After four decades of being the spine of Skid Row — the guy writing the riffs, holding down the low end, keeping the whole thing honest — bassist and songwriter Rachel Bolan is finally doing the thing you probably didn’t realise you needed: a solo record. He’s releasing it under the name BOLAN, and it’s called Gargoyle of the Garden State. Out June 12. And yes, the first single is already here.
Listen to “At War With Myself” feat. Danko Jones | Watch the video
So What Does a Skid Row Songwriter Sound Like on His Own?
Apparently: hook-driven, anthemic, and very New Jersey. Early listeners have already been calling Gargoyle of the Garden State “quintessentially New Jersey,” which tracks — Bolan has leaned hard into his home state’s particular brand of grit and swagger as the album’s backbone. Think punk energy running headlong into melodic sensibility, with a raw edge that doesn’t feel like it’s performing rawness. It just is.
The album was produced by Nick Raskulinecz — multiple Grammy winner, the person responsible for how records by Foo Fighters, Rush, Evanescence, and Alice In Chains sound — and apparently started as a casual conversation between friends that quietly snowballed into something much bigger than either of them expected. That origin story actually makes sense when you hear Bolan talk about it:
“Gargoyle of the Garden State is not a project, it is every bit of my soul. Like me, it knows when to be serious and also knows where the party is.”
That quote is doing a lot of work, and it earns it.
The Guest List Reads Like a Favour Jar Full of Rock Legends
Bolan plays the majority of the instruments himself — which is already a statement of intent for a guy known primarily as a bassist — but he’s also surrounded himself with an absolutely stacked lineup of collaborators. We’re talking Corey Taylor, Danko Jones, Nuno Bettencourt, Damon Johnson, Steve Conte, and fellow Skid Row members Scotti Hill, Dave “Snake” Sabo, and Rob Hammersmith.
That’s not a guest list, that’s a reunion nobody officially announced.
The lead single “At War With Myself” features Danko Jones, which is a pairing that makes immediate sense — two people who’ve spent careers making loud music that sounds like it means something, both showing up for it here.
There’s Also an Oasis Cover, Which Is a Choice, and It Sounds Like It Works
Among the standout moments Bolan is teasing is a cover of Oasis’ “Rock And Roll Star”, reimagined through his own lens. Given that the album draws on influences spanning Brit Pop, Glam, Punk Rock, and New Wave — which, when you think about it, covers a lot of the same territory Oasis were pulling from — it’s a choice that probably lands better than it has any right to.
The Details
Gargoyle of the Garden State drops June 12 on CD digipak, LP gatefold, digital, and download.
Pre-order here
