SUM 41 frontman Deryck Whibley has hinted that his next musical chapter might look a little different, and a lot more stripped back.
Speaking to Rock Sound’s James Wilson Taylor backstage at Vans Warped Tour in Orlando over the weekend, the Canadian punk staple opened up about future plans, an unreleased acoustic record, and whether fans can expect new music anytime soon.
Whibley, who’s spent the last year juggling his Walking Disaster clothing line, a bestselling memoir, and surprise guest appearances with artists like Jonas Brothers and Avril Lavigne, said that despite not having a concrete roadmap, he’s still writing constantly.
“I play guitar every day,” he said. “I have no plans or I don’t know what I’m gonna do with music, but I play guitar every day, I write music every day and I have a stockpile of songs and music that are just kind of sitting there that eventually I’m gonna wanna do some music.”
When asked if the songs he’s writing might end up being pitched to other artists, Whibley admitted he finds it tough to hand off material he’s already connected to. “I’m a very selfish writer,” he said with a laugh. “When I write something I like, it’s hard to give it away.”
A Sum 41 acoustic album?
But the biggest tease came when he revealed he already has an entire acoustic album recorded, featuring SUM 41 songs reimagined, and that he hopes to take that material on the road. “I’d like to do an acoustic tour of SUM 41 songs,” he said. “I have an acoustic record… that may come out sometime soon. And I’d like to go tour that, but, again, there’s no plans for any of it.”
Whibley’s career beyond SUM 41 is stacked, including collaborations with Iggy Pop, Avril Lavigne, Tommy Lee and more, with years as a producer and mixer. Now you can add a bestselling memoir documenting addiction, survival, recovery, and balance to that list. With SUM 41 newly inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Whibley’s next steps feel wide open, and fans might be in for a quieter, more intimate era.
RELATED
MORE IN Music
