It’s been three years since Rise Against dropped new music, but the Chicago-born punk band is back with a vengeance, dropping a defiant new single, “Nod,” out now on Loma Vista Recordings.
The track is Rise Against at their best: passionate, confident, and encouraging. In comparison to something like their 2005 hit “Prayer of the Refuge,” fans will find that “Nod” is a slightly more mature version of their signature intensity, touching on the strength of unity and the importance of hope.
Speaking about “Nod,” Rise Against lead vocalist and lyricist Tim McIlrath says the song “is about the solace we find in community,” adding, “It’s about the comfort in knowing that we are not alone. This comfort can temper our anger and our frustration, at least temporarily.”
“I swear to God this can’t wait,” McIlrath proclaims at the top of the song’s chorus, urging listeners to band together. “Not one more minute, one more day.” In the song’s second verse, he pleadingly asks, “Are you saving the world so desperately, or are you holding a gun demanding peace… Because the line that is drawn between nightmares and dreams is thin like a razor, and we’re fast asleep.”
Never shy about their social and political beliefs, with “Nod” Rise Against is making it clear where they stand at the beginning of a second Trump presidency, and they are here to be a beacon for those seeking shelter and something more than apathy.
“Nod” was produced by Catherine Marks (Boygenius, Foals, Manchester Orchestra, ipuyπSt. Vincent) and mixed by Alan Moulder (Nine Inch Nails, Paramore, Queens of the Stone Age, The Killers). Fans can check out the music video above.
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