Returned with Life on Other Planets

After three years out of the limelight, the band returned with Life on Other Planets (September 2002), recorded at Heliocentric , Rockfield and Mayfair Studios and produced by Beck collaborator Tony Hoffer . The album was released in the UK on Parlophone, but in the US on the Island Def Jam imprint. The record was not as commercially successful as Supergrass’s first three albums, failing to make the Top Three in the UK albums chart. However, the critical response to the album was generally very positive, with Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic claiming “The world is a better place for having Supergrass in it.” It has since gone gold in the UK. Life on Other Planets was also notable as it was the first Supergrass album to recognise Rob Coombes as an official member. For the band’s first three albums, Supergrass officially consisted of Gaz Coombes, Goffey and Quinn although Rob Coombes contributed to many of the band’s songs and videos, and toured with them. Tracks recorded before this were often credited to “Supergrass and Rob Coombes”. The band followed Life on Other Planets with another extended three-year hiatus, devoted to touring and personal engagements.