PUNK PROVOCATEURS ASTHMA KIDS JOIN FORCES WITH UK’S CRAIC KILLERS FOR BRUTAL CLASS-WAR ANTHEM “DAVOS”
Emerging from rural Ontario’s underground, Asthma Kids are officially declaring war on late-stage capitalism with their latest single, “Davos”. Featuring the politically hardcore Irish/Welsh punk outfit Craic Killers, the track is a high-velocity strike against wealth inequality and the psychopathic imbalance of power. Set to drop on February 1, 2026, “Davos” is a raw, unfiltered manifesto that refuses to stay within the lines of traditional punk or rock.
The song serves as a scathing thought experiment, written from the first-person vantage point of a billionaire attending the titular summit. Built on a foundation of urgency and anger, the lyrics pull no punches in their critique of the global elite: “I’m going to Davos / With my billionaire friends / I’m taking my jet plane / To f the poor again”. It is a deliberate narrative framework designed to highlight a firm belief held by both bands: that billionaires should be taxed out of existence.
Journalists and industry insiders will find a compelling story in this cross-continental collaboration, which was born after both bands appeared on a Dammit Records (UK) compilation. Despite the distance between Ontario and the UK/Wales, the track was written and recorded in just four days, fueled by a shared commitment to issue-based art. Produced by Trevor Hutchinson at Jack Cade Studios and mixed at The Reverie Recording Studio, the sonic grit of the track was polished to a sharp edge by mastering engineer Alex Wharton at the legendary Abbey Road Studios.
Asthma Kids, comprised of Trevor W. Hutchinson and JP Gill, have built a reputation for being genre-agnostic, famously stating that they leave labels for soup cans. Asthma Kids have never heard a genre of music that they won’t gleefully subvert, repurpose, enhance, destroy and rebuild. They are adjacent to punk/freak folk/country/power pop/rock and roll, but they’re something else altogether. They are seemingly nice neighbours, living next door to musical convention…until they burn down all the houses on the street. (sonically speaking – arson is bad.)
The single arrives on the heels of their 2025 EP, ‘The Meek Are Getting Ready’, which was chosen by PunkNews.org as one of the best EPs of 2025, via Dammit Distro (EU/UK) and 2 Bar Town Records (North America). “Davos” is more than a song; it is a rallying cry for the misfits and the marginalized to push back against the structures that shape their lives. By addressing global crises and the burning planet directly, Asthma Kids insist on making art with real-world consequence.
Following the February 1 release, the band is set to take their high-octane energy to the road with summer tour dates to be announced shortly. In an era of digital noise, Asthma Kids and Craic Killers are offering something authentic and urgent—a soundtrack for the co-conspirators ready to blame the system rather than each other. “Davos” is available now on Spotify and Bandcamp, marking the next explosive chapter in their movement.
Hi, Trevor! Good to see you again! Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
Hi Paula! Thanks for featuring our band again! We really appreciate how you shine a light on a lot of different, independent and/or new music.
Asthma Kids is an Ontario-based, genre-atheist band. We don’t call ourselves genre-fluid. We don’t believe in the concept of genre. We leave labels for soup cans. We like to subvert, repurpose, enhance, destroy and rebuild any genre of music. We have been releasing a fair amount of punk, but freak folk/country/power pop/rock and roll are always on our target list to burn down and rebuild. And punk will always be at the top of that list for us.
Our current single, Davos, is a collaboration/cowrite with Craic Killers, who are an Irish punk duo based in SE-London, UK. We are both grateful for the opportunity to chat.
Writing from the perspective of a billionaire is a bold choice. What did stepping into that voice allow you to say that a traditional protest song might not?
All of our songs recently have overtly challenged the current system of wealth inequality. We believe, as do the Craic Killers, that billionaires should not exist (i.e. there should be a tax system that prevents this type of gross accumulation of wealth, which only comes by exploiting others and their environment).
Using that first person voice in the song started as a thought experiment. Could we imagine ourselves to be that big of an [a-hole]? Of course we couldn’t. That level of greed, and the oppression that supports it, can only be described as psychopathic.
But using that (disgusting) narrative voice allowed us to be even more direct. It allowed us to show the glee that billionaires have when [f-ing] the poor. It also allowed us to throw shade at the sycophant artists who curry favour with these monsters.
Speaking through someone else/a character to form satirical commentary on right-wing views is also where the Craic Killers thrive, writing-wise. They find that it allows for a more abrasive approach.
The line about taxing billionaires out of existence is direct and uncompromising. What conversations do you hope it sparks, especially among people who might disagree?
We feel that we are long past the time for niceties. Until we exercise what little eroding power we have, we will be forever controlled by the billionaire class. That’s not a conspiracy theory: Billionaires control our world.
The idea that billionaires should be taxed out of existence is growing, in my opinion. People are starting to wrap their heads around their control and the fact that we allow them to live in a different sphere with different rules.
For anyone that might disagree with this we urge them to learn math, as a start. If you were a billionaire and spent $10,000 a day, it would take 274 years to spend your fortune. Anyone reading this – whether they agree or disagree with us – is way closer to homelessness than becoming a billionaire. The odds are about 1 in 3,410,326 of becoming a billionaire. The top 1% own 95% of our resources.
And for everyone, in agreement or not, we want them to dance with us. Because the revolution will include dancing. Dancing and singing helps form community.
How did working with Craic Killers shape the energy or tone of the song compared to your previous releases?
Working with the Craic Killers was amazing. We worked remotely, because an ocean separates us geographically. But we approach music the same way. We don’t hide our views and we both consider our music to be a political act.
The idea to work together came up after we both appeared on a UK-based Dammit Records compilation.
Asthma Kids like to have a sense of urgency when writing, so we gave ourselves a ridiculously short amount of time to provide Craic Killers with a demo and a refrain idea. And since they’re Irish, I had to take a shot at Bono, lol. And not just because he’s a goof.
But Craic Killers took the ball and ran with it. They took the seed idea of the song and laid down some phenomenal, on-point lyrics. They added the tofu to the potatoes, if you will. When that energy got back to us, it made us crank up the original groove even more. The result is something I’m really proud of to be a part of.
I think we both hope we get the chance to do it again.
Punk has always had a relationship with class politics. What feels different about making class-war art in 2026?
Anyone making music about class and wealth inequality owes a debt to Woody Guthrie. But as a genre, punk has always had a strong element of class politics and social justice. Early UK punk with its connection to working class identity, DOA and Jello Biafra: all are forever at the top of my inspiration list. The urgency of punk lends itself to political messaging and its DIY ethos enables marginalized communities to find leading voices. So in one sense, making class-war art in 2026 is similar to the forebearers that did this decades ago. But it is different. Wealth inequality has dramatically increased in the last few decades, The fascism and authoritarianism that the older bands warned about is becoming a thing. Fascism is on the rise.
So that means we need more punk bands! Everyone should start a band. Everyone reading this should start a band. It doesn’t matter if you can play yet. It’s the message that counts. Together we can make change (and dance while we are doing it). And unlike 1978 we have easy access to technology. We all can collaborate with other artists anywhere just as Craik Killers and us did. We can take the steps to build local, national and international communities to fight the billionaires and their ilk. And have some fun doing it.
Connect with Asthma Kids:
Website
Bandcamp
Facebook
Instagram
Tiktok