When we last reported on The Walkmen, we knew that they were heading into the studio, and we even had a taste of some new material, but now an interview with Spin puts some more concrete details into the fold.
The Walkmen already have 16 songs laid to tape of their sixth original full-length, with Phil Ek taking the role of producer for the effort. Ek’s resume includes both Fleet Foxes albums, all of the Band Of Horses albums, all of the best Built To Spill albums, the last two Shins albums, and much more. So, yeah, he’s a pro.
The new Walkmen album is expected for a summer release via Fat Possum/Bella Union, and the effort sees the band getting out of their New York comfort zone and working in Seattle. Seattle? Ek? Seems like the band’s tour with Fleet Foxes really rubbed off on them.
Will the turn mean a more mellow Walkmen (and they have already been getting mellower for the past few releases)? Not so. Hamilton Leithouser explains: “You do everything you can to sound different, but in the end you always sound like the band you are. We’ve done a lot of rock in the past, and Phil has made the new stuff rock really hard.”
Check out the rest of the interview at Spin.
