The Darkness have come out of retirement and will issue their third album sometime this year. Singer Justin Hawkins shared details about the unusual recording process for the release, as half was recorded in England and the other half in Nashville. There was a break in between sessions, since the band hit the festival circuit in Europe last summer to wear away any road rust.

"We started recording it properly last April, but we had to stop recording it because we had to do all the festivals that we did last summer in Europe. So, that stopped things for a while and we got back in, on and off," Hawkins told Undercover FM.

As of right now, the record is indeed completed, with the final stage of the process being the selection of which songs to include and which to use as bonus tracks or B-sides. It's as though the band has too much material and an embarrassment of riches. "One of the really good signs is that we can’t decide which ones," Hawkins said about sifting through the material and making choices. "It’s pretty cool, there’s a good blend of old school rock and then some more luxurious rock and then there’s a big power ballad on it. We’re very happy with the mix of material."

Luxurious, huh? That we can't wait to hear.

Hawkins did admit that the band's second platter, 'One Way Ticket,' and the subsequent tour production was a bit too ambitious and perhaps overblown, but it felt like it fit, at the time. It could be perhaps why fan interest in the band petered out back then. However, Hawkins says some of the new songs have sheen and polish, but not too much.

"I think on the second album we used to do bigger production-y stuff, I think because maybe the material needed it or warranted it, but we pretty much come from the perspective of being an old school rock band," the singer said. "Some songs are a bit glossier than others but essentially we’re four guys with guitars, actually two of us have guitars but there’s still four guys. So I’m really enjoying the more stripped down stuff.”

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