Writing new material and greatest hits

During 2001, after a low key tour supporting Texas , they took a long summer break, in North Devon, to write new material for their fifth album. The self-financed sessions were deliberately performed at arm’s length from their record label and the music industry in general, and Reef enjoyed the opportunity to return to their earlier, more basic approach to making music. In an interview to the BBC, Bessant said “It’s a harder sound, like when we first came out – a deep sound, heavy, I really like that.” Whilst they had a lot of new material, Sony forced Reef to only use around a third of this material as part of a greatest hits offering entitled Together – The Best of Reef released in January 2003. Jack Bessant denounced the complete lack of support from Sony and Kenwyn House called the release “a kiss of death”. Many fans felt the new material had been some of their best work for some time.