The chemistry between Crowded House [ tickets ] co-founders Nick Seymour (bass) and Neil Finn (guitar/vocals) was tangible as soon as the pair reunited in the studio for what was originally meant as a Finn solo project.

"It was like putting on an old coat," Seymour said of the sessions that eventually resulted in the Crowded House reunion record "Time on Earth." "We got back into the studio and things just happened so quickly. That was really exciting. So I put everything else on hold. Still things are on hold, pending an outcome of my next move. At this stage, my next move is recording another album with Crowded House in January of next year. We are just moving forward in the right way. "

The album is the first since longtime drummer Paul Hester committed suicide in 2005, an event that brought Seymour and Finn together and spurred the reunion of Crowded House, which scored hits in the '80s with "Something So Strong" and "Don't Dream It's Over." Joined in the band by guitarist Mark Hart and drummer Matt Sherrod, Seymour and Finn will head to the United States in early August to promote "Time on Earth."

Seymour talked with LiveDaily about the reunion, turning Finn's solo project into a proper Crowded House record, and playing Coachella just before Rage Against the Machine was to hit the stage.

LiveDaily: Why did you decide that now is the time for a Crowded House reunion?

Nick Seymour: I'd say a lot of it came down to a combination of elements, one being Paul's untimely death, which threw Neil and I together in a situation of mutual shock. We suddenly realized that we had unfinished business. [At first], Neil asked me to play on his new solo record. A lot of the material we were recording tended to get to the point rather quickly to satisfy Neil's needs. He realized we had this chemistry that hadn't gone away. When it came time to reconsider the idea of touring on a lot of the songs we had recorded, I think he realized that he was kind of missing the band or missing being in a band. We made a call to Mark Hart, and in earnest set out to find a new drummer to reform what was obviously going to be Crowded House and in order to finish this record that started out as a Neil Finn solo record. I was being paid [for the solo album]. Although having said that, the reunion could just be a vulgar reason for Neil not having to pay me for my bass sessions on the original record. [Laughs]

Ah, he's a cheater huh?

Possibly. I haven't seen any cash yet. Let's see what happens.

Have you started writing music for the new album you plan to record in January?

Neil has a lot of songs already, things he's had around for awhile, and recognizes they could have a life if we just try them out with Matt and Mark. Having found Matt has made a huge impact on the reality of being able to throw ideas out there and render them very quickly. So, we realize if we're touring for the next three months, we should actually make a new album that capitalizes on that momentum as opposed to the way we made the last record that started out a solo record that didn't sound a great deal different from Neil's other solo albums. It built this momentum for us to make a record as they are meant to be made--as a band.

Was it difficult to transition from a solo record to a Crowded House album?

No, it was really quite intuitive and kind of one foot in front of the other. It just seemed to happen. I think that's why Neil did realize that he wanted to be in a band again. It was then he realized that he really missed being in a band and saw the positive side of it. You just have to admit it, and it happened.

What was it like to work with producer Steve Lillywhite?

He's a complete and utter mad geezer. I don't know if he's always been that confident or if this is a new thing, a newfound confidence. I wonder if the confidence he has now in a studio is the same confidence he had when I first had any idea of who he was back in the '80s. He's obviously made so many records. He has such financial independence that he's so casual in the studio and funny. He's really passionate about it. When we contacted him--I have a good mate in Flood, who's a producer in the U.K. My good friend Flood said to me, "Lillywhite is the finisher. He's the guy you get when you can't finish an album." That's exactly what U2 use him as, and exactly what we did, as well, although we didn't realize it [at the time]. We had a meeting with him because Neil wanted to work with him for the longest time. [Lillywhite] just said the things that were so obviously appropriate about finishing a record. You've already got the body of the [album] recorded, but you want to go in and cap it with an energy that says, "I've arrived." That's exactly what he's like in the studio. He's incredibly energetic and mad.

How did the collaborations with Johnny Marr and Dixie Chicks come about?

The collaboration with the Dixie Chicks came from them ringing Neil. They obviously respected him as a songwriter, and they just rang him to see if he would write a song for their new record. He had admired them for their songwriting and performances. He also admired their brassy stance against the current American administration against such incredible opposition, i.e., the country music community. I think that would have been really difficult. With rock music and popular culture, you can get away with so much, but the country music establishment is so incredibly conservative. Ultimately, they've been shunned by them, haven't they? With Johnny Marr, he's an old mate of Neil's that he's got to know over the years. He rang him up and asked him to come and play at a concert he did in Auckland [New Zealand] about five years ago. Since then, they've been mates.

You played Coachella earlier this summer. How did that show go?

Coachella was a real challenge because we were playing to a festival crowd and the front 20 rows were Rage Against the Machine fans who had been standing in the sun all day wanting to see Rage Against the Machine. They weren't putting up with the likes of Willie Nelson, Crowded House or Manu Chao. We were just sort of part of the collateral damage. I know that the Rage guys were a little bit upset that their position in the arts festival had been sort of hijacked by these nu metal kids that look equally like the likes of Limp Bizkit or any of those other soundalikes. Rage has a message, and I think it's lost on a lot of their audience.

So we can expect a new Crowded House album next year?

Probably. We're going to start it in earnest in January. We'll see how long it takes. I would suspect that, with the momentum we have from touring with the full complement now, it actually wouldn't be that hard of a process.