July 30, 2002 16:40

NEW 'FORMULAE' FOR JJ72

Frontman Mark Greaney tells NME.COM he wants 'I To Sky' to fill the void left by Smashing Pumpkins...

JJ72 frontman MARK GREANEY has told NME.COM how friendship with COLDPLAYhelped his band deal with the pressure of making their second album.

The album, as previously revealed by NME.COM will be called ‘I To Sky’ and will be released on September 30. New single, ‘Formulae’, is released on September 16.

JJ72 spent much of last year touring the US with Coldplay. Greaney said: "We talked about the pressures of the second album. The pressure on those guys seemed even more intense. You learn things from being around people like with Coldplay. They played some radio gigs wedged between Papa Roach and
[/a] or something, and they remained good people. We could talk to them even after that experience."

He also admitted that constant touring affected his relationships with drummer Fergal Matthews and bassist Hilary Woods. "You are going to have arguments," he said. "But you spend two days apart and decide you need to meet up again, so it must be love."
Greaney added: "I read those rumours (about a split). I don’t know how they started. Sometimes lethargy can set in when a band isn’t being creative. It was a real joy to go in a room and play new songs together."

Greaney said that the album title was inspired by the fact he was writing lyrics after "spending most of the day looking at the sky".

[a]JJ72 play a major UK tour this autumn. The tour dates are:
Norwich UEA (October 7)
Leicester De Montfort University (8)
Sheffield University (10)
Cardiff University (11)
Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall (13)
Leeds Metro University (14)
Liverpool University (15)
Newcastle University (17)
Glasgow Barrowlands (18)
Manchester Academy (19)
Bristol Academy (21)
Portsmouth Pyramid Centre (22)
London The Forum (24)
Lancaster University (27).

For tickets, call the NME Ticketline on 0870 1 663 663, or click here.

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