Third Eye Blind has announced they will be independently releasing a new EP early next year entitled “Symphony Of Decay”. Surprisingly, seven of eight tracks will be entirely instrumental, a strange move for a band who strength has often been their lyrics. Stephen Jenkins and company have always been known for their hook filled and heartfelt lyrics, which many would say are the biggest reason why the band has found success. The only track that will contain lyrics is oddly enough a recreation of the only instrumental track the band has ever recorded. The band’s sophomore effort “Blue” featured an instrumental song called “Slow Motion” that was initially written with lyrics, but Elektra, the band’s label at the time, found the violent content of the lyrics to be too controversial in the wake of events that had just occurred at Columbine High School shortly before the album was released. Stephen Jenkins has always been vocal about his disappointment with Elektra’s decision, has always had intentions of re-releasing the song independently. It’s been a very interesting year for Third Eye Blind, as the band was dropped from Elektra earlier this year (see article), and then turned around and filed a lawsuit with Elektra for breach of contract. The band and label settled out of court, and Third Eye Blind is now completely independent of Elektra, and headed in a surprising direction with the release of this instrumental EP.