It’s no secret that San Diego rock quintet Switchfoot have been enjoying time off the road, as the band members have been regularly celebrating being home. In a surprising move on Friday evening, March 30th, the band’s email list sent out a silly and cryptic announcement of a “New Single,” with a new lightning-fused band logo that mimics 80s metal. When the recipient clicks on the link to “Listen Now” to the new single, we’re met with a short video that promises the band will “Return to their roots” with a “Groundbreaking new album” and presents a minute-long remake of their hit song “Meant To Live” in an 80s heavy metal style. Even more curious is the words “Project 11” scrawled on the video artwork. Before the end of the video, we’re given “Project Eleven” followed by “October 2018.”
So what could this all mean? April Fools Day is this Sunday, so it’s most likely that the metal version of “Meant To Live” (especially as a one-minute “single”) is just a goof (Although they are selling a t-shirt with the “metal” Switchfoot logo on it at Switchfoot.com). It’s highly unlikely, however, that the band would release a metal album at all, let alone announce it as their official 11th project. Still, it seems just as unlikely that they’d give fans a “Project Eleven” announcement for release in “October 2018” as a total joke, which seems a bit too unkind following the news of their “break” that very well could just be the beginning of the end.
We suppose only time will tell as to what this all means, so in the meantime, we’ll just sit back, replay the hilarious video a few more times, dream of what a Switchfoot metal album would actually sound like, and start eagerly awaiting that new Switchfoot “project” — whatever it may be — for release in October. Check out the video below.