Throwback: Don't Speak, I know just what you're thinking...

"Don't Let it Go Away..."

You couldnt have grown up in the late 90's to early 2000's without being addicted to at least one of the singles from the alternative rock group No Doubt. Comprised of drummer Adrian Young, bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont, and iconic lead singer Gwen Stefani, this Califonia group's mix of New wave, Ska, reggae, rock, punk, pop, and grunge  made them one of the biggest acts in history. After winning 2 Grammy's and selling over 35 million records worldwide, the band took a brief hiatus to pursue other solo music ventures. After 11 years, the group is set to release new material together in late 2012.

Formed in 1986 inAnaheim, California, No Doubt started as a garage band and consisted of Eric Stefani, John Spence, Gwen Stefani, Jerry McMahon, Chris Leal, Gabe Gonzales, and Alan and Tony Meade. Tony Kanal later joined after seeing one of the bands first shows. Paul Casely and Eric Carpenter later joined in 1987.  After a series of incidents within the band including a suicide, lead singer replaces, and a short disbanding, the group re-emerged, booked college tour gigs, and later signed to the newly formed Interscope Records in 1990. Their first self titled album was later released in 1992 but was a commercial failure. The band's early lite rock sound and pop influences were in contrast to the popular grunge movemnt of the time. No singles were released and they failed to attract the same audience nationwide, while on tour, that they had in Southern California. The following year they began recording new material for their next album but many of the songs were rejected by the record label. With growing disbelief that the band was going to "make-it" and falling under new production, Eric Stefani did not like the idea of losing creative control to someone outside the band and left the group in 94 to work for the Simpsons. 

Unsure with the fate of the band, Interscope sub-licensed the group to Trauma Records in 1995. After releasing a well received collection of out-takes from their previous album with a mix of grunge and pop rock, No Doubt released their sophomore LP Tragic Kingdom later that year. Drawing inspiration from the secret relationship and break-up of lead singer Gwen Stefani and bassist Tony Kanal, Tragic Kingdom spawned one of the band's most signature and commercial successful albums "Don't Speak". Other singles like "just a Girl" and "Spiderwebs" hit the Billboard charts but did not sustain the top position like "Don't Speak". With a 27-month world tour and four Grammy nominations, Tragic Kingdom sold over 8 million copies and later reached diamond in 1999. 

After 4 years of touring and Stefani working with other artists, No Doubt returned with a new album titled Return of Saturn. Led with singles "New" and "Ex-Girlfriend", the follow-up effort's sound was darker and more lyrically conscious than their previous work. Although it was critically praised, Return of Saturn was commercially disappointing and failed to have any singles top the Billboard Hot 100 charts. 

Not taking too long to the studio, No Doubt began recording material for their new album in 2001. After lead singer was featured on the hit single "Blow Ya Mind", the band decided to take advantage of crossing genres and drew inspiration from Jamaican dancehall for their next album Rock Steady. Producing two hit Grammy winning singles "Hey Baby" ft Bounty Killer and "Underneath it All" ft Lady Saw, the album was both critically and commercially successful. The singles "Hella Good" and "Running" also made it to the Billboard charts and No Doubt later made an appearance as themselves on the hit WB show Dawson's Creek in 2002. 

With the huge success of Rock Steady, No Doubt released a compilation CD of their hits with a newly recorded cover single titled "Its My life" in 2003. The band did not release new music other than concert footage DVD's and music video compilation DVD's before taking a hiatus in 2004 to pursue solo ventures. 

 While on their hiatus, lead singer Gwen Stefani pursued a successful solo career. Releasing two chart topping dance-pop albums and launching her own clothing line. In early 2005, Tom Dumont released his own solo music project, Invincible Overlord, with friend and collaborator Ted Matson, and backed up Matt Costa on his 2005 tour. Adrian Young, the band's drummer, did the drums for Bow Wow Wow's 2004 tour and many of the tracks on Unwritten Law's 2005 release, Here's to the Mourning, as well as featuring on several shows in 2006 forTheStart. Young will also be playing on Rockstar: Supernova runner-up Dilana's upcoming album. In 2008, Tony Kanal collaborated with pop/rock artist P!nk on the album Funhouse. Kanal co-produced "Sober", co-wrote "Funhouse" and also sang back-up vocals on "Crystal Ball".

After the 8 year hiatus, the band is currently in the studio recording and writing new material for a collaborative album set to release later this year. Through all the ups and downs throughout their career, No Doubt is one of the few "drama-free" bands that have creatively stayed consistent and innovative. Recently they have made the announcement that their untitled new project is set to release on September 25th 2012.