Pitchfork

[Updated Friday, October 24th, 2003 16:45:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

I Am the World Trade Center, who briefly curtailed their name in the wake of the September 11th attacks, have now reverted to their full and original self-description and they're hard at work on their third album, provisionally titled Going Underground, with an equally provisional March 2004 release. The new album, we are told by the fine people at Kindercore, will showcase a slightly more mature IATWTC sound, characterized by slightly less bubblegum and somewhat more seriousness.

IATWTC's Dan Geller tells us that the album will be "louder and darker" than previous outings, and his partner in synth-pop Amy Dykes says that the new album is lyrically "political and emotional, and much more personal than our previous releases," fine though those previous outings undoubtedly were. Dan is also quoted on the Kindercore website as saying that, "The next record is going to be our danciest and most sincere record so far. The beats have taken a big leap forward and the lyrics are truly from the heart. So far every track is an upfront dancefloor rocker, but there is also a hidden layer of darkness behind the seemingly upbeat songs," so you can infer from these statement that IATWTC are going to be bringing it strong on two fronts for this new release.

There's no full tracklisting as of yet, since this is still a work in progress, but we know at least that the album is not only named after but will also include a cover of The Jam's "Going Underground." The band is currently trying to whittle down an initial batch of thirty songs to around twelve for the final mix, which will most certainly include "Rockit," "Silent Filmstars," "No Expectations," and "The Great Escape."