In 2023, we got the closest thing there’s been to a new Linkin Park song in six years.
Since the 2017 death of frontman Chester Bennington and the band’s tribute concert to him later that year, the “In the End” outfit remained mostly inactive. In 2020, they briefly surfaced to put out a 20th anniversary reissue of their landmark 2000 debut album Hybrid Theory, but then went dormant again.
To kick off 2023, Linkin Park updated their website with iconography related to their 2003 sophomore effort, Meteora, which was turning 20 later in the year. In February, LP announced a 20th anniversary Meteora reissue alongside the premiere of “Lost,” an unearthed track originally recorded during the Meteora sessions.
Unlike much of the bonus material included in the Hybrid Theory reissue, “Lost” was a fully formed, fully realized song recorded in the prime of LP’s career, with a sound close to the hit Meteora single “Numb.” The fan response was huge, and buoyed “Lost” to #1 on both Billboard’s Mainstream Rock and Alternative Airplay charts. It also became Linkin Park’s highest-charting entry on the all-genre Hot 100 in over 10 years.
“Lost” spent a total of eight weeks at #1 on Mainstream Rock Airplay and ruled Alternative Airplay for six weeks. Billboard named Linkin Park the #1 Rock & Alternative Airplay Artist of 2023 on its year-end chart.
Along with “Lost,” the Meteora reissue included a number of other demos, bonus recordings and live tracks. Meanwhile, LP member Mike Shinoda put out a pair of solo singles, “In My Head” and “Already Over,” and collaborated with pop star Demi Lovato on the song “Still Alive.”
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