Guns N’ Roses has unveiled “Perhaps,” which is being billed as the first song written by its reunited core trio of Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan in 30 years. The track has been circulating in demo form amongst fans for some time and was inadvertently made available in TouchTones jukeboxes before its intended release date. Guns N’ Roses has also been performing it at soundchecks on its current world tour.
The piano-tinged rocker certainly shares some DNA with the vintage GNR sound of the Use Your Illusion albums, as Rose sings, “my sense of rejection is no excuse for my behavior / you pulled the gun that shot and crucified my savior.” Slash’s signature guitar heroics are also present on the song, which is accompanied by a video made up of live and behind-the-scenes footage.
A second new song, “The General,” will only be available Oct. 23 as the b-side of a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl single of “Perhaps,” which can be ordered here.
Guns N’ Roses made some tentative steps toward new music in 2021 by releasing “Absurd” and “Hard Skool” as singles. Both songs were outtakes from the long-festering sessions for the album Chinese Democracy, which finally arrived in 2008.
The group next performs tonight in Pittsburgh with opening act the Pretenders and has dates on tap through Oct. 16 in Vancouver. As previously reported, GNR will also join AC/DC, Metallica, Tool, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden at the inaugural Power Trip festival on Oct. 6-8 at Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif.
