Linkin Park Unveils ‘Friendly Fire’ – A Previously Unreleased “One More Light” Sessions Song

Grab the tissues for this one kids…

The past few years of celebrating Linkin Park‘s earlier releases has been nothing short of eye-opening for fans with the band offering never-before-seen (or heard) insights into albums such as Hybrid Theory and Meteora – both of which commemorated their 20th Anniversaries respectively with deluxe editions accompanied by a stack of unreleased tracks and demos.

We even managed to spend time with the band at their HT:20 press conference as the hype from the Hybrid Theory 20 release was fast taking over the world.

Many fans have been questioning the future of the group for years and while no solid plans have been set in stone, they are diving into the archives and uncovering songs from certain recording sessions that never got to see the light of day – and today we get a brand new track from 2017’s record One More Light.

Admittedly, when the band released their 7th studio album, it was met with harsh criticism (myself included) – mainly because the group further departed from their signature heavier roots in favour of accessible radio rock sounds that came about from sessions with songwriters who were credited with tracks such as Justin Bieber‘s ‘Sorry‘, Selena Gomez‘s ‘Hands to Myself‘ and Fifth Harmony to name a few.

To me, the collaborations with these mainstream hit music makers put a sour taste in my mouth as it came across as a way for the band to tap into popular-at-the-time ‘trends’ with what was receiving airplay during that timeframe. Instrumentally it leaned more on the electronica side too and didn’t have that rough rocky edge I had longed for.

However, upon knowing what we know now about the release and its lyrical inspiration and arching themes – if only we had given it a chance and listened closer (instead of instant reacting) – we’d have realised the heaviness was still present in its gut-wrenching lyrics featured on songs such as ‘Sorry For Now‘, ‘Nobody Can Save Me‘ and ‘Heavy‘. The album also honed in on the internal mental health struggles late frontman Chester Bennington was battling at the time of conception.

We’ve all grown from that experience and I personally have started listening more attentively to various aspects of music sent to WoS HQ – especially those with lyrics touching on suicidal thoughts and themes.

If you or anyone you know needs help with their own mental well-being call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or find your closest Suicide Prevention/Crisis Support Organisation on Google.

So with that in mind, let’s take a closer look at ‘Friendly Fire‘. As expected, it’s a softer balladesque track about fighting with someone close to you. Instrumentals aren’t too far removed from the One More Light overall sound, but Chester’s vocals are the main attraction here. His ebb and flow between highs and sombre lows take you on a journey of self-discovery. It’s a pleasant surprise that doesn’t sound too overproduced and lets Bennington shine with his delivery. For some, it’ll come across as a breakup anthem, for others a gentle reminder that sometimes fighting isn’t the answer, especially when the chrous sinks in as you sing along:

“We’re pulling apart for no reason / we’re pulling a trigger in a useless war / if we come back and go into the black / what are we fighting for? / What are we fighting, it’s just friendly fire”

Heartfelt and wholesome. Grab the tissues, you’ll need them.

The track comes from a collection of singles from Linkin Park titled Papercuts – Singles Collection (2000-2023) and is out April 12th. Pre-order here.

Words by Paul ‘Browny’ Brown @brownypaul

Listen to ‘Friendly Fire‘ here

Linkin Park – Papercuts – Singles Collection Tracklisting:

1. Crawling
2. Faint
3. Numb/Encore
4. Papercut
5. Breaking The Habit
6. In The End
7. Bleed It Out
8. Somewhere I Belong
9. Waiting For The End
10. Castle Of Glass
11. One More Light
12. Burn It Down
13. What I’ve Done
14. QWERTY
15. One Step Closer
16. New Divide
17. Leave Out All The Rest
18. Lost
19. Numb
20. Friendly Fire