On June 10, revered experimentalist-pop quartet Sloan will release Parallel Play, the quick(!) follow-up to last year's sprawling Never Hear The End Of It, which promises to sharpen the guys up again - though as usual, on their own unique songwriting terms.

The title Parallel Play reflects Sloan's intrapersonal dynamics perfectly, being a developmental psychology term for the "behavior seen in young children in which they enjoy independent activities in the company of other children." If that weren't enough of a tip-off to the Sloan working process, vocalist/guitarist Patrick Pentland adds, "It doesn't make sense to try to force the band to adhere to some preconceived idea of the typical rock band architecture." And from the early '90s all the way down to the 30-song Never Hear The End Of It, it's hard to deny they don't get it done their way.