Deryck Whibley views making records as a “necessary evil”.
The Sum 41 frontman is set to take his band on the road on their ‘Blame Canada’ tour with Simple Plan this summer in support of new LP ‘Heaven and Hell’, and he admitted performing live is his favourite part of being a musician so he can’t wait to get back out there again.
He said: “Making records is like the necessary evil to get back out on the road. That’s how we’ve always looked at it.
“It’s been two years and I think we’re gonna fall right back into it. I’m just really excited.”
The ‘Fat Lip’ hitmaker hadn’t been intending to write a new album over lockdown as he was “trying to relax” as a first time father to his and wife Ariana’s son Lydon, now two, but he felt inspired while driving around Los Angeles for hours on end, accompanied by playlists of music he’d listened to in his teens.
He told Rolling Stone magazine: “[One playlist was filled] with all of the punk-rock stuff I listened to when I was in high school that I hadn’t listened to in years. [Listening to this music] kickstarted me into writing again.
“Once I had about four or five songs, I was like, ‘You know what? I like all these. I’m not giving these to anybody.;
“I wasn’t really trying to start a record.”
The first part of the record, known as ‘Heaven’, fits in with the current nostalgia around pop-punk, even though the singer started writing that way before it became fashionable again.
He said: “When that happened, I was like, ‘What kind of luck is that?’
“There’s some weird nostalgia that kicked in because of the pandemic.
“It all made sense to me why pop-punk is coming back: it’s feel-good music. There’s something that’s happy about it. Something young and innocent and free.”
The ‘Hell’ side of the album is heavier and more personal.
Deryck said: ” “Some of the metal stuff comes with a lot of anger for people who have stolen from me and hurt me in the past.”
Some lyrics are about a former manager who stole “lots of money” and was “mentally abusive” to the band.
Deryck added: “He was a dark person to be around so I find that even though it was years ago, it still creeps out in my music now. I can deal with stress and the issues that go on in life probably because I write about it and I get it all out.”
But the ‘In Too Deep’ singer hadn’t set out to make a double album.
He said: “As I listened to almost all of it, it just kind of dawned on me. ‘Did I just make a double record by accident?’ “