Minneapolis outfit The Stone Arch Rivals aren’t here to whisper. Back with their latest track ‘Fire’, they barrel forward like a runaway train through the smoke and wreckage of recent years- offering up a deep thunderous rock anthem that scorches and soothes in equal measure.
From the opening riff, ‘Fire’ wastes no time declaring itself. It’s a slow-burning fury wrapped in groove, built on a gritty backbone that feels equally influenced by Southern rock swelter and Midwest muscle. The band leans all the way into their urgency- rumbling rhythms, roaring guitars, and lyrics that don’t just speak of chaos, but wrestle with it in real time. You can feel the desperation under the surface: it’s not hopelessness, but the yearning ache of wanting something better and not knowing how to get there without leaping into the unknown.
Lead guitarist Morgan Ranstrom puts it plainly: “you have to jump in with us.” That invitation drives the track’s emotional core, daring listeners to shed comfort and embrace the storm. It’s not a protest song in the typical sense- it’s more spiritual combustion. With the addition of Tommy Barbarella (of Prince’s New Power Generation) adding his signature magic on keys, the result is something richer than rage: it’s resurrection by rhythm.
The Stone Arch Rivals may be relative newcomers, but with ‘Fire’, they sound like veterans of the soul. Their message is passionately urgent, their playing fearless, and their presence impossible to ignore. ‘Fire’ is less about destruction, and more about the renewal that follows once everything false has burned away.