
An Image of the “Nod” Single Cover Via Loma VistaRise Against is best known for their iconic early 2000s songs that emulated much of the punk and rock scene of the time. Alongside bands like Seether, My Chemical Romance, and Green Day, Rise Against has a distinct and recognizable heavy sound with sharp guitars and an energetic drumbeat. After three years of touring without new releases, Rise Against released a new single, “Nod”, on January 23. For many reasons this song seems to have fallen short of previous releases despite the band’s legendary status.
The most notable difference between their previous releases and this single is the vocal mixing. While their older songs used a crisp and gritty styling with very few vocal effects, “Nod” relied heavily on an almost grainy-sounding mixing technique. This caused the lyrics to feel drowned out, making it much more difficult to understand, drastically contrasting the clarity and the ease of listening of previous songs.
It is a shame that the lyrics are so drowned out since, upon studying them, they read beautifully. However, due to the mixing, it is nearly impossible to attain a glint of the meaning solely by listening to the track. The first verse lyrics are a very strong opening stating, “And tell me, where does the time really go?/Tell me, what is this moment we’re all waiting for?/In a wasteland so barren/A dead zone where nothing can grow”. These lyrics cinematically set a great scene for the overall tone of the song: feeling hopeless in an oppressive and run-down world. This perfectly sets up the second verse, with one of the strongest lyrics from this verse furthering the understanding of this world—the main subject of the song declaring it feels as though people are “Standing in water that’s been rising before I was born”.
This harkens back to the idea of people living in an oppressive world that has continued to degrade and sink over time, forcing them to give in to the maltreatment that started long before they were born. The most repeated lyric throughout the chorus states “If you’re hearing what I’m saying/Just nod if you understand me”. In this lonely and stifled world, the people of this story are attempting to connect, hoping to find someone who nods along with them and agrees with their sentiments. Searching for a deeper understanding and connection to act as a light in the darkness of this world. While this is an extremely powerful message and great storytelling through lyricism, this call to action does not feel as though these lyrics can truly be appreciated due to the vocal mixing issues. Had these issues not been as prominent, these lyrics could have made for an exceptionally moving and well-written piece.
In terms of the instrumentals, this single also fell short of the mark. The guitars and drums felt more like they were battling for dominance than harmonizing and working together. This leads the overall beat of the song to feel mashed up and jumbled. To me, the drums felt too slow and the guitar felt too fast and excessively harsh for the overall feeling of the song. While their older songs are notably fast-paced as well, the instrumental pacing all lined up in such a way that the melody and notes of the song were easy to follow. This often caused a song to get stuck in a listener’s head, leading them to revisit this song more frequently than one lacking this quality. In the case of “Nod”, the melody was almost indistinguishable from the mind-melting disarrayed state of the notes.
In early June 2022, Rise Against published an EP, titled Nowhere Generation II, which managed to perfectly maintain the band’s original charm and quality of their early 2000s releases. The first track on the album, “The Answer”, exemplifies the sort of song “Nod” could have been had the composition been more carefully written and reviewed. “The Answer” has a quick and heavy instrumental, similar to the aim of their newest single. Within “The Answer”, the way the notes line up harmonizes to allow the listener to hear the song as a whole, rather than in layered musical fragments. The vocals are clear, crisp, and powerful; allowing for the message of the song to be heard loud and clear.
It was unfortunate to see that this single did not follow in its path, attaining the opposite of this desired effect. While music does modernize and change with trends, I feel their older style would have been quite on-trend. Not only is this sound what they are most notable for, but it is also making a big resurgence in mainstream media. One example of this resurgence is “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC. First released in January 2000, this song saw a massive incline in listening trends due to the newest Deadpool movie. In more similar genres to Rise Against, bands like Evanescence, Fall Out Boy, and Jimmy Eat World have also gained public viewership throughout television media and on TikTok. Had this song featured a closer styling to their original early 2000s sound, it likely would have gained more traction and viewership.
The music video for “Nod” left lots to be desired as well: primarily featuring a rolling cluster of marbles. These marbles are likely meant to represent the unification of people fighting for a cause and all moving as one, but this topic is not built upon or furthered making the video a fairly plain watch. Had these marbles made a bigger statement, this could have acted as a powerfully unique storytelling tool. One example of this might be having these marbles knock down a building representing the overcoming of the oppression that was discussed throughout the lyrics. Instead, these marbles traverse different terrains and systems in rows. At the end of the video, they all land in a pit shaped like the band’s logo allowing the intrigue and tension that was built to fall flat.
Overall, it was a disappointing track following Rise Against’s previous excellent EP release. I believe several areas could be improved to better appeal to more listeners and enhance the listening experience. Rise Against has recently announced many tours across the world and will be accompanying Papa Roach on the Rise of the Roach tour. However, it does not seem as though there are any Canadian tour dates currently planned. Rise Against tends to perform a blend of their past and more current songs at most of their shows, but there is no formally released set list to date. Tickets for this tour can be purchased through the band’s website and “Nod” is currently available to be streamed on most music platforms.