Punk rock band Rise Against has shared the news that its first new album in four years, Nowhere Generation, will drop on June 4.
The announcement – which the band has been teasing on social media – came with the release of the title track and its black-and-white video.
According to Rise Against, the 11 tracks on the album were inspired by the children of its members as well as the band’s fans.
“Today there is the promise of the American Dream, and then there is the reality of the American Dream,” frontman Tim McIlrath said, in a release. “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. When the privileged climb the ladder of success and then burn it from the top, disruption becomes the only answer.”
Rise Against blames big business and politics for stacking the deck against the younger generations.
“I’ve come to realize that people want honesty and that music can be a catalyst for change,” McIlrath said. “In many ways, we’ve been on a mission to rile people up, and I feel very lucky to be able to do that. Our hope on this record is to jostle people awake, even it if makes you uncomfortable.”
Nowhere Generation was recorded in Colorado with a team that included the band’s longtime producer/engineer Bill Stevenson.
“Bill is our not-so-secret weapon,” bassist Joe Principe said, in a release. “He really has helped shape the band; he gets what we want to do and will go with us when we think outside the box.
“He’s the perfect producer for the style of music we play because he has an insane pop sensibility and the hardcore side to him as well.”
Rise Against also worked with creative director Brian Roettinger – whose album packaging for Florence + The Machine, Jay-Z and No Age earned him Grammy nominations – to come up with several editions of Nowhere Generation.
Principe added: “When I was growing up, I listened to bands like 7 Seconds, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and Bad Religion. All of those bands’ music had a sense of hope with the world, a truly positive global view of what life can be.
“From the beginning, we’ve wanted Rise Against to have that same positivity, to have our music be an inspiration for people to bring about change in their own lives, they just have to put forth the effort and speak up.”
Watch the "Nowhere Generation" video below: