"The Shift" is a song by American

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band

10 Years 10 Years or Ten Years may refer to: *Decade, a period of ten years Film * ''10 Years'' (2011 film), a film starring Channing Tatum * ''Ten Years'' (2015 film), a Hong Kong film Music *10 Years (band), an American alternative metal band * ''10 Ye ...

. It was their first single off of their ninth studio album, '' Violent Allies''. It peaked on the ''

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chart at 25 in 2020.

Background and recording

The song was recorded in late 2019 for the band's upcoming untitled ninth studio album due out in 2020. The song was recorded with

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Howard Benson Howard Benson is an American music producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was nominated for the Producer of the Year Grammy Award in 2007 and 2008. Early life and education Benson was born and raised in a middle-class family in greater Philadel ...

, who the band previously worked with on their album '' Feeding the Wolves''. The song was the product of very challenging recording sessions with Benson, who rejected 75% of the material previously written prior to entering the studio, leaving the band to write and record new material in the studio on the spot with Benson. A

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was released at the same time as the single's May 15, 2020 release. As of October 2020, the single had peaked at number 25 on the ''

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...

Themes and composition

Lyrically, guitarist Brian Vodinh described the song as being about "the polarization of society and human impact on the earth itself". Additionally, the line "from silence to sirens" was commentary on how quickly things become issues in "

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culture". The song makes multiple allusions to humanity being like a virus; the song was written in mid-2019, well before the

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, so it was not written specifically about it, though it was released as a single due to its newfound relevance. The song was written and recorded on a

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tuned to B tuning, a different set up for the band. Vodinh stated he felt that it gave the song a thicker and heavier guitar sound.

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described it as a "mid-tempo melodic track" with gradual increases in tempo and guitar aggressiveness and grittiness.

Reception

names it one of the best rock songs of 2020.

Personnel

10 Years * Jesse Hasek – vocals * Brian Vodinh – guitar, drums * Matt Wantland - guitar Production *

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Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shift 2020 songs 10 Years (band) songs Songs written by Jesse Hasek