By James Wright | SNSMix.com
After more than two decades at the forefront of modern rock, Papa Roach continue to evolve while staying rooted in their mission: turning pain into purpose. Their latest single, “Even If It Kills Me,” is the clearest declaration yet that the band is as hungry, creative, and emotionally driven as they’ve ever been. Frontman Jacoby Shaddix sat down with Skratch N’ Sniff and SNSMix.com for an exclusive interview to dive deep into the new single and upcoming new album (full video can be found below).
“Splitting it down the middle and having two versions was a fun experiment for us,” says frontman Jacoby Shaddix. The track arrives in both a high-octane, full-band version and a stripped-down acoustic counterpart—“a Jekyll and Hyde thing,” he explains. “Sometimes we’ll try to rework a song and it falls short. But with this one, I was like, ‘Damn, which version do I like better?’ They’re both really special to me.”
Papa Roach are currently knee-deep in the studio recording their next full-length album, a follow-up to 2022’s ‘Ego Trip‘, which spawned four number-one rock hits and a surge of momentum that shows no sign of slowing.
“We’ve got about five or six songs finished,” Shaddix says. “I’m headed to Nashville for a NASCAR event, then back to L.A. to hit the studio and wrap up more tracks. We’re well into this new album.”
There’s no release date just yet—Shaddix says they want it to be “perfect” before dropping it—but the next single is already on the way, with a video shoot happening in L.A. “That one’s a banger—I’m really excited about it,” he teases. Guest features? “Yeah, we’ve got a couple… but I’m gonna keep it a surprise. We’ll let the tracks speak for themselves when they drop.”
Beyond songwriting, Papa Roach is also doubling down on the business side with their own imprint, New Noize. “Two years in, we’ve learned a lot about the business side,” Shaddix says. “It’s exciting. We had four number ones on Ego Trip, and now ‘Even If It Kills Me’ is top ten again. We’ve got momentum.” That momentum includes a wildly successful “Rise of the Roach” tour in the U.S. and Europe, with another leg kicking off in Canada later this year alongside The Used and Sleep Theory. “We just celebrated our sixth straight week at #1 on Canadian rock radio—that’s one of the longest runs of our career,” he says.
But at the heart of it all, Shaddix and Papa Roach are lifers—rock veterans who still chase that spark. “I’ve been a student since day one,” he says. “Back in ’99 when we signed our first record deal, I was taking notes—and so were the rest of the guys.” That student mindset, coupled with an undying enthusiasm to suit up and show up, keeps Papa Roach not just relevant, but revitalized.
“After every album cycle, I think, ‘I might be good,’” Shaddix admits. “Then I go back in the studio, start writing, and suddenly I’m like, ‘Oh man, I can’t wait to play this.’ That’s the beauty of having ‘Last Resort’ as our debut single—it gave us the platform to keep discovering who we are now.”
That discovery continues. Whether it’s blurring genre lines with country crossovers, mentoring the next wave of rock artists like Jairus Johnson and Low Spirit, or simply dropping an anthem that hits just as hard acoustically as it does on the main stage, Papa Roach remains fearless in the face of reinvention.
If “Even If It Kills Me” is any indication, the best may still be yet to come.
Jacoby Shaddix will be taking over Skratch N’ Sniff radio this Father’s Day weekend to play mashups, remixes and plenty of his own tunes. Listen on Skratch N’ Sniff stations across the country. Find a full list of all stations broadcasting Skratch N Sniff HERE.
