Skindred Announce Their New Album “Smile”
Skindred, a reggae metal unit from Wales, have confirmed that their eighth studio album will be titled Smile. Skindred’s new album will arrive next summer. This album, said Skindred frontman Benji Webbe, is an album full of incredible ragga-rocking, dancehall-shaking, dutty-winding, head-banging, horn-waving creations.
Benji Webbe revealed, “Yeah party people, ‘Dreds dem back!”
Skindred’s new album is also the ammunition for their live show setlist in England while celebrating Skindred’s 25th anniversary next year. Smile is Skindred’s eighth album and will be released for the first time with Earache Records—after signing a global four-album deal last year.
Coinciding with the news, the band released a very enjoyable lead single, GIMME THAT BOOM. The single stems from Benji Webbe’s frustrating experiences in modern life.
This Raggae-metal anthem hits hard and deals with the selfish entitlements that have become so prevalent in this era of instant gratification. The song is based on lead singer Benji Webbe’s frustrating encounter with a fan he was all too familiar with.
In his story, Benji Webbe says, “One day I was shopping and I could hear someone building asking me for a photo. The person doesn’t care who I am or what I do—they just want their picture. In this day and age, people want you, and they wish they could help you, constantly giving you a ‘boom’ so they can increase their Instagram likes. It’s important to remember that people can’t give you a ‘boom’ all the time. People think because they follow you on social media, they own you.”
Skindred features a colorful video shot in the neon-lit wonderland that is God’s Own Junkyard in East London, England. GIMME THAT BOOM is the unrelenting earworm giving Skindrer’s legions of fans the first full taster of their upcoming album.
The band leaked another new track from it in their surprise set at the Download Festival earlier this year when they debuted their pop-reggae masterpiece L.O.V.E. (Smile Please) and see tens of thousands of rock fans skanking happily in the hot sun.
Both sides of this album, from joy to anger and love to anger, showed that Smile would be hailed as the band’s masterpiece. An album that brings together all aspects of Skindred’s music—from reggae to metal, rock to pop, dub to electro—into a collection of the most thought-provoking songs. The material is designed to melt stereos around the world when it releases next summer.
Skindred is currently on a massive European arena tour as a special guest on VOLBEAT. The tour rolls out to the UK and Ireland in December. Skindred has also been announced as headlining next year at the Dominion Festival in Durham on 7 May 2023 and the Takedown Festival in Portsmouth on 8 April 2023.
Skindred is a reggae metal band formed in Newport, Wales, United Kingdom, in 1998. Their musical style combines heavy metal, alternative rock, and reggae. The band also incorporates elements of punk rock, hardcore punk, reggae, dancehall, jungle, ska, hip hop, drum and bass, dubstep, and various other influences into their sound.
Skindred’s current line-up is Benji Webbe on lead vocals and synthesizer; Daniel Pugsley as bassist, programming, and backing vocals; Mikey Demus as guitarist and backing vocals; and Arya Goggin as a drummer. Skindred is known for its energetic and involved live performances and has won several awards including the “Best Live Band” at the UK Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards 2011 and the “Devotion Award” at the Kerrang! Awards 2011.
Skindred blends influences of heavy metal, punk rock, hip hop, electronica, and reggae to create a unique style and sound. The band previously referred to this style as “reggae metal”. Benji Webbe has also jokingly referred to the band’s musical style as “nu-reggae”, referring to the term nu-metal. Although Skindred is sometimes compared to Bad Brains.
Benji Webbe stated, “To someone who knows nothing about reggae music, of course, we’re going to sound like Bad Brains. It’s like someone who knows nothing about opera might say that Luciano Pavarotti sounds like Mario Lanza. But when the ear trained and you know what to look for, you’d be like, ‘Damn, Mario Lanza doesn’t sound like Pavarotti’.”
Skindred himself has released at least seven full albums. Among them are Babylon (2002), Roots Rock Riot (2007), Shark Bites and Dog Fights (2009), Union Black (2011), Kill the Power (2014), Volume (2015), Big Tings (2018), and the upcoming coming soon is Smile in 2023.
