Rise Against have returned with their first new music in three years. Out now on Loma Vista Recordings, Nod is a rally cry and call to action, fueled by compassion, camaraderie and the collective urge for change. “Nod is about the solace we find in community,” says lead vocalist and lyricist, Tim McIlrath. “It’s about the comfort in knowing that we are not alone. This comfort can temper our anger and our frustration, at least temporarily.”
Produced by Catherine Marks (Boygenius, Foals, Manchester Orchestra, St. Vincent) and mixed by Alan Moulder (Nine Inch Nails, Paramore, Queens of the Stone Age, The Killers), Nod serves as a searing statement of intent, arriving at the outset of Rise Against’s inspired next chapter. Just as the stakes could not be higher, the Chicago punk rock band is back bigger, louder and more progressive than ever, imploring listeners to replace reactions with action. “I swear to God this can’t wait,” Tim McIlrath proclaims at the top of the song’s chorus. “Not one more minute, one more day.” Now is the time to resist the constant stimuli that stokes division: stop lashing out, start joining together to consider who benefits from our blind anger. “Are you saving the world so desperately, or are you holding a gun demanding peace,” he asks in the second verse. “Because the line that is drawn between nightmares and dreams is thin like a razor, and we’re fast asleep.”
