New Album Due From The Presidents

Less than three years after announcing their break-up, the former Presidents of the United States of America--now known simply as The Presidents--will release their fourth album. "Freaked Out and Small" is due in U.S. stores on Sept. 12.

Though the name of the band been condensed, its line-up and instrumentation remain unchanged: Dave Dederer (guitar/bass/vocals), Chris Ballew (guitar/bass/keys/vocals) and Jason Finn (drums/vocals). The band sold more than two million copies of its self-titled 1995 debut album, thanks to the quirky hits "Lump," "Kitty" and "Peaches."

Musicblitz, an Internet-based music company, will release the new 12-track album. According the label's press release, the Presidents and Musicblitz will share both the risks and the profits of the album.

To promote the album, Musicblitz has published an online "Fan Edition" that includes streaming video, band diaries, in-studio photos, MP3 downloads and other features. The people who pre-purchase the album through the Musicblitz website will be recognized with their name printed in the CD liner notes and will receive all in-studio footage on home video.

The Presidents of the United States of America released their last album, "Pure Frosting" (Columbia), in March 1998, shortly after playing what was billed as a farewell show in Seattle. At the time, the band said it was splitting because Ballew wanted to dedicate more time to his family and to pursue other musical interests.

"We just have some kind of magic when we play together,'' Dederer said in a statement. "I can't describe it, can't define it, and I don't think any of us can take credit for it--it's just plain dumb luck to find that kind of synchronicity, and it shouldn't be trifled with.''

The band learned and rehearsed the new songs in the studio, and the entire album took just 10 days to complete.

"We made a conscious decision on this record to avoid mid-tempo songs," Dederer said. "It's a bit harder sounding than our other records, very guitar-driven and garagey sounding."