- Gotee Records

Relient K is currently recording the follow-up to 2004s mmhmm, their third consecutive Gold album, with producer Howard Benson (Less Than Jake, My Chemical Romance, the All-American Rejects). Once they wrap up recording, the band will head out on the fourth annual Nintendo Fusion Tour, which will hit 40 cities nationwide between September 27th and November 11th.

“We’re kind of like Laffy Taffy,” says Relient K lead vocalist/guitarist Matt Thiessen when asked to describe the as-yet untitled album, due out this coming November. “It’s still melodic, it’s still rock ‘n’ roll, still a lot of dynamics, there are times when it’s heavy, there are times when it’s real chilled with piano and what-not. But at the same time, we’re trying to write a bit differently, lyrically.”

There are numerous other differences between the upcoming album and Relient K’s four previous records. “We wanted to work with Howard,” explains Thiessen, “Howard’s done a lot of records I listen to.” It also marks their first full-length album featuring bassist John Warne and Jon Schneck, who plays guitar, banjo and bells, although the two appeared on the bands Apathetic EP, released late in 2005. With original guitarist Matt Hoopes and drummer Dave Douglas completing the lineup, Relient K is now a quintet with each of the members contributing vocals so expect even more of the bands trademark harmonies this go-round. This is also the first album they’ve recorded with the luxury of a pre-production period, and with the band now living all over the place, as Hoopes describes, pre-production time was a necessary luxury.

“Matt and Dave still live in Ohio. Me and Jon Schneck live in Nashville, about three blocks away from each other,” says Hoopes. “And John Warne, our bass player, lives in Denver so it’s a little crazy.”

Fans will get a sneak preview of Relient K’s new material when the band returns to the road with the Nintendo Fusion Tour in September. “We’ll probably play two to three new songs, so people can get an idea of what the record sounds like,” promises Thiessen. “It’ll be a cool tour.”