Nickelback bassist Mike Kroeger has pushed back against the common misconception that the band is purely a radio-friendly act. He emphasized that the group has maintained its heavy rock roots throughout its career. In a recent interview, Kroeger addressed the disconnect between casual listeners who only hear the band’s radio singles and those who explore their deeper catalog.
“It is peculiar when we get the criticism that people don’t listen to Nickelback because it’s all just radio songs,” Kroeger explained. “It’s like, well, you know that because you’re listening to the radio. So, you know, confusion.” He stressed that listeners who venture beyond the singles discover a different side of the band entirely. “If anybody actually gives a listen to one of our albums, you know, listens beyond the singles, they hear there’s a rock and roll DNA there that is pretty much undeniable,” he added.
Kroeger’s assertion about the band’s identity as metalheads resonates throughout their career trajectory. “Yeah, that’s who we are and that’s what we are. We’ve been, you know, metalheads to, you know, one degree or another, all of us the whole time,” he stated during the interview.
The bassist’s comments come as Nickelback prepares to release their eleventh studio album, “Everything Under the Sun,” scheduled for October 30, 2026. The project marks the band’s return with new material following a four-year gap since their last release in 2022. The album was recorded between 2024 and 2026 and will be distributed through Virgin Music Group.
The lead single from the upcoming album, “Rattle the Cage,” features guitarist John 5. The track has been characterized as blistering and heavy, providing listeners with a clear indication of the sonic territory the band intends to explore on the full record. This collaboration with John 5 represents a significant moment for the album, bringing an additional layer of rock credibility to the project.
The complete album features twelve tracks. These include “Bones for the Crows,” “I Already Know,” “Leave Me Behind,” “If I Don’t Go,” “Make Me Love You,” “Chasin’ Famous,” “Simple Song,” “Technicolor Steamboat,” “Lift Somebody Up,” “Bottled Dreams,” and “Last Night Was Fun.”
The band’s frustration with the radio-only perception reflects a broader challenge many rock acts face in the streaming era. Algorithmic playlists and radio rotations can create a distorted public image of an artist’s full body of work. Nickelback’s catalog contains numerous deep cuts and album tracks that showcase the band’s heavier inclinations. Yet these often remain undiscovered by audiences who encounter the group primarily through mainstream radio exposure. With “Everything Under the Sun,” Kroeger and his bandmates appear determined to reclaim their narrative as a legitimate hard rock band rather than a one-dimensional pop-rock entity.
