San Diego rock band Switchfoot are hard at work on a new album. This is their first independent release on their new Imprint label.  As for the new album's sound, drummer Chad Butler says fans can expect to be "surprised" when they hear it.

"It's some new territory for us, musically," Butler told Alternative Addiction in a recent interview.  "I think people are going to be surprised when they hear it, that it's Switchfoot.  I'm thrilled about it, to finally have the capacity and the freedom to do it."

That freedom is something the band rarely experienced while signed to Columbia, where they released their previous three albums. This time around they also benefited from working on their own schedule, a rarity while on Columbia's roster.

"There's a certain schedule that you had to keep," said Butler of the band's time with Columbia. "Right now we don't have anybody looking over our shoulder while we are in the studio; it's completely on our own time."

The band has been recording the new album in their new home studio in San Diego in between tour dates this summer.  Butler says the album is over 50% complete, and that they have 3 to 4 songs to still record.  The album is expected to be out in the spring of 2009.

Listen to Alternative Addiction’s Interview with Chad Butler of Switchfoot