It was mentioned, almost in passing, on social media. But this is big news for fans of Toto: The band is at work on an unlikely new studio effort, some seven years after their last one.
“What’s everyone doing today?,” Toto’s David Paich casually asked, on Facebook. “What’s that you ask? Oh, you want to know what I’m doing? I’ll just be here in my studio writing for the new Toto album!”
Over the period since 2006’s Falling in Between, Toto has split up, reunited with a rejiggered lineup and returned to the road — but always with the caveat that they were functioning simply as a touring band.
In part, that was because of their own feelings about that most recent project, which had the weight and force of a grand finale. Paich, in an exclusive SER Sitdown, described Falling in Between as “our Abbey Road album.”
The band has also been entangled with a previous label, which in many ways stalled the creative process. Apparently free of that, Paich and Co. are finally ready to embark on the journey toward a 13th album.
The always-busy group will have to fit in the work between other obligations: Steve Lukather, for instance, is on the road with Ringo Starr and the All-Starr Band. Not that it’s stopping him from contributing to these early writing sessions: “Coming up with new ideas in my room for Toto,” Lukather added, just now. “We are gonna dig deep for this one.”
Toto became much more tightly knit over the last few years, too, as they’ve continued to appear in benefit for concerts for long-time bassist Mike Porcaro, who is suffering from ALS. “Every time we get into a rehearsal with this particular band,” Paich tells us, “someone always says: ‘Maybe we should cut an album.'”
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