The Last Internationale are an American rock band founded in New York City by vocalist and bassist Delila Paz and guitarist Edgey Pires. The pair initially bonded through folk protest music, blues and politically engaged songwriting, building a project in which social commentary was treated as a central purpose rather than promotional decoration.
Their early work included Choose Your Killer and the 2013 EP New York, I Do Mind Dying, whose songs addressed war, workers’ rights, environmental destruction and the treatment of Indigenous communities. Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello became an early supporter and introduced the duo to drummer Brad Wilk, who joined them during the creation and touring cycle of their major-label breakthrough.
The album We Will Reign was released by Epic Records in 2014. Produced by Brendan O’Brien and featuring Wilk on drums, it translated the group’s protest-folk foundations into a heavier combination of blues rock, hard rock, punk energy and Paz’s powerful soul-influenced vocals. The band made its American network television debut on the Late Show with David Letterman and subsequently toured with artists including Robert Plant and The Who.
After leaving the major-label system, Paz and Pires returned to an independent model. TLI Unplugged and several entries in their This Bootleg Kills series documented their acoustic influences and live improvisation, while Soul on Fire arrived in 2019 with a rawer, self-directed rock sound.
Running for a Dream followed in 2023. Featuring songs including 1984, Hoka Hey, Hero and the title track, the album combined personal resilience with the wider political and social concerns that have shaped the band since its formation. Their continuing live catalogue has also been documented through releases including Live at Arda Recorders and Live in Europe.
In 2026, The Last Internationale returned to explicitly anti-war material through Animals, People, Let’s Stop the War and their release of Masters of War, which the band identified as part of a developing protest album.
Although their arrangements move between acoustic folk, blues, soul and forceful modern rock, The Last Internationale remain unified by Paz’s commanding voice, Pires’s volatile guitar playing and a belief that rock music can still function as a direct form of political and emotional resistance.
