Shinedown Issues A Dystopian Warning with Lead Single Planet Zero

Multi-platinum rock band SHINEDOWN have released 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 our 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 with 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 alternate opinions and our compassion for one another. 

 

Listen to the single, and pre-save/pre-order Planet Zero here. Each pre-order includes an instant download of the Planet Zero single.

 

Says frontman 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 recent years, the album is part social commentary and part in-depth exploration of the human psyche. Produced by SHINEDOWN’s own 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. 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 Zeroon 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 drive for unity that has long been at the heart of their creative output and deeply informed the making of Planet Zero. The full Planet Zero tracklist is below.

 

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 single.  

 

SHINEDOWN have already hit the road in support of Planet Zero with their biggest stage show yet, propelled by the undeniable power of frontman Brent Smith’s voice.  The first leg of their US tour kicks off tonight at San Francisco’s The Warfield. In June, SHINEDOWN 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 selected shows with Iron Maiden. For tickets and all show details, please visit www.shinedown.com.

 

Planet Zero follows SHINEDOWN’s 2018 acclaimed ATTENTION ATTENTION album which was certified RIAA Gold in the US. 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 movie weaves together the album’s 14 songs into a provocative and thought-provoking cinematic story that illuminates yet another dimension of SHINEDOWN’s creativity. Watch the trailer here. The film, directed by Bill Yukich (Beyoncé, Metallica, Wiz Khalifa) is available for viewing on digital & cable VOD in the US 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.