Motley Crue definitely has its longtime devotees. The hair metal band has managed to remain relevant since the 1980s without releasing an album in nearly 20 years. As for those hoping for a new LP in the future, the wait might be in vain.
That is according to what bassist Nikki Sixx told journalist Joann Butler recently. The Crue will continue to entertain while doing live shows, which they are currently doing on their The Return of the Carnival of Sins tour, but making full albums anymore is likely out.
EPs? Maybe. The band released one in 2024 called Cancelled that was just meh, but an entire album of 10 songs or more isn't going to happen. The effort of writing so many songs only to have them whittled down to half the original number isn't something that Sixx aspires to do anymore.
Nikki Sixx tells Motley Crue fans not to expect any more full albums
"Honestly, I know fans don't want to hear this," Sixx told Butler, "but I don't believe in making full-length records anymore. The amount of work that goes into it. If you're doing 10 songs on a record, you gotta write 20. And you better hope five of them are stellar...Radio's changed, streaming is changing and evolving as we go. So I'm really into the idea of lightning strikes, something comes down, I call the guys. I got this song."
Of course, Sixx isn't wrong. The music industry is a different place than it was when the band released their first album, Too Fast For Love, in 1991. Then, people had to either listen to the songs in concerts, hope the band had a couple of hits that were played on terrestrial radio, or buy cassettes or vinyl records. CDs weren't even available in 1981.
In 2026, music lovers can click on a YouTube video or stream songs on one of dozens (or more) of platforms. It is too easy for a person to listen to only part of a song rather than to have the patience to listen to an entire album. That means a songwriter, such as Nikki Sixx, would be putting in a lot of effort to create original tunes only to have a handful of them heard.
If a musician is just starting, working through the entire process makes sense. One has to earn a living, obviously. For established veterans like Motley Crue, the need to keep pushing out full albums is not as necessary.
Some bands do that and still deliver excellence, such as the Rolling Stones. Others choose to no longer deliver full works, but make money from their catalog and concerts. As long as fans keep showing up, it is a win for all involved. What is certain is that Motley Crue fans are going to continue to show up, and that clearly makes Nikki Sixx content.
Add us as a preferred source on Google