Blink 182, Motion City Soundtrack Albums In The Works

Blink-182 frontman Mark Hoppus says the band has already written a number of new songs, but don't expect a follow-up to 2003's self-titled smash before the big reunion tour this summer.

"We started writing a few months ago and got well into the writing process, but now we've kind of put the recording of the next album on hold and are doing rehearsals for the upcoming tour," Hoppus told Billboard.com.

After a four-year hiatus, Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge appeared on stage at the 2009 Grammy Awards and announced their reformation as Blink-182.

Hoppus has also been busy in the studio with Motion City Soundtrack, producing the band's fourth album - and major-label debut - for Columbia Records. Hoppus last worked with the group on it's sophomore release, 2005's "Commit This To Memory."

"I think that 'Memory' is a really great record," Hoppus said. "For me, it encapsulates what Motion City Soundtrack is and can do. Now they want to make a record that's along those lines but pushes it even further."

As for the Minnesota-based electro-pop band's new material, Hoppus says fans will hear a heavier, more experimental side of the group. "There's an edge on this record that I'm really excited about getting into," he said. "But it still has all the catchiness of everything that I personally love about Motion City Soundtrack. As a fan, it's really exciting to get to work with them again and help them flesh out this new vision of themselves."

With a long-standing friendship and mutual respect, Hoppus does not rule out the possibility of taking Motion City Soundtrack out on tour with his newly reunited Blink-182. "We're still booking the Blink tour for this summer, so we'll see how that all ends up working out," he said. "I would love to tour with Motion City. They're a really cool band to tour with and they're great live, so I wouldn't be angry at that."

As for his full plate, the 37-year-old bassist/producer isn't complaining. "I felt like I had a couple of years to kind of relax, and I love those years, but there's a lot going on right now and it's a lot of fun."