Today is, on reflection, pretty momentous. Today I, with my vital team of musicians (Matt, Nigel, Ben , Tarrant) and Alex Newport, embark on the recording of album #3. We’re in Norfolk right now, at a residential studio, where we’ll be laying down the instrumentation for the record this week. At the weekend Alex and I will fly to New York to continue working on the vocals and the mix. The record will be done by the month’s end. The schedule is tight, but then we’ve been rehearsing like crazy for the last month, and Alex has been through everything with a toothcomb already, and I’d say we’re as prepared as we’re ever going to be. Fingers crossed, this is going to live up to my ambitions: to be the best record that I’ve made in my life. Fingers crossed.

To recap: we’ve been holed up in a little rehearsal room that Tarrant (bass, vans) built just outside of Oxford. Due to the fact that the extreme soundproofing meant no one can hear you scream from the outside world, it was nicknamed the Austrian Dungeon. Songs written in hotels, trains, buses and bedrooms came blinking into the light week by week, as the superlative motherfuckers that I play with (hey, there’s a band name…) helped me arrange the songs into proper monstrous beasts. After three weeks of toil, we played our little residency of shows in Oxford town, night by night tightening up and getting a better feel for the songs. Then last week, Alex dropped by for some more rehearsals; we thought we were pretty much there, but he really drove us to up our game and iron out any problems. I’ve never worked with an outside producer before (i.e. not Ben Lloyd), and I must admit I was a little wary, but thusfar it’s been a great experience.

So here we are. Right now people are fiddling with tape machines (analogue album this one, for the geeks out there) and setting up microphones. The studio is beautiful, in some barns on a farm in the arse-end of nowhere. It feels like it’s time.

To stop talking about myself for a minute here, two quick things, while I have your attention. On the journey up to the studio I was reminded all over again how much I love the Dawn Chorus, and thought I should remind you lot in turn. Secondly, Future Of The Left continue to the best band in the fucking universe. Their new album is available for pre-order right now, and it is the absolute shit. They’re also on tour this month.

Those two should tide you guys over until this album is done. Incidentally, for people asking, it’ll be out in September. Enjoy.