After releasing Supergrass Is 10: The Best of 94-04 last fall to the delight of fans and critics alike ("There is not one band in the last 15 years with a collection of singles as fresh, sparky and consistent as the songs here," said NME of the 21-track retrospective while Q Magazine, Uncut Magazine and Mojo all gave it four stars), the quartet repaired to a Normandy barn, which they converted into a barebones recording studio, and turned their attention to making the first album of their next decade.

With Road to Rouen, the ghosts of the past have been exorcised and (sort of) laid to rest: Supergrass are ready to face their future, firmly shaking off their old frivolous, cheeky image. There are surprises at every turn, particularly for those who expect Supergrass to be doing buzzsaw pop ten years after they (re)invented the form with their debut album, I Should Coco. In a very good way, Road to Rouen is all over the place. A zither, a ukulele, Led Zep-style psychedelic-folk, brass, strings, the model of drum machine used by Sly & The Family Stone - are all are put to intriguing use. The album is about a journey; going places, moving on and growing up. "We've had some trying times over the last couple of years," reflects Gaz hesitantly, "and it changes the way you do things. It changed the way I wrote songs."

Supergrass recently played a series of shows in the U.K. and will embark on an international acoustic tour shortly. Supergrass will tour the U.S. in early 2006.