(andPOP) - Two albums. Seven million copies sold worldwide. A string of hits like "I'd Do Anything," "Addicted," "Perfect," and "Welcome to My Life." A worldwide legion of fans who can testify to the power of one of the fiercest live shows ever to hit the boards.
At this juncture, Lava/Atlantic rockers Simple Plan simply seem to have it locked. So for their crucial third album the group could just head back into the studio and do just what's worked so well in the past, right?
Not quite.
Welcome to "SIMPLE PLAN," not just an album but a statement of artistic ambition and growth from the Montreal-based quintet. As you'd expect from any band that would call its debut album "NO PADS, NO HELMETS...JUST BALLS," the self-titled release is a fearless, without-a-net excursion into dynamic music-making, taking what we love best about Simple Plan -- the unbridled energy, the ripping guitars, the hook-filled melodic sensibility -- and incorporating a slew of inventive sonic approaches informed by new collaborators such as Nate "Danja" Hills (Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Duran Duran, Nelly Furtado), Max Martin (James Blunt, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne), and Dave Fortman (Evanescence, Mudvayne).
andPOP sat down with the guys in Toronto.
