R.E.M. may have just launched their latest album in March, but they’re already back at work in the recording studio, laying the groundwork for their next album, reports Gibson.
Frontman Michael Stipe has been posting updates and uploading photos via his iPhone.
The Athens, Georgia group’s early return to the studio is due to the fact that they decided not to go on tour after the release of Collapse Into Now.
Guitarist Peter Buck explained to NME magazine that the band had already toured extensively over the last eight to ten years, “You just don’t really want to repeat yourself in that way,” he said.
In the meantime, a special 25th anniversary edition of one of R.E.M.’s most important albums Life’s Rich Pageant (1986) arrives in stores today, July 12, and the special set contains 19 previously unreleased tracks.