The Jesus and Mary Chain are preparing a new album for a late spring or early summer release, according to Billboard.com.
The new album follows an appearance earlier this year at California's taste-making Coachella festival, which is gaining a reputation for reintroducing influential bands from the 1970s and '80s to young audiences. Pixies, Gang of Four, Bauhaus, The Stooges and Happy Mondays have all followed their Coachella appearances with new albums or tours.
After recording a 1998 disc, "Munki," for Sub Pop, The Jesus and Mary Chain -- essentially the Scottish brothers Jim and William Reid -- split acrimoniously due partly to "drink and drugs," William Reid told Billboard. He added that he's since stopped drinking during shows and that his brother is "completely sober."
The Reids have been working on solo albums and wrote the new material separately; they're still choosing the dozen or so tracks that will appear on the album, Billboard reports. They performed the new song "All Things Must Pass" on "Late Show With David Letterman" over the summer and are slated to contribute to the soundtrack of the NBC drama "Heroes." They've also been playing a song called "Dead End Kids" during live shows.
The Jesus and Mary Chain unleashed their debut album, "Psychocandy," in 1985, using ear-splitting feedback and sullen vocals to mask traditional, often beautiful pop melodies. Somewhere between Gothic rock, industrial noise and '60s surf-rock, the band seemed determined to stay off the charts and away from mainstream success. The Reids often limited their headlining sets to just 20 minutes, claiming that no band was good enough to play for longer -- including themselves.
"I would say it's an evolution," Reid told Billboard, describing the new disc. "It definitely sounds like the Mary Chain, but I guess you evolve as a person and a writer. You can't really stand still. If you do that, you're lost."
In the run-up to the new album, expect a four-disc box set on Rhino featuring demos, alternative takes and acoustic versions of songs.
Check out The Jesus and Mary Chain performing the 1985 gem "Just Like Honey" with Scarlett Johansson at Coachella: