February 27, 2007 4:27

Boom Bip reveals details of Gruff Rhys collaboration

Neon Neon album is a 'celebration of simple pop'

Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip have been hard at work in Los Angeles and London recording tracks for their forthcoming project, Neon Neon.

The duo's debut album will be called 'Stainless Style' and features guests including The Magic Numbers, Har Mar Superstar, Spank Rock and singer Cate Le Bon.

"We're doing the finishing mixes and it's sounding really good," Boom Bip told NME.COM. "We're aiming for a July release, but the last thing we want to do is rush it and screw it up."

According to Boom Bip, the album is a celebration of simple pop. "Gruff and I focused on making real pop songs - like Rick Springfield or Cyndi Lauper that you can sing along to in your car," he said. "It's actually really tough to do the happy, catchy stuff, but Gruff's the perfect person to do it - it's so natural for him to have music and lyrics come out."

Boom Bip, who produced the album in addition to co-writing it, described their collaboration with The Magic Numbers: "They did back-up choir vocals and it's just them and Gruff on the track. It has really gorgeous harmonies and big voices - it's really intense."

'Stainless Style' revolves around the life and times of car manufacturer John De Lorean, who rose to fame in the 1980s and designed the futuristic car made famous in the film 'Back To The Future'.

"De Lorean was an icon for that era, which was all about girls and cars," said Boom Bip. "He designed the perfect car for men who were having a mid-life crisis. The concept is fairly loose, but all the songs on the album are related to his life. That said, I think every song can stand up on its own."

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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