The Vines' hugely anticipated debut album, 'Highly Evolved' was recorded last year in LA at the Sunset Sound Studio complex. Here bassist Patrick Matthews talks NME.COM through what will be one of the year's most important records.

'Highly Evolved'

"That's a fairly new song. It's all Craig's. It's got the line 'If you feel low/You can buy love/From a payphone', it reminds me of that Richard Ashcroft lyric 'I talked to God on my way home' [from 'Come On' on 'Urban Hymns']. I think Craig had just been sitting at home watching those 1-800 numbers on TV."

'Autumn Shade'

"Craig wrote all the words on that as well. It sounds like it comes from when he used to sit at home for days on end and never leave his room apart from to get a can of Coke from the fridge. He just used to look out of his window. His backyard isn't as nice as he makes out. You'd think it was this verdant paradise, it's actually just this buzzcut lawn with a fence at the back. He likes it, though."

'Outtathaway'

"It's got a Motown beat at the start. I just like it, because it's got the best bassline. Ha ha."

'Sunshinin'

"It was a bit of toss-up whether we were even going to record this one. We had a list of 17 songs that we were going to record, and even when we went into the studio we were unsure about this one. It's got a really cool groove to it, though."

'Homesick'

"That song's totally self-explanatory. Craig's not ironic at all in his songs. If he says, 'I'm highly evolved', he means it. Well, at least as long as the song goes on. Some people thought that 'Highly Evolved' was some cynical commentary on modern life, you know that we're all so highly evolved but we've fucked up the earth. It isn't at all."

'Get Free'

"This one sounded really good as a demo. We were talking about this being a single when we didn't even have a deal. People say it's a bit like The Stooges, but we never really used to listen to them."

'Country Yard'

"This is similar to 'Autumn Shade' in terms of subject matter. Craig lives close to a river. I think you can see it from his front porch. This song always reminds me of "Animal Farm" on [The Kinks'] 'Village Green Preservation Society'. It's got that sort of vibe to it. It's a nice clever melody.'

'Factory'

"I think this is a sparkling song. The words are fairly literal. Craig worked in McDonalds for quite a while, just because he needed some money. This is an anti-work song. It's sarcastic and bitter."

'In The Jungle'

"That's pretty much the first song we ever wrote. It's the most complicated song on the record, it's got the most parts. What's it about? I think it's got a little bit of acid in the lyrics, Craig wrote them while he was on a trip."

'Mary Jane'

"Is it about marijuana or is it about a girl? I don't think even Craig knows for sure..."

'Ain't No Room'

"This was a real last minute inclusion. Pete Thomas who used to drum for Elvis Costello And The Attractions plays on it. I don't think you get the full effect of this one when we play it live, it sounds better here. Pete was so into it, he just kept on drumming. I think the original version was six or seven minutes long, so we had to cut it down."

'1969'

"David [Olliffe, the band's first drummer] originally wrote this about a Vietnam vet, and I think Craig's changed some of the words so it's not so overtly about that. 'It's 1969 in my head/I just want some place to go...' Fuck, I can't remember the other words. It used to mention Vietnam anyway. There's that line about when he gets home, he's going to get himself a Buick 6."