Skindred announce new album Smile

(Image credit: Press)

Skindred will release their eighth studio album, Smile, on August 4, 2023 via Earache Records, with whom they signed with last year.

To mark the news, Benji Webbe and co. have shared new ragga-metal party anthem Gimme That Boom and an accompanying video which sees the band carouse in a technicolour London basement kitted out in flashy neon signs. Webbe switches up his appearance with a number of his trademark glam-metal studded/ sparkly jackets.

The track itself is a hyperactive, bombastic banger that captures Skindred at their best, with bouncing, mountain-high riffs and gloriously grandiose vocals.

Gimme That Boom is inspired by Webbe's own interaction with an overfamiliar fan, and by people who are obsessed with earning 'likes' on social media yet are flippant when it comes to making real, authentic connections.

“I was out shopping one day and I could hear someone building up asking me for a picture,” the frontman recalls. “The person didn’t care who I was with or what I was doing - they just wanted their picture.

"In this day and age, people want you and they expect to get you on tap, constantly giving you that ‘boom’ so they can get their Instagram likes up. It’s important to remember that people can't give you that ‘boom’ all the time. People think because they follow you on social media, they own you.”

Listen to Gimme That Boom below:

Currently, Skindred are in the midst of a massive European arena tour in support of Volbeat. The UK and Ireland leg will kick off in December.

Skindred tour dates:

Dec 12: 3Arena, Dublin
Dec 15: OVO Hydro, Glasgow
Dec 16: First Direct Arena, Leeds
Dec 17: Cardiff International Arena
Dec 19: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Dec 20: OVO Arena, Wembley

Skindred new album Smile — (Image credit: Earache Records)

Liz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.