Snow Patrol are finding that extensive touring of the US means they have little time to write their new album, though they still hope to start recording their next album in the spring and aim to release the follow-up to this year's 'Final Straw' by autumn 2005.
Gary Lightbody has told Billboard that his gruelling touring schedule is affecting his songwriting progress: "We have maybe ten new songs. But we don't start an album without 40, so we're not anywhere near that yet. I can't do it [write while on the road]. I got wind that Franz Ferdinand have basically finished their new album and I was kind of green with envy, I have to say. If there's a UK band that had toured (the United States) more than us lately, it's Franz Ferdinand. Whenever we do get the odd few days off in Glasgow or Belfast, we try to do a wee bit of writing. But after you've done your washing and paid your bills, you really just want to sit in front of the TV!"
However Lightbody stands by his band's decision to undergo a gruelling US tour schedule. "Most British bands approach touring here with the wrong attitude. Coldplay toured and toured and toured. U2 basically came and lived here and worked so hard that it really paid off. That model is really the only model you can work from. If you're prepared to come and put in the time, people respect that. You can make fans for life here. People only really get to appreciate a band when they can see them face to face."
Snow Patrol are having success in the US with 'Final Straw' peaking at Number Five on Billboard's Heatseekers chart.