CANDLEBOX Has Written Three New Songs Which Are 'Very Reminiscent' Of Band's Debut Album: 'They Have That Kind Of Young Energy'

In a new interview with Remzi "Jam Man" Yates of Rocking With Jam Man, CANDLEBOX frontman Kevin Martin once again explained why he decided to back out of his plans to retire from touring, despite the fact that he and his bandmates announced their "farewell" tour, "The Long Goodbye", and released what was being billed as their "final" album of the same name three years ago. Asked what opened the door to him making new music with CANDLEBOX again after previously saying he was retiring, Kevin said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Pete [guitarist Peter Klett] coming back to the band. He left in 2015. And I made three records without him that I really am very proud of. But what Pete and I have been working on since he's been back is pretty cool, and I'm very excited to make music with him again. It's been a long time coming. And he's very inspiring, man. He's a hell of a guitar player. There's something magic in those fingers, and every time he plays, I'm just inspired to work, and I appreciate that."

Regarding what the new CANDLEBOX music sounds like as of now, Kevin said: "It's interesting. We've kind of started reimagining who we were as young men. We've talked a lot about how we made that first record. We talked a lot about how we wrote those songs. Because as we've grown, we've learned to become better musicians. We've learned to become better friends. We've learned to become better artists and better creatives. And the thing that happens with it, 'cause CANDLEBOX was... I didn't know Pete when the band was formed. I didn't know [bassist] Bardi [Martin]. [Drummer] Scott [Mercado] and I were the only guys in the band that knew one another, and we didn't even know one another well. So, really, CANDLEBOX is the happiest accident that's ever happened to the four of us. And in that process, we've kind of lost who we were as young men. And so we're kind of hoping that we can recapture kind of that innocence of when we were 22, 23 years old. And we've got three songs that are very, very cool and very reminiscent of that debut album. They don't sound like 'You', 'Far Behind', 'Cover Me', 'Change', 'Mothers Dream', any of that, but they have that kind of young energy, which is interesting, because I didn't think it was possible to kind of maybe reintroduce yourself to yourself, 30 years later. But we've been able to do it."

Asked what he wants CANDLEBOX fans to say when they hear the band's new music, that it "sounds like the old band" or it "sounds like a band that's still alive", Kevin said: "I want them to say it sounds like a band that's still alive, still kicking, still making great music. We appreciate our audience, of course, we appreciate our fans, but we've always made records we wanted to make. We've always done what we wanted to do. We've never tried to follow a trend. We've never chased trying to rewrite 'Far Behind'. We've never been that band. We've always pushed ourselves and the envelope of the music that we create forward. And it's interesting that we're looking back at who we were, trying to create new music. It's very interesting. It's an interesting way to approach songwriting. And I want people to say, 'Oh, they're still kicking. They're still alive, and this is a great rock and roll track.'"

As for how CANDLEBOX plans to release the new music, Martin said: "We thought about maybe releasing an album, but I kind of kiboshed that because I just feel like I've released three records that maybe 5,000 people have heard, and I don't wanna make... Spending 40, 50 thousand dollars to make an album is just a waste of money. There's no reason to do that. Release a song. See what happens. If people like it, they'll stream it. If the streaming kicks in, we'll play the song live. It's really kind of about that."

Asked if he thinks there would have been new CANDLEBOX music if Peter had not returned to the band, Kevin said: "No. I was pretty much done. Pete filled in for Brian [Quinn] for four dates on the BUSH tour two years ago, and he sat down with me and he's, like, 'Look, man. I've missed this and I would love to come back.' And he's, like, 'I know that you've got a band that you're loving and you guys are close friends and super tight, but...' And he's, like, 'I know you said you were gonna pack it up, but I would really just like to make some music with you.' And I was, like, 'Let's do it.' And we got into a rehearsal space January of '25, and we started jamming on some stuff, and I knew that I wasn't gonna be able to put it away because the minute he starts playing guitar, I know exactly where I'm gonna go. So if he didn't come back, no, there would be no more CANDLEBOX music."

