RISE AGAINST
@ THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, TORONTO
JUNE 26, 2025
On August 15th, Rise Against will release their 10th studio album, Ricochet. In anticipation, the punk rock veterans have hosted a series of exclusive and intimate Q&A’s and acoustic performances, allowing for fans to peak behind their curtain at their upcoming work. Following appearances in London and Berlin, Rise Against, in conjunction with Loma Vista, Indie88, and Dead Dog Records, invited less than 100 fans for a very special evening at Toronto’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) ahead of this weekend’s headlining set at All Your Friends Fest in Burl’s Creek, Ontario.
PURCHASE RICOCHET
The first half of the night featured the entire band in conversation with Indie88’s Lana Gay. Here, the band, led by vocalist and guitarist Tim McIlrath, discussed their early tours and their connection to Canada. As Gay conducted the interview, the conversation shifted to how the band approached the writing and recording of their 10th album. Here, McIlrath delved into how the band hoped to make a record that would sit outside of the Rise Against sound and, most interestingly, credits much of this to the creative approach and meticulous nature of producer Catherine Marks, citing her work with boygenius, Manchester Orchestra, Wolf Alice, and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes as initially pulling towards Marks.
Following the band’s interview with Gay, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes departed for McIlrath and guitarist Zach Blair to perform a brief, five-song set. Their performance saw McIlrath on lead vocals and an acoustic guitar, with Blair accompanying him on a clean electric and backing vocals. While they would play classics from their back catalogue, “Prayer Of The Refugee” and “Savior”, the night was centered around the trio of singles released this year, “Nod”, “Prizefighter”, and “I Want It All”. Even when stripped down to their most essential elements, there is a power to the songwriting between both their newer and older material as McIlrath’s voice bellowed through the gallery.
As far as pre-promotion goes, Rise Against have built upon the hype of their recent singles through a unique experience that even their most casual of fans will find exciting. The live interview disrupts the now typical podcast cycle by inviting the audience into the room, making for a more genuine conversation while their performance felt like a once in a lifetime musical experience. After all, where else will you catch an acoustic Rise Against in an art gallery? All in all, while brief, Rise Against’s appearance at Toronto’s MOCA was truly an exciting night in celebration of Ricochet.
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