In elemental terms, the new single from abandcalledlove. strikes a balance between earth and air. There are deep, rumbling grooves and guitars that surge and shoot off into the stratosphere. There is dense, pressurized force and spacey atmospherics that make room for the song to stretch and breathe. In their brief tenure, collaborators Ian Joshua Riley (Tenth Row, Harm) and Ryan Chandler Love have pursued a dynamic post-hardcore template that’s both muscular and introspective. Their third single “No Ransom” follows that formula while offering something new: the ability to disarm.
With its mix of bracing riffs and exploratory sonics, it’s not difficult to pin down the group’s inspirations. Echoes of Thrice’s hypnotic thrust and the progressive sparkle of Circa Survive ring throughout the track’s swelling soundscape. Given that lineage, it won’t surprise anyone to also see abandcalledlove. examining themes of religion and faith.
But what does stand out is the duo’s ability to offer up unexpected wrinkles. What emerges as a pulsating—albeit predictable—verse-chorus-bridge thriller eventually gives way to an ethereal breakdown and chant-along outro. On the surface they’re not massive detours, but what they effectively do is force the listener to refocus their attention. Because for all its storming intensity, the motivating message behind “No Ransom” is one of calm, compassionate disavowal.
“‘No Ransom’ was written in regards to those who abuse the power they have been given,” Love says, “specifically in the context of religious systems in America in which a significant number of leaders are often predatory figures who employ fear to manipulate their followers as a means of obtaining their ill-gotten gains and maintaining their position of power and influence.
“For me, personally, it’s also about letting go of my previous associations with those systems, not being afraid to ask the big questions I was told are wrong to ask, and giving my life to something greater than man; no longer allowing ‘religion,’ archaic rhetoric, and fear tactics to dictate the course of my actions. We are called to rebuke those who abuse their power, but not out of spite, hatred, or malice.”
Listen below.
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