In our conversation today with Dan Boeckner, frontman for the soon to be touring Handsome Furs as well as co-frontman for Canadian indie heroes Wolf Parade, he spoke to us of Wolf Parade's new songwriting plans for their next album.

Boeckner will be here late August for the Handsome Furs debut visit to Australia. As our chat turned inevitably to Wolf Parade, Boeckner revealed the songwriting process that informs the band now. He then revealed the new songwriting partnership that will no doubt influence the recording of their third record, scheduled for later in the year.

With Wolf Parade it's just scheduling, everyone's working really hard on their own stuff. Like Arlen's (Thompson, drummer) producing albums and Spencer just got back from the Sunset Rubdown tour. In November we're getting together to make a third album and everybody's really excited about it. I think it actually helps Wolf Parade survive as a band. If these other things weren't happening I think that band wouldn't exist anymore because it just would've imploded.

Do you still send ideas back and forth while you're off doing your other bands?

Yeah definitely. Especially just like little chunks here and there.

Do you have any whole songs written yet for the next Wolf Parade record?

No we don't. And this is the first record that we're doing with Dante. Dante DeCaro, he used to be in Hot Hot Heat and has really been a full-time touring member of Wolf Parade since the first record was released. But he's never actually sat down and written with us. Like he's never been involved in the writing stage. So this is the first time.

So is he a fully fledged member of the band now?

Yeah he is a fully fledged member...after four years (laughs).

Handsome Furs will be in Australia and New Zealand late August, a tour which - according to the Handsome Furs other half, Alexei Perry, on their MySpace blog - are fucking delighted about:

I just want to express our extreme excitement to finally being able to make it to Australia and New Zealand. It is hugely meaningful for us. As many of you know, it is our prime interest as a band to get to as many new places as possible and this fucking delights me.
XO Alexei

Us too! The full transcript of our interview with Dan coming soon.