On Oct.17, California-based punk veterans Bad Religion released the song “The Profane Rights Of Man.” This single as well as the one that preceded it, “The Kids Are Alt-Right”, marks the end of the hiatus the band has been on since 2013’s “True North.”   

During the band’s 38-year life span they have made a name for themselves by combining pop vocal harmonies with punk-infused melodies and often addressing political concerns in their lyrics.  

The new song takes on the current state of human rights. Singer Greg Graffin questions whether or not certain rights are as inalienable as we seem to believe with lines like “Hostility to every living creature/ Like gifted intellectual commands/ Inalienable, it’s not some moving feature/ It’s foundation, a bedrock of the land.”  

Timothy King, 10, finds the song’s lyrics to be refreshing in the hectic current political state.  

“The song questions certain rights which we hold dear,” King said. “It’s good that someone is willing to talk about stuff like that.”

Being released in such close conjunction to their last single, the song has gained many comparisons to its predecessor. While some prefer the callbacks to the band’s older hardcore punk sound found on the new single, others, such as junior Jahzelle Ford prefer the hard rock sensibilities found on “The Kids are Alt-Right”.  

“It [the new song] wasn’t as good as the last one,” Ford said. “It took me a little longer to get in to it.”  

The new music has sparked rumors that a new album may be on the horizon and fans are excited about the musical direction the band seems to be taking. The songs alleviate the fears Jane Abuhani, 11, had about the band’s future.  

“[The song] gives me hope,” Abuhani said. “I thought the band was just slowly dying.”  

While the band has confirmed rumors of a new album, an official release date has not been announced for what would be their 17th studio album.