Wolves

The darkest moments in history-those when fear and hate trump all else-are the times that define us. As politicians use bigoted rhetoric to gain power at home and abroad, and fringe groups creep from the shadows, it's tempting to succumb to despair and defeatism. But Rise Against is challenging fans to create a bold new identity together: one that is stronger than these setbacks, and bigger than any election. WOLVES, their 8th studio release, is about recognizing the power within all of us; it's a primal call for the prey to become the hunters.

"If you are in the wilderness and you hear wolves howling, what you're hearing might be an animal lost or mourning," says Rise Against's Tim McIlrath. "But it doesn't make you any less afraid. You know they're there. And you know what this powerful pack of animals is capable of."

For 18 years, Rise Against has kept its moral compass steady, using their international punk platform to speak out for social justice.

The band cut its teeth during the George W. Bush administration and has released records across three presidencies, but today's political climate forced the band to step back and rethink how they define themselves.

The record was originally titled "Mourning in America," but after the U.S. presidential election that rang hollow. It felt somber and hopeless. Members of the band felt those emotions, too, but decided they needed to create an album that focused more on our potential than our failings. They knew it needed teeth and claws. The result is WOLVES, a soundtrack for the hunt.

"In many ways, a Rise Against show is a safe space for our fans," McIlrath says. "But I realized that I don't only want to create safe spaces, I want to create dangerous spaces where misogyny can't exist, where xenophobia can't exist. I want to create spaces where those sentiments don't have any air, and they suffocate: where those ideas die. WOLVES isn't about creating a safe space, it's about creating a space that's dangerous for injustice."

The influence of the U.S. presidential election can clearly be heard in songs like "Walls" ("the monsters lost in history are now making their return") and "Welcome to the Breakdown" ("ignoring the facts, intoxicated by the throne"). WOLVES is of course shaped by the new presidency, but it's not limited to it. There is a spirt of resistance and optimism here that transcends our current crisis, and will outlast any politician.