Tool has been working on new music for a couple of years

Having let thirteen years pass between “10,000 Days” and the release of “Fear Inoculum” in 2019, Tool are now used to being asked questions about possible new material. In a recent interview with Andrew McMillen, national music journalist for “The Australian”, it was the turn of Justin Chancellor’s bassist to share updates on the band’s activities, confirming:

“We’re working on new music. I don’t know when we’ll finish it. We’ve been working on stuff, on and off, for a couple of years. We’re always working on new music. Last week I was in the studio with Danny Carey coming up with some ideas. But I always say this: Art really doesn’t have a timetable. You can’t force it. And if you do, it usually doesn’t end too well.”

He added: “I think, especially in our band, for some reason that’s how it works. It’s a different kind of chemistry. And I think we’ve all learned. Not to mention Maynard James Keenan has his side projects. Danny does a lot of different stuff, Adam Jones does different stuff, and I have my own stuff, too. And we’ve learned to carve out time when someone needs space, keeping ourselves busy with other projects that actually influence what we do when we get back together. So it gives us a kind of margin that is reflected in new things when we find ourselves working together.”

Reflecting on the public perception that Tool spends a really long time between jobs, Chancellor said: “Everyone always makes fun of us and says it takes us so long to make music. But I’m proud of everything we’ve done. They always talk about the 13 years it took to release the follow-up to 2006’s ‘10,000 Days’ – thirteen years seems like a week to me. When we were working on that material every day, we were deep into it. And in the end it doesn’t matter. Do something worthwhile, even just one thing, is worth it.”

When it was pointed out that the request for new music could be interpreted as a compliment, given that Tool fans always seem to want to hear new things from the band, the bassist agreed: “I think it’s more interesting to take a long time to find something unique, rather than keep repeating yourself,” he said: “And no offense to those who – let’s say pop music – keep churning out hits over and over again. I mean, people like that material. It has its place, and there are those who do it well, but we’re not We try to create something unique, which has never been heard before, as musicians, as a band. And sometimes it just comes from nowhere.

He concluded: “It’s a compliment that people are excited about new music. But we don’t want it to be tied to a deadline. We want it to be good. We want to be proud of it, and we want to all agree that this is what we want to share. So, as I was saying, side projects are a great way to lighten up that time and stay sharp, but without forcing the issue.”