3 Doors Down will release their fifth studio album, entitled Time of My Life on April 12. According to lead singer Brad Arnold, the band took an organic approach to a portion of the tracks on the album, writing them in the basement of Arnold’s house. “We actually wrote most of this record in the basement of my house in Nashville. We had a really good time writing the record together,” Arnold told Alternative Addiction. “When we knew that we had enough to start recording we went out to LA and started recording the record while we continued to write.” Once the band was in LA, they were presented with the option of co-write a number of tracks with other writers, a first for the band. “It’s something that we have never done, and it was a really interesting process,” said Arnold of co-writing. “We have written by ourselves for years and years, and you get really comfortable doing that, but it was cool to step out of that box and try something new.” Another change for the band on this record was not working with producer Johnny K, who produced the band’s last two albums. This time around, the band worked with acclaimed producer Howard Benson, whom which Arnold said “would always push you beyond where you were comfortable going,” but said that working with Benson and his team was “a really great experience.” Arnold also said that he also wrote many of the melodies of the songs behind a drum set, something he hasn’t always done on past records, but he feels results in songs with a more natural feel.“I really enjoy writing behind my drums. I don’t play guitar or anything, the drums are my instrument,” said Arnold. “[When you write with the drums I think] it kind of lends its self to more rhythmical vocals, and I just really enjoy it.” The band has already released the first single from the album, a track called “When You’re Young,” which Arnold says is meant to be a mockery of how adults perceive childhood being so easy and carefree. “I remember being told when I was a teenager that those would be the best days of my life,” said Arnold. “I didn’t have a horrible childhood, but they were by no means the best days of my life. And that song is just talking about how hard it is to be young, [especially] when people perceive it to be the best days of your life.” 3 Doors Down will start playing shows in late February before heading to Europe for dates in June. The band will return stateside for a full summer tour in the US that is expected to extend into the fall. Dates for the tour are expected to be confirmed in the upcoming months.