Shinedown’s Eric Bass Announces Debut Solo Album and Single

Shinedown bassist Eric Bass has announced his debut solo album, titled Eric Bass Presents: I Had a Name. Billed as a concept album, it’s set for a February 28th release alongside an accompanying graphic novel.

The video for the lead single “Mind Control” is out now and offers the first glimpse at the project and its overarching story, self-described as an “epic odyssey.” Musically, the track sees Bass veering from the hard-rock sound of Shinedown for a more glam-rock/dance-punk sound that puts his vocals front and center.

“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,” Bass said of the track’s lyrical content. “The interesting thing about the characters in this story is that they represent a different part of my neurodivergence and mental health journey.”

He continued, “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.”

The album itself was written, recorded, and produced entirely by the Shinedown bassist/co-songwriter. Discussing the LP’s concept, Bass said that the inspiration for the story came to him while he was in a hotel room in Milan, and he then spent two hours putting pen to paper as he plotted out the “synopsis for a prequel to the story” told on the album.

“I’ve spoken about my struggles with depression and neurodivergent issues before,” Bass stated in the press release for the album. “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.”

He added: “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 at this location. Stream the video for “Mind Control” below.

Eric Bass Presents: I Had a Name Artwork:

Eric Bass Presents: I Had a Name Tracklist:
01. A World Unseen
02. The New Gods Of War
03. Azalia
04. We Can’t Go Home
05. Goodnight Goodnight
06. Mind Control
07. New Graves
08. All Good Children – Our Guts
09. Modenhardt
10. Dead Inside
11. The Churches Of The Dead
12. Wanna Go To Hell