Umphrey's McGee finalizing new studio album, breaking away from improv-heavy tracks

Chicago-based rockers Umphrey's McGee are famous for their live performances, full of light show and jamming. Now, the band has announced its eighth studio album, the follow up to 2011's Death By Stereo, and tells Rolling Stone that they are looking to break away from their improv-heavy live show in favor of a solid rock experience.

"When you're a young band in the studio, at first you think it's about just playing the right notes and playing them in time and making something that sounds better than what you can do as a live band," keyboardist Joel Cummins told them. "Now it's about getting [the album,] emotionally, exactly where it needs to be."

Recorded in Chicago and California and produced by Manny Sanchez, the effort strays away from their typical dance tracks and electronic cuts and instead is filled with "fun, chunky riffs." The band cited Queens of the Stone Age, Between the Buried and Me, Yes and King Crimson as influences for the record — all bands you wouldn't necessarily have associated with Umphrey's McGee in the past but definitely the right bands to draw from if you're looking to put out a "rock" album.

A lot of what is being put out now is kind of leaning more towards the electronic side of things," explains Cummins. "This is the trend of where things are. Let's try and go in the opposite direction."

The band has already showed off the track "Puppet String" at some of their live shows. Another song, "Educated Guess" Cummins describes as "awesome avant-garde weird stuff. There's not another song out there that sounds like [it]."

According to the article, the band is self-financing and self-releasing the new record on their own label. After their tour ends in April, they plan to finish the album and hope that it draws in new listeners. "I think there's definitely a few tracks on this that will help make us some new fans," says Cummins. "I really hope this is something people are going to spend a lot of time listening to with headphones."

Check out the live version of their new song "Puppet String" here, and let us know what you think in the comments section below!

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