California dream-rock trio the Like have decamped to the big smoke to record the follow up to their 2005 debut 'Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?'

"We're actually recording in Richmond outside of London at an amazing studio," frontwoman Z Berg tells Spinner of the record they hope to drop next spring. "[It's owned by] Terri Britten, who wrote 'What's Love Got to Do With It?' It's amazing. We were looking for something with incredible gear, and it has like an original EMI board and insane vintage gear."

The Like ladies -- singer Z, bassist Charlotte Froom and drummer Tennessee Thomas -- have been recording the record with Youth, the former producer for the Verve's 'Urban Hymns,' and the Futureheads upcoming third album.

Z tells Spinner the Like wrote the songs before heading over to the U.K., where they are recording one track a day. Some of the numbers being laid down include 'Alone At Last,' 'Hazy Shade of Hate,' 'Vera,' 'The Motor of Crow,' 'It's Not Likely' and 'A Little At a Time,' which will be a duet. A little birdie told Spinner the Like is hoping to recruit a particular favorite muso -- the Verve's Richard Ashcroft for the latter number.

"We'll see," Z says. "Everyone around us seems to doubt that will happen, but I'll see what I can do about it. [Richard] is definitely our first choice. Youth seems to think he would never go for it, but I have pretty good powers of persuasion."

As for the Like's heavy song titles, as you can guess, this record won't be one with sunny themes. "Angry and depressed might not be the right words," Z says of Spinner's interpretation. "Hateful and vindictive, maybe. In the last two years since we made our record, I went on tour and my life went f***ing crazy. Everyone around me lost their minds and were horrible, which is wonderful because now I have a sweet 30 songs."

Not only do they have a ton of new songs, but they group is moving on from their '90s laced sounds.
"It's definitely darker sounding," Z says, "and it's a little more '60s sounding. It still sounds like us, but it's a lot less f***ing '90s. It's a lot more kind of like the Zombies, the Kinks, Love and the Stones, than the Sundays and My Bloody Valentine."