the utmost importance and need to be not only restored but taken to the next level. NOW.”
From Rolling Stone US
