Out in 2027, the fifth album from Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators. The album title’s Flying Blind, and the title track’s out now as a single alongside an official music video, ahead of its 26th February worldwide release through Gibson Records, and subsequent tour of the UK in the summer.
Fifteen years and five albums into what’s far more than an extra-curricular career, Slash said of the new album: “It’s a really fun, kind of spontaneous rock ‘n’ roll record,” noting, “It’s very straightforward and down-to-earth and raw.”
Recorded largely live with longtime producer Michael ‘Elvis’ Baskette at Studio Barbarosa in Florida, the 12-track album captures Slash on guitar and pedal steel, Myles Kennedy singing, Todd Kerns playing bass, Brent Fitz drumming, and Frank Sidoris on rhythm guitar. The band apparently completed most of the record in around a week, often recording two songs a day with the musicians performing together in the same room.
‘Flying Blind’ started as the musicians were preparing to rehearse and Slash came up with the riff off-the-cuff. The song came together quickly, developing a soaring melody and immediate hook that ultimately made it the natural choice to introduce the album.
“Created in the studio while we were standing there in pre-production, a riff came to me and started developing,” the guitarist explained. “I had nothing of that song prior to those guys coming in, and then we started up a night of rehearsal and played that riff. It came together really quickly. As for it being the first single, you never know what the first single is going to be until you’ve recorded it. When I started thinking about it, ‘Flying Blind’ just seemed to have the right kind of melodic sensibilities and a hook to make it single material.”
“I really enjoyed putting a melody to this song,” said Kennedy. “The way the chord progression starts in the beginning had a nice flow to it. The lyric is about how sometimes people try to take shortcuts and try to find the easy way to achieve happiness or enlightenment.”
In celebration of the release of the album, the band have partnered with Fandiem to launch a special charitable sweepstakes giving fans the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Wales to meet Slash backstage at Cardiff Castle. Benefiting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the campaign offers one winner and a guest round-trip travel to Cardiff, a three-night hotel stay, tickets on Slash‘s guestlist for his performance at Cardiff Castle, backstage access to meet Slash, front-of-house viewing, access to pre-show soundcheck, a Slash merch pack, a South Wales sightseeing tour, and a pre-show dinner.
Fans can donate and enter for a chance to win through Fandiem, and take part in this exclusive experience while helping raise funds for two organisations dedicated to mental health and suicide prevention.
SMKC continue to work the same way they did at the beginning: get into a room, play, and see what happens. Some of the album’s songs developed from Slash‘s demos and musical fragments, while others were created spontaneously with the musicians playing together in a room.
Slash had come up with some of the ideas while touring with Guns N’ Roses, with Kennedy noting: “He’s an incredible riff writer. He also comes up with simple chord progressions that are very compelling for melodies. It works, and it’s timeless.” The singer himself worked on the songs during a break from Alter Bridge. “Our schedule is tight, and you have to abide by it or everything else starts to get affected,” he said. “Now it’s just a given that you’re always creating. It’s a muscle thing. The creative part of your brain doesn’t have time to atrophy, and you just keep going.”
Going into the sessions, Slash gave Baskette two clear instructions: keep the recording as live as possible, and do not overwork the performances afterward. “He really adhered to that,” Slash said. “It worked out great.” The arrangements were largely in place before recording began, but remained open enough to accommodate spontaneous ideas in the studio.
The 12 tracks featured are: ‘Avarice And Greed’, ‘Good Time Girl’, ‘Thrill Seeker’, ‘One Of Your Kind’, ‘Flying Blind’, ‘Looking For A Miracle’, ‘Sweet Kill’, ‘Won’t Be Long’, ‘Living The Dream’, ‘(Don’t) Thread The Needle’, ‘Rev My Heart’ and ‘Stem The Flow’.
The ‘Flying Blind’ single is available across all digital platforms, and the music video was shot on location at The Viper Room in Los Angeles and directed by John Harvatine IV.
Flying Blind is available to pre-order now.
SLASH FT. MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS 2027 UK & IRELAND TOUR
Wed Jun 30 Cardiff, UK Cardiff Castle
Thu Jul 1 Scarborough, UK Scarborough Open Air Theatre
Sat Jul 3 Dublin, Ireland Trinity College
Sun Jul 4 Belfast, UK Custom House Square
Tue Jul 6 Halifax, UK Piece Hall
Wed Jul 7 London, UK Eventim Apollo
