Shinedown’s very own Eric Bass is ready to step into the solo spotlight with his debut album, I Had A Name, dropping on 21st February 2025. Known for his powerhouse role as Shinedown’s bassist, co-songwriter, and producer, Bass is shifting gears to create something for himself. He’s launched the first single, Mind Control, along with its music video, which is a wild invitation to the dark, dystopian world he’s crafted. You can watch it below:
Bass is taking fans on an intense journey with I Had A Name. This concept album mixes themes of self-reflection, neurodivergence, and humanity’s darker emotions wrapped up in a story-driven rock opera format. And he’s not stopping there: alongside the album, he’s weaving this project into a larger multimedia experience, complete with a graphic novel and a series of music videos that play like episodes of a short film. Bass is clearly going all-in.
Speaking of his creative journey, Bass says he’s grown increasingly weary of today’s homogenous music scene. “I wanted to create something different,” he shares, emphasising his intent to break away from the same-old-same-old. He sees I Had A Name as a bold and honest expression of his neurodivergent experiences, with characters who mirror aspects of his mental health journey. The lead character, Devaren, for instance, channels Bass’s own encounters with depression.
“I’ve spoken about my struggles with depression and neurodivergent issues before,” Bass comments. “When I finished writing this record, I looked back at these characters I’ve created and realized I’d written the most autobiographical record of my life, which wasn’t conscious as I was writing it.
“The album is an epic odyssey. I don’t want mental health to be an ‘angle’ that obscures that,” he adds. “But I don’t mind talking about it. Anytime I talk about it, I hope it’s helpful to someone else.”
“I’m always about honesty in art,” he says. “When I listen to something, I want to hear that the person dug into the dirt and bled for it to happen. The truth always prevails.”
Bass’s creative itch for I Had A Name first scratched its way to the surface back in 2018 in a hotel room in Milan. While on tour with Shinedown, he jotted down ideas that would eventually become the groundwork for this ambitious project. It’s no straightforward narrative, though; instead, the album hops around different scenes and emotions, building a complex system that listeners are invited to piece together. Each track offers a new “chapter,” making this an album you’ll want to listen to in full.
Bass’s bandmates are fully behind him, cheering on his solo venture and letting him take the reins for this release. He wrote every lyric, played every instrument, and took on production duties—all in his pursuit of an album that’s real and, as he puts it, “bleeds honesty.”
I Had A Name Tracklisting:
1. A World Unseen
2. The New Gods of War
3. Azalia
4. We Can’t Go Home
5. Goodnight Goodnight
6. Mind Control
7. New Graves
8. All Good Children – Our Guts
9. Modenhardt
10. Dead Inside
11. The Churches of the Dead
12. Wanna Go To Hell
Whether you’re a long-time Shinedown fan or just curious about a neurodivergent creator trying something new, I Had A Name is set to give us a whole new view of Eric Bass’s artistry. Save the date: 21st of February 2025. Pre-order now.
