North

It's been a decade since Matchbox Twenty released a new studio album -- though the band's pleased to feel like they never left. "We got mentioned on 'Parks and Recreation' [and] 'The Simpsons' in the same week, and I was like wow, we haven't made a record in 10 years," guitarist Paul Doucette told Billboard.com. "We still exist for some people." But when the group gathered to begin work on their next full-length, they didn't want to just offer up another fan-friendly helping of past hits. "We had this no-fear rule," frontman Rob Thomas said. "It could sound like the Kinks, it could sound like Maroon 5, but follow that thread, follow it all the way through." The productive two-year writing and recording sessions led to over 60 ideas that longtime producer Matt Serletic helped the group chop down to the 12 songs that will make the band's "North," due Sept. 4.