In The Quietus' way of thinking, Liars are one of the greatest bands of the past decade, always pushing themselves onwards to create fresh, deranged, funny, and challenging new releases at every turn.

We're therefore very excited to tell you that their next fifth album Sisterworld will be galloping forth from the wonderful Mute stable early in 2010.

If the new photo of the band (above) is an aesthetic pointer, then it looks like it's going to be a belter... And, it seems, after last record Liars was a non-concept concept record about writing songs that capture the feeling of youth, then it looks like Sisterworld is going to be focused around place - specifically the city of Los Angeles, and how we as humans can function in such a sprawling metropolis:

"Sisterworld is Liars’ own space, completely devoid of influence, somewhere remote from the false promises and discarded dreams amassed in LA," reads the Mute communique. "In it Liars explore the underground support systems created to deal with loss of self to society."

Oh yes. Sisterworld is apparently inspired by "fringe characters lured to LA and the resulting subcultures and alternate spaces that they generate."

Liars themselves say: "We're interested in the alternate spaces people create in order to maintain identity in a city like LA. Environments where outcasts and loners celebrate a skewered relationship to society”.

There's a mysterious website for Sisterworld here which we imagine will be a good place to hang around and find out more details.

The album will be the first Liars piece to be recorded in the USA since the astounding They Were Wrong So We Drowned, and was produced by Tom Biller, the man responsible for the Where The Wild Things Are and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind soundtracks, and who has also worked with Kanye West and Beck.