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“Rise” is the new single from Johannesburg based, South African melodic hard rock 3-piece Far From Who We Are, and their first release via German label HopePunk Records.

More info about Far From Who We Are

Formed in 2015 and consisting of brothers Johan Heyns (Guitar, Vocals, Synths), Maarten Heyns (Bass) and Kyle Williams (Drums). They write, record, mix and master everything themselves in their own studio (The Laundry Room), and the result is a recording quality that is truly world-class, which is just what their songs deserve.

The band released their self-titled debut in 2017, and have since continued to shape their signature sound through a number of well-received single releases including “This is War” (2018), “Hollow”, ”Monster in Me” and “Chaos” (2019), “Hurricane” and “Living a Lie” (2020).

Far From Who We Are bring the HEAVY and the HEART – they continue to push the boundaries of traditional hard rock, fusing a mix of rock, metal and electro sounds to create their unique blend of melodic alternative rock that is big on emotion and catchy melodies, underpinned by hard-hitting riffs and beats.

Far From Who We Are comments on their new single, “Rise”

“Rise” is a dark yet uplifting song with a positive message – it’s about escaping a dark place or difficult situation and finding the strength to get back up and rise above it.”

Johan Heyns explains the concept of the video for “Rise”

“We felt that an energetic band performance approach would fit the songs energy well and allow us to keep the focus on the song itself. Visually, we aimed at expressing the songs core message (of rising above a dark place or difficult situation) – contrasting the video’s dark setting and colour-scheme with the bands lighter (“white”) presence and performance that visualises this “fight” and ultimate uprising. Also, we’re a live performance band at our core, and of course we’ve been missing playing live during this Covid crisis, so the video was also great opportunity for us to get together and perform again as band.”

Check out the video for “Rise” below:

I like this track. It’s heavy (and melodic) and it’s exactly what I needed to combine with my 2nd cup of coffee for the day. I will most likely be listening to this on repeat for the next few days. Hopefully we can check the band out on a stage in Gauteng in the near future.

You can stream / download “Rise” HERE.

Watch this space for updates in the Music category on Running Wolf’s Rant.