In a recent conversation with NME, Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley said that he believes Mick Jagger isn’t the only exception while discussing performing on stage with increasing age.
In September, the singer was hospitalized after catching COVID-19 during a tour, which led to pneumonia and laryngitis. However, he recovered quickly and was back performing at the When We Were Young Festival the next month. Whibley said he never thought about leaving the band due to health issues, and added:
“I’m probably the strongest I’ve ever been in my life right now. Yes, you probably have to modify how you perform as you get older but I feel like you can get better as you age. I don’t think Mick Jagger is the anomaly.”
Details Of Sum 41’s Final Album
In related news, the band announced that their final record, ‘Heaven :x: Hell,’ will be out in March 2024 as a double album. The ‘Heaven’ part will have 10 pop-punk songs, similar to their albums ‘All Killer, No Filler’ from 2001 and ‘Does This Look Infected?’ from 2002. The ‘Hell’ part will feature their recent heavier music style, like in their 2019 album’ Order In Decline.’ Deryck said the following about the album in the same interview:
“‘Heaven :x: Hell’ is an aggressive album. There’s not really any slow songs on either side of the record. Everything is very energetic. The pop-punk stuff is fast and upbeat, while the heavy songs hit hard. There’s also some stuff that’s heavier than anything we’ve ever done before.”
He added, giving more details:
“It’s aggressive, but it’s not angry. It’s just excitement. That comes from the fact that everything I write is for the stage. If it makes me want to move around when I’m sitting in my studio, that’s when I know we’ve got something good.”
Sum 41’s Timeline For ‘Heaven :X: Hell’
Sum 41 first mentioned ‘Heaven :x: Hell’ in March 2022. In June of the same year, Whibley also said that the record was almost finished. Earlier this year, they announced that they would disband after releasing this album and completing a world tour, which will include performing at Download Festival 2024.
The album’s first single, ‘Landmines,’ came out on September 27, 2023, with a music video. This song goes back to the band’s early pop-punk style, so it will be on the ‘Heaven’ side of the new album. The second single, ‘Rise Up,’ was released on December 12, 2023.
You can listen to the songs below.
