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There’s something almost contradictory about Alexisonfire calling their latest single “Push The River.” Across its hypnotic instrumental groove and atmospheric rock arrangements, the track seems less concerned with fighting against the current than figuring out when to stop fighting altogether. Reminiscent of bands like Failure, the song takes a more restrained approach to the band’s familiar post-hardcore foundations, allowing its guitars and steady rhythm to establish an almost meditative quality.

That restraint makes its lyrical themes all the more compelling. “Push The River” examines the exhaustion of trying to outrun uncertainty, with George Pettit repeating, “I am only outrunning myself,” before arriving at the realization that perhaps it’s time to let go. The song’s chorus turns that thought into something more universal, questioning how much of life’s weight we willingly carry and whether holding onto everything is actually doing us any good. As the band explains, the track is about “surrendering to the bedlam of one’s own thoughts and finding peace in the chaos of the everyday task that is living and loving.”

The sentiment also offers some insight into the making of Bleed It, Alexisonfire’s forthcoming sixth album. Rather than arriving at the studio with completed songs, the band spent 16 months building demos from instrumental loops and mood pieces, allowing the material to develop collectively. That process also changed how the five members approached vocals and songwriting. As Dallas Green explains, they began thinking of themselves as one creative unit rather than individuals responsible for separate parts.

It’s an approach that seems to have given the band permission to follow ideas without worrying about where they were supposed to lead. “We made the record we didn’t set out to make,” guitarist Wade MacNeil says, “which ended up being the best conceivable thing we could have done.” On “Push The River,” that willingness to relinquish control becomes both the song’s subject and its creative foundation.

Listen to “Push The River" below: