Shout Out Louds are back at work. It only just dawned on them what the rest of us have known for a long time: they were born to do this. This is what they do. They write songs, record them, and tour. Thats their work. Hence Work, the title of their third album.

They have had some time off. A six-month break to regroup, to see other things, places, and people. To work on a tan, to work on love and life. Bebban did so in Los Angeles and Adam in Melbourne, while Carl, Ted, and Eric remained in Stockholm. And when they got together again, they realized that this is what they do and what they will continue to do. A you-dont-know-what-youve-got-til-its-in-Melbourne sort of thing

Adam wrote many songs down there, in a tiny room with a little synthesizer, an acoustic guitar, and GarageBand on his laptop. The song Walls came first and then the rest, one by one (brick by brick, if you will) whilst the Australian trams passed by outside. He shared the songs with the others, who listened closely from their corners of the world, questioning and challenging himlike a good band shoulduntil the songs that make up Work had all passed the test, made the cut, and lived to tell the story.

The band got Seattleite Phil Ek to produce the album, and they describe him as a much-needed force. They wanted someone who was used to working with bands and used to doing things the old-fashioned way with hard work and 1-2-3-4 live recordings. Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, and The Shins are fine testaments to Phil Eks producer work ethic, so he seemed a natural choice.

Adam also says this album and the way it sounds boils down to a few things. Foremost, he is in a better place in his life. There may still be dark skies, but lately theyre only partly cloudy. In the words of Mary J Blige, no more drama. And perhaps with the change of weather came the realization that there really is no need to multilayer everything and fill all the spaces with stuff. Significant points have been made with little more to back them than an honest attempt to keep things organic, unadorned, to the point. They are keeping it simple now, trusting in the power of bare skin over panache. At the end of the day, its work, and they are happy to do it. And for that we are truly thankful.

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