Today, All Things Go proudly announces the first installment of its forthcoming benefit compilation, with 100% of the proceeds going to their longtime collaborators at The Ally Coalition (TAC), a leading nonprofit dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ youth. The debut track, “Jesus and John Wayne,” a poignant collaboration between googly eyes, Joy Oladokun, and Allison Ponthier, is available now. The compilation, featuring a diverse lineup of special original songs and collaborations from artists in the All Things Go community, will be available this fall. The full tracklist, featuring an exciting collection of both marquee and emerging names from the festival’s history, will be revealed soon.

“Jesus and John Wayne” is a bold, soul-searching anthem about reclaiming faith from the grip of politics and exclusion – inspired by the NYT Bestselling novel by Kristin Kobes Du Mez. Written by googly eyes joined by Joy Oladokun and Allison Ponthier, it reimagines spirituality as a source of healing, belonging, and radical love, especially for those the church has pushed aside. The song has clearly struck a chord with listeners already, finding consistent virality on socials ahead of its hotly anticipated release.

Founded in 2013 by Jack Antonoff and fashion designer Rachel Antonoff, TAC is committed to bettering the lives of LGBTQ+ youth across the country. By working with artists on tours, campaigns, and events, TAC provides support for non-profit organizations around the world.

All Things Go is celebrating over a decade of festivals, originating in the Washington, D.C. area before expanding to New York in 2024. Known for its intentional focus on female and non-binary-led lineups, the festival reflects All Things Go’s ongoing commitment to cultivating diverse, inclusive spaces within the music community. This year’s ATG Festival editions at Columbia, MD’s Merriweather Post Pavilion and New York’s Forest Hills Stadium see female and LGBTQ+ artists at the forefront and headlining again, with Doechii, Lucy Dacus, Clairo, Kesha, MARINA, The Mariás, Lola Young, etc performing on September 26,27 and 28.

In 2023, All Things Go launched a partnership with The Ally Coalition (TAC) to further support LGBTQ+ youth through on-site programming and artist-driven engagement across its festival platforms.

googly eyes elaborates on “Jesus and John Wayne”: “There’s so much love, grief, gratitude, and deep ache wrapped into my religious journey – especially as an American who’s watched people and politics essentially hijack the faith I grew up in. Anyone who’s gone through deconstruction knows how devastating and lonely it can feel. I hope this song resonates with those people. I’m so honored to have Allison and Joy sing this with me as we support the LGBTQIA+ community, a group so often hurt by the church. I might’ve left the brick and mortar behind, but I’m grateful to carry the awe, reverence, and compassion for ALL people with me, now more than ever.”

Joy Oladokun says: “Being asked to be a part of this song has been a rich experience. my faith as queerness have always been woven into the fabric of my music and this song so eloquently reflects a struggle so many of us face. i’ve never felt like god ever asked me to choose between faith and queerness. people did that. i feel like this song will be a comfort to the people who hear it.”

Allison Ponthier adds: “”Jesus and John Wayne” is one of those features that comes with a divine backstory for me. I happened to also be reading the book that inspired the title, when I saw googly eyes had written the song. It’s one of those songs that I wish I wrote, so I’m honored she asked me to be on it with Joy Oladakun. As someone who grew up singing in church, there was something incredibly church-like and healing about singing this song with these two women. It’s a song about growing up with lessons like “love thy neighbour” and “judge not,” but being left feeling like the words of religion have been twisted and taken in bad faith for personal gain. My hope for “Jesus and John Wayne” is that it encourages us to rethink spirituality as a reason to fight for the rights of all people and religion as a form of community that can be inclusive and safe. The song asks the question: Would anyone who loves us enough to create us want us to sow hatred among ourselves?”