A songwriter and guitarist with two Grammy wins and more than 25 million records sold, releases “Alternate Reality” under the nom de guerre SusAF. Not to hide, but so the message of the new songs, from his forthcoming protest EP, The Great Divider, can come through clearly.

SusAF says that the nom de guerre is “because I’m suspect as fuck of what is happening right now. That’s it. Simple.”

Not exactly associated with anything resembling hardcore punk, SusAF tapped a longtime love of groups such as Minor Threat and the early Replacements to deliver an explosive burst of energy that stands apart from his multiplatinum catalog to date. And as ever, politics and identity intertwine in a way that’s especially intimate and close to home...