It's hard to believe that it has been only a little over a year since the Vines came out of Hurstville to be "the future of rock".

In that time, we've witnessed international hype on a scale never before encountered by a fledgling Australian band, in reality an inexperienced group which hadn't even earned its stripes on the local pub scene before being plonked on the covers of music magazines and proclaimed the saviours of rock.

We've seen a debut album - Highly Evolved - come and go to mixed reviews, especially locally. And a couple of shambolic Australian tours which left bemused critics wondering what all the fuss was about. This, of course, led to the inevitable backlash, the traditional cutting down of tall poppies. Can't sing, can't play, was the general refrain.

So it was with some relief that bass player Patrick Matthews acknowledged that the ridiculous hyperbole surrounding the Vines was at an end.

"We had a lot of interest generally, both negative and positive," Matthews said from Los Angeles, where the band's follow-up album is being mixed. "But I think it's good for us that there's not much interest currently in the Vines. We're not an 'it' band in England or America or, I assume, Australia.

"That interest has gone, but I don't know if the cynicism has gone. The last tour we did in Australia, the reviews I spotted were all along the lines of 'the emperor's new clothes', so you can never tell.

"I think the thing in Australia is they don't believe [the hype] anyway. They don't really believe it in England either, but it gets repeated so many times they get used to it."

The Australian backlash started at the end of last year when what was supposed to be a triumphant homecoming for our next big things turned into an eager expose of the band's supposed shortcomings on stage. Singer Craig Nicholls - the Connells Point Kurt Cobain - was singled out for his crazy-eyed frontman antics and his limited desire to sing when positioned in front of the microphone.

It reached its nadir by the time of the Big Day Out tour last January when the Vines were again caned after struggling to match it with seasoned international pros such as the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age on the main stage.

Matthews said the bagging was justified, especially when one of the Vines' worst gigs was broadcast nationally.

"In all seriousness, the first Big Day Out at the Gold Coast was just terrible," he said. "Unfortunately, that's the performance they played on [cable TV music network] Channel V. A lot of bands had their Sydney and Melbourne shows filmed but we got the first one, which wasn't very good."

Sanctuary turned out to be a recording studio near Woodstock, in New York State. It was there the band reunited with producer Rob Schnapf to work on the all-important follow-up to Highly Evolved. It will be the album that proves whether the Vines have genuine staying power or are just another overhyped flash in the pan.

"Before it was done I was worried about whether it would be tricky," Matthews said. "Because it had to be good. Now it's done, I'm not so worried - ex pop stars end up hosting reality TV shows or being on them, so there's always a fall-back position."

Matthews - the bass player who met Nicholls when both were flipping burgers at a Sydney hamburger restaurant - says the recording process contrasted with the chaos of Highly Evolved's creation.

"It was a pleasure this time," he said. "Last time it was a struggle from the get-go with [ex-drummer] David [Olliffe] leaving and everything. There was no fighting this time, we all agreed a lot more."

The band recorded a minimal 11 songs for the new disc, with most of them already well tested at gigs and sound checks over the past year. Matthews said the sound was heavier than Highly Evolved, but he laughed off a comparison to cheesy 1980s metal band Van Halen that he gave to British magazine NME.

"I just wanted to use that phrase," he said. "[Drummer] Hamish [Rosser] is a big Van Halen fan - he's a fan of all heavy music and it comes through in his drumming. He also used to wear a Van Halen T-shirt in the studio."

The new album has a title, but Nicholls is keeping it secret.

"I don't think we get to cast a vote [over the title]," Matthews said. "I suppose Craig will decide. We could have a band meeting but if the title wasn't what he wanted he would probably lock himself in a room until it was. Either that, or he'd quit the band."

Sydney fans will get a taste of the Vines' new songs when the band performs at Homebake at The Domain on December 6. Tickets for the all-Australian show are on sale. Call Ticketek on 9266 4800.