Rise Against have released two songs recorded at The Blasting Room, their first new material since last year’s album Ricochet.
Rise Against have issued two new songs, “Katy Bar The Door” and “Living Undercover“, released together as a single. They are the Chicago band’s first new material since Ricochet, which came out almost exactly a year ago.
The first title comes from an old phrase warning that trouble is on the way. Tim McIlrath explained why he wanted to use it.
“I don’t know where I came across this expression, but I immediately was taken with it,” he said. “While an obscure reference now… I liked the idea of resurrecting it for this song, and that it sort of fits what it feels like to be alive in 2026.”
According to the band, the song was written after ICE raids in Minneapolis. McIlrath placed it in a wider historical frame.
“This is not the first time in history we have reckoned with abuses of power,” McIlrath added. “Bearing witness to the fragility of democracy is a scary thing, and it demands a response.”
“Living Undercover” is described by the band as a song about what people keep out of sight.
“Sometimes it’s because we’re building something beautiful behind the curtain, other times we’re hiding some kind of darkness,” McIlrath explained. “I like the cloak and dagger feel of the song that ties into its central theme.”
Both tracks were cut at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado, the studio run by Bill Stevenson of Descendents and Black Flag, where Rise Against recorded much of their catalogue including 2021’s Nowhere Generation. Ricochet broke that pattern, it was produced by Catherine Marks and mixed by Alan Moulder, which is the gap McIlrath refers to.
“The studio there is a home away from home, and we know those rooms like the back of our hands,” McIlrath said. “It’d been a while since we worked at the studio, and it was good to be under their roof again.”
Ricochet, released on August 15 last year through Loma Vista Recordings, was the band’s tenth studio album.
Rise Against are currently in the United Kingdom supporting Jimmy Eat World on their Bleed American shows, alongside The Get Up Kids and Jay Som. Their own headline run of the United States begins on September 22 at South Side Ballroom in Dallas, with Alkaline Trio supporting, and takes in New York City, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and San Francisco among others.
The band formed in Chicago in 1999 and consists of McIlrath, bassist Joe Principe, guitarist Zach Blair and drummer Brandon Barnes.
Rise Against 2026 Fall US Tour Dates:
- Sep 22 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom
- Sep 23 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park
- Sep 27 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater
- Sep 30 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17
- Oct 3 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage
- Oct 4 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
- Oct 6 – St. Louis, MO – The Factory
- Oct 7 – Waukee, IA – Vibrant Music Hall
- Oct 9 – Council Bluffs, IA – Harrah’s Stir Cove
- Oct 10 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave / Eagles Club
- Oct 12 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
- Oct 14 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
- Oct 15 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel Entertainment Center
- Oct 17 – Las Vegas, NV – Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort
- Oct 18 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union Event Center
- Oct 20 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater
- Oct 22 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
- Oct 23 – Irvine, CA – Great Park Live
