Simple Plan – Taking One For The Team

First Start

In May 2013, Simple Plan was ready to begin working on their follow up to Get Your Heart On! In an interview with Musichel, frontman Pierre Bouvier talked about their recording plans:

Any big plans for 2013?
Yes. Writing our next album, playing a few more shows and hopefully release some new unreleased songs and a DVD we're working on. Stay tuned!

The band worked on new songs that summer and fall, but they took a small break to give fans something to listen to in the meantime.

 

Get Your Heart On - The Second Coming!

On November 15, 2013, Simple Plan announced some exciting news: They were going to release a new EP! It would contain 7 unheard songs from the Get Your Heart On! sessions, and would be released just a few weeks later on December 3rd.

This is the message they shared on their official site:

Friends!

We're really excited to share some new music with our fans all over the world! "Get Your Heart On - The Second Coming!" is a collection of songs we wrote during the song writing sessions for our last album. We can't wait to hear what our fans will think of the new music!

Here is the official track listing:

1 Ordinary Life
2 The Rest of Us
3 Outta My System
4 Fire In My Heart
5 In
6 Lucky One
7 Try

Pick up your physical and digital copy of "Get Your Heart On - The Second Coming!" in Australia on November 29th and digital copy on iTunes on December 3rd! More details on territories to come soon!

Now, who wants to hear some teasers in the next few weeks?...

- Pierre, Chuck, Jeff, David and Seb

The band also shared a fun video of them explaining their generosity - and assuring that they were also still working on their 5th album.

They also released a music video for a song called "The Rest Of Us" -

Get Your Heart On - The Second Coming came out on December 3, 2013. But Simple Plan wasn't done there! They ALSO released a concert film online for fans to watch for free. Instead of a DVD that must be purchased, the band decided to make the footage available to everyone as a special gift.

 

Working on Album #5: Halfway Done and a '70s Throwback Sound

Around the announcement of Simple Plan's The Second Coming EP, Chuck Comeau Sebastien Lefebvre spoke to Journal de Montreal about the new music. The original interview is in French, but the English translation revealed some interesting news. At the time, in late November, the band had already written about 12 songs. They had only started writing in late October. Here's what Chuck and Sebastien said:

JdM: Where are you in the process of creating the 5th album? Will it be musically in the same vein as Get Your Heart On?

Chuck:: We started writing about a month ago and we already have more than a dozen songs. However, we intend to compose for the next six to eight months and write the best possible songs in order to push ourselves to write the best album possible. Musically, we are not certain yet, but GYHO would definitely be a good direction. The fans loved that album.

JdM: Is there a possible release date?

Seb: The official release date is: as soon as possible! But surely the end of 2014 or early 2015.

In Decembe 2013, Pierre and Chuck did an interview with AMH Network and described the musical style of the next album:

Chuck: We have a lot of fans who are like: “I love the new song and the new record, but I love your first album style or the whole second record vibe, so I want you guys to do more rock.” And some fans are like: “I love your more pop songs!” So it’s a very interesting line for us cause we love doing fast, in-your-face kind of songs and we love doing the more pop songs and more like emotional songs as well. So, every record’s like a balance between those two-three things that we really love doing.

Pierre: I think for us it’s always a balance cause we love to do pop songs. I love to listen to stuff that’s like… Taylor Swift or stuff like that. Love that! I mean, it’s not what I am, but I enjoy it, so it’s cool to be able to kind of do some of the pop stuff but always have that punk-rock energy. But I think that definitely for the next album, we might go even more back to our pop-punk roots.

You can see the full interview here:

Simple Plan was quiet about their progress for the first few months of 2014, but in April they shared some interesting news. Drummer Chuck Comeau posted a photo on Instagram, and mentioned that he was working with members of 3oh!3 for the new Simple Plan album!

"Working with @kidquizine and @nat30h3 from 3oh!3 ! Nicest dudes and super talented! #NewSongs #SPAlbum5"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chuck Comeau (@chuckcomeau)

Sean Foreman of 3oh!3 also shared an Instagram photo from the studio:

"Chillaxing. @nat3oh3 @pierrebouvier @chuckComeau#simpleplan"

http://instagram.com/p/mOtPMrzb9P/

In late May 2014, Pierre and Chuck did an interview with ET Canada. They mentioned the sound of their new album as being very "throwback" - as Pierre said:

We have a good half-record now that we’re pretty stoked about I think. If I could say anything, it’s kind of a throwback – but even though the last record people called a throwback, I’m talking about throw-WAY-back!

According to ET Canada, the new music should have a "throwback '70s feel." That could be a great sound for Simple Plan! You can see the full interview below:

On June 20, 2014, Pierre and Chuck did another interview, this time with Amnesia Rockfest. The main focus of the interview was about the short reformation of their original band Reset, but they also spoke a bit about the Simple Plan album progress. They mentioned that they have a "rather punk rock" song that should be on the album. They were still in the process of writing, but had plans to start recording in the studio in fall 2014. The aim is to have the album out in 2015.

The original article is in French, but below is an English translation of the Simple Plan related info. You can read the full English version for more about Reset and touring.

By doing this little detour with Reset, do you think about the sound of the next Simple Plan album – that you might want to return to a more abrasive sound and go back to more of a punk sound or does this concert only serve as means to reunite with Reset? That is, unless you already have a definite idea of the new Simple Plan album.
Pierre: I do not think this show will influence the direction of the next Simple Plan album or our writing, even if it’s in our blood to compose the most punk material. While Simple Plan is known for its more pop songs, there is always a more aggressive side in our music, energetic and melodic. People perhaps don’t know this because they are the songs to which they are not exposed because they are not the singles that come on the radio or on TV. For example, we have a new song we wrote – which is rather punk rock. It will be on the new album – but we don’t know when that’ll be released. But we still like to produce fast songs, it really is in our blood.
Chuck: We often like to write a “super fast” song – trying to return to our roots. We tried but what happens is that they are not good enough to be on the album. But there are always 2 or 3 songs on each album that are faster. It appears often in settings. It does not change the fact that we grew up with No Use for a Name, Strung Out and Lagwagon. It is found in what we do because the music you loved when you were young, stays in your influences and is reflected in your own compositions. When you listen to it when you’re 13, 14, it marks you for life. I think it is still present, but we’ll see! We are currently writing the songs.
Pierre: Maybe seeing all those bands today will affect us.

You just told me that you are working on new songs, but there is no date yet for a new album. Can you tell if the new album will be available in 2014?
Chuck and Pierre: 2015.

So you’re still under contract? 
Chuck: With Atlantic. This is our fifth album and we’re working on it right now.We are in the process of composing and should go to the studio in the fall.
Pierre: We hope to get it out early 2015.

They also added:

At this time, if you’d consider the percentage …? 
Pierre: I think we are half way done. 50% of the album is written.

Are the lyrics are … 
Pierre: No more! It is not recorded but they are prepared as demos.

Do you have a producer yet – Bob Rock maybe? 
Pierre: We have not decided yet.

On June 23rd, Pierre was a guest on Patrick Langlois’ morning show, Ça Commence Bien. Pierre talked about the new Simple Plan record, and he mentioned that they were inspired by big bands of the '60s. He also said that there were dance songs, in addition to other songs of all kinds of styles.