Canadian rock band Nickelback return with their eleventh studio album, ‘Everything Under The Sun’, a 12-track collection clocking in at 44 minutes and 38 seconds that finds the band balancing their trademark arena-sized rock sound with a more reflective, emotionally exposed approach to songwriting.
Following their previous album, ‘Get Rollin’’, released in 2022, the new record arrives after a particularly significant period for the group, marked by their acclaimed documentary, ‘Hate to Love: Nickelback’, and their 2023 induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Yet, rather than simply revisiting past glories, Chad Kroeger and company use this latest chapter to explore freedom, heartbreak, redemption, and the complicated business of being human.
Co-produced by Kroeger alongside longtime collaborator Chris Bassford, Everything Under The Sun is an album of contrasts. There are muscular guitar riffs, infectious choruses, and explosive rock arrangements, but beneath the familiar sonic weight lies a collection increasingly concerned with vulnerability, connection, and finding common ground in an often fractured world.
The record’s early momentum is established through the previously released singles. ‘Bones For The Crows’, originally appearing in the 2023 video game ‘Dungeon Hunter 6 ’ before receiving its single release in 2026, brings a welcome dose of familiar Nickelback firepower. Meanwhile, ‘Rattle The Cage’, featuring Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5, injects an extra shot of attitude and guitar-driven intensity, its muscular arrangement leaning comfortably into the band’s heavier instincts.
However, it is when Nickelback turn their attention towards more personal tragedy territory that the album begins to reveal its emotional depth. ‘Leave Me Behind’ stands among its most affecting moments, built around the idea of standing beside someone through their darkest experiences. “You know I'm always gonna keep you safe / You know I'm always just a call away” captures the song’s central promise, offering reassurance to someone carrying the weight of their past. There is genuine warmth in its message, although the repeated plea, “Just don’t leave me behind”, introduces an altogether more vulnerable dimension. Even the person offering unconditional support needs reassurance of their own.
That emotional thread continues with ‘Make Me Love You’, a song that captures the intoxicating excitement of an unexpected connection while acknowledging the fear of getting hurt. Opening with “Fed up, let down, so over this town / Till you showed up today”, the track moves into a romantic encounter filled with possibility. Yet, beneath its intimacy, sits a guarded heart - unwilling to surrender completely without knowing whether the other person intends to stay. “Don’t make me love you” becomes a compelling refrain, expressing the desire for someone genuine rather than another fleeting romance.
‘I Already Know’ opens with an engaging slice of everyday storytelling, as a familiar social gathering introduces an unfamiliar face. Elsewhere, ‘If I Don’t Go’ delivers some of the album’s most evocative writing, drawing on small-town upbringing, working-class frustrations and the weight of political disillusionment. Its recollection, “I grew up in a small town / Where drinking was religion / And religion wasn't fixing the problem”, paints a vivid picture of communities searching for answers while struggling with the realities around them.
There is plenty of swagger elsewhere. ‘Chasin’ Famous’ combines powerful soundscapes with an infectious, dancefloor-ready energy, taking aim at the obsession with celebrity, instant wealth and social media recognition. Its observations about nine-to-five dissatisfaction and the fantasy of becoming famous give the track a playful satirical edge, while its driving arrangement makes it an undeniable burst of fun.
Perhaps the album’s most universal statement arrives with ‘Simple Song’. Addressing political division, prejudice, violence, and the collapse of meaningful communication, it reaches beyond personal relationships towards something considerably bigger. “From one lost soul to another” introduces a plea for understanding, while the bridge’s observation, “Think of the hate they taught us / Just look at what it got us”, provides one of the record’s most thought-provoking moments. Its message is straightforward but resonant: humanity does not need to agree on everything to find a way forward together.
Elsewhere, ‘Technicolor Steamboat’, featuring actor Ryan Reynolds on vocals, offers an unexpected addition to the album’s personality, while ‘Lift Somebody Up’ reinforces its recurring emphasis on compassion and being present for others. ‘Bottle Dreams’ explores the possibility of hope finding its way through, even when the message takes time to arrive. Bringing proceedings to a close, ‘Last Night Was Fun’ shifts the mood toward chaotic nights, questionable decisions and the kind of carefree escapism that has always sat comfortably within Nickelback’s musical DNA.
‘Everything Under The Sun ’ finds Nickelback embracing both sides of their identity. The enormous hooks and familiar rock arrangements remain firmly intact, but the songwriting increasingly looks beyond the immediate thrill of a big chorus. There is a genuine desire to explore what connects us, what breaks us, and what keeps us moving forward.
For a band whose career has often been defined by larger-than-life rock anthems, this is a record that makes room for quieter truths. Its greatest strength lies in recognising that sometimes the most powerful thing you can offer another person is simply the reassurance that you’re not going anywhere.
Danielle Holian
Image: ‘Everything Under The Sun’ Official Album Cover