Ash frontman Tim Wheeler has lifted the lid on the bands follow-up to 2001’s Free All Angels. “It’s rocking,” says Wheeler. “It’s definitely turned up to 11! It’s a change in direction because we really wanted to do something different. It’s a lot more powerful than the last record but you can still along to every song.”
The Northern Ireland quartet spent three months last year living in Los Angeles while recording their forth studio album in Sound City Studios, the same place where Nirvana recorded Nevermind in 1991. “It was amazing,” he admits. “I couldn’t believe that this kid who saw Nirvana when he was 15, was 10 years on, making his own record in the same studio where they recorded. It was crazy to be in a room with so much history in it.”
“We had a great time L.A,” adds Wheeler. “We had to behave ourselves because the house we were renting was in a posh area. But the cops came around a few times, thanks to a bit of partying.”
The album, due out in April, is still without a title but will include the following tracks: “Meltdown”, “Evil Eye”, “Clones”, “Starcrossed”, “Detonator”, “Out of the Blue”, “On a Wave”, “Won’t Be Saved”, “Renegade Cavalcade”, “Vampire Love”, and “Orpheus”.
“A lot of the new songs are about escapism, breaking away and wanting to be different,” add Wheeler. “It’s great going to America because they really embrace Rock music and don’t water it down like you have to in the UK if you want to get anywhere. That way of thinking really influenced us this time.”