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Some fans may be surprised by Albert's new sound, including his own mother: ''When my mom heard one of [the tracks], she was like 'Oh wow, is that you playing?' She meant it in a positive way! ''Once you play music for a living, you're always thinking about stuff. Conversations with friends and things you hear in movies - things come up and become lyrics. Hearing other people's songs becomes like competition. You hear something and mentally you want to beat it. Life in general is pretty inspiring.'' Grammy-winning producer Gus Oberg engineered and mixed the album. Oberg is a long-time Strokes collaborator and close friend of Hammond. Of working with Oberg, Hammond says, ''...Gus and I just started working at my house and things just started coming together...I've been working with him since my first solo project, after we met and became best friends. We get along and we understand each other musically, so everything just flows...'' Hammond plays all the instruments on AHJ, with the exception of a couple drum tracks, performed by close friend and frequent-collaborator Matt Romano. The EP is a limited edition release and will include a download card in the jacket. An additional track, ''Carnal Cruise,'' will be available on the vinyl only. An upcoming tour will be announced to follow the release of AHJ.