Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park has one week before the release of his full-length solo album, Post Traumatic hits stores, and streaming services. Over these past few months, he has been sharing several videos giving glimpses of how he is dealing with the grief of losing his friend and music partner Chester Bennington. Before the record officially comes out, he has unveiled the video for new track entitled “Ghosts.” The new single follows the singer’s previously released tracks, “Crossing a Line,” “About You,” and “Running From My Shadow.”
Shinoda produced and directed the video which stars two sock pockets named Boris and Miss Oatmeal. It opens with Shinoda staring at his workspace saying, “I’ve had enough hard days. If I wake up and I feel good, I shouldn’t feel guilty for having fun, you know?” What follows is a trip into the surreal world of sock puppetry. The video is heartfelt as the two sock puppets act out Shinoda’s personal lyrics as drawings by Shinoda float down around them. Lyrics full of Shinoda’s grief are beautifully written making it hard not feel emotionally attached to each word. “This is not about you, and me / I can’t bring back how it used to be /And I know what I do believe / But I’ve already seen what I couldn’t see.”
“It’s a journey out of grief and darkness, not into grief and darkness,” Shinoda previously said of Post Traumatic in a statement. “If people have been through something similar, I hope they feel less alone. If they haven’t been through this, I hope they feel grateful.”
Though the record has yet to come out, it has already got worldwide acclaim, earning praise from a wide-range of sources including The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Variety, Billboard, Pitchfork and The New York Times to name a few. The album has 16 tracks with collaborations by K. Flay, blackbear, Machine Gun Kelly, Chino Moreno from Deftones, and grandson.
Shinoda will play a handful of individual performances including set s at Amoeba Music in Los Angeles and Gramercy Theater in New York City. He will also have headline tour dates to support Post Traumatic in Asia which also includes festival sets at Summer Sonic in Japan and Reading & Leeds in the UK. Check out Shinoda’s full itinerary on his official website here.
Watch “Ghosts” below. Don’t forget to mark your calendars because Post Traumatic hits stores and streaming services June 15th via Warner Bros. Records.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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