Pressed about whether he was "truly done" or if he was "just burnt out" when he said he was stepping away three years ago, Kevin said: "There was a part of me that was burned out, but in reality, I was really done. I felt uninspired. I'd been so kind of changed by COVID. Being at home with my wife and my son made me realize how much I actually had missed of that life that I have with them. And I didn't wanna do this anymore. I just feeling as though I didn't wanna be an artist that was phoning something in. I didn't wanna look back at myself and go, 'Why did you do that? That was a waste of time for everybody, and it's not good.' And we've all seen those bands that shouldn't be doing it and still are, and they're only doing it for the money. I didn't wanna be that guy. I was really done. I thought, 'This'll be the last record. We'll go out and we'll tour on it. I'll say my goodbyes.' There was a moment when I was out on tour with 3 DOORS DOWN after we made the record, and I was standing on the side of the stage getting ready to go on, and I thought to myself, 'Man, this is really the last time I'm gonna do this. And I hope I enjoy it.' And I did, but I think I was so kind of focused on the fact that this was my last hurrah that it made me really kind of embrace that moment. But putting everything away, even when I got the call to do the BUSH tour, I was reluctant. Even though I really wanted to tour with Gavin [Rossdale, BUSH frontman] and Jerry [Cantrell, ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist/vocalist], and I've known Jerry for years, I was reluctant because I wasn't sure I was gonna feel it the way I did with the 3 DOORS DOWN tour. And again, in the back of my mind, 'Don't be the guy that's phoning it in. Don't be a guy that's chasing dollar.' And that's where I was. Yeah, I was done. I mean, burned out a little bit. Everybody burns out on something, but I was ready to pack it up."

He added: "I think I what I should have said is, 'I'm gonna take an indefinite break. I'm not sure when I'm gonna come back.' Because I think using the term 'retirement' is — I don't know. You think about using that term because people retire from work. Or retirement comes along at the age of 65 when you start collecting Social Security or whatever. So I think it's an easy term to throw around. But, yeah, I think bands should just say, 'Hey, it's an indefinite break. We're not sure when we're gonna come back.' I mean, very much like the FOO FIGHTERS did when Dave [Grohl] got in trouble with extramarital affairs and kid, and it's, like, 'We don't know when we're gonna come back.' It's a better term just to say, 'We're gonna take a break.'"

CANDLEBOX released "A Little Longer Goodbye (Tour Edition)", the digital deluxe version of the album "The Long Goodbye", on all DSPs in July 2024 via Round Hill Records. The digital release featured the 12 tracks on the record plus two bonus live songs, "Elegante" and "Cellphone Jesus" (recorded at Club Amanda in Santiago, Chile on October 27, 2023),as well as the single "Washed Up".

Martin originally discussed his decision to retire in July 2023 during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said at the time: "During COVID, I had a great awakening, being home with my wife and my son and realizing that maybe I had put far too much emphasis on the wrong syllable," he said, referencing a classic line from the 2003 Mike Myers/Gwyneth Paltrow movie "View From The Top". "My music career had become so encompassing of my time and my emotion and my energy and all this stuff that I realized that I had not given my family what they actually needed from me, which was me. And being home and being a dad and a teacher and a husband, and learning how to bake bread and realizing, 'God, man, I've missed a lot of things in my life that I enjoy,' I said, 'I need to figure out when I can wrap this up.'"

He continued: "I love music and it is a part of my life and I love playing live and I love performing and I love the fans. And that is something that I never take for granted. But I knew that I didn't love it the way I did when I started. And so I said to my wife, I said, 'I think I wanna make one last record and I wanna do it in 2023 when the 30th anniversary of the debut comes out, and then I wanna just put a nice little bow on this thing and wrap it up at the end of the year. And how do you feel about that?' And she said, 'I would love that, but only if you're ready.' And it took me from 2020 to 2022 to realize that I was."

Kevin added: "I don't ever wanna be a performer that phones it in on stage. I've been to those shows, I've seen those shows. I don't wanna do that. And I would hate to become that person. If this is my top, where I'm at, and I'm going out on it, and I'm in the best shape ever and my voice is in the best shape ever, and the music that I'm making, the shows that we're playing are fantastic, and we're having an absolute blast, then what better way to go?"

Image credit: thelanatic