When we called My Bloody Valentine leader Kevin Shields at his London home on Thursday, it was 9 p.m. and he was gearing up to hit the studio that night. What's he working on? "Oh, My Bloody Valentine stuff," he says, matter-of-factly, as if it hasn't been 21 years since the band's last LP, Loveless.

Long-delayed MBV reissues are finally due for release May 7-- stay tuned for Shield's thoughts about those in an upcoming interview-- but the 48-year-old frontman is looking ahead. Admittedly, Shields has teased a new MBV album for many, many years, but maybe this time it's the real deal...

"I tend to work really quickly, suddenly,

and I might be willing to do that right now."

Pitchfork: Do you usually head to the studio at night?

Kevin Shields: Yeah, I normally work between 10 or 11 p.m. until about 4 or 5 a.m. That's my preferred time. The place where I'm [recording] is in a business area, and there's a photography company there, so it's surrounded by a lot of people during the day. There's about a hundred of them and one of me. They're nice people, but I avoid them because it's better just to go in and not have to say "hello" to anybody or deal with anything.

Pitchfork: What can you say about the new My Bloody Valentine material?

KS: Not much-- I need to finish it!

Pitchfork: Are you working on it with the whole band?

KS: Yeah, it's the same as always.

Pitchfork: How much did the 2008 reunion shows have to do with making this new album happen?

KS: A little. I'm just finishing a record that I had started in the 90s. It was going to be, like, the next record. But it was already after the band had half split up, and me and Bilinda [Butcher] were left. Then we got back together. We never broke up, technically; I left the band for legal reasons once, I had to. But other than that, I've always said that we were going to make a record again. You never know, we might finish it really quickly, and it might be up in a few months! I tend to work really quickly, suddenly, and I might be willing to do that right now. We'll see!