Shinedown bassist and producer Eric Bass has revealed details surrounding his very first solo offering, “a concept album set within a sprawling new world,” written, recorded, and produced entirely by Bass himself.
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Set for release on February 28, Shinedown's Eric Bass will offer up his debut solo album, Eric Bass Presents: I Had A Name, featuring the first single "Mind Control," which you can check out below.
“We live in a world right now where music gets homogenized and maybe everything sounds and feels the same. I wanted to create something different and I hope listeners hear that,” Bass shares of the forthcoming release. “Lyrically and emotionally I hope it empowers them and they can see themselves in the characters and stories I sing about.”
He continues: “We all go through dark times and hardships, but there's always a way out. I think that's what being a human being is about. I feel like Earth is a test and we’re here to prove ourselves, go through things and come out better on the other side.”
Regarding the new single, Eric adds: “’Mind Control’ is part of a larger story than I’m telling on this record and in the graphic novel that goes along with it. We’re following this character Devaren as he’s talking about his disdain for the population and how he can’t stand them, but at the end of the song he has this reflective moment where he actually regrets everything he’s been doing. The interesting thing about the characters in this story is that they represent a different part of my neurodivergence and mental health journey. In ‘Mind Control’ Devaren represents the depression that has crept into my life over the years that I didn’t see coming. I just had to personify that in a character so in ‘Mind Control’ it has taken over, but ultimately in our story it will be defeated.”
Take a look at the full tracklisting below. Pre-orders are available now.
Eric Bass Presents: I Had A Name tracklisting:
1. A World Unseen
2. The New Gods Of War
3. Azalia
4. We Can’t Go Home
5. Goodnight Goodnight
6. Mind Control
7. New Graves
8. All Good Children - Our Guts
9. Modenhardt
10. Dead Inside
11. The Churches Of The Dead
12. Wanna Go To Hell