[tweetmeme]Echo & The Bunnymen today revealed that the band’s upcoming 12th studio album — produced by Killing Joke bassist Youth — is nearing completion and will be formally announced soon, and that frontman Ian McCulloch “feels it’s the band’s best work for a very long time.”
Additionally, according to the band’s Facebook post, a full European tour already is booked, and U.S. dates are planned to follow, too. The record’s title and artwork have been selected, the Bunnymen note, although those details have not yet been divulged.
The album will be band’s first since 2009′s The Fountain.
Although McCulloch and Will Sergeant have continued to perform as the Bunnymen, they’ve recorded separately for the past couple years. McCulloch last year released a fan-funded studio album called Pro Patria Mori that recent was reissued last year in a 2CD package titled Holy Ghosts that also features a live album, which was produced and mixed by Youth.
And Sergeant released an instrumental solo album and has recorded a new album with his former bandmate Les Pattinson as the instrumental group Poltergeist.
The band’s full message on Facebook:
Echo & The Bunnymen New Album & Tour Announcement very soon.
We are very excited to announce that the brand new studio album produced by Youth (The Verve, embrace etc) is nearing completion and that a title and artwork are decided plus a full European tour already booked. US dates to follow.
Ian feels it’s the bands best work for a very long time.
More details to follow.