New Jersey based alternative rockers America Part Two are getting candid on their new album Price of a Nation.
Released yesterday, Price of a Nation is the debut album from the trio, following a steady stream of new singles over the past year. Using the band’s punk rock energy and penchant for calling out oppressive systems, ignorance and general societal flaws, the new album is a ten track call out for those in power.
Opening on the hard hitting “Welcome The Times,” the band kick off the record by welcoming listeners to the revolution and asking them what side they will be on. Beginning with a slow, almost somber sound and gradually picking it up to a full band rock track, this song perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album- serving almost as an introduction to the themes and messages the band will be conveying across the subsequent nine tracks.
Continuing this energy, the album then flows into the band’s previously released single “I Don’t Wanna” followed by “Officer,” both of which are packed with a social commentary. With “I Don’t Wanna” navigating the harassment and unwanted advances nearly all women experience just simply for existing and “Officer” calling out the systematic abuse of power that exists within the law enforcement field and the unjust killings of Black Americans- both singles force listeners to think about the abuses they have witnessed and confront them head on, nothing being withheld or watered down.
And the political/social awareness doesn’t end there. In fact it is just beginning, as the next tracks “Glaciers,” “Freedom,” and “Split 2020” evaluate issues such as climate change, what it means to truly be “free” in America and provide a hopeful anthem for a better future, appropriately dubbed “America part two.”
The back half of the album then begins to dive into more personal issues- such as mental health and the ever prevalent stigma surrounding asking for help.
With the biting “Talk It Out,” and “Cry Millennial Cry” tackling the idea that mental health issues are oftentimes brushed off as someone being too “soft” or “emotional,” followed by “The Bridge,” which navigates suicidal ideation and feelings of guilt or regret, the band call attention to the need for conversations surrounding mental health and the termination of stigma.
Closing then on the band’s self titled single “America Part Two,” which is an acoustic style ballad, Price of a Nation leaves listener’s feeling ready to take on the world- both in a sense of ready to fight the oppressive systems that are currently in place, and also ready to make the most of their lives with this album as the soundtrack to their ascent.
Formed in 2017, America Part Two is a trio made up of vocalist/guitarist Alex Fabio, vocalist/bassist Fred Rainville, and percussionist Sam Weingarten. With their debut EP Pure launching shortly after their formation, the band then went on to release the highly successful “Split” in 2018, gaining over 50 thousand Spotify listens on that track alone.
Since 2018 the band have continued to put out new music, with one new single in 2019 and three in 2020, continuing to work though the COVID-19 pandemic on creating new music that both told the story of modern day America and kept their creativity flowing- all leading up to today’s Price of a Nation.
You can follow America Part Two via the links below, and be sure to stream Price of a Nation out now.
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