Multi-platinum rock band Shinedown have released their lead single “Planet Zero,” the title track from their newly announced seventh studio album out April 22 on Atlantic Records. Planet Zero serves up an incisive look at the issues at hand: cancel culture run rampant, the corrosive effects of social media on mental health and society, and the increasingly toxic division among those of differing ideologies. Featuring Shinedown’s explosive yet artfully crafted sound and urgent lyrics, single “Planet Zero” rings the alarm on a dystopian warning of the dangerous consequences to come when it all goes too far, and we begin to lose our respect for those with differing opinions and our compassion for one another.
Says lead singer Brent Smith, “If we shut each other down and allow ourselves to be divided by the information we consume and the way we talk to each other, we lose our humanity. When you look outside of your phone, you’ll see there are so many people doing good things and trying to take care of each other. But we’re starting to see parts of society slip into an unknown. Planet Zero was written for all of us. The fact is that we’re all here on this planet no matter what, so it’s time to actually move forward together with empathy, perseverance and strength. With that said….welcome to PLANET ZERO.”
Over the last two decades, Shinedown have cemented their status as one of the most vital and forward-thinking powerhouses in modern rock. Their most ambitious and masterfully realized work to date, Planet Zero is a high-concept, ultra-vivid, viscerally charged saga. A critical yet optimistic look at the fractures and frays of a society that has undergone many challenges in the last few years, the album is part social commentary and part in-depth exploration of the human psyche. Produced by Shinedown’s Eric Bass (who also produced the band’s 2018 acclaimed album ATTENTION ATTENTION,) and recorded at Bass’ newly built Big Animal Studio in South Carolina, Planet Zero matches its immersive world-building and takedown of authoritarianism with a deliberately unvarnished sound, and the album is spliced with interludes featuring Cyren, an insidious and unsettling robot character that appears throughout the Planet Zero journey. While a raw ferocity fuels much of Planet Zero on tracks like “The Saints of Violence and Innuendo,” “No Sleep Tonight,” and “America Burning,” there is also hope, triumph, and reminders that we all need one another on songs like “Daylight,” “Dysfunctional You,” and “A Symptom of Being Human.” After all, it is the band’s impassioned striving for unity that has long been at the heart of their creative output and deeply informed the making of Planet Zero. Not only a driving force for their songwriting, their humanitarian outlook led Shinedown to be one of the first artists to fundraise for non-profit humanitarian aid organization Direct Relief in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, raising more than $400,000 with their “Atlas Falls” relief effort.
Shinedown will be hitting the road in support of Planet Zero with their biggest stage show yet, propelled by the undeniable power of front man Brent Smith’s voice. Shinedown kicks off the first leg of their U.S. tour with the Shinedown Live In Concert Tour tonight in San Francisco at The Warfield, before heading to Los Angeles for a show at The Wiltern on January 28th. Fast-rising rock artist and one to watch, Ayron Jones, opens for Shinedown on this run through early February. Beginning April 1, Shinedown will take their The Revolution’s Live Tour to more cities all across the U.S. in April and May, with special guests The Pretty Reckless and DIAMANTE. Later in May, Shinedown will head to Daytona Beach for Welcome To Rockville 2022 where they’ll headline Saturday, May 21 alongside Guns N’ Roses and Rise Against. In June, Shinedown will head overseas for a UK and European run featuring festival appearances at Rock im Park and Rock am Ring in Germany, Download Festival in the UK, and HellFest in France along with select shows with Iron Maiden. The band will then embark on a run of Canadian dates beginning in July with support from Pop Evil and Ayron Jones. For tickets and tour details, please visit Shinedown on the web.
Planet Zero follows Shinedown’s 2018 acclaimed album ATTENTION ATTENTION, which was certified RIAA Gold. The band recently brought the LP to life in a riveting feature film. A visual counterpart to the album’s narrative about a mental health journey and the resolve of the human spirit, the ATTENTION ATTENTION film weaves together the album’s 14 songs into a provocative and thought-provoking cinematic story that illuminates yet another dimension of Shinedown’s limitless creativity. The film, directed by Bill Yukich (Beyoncé, Metallica, Wiz Khalifa) is available for viewing on digital and cable VOD in the U.S. and Canada via iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, Comcast, Dish Network, Verizon Fios, and Mediacom, and is also available for purchase on Blu-ray and DVD. It will soon be available in other international territories.
PLANET ZERO TRACKLIST:
0. 2184
1. No Sleep Tonight
2. Planet Zero
3. Welcome
4. Dysfunctional You
5. Dead Don’t Die
6. Standardized Experiences
7. America Burning
8. Do Not Panic
9. A Symptom Of Being Human
10. Hope
11. A More Utopian Future
12. Clueless And Dramatic
13. Sure Is Fun
14. Daylight
15. This Is A Warning
16. The Saints Of Violence And Innuendo
17. Army Of The Underappreciated
18. Delete
19. What You Wanted
