Athens, Georgia’s, favorite sons will release Accelerate, their 14th studio album on April 1, Billboard reports, with the guitars “turned up” and a return to the band’s old energy. “It’s not like we’re going to pretend these are ballads. These are rockers,” manager Bertis Downs told Billboard.
 
Michael Stipe told Uncut that he, Peter Buck, and Mike Mills are getting along better than ever, which is something that has been lacking. “I feel like there’s a confidence in the material, and a communication between the three of us that hasn’t been there for some time. “We didn’t talk to each other for a couple of records – as friends or bandmates. And we reached a point before this LP where we just sat down at a table and hashed it out.” [Billboard]