Brothers Joel and Benji Madden have embarked on a new journey together under the banner of The Madden Brothers.
The duo are setting their sights broad being prepared to tackle a number of genres on their debut album 'Greetings From California...'. “The idea was to not hide behind a band name or a genre, but rather to write some songs, and find someone to record them and help us deliver the truest picture of who we are musically,” Benji says.
The identical brothers are global names in the music industry, well-known from their band Good Charlotte (which has racked up over 10 million combined sales worldwide) and appearing on many music shows, including Australia's The Voice.
The record is split into two halves, with the front-side featuring upbeat pop-rock tunes produced by the brothers long time friend Eric Valentine, who has also worked with Queens of the Stone Age, Taking Back Sunday and Third Eye Blind. Benji calls the first side an anthem for the downtrodden. “It’s for anyone who’s feeling unappreciated or abused, or is suffering in any way... we want to inspire people to speak up.”
The flip-side is more down to earth, with styles of Southern Rock and '70s pop and was produced by Joe Chiccarelli, who has worked with The White Stripes, The Strokes and The Shins in the past. It features 'California Rain', a tale of the brothers journey to California. The song received guidance from Pharell Williams, who was a source of encouragement to the twins. “We wrote the song together that night. It felt like a repeat of us leaving home at 18 for California with just an acoustic guitar. All these years later, it all comes down to an acoustic guitar.”
Greetings From California... is out October 3, with the first single 'We Are Done' out June 2.
