It’s been ten years since the Finger Eleven last released new music, but frontman Scott Anderson is quick to point out they never truly stopped. Family life, changing priorities, and a deliberately slow, democratic writing process kept them from rushing. By the time Anderson starts talking with SNSMix about Finger Eleven’s upcoming album, it’s clear the decade-long wait hasn’t dulled his enthusiasm—it’s sharpened it.
“It’s going to be a hard-hitting record with a few emotional beats, and I think fans are going to be happy,” Anderson explains. “There are a lot of rockers on the record, a few songs in between, and then a mellow tune—but they’re all of really crazy quality. I’m so excited to let everybody finally hear it, and they will very soon.”
The result, Anderson insists, is their strongest work yet—crafted without chasing trends or bending to label politics. That infectious, invigorating energy helped Finger Eleven enthusiastically complete their first new studio album in a decade, Last Night on Earth, primed for a November 7 release via Better Noise Music, their first with the label.
“We’ve been our own producers and A&R guys through most of this process,” Anderson says. “Now I think we’re about to give the label a really strong piece of ammunition, sonically speaking. It’s not just a slapdash pile of songs—we’re still pretending like we’re 17 and this is the most important thing in the world.
For long-time fans, there’s also an unexpected gift: a song that never made it onto an earlier album, now reimagined. “We rediscovered it, opened it up, and made it better without ruining what was special about it,” Anderson says. “It’s got musical DNA from way back, but it stands up to everything else on the record.”
Anderson, who admits he’s been consciously writing from a more positive place post-pandemic, hopes that energy comes through. “I don’t have the same angst I used to, but I still love aggressive music. The new record has a mostly positive outlook.”
After ten years, the stakes are high—but for Anderson, the mission hasn’t changed. “We try to make the greatest three- or four-minute song we can. If people come around to it now or later, we win.”