Rachel Bolan of Skid Row recently announced his debut solo album, Gargoyle of the Garden State, which will be released on June 12.

You can listen to “Anything But You,” the latest offering from the upcoming record below. As the bassist tells UCR, the idea to create a solo album came from producer Nick Raskulinecz, who also produced the most recent Skid Row album, 2022’s The Gang’s All Here.

Known for his past work with a wide array of artists, from Rush to Foo Fighters to Alice in Chains and many others, Bolan states that the producer brings something truly significant to his process.

“He’s the person who can identify what you’re trying to achieve better than you can,” he explains. “There were so many times during this recording where I wanted to change something. He’s like, ‘No, no, no, no, no. That’s you, leave that. That’s your signature.’

“And that meant a lot, you know, coming from someone who has achieved what he has achieved [as a producer] — and from a brother’s perspective as well. He was my biggest [supporter]. He’d encourage me for things and help me trust my judgment regarding my parts.”

What Can Fans Expect From ‘Gargoyle of the Garden State’?

Some may recall how Bolan revisited his punk roots in the ’90s with his band Prunella Scales, and Gargoyle of the Garden State has been similarly regarded as stylistically grounded in that area. Advance materials describe the record as “a raw and energetic punk release,” which is music to his ears.

“It’s wild; I mean, my background is punk,” he confirms. “I didn’t want to categorize it in any way, you know. But it seems people [are saying] it has a strong punk feel. I’m fine with that. I’m totally down with that. It’s actually a badge of honor.”

Gargoyle of the Garden State features several guests, including his longtime Skid Row bandmates — with drummer Rob Hammersmith in particular handling drum duties for the entire album. Bolan himself plays bass but also handles many of the guitars.

Longtime friend Damon Johnson (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Brother Cane) contributed five guitar solos on the album. Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt and Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor are among others making appearances on the album.

“Everyone I asked to participate in the record thankfully said yes — and they’re all friends,” he details. “The reason I thought of them for specific songs is because of the song itself. But I just wanted friends involved in this significant moment in my career.”

Watch Rachel Bolan’s ‘Anything But You’ Video

What’s Happening With Skid Row?

The rock band partnered with Sweetwater earlier this year to find their next lead singer, who will step into the shoes of previous vocalists they have worked with over the years. As Bolan told UCR, each time they have had to make a previous change, they had tour dates and other commitments that made them rush their decision.

This time, they found themselves making a change at a moment when their schedule was light, so they decided to use this available time to carefully evaluate their next move.

According to all involved, they are making progress and have narrowed down some serious candidates. As Bolan adds, they have further incentives and tasks to work on as well.

“Management [reached out the other day and said], ‘We know you don’t have a singer now, but you guys need to create a bunch of songs and get those magic songs in there,'” he shares. “I got off that phone conversation thinking, Yeah, I love this kind of pressure. I love having something to strive for.”