If ever there was a perfect time for a new album from the outspoken, socially-conscious, multi-Gold and Platinum punk rock band Rise Against, it’s right now.
Nowhere Generation, out on Loma Vista Recordings, is blazing and aggressive, fusing old-school punk attitude with post-hardcore fury. Lyrically, the eleven songs were influenced by input from the band’s vocalist/lyricist Tim McIlrath’s two young daughters, and the band’s community of fans, and point an enormous spotlight at the social and economic deck that has been stacked against younger generation’s pursuit of The American Dream.
Today, there is the promise of The American Dream, and then there is the reality of The American Dream. America’s “historical norm” that “the next generation will be better off than the one that came before” has been diminished by an era of mass social, economic, and political instability, and a sell-out of the Middle Class. The brass ring that was promised by hard work and dedication no longer exists for everyone, and as was the case with the counterculture of the 1960s, disruption becomes the only answer for the Nowhere Generation.
Nowhere Generation was recorded at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado under the tutelage of Jason Livermore, Andrew Berlin, Chris Beeble and long-time producer/engineer Bill Stevenson (Black Flag, The Descendents) who has worked with the band on nearly all of their acclaimed releases since their sophomore effort, 2003’s Revolutions Per Minute, and is often described as Rise Against’s fifth member.
Rise Against is rhythm guitarist/vocalist McIlrath, bassist Joe Principe, drummer Brandon Barnes, and guitarist Zach Blair.