Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley watched from his hotel rooms as the world descended into havoc over the course of the rock bandBԪַs last tour.
The Canadian singer-songwriter can place the exact moments when he sensed the political divide growing wider. The first time, his rock band was in England on a European promotional tour as the Brexit vote dropped and BԪַmayhemBԪַ ensued.
Months later, he saw Donald TrumpBԪַs rise to power in the U.S. election, which polarized the nation across party lines, and witnessed the heated 2017 presidential election in France that led to violent clashes in the streets.
BԪַIt seemed to get worse and worse wherever we went,BԪַ the performer said in a phone interview from Los Angeles ahead of Sum 41BԪַs new album release.
BԪַI would wake every day and start my morning routine. YouBԪַd have the news on, and youBԪַre just kind of watching the chaos of the day BԪַ from Donald Trump to whatever else is going on.BԪַ
Whibley would occasionally dip into writing new songs to distract himself, but as the turmoil picked up in the outside world, he said he found it harder to escape. Trump had winnowed into the recesses of his mind, and he was seeping into the lyrics.
BԪַMy first thought is IBԪַm not going to let this (expletive) take over my music too,BԪַ he said.
BԪַI tried to stop it and tried to fight itBԪַ I tried to change the words, and it just felt really disconnected. After about a week, I said, BԪַWell, (expletive) it. It is what it is, IBԪַm just going to write words and weBԪַll figure it out.BԪַBԪַ
Hearing Whibley talk about politics can be jarring at times.
While Sum 41 built its reputation throwing stones at authority, their rowdy pop-punk anthems mostly ignored specific targets in favour of pushing back on The Man and nameless conformity, like on the title track of their 2007 album BԪַUnderclass Hero.BԪַ
These days, the 39-year-old songwriter observes the world with more specificity.
His work on the bandBԪַs previous album BԪַ13 VoicesBԪַ was an exercise in self-reflection as Whibley clawed back from years of unaddressed alcohol abuse that led him to be hospitalized in 2013 with nearly fatal health problems.
Sum 41BԪַs latest studio release BԪַOrder in Decline,BԪַ due on July 19, inches closer towards an edgier sound for the band that started in Ajax, Ont. ItBԪַs their heaviest, most hardcore effort to date, and Whibley produced and engineered the album in his home studio.
Signs this project is different begin with the album artwork, an apocalyptic illustration of a puppet master operating overtop a man whoBԪַs enveloped by flames. Beneath him, a skull looms with glowing eyes.
While the songs donBԪַt directly address Trump, the 45th president of the United States, some come incredibly close to calling him by name. On BԪַ45 (A Matter of Time),BԪַ Whibley sings about a man who rises to power unexpectedly, but he quickly shifts the narrative onto the people who got him there.
And on BԪַThe People VsBԪַBԪַ he breathlessly chastises a failed leader between guitar shreds: BԪַI know a bad man when I see his face, and now we suffer as a human race. And heBԪַs a bad man, but I got faith. To rid this misery heBԪַs got to go.BԪַ
Whibley says he doesnBԪַt necessarily consider BԪַOrder in DeclineBԪַ a political protest record, despite the occasional pointed lyric.
BԪַIBԪַm not really talking about specific policiesBԪַ ThereBԪַs no specific song about gun control, so I say itBԪַs not really political,BԪַ he said.
BԪַI guess you could call it a personal protest.BԪַ
David Friend, The Canadian Press
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