After not being entirely happy with its last album, Australian rock outfit Powderfinger decided to do things differently seventh time around.
"We wanted to change our songwriting habits," singer Bernard Fanning says.
On The Golden Rule the five-piece tried a different approach in terms of how songs are structured and the process of putting a song together.
"From a lyrical point of view I was trying to be more economical, to say more with less if possible, which on some songs I completely failed and ended up with total verbal diarrhoea," he says.
The band formed in 1989 in Brisbane and since 1992 its line-up has remained steady with Fanning on vocals, Darren Middleton and Ian Haug on guitars, John Collins on bass, and Jon Coghill on drums.
It has sold more than two million albums, won 16 Aria Music Awards, and is a fixture at the top of the Australian charts.
A couple of weeks ago the Australian media was abuzz with rumours about an imminent split, which Fanning dismisses.
"We're pretty successful in Australia but we're not the kind of band that goes to movie premieres or society parties and I'd say that gives people reason to speculate," he says.
Fanning says it was a misconception Powderfinger was a political band.
"It's just a matter of writing of things you observe and what's on your mind while writing the songs.
"On this record there is nothing in particular that has a political bent, it's more about the politics of relationships between people rather than party politics or anything like that," he says.
The Golden Rule is the first album released as an iTunes LP by an Australian band.
"It's the album people would normally buy or download plus a couple of bonus tracks, some out-takes plus a whole lot of links to the history of the band, discography, lots of photos, video footage from the studio, that wouldn't feature anywhere else," he explains.
The first chance for Kiwis to see the band play live will be at the Big Day Out but Powderfinger is also planning a tour for the middle of next year.
