Dropping a full-length album was the music industry standard for decades. That was until the internet age came along and changed the game. Now, single songs are much more common releases, and at least one 90s rock legend thinks going back to the old way is “a waste of time.”
The rocker in question is Candlebox frontman Kevin Martin. During a recent Pod Scum podcast, he opened up to host “Reckless” Rexx Ruger about his perception of making music in 2026.
“I think Pete [Klett, original Candlebox guitarist] really wants to release [full-length] records. I don’t believe in releasing records anymore,” Martin admitted, as transcribed by Blabbermouth. He then said, “I think it’s a waste of time. I think you just release a song when you’ve got it. Get in the studio and track a song and put it out, because nobody’s selling records anymore.”
Martin added, “I don’t even know the last Pearl Jam record, how many it sold. I don’t know if it sold — it probably didn’t go gold, for sure. I mean, what’s the point? People just want music. They want new music from the bands they like, and my opinion is, release three songs and do another three the next year and another three after that.”
Candlebox started in 1990 and has released eight full-length studio albums during their career. The band’s most recent album, The Long Goodbye, dropped in 2023 and was originally supposed to be their swansong album. However, it ended up reinvigorating them, leading to Martin changing his mind about hanging things up.
Then, in 2025, Klett rejoined the band after being away for roughly a decade. Now, the band is mounting a new album with no one behind the wheel of their destiny but themselves.
“We’re in charge of our own career now. We’re not signed to any label,” Martin explained, saying that the band is “completely independent” now. “We’ve got a great agent, we have a great attorney and a great management, and that’s really, for us, all we need.”
“I mean, if a record company came in and said, ‘We wanna give you half a million dollars to make a record,’ I wouldn’t shy away from it,” he then added. “But that’s not gonna happen. I’m the realist where I’m, like, no one’s giving us money to make albums, so let’s just go in the studio, pay for the studio time ourselves.”
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