The Charlatans Working On New Songs In Los Angeles And England

British rock band The Charlatans have been working on their new album at a Los Angeles flat that also houses a studio.

While singer Tim Burgess isn't sure when the album will be out or what label it will be on, he seems pleased thus far. The band had eight songs finished earlier this month, according to a blog post on Burgess' MySpace page.

"They are all very unique, and might not be what is expected from us; even though, you never know what you are gonna get," Burgess wrote.

Working titles for songs so far are "Hit N Run," "Blank Heart, Blank Mind," "Set Me Free," "Little Wild" and "Acid In The Tea." Burgess has returned to Britain for a few weeks to continue working on demos in the band's Big Mushroom studio. He also plans on producing tracks for a London group called Hatcham Social at the studio.

The new album is The Charlatans' studio follow-up to last year's Simpatico. They also released the Forever, The Singles two-disc collection last year.

Although the group are expected to hit the road when the album is finished, just two U.K. dates in March and June have been confirmed thus far. The band played in Toronto and Vancouver last spring.

The Charlatans formed in Manchester, England in 1989 and were part of the "Madchester" scene along with The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays before they forged their own identity and had three of their albums (Some Friendly, The Charlatans UK and Tellin' Stories) debut at #1 in the U.K.