Crowded House to release new album in July

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The newly reformed Crowded House will release its first album in nearly 15 years this summer.

"Time on Earth" will be released July 2 in the U.K. via EMI's Parlophone label, though there is no confirmed release date or label for North America just yet. Sister label Capitol handled U.S. distribution for Crowded House during its first incarnation.

The album was formed from the foundation of what would have been frontman

Neil Finn's next solo album, which was in the works with Crowded House bassist Nick Seymour.

"Time on Earth" will be the first album to feature the band's new drummer Matt Sherrod, who replaces the late Paul Hester. Sherrod previously worked with Beck.

One cut, "Silent House," was co-written with the Dixie Chicks, whose own version of the song appeared on last year's Grammy-award winning "Taking the Long Way." Guitarist

Johnny Marr, formerly with the Smiths and now with Modest Mouse, contributed to a pair of songs.

Crowded House's last studio effort, "Together Alone," was released in 1993. In January, the group released the CD/DVD set "Farewell to the World," which chronicled its final concert in 1996 in Sydney.

Crowded House is confirmed for only a handful of concerts so far, including a gig Thursday at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Ariz., which precedes an appearance at the Coachella festival in southern California this weekend.

Reuters/Billboard