Back in May we told you that Hanson had completed a new album but had no immediate plans to put it out, seeing as they parted with their label, Def Jam, earlier this year. Well, the brothers Hanson still don’t have any new product to unleash upon the world, but fans will get a chance to hear the band’s new songs in a live setting this summer.
The three Hansons – Isaac (now 22), Taylor (20) and Zack (17) – will hit the road for the first time in three years. Not only will the boys be playing new songs, but they’ll be playing them acoustically in relatively small venues. While no Canadian dates have yet been officially announced, Hanson do have an August Toronto date listed on their website and more dates will likely be added to the band’s itinerary.
As for the new album, the disc has tentatively been titled Underneath and although they’re still searching for a label, the band reportedly expect to release it this fall. As we’ve already reported, the band has pulled in a ton of collaborators, who’ll surely whip it into a masterpiece of an album. Michelle Branch appears on the album and the band also wrote and recorded two songs with power-pop king Matthew Sweet. The band also hooked up with songwriting legend Carole King for the songs “Let You Go” and “One More Time.” On a more dubious note, the three brothers also worked on one song with Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies.
The new album will be Hanson’s first release since 2000’s This Time Around.