As mentioned, Portland straightedge band Enact (members of Dying For It, Cutting Through, Blue Monday, and XCauterizeX) are putting out a two-song promo on August 20 via WAR Records (pre-order). They recently released "Hear My Voice," and we're now premiering the other song, "Rose." Here's what vocalist Rikki Vanderpool tells us about it:

The song Rose was written to pay homage to my Nana who passed away from COVID-19 in January of 2021. She was 94 years old.

Her name was Rose Rios and she meant everything to me. She helped my mom raise me and my siblings. She and I always had an incredibly special connection.

The chorus, “Sana, sana colita de rana” is the first line of a children’s rhyme in Spanish that translates to “Heal, heal little frog. If you don’t heal today, you will heal tomorrow.” My nana used to sing this to me whenever I was hurt, and now it’s something I sing to my son. It’s makes me miss her and feel close to her all at once. It’s also something that I tell myself when I’m feeling the weight of grief from losing her.

The last part, “Traviesa, Chingona” were nick-names she often used for me as a child and teen, that translate to naughty and badass. There’s a duality to Chingona, in that when she was saying it to me, she literally meant that I was being bad, but it has now become a badge of honor, which I proudly wear.

Part of my grief is centered around the fact that the last time I visited her in 2020, I was pregnant with my son, Igby, who she was so excited to meet, but never got the chance to. Losing her is something I’ll never fully recover from, but I’m learning how to grow beyond this grief and still honor her legacy every chance I get. Writing the words to this song was part of my healing process and Kyle did an amazing job with pairing emotive guitar melodies with what I was feeling at the time.

The sound of her voice can be heard at the very end of the song when the music cuts out. She says, “I love you; I miss you.” These words and this song are something I’ll always have to remember her by.

Musically, it's a slower, more climactic song than "Hear My Voice," and the unfiltered emotion in Rikki's voice is entirely palpable. Listen below. Enact are also planning to release their debut LP in 2022; stay tuned for more on that.