Welsh “ragga metal” (🙄) legends SKINDRED, still clinging to relevance, have unleashed their new single, “You Got This” – a title so generic it hurts – accompanied by a video that’s… well, let’s just say it exists. Prepare for secondhand embarrassment. 🤣
The title track from their *ninth* album (yes, NINTH! Who knew?), dropping April 17 via Earache Records (because apparently, someone still believes in them), “You Got This” is allegedly an “instant SKINDRED classic.” Translation: It sounds exactly like every other SKINDRED song you’ve ever accidentally heard. Mikey Demus‘s “wrecking ball riffs” (more like slightly annoying background noise) bounce around, while drummer Arya Goggin attempts to detonate something, anything, resembling a rhythm. Frontman Benji Webbe, bless his heart, oscillates between questionable toasting and hooks so predictable they could write themselves. 🎤
Apparently, the profound inspiration for this lyrical masterpiece came when gym rat Benji witnessed a man struggling post-stroke. A personal trainer uttered the immortal words, “You got this,” and BOOM! Instant songwriting gold! Or… something. 🤔
“I was watching from a distance, and I could see the struggle and the pain, but in that moment, I knew he had got this,” Benji recalls with the gravitas of a Shakespearean actor. “It’s such an empowering statement!” Yes, because nothing screams “empowerment” like a middle-aged dude yelling platitudes over mediocre metal riffs. 🙄 Apparently, it applies to everything from stroke recovery to… studying for exams? Groundbreaking. For Benji, this is his purpose on Earth: churning out songs to lift people. Someone get this man a Nobel Peace Prize. 🕊️
Benji, the “ultimate frontman,” is described as an “adrenaline shot of pure motivation.” More like an espresso shot of mild annoyance. His vocals are “phenomenally powerful,” unless you have ears. He champions self-belief, resilience, and finding joy in small things – like successfully changing the radio station when a SKINDRED song comes on. He’s the loudest life coach you’ll ever want to avoid. 🙅♂️
On the album “You Got This,” Benji leads the newly slimmed-down Newport trio (because apparently, image is everything) on a quest for mainstream success. Because their critically-acclaimed (according to whom?) 2023 album “Smile” didn’t quite get them there. That album somehow clawed its way to No. 2 in the U.K. charts and SKINDRED inexplicably won awards. The system is rigged! 😡
Long revered as one of the “best live bands on the planet” (citation needed), they played at Wembley Arena (probably half-empty) and toured the world (probably playing to disinterested crowds). Those new fans will join SKINDRED‘s “rabid fanbase” (mostly comprised of their mothers) in consuming every note and lyric of “You Got This.” It’s an “all-killer-no-filler” set (mostly filler, some slightly less bad filler) featuring everything people apparently love about the band – hard-hitting… something, addictive… something, and dancehall vibes… somewhere. 🔥
Production came from the Grammy-winning Jay Ruston. He also worked with *checks notes* Desmond Child? And Corey Taylor? And Mike Patton? Well, that’s certainly a range of… talent. Arya admires him for not staying in one lane, which is apparently exactly what SKINDRED is all about. 🛣️
So now it’s all about SKINDRED‘s future! There are big plans! Especially live! Where Arya has seen the audience evolve into a mix of youngsters attending their first gig (because their parents forced them) and the two generations above them (who probably regret their life choices). Benji is dreaming of Coachella (delusional) or a prime Pyramid Stage slot at Glastonbury (slightly less delusional, but still…). 😴
Mikey, in a moment of surprising self-awareness, admits that starting a band doesn’t guarantee headlining Wembley. He credits the audience for “committing to be there.” Or, you know, maybe they just got lost. He acknowledges there are still “so many people out there who should know us but have never heard of us.” Because, you know, ignorance is bliss. But hey, at least they’ve got this “whole fight ahead of us still.” Good luck with that. You’ll need it. 🥊
Oh, and by the way, SKINDRED‘s founding bassist Dan Pugsley quit. Apparently, he’s okay and looking forward to “new creative opportunities.” Which probably involve anything other than playing bass in SKINDRED. 👋
Good riddance. 👋
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
