It has been a long time coming for one of the most notable ska/punk/reggae/rock bands of the 90s and early 21st century. Back when ska was considered an underground music scene in the late 1980s, No Doubt was one of the torch bearing bands to popularize the genre.
Since the band’s first show in 1987, opening for the The Untouchables, No Doubt has been on a tear through any and every genre, not just ska. Upon releasing their highly acclaimed breakthrough album, Tragic Kingdom in 1995, the Anaheim, California outfit have been a household name across the globe ever since.
The chart-topping singles from their five studio albums are expansive, ranging from the energetic hit “Spiderwebs”, the intensely emotional song “Don’t Speak”, “Just A Girl”, “Hey Baby”, “Underneath It All”, “It’s My Life” and, even perhaps credited with popularizing the northern California exclamatory slang term known simply as “Hella” in their track “Hella Good”.
However, those tracks hit the airwaves prior to lead singer and iconic front woman, Gwen Stefani launching her solo project in 2004. But, it was only a matter of time before the desire to reform No Doubt would begin to boil. With the reformation sprouting up in 2010, the writing process began instantly, coupled with accompanying demos and the “real” recording sessions had begun that very same day, according to Tom Dumont (guitar/keyboards) via No Doubt’s official website. 
From recording the first instant they reached the studio until the major announcement today, a twelve-song full-length album is officially complete and set for release. The official date for No Doubt’s sixth studio album release will be available worldwide on September 25th, 2012.
As mentioned in our 2012 Most Anticipated Album, It’s been reported that they are taking influence from Ska & Reggae for the new album. It was originally set to be released in 2011, but the group decided to delay the release to ensure quality.
They have 10 track titles that have been revealed that include expected prom theme song “Dreaming The Same Dream”, ”One More Summer”, “Gravity”, “Settle Down”, “Easy”, “Heaven”, “Undercover”, “Push & Shove”, “Looking Hot” and “Sparkle”. The album has yet to be titled and is rumored to feature a big-name guest artist and collaboration with Major Lazer.
Throughout No Doubt’s illustrious career, the band has literally won every single possible award for their nominated category on all award show platforms. The list of accomplishments range from two Grammy awards, Billboard’s Music Video of the Year Award for “Simple Kind of Life”, five MTV Video Music Awards, a VH1/Vogue Fashion Award, Teen Choice Award winners in 2000 and even reaching a younger demographic upon receiving Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award for Best Band in 2003. The sense of anticipation couldn’t be greater after the eight-year hiatus, and No Doubt’s devoted fans couldn’t be more anxious for their upcoming release!
This year has been billed as “the year of the fans”. That sentiment could not be more prevalent with so many heavyweights in the reggae-rock community prepared to release new material in 2012. After officially announcing the release date, it is safe to say that a new weight class needs to be unveiled and invented for occasions such as this. The anticipation for new material from Slightly Stoopid, Dirty Heads, Pepper, The Expendables, Iration, Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds and many others went above and beyond the classification of heavyweights. There is no question that No Doubt tips the scale from heavyweight status to oversized sumo wrestling standards.
“The year of the fans” advances on to unleash new surprises at each turn, and The Pier will continue to provide, you, the fans with the ideal one-stop shop destination for the latest and greatest news on the Reggae-Rock community!
No Doubt Links:
No Doubt Website
No Doubt Facebook
Article By: Kris Siuta
Here is the official announcement from No Doubt! Enjoy!