It was us getting back in the studio and getting back to playing as a band. It was a natural thing. Anderson has always been the natural main songwriter in the band, whether teaming up with Butler in the earlier days, or Oakes for the new album. It's a strange thing 'cause it's so frustrating and can be so dry and barren. I'll come up with something I love and it will be great.
Some bands rely on inspiration for their direction in the studio.
With Suede, it's not so much reliance, but keeping their ears open for anything good. I sort of take the bits I want and suck the blood out and spit them out. I do sort of like 'electronic music,' like Kraftwerk, stuff like that. While they were gone, bouncy pop bands like Blur, Oasis and Pulp took England by storm, along with many other small, independent bands like Gene, the Bluetones and Cast. Unlike Blur and Oasis, Suede does not see these other bands as competition.