Courtesy of the R.E.M. archives

Calling out in transit: R.E.M. have announced a limited edition re-release of their groundbreaking debut single to raise funds for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the pioneering platform for free press–just before World Press Freedom Day on May 3–the college rock icons have digitally issued Radio Free Europe 2025, a five-track EP centering a brand new remix of the title track by the band’s longtime collaborator Jacknife Lee.

“Whether it’s music or a free press,” Michael Stipe commented, “censorship anywhere is a threat to the truth everywhere. On World Press Freedom Day, I’m sending a shout-out to the brave journalists at Radio Free Europe.”

The first side of Radio Free Europe 2025 also features Mitch Easter’s never-before-released 1981 dub mix of the celebrated single and Murmur centerpiece. Side B comprises the original single pressed for Atlanta’s Hib-Tone records, which was re-recorded for its album appearance, as well as the original version of the single’s counterpart, “Sitting Still,” and “Wh. Tornado,” a jangling, surfy instrumental written and cut in the same session. The reissue was overseen by Easter, who first set the tracks to tape at his Drive-In Studio in 1981.

Proceeds from the limited edition 10” vinyl pressing–available exclusively from R.E.M.’s webstore and independent record stores–will go to benefit the nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) RFE/RL, which currently broadcasts news in 27 languages to 23 countries where free speech is under threat or outright banned by governing bodies.

“Radio Free Europe’s journalists have been pissing off dictators for 75 years,” Mike Mills shared. “You know you’re doing your job when you make the right enemies. Happy World Press Freedom Day to the ‘OG’ Radio Free Europe.”

This release arrives against a backdrop of peril for editorial independence in the United States as President Trump and his administration have pressed to dismantle the United States Agency for Global Media, on the basis of a supposed liberal bias. RFE/RL, which is overseen by the organization and wholly dependent on federal grants, has been a particularly focused target of this agenda; the international network is currently locked in a legal battle to reverse an order to kill all of its funding, despite a congressional appropriation of $142 million for the current fiscal year and potential to cripple humanitarian endeavors and soft power relationships around the world.

“To me, R.E.M.’s music has always embodied a celebration of freedom: freedom of expression, lyrics that make us think, and melodies that inspire action,” said RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus. “Those are the very aims of our journalists at Radio Free Europe—to inform, inspire, and uphold freedoms often elusive to our audiences. We hold dictators accountable. They go to great lengths to silence us—blocking our websites, jamming our signals, and even imprisoning our colleagues.”

Stream and pre-order Radio Free Europe 2025 here. Learn more about Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and contribute to its mission here.

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Radio Free Europe 2025 – R.E.M.:
Radio Side:
1. Radio Free Europe 2025 (Jacknife Lee Remix)*
2. Radio Free Dub (Mitch Easter 1981 Remix)*
Liberty Side:
3. Radio Free Europe (Original Hib-Tone Single)
4. Sitting Still (Original Hib-Tone B-Side) 
5. Wh. Tornado (From Cassette Set) ** 
 *Never-before-released
**First time on digital and vinyl