“Hey Hey Rise Up” will be released Friday, the band announced in a Thursday Twitter post.
The track samples a song from Andriy Khlynyuk, a Ukraine-born singer for the band BoomBox, who halted his United States concert tour and returned home “to defend his country” amid Russia’s invasion that began in February.
Pink Floyd guitarist and singer David Gilmour told The Guardian of the effort, “It’s really a difficult and frustrating thing to see this extraordinarily crazy, unjust attack by a major power on an independent, peaceful, democratic nation.”
“The frustration of seeing that and thinking ‘what the f–k can I do?’ is sort of unbearable,” Gilmour, who has a Ukrainian daughter-in-law and grandchildren, said.
The English performer said that he phoned his bandmates, who agreed to get on board with the effort.
“I wouldn’t do this with many more things, but it’s so vitally, vitally important that people understand what’s going on there and do everything within their power to change that situation,” he said. “And the thought, also, that mine and Pink Floyd’s support of the Ukrainians could help boost morale in those areas: they need to know the whole world supports them.”
Proceeds from the song will go to Ukrainian humanitarian relief
Photo: Getty Images Europe