Landmines (song)

"Landmines"
Single by Sum 41
from the album Heaven :x: Hell
ReleasedSeptember 27, 2023 (2023-09-27)
GenrePop-punk
Length2:56
LabelRise
Songwriter(s)Deryck Whibley[1]
Producer(s)
  • Deryck Whibley
  • Mike Green
Sum 41 singles chronology
"Catching Fire"
(2021) 		"Landmines"
(2023) 		"Rise Up"
(2023)
Music video
"Landmines" on YouTube

"Landmines" is a song by Canadian rock band Sum 41, written by Deryck Whibley. It was released as the lead single from the band's eighth and final studio album Heaven :x: Hell on September 27, 2023.

Background

The band announced their eighth studio album, Heaven :x: Hell on March 23, 2022. The album is a double album.[2][3][4][5] Heaven returned to the pop-punk sound of the band's early career, while Hell leans more towards a heavier metal sound.[2][3][4][5] In May 2023, the band announced that Heaven :x: Hell will be their final album with the band disbanding after they complete a final headlining tour.[6][7] One week before the song was released, Whibley was hospitalized for COVID-19[8] and pneumonia, which led to heart failure.[9][10] He was discharged from the hospital the next day.[11] The song was released on September 27, 2023, along with a music video.[12][13][14] It is the band's first release with Rise Records.[14][12]

Commercial performance

"Landmines" debuted at number 29 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, their first single to reach the chart since 2011's "Screaming Bloody Murder". On the week of March 9, 2024, it replaced "One More Time" by Blink-182 at the top spot on the Alternative Airplay chart, becoming their second number-one hit single on the chart, following 2001's "Fat Lip". This resulted in Sum 41 setting a record for longest time between number-ones at 22 years, five months, and three weeks.[15]

Composition

Andrew Sacher of Alternative Press called the song a "nostalgia-inducing pop-punk single...[that] sounds straight out of the band’s classic early 2000s...era, with a few modern twists."[12] Whibley stated, "When I wrote 'Landmines' I had no intention of writing an old school 'pop punk' song...It just came out really quickly and I knew right away that this song felt special to me."[12][13][14]

Personnel

Sum 41

Additional musicians

  • Gary Anderson – additional backing vocals
  • David Jess – additional backing vocals
  • Luke N. Bovill – additional backing vocals
  • Rory Gault-Gordon – additional backing vocals
  • Peter Bunting – additional backing vocals

Production

Charts

Chart performance for "Landmines"
Chart (2023–2024) Peak
position
Canada Digital Songs (Billboard)[16] 47
Canada Rock (Billboard)[17] 1
France Airplay (SNEP)[18] 48
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[19] 30
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[20] 41
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[21] 2

References

  1. ^ "Sum 41 - Landmines". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Sum 41 Announces 'Heaven And Hell' Double Album". Blabbermouth.net. March 23, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Roche, Sam (March 24, 2022). "Sum 41 announce half-punk, half-metal double album, Heaven and Hell". Guitar World. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Hobson, Rich (March 25, 2022). "Sum 41 are releasing a metal/pop-punk double album". Louder Sound. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Kennelty, Greg (April 6, 2022). "Sum 41's New Album Is "Somewhat Of A Nod To Black Sabbath"". Metal Injection. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  6. ^ Deville, Chris (May 8, 2023). "Sum 41 Are Calling It Quits". Stereogum. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  7. ^ Trapp, Philip (May 8, 2023). "Sum 41 Announce That They Are Breaking Up". Loudwire. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  8. ^ Whibley, Deryck (October 9, 2023). "I'm back!". Instagram. Retrieved November 11, 2023. Of course I tested for COVID, and sure enough, I had COVID
  9. ^ Travis, Emlyn (September 16, 2023). "Sum 41's Deryck Whibley hospitalized for pneumonia and at risk of heart failure, wife says". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  10. ^ Harrison, Scoop (September 15, 2023). "Sum 41's Deryck Whibley Hospitalized with Pneumonia". Consequence. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  11. ^ Childers, Chad (September 18, 2023). "Sum 41's Deryck Whibley Discharged From Hospital After Treatment for Pneumonia". Loudwire. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d Sacher, Andrew (September 27, 2023). "Sum 41 return with nostalgia-inducing pop-punk single "Landmines"". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  13. ^ a b LaPierre, Megan (September 25, 2023). "Sum 41 Announce New Single "Landmines" Coming This Week". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c "Sum 41 Announces New Single "Landmines"". Blabbermouth.net. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  15. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (March 1, 2024). "Sum 41 Ends Record Break Between No. 1s on Alternative Airplay Chart With 'Landmines'". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  16. ^ "Sum 41 Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  17. ^ "Sum 41 Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  18. ^ "Classement Radio (Week 16, 2024)". SNEP. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  19. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  20. ^ "Sum 41 Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  21. ^ "Sum 41 Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 28, 2024.