Label: Loma Vista Recordings
Press release: Lauded US punk outfit Rise Against is back with a provocative and dynamic new album, Nowhere Generation, the group’s first new studio effort in four years. On the upcoming release, the outspoken band points a finger at big business and politics for stacking the social and economic deck against Millennials’, Gen Y’s, and Gen Z’s pursuit of The American Dream. Musically, the album is blazing, aggressive punk rock; lyrically, the eleven songs were inspired in part by input from band members’ young children and Rise Against’s community of fans. Nowhere Generation is set for a June 4 release and is Rise Against’s first with new label Loma Vista Recordings.
My thoughts: You could argue that over 20 years into their career Rise Against are likely too far removed from the problems that they saw in their younger days but singer Tim McIlrath and the rest of the band are able to keep going strong by going with what they see as well as what the younger generation is living through (as mentioned above) although not as powerful as Siren Song or The Sufferer & The Witness but this is still a solid batch of songs (4 of which were released prior to the album releasing in full). The best deep cuts are honestly found on the back half (not terribly surprising since the 4 aforementioned songs are found on the front half) with Sooner Or Later being the stand out for me.
Label: Fearless Records
Press release: “Chunk is back — FINALLY,” says vocalist Bertrand Poncet. “Our last album came out six years ago. Since then, we’ve grown so much as individuals and as a band. We have had a lot more life experience, as humans and as musicians, to draw from. In addition to producing this record ourselves, we experimented with our songwriting approach and have tried new things that we cannot wait for you to hear. Don’t worry. It still has all the old Chunk feels that you know and love – with a fresh new sound that will knock you off your feet.”
My thoughts: Nostalgia is obviously a big thing right now and that's the theme throughout the album that was mostly worked on pre-pandemic but tinkered with over it. In a pandemic world that nostalgic feeling is even more important. Not that Chunk! is simply rehashing their previous albums as their is a lot of playing with sounds here some turned out rather well (Pinkillers) and some not so well (Good Luck). The highlights include all 3 singles, especially the latest, Complete You, a mid-tempo banger of a song featuring AJ Perdermo of The Dangerous Summer along with the heavy hitters (Made For More, True Colors) and Blame It On This Song which was released way back in August 2016. The low point for me was probably Tongue Tied. It's just a little bit too slow and somber for me but I can appreciate what the band were trying to do.
Label: Fueled By Ramen
Press release: Fueled By Ramen recording artist Against The Current have announced their new EP fever, arriving July 23rd. The seven-track collection marks the first new body of work since the group's 2018 album Past Lives. "I wanted to encapsulate the maddening feeling of being trapped in a vicious cycle in your own head, and especially show that just because it's all in your head, doesn't at all detract from how real and potent that feeling can be," commented frontwoman Chrissy Costanza.
My thoughts: So I had already heard the first four tracks before the album since ATC like dripping singles before an album announcement. The band recently announced this would be EP1 and there will be a second EP that together would comprise an album and it's definitely some of the best work they've done on a record since their debut album and with time I may end up liking this EP better than their early EP releases. The four singles are solid so let's focus on the three "new to me" songs. Shatter is a slow repetitive song that didn't do anything for me. Burn It Down throw it back to their pop rock roots that reminds me of those early EP's I love. Lullaby is a dark rock track similar to their debut album and I'm all here for it. It appears this could be the deep cut with the most staying power unless ATC opts for a post release video.
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