Placebo Aim for the 'Sun' With New Lineup

As Spinner reported earlier, Placebo's new release, entitled 'Battle for the Sun' is the most, shall we say, "hopeful and optimistic" album that the band has ever recorded ... even if its not exactly "happy" per-se. Bassist Stefan Olsdal attributes this to a confluence of several new circumstances. For one, the band recorded the songs in Toronto, Canada during an eight-week stint. It was the first time in their 15-year history that they recorded outside their European comfort zone. The distance from their homes in England gave them a fresh perspective on things and the isolation from management and record labels gave them freedom to experiment in the studio.

But perhaps the biggest influence in their shifting mood has been the addition of fresh blood. Olsdal and singer/guitarist Brian Molko recruited a new drummer for what they view as the band's next chapter. "Long term relationships can last for a very time and ours with our previous drummer lasted 11 years," Olsdal tells Spinner. But over the course of time, people sometimes just find themselves in different places than when they started. "In order for this band to survive, we had to make some difficult decisions," he admits. In other words, they realized they had to part ways with their drummer, Steve Hewitt.

"We went through a bit of a divorce, which wasn't pretty, but ultimately it was necessary for the band to evolve and to move on to bigger and better places," Olsdal explains. During the recording and touring for their previous album, 'Meds,' the band was in an unhealthy place both as a unit and as individuals. Consciously deciding to grow instead of settling for stagnation, the band hired Steve Forrest to replace Hewitt.

"So here we are with a young 22-year-old Californian drummer. It's a change," Olsdal says. "His youthful enthusiasm and positive energy is kind of rubbing off on us. It's kind of feeling like a reboot of Placebo in a sense, which is cool."

Sounds like they got what they wanted and are on their way. On the other hand, what 22-year-old kid who gets invited to join a band like Placebo wouldn't be stoked and enthusiastic? "Yeah, and then what happens?" laughs Olsdal. "It's all downhill, isn't it?"