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The Shins’ new record has been completed, says frontman James Mercer. Can you believe its been four years since Port of Morrow?

Work has been completed on The Shins new record, according to frontman James Mercer. The album, slotted for an early 2017 release, will be the first since 2012’s Port of Morrow, a hugely successful record.

In an interview with Portland radio station KBOO 90.7 Mercer dropped a lot of info about his recording and songwriting process, live shows with Broken Bells, the future of music sales, and most importantly confirmation of his band’s fifth studio album.

shins' new record

Its been so long since the last The Shins record we almost forgot one of our favourite bands, but today frontman James Mercer has dropped more promising news than we could hope for.

Straight off the bat Mercer was happy to share the news. Here are his words:

“Busy lately but…got the record done.”

“The record is done basically, and mixed. We’ve been making little tweaks just because we have extra time.”

Even though the album is finished, Mercer mentioned a January 2017 release due to label restrictions. He was relaxed about this, glad to let listeners know that this only means the band can put final touches on the album without the burden of a looming release date.

If you’re a fan of Mercer, The Shins or Broken Bells, then the rest of the interview will be a solid listen. Mercer talks through his songwriting structure with the host, and goes on to chat at length about the shifting landscapes of the music industry. He talks Napster (who were actually responsible for The Shins originally getting signed) and the growing importance of Spotify and Instagram for bands, while making a couple of top-notch puns (Shinstagram being the premiere).

Find a full stream of the interview below. Mercer’s segment starts just after 21 minutes.