As three-time Grammy-nominated hard rock quartet Nothing More gear up to hit the road later this month alongside In This Moment, the band have shared a fourth new track, “You Don’t Know What Love Means,” from their upcoming album Spirits - out October 14 and available for pre-order now. The impassioned song examines what happens when one tries to make a one-sided relationship work with all-too-real lyrics— “I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, there’s no rest, there’s no peace”—which leads into frontman Jonny Hawkins’ fervently belting out its chorus, “You don’t know what love means, and it's killing me.”
“We’re glad this song is finally getting out there so we can dig into the emotional and intimate side of the album,” says Hawkins. “The lyrics and tone of this one feels like it hits in a similar way that ‘Go To War’ and ‘Jenny’ did. It’s going to feel huge playing this next one on tour.”
“You Don’t Know What Love Means” follows previously released album tracks “Spirits” and “Turn It Up Like.” The lead-off track “Tired Of Winning” is currently #6 on Billboard’s Active Rock chart, and the extended version, “Tired Of Winning / Ships In The Night”, is also included on The Retaliatiors Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for Better Noise Film’s upcoming horror-thriller The Retaliators.
Spirits combines Nothing More’s unapologetically massive anthems, catchy hooks, and progressive music with introspective, philosophical lyrics and thought-provoking emotionalism. Its eleven tracks were co-written by all band members--Hawkins [vocals], Mark Vollelunga [guitar], Daniel Oliver [bass], and Ben Anderson [drums]--and their longtime manager and co-producer Will Hoffman. The album documents the tumultuous time the world experienced over the past two years capturing the desperation and isolation of lockdown, the spiral of substance abuse, the pain of broken relationships, and survival in self-reliance while summarizing the overall story and mission of Nothing More.
Nothing More have also partnered with Z2 Comics (The Doors, Machine Gun Kelly, The Grateful Dead) to release their first-ever graphic novel “Spirits Vol.1” authored by Dan Watters (Cowboy Bebop, Arkham City: The Order of The World) and illustrated by Christian Rosado. The graphic novel will be released in Spring 2023 and be available in a standard edition hardcover, a deluxe edition oversized hardcover, a limited deluxe edition oversized hardcover hand-signed by band (999 copies total) and a special tour-only softcover only available for purchase in-person at Nothing More shows or directly via their website.
The band recently unveiled their own meta-personality test, “Spirits Test,” developed by frontman Jonny Hawkins, which features 25 psychometric questions then determines your “Spirit Type.” Each Spirit Type has its own character and personality descriptions which are further explored in the upcoming graphic novel. Deluxe edition bundles for “Spirits Vol. 1” will highlight the Spirit Types with bundles including Spirits art prints, cards, an Eight-Sided Nothing More Spirits Octahedron, Spirits enamel pin, an exclusive color variant Spirits vinyl and more.
Throughout 25 questions, the Spirits Test measures psychometrics of your dominant modes and perceptions to determine your “Spirit Type”. Each Spirit Type has its own personality description with correlating elements, paths and perceptions as well as symbolic characters which the band have revealed across recent releases. The Spirits Test artwork (as seen below) was illustrated by Micah Ulrich (Lacuna Coil, Chelsea Grin, Post Malone).
Watch the below video for an introduction to the Spirits Test from Hawkins. Take the Spirits Test here, and share your results online with the band by using the hashtag #SpiritsTest.
Hawkins explains more on the “Spirits Test” and “Spirit Types”:
“The comic book focuses on four of the Spirit Types. As we were making the album, I came up with the concept for the Spirits Test. Imagine if the zodiac had a baby with the Meyers Briggs personality test, and that baby came out with a fascination with cryptic iconography and metal music… that is this test. Each of us has a Spirit Type and this comic book is an artistic expression of how those Spirit Types come to life in a world very much like our own.
Guitarist Mark Vollelunga shares how the idea for a graphic novel developed:
“I set forth on this collaboration with Z2 comics, and our manager, Will Hoffman, with the idea to expand the Nothing More world and allow the reader to dive deeper down the rabbit hole and elaborate on what these Spirit Types mean; where they came from and why they exist. We wanted to write stories that invoke a compelling sense of empathy and wonder while maintaining a very personal connection to Nothing More songs. Dan Watters was the perfect dude for the job. He’s such a brilliant, captivating writer. Both of us shared inspiration from shows like The OA and Sense 8 and we wanted to accentuate the differences all people have when something in your life wrecks you…and that even though these differences may seem polarizing, we all still need each other. It’s because of these differences that you learn to survive and grow. This story shows that great strength and mutual respect come to those who learn how to embrace one another despite such differences.”
Preorder “Spirits Vol. 1” at z2comics.com.
Out worldwide on October 14 via Better Noise Music, Spirits’ 13 tracks consist of the band’s most focused, adventurous, and intense music, uniting introspective philosophical lyrics with unapologetically massive anthems. Preorder here.
Tracklisting:
“Turn It Up Like (Stand In The Fire)”
“Tired Of Winning”
“Ships In The Night”
“You Don’t Know What Love Means”
“Don’t Look Back”
“The Other F Word”
“Face It”
“Best Times”
“Déjà vu”
“Dream With Me”
“Neverland”
“Valhalla (Too Young To See)”
“Spirits”
"You Don't Know What Love Means" video:
“Tired Of Winning” / “Ships In The Night” video:
“Turn It Up Like (Stand In The Fire)”:
“Spirits”:
Tour dates:
August
26 - Evansville, IN - Old National Events Plaza
27 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
28 - Clive, IA - Horizon Events Center
30 - Albuerque, NM - The Sunshine Theater*
September
1 - Lubbock, TX - Lonestar Events Center
2 - Dallas, TX - Southside Ballroom
3 - Pryor, OK - Rocklahoma
6 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
8 - Alton, VA - Blue Ridge Rock Festival
9 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
10 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
12 - Knoxville, TN - The Concourse*
13 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
14 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE - outdoor stage
15 - Wallingford, CT - Oakdale Theatre
17 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway
18 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore
20 - Columbus, OH - Kemba Live
21 - Cleveland, OH - The Agora
23 - Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life Festival
24 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Center
25 - Grand Rapids, MI - 20 Monroe Live (no Nothing More)
27 - Maplewood, MN - Myth Live
28 - Grand Forks, ND - Alerus Center
30 - Great Falls, MT - Centene Stadium
October
1 - Spokane, WA - The Podium
3 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
4 - Portland, OR - Arlene Schinitzer Concert Hall
5 - Reno, NV - Grand Theatre
7 - Garden City, ID - Revolution Concert House and Event Center
8 - Central Point, OR - Bi-Mart Amphitheater
11 - San Diego, CA - Observatory North Park
12 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
14 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
15 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
16 - Billings, MT - Pub Station*
18 - Omaha, NE - The Admiral
19 - Kansas City, MO - Midland Theatre
21 - Chicago, IL - Radius
22 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
*Nothing More headlining
(Photo - Jody Domingue)
