The Millers may not officially call themselves a protest band, but State of the UNION definitely shows that side of them.

I have been keeping up with the NYC rock band since seeing them live at a music business conference I forgot the name of, and they have never since disappointed me. This three-song EP is short, loud and very live-leaning, with rock, blues and plenty of attitude.

“Mama’s Working Overtime” turns anger about economic inequality into something personal and also pays credit to all the moms. Instead of throwing out a bunch of big political words, the song focuses on a mother working day and night, paying every bill and still losing her money to a system that keeps taking. The old-school rock-and-roll groove makes it extremely catchy, especially with the repeated “got my mama working overtime” line. The band also submitted a live version of the song to the 2025 NPR Tiny Desk Contest.

“American Dream” continues that frustration, this time looking at nepotism and how some people get into the room without ever having to climb the same ladder. “Daddy lets them skip the ladder / Which we tripped and fell” says everything pretty clearly. You can work on your craft forever, but someone with the right name or connection might still take your place. Still, the song ends with “let’s fight anyway,” which might be the main point of the whole EP.

Then “Get On Your Feet” lets everything loosen up. At least to me, it is the fun track. After two songs full of anger, unfairness and people working themselves into the ground, The Millers finally give us something to move to. Even the title works both ways: get up and dance, or get back up and keep going. Also, all the social media posts have been extremely unique and fun for this track.

State of the UNION is a very short EP, but it has something firm to say. And, of course, it NEVER EVER forgets the beat.

Blog Date: Jul 22, 2026