Entitled ‘Pala‘, after an Aldous Huxley novel, the album has been recorded with producers Paul Epworth and Andrew Weatherall, and was primarily written by frontman Ed Macfarlane during time spent in a cottage in France.
“I just kept working, all day and into the night,” Macfarlane told NME. “After three weeks I was getting cabin fever but I had to focus, because the songs needed to get written. Did I feel under pressure from the rest of the band? Yeah, just a bit.”
After a series of single and EP releases, Friendly Fires issued their self-titled debut record in September 2008, and were immediately met with widespread critical acclaim. Their Mercury nomination in 2009 was soon followed early last year with two Brit Awards nods, in the Best British Band and British Breakthrough sections.
‘Pala‘ is due for release this Spring.