Rock band Pierce the Veil have made their return to the scene after eight years of silence with one less member. Pierce the Veil was founded by brothers Vic and Mike Fuentes in 2006, later joined by guitarist Tony Perry and bassist Jamie Preciado, and dropped their debut album “Flair for the Dramatic” in 2007. The band continued to release new music every 2-4 years, eventually culminating in their fourth full-length album “Misadventures” in 2016. However, drummer and co-founder Mike Fuentes left the band shortly after due to allegations of sexual misconduct.

Now, Pierce the Veil have dropped their first new song in eight years titled “Pass the Nirvana.” The song is largely about being upset that the rest of society doesn’t seem to care about the struggles it’s facing and using substance as a distraction from the unsolved problems in the world. While the lyrics can get tedious at times (such as the chanting of “give up”), this contributes to a higher purpose that the song serves. 

“Pass the Nirvana” is a heartfelt call to return to the more classic style of pop punk. This is clear in the conventions that the song uses, such as repetitive lyrics that complain about society, reference to substance use, and a few chords repeated in heavy breakdowns.

Whether or not that style of punk is attractive is subjective, though the new album is certain to appeal to fans of the classic sound. With that being said, the mix did feel a little too flat, and it would benefit from giving more of the spotlight to the guitars that got washed out by how fuzzy the tone was. With that being said, the new album was produced by Paul Meany, the same man that produced Twenty One Pilots’ latest effort “Scaled and Icy.” With Meany producing projects from two bands whose sounds are in stark contrast with each other, it’s safe to say Pierce the Veil’s new album was placed in the hands of an experienced industry professional.

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