Album Review: Rise Against – Nowhere Generation

Rise Against once again

Rise Against are back. The band, who are a staple of the punk rock genre, have been around since 1999 and stood up and made their voice heard ever since. Songs like “Give It All,” “Savior” and “Prayer for the Refugee” inspired a generation of music fans. Now with their newest release, Nowhere Generation, music fans hope for another push of guidance and inspiration during a time where it’s easy to feel lost and confused.

Everyone knows Rise Against is not shy of voicing their opinions about current political and social events. And this hasn’t changed with their newest and ninth full-length album Nowhere Generation. From the very first song, “The Numbers,” it is clear this album challenges the listener. The politically charged song reminds the listener, yes, democracy isn’t always comfortable and easy, but the strength in numbers is there, and democracy is still the best political system out there. Singer Tim McIlrath goes into these details about the album with KERRANG magazine. He ends with a rather hopeful thought, “Look at any major events and changes in history: they always come from the bottom up with people putting pressure on people in power.”

The title track, “Nowhere Generation,” seems to sum up the feelings of both younger Millennials and Gen Z. Somewhat lost and misunderstood by others, still fighting for their future and social change. Stand-out lyrics are: “We are a credible threat to the rules you set/ A cause to be alarmed/ We are not the names that we’ve been given/ We speak a language you don’t know/ We are the nowhere generation.” It is interesting how Rise Against, as a band, is not part of this generation but still evolved to keep their work fresh and are able to connect with a younger audience. Now, it is debatable if a young generation with a certain struggle needs to hear, “Hey, we are in this together,” from someone older when they are clearly not. But maybe it’s nice to be seen by other generations.

“Broken Dreams, Inc.” leads the listener on a boulevard of hard guitar and bass solos and the typical vocals of McIlrath. A classic Rise Against song, nothing outstanding on a record that is generally a very classic Rise Against album. The heavily acoustic song “Forfeit” shows a softer side of Rise Against. The message is clear when everyone else leaves; they are here for you, just like a good friend or a guardian angel. “Monarch” picks up the speed again. During the track by track with KERRANG, McIlrath explains his inspiration for the song was after reading “Educated” by Tara Westover.

So with 11 songs and a run time of about 40 minutes, how is Nowhere Generation? Well, Rise Against released another Rise Against album. It’s nothing really new here; yes, the music is more relevant today but so are their classic songs too. It’s a solid album that fans can find comfort in, and it will fit nicely on a Spotify-generated playlist. Being a band that plays for over 20 years isn’t easy. Fans want change, but they also don’t want change. If you change, you sold out, but if you don’t change it up, you become boring and predictable. So yes, Nowhere Generation is worth the time, but it’s also okay to just keep listening to Appeal To Reason.

Alison Alber: Born and raised in Germany, I'm currently a multimedia journalism student at the University of Texas at El Paso. I enjoy writing about music as much as listening to it.
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