Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament says the band have been “exploring” new ideas in relation to their next studio album.

They released the single Can’t Deny Me in March this year, with the bassist now revealing that they’re in the early stages of working on other tracks for what will be the follow-up to 2013’s Lightning Bolt.

Ament tells 106.1 The Corner (via Blabbermouth): “We have a bunch of stuff that's sort of partly written. Unfortunately, we have rehearsals coming up for Europe and the shows this summer, so it's in a little bit of a limbo state right now.

“We still need to record it – we haven't really recorded anything but there are a lot of ideas.

“We've been telling ourselves that we weren't going to put a ton of pressure on the situation. We really want to make something great, and we want to have the freedom to live with some of these ideas for a while and then maybe record them in a different way.”

He adds: “We're sort of exploring all sorts of different things right now. So I think it bodes well for whatever the next album is.”

Last month, Ament launched a video for his solo track Safe In The Car, which features on his new album Heaven/Hell.

Pearl Jam have several live dates scheduled over the summer.

Pearl Jam Summer 2018 European Tour Dates

Jun 12: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands

Jun 15: Landgraaf Pinkpop Festival, Netherlands

Jun 18: London O2 Arena, UK

Jun 19: London O2 Arena, UK

Jun 22: Milan I-Days Festival at Area Expo, Italy

Jun 24: Padova Stadio Euganeo, Italy

Jun 26: Rome Stadio Olimpico, Italy

Jul 01: Prague O2 Arena, Czech Republic

Jul 03: Kraków Tauron Arena, Poland

Jul 05: Berlin Waldbühne, Germany

Jul 07: Werchter Rock Werchter Festival, Belgium

Jul 10: Barcelona Palau St. Jordi, Spain

Jul 12: Madrid Mad Cool Festival, Spain

Jul 14: Lisbon NOS Alive Festival, Portugal

Pearl Jam Home and Away US tour dates

Aug 08: Seattle Safeco Field, WA

Aug 10: Seattle Safeco Field, WA

Aug 13: Missoula Washington-Grizzly Stadium, MT

Aug 18: Chicago Wrigley Field, IL

Aug 20: Chicago Wrigley Field, IL

Sept 02: Boston Fenway Park, MA

Sep 04: Boston Fenway Park, MA