New GUNS N' ROSES single next Friday: "Perhaps"

[Chip Z'Hoy]

New GUNS N' ROSES Single 'Perhaps' To Be Released Next Friday
August 5, 2023

GUNS N' ROSES is expected to officially release the shelved "Chinese Democracy"-era song "Perhaps" on Friday, August 11.

A link to pre-save the track on Spotify and Apple Music was shared via the Universal Music web site, although there has been no official announcement from the band yet regarding the song's imminent arrival.

GUNS N' ROSES reportedly soundchecked "Perhaps" ahead of the band's concert in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 5 but ended up not performing it at the gig. However, astute fans who stood outside the venue during soundcheck were quick to bust out their phones and record the rehearsal, with low-quality clips surfacing online immediately thereafter.

Like GUNS N' ROSES' 2021 single "Hard Skool", "Perhaps" was originally written and recorded during the sessions for "Chinese Democracy", and a rough demo version of the song had previously been leaked and uploaded to YouTube.

Last month, GUNS N' ROSES' longtime production manager Tom Mayhue confirmed that a new single from the band was coming soon.

Mayhue discussed the Axl Rose-fronted outfit's future plans while speaking to the media ahead of GUNS N' ROSES' July 13 concert in Paris, France. Noting that GN'R will finish the North American leg of its tour in mid-October, he added: "And I know that the band's gonna start working on new music. They've got a bunch of stuff recorded already. So there will be new GUNS N' ROSES music very soon. In fact, I think they're trying to get a single out any day now, so you may hear something very, very soon."

Regarding what the new GUNS N' ROSES material sounds like, Mayhue said: "It sounds great. It's a lot more kind of 'Appetite [For Destruction]'-orientated. They had a lot of songs. When the band went in originally and recorded 'Appetite For Destruction', I think they recorded, like, 29 songs. So there's a bunch of other music that was left over that didn't make the first record. I think there's only 11 songs on the first record."

This past June, Oslo's Urban Sound Studios shared a new photo of Rose and GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash, apparently taken the day after the band's performance at the Tons Of Rock festival in Norway's capital city. The picture was posted on the Urban Sound Studios Instagram account along with the following message: "We got to hang out with these 2 rock legends in the studio today. Really cool guys! (The two in the middle...). The band wanted a nice studio with a variety of speakers and headphones to listen to new mixes before they head for Glastonbury. It sounds awesome!"

During an October 2022 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" show, Slash was asked about GUNS N' ROSES' plans for new music in the coming months. He said: "I wanna go in and cut a whole brand new record at some point, probably sooner than later. But other than that, we have stuff that we've still got to come out. So that's gonna be coming out piecemeal over the next — I don't know — over the next few months or something like that. So that's basically it. We have one more tour left to do next summer, and then that'll free us up to be able to go in and work on a new record."

GUNS N' ROSES' most recent release was a four-song EP, "Hard Skool", which came out in February 2022. The effort, which was exclusive to the GUNS N' ROSES' official store, contained the two new songs the band released in 2021 — the title track and "Absurd" (stylized as "ABSUЯD") — as well as live versions of "Don't Cry" and "You're Crazy".

In September 2021, the guitarist and his bandmates dropped "Hard Skool", which came more than a month after their performance and subsequent official release of "Absurd", a reworking of GUNS N' ROSES previously unreleased "Silkworms".

According to Slash, several other older GUNS N' ROSES tracks have also been reworked during the pandemic. "There's a handful of those songs that we actually fixed up and did when we were in lockdown," he explained to "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". "So those have yet to be released. So those are gonna come out. They're really good, too. So I'm excited for those. We're just gonna put out like one or two songs, and another one or two songs. And I think that's gonna be pretty much all of 'em. I'm not sure exactly how many we did in total."

When host Eddie Trunk noted that "Hard Skool" in particular was a strong cut, Slash said: "These other ones, they don't have the same kind of amount of history, 'cause I know 'Hard Skool' seriously has… [it] goes way back. But there's a couple of epic ones coming out, so I'm excited about that."

If and when it happens, the new GUNS N' ROSES studio album will be the first under the GUNS banner since "Chinese Democracy" and the first to feature Slash, singer Axl Rose and bassist Duff McKagan since 1993.

