Not content to let new bands hog the eyeliner, Placebo have announced the release of their sixth album, Battle for the Sun. The "optimistic" and "positive" LP will be released on 8 June.
"We've made a record about choosing life, and choosing to live, about stepping out of the darkness and into the light," frontman Brian Molko told NME.
To capture all this cheeriness, the band travelled to beautiful, sunny, er, Toronto, recording with Dave Bottrill, producer of Tool's Lateralus. The album was mixed by Alan Moulder, who has worked with My Bloody Valentine, Nine Inch Nails and Smashing Pumpkins.
Battle for the Sun is Placebo's first album since parting ways with Steve Hewitt, their drummer of 11 years. They now have a 22-year-old Californian named Steve Forrest in charge of hitting things.
The band have also left their long-time label, Virgin Records, self-funding the album and releasing it in an independent deal with Pias. "I'm very optimistic about the future," Molko said. "I'm in a positive frame of mind and a good headspace."
Indeed, instead of sulking in his bedroom, Molko and his bandmates are busily autographing box sets. Deluxe £70 editions of Battle for the Sun are now available for pre-order, with the first 500 buyers receiving signed copies. The set also includes a live CD, a DVD of last year's performance at Angkor Wat, a making-of DVD, vinyl LP, and two books.
Five random "golden tickets" will also be available, entitling one person from each continent to a "VIP day" with Placebo.
Of course, despite the sunny album title, Molko is still a lover of shadows. "[Darkness is] a part of who you are," he said, "but [this album] is about the choice of standing in the sunlight instead."
This last comment proved reassuring to Placebo's cheerleaders. "I'm glad Brian's in a good frame of mind," commented a fan called beady_eyed_girl. "But I'm also glad that he mentioned that the darkness is [essential] ... sometimes when people seem happier, they forget completely about the darkness and think the world is all flowers and stuff, which is annoying."