The B-52’s are wrapping up work on their next album, fifteen years after their last album of new material.

Singer Fred Schneider said the 11 new tracks will maintain the B-52’s danceable, party vibe but will showcase some new directions for a band.

“There’s more electronica on it,” he said. “It’s up-tempo and a bit sexed-up. It’s sexier than ever.”

The quirky dance-pop group, best known for 70’s and 80’s party classics like Rock Lobster and Love Shack, returned to their hometown of Athens, Ga. to finish recording the as-yet unnamed record.

“We all lived down there for two months and just got back in the swing of things,” singer
Fred Schneider said from his home on Long Island, N.Y.

He said the group, which has been performing together since 1998 after taking an extended break, always had intentions of recording again. But with members living in New York, Georgia and Florida, it was tricky to get together and write new material.

“After the `Cosmic Thing’ and `Good Stuff’ tours (in 1989 and 1992), we were a little burned out,” he said. “We just had our ins and outs and things going on. It took a while for things to fall back into place.”
Schneider said post-production work on the album is expected to begin soon, with plans to release it early next year. The band owns the master recordings of the album and is now shopping for a record label to release it, Schneider said.