Bert McCracken Of The Used Announces His Solo Project
Best known for his two decades of fronting scene icons The Used, Bert McCracken has officially announced his brand-new solo project robbietheused. When people reach a milestone birthday, they tend to celebrate the occasion with an appropriately big gesture — a special vacation, maybe, or an extravagant gift. When robbietheused turned 40, that meant adopting a brand new moniker and making a leap to a brand new genre.
“I wanted a nice 40th birthday present for myself. So I decided to make a pop record.”
robbietheused found the transition from aggressive rock music to keyboard-driven pop music rather easy to navigate.
I've always tried to push for the poppy stuff for The Used records,”
he says.
“And the band really likes to keep it heavy. So this is my way of getting all those pop songs that maybe wouldn't make a Used record out into the world.”
To kick off the new chapter, robbietheused has released his debut single “Just A Little Bit” via Big Noise. Produced by John Feldmann, the track showcases the familiar angst of robbietheused’s lyrics overlaid with a hesitant hope for brighter days, wrapped up in a synth-tinged pop groove that makes it impossible to stand still while listening.
“It's a song about living through turmoil of the world and seeing a bit of a bright future ahead, seeing the sun peek out of the clouds, seeing a mistake being fixed,”
says robbietheused on the new single.
“It’s about having a little bit of hope."
In general, robbietheused always finds solace in writing and recording new music because this creativity has a positive impact on his mental health. Having these songs were particularly vital, as he started writing during the COVID-19 pandemic when he was unable to travel from his home in Australia.
“The whole vibe was really, really dark—and I was in a really, really dark place,”
he says.
“But recording pop music helped. Having a bunch of pop songs lifted my spirits quite a bit. And ‘Just A Little Bit’ was a bright moment in the record—seeing positive things for the future and hoping for the best.”
