Francis Dunnery's It Bites will release new studio album Return To Natural early next year

Francis Dunnery's new-look It Bites, billed as It Bites FD, have announced that they will release their new studio album, Return To Natural, early next year.

The new album will be ready for the band's customary January live dates and a vinyl version will be released on March 24.

Dunnery has unveiled a new-look band that features legendary drummer Chad Wackerman, bassiist Paul Brown, keyboard player Tony Turrell and atmospherics from Dave McCracken. They are currently ensconced at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth working on the new album.

"Whilst this is not a copy of the first three It Bites albums, it delivers all the musicality and melodic qualities that everyone remembers of the band and much, much more. A whole new era in It Bites music," says Dunnery.

The new album is being "recorded, mixed and mastered using 24 track analogue and mixed and mastered to quarter inch analogue tape. No Plug ins, No Software Instruments, no digital manipulation with timing or tuning and real live rehearsed recordings, remember them?

"There will be a vinyl version of the album coming in March 2024 that will not touch the digital arena, which makes Return To Natural a true, pure analogue recording. The CD version and digital download versions of the music is produced from the analogue quarter inch master."

Dunnery recently released Live From The Black Country on Blu-ray and CD through Tigermoth Records, with a band that featured Maschine/Cyan guitarist Luke Machin, Camel/Tiger Moth Tales's Peter Jones, drummer Bjorn Fryklund, bassist Paul Brown and Quint Starkie on triggers and backing vocals.

The live dates, which you can see below, include a warm-up show at Oswestry's Hermon Arts on January 17, will see the band play London, Wolverhampton and Manchester. Support at London, Wolverhamtpon and Manchester comes from Lifesign's mainman John Young.

Pre-order Return To Natural.

It Bites FD Return To Natural live dates

Jan 18: Oswestry Hermon Arts
Jan 19: Wolverhampton KK's Steel Mill
Jan 20: Manchester Academy 2
Jan 21: London Islington Assembly

Get tickets.

Artists

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.