Skindred Announces New Album "You Got This"; Debuts Video For Title Track

Welsh ragga metal legends Skindred have today released their brand-new single ‘You Got This’, accompanied by a brilliantly entertaining video, which you can see below.

The title track of their forthcoming ninth album, which has just been announced with a release date of April 17th via Earache Records, "You Got This" is an instant Skindred classic, with Mikey Demus’s wrecking ball riffs bouncing through your head, as drummer Arya Goggin detonates a characteristically full-throttle rhythm. Meanwhile inimitable frontman Benji Webbe lurches between uncompromising toasting and delivering hooks like a heavyweight champion.

The inspiration for the track came when gym-devotee Benji saw a man struggling to complete his exercises as he started his rehabilitation after a stroke. The personal trainer told him, “You got this,” and the mood completely lifted.

"I was watching from a distance, and I could see the struggle and the pain, but in that moment, I knew he had got this," recalls Benji. "It’s such an empowering statement and it applies to so many battles that everybody faces: it could be a recovery from a stroke, or it could be studying for your exams at school. For me, having songs that lift people who are going through tough times is the most important thing. I feel like that's what I'm put on this planet to do."

Production came from the Grammy-winning Jay Ruston, who Arya admires for having the songwriting chops to work with ‘80s power ballad master Desmond Child, while also producing Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and Mike Patton’s, Mr Bungle. "It was working with someone who didn’t just stay in one lane, which is exactly what Skindred has always been about," says the multi-talented drummer.

So now it’s all about Skindred’s future. There are big plans incoming, especially live, where Arya has seen the audience evolve into a mix of youngsters attending their first gig alongside the two generations above them. Benji is dreaming of Coachella or a prime Pyramid Stage slot at Glastonbury. But Mikey comes at the question from a different angle.

"When you start a band, you don’t think for a second that you’re going to headline Wembley. I don’t feel like we made it happen; the audience made it happen by committing to be there and travelling so far to come. When you’re in a band you’re always looking at the next thing and it can be hard to be like, wow, what’s happening right now is amazing. There are still so many people out there who should know us but have never heard of us. So, we’ve got this whole fight ahead of us still."