In a recent interview with the FM99 WNOR radio station from Norfolk, Virginia, SHINEDOWN drummer Barry Kerch was asked about the status of the songwriting and recording process for the band’s eighth studio album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “The news is it’s not ready yet. We’re really close — I’d say 95% there — but we’re never gonna put anything out that’s not up to our standards. And we’ve never rushed a record and we’re not gonna rush this one.

“I’d say probably early next year is what we’re shooting for [as far as a release date for the album goes],” he continued. “We have a couple of more [songs] that we just need to tweak and we’re not happy with.

“It takes a lot to make a record — between the actual songs, recording the instruments, then getting the right mix and the right master and then going, ‘Okay, here’s a collection of songs. Which ones are gonna make the record and which ones aren’t good enough for us?’

“SHINEDOWN‘s had a lot of throwaways that are good songs, but they didn’t either fit that record or they just weren’t good enough,” Barry explained. “But you have to get those ideas out to move on to whatever that next idea is. So we’re kind of in that process right now.

“You know my lead singer [Brent Smith] — he never stops touring or stops working, so it’s also finding time to get in the studio without him going, ‘Oh, yeah, by the way, we’re gonna go over to Europe for a month,’ and then come back and do this… Which is fine, and I love his work ethic. That man will work circles around all of us in this room and then some. And that’s what makes it fun and interesting in this band, is seeing his passion. I’ve known him for 23 years now. He’s my ride or die. I support that guy, and even in his worst and darkest days, when he made a decision, it was always the right one.”

SHINEDOWN released the first two singles from the upcoming album, “Three Six Five” and “Dance, Kid, Dance”, in January via Atlantic Records.

Last month, SHINEDOWN kicked off its “Dance, Kid, Dance” tour at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. The 36-date trek is one of the largest run of shows (and venues) the band has ever put on. It will be the first time the band has ever headlined some of the country’s most legendary venues, including Madison Square Garden (July 20),Boston’s TD Garden (July 19),Los Angeles’s Kia Forum (August 3) and more. Joining them on the tour are BEARTOOTH and BUSH (on select dates) and Morgan Wade for all shows.

SHINEDOWN recently released an official music video for its No. 1 song “Dance, Kid, Dance”. The clip was directed by Lewis Cater, choreographed by Julissa Bond, and edited by Samuel Halleen.

This year has also come with some historic wins for SHINEDOWN 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. To date, SHINEDOWN is the very first artist to get a song Top 10 at Active, Alternative, and Hot AC Radio on Mediabase with one song. 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.

SHINEDOWN has already had a packed 2025 as its latest single “Dance, Kid, Dance” has made history, reaching No. 1 on the Mediabase Active Rock chart, which marks their 22nd song to reach No. 1 on the chart, and on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. SHINEDOWN has become the only band in the chart’s history to reach 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. All these incredible accomplishments continue to solidify that SHINEDOWN have made a name for themselves in rock. On Mediabase, SHINEDOWN hold 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 charts.

Smith and bassist/producer Eric Bass co-wrote “Three Six Five”, and “Dance, Kid, Dance” was co-written by Brent Smith, Eric Bass and Dave Bassett. The songs were produced by Eric Bass at his own Big Animal Studio in Charleston, South Carolina.

Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz