If you've been wondering what local power-punks Something Fierce have been up to, it's laundry. Well, at least that's what members Steven Garcia and Niki.7 were busying themselves with when Rocks Off called to ask about them about new album There are No Answers. We always wondered how they kept their whites so white.

The album will drop December 19, with a release show at Walter's that night; a month later, SF heads out on a national tour. Garcia says normally the band would've released the album at the tour kick-off, but he was in a personal race to beat the new year.

"I wanted to make sure the album was done in 2008. I didn't want it to seem like there was three years of lag and bullshit between our last album," he says. So... was there three years of lag and bullshit?

"There was two and half years," Garcia laughs. "I think it actually affected me psychologically to think it took three years to write this album."

The trio laid all 13 tracks down at local recording houses Pigeon Eater Studios and Dead City Sound. Garcia and Niki agree the abundance of time yielded an album much cleaner and more thought-out than predecessor Come for the Bastards.

"The last one we totally rushed into it because we wanted to have something out," says Niki. "Taking our time with this one, we wanted to make sure all the songs were killer. I mean, there are songs on the last album that I won't even listen to anymore, and I think on this one there is not a single song on it that I wouldn't want to jam out to."

Something Fierce definitely refines its sound on No Answers. Vocals are more layered and, judging by "Aliens," everything is a little poppier - in a pleasing way, of course.

"I think what's definitely going to catch [listeners] off-guard - what I've been stressing about - is how different the songs sound," says Niki. "They're still power/pop punk songs, but we've definitely moved away from the straight up verse-chorus-verse-type formula."

"I hope it catches them off in a good way." - Dusti Rhodes

Pre-orders of There Are No Answers on Something Fierce's MySpace page come with a free blue-vinyl pressing of the band's "Modern Girl" 7".