THEORY OF A DEADMAN's TYLER CONNOLLY On Moving Away From Releasing Full-Length Albums: 'Now We Can Actually Put Out Stuff That We Feel Is Our Best Stuff'

In a new interview with LA Lloyd, the nationally syndicated radio host for the "LA Lloyd Rock 30", THEORY OF A DEADMAN frontman Tyler Connolly spoke about the band's upcoming EP, "Part 1: Funeral Songs", which is set for release on September 4, 2026 via ONErpm. Asked if he and his bandmates still like putting out full-length albums or if they are starting to think about maybe focusing on singles going forward, Tyler said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, people are consuming [new music] very quickly [nowadays]. I think it's too quickly, where songs are now lasting a week or two, where before there'd be three or four months. So what I really like about the EPs that's changed my mind, being a traditionalist as well, loving just the artwork and everything about the layout of something that's physical, tactile, it is just that you can actually put out quality stuff."

He continued: "No offense to us, but most bands, when they do albums, let's say they do 12 songs, really there's only a few that are potential singles. The rest are ones that the A&R person or the band decided that are just, like, 'Eh, they're worthy to keep on the record, but...' … I tell the guys, I'm, like, 'It costs just as much money to record a B-side as it does a hit. There's no difference.' So now we can actually choose which songs we wanna record and then just wait, rather than just recording them all at once. So now we go in and record three at a time, and it's the three that we pick. I actually have a call tomorrow with the band to decide the next three. So it's awesome. So now we can actually put out stuff that we feel is our best stuff. So if they think that's crap, we're in trouble. [Laughs] That's all we got."

Regarding whether he and his THEORY OF A DEADMAN bandmates feel like they have more freedom now to write, record and release their music in a way that they want to compared to how it was when they first started out, Tyler said:  "Yeah. We did eight albums with the same label our whole career, eight albums, and then when we were done with our eighth and we decided to get a divorce, in essence, man, I never felt so much freedom. I was, like, 'Man, we can do whatever we want. We can spend our own money now, so we can shut it off, we can keep it going.'"

He continued: "Being on a label, it was just chaos, especially the last couple records — it was just chaos. People were getting fired in the middle of… We put out a single and they're, like, 'Oh, yeah, our product managers got fired. A&R guys got fired,' and we're, like, 'Oh, my God.' And then they just shut a single down because they're, 'No, we're not really seeing it, so we're just gonna shut it down.' So, yeah, man, the freedom now, we are our own A&R, so it's amazing."

Tyler added: "Once in a while I'll work with a young band. They'll ask me to songwrite with a young band, and I hate doing it, but I meet the band and they're so cool, and they all really know what they wanna do. We never did. We were just dumb and young. Now these kids are young and they all know what they wanna do, and they all take control and it's awesome. I'm just so jealous that so early on they're, like... And they're so good at the social media. They all have such a good instinct with that part of it, where I'm, like, 'I'm too old for this crap.' So it's really cool to learn from the young bands, which is something a lot of old bands don't wanna do."

THEORY OF A DEADMAN have carved out their own lane as one of modern rock's most unapologetic forces, racking up multi-platinum hits, chart-topping albums, and sold-out shows worldwide. Blending witty, candid songwriting with undeniable riffs and massive melodic hooks, the Canadian quartet have built a career defined by both attitude and staying power.

From fan favorites like "Santa Monica" to gold-certified hit "All Or Nothing", platinum singles "Hate My Life" and "Bitch Came Back", and the double-platinum "Not Meant To Be", the band has delivered a steady stream of rock staples. They've landed twelve Top 10 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, including four No. 1 singles: "Bad Girlfriend", "Lowlife", "History Of Violence" and "Rx (Medicate)". The latter stands as the biggest hit of their career, earning a nomination for "Rock Song Of The Year" at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.

Along the way, THEORY OF A DEADMAN have achieved two Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200, four Top 5 debuts on the Canadian Albums chart, and multiple Juno Award nominations, while drawing praise from outlets including American Songwriter, Billboard and Classic Rock magazine.

THEORY OF A DEADMAN recently announced "The Dead / Seven Tour" alongside fellow heavyweights SEVENDUST. The tour is scheduled to kick off on August 7 in Duluth, Minnesota and run through September 29, where it ends in Bozeman, Montana. Along the way, it will make stops in Fargo, North Dakota (August 11),Detroit, Michigan (August 23),Atlanta, Georgia (September 5),Corpus Christi, Texas (September 12),and Riverside, California (September 20) to name a few.

THEORY OF A DEADMAN are:

Tyler Connolly - Vocals, Guitars, Keys
Dean Back - Bass
Dave Brenner - Guitar
Joe Dandeneau - Drums, Vocals

Photo credit: Sean McGee