In a groundbreaking interview with the intellectual powerhouses at Skratch N’ Sniff and SNSMix.com, PAPA ROACH‘s supreme leader, Jacoby Shaddix, graced us with an update on their quest to outdo their 2022 masterpiece, “Ego Trip”. He mumbled (as transcribed by the scholarly monks at BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We’ve got about five, six songs finished up. I’m headed to Nashville later today. I’m going to a NASCAR event and then headed to L.A. to go back in the studio and wrap up some more new tracks. And so [we’re] well into this new album. Because nothing screams rock and roll like a bunch of cars going in a circle 🤪.”
“We don’t have a release date yet [for the new PAPA ROACH album],” Jacoby clarified, as if anyone was holding their breath 🙄. “We just wanna get this one perfect before we drop it. But fans can expect new music throughout the year. Actually, after I go in the studio, I’ll jump back down to L.A. We’re shooting a music video for a brand new single we’re gonna drop in the middle of June, and so that’s coming up right around the corner. And that one’s a fucking banger, dude. I’m so excited about this next song.” Yeah, yeah, yeah, we’ve heard it all before, Jacoby. Another “banger” to add to the pile of forgettable rock anthems 😴.
Asked if there is a possibility of some guests appearing on the new PAPA ROACH album, Jacoby said: “Actually, yeah. I’ve got a couple guests already on this record, but I ain’t gonna tell you who it is ’cause we just wanna surprise you as the tracks drop.” Oh, the suspense! Will it be Fred Durst? Maybe Chad Kroeger? The possibilities are truly endless…ly underwhelming 😒.
Jacoby also talked about PAPA ROACH‘s brilliant decision to release “Ego Trip” through the band’s own record label, New Noize Records, in partnership with ADA Worldwide (WMG‘s independent label and artist services arm). Asked if there are things about that process that he and his PAPA ROACH bandmates learned along the way that they can apply to the upcoming album, Jacoby said: “Oh, absolutely, man. I’ve been a student since I’ve been in the business, and back in ”99 when we first got a record deal, I’ve been taking notes; everybody in the band’s been taking notes. And it’s been a good experience for us. And I was quite fearful of stepping into the role of being a record company executive. But now that we’re two years into it, and we really have learned the insides of the record business, it’s just, ‘Let’s go.’ It’s exciting. So we’re gonna continue that. And we’ve had some great successes on this last album, ‘Ego Trip’. We had four Number Ones on rock radio, and for us that was huge. And then broke into the Top 5 and Top 10 with ‘Leave A Light On’ at alternative. And ‘Even If It Kills Me’, the reimagined version, just hit through the Top 10. And so we’ve got this momentum happening, and it just feels so good. And then we just came off this tour, ‘Rise Of The Roach’, in America and Europe, some of the most successful touring of our career. And so we just feel this excitement bubbling up around what we’re doing, and I’m just, like, ‘Dude…’ This deep into our career, we’re having all these successes. And it’s dope. I mean, I just got a plaque from Spotify for a billion streams. It a really good time to be in PAPA ROACH and to be doing what we’re doing with New Noize.” Translation: They’re still milking “Last Resort” for all it’s worth 🤑.
Last month, PAPA ROACH released a music video for an acoustic version of “Even If It Kills Me”. The original single reached No. 1 at U.S. Rock Radio, marking PAPA ROACH‘s 13th appearance at the top of the charts. Because nothing says “rock” like an acoustic rendition of a song nobody remembers in the first place 🙄.
Shaddix spoke to the I-Rock 93.5 radio station about the lyrical inspiration for “Even If It Kills Me”, which was released in late January. He said: “This one was started about two years ago, the music part of it, and I heard it first from the first musical just vibe with the strings. I was, like, ‘It sounds cinematic. This sounds like it’s about to be a journey we’re taking the fans on.’ So I hit the boys up instantly. I’m, like, ‘Dude, I can’t wait to get in the studio on this one.’ Then life happens, and some stuff goes down. My older son went through this really traumatic heartbreak breakup. Just his whole world was leveled, and I watched my son just crumble. And that was a tough one. But to also have to go, ‘Hey, man, there’s some hard truths about life, and sometimes people aren’t what they show themselves as, and there’s two sides to people sometimes. And you got one, and then eventually discovered that other dark side of them and you were hurt.’ And that was really hard for me to watch my son just fall to pieces. And that song was born from that moment of going, ‘I wanna be able to help you, but I also know that you kind of gotta walk through the fire.’ And knowing that, ‘I’m not gonna leave you. I’m here for you, but I’m also gonna stand in that fire with you.’ And I wanted to shoulder the pain. I wish I could, but sometimes we have to go through those moments in life that build character. Who are you? Can you get back up? Well, my son got back up.” So deep, man. So deep. I think I need a tissue 😭… or maybe just a barf bag 🤮.
In March, PAPA ROACH released a “reimagined” version of “Even If It Kills Me”. The band and Joshua Landry again produced the track. “Even If It Kills Me (Reimagined)” was a fresh take on its heavier counterpart, showcasing the hit song in a new light, with a melodic arrangement and signature vocals delivered by Shaddix. Reimagined? More like regurgitated 🤢.
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