Chaos In Bloom is the first Goo Goo Dolls album produced by frontman John Rzeznik and finds the band at the top of their game, continuing to evolve just as they have for nearly four decades together.
Chaos In Bloom is an album of biting sarcasm, stadium-ready choruses, and the type of spear-sharp songwriting that’s led them to become one of the most influential alternative rock groups of all time. While Chaos In Bloom isn’t necessarily an album borne out the pandemic, many of the tracks reflect on the things in daily life that became amplified while everyone was isolated from one another and sequestered at home.
“Chaos In Bloom reminded us how special this whole thing is and to cherish the relationships that we have together,” says Rzeznik about the album. “Where we’ve been, and where we’re going.”
Oscillating from personal reflections on the state of the world to societal commentaries, the songs on the album grapple with observations about our dystopian modernity while searching for optimism and pushing for a more empathetic world.
“I’ve been trying to have a relationship with the bigger picture,” adds bassist and songwriter Robby Takac, “and refining happiness and what it means from that perspective.”
To record the album, Rzeznik and Takac retreated to Dreamland Studios just outside Woodstock, New York during the pandemic. An environment as remote as it is rich with historic rock music roots, the location proved to be the perfect setting for clearing the noise and creating such a record, which carries a true live quality that the band captured by blending vintage instruments and gear with new-age recording processes and techniques.
The multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated Goo Goo Dolls are one of the most globally respected and influential forces in popular music, selling more than 12 million albums since 1986. They’ve scored 14 Top 10 radio hits (more than any other artist in the history of the Hot AC format), including "Name," "Slide," and "Iris," the latter spending nearly 12 straight months on the Billboard charts and holding the No. 1 position for 17 consecutive weeks. The band has toured the globe countless times, performed in front of millions of fans, received numerous awards (including four Grammy nominations), and recorded and released eleven studio albums. Rzeznik has also been honored with the Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award.