Track List
The Answer
Last Man Standing
This Time It’s Personal
Paint Mgmt
Holding Patterns
This is a surprise package of songs by Chicago punk rock stalwarts Rise Against and it’s a second helping of the Nowhere Generation era.
The band has embarked on giving us songs that are politically relevant and highly evocative, spearheading inspirational quotes and anecdotes, startling the hearts of those who choose to listen. And always railing against the grain, Rise Against haven’t turned down the volume and haven’t become seekers of the calm, they’ve totally blasted the cobwebs of yesterday.
Nowhere Generation II isn’t an afterthought or an EP misguided, it’s feels fresh and ready to give people the chance to reflect on their own lives.
Politics are explored here and warfare is described; brilliantly weaved lyrics do not fall into obscurity or the backroom of irrelevance, as every strand means something. And this band have always been experts at expressing themselves through the written word, driving them like a hammer to a nail.
Yes we get those well crafted riffs, and hard-hitting percussion, pulling us through a musical portal into a sonic room, but it’s the words that spill details, spotlight travesties and broken love. The EP does hold up against the album that was released last year. It even sounds more engaging and more fluent.
‘The Answer’ starts the record off. It has one of those well tuned riffs and the vocals do not barge in, but ease in, and the song describes starvation and a true plight. It’s a perfect beginning. ‘This Time It’s Personal’ opens fast, and that bass line shudders in, with the lyrics conveying war and its afflictions – the riff is breakneck. ‘Holding Patterns’ has a great melody too, and the story grows deeper. Lyrically, it’s spellbinding and truly resonating.
Rise Against has sparked a frenzy with their surprise EP. It isn’t just a record full of fillers, but a cohesive representation.
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Verdict - 8/10
8/10