Linkin Park have been writing new material: "We're working up ideas"
Linkin Park had started work on new material ahead of the coronavirus crisis, according to bassist Dave ‘Phoenix’ Farrell.
The band went on a hiatus after frontman Chester Bennington took his own life back in 2017. In the intervening period, co-vocalist Mike Shinoda has released his debut solo album while Bennington’s former group Grey Daze are set to share a new record this summer.
Speaking in recent interviews, Farrell revealed that Linkin Park had been penning new music – but said sessions were currently “on pause” due to the COVID-19-enforced lockdown.
“For us, with the band, we’ve been kinda writing and doing that before this all started,” Farrell said on a recent Dan Really Likes Wine live-stream.
“So casually at this point, we’re doing Zoom meetings to eat lunch together and say, ‘Hi’. But we’re not able to get together and write or do that whole bit. So [we’re] working at home a little bit, working up ideas.”
From LA to the Hemel en Aarde Valley: live tasting with Linkin Park’s Dave Farrell from California, sampling wine from DeMorgenzon, Jordan Wine Estate Stellenbosch, Cavalli Estate and HALL Wines; and sharing Bouchard Finlayson’s Missionvale chardonnay and Galpin Peak pinot noir with winemaker Chris Albrecht.
Posted by Dan Really Likes Wine on Tuesday, April 21, 2020
*whispering*
this is what Phoenix ACTUALLY said about Linkin Park and new music pic.twitter.com/3hrLuCNEQK— a.? (@BroodingAnanas) April 21, 2020
He continued: “I’ve been playing a lot of drums, just to do something new – I’ve been doing that for the last year, year and a half, and purposely making as much noise as possible to create my own space in the house.”
In a separate discussion from earlier this month, Farrell explained that Linkin Park were “always working on new music right now”. “Obviously with what’s going on with the international situation we’re a little bit on pause on all that,” he added.
You can watch both interviews above.
Around this time last year, it was reported that the surviving members of Linkin Park had been “talking about new music” for the first time since Chester Bennington’s death. This came after Mike Shinoda suggested that they could eventually return with a new lead vocalist.
“I think it has to happen naturally. And if we find somebody that’s a great person that we think is a good personality fit and a good stylistic fit, then I could see trying to do some stuff with somebody,” he said.
