Stellastarr*dom

Stellastarr* have nearly completed recording their third studio album.

After parting ways with major label RCA last year, the band funded the new album entirely themselves, recording at New York's Mission Sound studio with producer Tim O'Heir, who produced the band's 2003 debut.

Frontman Shawn Christensen said that the new album has a cranked-up "sense of urgency" and is more fast-tempo than their mellower sophomore album 'Harmonies For The Haunted'.

"The songs are more akin to the first album as far as energy and fast-tempo go," Christensen

The New York quartet are currently shopping around the new album to small indie labels. "It's really weird with the majors right now," he said. "We want to have complete ownership of the record, so we funded it ourselves out of pocket."

Christensen added that the band plan to release the album later this year in an unorthodox way. "We live in a digital era so we're trying to find an interesting way to release it," he said. "Radiohead can basically shit on a piece of paper and people will buy it, but we're still building up our fan base, so we need to be creative," he said.

The band have recorded 13 songs, which they plan to narrow down to approximately 10. Song titles include 'Prom Zombie', 'Sonja Cries', 'Warchild', 'Graffiti Eyes', 'Tokyo Sky', 'Move On', 'Numbers' and 'Freak Out'.

Stellastarr* plan to preview eight of the new songs at a show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles tonight (February 27) and tomorrow at San Francisco's Noise Pop Festival.

"We've been out of the limelight for a while, so we want to come back with a vengeance," Christensen said. said. "Also my voice has changed. I've had throat problems over the past couple of years and my vocal coaches recommended that I stave off singing in low registers."