SHINEDOWN's ERIC BASS: 'We're Super, Super Excited About The Next Record'

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, SHINEDOWN bassist and producer Eric Bass spoke about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the follow-up to 2022's "Planet Zero" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've already recorded and produced a couple of songs — well, a handful of songs — already for it. [We're] half to two thirds [done writing and recording], maybe. We still have some writing left to do."

He continued: "We're doing this one a little bit differently where we are kind of tracking as we go somewhat. So we'll get some stuff written and then we'll track a few songs, and then we'll get some more stuff written and track a few songs. Usually we wait until everything's compiled and then we start tracking, but we decided to try it a little differently this time. I don't know if I'd do it again. It's a little difficult on the brain to switch gears from writing to producing back to writing. For me, I'm very process driven, so the process of writing, for me and my brain, is way different than the process of engineering and producing and that sort of thing. So, I think that just for my own sanity, I would go back to the way we've done it in the past the next time. But that being said, it's gonna make a very interesting record. And we're super, super excited about the next SHINEDOWN record."

When Meltdown noted that everything SHINEDOWN writes and records falls under the "rock" umbrella but that "there's been some crossover a little bit here and there," Eric said: "I just kind of lump what we do into rock. I can't remember a time when our band ever had a conversation about 'this is this style' and 'that's that style' and 'this is this' and 'that's that'. For me, it's, like, if you think about — 'Second Chance' is a rock song and 'Planet Zero' is a rock song and 'No Sleep Tonight' is a rock song. And I know some of them maybe will skew a little more midtempo or a little more metal or whatever, but I've never, and neither have any of the other guys in the band, we've never thought about it as anything other than just making rock music."

This past September, SHINEDOWN drummer Barry Kerch told the 100.3 The X Rocks radio station about the band's next LP: "We're hoping to release some new music by the end of this year and then an album spring of next year. We're about, I'd say, halfway through the record, give or take. I know I've recorded, like, seven songs for it so far."

He continued: "Every record's different, and this one's gonna be different as well, but you're never gonna change [SHINEDOWN singer] Brent's [Smith] voice. So I'm excited. With the success of ['A'] Symptom [Of Being Human]' [single] and how well that did, we don't wanna really take too much time off 'cause we have a whole new audience with that song that deserve to see us live. 'Cause I think, yes, our records I'm very proud of, and I think they're great, and people latch on to 'em, but they really don't become a SHINEDOWN superfan until they see the live show. So it's time to get out there and let people see the show."

Earlier in September, Kerch was asked by WRIF if he usually works out his drum parts to demo versions of the SHINEDOWN songs. Barry said: "For me, a lot of times, Eric will send the demos over to me with just basic drum machine tracks, just placeholder tracks, and I'll listen to it. Sometimes, depending on the song, I'll make a small cliff-notes chart of, 'Okay, verse, chorus, how many beats per fill here,' that kind of thing, and write out my little Nashville chart. Sometimes I just wing it, and sometimes when we go in, we have the song, but we might wanna make a change or we accidentally stumble across something. So then we'll take it piece by piece. 'Okay, let's get some really good verses. Let's get the choruses, and then let's work on this new section that we're thinking about and just vibe back and forth on it till we make that transition,' maybe a pre-chorus or something like that. So, it varies, but I'm usually sent some sort of a demo form of the song to listen to 'cause I like to come in prepared. Can I play it right then? Yeah. But I wanna be prepared so I've thought about the vibe of the song and drum tones and, 'Hey, maybe this snare would sound good. Maybe these symbols would be the symbols I'd wanna bring and use. And this fill might be cool. This fill might be better.' And then Eric and I fight over it for hours. And then we come up with what we come up with."

Barry went on to say that Brent is "pretty early on the game" in terms of working out the lyrics and the melodies for the SHINEDOWN songs. "The lyrics are usually 98 percent done, if not fully done," he said. "And sometimes in the demo, they're completely done. Those vocals you hear on the final products were the demo vocals. He's just kind of prolific that way. And he really wants to get the vibe out."

He continued: "The way I've always played drums with SHINEDOWN is to the vocals more than anything. So I'm trying to really support what the vocals are and give lead-ins and lead-outs to whatever — I don't wanna step on those vocals. And you can hear it when singers put their lyrics on after the music's been written, that sometimes there can be this battle between drum fills and lyrics and maybe where it should have gone. And I think it steps on it sometimes. Sometimes it makes it cool. Like you listen to a band like TOOL. Most of the music is written, then it's handed to Maynard [James Keenan], and then he writes his vocals over that. So that's how they get that cool… It's just different. And it's, like, only Maynard would have thought to sing that because the music's already there. We're the polar opposite. I wanna support what vocals are already there."

In August, SHINEDOWN's single "A Symptom Of Being Human" became the first song by a band or solo artist to chart in the top 10 on three major Mediabase charts: Active Rock, Alternative, and Adult Contemporary (AC).

In addition to holding Mediabase chart history with the most No. 1s, Top 5s and Top 10s in the Active Rock category, SHINEDOWN has achieved a record-breaking 23 chart-topping songs.

It's rare for a rock band to break into pop music, but SHINEDOWN has always believed that music is universal and doesn't have to be put in a genre box. "A Symptom Of Being Human" is resonating with listeners worldwide because of its uplifting and important message about how we are all a work in progress. Collectively, "A Symptom Of Being Human" has amassed tens of millions of streams across all versions including a live version, pop remix, acoustic version and piano version.

"A Symptom Of Being Human" is the fourth No. 1 Active Rock single from SHINEDOWN's acclaimed seventh studio album, "Planet Zero". The set debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart in July 2022.

Photo credit: Sanjay Parikh