The Shins have announced on their website that the follow-up to 2003's Chutes Too Narrow is almost done:

It gives us great pleasure to say that it is just weeks from being done! We can't leak any details, but we have never been more happy with anything that we've ever recorded before. And we can definitely say that it is due to the fact that we've been given so much time to perfect it. The record is the best we've ever done. We hope that you will agree.

Billboard.com have reported that the album is set for an early 2007 release.