Lennon channels breakup through sophomore album

By Jonathan Cohen

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Sean Lennon has some weighty topics
on his mind on “Friendly Fire,” his first solo album in eight
years.

“Basically, all the songs are pretty recent. They’re all
about my relationship with my ex-girlfriend and its demise, and
also my best friend having had an affair with her,” Lennon told
Billboard.com. “It was kind of beautiful to write about it.”

The set is due September 26 via Capitol and will be bundled
with short films for each of its 10 tracks.

Lennon said he has written “hundreds” of songs since the
release of his 1998 debut, “Into the Sun,” but had no interest
in simply putting out highlights from his archives for the new
project. “I am most interested in what I’m doing at that
moment, so this is definitely a more contemporary version of
myself,” he said.

The sessions also brought Lennon closer to longtime friend
Harper Simon (son of Paul), who was the main guitarist on the
project. “He’s been my friend since we were kids,” Lennon said.
“In the last couple of years, we discovered that playing
together was also cool. He’s a very talented guy.” Lennon
returned the favor by playing bass and piano on Simon’s album,
a release date for which has yet to be announced.

Lennon plans to play shows in support of “Friendly Fire”
but cautioned, “I like to do things that are proportional to
the demand. It’s not like there’s a big giant hammer I’m
waiting to hit people over the head with to try to get them to
like me. If people want me to play, I’ll definitely play.”

The artist also will be heard on the debut album from
Weezer guitarist Brian Bell’s new band, the name of which is
still under wraps. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Weezer, but
I didn’t realize what a great songwriter Brian is,” Lennon
said. “I don’t know when that record is coming out, but it’s
super cool. I hope I get a chance to tour with him.”

Reuters/Billboard