Slash previously spoke about "Hard Skool", one of the first two songs he recorded with GUNS N' ROSES in more than 25 years, this past February in an interview with Rolling Stone. At the time he said: "'Hard Skool', in essence, was a completed song when I was first introduced to it. And Duff and I went in and redid the bass and the guitars. It's a simple song, so it didn't take a hell of a lot of thought and analysis. I think it was a lot of fun just because it was part and parcel of a bunch of stuff that we were working on that was all sort of new — at least to Duff and I — so we had a good time."

In October 2021, Slash told Audacy Check In host Remy Maxwell that GUNS N' ROSES had yet to begin writing new material after releasing the two reworked songs from the "Chinese Democracy"-era sessions.

"As far as new GUNS is concerned, we haven't even gotten to that point of really in earnest sitting down and writing," Slash said. "We've been doing a lot of material that's been sort of sitting around for a while. So that will be a whole focused endeavor unto itself."

As for how "Hard Skool" and "Absurd" came about, Slash said: "They both have a lot of history. What happened was Axl has all these songs that he recorded at some point along the way. And so Duff and I went in and re-did them, basically… Like, I wrote my own kind of parts to what else is going on, and [we] just sort of took the drums and re-did everything else."

Written by Rose and co-produced by Rose and Caram Costanzo, "Hard Skool", which had the working title "Jackie Chan", was originally recorded during GN'R's "Chinese Democracy" era but was eventually omitted from that album. Short clips of the song were later posted online and a full version was leaked in August 2019.

On "Hard Skool", Axl sings: "But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way/Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away/Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay/ If that were true, it wouldn't matter anyway."

"Absurd" came out on August 6, 2021, three days after GUNS N' ROSES performed the tune live for the first time during its concert at Boston's Fenway Park.

GUNS N' ROSES last performed "Silkworms", which was also reportedly written during the "Chinese Democracy" sessions, in 2001.

Photo credit: Katarina Benzova

https://blabbermouth.net/news/new-guns- ... ext-friday

[Zabooka]

A track not good enough for CD! Wow!

After the mid-90's, this has to be the laziest band in the world on a creative level.

[Mister Freeze]

If I could sum up the entire career of Guns n' Roses in one word, it would be "perhaps."

[Mister Freeze]

Regarding what the new GUNS N' ROSES material sounds like, Mayhue said: "It sounds great. It's a lot more kind of 'Appetite [For Destruction]'-orientated.

This is the new "Destroyer meets Creatures."

They had a lot of songs. When the band went in originally and recorded 'Appetite For Destruction', I think they recorded, like, 29 songs. So there's a bunch of other music that was left over that didn't make the first record. I think there's only 11 songs on the first record."

Are you shitting me? These guys have a whole album's worth of outtakes and alternative tracks from the greatest hard rock album in history... and could never be bothered to release it? Instead, we get covers, live albums, one-off singles, re-releases and all sorts of barrel-scraping bullshit.

And who is this butt-fuck manager who only seems to be casually familiar with his big client.

[roxxxtar]

You think you hate it now, but wait till you hear it.

[VinceLeeRose]

Regarding what the new GUNS N' ROSES material sounds like, Mayhue said: "It sounds great. It's a lot more kind of 'Appetite [For Destruction]'-orientated.

This is the new "Destroyer meets Creatures."

They had a lot of songs. When the band went in originally and recorded 'Appetite For Destruction', I think they recorded, like, 29 songs. So there's a bunch of other music that was left over that didn't make the first record. I think there's only 11 songs on the first record."

Are you shitting me? These guys have a whole album's worth of outtakes and alternative tracks from the greatest hard rock album in history... and could never be bothered to release it? Instead, we get covers, live albums, one-off singles, re-releases and all sorts of barrel-scraping bullshit.

And who is this butt-fuck manager who only seems to be casually familiar with his big client.

The tour production manager that said that is misleading. They didn’t record 29 songs for Appetite. They were an unknown band recorded their debut album for Gergen…they didn’t have the budget to be in a studio recording some epic double album in 1987. But they did record 29 plus songs for Chinese Democracy. They want people to believe all these old songs are shelved tunes from the Appetite era. That’s why these new songs are credited to “Guns N’ Roses” and not Finck, Tobias, Stinson etc.

[DangerZone]

I hope it’s reggae

[Ozzy Stradlin]

Another Chinese Democracy holdover.

Great.

[Hellsinkey]

A track not good enough for CD! Wow!

After the mid-90's, this has to be the laziest band in the world on a creative level.

In competition with Van Halen.

[Ziggy Sawdust]

A track not good enough for CD! Wow!

After the mid-90's, this has to be the laziest band in the world on a creative level.

I think it’s a miracle they recorded the illusions, as much as people are critical of them.

