The new CD, the band’s first since 2004’s Around the Sun, will be produced with the help of Jacknife Lee, who is known for his work with U2, Snow Patrol, and others.
Last fall, the band’s bassist, Mike Mills, told Billboard magazine that the next disc from R.E.M. will have more of a rock sound. The disc should be released on the Warner label before the end of the year. R.E.M. will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, March 12.