The explosion of Sum 41‘s “Landmines” is still going.
The lead single off the “Fat Lip” outfit’s farewell album, Heaven :x: Hell, premiered in September 2023 and hit #1 on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart in March.
“It was cool because it didn’t just, like, skyrocket to #1,” frontman Deryck Whibley tells ABC Audio. “It took some time, it organically had to grow to #1, which makes it even better.”
Four months later, “Landmines” still sits in the top 10 on Alternative Airplay and has logged a total of 39 weeks on the chart.
“It’s sticking around,” Whibley remarks. “That only happens because people like it. Because if people don’t like it, radio will stop playing it. It has to test well with the audience.”
He adds, “The fact that it’s still sticking around means the audience is keeping it there, which is always the best part.”
Ahead of releasing “Landmines,” Sum 41 announced that Heaven :x: Hell would be their final album and that the band was embarking on a final tour, which picks up again in the U.S. in September. Despite the success of “Landmines,” Whibley is secure in his decision to end the band.
“I don’t wanna stop working or stop being creative or stop writing,” Whibley says. “I just wanna do something different, creatively.”
However, going into that next project with a #1 single in his pocket does give Whibley, as he puts it, some “tailwind.”
“You have the confidence that you do still have it, at least,” he laughs.
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