New Music Ahead—The Cars Reveal Plans for Upcoming Album

The three surviving members of The Cars are reportedly working on a new album that incorporates unreleased studio recordings left by the band’s late frontman, Ric Ocasek, who died in 2019.

This information comes from Bill Janovitz’s newly published book, The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told, which includes contributions from guitarist Elliot Easton, drummer David Robinson, and keyboardist Greg Hawkes. (Bassist and singer Benjamin Orr passed away in 2000.)

Digging Into Rare Demos and Adding Fresh Elements

Janovitz’s book reveals that several years ago, Hawkes was handed over two dozen unreleased tracks collected by someone close to Ocasek. One standout is “I Just Can’t Stay,” featuring vocals from both Orr and Ocasek, dating back to before The Cars officially formed.

Hawkes started refining the recordings with producer Ed Valauskas and engineer Joel Edinberg, then brought Robinson and Easton on board. Easton began adding guitar parts in August 2024, including for “I Just Can’t Stay” and “Can’t Stop the Rain.”

Janovitz praises Easton’s work:

“Elliot’s twenty-five-second guitar solo on ‘Can’t Stop the Rain’ is bound to delight longtime fans. He also introduced a new melodic hook that reshaped the track entirely from the version I heard months earlier. Along with Greg’s synth layers, it’s exactly how the band transformed Ric’s raw demos into authentic Cars songs.”

Additional tracks mentioned are “The Factory” and “One by One,” reportedly the final song Ocasek was developing. “Crossing the Line” and “Crazy Over You” are believed to stem from a jazz-influenced project Ocasek was once pursuing.

Future Prospects and Fan Anticipation

Though no release date has been set, the surviving band members and the estates of Ocasek and Orr remain hopeful that any previous disputes won’t interfere with sharing these new songs with fans.

The Cars originally called it quits in 1988 after promoting their Door to Door album. The band reunited briefly in 2011 for the album Move Like This, but disbanded again after the tour. They came together one last time for their 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

Janovitz’s The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told provides an in-depth look at the band’s legacy and is currently available.