US rock band REM are set unveil material from their new album at a series of concerts in Dublin. The shows, due to take place in July, will be the first time in over ten years the band has played new songs live before they appeared on an album. Recording for the album is expected to begin during April or May, bassist Mike Mills has suggested the new tracks are more "uptempo" than Around the Sun. The as-yet-untitled album is expected out before the end of the year. Mills told Billboard magazine at the band's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction that most of the music was written but the lyrics were still being worked on. Stipes is quoted on the band's website as saying "Returning to Dublin for our live rehearsal this summer provides the great start we need for our next album's work. "I intend to hit the ground running."

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