Linkin Park have announced their first ever career-spanning, retrospective album, Papercuts (Singles Collection 2000-2023), due April 12.
The 20-song collection will feature all of the band's biggest songs, like "In the End," "One Step Closer" and the Jay-Z mash-up “Numb/Encore,” as well as "Lost," which was included in last year's Meteora 20th anniversary edition, and a previously unreleased song "Friendly Fire" (out today) featuring vocals by late frontman Chester Bennington.
About "Friendly Fire," guitarist Brad Delson says, “When we started looking for an unreleased track to include on our greatest hits collection, I was blown away by the power of the song, the power of the storytelling, the power of the vocal, the sonic landscape and I actually thought that it was closer than maybe we had realized at the time.”
In a press release, Mike Shinoda explained the concept behind compiling the singles collection.
“In the making of each Linkin Park album, I want to love and believe in each individual song completely,” says Mike Shinoda. “I hope that if any one track is heard on its own in the world, it is something I can feel proud of, and something that takes root inside the listener and becomes part of the energy that connects us.
“Curating the tracks for Papercuts was a joy,” he continues. “Each song in this collection is both a singular moment on our timeline and an evolving story that is as much ours as it is yours. From our first release ‘One Step Closer’ to the brand-new ‘Friendly Fire,’ this tracklist spans all our chapters so far. Thank you for being a part of our journey. We hope you enjoy Papercuts.”
Listen to iHeartRadio Canada's episode of Encore: The Stories Behind The Songs You Love featuring Linkin Park's "Numb" here.
Check out the new song "Friendly Fire" below.