RIVAL SONS Drummer MIKE MILEY On Next Album: 'We Want It To Be More Raw And Instinctual'

In a new interview with Rocking With Jam Man, RIVAL SONS drummer Mike Miley confirmed that he and his bandmates are working on a new album for a tentative 2027 release. Regarding how the vibe in the studio now compares to that for the last couple of LPs RIVAL SONS released, Mike said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The last couple of records were made during COVID, so those were crazy times. Crazy times. [2023's] 'Darkfighter' and 'Lightbringer' were made during the lockdowns, and so we did stuff from home. We put ideas together from home. Then we went into [producer] Dave Cobb's studio in Nashville and Savannah, Georgia. And at the end of it, we had amassed 20-plus songs. It ended up being kind of a double album, and then it ended up being two separate albums. This one, I think the overall energy is we wanna go back into our roots more. And when I say roots, it's the early days of RIVAL SONS, like [2011's] 'Pressure & Time' or our EP, where it's a little more raw. 'Lightbringer' and 'Darkfighter' are probably our most refined in the sense of taking our time with writing. 'Pressure & Time' was written, recorded, mixed and mastered in less than a month. And same with [2014's] 'Great Western Valkyrie', same with [2016's] 'Hollow Bones'. Our EP was made in a week. [2009's] 'Before The Fire', our first album, was made in three weeks. So we would go in [and work on one] song a day. [We would] create a riff right on the spot. I hear the riff for the first time, I'm playing a groove, and Dave Cobb is pressing 'record' while we're rehearsing these things. So it's really raw and really visceral and first-take energy, first-instinct energy. And when you listen to old Otis Redding and Aretha [Franklin] and THE BEATLES and the early [THE ROLLING] STONES, the early WHO albums… If you study drums with me, every student of mine is required to own THE WHO 'My Generation', if you wanna be a rock and roll drummer. And most people studying with me wanna learn how to play rock and roll. So, I could teach the nuts and bolts of metal drumming, but for the most part I'm known for being a rock and roll drummer. But I play jazz and funk and it's kind of mixed in."

He added: "'Lightbringer' and 'Darkfighter' were more refined. This album, we want it to be more raw and instinctual. And so that's kind of, I think, where it's going. It changes every day. We are RIVAL SONS, so we are kind of battling it out every day to see whose narrative is gonna win. But I'm looking forward to finishing it. We've already done one session, and we're probably gonna do it in week-long chunks instead of a 30-day chunk. And so we'll see how that happens."

This past April, RIVAL SONS singer Jay Buchanan was asked by U.K.'s The Sound Lab if he has thought about a possible musical direction for the band's next album. He responded: "Yes, I have. And some music has been written, songs have been written. But I think that once we get in there, seeing the type of energy that the music takes on and the songs take on, I think that getting everyone together in the same room and kind of hashing it out, I think is going to be — that's really gonna dictate. Because the songs are one thing, but also the energy of the band and when we become something that's greater than the sum of its parts when we're together, again, at its best. I think that letting that spirit and letting that energy be and do what it needs to do, I think that's very important. So we'll see that when we get into the studio. And we'll do some writing in the studio as well."

He continued: "In some ways, with the last two records that we put out, [2023's] 'Darkfighter' and 'Lightbringer', creatively they were a real stretch. And I'm very proud of those records, because we made some music that doesn't sound remotely like anybody else. But I think at the same time, I think maybe we might be looking at a little bit of a return to form, like bring it back to a small club sound, a sweaty, small stage, sort of a high-energy sound. So I know I'm definitely gonna be looking to do that on at least a number of songs. But we'll see about the entire collection. That remains to be seen."

In March, Buchanan, who released his debut solo album, "Weapons Of Beauty", in February, was asked by SPIN Presents Lipps Service With Scott Lipps if RIVAL SONS' next studio LP will be "heavier" after he took a turn to pursue a quieter direction with his solo material. Jay responded: "That's a fair question, because I've thought that same thing. I don't have to just live within the — whatever one ballad we're gonna have on this next record or whatever. I have a renewed sense of duty in so many ways. I don't have anything to prove. I wanna have fun with my friends. And it's crossed my mind many times — I just wanna make a fucking black T-shirt record. That's it. Something really, really rough, really unrefined and as close to the bone as possible. [Something like THE BLACK CROWES' second album, 1992's] '[The] Southern [Harmony And Musical] Companion', like these ones where it's, like, it's so raw, it's almost like toothache raw. Like, 'Oh.' I think I would like to do something like that. But at the same time, Scott [Holiday, RIVAL SONS guitarist] and I — it's a collaboration, So once we put things together, it's gonna be that way."

