Good Charlotte’s Madden brothers are hard to please.
Even though hits like “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” and “Girls and Boys” helped their last album, The Young and the Hopeless, sell more than 2.8 million copies, the Madden brothers say the tunes just weren’t good enough for them.
“Me and Benji are never satisfied with the songs we write,” Joel admitted. “Truthfully, we’ve never loved anything we’ve written so far. We’re always chasing the song that one day we’ll really love.”
The Maddens and their bandmates are currently pursuing pop-punk’s perfect wave in a Los Angeles studio, where they’re recording their third album with producer Eric Valentine, who also helmed The Young and the Hopeless. “We’ve written a few songs so far that I really like,” he said, citing new tunes called “Falling Away” and “We Believe” as examples, “but so far nothing I really love.”
Although it’s still early in the process, Joel is keeping details about the songs close to his chest.
“A lot of these songs are really personal and about what’s been happening in my life,” he said. “And I’m kind of going to let it be a secret until the record comes out. Kids are going to be able to see what’s going on in all of our lives, and how being on the road for 20 straight months affected us.
“Everything that’s happened to us in the last two years went into these songs,” he continued. “It’ll be easy to tell what each song is about. It won’t be tricky.”
While he’s cagey when it comes to the new album’s lyrics and themes, the Good Charlotte singer promises musical growth.
“Musically, our abilities are a lot more than what they were on The Young and the Hopeless because we’ve been on the road for two years. So the music has a little more depth, and it also goes in some different directions. Some of our fans might be a little thrown off at first, but when it comes down to lyrics and melodies, I don’t think they’ll be disappointed.”
Good Charlotte hit the studio armed with 16 to 18 songs, and they plan to keep writing and recording until they play the first five dates of the Vans Warped Tour, which begins June 25 in Houston. The still-untitled album is expected to drop in September.
