Tom Morello Talks Taking the Mic, Fusing Rock & Activism and Playing Alongside His Son on Upcoming ‘Relentless’ Album

In his new songs, Tom Morello keeps the rebellious spirit and explosive sound of his former band, Rage Against The Machine, alive. But now, in addition to crafting powerful riffs, the American guitar virtuoso also sings — on a new artistic project that combines rock and activism, alongside his 13-year-old son, Roman Morello.

“From a musical level, I’m very excited about my first-ever solo rock album”, Morello tells Billboard Español about this still-untitled project. He hints that it will honor the riffs and repertoire of the bands that brought him fame, including Audioslave, as well as the acoustic material from his work as The Nightwatchman, and his collaborations with the legendary Bruce Springsteen.

“I really wanted to make… a record that is relentless in its big guitar riffs, relentless in its inventive guitar solos”, he adds in a video call from Los Angeles. “But also a record that invites my young son Roman, who is a tremendous guitar player who we’ve played [with] across the world — [one that] welcomes him and his ideas into it, as a new generation who has this Morello DNA of rock ‘n’ roll power.”

His latest single, “Pretend You Remember Me,” offers a glimpse of what fans can expect in 2026 when the album, set to be released by Mom+Pop Music, drops. Written by Morello, the song features his haunting vocals and signature captivating guitar riffs.

The track was written in solidarity with immigrants in the U.S. who have been affected by deportation campaigns. The accompanying video, directed by Morello himself, features activist and freed political prisoner Leonard Peltier.

“The song is written from an emotional point of view and a reminder that this situation of families being torn apart is not new to the Trump administration,” he explains. “It was there with Biden. It was there with Trump’s first term. It was there with Obama… My heart goes out to all the families throughout all of these years who’ve been torn apart.”

The 61-year-old musician and activist admits that the immigration policies enforced by the Trump administration is “an issue that makes me furious and angry.” In June, he joined several demonstrations against anti-immigrant raids in Los Angeles, where the Mexican flag became a symbol of the protests.

On that occasion, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem accused Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum of “encouraging violent protests” in Los Angeles, following the immigration raids ordered by the Trump administration, a claim the Mexican leader strongly denied in a message on X.

“First of all, let me just say I’m not an expert on Mexican politics — I don’t want to pretend that I am to your readers,” Morello responds when asked for his opinion. “But from what I do know, you have a president who is intelligent. You have a president who does care about human rights and about the people in the country — and not about sort of dividing, but uniting in a way that will uplift its citizens, as opposed to a president that is our president.”

A Grammy winner, Harvard graduate, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Morello says he has truly been able to write honestly about his view of the world. He shares that “Pretend You Remember Me” and his 2024 single “Soldier in the Army of Love” offer a preview of the lyrical direction his new album will take, adding that “there’s plenty more coming.”

The musician is also planning his return to Latin America in 2026, with his first stop on March 13 at the Lollapalooza Chile festival, followed by another performance at Estéreo Picnic in Colombia on March 21. He hopes to add Mexico to his anticipated tour of the region, where he recorded the live DVD The Battle of Mexico City with Rage Against The Machine in 1999.

“Some of my favorite shows that I’ve ever played were in Mexico,” he recalls. “From the early shows Rage Against the Machine 1992 at Iguana’s in Tijuana to Rage in Mexico City, Audioslave, Prophets of Rage. Some of my favorite shows have been there. I know that the fans in Mexico have been wonderful supporters of all of my work, and I can’t wait to get back there and rock you.”