Central Florida pop-rock stalwarts Anberlin will hunker down in a Los Angeles recording studio in early February to begin working on their first album since signing with Universal Republic Records this past summer.
The forthcoming studio album is the much anticipated follow-up to their highly lauded breakthrough indie pop scorcher, Cities, which debuted on Billboard's Top Albums chart last February at #19, and passed the coveted 100,000 indie-sales milestone fueled by their riveting hit single "Godspeed."
The band's lead vocalist/songwriter Stephen Christian is following his previous pre-recording regimen, holing up in a New Orleans bungalow toput his finishing vocal touches on nearly two dozen new songs co-written by Stephen, lead guitarist Joseph Milligan and the band's acclaimed recent addition, rhythm guitarist Christian McAlhaney, who joined Anberlin early last year.
The disc will be produced by noted multi-platinum studio helmsman
Neal Avron (Yellowcard, Fallout Boy), who has laid out an 8 week recording schedule for the fivesome to begin on February 4, choosing and recording the final material for the new CD, with Avron on tap to mix the album as well. "
We're very excited about working with Neal," says frontman
Christian. "
We begin rehearsals at the end of the month on the new songs and hope to transfer that energy to the studio. I think our fans are going to be pleased when they hear the final result."
It has been Anberlin's emotive pop/rock chemistry that has excited fans and critics ever since their Polk County, FLA launch six years ago, rising through the indie ranks with a magnetic collection of releases on Tooth & Nail records, including their memorable 2003 debut Blueprints For The Blackmarket. Their 2005 release, Never Take Friendship Personal, saw them gain even more indie traction, (the band has logged combined album sales of more than 400,000 albums) with the single "
Paperthin Hymn" peaking in the Top 40 of the Modern Rock Radio chart.
Relentless touring (the group averages well over 200 live shows per year) coupled with a loyal myspace following cemented their reputation as one of the band's to watch in 2007. Anberlin delivered on that promise by kicking off '07 with the celebrated Cities, a Top 20 pop album that reflected the maturation of Stephen Christian's lyrical prowess and the band's ability to hammer out sturdy pop emblazoned over a mesmerizing musical presence.
Cited by many critics as indispensable to the modern rock scene, rock forecasters have bookmarked their upcoming album - penciled in for a mid-year '08 release - as one of the truly viable indie-to-major success stories ready to blow in 2008.
Known for an intricately connected digital fan network and extremely successful touring stints (the 2007 Warped Tour included), the group has appeared with such top rock attractions as Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Yellowcard and others. Anberlin also scored an incredible run of raved about headlining shows last year, both here in the US and across the globe.
The tireless group is currently drawing up plans to hit the road again in 2008 after wrapping up the recording of their new album this spring. Tooth & Nail Records has also recently released a collection of B-sides from the band, Lost Songs, which features 18 under-the-radar tracks including acoustic versions and raw offerings from Anberlin's ample repertoire.
/ my profile 