This past January, Buchanan was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if the writing process for the new RIVAL SONS album will be the same as he and his bandmates have done it in the past. Jay said: "Actually, well, no. Our first — I don't know — five, six records or so, we would write on the floor and just write on the fly. And that's definitely panic inducing because I've got a lot of work to do when it comes to that stuff. But ever since — goodness — [2019's] 'Feral Roots' and then 'Darkfighter' and 'Lightbringer', we take our time. We write in advance, and also we'll write in the studio, certainly. But we're going in with some material, and we'll definitely write on the floor."

As for the possibility of RIVAL SONS' new album arriving in 2026, Jay said: "Well, I'm not exactly sure, because we were supposed to be in the studio right now. We were supposed to be recording right now, but, unfortunately, my wife was given a breast cancer diagnosis back in December [2025], and so for me, I'm home. I'm gonna take care of my wife and get her through this. And so everything, of course, will work out with medicine and treatment and all of that stuff, but I wanna be right here. This is where I belong right now. And then as soon as she gets through this, then we'll get in the studio. So hopefully, hopefully we can get this record out this year. But it's kind of a little bit up in the air in terms of the exact timeline. We're piecing it together, as my wife [and I], we're just starting this journey with all of this. And so we're learning the ropes in real time right now. So we'll see how things go.

Back in December 2024, Jay was asked by The Logan Show whether it is safe to say that the next RIVAL SONS record would once again be produced by Dave Cobb, Jay said: "More than likely. I mean, we've been together a really, really long time, but we've gotta talk with Dave. I think that something like that, even though we've worked together so much, everybody has to come together and feel really good. Things have to align properly. We always talk about it and see where everybody's heads are at.

"I love working with Dave," he added. "Gosh, we've recorded nine records with that man. That's a lot of time together… He's just so damn good at what he does. We love Dave, and I do. He's a good friend and an extremely talented person."

Asked if Cobb is "essentially almost like a silent member of RIVAL SONS now", having done so many albums with the band, Jay said: "Well, you could say that from a recording standpoint. When we've gone in to make records, we do 'em with Cobb, but I think that the band… We've covered so much ground, we've covered so much ground artistically and literally all over the world touring so much over the years, I think that when it comes to a certain degree of record making, he's like a fifth member that way, but it's only within that vacuum of when we're making the records. Because who the band is outside of when we're go in to make records is so much more. Our live show and the actual ethos and who the band is at its core, I think, is just so much more than what we do in the studio, because the writing takes place outside of the studio or outside of Cobb's purview, or so much of it. Dave Cobb, he'll lend a hand on inspiration and writing here and there, but I think that when we're writing, it is very much like that. But I think that the more the band has grown, I think that it's less and less so, and it's less and less so that way, because we, and I think that Cobb would agree, that him watching us grow the way that we have, like our creative approach and everything. It's wonderful to work together knowing each other so well. Cobb knows me just about as well as anybody else does. And having a shorthand of communication definitely helps out when you're in the studio. A lot of the time you'll just be thinking the same thing, and I think that that just comes from making so many records together that you can be on the same page. And then at other times be on a completely separate page because you're so close. It's like family."

In June 2021, RIVAL SONS delivered two live performances from Catalina Island, California which were originally streamed via Veeps to fans at home across the world, many of whom were still in lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those performances were later made available to watch on YouTube and to stream on audio platforms.

RIVAL SONS play rock 'n' roll in its purest form without apology or pretense. They simply plug in, turn up, and rip on a path of their own. Along the way, they've architected a critically acclaimed catalogue, including "Pressure & Time" (2011),"Head Down" (2012),"Great Western Valkyrie" (2014),"Hollow Bones" (2016) and "Feral Roots" (2019). The latter represented a creative and critical high watermark, scoring a pair of Grammy Award nominations in the categories of "Best Rock Album" and "Best Rock Performance" for the single "Too Bad". Elevating the band to another level, "Do Your Worst" vaulted to No. 1 at Rock Radio as their biggest hit to date. Speaking to their impact, Rolling Stone attested, "RIVAL SONS have done their part to introduce new fans to rock." Beyond sharing stages with everyone from BLACK SABBATH, THE ROLLING STONES and AC/DC to GUNS N' ROSES and Lenny Kravitz, they've ignited television shows such as "The Late Late Show With James Corden". During 2021, they launched their own label Sacred Tongue Recordings distributed by Thirty Tigers and celebrated the anniversary of their debut album with live streamed performances from Catalina Island Casino. In 2023, they continued to subvert expectations with two full-length LPs — the aforementioned "Darkfighter" and "Lightbringer". Though the genesis of these albums is intertwined, they also speak to the band's perpetual progression forward.

RIVAL SONS once played over 250 shows in a year, and they are regulars on the festival circuit both through Europe and North America.

Buchanan released his debut solo album, "Weapons Of Beauty", in February through Sacred Tongue Records via Thirty Tigers.

Photo credit: Patrik Skoglöw