U2’s Adam Clayton said during an interview on the Ireland’s  Dermot & Dave radio show that the group is nearly finished with a new album, their first since 2009.

“I think it’s a return to U2 of old, but with the maturity, if you like, of the U2 of the last ten years,” Clayton said. “It’s a very interesting hybrid.”

Clayton said the band is in the studio “trying to get these 12 songs right,” hoping to complete the album before Christmas for a 2014 release.