New song another shit sandwich, slash more focused on his Myles Kennedy crap as usual.

[jens]

The demo/leak is a dull affair. And I even like Hard Skool and Absurd.

[Jason Jennifer Leigh]

It’s so boring … Slash can’t even save this song.

[JizzySynatra]

The singles since their "reunion" have been very underwhelming and I actually don't mind Chinese Democracy. A song that sounded like Use Your Illusion filler would be just fine at this point.

[Wednesday 13 Fan]

Regarding what the new GUNS N' ROSES material sounds like, Mayhue said: "It sounds great. It's a lot more kind of 'Appetite [For Destruction]'-orientated.

This is the new "Destroyer meets Creatures."

They had a lot of songs. When the band went in originally and recorded 'Appetite For Destruction', I think they recorded, like, 29 songs. So there's a bunch of other music that was left over that didn't make the first record. I think there's only 11 songs on the first record."

Are you shitting me? These guys have a whole album's worth of outtakes and alternative tracks from the greatest hard rock album in history... and could never be bothered to release it? Instead, we get covers, live albums, one-off singles, re-releases and all sorts of barrel-scraping bullshit.

And who is this butt-fuck manager who only seems to be casually familiar with his big client.

You do know that several songs off of the Illusions albums were from the Appetite era, don't you?

[Mister Freeze]

They had a lot of songs. When the band went in originally and recorded 'Appetite For Destruction', I think they recorded, like, 29 songs. So there's a bunch of other music that was left over that didn't make the first record. I think there's only 11 songs on the first record."

Are you shitting me? These guys have a whole album's worth of outtakes and alternative tracks from the greatest hard rock album in history... and could never be bothered to release it? Instead, we get covers, live albums, one-off singles, re-releases and all sorts of barrel-scraping bullshit.

And who is this butt-fuck manager who only seems to be casually familiar with his big client.

You do know that several songs off of the Illusions albums were from the Appetite era, don't you?

I do. My high school friends and I passed around bootlegs of those demos in the late '80s with "Don't Cry," "Back Off Bitch," "Heartbreak Hotel," etc.

Not a fan of the overproduced Adler-less versions that ended up on UYI. If those songs were recorded during the Appetite sessions, they're worth hearing.

I suspect they weren't, and this manager dude was actually referring to those demos... or nothing at all.

Hence the last part of my original post.

[Chip Z'Hoy]

The demo/leak is a dull affair.

It's not good. To me, it sounds like Axl really liked how "Street of Dreams" and "Catcher in the Rye" turned out so he said "Boys, let's do another one like those" and then made up "Perhaps" on the spot.

Same as "Absurd"--it sounds like someone making fun of Chinese Democracy.

[NeonKnite]

Possibly the most overrated band ever.

[BootyDaddy69]

not interested in a chineese knock off song

[alleyrulez]

if it's anything like the demo on the "Chinese Democracy" sessions, it doesn't sound promising...

[MattleyCrue]

Can’t wait to hear Slash on it.

I went through and listened to all of the leaks again. Some interesting stuff for sure. I’ve had State of Grace in my head all day.

[LAglamrocker]

Anyone remember when GNR had awesome song names like Out ta Get Me-Get In The Ring- Welcome To The Jungle- T.W.A.T

Now.. Perhaps and Better

[GreatWhiteSnake]

The demo/leak is a dull affair.

Same as "Absurd"--it sounds like someone making fun of Chinese Democracy.

Seriously...

[windycitycane]

A track not good enough for CD! Wow!

After the mid-90's, this has to be the laziest band in the world on a creative level.

Lazy or they can’t write anything, let alone good. Izzy was a bigger influence on the band than anyone thought, I think.

[Velvis]

This is the new "Destroyer meets Creatures."

I am a KISS nerd but I always got a kick out of that.

"The new album Crazy Nights is really like Destroyer meets Creatures. Particularly the song My Way. Make sure you buy your own copy before listening to any of your friends copies though. But yeah totally Destroyer meets Creatures." - Love Paul & Gene.

[SterileEyes1]

“Absurd” sounded like what someone who didn’t actually listen to Chinese Democracy but wants to sound edgy claims Chinese Democracy sounds like. Never liked it even 20 years ago.

“Hard Skool” = forced and forgettable.

I’ve heard all the stuff that leaked in 2019, including “Perhaps”…I assume it’s Axl’s decision to be putting this stuff out, more power to him. I’m a massive fan of all eras and find all this stuff pretty underwhelming so far.