On August 1, SHINEDOWN joined the KROQ radio station inside the Helpful Honda Sound Space on Tuesday, July 15 for a special interview and performance. Check out video of the band’s appearance below.
Asked when SHINEDOWN‘s eighth studio album might see the light of day, the band’s bass player and producer Eric Bass said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I read an article where Brent [Smith, SHINEDOWN singer] said, I think he said the record is 95% done, and I said he forgot a decimal point between the nine and the five. [Laughs] No, I think we’re [aiming to get the album released in] March.
“Honestly, this record has been way different than any of the others. Usually we go in and write 30-plus songs and choose 10 to 15 of them to record, 10 of ’em go on the record, that kind of thing, and this one has been. we’re sort of writing and mixing and recording as we go. So, we still have songs to write, and we have three songs that are already released from the record. So, it’s been a unique experience for sure, but after this tour we’re going into hard-work mode and get it finished, for sure.”
Smith added: “Yeah, we’ve got some bigger exposure shows that haven’t been announced yet, but for the most part, once we finish — I think this is August 1st — pretty much this entire month is the back half of the ‘Dance, Kid, Dance’ tour for the year.
“Look, we’re not walking into the studio every day going, ‘Let’s write a song because it’ll make us famous.’ We’re writing the songs because we have something to say,” Brent explained. “And me and Eric always talk about it too — all of us do in the band — it sounds simple, but you have to remind yourself, it’s not like it’s not gonna happen. We’re gonna complete it and then give it to the world. But we take it seriously. We take it really seriously.”
Eric continued: “That’s a good lesson for everybody here. If you have something going on in your life and you’re stressed out about it and you feel up against a wall. I mean, I get like that about these records nonstop. [Brent] has to talk me off of a ledge all the time, but he’s right. It’s not like it’s not gonna happen. It’s not like you’re not gonna have a moment where it’s ready to go and you’re successful and you achieve the thing you were trying to achieve. And I think maybe if you retain that sort of thinking in every aspect of your life, it could be wildly helpful for you. I haven’t figured it out yet, but when I do, I’ll let you know.”
Last month, Brent told The Mistress Carrie Podcast about SHINEDOWN‘s eighth studio album,: “What I can tell you is we don’t know what the name of the album is just yet. I can tell you that it’s not a concept record. It is definitely a true traditional album. [The songs] all stand alone, but they all belong on the same body of work. But they’re not related to one another. But they’re on the body of work — they’re under the same roof, basically. I can tell you that there’s gonna be another single in October that’s going to show a completely other side of the band. I can tell you that the announce of the record will be in November.”
He continued: “I don’t necessarily like using the term ‘a deadline’, but the fact of the matter is because it’s so competitive right now… And we’re stoked that we’re still a physical-selling band, meaning our vinyls do quite well. It’s a pretty large order internationally that we have to look at. So you have to have it turned in in time. There are going to be — I can tell you there’s a lot of color on this record… I can tell you that the announce for the album should be November. And I’m pretty secure in telling you that it’ll be March, is when it’ll be released.”
Earlier in July, SHINEDOWN released a brand new single, “Killing Fields”, via Atlantic Records. The track arrived just days before SHINEDOWN headed off on the largest and most ambitious tour it has ever set out on in its career. Performing at arenas all across the country, the tour kicked off on July 19 at Boston’s TD Garden and the next day they performed at Madison Square Garden (the first time they have ever performed there as a band),as well as Los Angeles’s Kia Forum on August 3. Joining on the second leg of the tour are BUSH and Morgan Wade on all shows.
“Killing Fields” is the third new song SHINEDOWN has made available in 2025 after the simultaneous release of “Three Six Five” and “Dance, Kid, Dance” in January. Breaking rules and doing what few artists have been able to achieve, “Three Six Five” is currently charting at five different radio formats: already hitting No. 1 at Alternative, it also has hit Top 10 at Hot AC and AC, No. 16 at Active Rock and is approaching Top 20 at Top 40 radio.
The massive support at radio can also be derived from the inspirational message of the song. Upon release of the animated music video, which featured storylines of three people each dealing with loss in their lives over the course of a year, and how they navigated through it, inspired fans all over the Internet. Many wrote in their own stories of loss and used the comment section of the video almost as an online therapy board.
Released simultaneously with “Three Six Five” was “Dance, Kid, Dance”. The song has literally made history for the band as when it reached No. 1 on the Mediabase Active Rock chart, it marked SHINEDOWN‘s 22nd song to reach No. 1 on the chart. On the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart (where it also hit No. 1) SHINEDOWN became the only band in the chart’s history to get 20 No. 1s on the chart. Not to mention when the song entered the Top 5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, SHINEDOWN tied with the FOO FIGHTERS for the artists with the most songs to hit the top 10 in the chart’s history with 32 songs each. On Mediabase, SHINEDOWN holds the record for the most No. 1s, No. 5s and No. 10s on the Active Rock chart, with a total of 24 No. 1s on the Mediabase chart. All these incredible accomplishments continue to solidify that SHINEDOWN have made a name for themselves in rock and are one of the biggest bands in the world.
This year has also come with some historic wins for the band as they recently took home two trophies at the iHeartRadio Music Awards where they won “Rock Artist Of The Year” and “Rock Song Of The Year” for “A Symptom Of Being Human”. The awards were in celebration of the banner year they’ve had as “A Symptom Of Being Human” has hit nearly 125 million global streams and charted at five radio formats including a No. 1 at Active, Top 10 at Alternative, Top 10 at AC, Top 15 at Hot AC and a Top 20 at Top 40. The song, off SHINEDOWN‘s “Planet Zero” album, resonated with fans across the globe for the unifying message of its lyrics: that it is our human connections that matter the most.
Smith and Bass co-wrote “Three Six Five”, while “Dance, Kid, Dance” was written by Smith, Bass and Dave Bassett. The songs were produced by Bass at his own Big Animal Studio in Charleston, South Carolina.
For the tour, SHINEDOWN has teamed up with Musicians On Call and will be donating $1 for every ticket sold for the tour. As the nation’s leading provider of live music in hospitals, Musicians On Call (MOC) has delivered the healing power of music to patients, families, and caregivers in healthcare environments for 25 years. More than one million people across all 50 states have experienced the joys of live music in the hospital setting through MOC‘s bedside, virtual, and streaming programs. MOC volunteers perform live for children and adults facing any health challenge, including Veterans recovering in VA facilities, family members supporting loved ones in need, and healthcare workers caring for patients. The collaboration is just one of the many charities SHINEDOWN supports as they frequently give back to organizations in need.
