The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen recently addressed questions about Soundgarden’s plans for an unreleased album featuring the late Chris Cornell’s voice.
When asked directly whether she had heard anything about the unreleased album that Soundgarden members have been hinting at, Momsen was careful not to overstep. She still made clear her enthusiasm for the project.
“Oh, man, I don’t think that’s my place to talk about,” she said. “But what I will say though is that I love those guys. I’m so excited and proud of them and everything that they are doing, and just stay tuned.”
Momsen also reflected on the profound impact Cornell’s music has had on her personally, speaking at length about what makes his work so enduring.
“I can only speak for me, I can’t speak for the world, but for me all of Chris Cornell’s work speaks to me on a level that nothing else does,” she continued. “When something touches you that way, it’s hard to put into words just exactly why. There is just this connection, and it’s like it is speaking to you on a level that is so deep that it feels like a part of you. I’ve listened to his solo work and to Soundgarden so many times, but every time I listen to them, it evokes something different in me.”
She went on to describe the musical complexity that makes Cornell’s catalog so distinctive.
“There is the sheer amount of depth and sensitivity and aggression… [but] also, it’s so smart,” Momsen said. “It’s musically exquisite and complex — like this never-ending onion where you discover something new about it and about yourself every time you listen to it. I think that is so powerful and so fucking rare. It’s coming from a place that’s so deep and so powerful that it touches your soul.”
Momsen toured with Soundgarden shortly before Cornell’s passing in 2017. She has long been vocal about her admiration for the band and its late frontman. Her comments arrive at a moment when anticipation for the unreleased project is quietly building, with the surviving members of Soundgarden having made meaningful progress toward finally bringing the recordings to light.
The album centers on seven songs that were in various stages of completion at the time of Cornell’s death. Among them is a track titled “The Road Less Traveled,” co-written by Cornell and drummer Matt Cameron. Bassist Ben Shepherd has described it as intended for an as-yet-unnamed album. The demos are described as very rough sketches, with the band actively working to finish them when their individual schedules allow.
Guitarist Kim Thayil has confirmed that the band is putting the finishing touches on the material. “They’re very rough. They’re sketches. You start with a little pencil sketch and you fill it in with chalks or oils or pastels. What we have to do is finish the sketches and we’re in that process,” Thayil said. He added that the work is progressing without the structure of a record label budget or fixed timeline.
The road to this point has not been without obstacles. Cornell’s widow, Vicky Cornell, initiated a legal dispute in 2019 over the ownership of the unreleased recordings. This led to years of uncertainty over whether the music would ever be released. The matter was resolved in a 2023 out-of-court settlement. Both parties described the resolution as a reconciliation and a fresh partnership — one that would finally allow Soundgarden fans to hear the final tracks Cornell and the band had been developing together.
Thayil has been clear about the significance of completing the project. “It’s important for the legacy of Soundgarden. It’s important for the legacy of Chris Cornell,” he stated. With the legal barriers now removed and the band actively finishing the recordings, the release of the album appears closer than it has ever been.
No official release date for the unreleased album has been confirmed.
