Juliette Lewis explains why she sacked her old band

Juliette Lewis has revealed the details of her highly anticipated forthcoming album.

'Terra Incognita' is due out this spring, and features a new band lineup called The New Romantiques, who are replacing her former band The Licks.

"Because this album is so sonically different than anything I've done before and captures many flavors of my emotional life and voice, it needed an entirely new name," Lewis said in a statement.

"'Terra Incognita' means unknown territory - and that's where I wanted to go musically. The guitars are more wild and atmospheric. The groove is dark and deep and allow for a lot of sonic contrasts.

"It took me five years to really cut my teeth both as a performer and as a songwriter and I wanted to break all the habits I'd gotten used to and let songs develop out of a groove or simple piano notes and melody," she explained.

The album was produced by Omar Rodriguez Lopez of The Mars Volta. "In Omar I found a producer who understood all these facets and who could really unearth and interpret this musical identity," Lewis said.

Juliette Lewis And The New Romantiques are set to play a handful of dates at Austin's South by Southwest Festival later this month, and are expected to announce further tour details in the coming weeks.

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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