There are songs that protest, songs that pray, and songs that do something far more difficult: they invite us to transform. David Rosenblad, who also performs under the evocative moniker the Wild Rosen, steps firmly into that rarified space with “Rise Up, Through Love”, a stirring and soulful single featuring the deeply expressive cello voice of Jen Mulhern (Jenuine Cello). Released on January 20, 2026 via Thirteenth Moon Studio Records, the track arrives not as a reactionary outcry, but as a grounded, heart-centered response to a world teetering between awakening and exhaustion. This is not music that shouts over the noise. It listens first, then speaks with clarity, warmth, and resolve.
Serving as the first unveiled movement from Rosenblad’s forthcoming “Comic Love Suite”, a conceptual body of work originally intended for a future EP, “Rise Up, Through Love” emerged sooner than planned. The timing was not strategic so much as inevitable. As social tensions escalated and collective voices gathered in events like the No Kings and Hands Off rallies, Rosenblad felt the call to release a song that could hold both resistance and reverence in the same breath. In his world, silence is no longer an option, but neither is hatred disguised as righteousness.
At its core, the song is a manifesto for conscious activism. Rosenblad does not deny the chaos; he names it, feels it, and then deliberately refuses to be consumed by it. The opening verses chart a familiar emotional terrain: weeks that feel relentless, months that test endurance, and years weighed down by stories of loss and injustice. Yet rather than spiraling into despair, the narrative keeps returning to a singular, steady axis: love as an active force, not a passive sentiment.
Lyrically, “Rise Up, Through Love” unfolds like a journal written in real time. Each verse expands the scope of concern, moving from personal overwhelm to communal responsibility, and finally to a broader, almost cosmic reflection on humanity’s cyclical struggles. References to fear, chaos, and the burden of forgiveness are not poetic abstractions; they are lived experiences, rendered with a conversational honesty that makes the song feel less like a sermon and more like a shared reckoning.
What elevates the writing is Rosenblad’s refusal to frame justice as a zero-sum game. When the chorus arrives, its message is clear and unwavering, yet intentionally inclusive. Calls to protect rights, resources, culture, and community are framed through kinship rather than opposition. The language emphasizes connection, reminding listeners that those most affected by injustice are not distant concepts, but sisters, brothers, children, and caretakers of the land. In doing so, the song dismantles the false divide between activism and empathy.
Musically, the track is both grounding and expansive. Rosenblad, who wrote, composed, and produced the song himself, constructs a richly layered soundscape that feels organic yet cinematic. A steady, soulful drum groove by Rob Gracia provides the backbone, anchoring the song in a pulse that feels human and resolute. Over this foundation, Rosenblad’s vocals carry a calm authority, never forcing emotion, but allowing conviction to emerge naturally through phrasing and tone.
The true emotional catalyst, however, is Jen Mulhern’s cello. Her performance does not merely decorate the arrangement; it converses with it. At times mournful, at times defiant, the cello functions as the song’s emotional undercurrent, voicing what words alone cannot. It weaves through the track like a witness and a healer, echoing the song’s central thesis that strength and softness are not opposites, but partners.
As the song progresses, its structure mirrors its message. Repetition becomes ritual. The recurring call to rise and stand is less about volume and more about presence. By the time the coda arrives, reflecting on an entire lifetime moving through space and time, the song has gently shifted perspective. The struggle is no longer confined to headlines or protests; it is part of the human journey itself. And still, the answer remains unchanged. Love turns the earth. Love remains the way through.
This philosophy is not performative for Rosenblad; it is foundational. Based in San Marcos and Austin, Texas, he has long navigated multiple creative worlds as a singer-songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and sound designer. As the owner of DRM:Sir Reel Sound, Thirteenth Moon Studio & Records, and Lotus Rose Healing Arts Center, his career reflects a rare integration of technical mastery and spiritual intention.
His collaborative history spans an impressive spectrum, from artists like Chrysta Bell, Sara Hickman, and Dave Stringer, to working alongside legendary names including Herbie Mann, Everclear, Cheap Trick, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Beyond the stage and studio, Rosenblad’s sonic fingerprint can be found in film and television, with sound design and composition credits for projects such as TWELVE, Bid for Love 2, The Vast of Night, The Ghost Who Walks, and You Are Me & I Am You.
Yet it is perhaps his work outside conventional entertainment spaces that most directly informs “Rise Up, Through Love.” For over a decade, Rosenblad has toured Unity Spiritual Centers, sharing music designed to elevate consciousness and foster inner alignment. More recently, he has expanded into speaking and guided meditation, and is on the path to becoming a Licensed Unity Teacher. These experiences are not side projects; they are the soil from which this song grows.
In a cultural moment where outrage often eclipses understanding, “Rise Up, Through Love” offers a radical alternative. It does not ask listeners to disengage, nor does it indulge in moral superiority. Instead, it challenges us to examine how we show up when the stakes are high. Can we stand firm without closing our hearts? Can we protect what matters without losing ourselves to fear?
With this release, David Rosenblad reminds us that love is not the opposite of resistance. It is its most enduring fuel. And in choosing to rise through love, rather than over one another, he delivers a song that feels not only timely, but timeless.
