"Sober" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Bad Wolves Bad Wolves is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in 2017. Initially finding fame from their first single, a cover of the Cranberries' 1994 hit "Zombie (The Cranberries song)#Bad Wolves cover, Zombie", the band proceeded to fi ...

. It was their second single off of their second studio album ''

N.A.T.I.O.N. ''N.A.T.I.O.N.'' (pronounced "Nation" by band members in interview) is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Bad Wolves. It was released through Eleven Seven Music on October 25, 2019. It is supported by the singles "Learn to W ...

''. It topped the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Mainstream Rock Songs Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart for two weeks in June 2020.

Background

The song was released in January 2020, as the second single from their third album, ''

'', with a

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

being released at the same time. The video features

frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Tommy Vext Thomas Cummings (born April 15, 1982), better known under the stage name Tommy Vext, is an American heavy metal singer and songwriter known as the former lead vocalist of Bad Wolves, Divine Heresy, and Westfield Massacre. As a solo act, he goe ...

at an

addiction recovery The recovery model, recovery approach or psychological recovery is an approach to mental disorder or substance dependence that emphasizes and supports a person's potential for recovery. Recovery is generally seen in this model as a personal journey ...

meeting. Vext had previously suffered from addiction, and had affected his role in bands he performed with in the past. The song will also be on the soundtrack for the film ''Sno Babies'', a feature film scheduled for late 2020 release that depicts two girl's struggle with

opiate addiction Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. Op ...

. The song was the band's fifth song in a row to top the active rock chart, and their fourth to top the ''

chart. The song also made the band be the first to have two different songs top the latter chart, with "Killing Me Slowly" topping earlier in the year. Sober stayed atop of the chart for two weeks.

Themes and composition

Lyrically, the song addresses

alcohol addiction Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

from multiple perspectives; from the one suffering from it, and from the people who are affected by it second-hand. Vext stated that he aspired to write about addiction from a different perspective than it typically is in modern music, stating: Vext states that the song also fits into ''N.A.T.I.O.N.'s'' larger message of support, inclusion, and anti-suicide, while ''

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...

'' interpreted its lyrics to be about "relationship fragility". ''Billboard'' described the song's sound as a "

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

", while ''Loudwire'' described it as a "

mid-tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

, radio ready

track". The track primarily plays out on an

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

and "clap-along beat", with an electric

guitar solo A guitar solo is a melodic passage, instrumental section, or entire piece of music, pre-written (or improvised) to be played on a classical guitar, electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. In 20th and 21st century traditional music and popular m ...

at the bridge, and an uplifting tonal shift in the song's final chorus.

Personnel

– lead vocals * Doc Coyle – lead guitar, backing vocals * Chris Cain – rhythm guitar * Kyle Konkiel – bass guitar, backing vocals * John Boecklin – drums

Charts

References

{{Bad Wolves 2019 songs 2020 singles Bad Wolves songs Eleven Seven Label Group singles