October 12, 2007 19:22

Illinois to release 'hidden record' with new LP

Frontman Chris Archibald reveals details

Hotly tipped Pennsylvania quartet Illinois have revealed plans to release a "hidden record" along with their new album.

Frontman Chris Archibald told NME.COM that the band have "a ton of new songs we've just been sitting on", so they decided to release 15-20 of them and a handful of videos on a hidden record that will appear when the disc is inserted into a computer.

The band have been recording the as-yet-untitled follow up to 2007's 'What The Hell Do I Know' ("I can't name it yet because I don't know if it's a boy or a girl," said Archibald) in New York and Los Angeles with producer Mickey Petralia (Beck, Peaches).

"Mickey's been so laid-back and I don't want to sound gay but it's been magical - nobody's been rushing anybody," said Archibald.

The singer said the new album touches on themes of "love, losing stuff and being happy" and contains "the happiest sad song in the world."

When describing the sound of the new record, he said it includes banjos, horns and a vibraphone, and added, "it's like suburban soul music or toe-tapping porch rock."

The band plan to include the tracks 'Oh Asia', 'Shoes Off', 'Things Are Gonna Be OK', 'We Were Wrong' and 'Life Takes A Week'.

"I'm really proud of it," said Archibald of the album. "It's the first thing I've ever been 110 per cent excited to get out there. It's like a new drug."

Illinois are set to play three shows at New York's CMJ Festival next Friday (October 19).

The shows are:

Gothamist Party at White Rabbit
Daytrotter TBD
Ace Fu Showcase at Club Midway

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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