Shinedown bassist Eric Bass has announced his debut solo LP, the concept album titled Eric Bass Presents: I Had a Name set to drop February 28th with an accompanying graphic novel. The album was written, recorded, and produced entirely by Bass; the video for the lead single “Mind Control” is out now.
Bass shared: “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.”
Bass said of the album’s concept that the inspiration came to him while he was in a hotel room in Milan: “I’ve spoken about my struggles with depression and neurodivergent issues before. When I finished writing this record, I looked back at these characters I’ve created and realized I’d written the most autobiographical record of my life, which wasn’t conscious as I was writing it. I’m always about honesty in art. When I listen to something, I want to hear that the person dug into the dirt and bled for it to happen. The truth always prevails.”
Eric Bass Presents: I Had a Name can be pre-saved – HERE.
Stream the video for “Mind Control” – HERE.
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