Multi-platinum rockers Staind have officially dropped their long-waited 2023 album, Confessions of the Fallen, and Audacy’s Jason Bailey got a chance to discuss the new offering and more with frontman Aaron Lewis.
LISTEN NOW: Aaron Lewis discusses Staind's 'Confessions of the Fallen'
Arriving September 22, Staind’s eighth studio album, Confessions of the Fallen, is the first batch of new material from the group since their 2011 self-titled release and picks up right where their signature sound left off while adding some new touches and electronic flavorings that give the 10-track album a refreshing upgrade. "It's still Staind," the band says in a press release, but “Staind has not been in a time capsule” for the past decade. "To say this has been a long time in the making is an understatement.”
Back in full force with the powerful new single and music video for "Here and Now," the latter of which tackles the intricate difficulties of Alzheimer's disease, frontman Aaron Lewis explains how he sees music, theater, and television as art. "I wrote a song, that was my art," he says. "The song happened to be about my family -- my wife and my kids -- and I took that piece of art and I gave it to another artist... and gave him no information."
"You go into a museum... or something like that, there isn't a sign next to the piece of art explaining every brush stroke," Aaron continues. "Art is art; it's for the person that is consuming it. Everybody sees things differently, everybody hears things differently. I didn't want to poison the well at all, so I just gave him the song, and his art is the video. He did an amazing job, and even though it had nothing to do with where the song was coming from, it made me cry, it choked me up. It's a beautiful, poignant video."
While the message of the song can be viewed in a myriad of ways, Lewis says the video is "confronting age and death and losing your father. You know, I've never experienced Alzheimer's before thankfully, but I know so many people have. [The video] was poignant enough to make me cry, and I have no personal tie to it. I can't even relate, except to the point of -- It's not embracing, but it's wrapping your head around getting old. I'm 51 years old... I'm gonna be losing my parents at some point, we all are. It's facing that head-on, and anybody can relate to it when you look at it that way. You don't have to get hung up on the details of it being Alzheimer's or anything else... it's confronting death."
Listen to Jason Bailey's full interview with Staind's Aaron Lewis above, and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.
Staind's Confessions of the Fallen is out now. Take a look at the full tracklisting below and pick up your copy right HERE. Stay tuned for details on the band's 2024 tour plans and more new music on the way.
STAIND: Confessions of the Fallen track listing:
1. Lowest In Me
2. Was Any of it Real?
3. Here and Now
4. In This Condition
5. Out of Time
6. Cycle of Hurting
7. The Fray
8. Better Days
9. Hate Me Too
10. Confessions of the Fallen