Remember when NERO warned us about the “promises” we made to technology? Well, we’ve broken them all.
The influential electronic band’s first two albums whispered of a looming disconnect via cinematic dubstep, but their long-awaited third full-length, Into the Unknown, roars with the realization of that grim forecast. And as they embark on an ambitious audiovisual tour kicking off this weekend, we’re now between two worlds, lost in the static of our own creation.
NERO’s Daniel Stephens, Joseph Ray and Alana Watson have called Into the Unknown the final installment of a trilogy. They said the album “feels somewhat like a bridge” between its predecessors, which explored the search for meaning in the face of dystopia.
The album doesn’t just continue the story—it rips open the festering wound of our digitally-induced detachment to the point of numbness. In the throes of the AI era and its existential threat to our livelihoods, NERO have written the soundtrack to the forbidden sense of freedom that comes with the human cost of technological progress.
And from a purely musical standpoint, Into the Unknown feels like a second skin.
“This is where we’ve always felt that we reside, stylistically,” the band said. “We wanted to make sure the album sounded quintessentially NERO and hopefully our fans will feel we succeeded in that.”
Within a nanosecond of the album’s haunting opener, it’s clear they haven’t lost a step despite nearly a decade between albums. The stentorian voice of NERO frontwoman Watson is a lightning rod, providing clarity and focus amidst the radiant chaos of Ray and Stephens’ electronic production. There’s a controlled power in her delivery, reflecting the symbiosis between the rod and the structure it protects.
The band is now set to take Into the Unknown on an expansive US tour sans Watson, who will take a step back after giving birth to her third child with Stephens. Her timeless vocals, however, will serve as the focal point of a brand-new hybrid live show.
You can purchase tickets to NERO’s tour here and listen to Into the Unknown below.
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