October 15, 2001 16:30

DUMPING ON YOUR STEREO

The search for "natural" sound will mean they'll get a producer in...

SUPERGRASS vocalist GAZ COOMBES has said that the group will employ a producer for their new album, after being not entirely satisfied with the results of their last, self-produced effort.

Supergrass have been working on their new record since the start of the year. Speaking in the current issue of Mojo magazine, Coombes said they had "20 spot-on songs" written, mainly penned in France.

Speaking about the new material, he said: "We toured for well over a year so we've only been working on the album since February, which is not really that long for writing a whole new record. We went to these little villas in the south of France to get nice weather and food and we wrote some really cool songs there. "We weren't really in England for any of the writing. We've been going down to Cannes and me and my brother have got a place over in Normandy so we were over there quite a lot as well - did our 'Exile On Main Street' thing."

However, the group plan to employ a producer to help keep the sound "natural" this time around.

He continued: "I'm not saying ['Supergrass'] was a bad record, but it wasn't direct enough. There was a lot of meandering in a few tracks and too many sections to a few of the songs. And I think the sound could have been a bit more upfront.

"In the end a few of the tracks were quite disappointing, didn't quite come out the right way. As we were producing it, it was kind of hard to keep fresh ideas and stuff.

"So we've decided to work with someone this time around... I think we'll be trying to keep the sound natural."

New material from the group is expected next year.