"Landmines" is a song by Canadian rock band Sum 41, released on September 27, 2023 as the lead single from the band's eighth and final studio album Heaven :x: Hell (2024). A pop-punk song reminiscent of the band's early career, Whibley wrote the song after being approached to write songs for other artists; "Landmines" was one of the first written in this process, which Whibley decided to keep for Sum 41. The track received acclaim from music critics, who praised its catchiness despite some criticism towards its formulaic sound. "Landmines" peaked on the Canada Rock chart and the US Alternative Airplay chart, breaking the record for the longest gap between two songs by the same artist on the latter.
Background and release
On March 23, 2022, Sum 41 announced their eighth studio album, Heaven :x: Hell. A double album, where the "heaven" side leans into a pop-punk sound while the "hell" side instead features a heavier metal sound, the album was accidentally conceived when frontman Deryck Whibley began writing songs in the pop-punk style of Sum 41's debut studio album All Killer, No Filler during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] According to Whibley, "Landmines" was specifically conceived after he sold the band's catalog, citing the "pressure and the need to create something".[2][3] He wrote the track after being approached to write pop-punk songs for other artists, yet decided to hold onto "Landmines" because he "didn't want to give them away, but [...] also didn't think Sum41 were ready to put them out just yet".[4] Bassist Jason McCaslin recalled the song being the first he received from Whibley from Heaven :x: Hell, saying that it convinced him that a pop-punk sound was viable.[5]
"Landmines" was first released for digital download and streaming on September 27, 2023 as the lead single from Heaven :x: Hell; an accompanying music video for the song was released the same day.[6][7] The song was the first to be released by the band after they signed to Rise Records.[8] On February 8, 2024, Sum 41 performed "Landmines" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, surrounded by visuals of flames and tombstones.[9][10] The song was also included in the set list of the Tour of the Setting Sum, the band's farewell tour.[11]
Composition and lyrics
"Landmines" is a pop-punk song which Andrew Sacher of Alternative Press described as being "straight out of the band’s classic early 2000s pop-punk era, with a few modern twists".[12] The song begins with broken chords, before palm muted guitar enters; in the song's half-time chorus, chanted vocals reminiscent of the band's early career sing over a "stop-and-start dynamic".[13][14][15] Kerry Doole of Billboard Canada characterized Whibley's vocals as being "rapid-fire and hoarsely intense", and noted that the song had "lusty" backing vocals.[7] Whibley described the song as being one of the slowest on Heaven :x: Hell, but noted how the album was already "fast and aggressive" as a whole.[4] Lyrically, "Landmines" concerns "hanging on" amid life's struggles.[14]
Reception
"Landmines" received generally positive reviews from music critics, with Rishi Shah of NME calling it Sum41's "finest work since the noughties".[16] Both James Wilson-Taylor of Rock Sound and a review for Sputnikmusic praised the song's catchiness,[17][18] while Mischa Pearlman of Kerrang! praised the song for being "impassioned" despite the contrast between its upbeat melody and the angst which inspired the song.[19] Chuck Armstrong of Loudwire commented that "Landmines", along with "Waiting on a Twist of Fate" and "I Can't Wait", would "carry [the band's] legacy into many generation to come".[20] However, Paul Dika of Exclaim! criticized the song's formulaic sound,[15] while Doole noted that the song was not "wildly original" despite its "effective" songwriting and "strong" chorus.[7]
