“I’m through being afraid of anyone’s hate,” Jason Kutchma sings on “This House,” a tense and dramatic ballad that sits in the middle of Red Collar‘s forthcoming Welcome Home LP. Bass chugs and electric guitar prickles as he growls, “I’ve done nothing wrong. No, we’ve done nothing wrong. We’ve done nothing to them.” At this point the distortion ramps up and the once quiet, slow-burning anthem explodes into vivid life as a wide-eyed guitar solo backs Kutchma as he sings about a brighter future that he can see clearly from his “house of love.”

As North Carolina quickly approaches the May 8 vote on Amendment One, which would constitutionally ban gay marriage in the state, it’s hard not to hear Red Collar’s declaration as a defense of gay rights. The Durham rock outfit has long been a steely riffed voice for the beaten down, so it makes good sense that they would leap to this cause.

Apparently, Red Collar agrees. The band is offering the song for free download to anyone who goes to the website for their label, Tiny Engines, and clicks a link to send the following message on their Twitter account:

“@redcollarmusic wants all NC voters to VOTE AGAINST AMENDMENT ONE. Please help spread the word and enjoy a free download from our new album.”

“Nobody should be forced to defend their equal rights,” the band writes of the campaign, “and that is why we in Red Collar are asking all of you to join us in voting against Amendment One. This is not just an issue for North Carolina, it’s an issue for us all. Even if you don’t live in North Carolina, you can still help by spreading this message.” –Jordan lawrence