The Barenaked Ladies are demoing songs for their next album at keyboardist Kevin Hearn's house in Toronto. The band plans to begin recording the follow-up to 2000's Maroon in March and release it by the year's end.

For the first time in the band's thirteen-year career, the members -- Hearn, vocalist/guitarist Ed Robertson, vocalist/guitarist Steven Page, bassist Jim Creeggan and drummer Tyler Stewart -- wrote the songs together.

"We just rented a rehearsal space in Toronto and showed up a couple of days a week and hammered stuff out," says Robertson. "We've written the most we've ever written for a record. We've already got like twenty-six songs done, and we want to make a twelve-song record."

The Barenaked Ladies, often viewed as a bit of a novelty act when they made their major-label debut in 1992, have added more serious songs to their repertoire in recent years, and the next album will be no different. "It's hard to not get a little serious when there's so much seriousness in the air," Robertson says. "But there's levity still."

What sort of levity? "Chimpanzees!" says Robertson. "There are just enough on this record to keep you smiling."

KAREN BLISS
(February 18, 2003)