Someone called Flunk 'veterans' recently, which might be technically true. But every time we make an album, it's the first time we make this album, and we try to let the music take us along. We don't try to force the music into any template.

We never try to make hits, we never take short cuts, we don't release things we don't love one way or the other. We get influenced, but we don't jump in. 'Lost Causes' is not about giving up, but about getting more overview, we're wised up. And 'lost causes' means two things - giving up on stuff, or simply letting it go, it's lost anyway. So why bother? Why not move on, and fight the 'causes' that can be won?

Musically we have approached this recording very differently than we did with our previous records. One of the songs, 'Queen of the Underground' was even performed live before being recorded. We worked through the songs in rehearsal before going into the studio. Which is very different from our earlier albums. This is also the first Flunk album to be mixed by someone else, namely Kai Christoffersen of Calmeyer Studio in Oslo.

The glue for this record is dual: We would probably never have made it without the fantastic support of our fans in all corners of the world, their intelligent reaction to our music. And we would probably never have made this record if we hadn't gone to tour China in 2011.

This is also the first recordings where Anja plays guitar, and drummer Erik Ruud has joined as a full member of the gang. Tuba is played by Lene Horntveth of Jaga Jazzist ('Primer', 'Lost Causes' and 'As If You Didn't Already Know').

All our records could be break-up records. Also this one. 'Awkward' is kissing our demons goodbye, 'Lost Causes' is telling we're not taking you home, 'Queen Of The Underground' is about all the fighters who stopped fighting, 'Love and Halogen' and 'Sanctuary' are about coming to peace, 'Primer' is possibly about stepping into someone else's dream, 'Bummed' is about the absurd luxury of living in one of the filthiest rich countries in the world with a bad taste in the mouth and utter bewilderment, since it doesn't make you happy - told in a dylanesque way or like the movie 'Big', 'Subway' is plain subjective confessions inspired by the French writer/photographer/painter Edouard Levé's inspiring book 'Autobiography'. 'Bus Ride' is possibly the most Flunk-like song on the album; it's just a restless song. And last, 'As If You Didn't Already Know', which was written for two sisters, Lara and Bano Rashid. Lara survived the Utøya terror attack in Norway on July 22 2011, Bano didn't. They both came from Iraq for the safety of the outskirts of the world, but didn't find it. Lara is a friend.