P.O.D. Completes Work On New Album With TURNSTILE Producer WILL YIP

In a new interview with SWOMP, P.O.D. frontman Sonny Sandoval, guitarist Marcos Curiel and bassist Mark "Traa" Daniels confirmed that they have completed work on a new studio album. The recording sessions for the follow-up to 2024's "Veritas" took place in the Whitman section of South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with Grammy-nominated music producer and engineer Will Yip at his new Memory Music Studios.

 Curiel told SWOMP about working with Yip (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Will is credited for pretty much working from everything from CIRCA SURVIVE, Anthony Green, QUICKSAND, CODE ORANGE, TITLE FIGHT, and most recent, his biggest accolades, Grammys for TURNSTILE. And now he's working with P.O.D.

"It wasn't, like, 'Oh, we're gonna get with Will 'cause he's a Grammy [nominee]...' It was because we've been fans of his work, but he was also a fan of our band," Marcos explained. "And when the opportunity arose, he took it, and was, like, 'Dude, I love your band. I wanna produce you guys.' And we were, like, 'Let's go.' And we're super excited about it."

Regarding the recording process for P.O.D.'s upcoming album, Marcos said: "I can say this proudly, we did a record — 13, 14 songs — all tracked, vocals, drums, and guitars, in 12 days. It kind of set the tone, like, it's good to be prepared. I kind of like it… And the songs came out so dope. We're extremely proud of it, dude."

On the topic of what it was like for P.O.D. to record outside of California for the first time, Marcos said: "[It was] awesome, actually."

Traa chimed in: "Sometimes it's good to get out of our element. It's easy in California, because everything's there. Our family's there, so it was good to get out of our element, be in a situation where we can pull 10-, 12-hour shifts and have nowhere to go."

Marcos added: "We had a 10-minute walk every morning from our Airbnb to the studio. And we got to soak in the community and the culture and the vibe of South Philly. I felt like Rocky sometimes, bro [a reference to the fictional movie character who has become the city's unofficial underdog mascot]… But the streets were just like that. We were, like, 'Look at these houses.' So much culture and vibe there, bro."

Asked what Yip brought out of P.O.D. throughout the recording process, Marcos said: "He's heavily invested. He understands our band. That was one of the key things that kind of enticed me as a writer, as a musician. He started way back with [1990s hip-hop label] Ruffhouse [Records, home to THE FUGEES, CYPRESS HILL and Lauryn Hill], so he has that whole hip-hop background and foundation. Lauryn Hill, FUGEES, all that stuff. But then he has this indie rock and punk rock, post-hardcore, hardcore vibe. We thought it would be a perfect thing for our band. And when we got with him, we weren't mistaken. It was a good vibe, just everything. Vibe, cultural, food-wise. He's a foodie. So there's things you're passionate in life. There's food, then there's music and your family. He's all of those things… He wasn't trying to change us. He was, like, 'This is what P.O.D. is. Let's try to enhance that and make it fresh.'"

Sonny added: "It was so good. And he's a fan of our band, which, it was inspiring. His energy was inspiring. A lot of producers, they're just jaded, and a lot of it is all, as Marcos says, transactional. They do a record because they get paid. It's money, and they're trying to build their catalog. But [Will is], like, 'I only wanna work with bands that I actually respect and like.'

Marcos continued: "It was a team effort. His positivity is very contagious in a great way, man."

P.O.D. released a studio version of its rendition of THE BEATLES classic "Don't Let Me Down" last September.

In May 2024, P.O.D. released its eleventh album, "Veritas", via Mascot Records. The album was a Top 10 hit across the U.S. Billboard Current Hard Rock, Current Rock, and Current Alternative album charts.

P.O.D. released several singles from the album including "Drop", "Afraid To Die", "I Got That" and "I Won't Bow Down".

"Drop" featured a vocal feature from LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe, while "Afraid To Die" featured JINJER vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk.

Photo credit: Alicia Hauff