NEW YORK (Good
Charlotte Official Website) - GOOD CHARLOTTE have staked early 2007 for the release of their forthcoming Epic/Daylight album. The new yet-to-be-named album will be the group's fourth release. In the meantime, fans across the country can look forward to the band previewing some of the songs this fall when they mount a special club tour (dates TBA).
"We don't really feel the need to rush," says singer JOEL MADDEN of the band's first album since 2004's platinum-selling Chronicles Of Life And Death. "We just want it to be right and as time has gone on and things have developed, we feel the need to spend more time to make it exactly the way we want it. We won't let our fans down."
"I kind of feel like it's our first record," notes guitarist BENJI MADDEN, "and anytime you have the opportunity to make a first impression you really want to look your best and leave people with a good feeling." Confirming song titles like "Misery" and "Victims of Love," he admits, "There were no other intentions than to just write great songs from the heart. And a lot of them have ended up being about relationships and heartbreaks. I just got out of a long relationship and JOEL's in a great relationship so there will be that kind balance on the record."
GOOD CHARLOTTE are recording their new album with Don Gilmore, who produced the band's self-titled debut, in addition to working with such acts as Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne and Pearl Jam. Feeding off of GILMORE's energy, JOEL says, "We did like 40-some demos before we even started with Don. I think we kept three."
The new album will reveal a mature side of BENJI and JOEL-who, along with guitarist BILLY MARTIN and bassist PAUL THOMAS-have been playing together as GOOD CHARLOTTE since they were teenagers. "We're still young and have a lot to learn, but I really feel we've grown up a lot over the past three albums," says JOEL. "We've never been more secure with who we are, and that gives us the confidence to follow our instincts and share exactly how we feel. We're at a new place in our lives and this is like the beginning of an exciting new chapter."
According to BENJI, the brothers' burgeoning DJ status [at high-profile events and parties] has impacted the new tunes: "I think we're both really getting into watching people move to music. As a result, this record is a lot dancier than anything we've ever done." At the same time, JOEL reveals the new disc is "influenced by the pop sensibility of really melodic bands, like Oasis and The Police. I think like we've become comfortable with the melodic side of our music, and on this album we fully embrace it."
Although BENJI and JOEL have worked with such artists as The Game, J-Kwon and Hilary Duff as part of the Dead Executives production team-with John Feldmann of the band Goldfinger-BENJI says, "I don't think there will be any collaborations on this album. That's not to say that if the feeling's right and something happens naturally we'd turn it away, because we're fans of a lot of artists, but there are no collaborations planned for now."
Looking forward to the fall tour, JOEL says, "We want it to be really fan-driven and special for the kids who've been waiting to see us. We haven't played any small places in a long time and want it to be really intimate so we can get face-to-face with our fans."
