Papa Roach is about two months away from the release of its eighth album, “The Connection.” The band is just now embarking on a tour that will continue through the album’s release, but the tour cycle is new enough that the band has only worked one new song, “Still Swinging,” into its show. You can get a taste of what to expect from “The Connection” when the band plays Wooly’s Thursday (moved from the Val Air Ballroom).
“The Connection” is Papa Roach’s first full-length album on the independent label Eleven Seven after more than a decade with Universal. The split with the old label had some friction, with Universal releasing an unapproved greatest hits, “To Be Loved,” at the same time Papa Roach was releasing the combo EP and live album “Time for Annihilation.” The band is happy to have the conflict behind them.
“There’s been so much more attention on the label side,” guitarist Jerry Horton said during a phone interview. “They love what we do and the new music. This hasn’t been hard. We can meet everybody and know who is working the record. It sort of makes it more personal.”
Papa Roach’s style has changed from album to album over the years, Horton said.
“The Connection” will feature many of the Papa Roach staples fans have come to expect, with melodic music and vocals, but with a bit more electronic material worked in to give the music more texture. But for anyone cringing at the mention of electronic music, Horton was quick to assure it wouldn’t “overpower the rockiness.”
“I think this record is probably the most cohesive and most well-thought out piece we’ve done in a long time,” he said. “Everything has a purpose and it’s all tying in together.”
The members of Papa Roach wrote and recorded the material at the band’s home studio in Sacramento, Calif. They would come in and work on only one or two songs at a time, fully recording them before moving on to the next piece of music.
But unfortunately for fans, a full taste of that material live is still far off. Having tech-savvy fans means it’s harder and harder to debut new material on the road.
“We don’t want to throw it all out there at once,” Horton said. “As soon as we play it live it’s on YouTube and everywhere else. We have to leave something to the imagination.”
Papa Roach
When: 6 p.m. Thursday
Where: Wooly's, 504 E. Locust St. (moved from Val Air Ballroom).
Cost: $25 in advance, $27 at the door.
Info: ticketfly.com (tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will be honored)
