Supergrass at Work on Next Full-Length

Supergrass may be the scruffiest-lookin' bunch of nerf herders this side of Han Solo, but we will personally be damned if they don't make some catchy tunes. Following the release of a career-spanning greatest hits collection, Supergrass Is 10: Best of 1994-2004, the British trio are already getting a jump on a hypothetical second volume as they begin work this month on songs for a new album.

The upcoming release will be the group's first collection of new material since 2002's Life on Other Planets, and their fifth proper album overall. While no firm details have yet been disclosed, the band is currently assembling the new album in a recording studio they've built in... a house in rural France! Speaking to Billboard, bassist Mickey Quinn was optimistic that the change of scenery will yield some interesting results: "We've already found a well outside one of the barns, so we'll make that into an echo chamber. I like the idea of making your own sounds and not sounding like you've come out of any particular studio. You're treading virgin territory." (Considering how well the French chateau thing worked for the Stones during the Exile on Main Street sessions, maybe they're on to something.)

Supergrass went into their new studio with a plethora of ideas for the record, and Quinn went on to briefly discuss track specifics. "We wrote about 20 songs, but they're completely unfinished. I know there's four really strong songs that are big contenders. There's one that's like a cross between Frank Zappa and something very heavy, like Hawkwind. It will probably end up sounding really dainty when we get it onto the record, but who knows? The rest is in such a raw state. I don't even know if we've sorted out the vocal melodies... They're far too loose to unleash on the public."

Seeing as the band just wrapped up a UK (and brief U.S.) tour, they apparently have the rest of the year commitment-free to work on the new material. While in no rush to release the new disc, Quinn did allude to the street date. "Our management is itching for us to have it by the New Year, but we'll see how it goes. I am fully prepared to fight tooth and nail until we've got an album we're happy with. Whether that takes a year, six months or three months, I'd rather fight it out and make sure we've got something we really like."