Beartooth Announces 5th LP “The Surface” with Self-Love Jam ‘Might Love Myself’

The journey for Beartooth leading into the album cycle of their fifth studio album, The Surface (out October 13th), hasn’t been easy, but from it has blossomed an incredible path of overcoming, reflection, and a newfound lease of life for mastermind Caleb Shomo.

First appearing on the scene in 2013 with the ferocious assault on the senses Sick EP, Shomo traversed through the depths of hell musically, battling mental health struggles and using Beartooth as an avenue to vent frustrations of the sickness inside him through albums, whose themes were portrayed in the titles. Disgusting (2014) increased that ferocity to 11 and set the foundations for what was yet to come, Aggressive (2016) first displayed the guitar-focused direction this band would evolve into, Disease (2018) became more self-aware of where the problems came from while dabbling in melodic anthems, and Below (2021) was the first part of this newfound second coming, where the problems from the past are replaced by hope, self-confidence and a hard rock n’ roll soundtrack, with influences linking back to one of Australia’s most recognised rock acts.

When you put all the albums together, you get the final (for now?) piece of the puzzle for this road to recovery from the – Sick Disgusting Aggressive Disease Below The Surface – which highlights what could be a final chapter for this story arc.

We’ve already seen and heard with new singles such as ‘Riptide‘, a departure from the strains of mental health themes, and ‘Sunshine‘, a finger still in the honey pot of heavy metal, but with fresh hit ‘Might Love Myself‘, we’re met with stadium-filling sing-a-long feels and a continuing focus on that guitar-driven soundscape Beartooth have fit right into.

Caleb steps up to the podium once again to highlight where he’s come from lyrically:

‘I thought love was overrated / and I don’t know how to take it / still chasing ghosts I feel so unsure / and I saw myself a lie / still gave it one more try / gave everything that I had and more’

All the way to where he finds himself now – sober, fit and loving life for the first time since the first reiteration of this band saw the light of day. He’s fresh and focused on the positives, encouraging fans and listeners to do the same:

‘It took my body over / lost all my composure / never felt quite like this before / chemistry is changing / emotions re-arranging / I’m outta that cage / breaking my spell / think I might / think I might love myself’

But when you think it’s all upbeat and positive, that signature empowering Beartooth breakdown outta nowhere takes you by surprise with an almost cheeky reminder of the impeccable talent behind its fearless leader. Instead of drawing upon feelings and experiences from the deep, dark spot down below, Caleb’s encouraging us to live life to the fullest – and it’s more infectious than any disease could ever be.

On his journey thus far, Shomo shares:

“Beartooth’s entire discography has been snapshots of my inner monologue and emotional state over the years with a recurring theme: depression and self-loathing… It’s been tough to understand why I’ve felt the way I do for so long. During the pandemic, I was faced with two distinct paths in life. One — I continue doing nothing to manage the realities of my mental health and continue down a path of self-destruction, ultimately ending in my demise. Two — choose to do the work needed to maintain a healthier relationship with myself, no matter how difficult or painful.”

“This album is the story of my beginnings in the new world I’ve created for myself. One focused on health, self love, positivity, understanding, hard work, and most of all second chances. At the end of the day, life is short for all of us. We can’t escape the end, so why not make friends with it and live in a world focused on living a personally fulfilling life.“

The Surface comes with 11 tracks, including the band’s first-ever collaboration, alongside country/rock singer Hardy; and if you’re an OG fan of Beartooth (and familiar with the band’s Blackbird Session release), you’re in for a treat.

A new era begins. One of motivational proportions for what is going to be the album that changes everything.

Written by Paul ‘Browny’ Brown @brownypaul

Pre-Order The Surface here – talking to you, VC collectors!

Stream ‘Might Love Myself‘ here

Beartooth – The Surface tracklisting

1. The Surface
2. Riptide
3. Doubt Me
4. The Better Me (ft. Hardy)
5. Might Love Myself
6. Sunshine
7. What’s Killing You
8. Look The Other Way
9. What Are You Waiting For
10. My New Reality
11. I Was Alive