Indie reign just begun for Bells

In the two years since their breakthrough album, the duo known as Sleigh Bells have become a success – both critically and commercially. The success even landed them a spot as the musical guest on an episode of “Saturday Night Live” earlier this year.

The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based duo’s latest album, “Reign of Terror,” was released in February. Despite the album being less than a year old, there is new music in the works for a 2013 release.

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“We’ve been touring and writing nonstop,” Miller says during a recent interview. “We’re not ones to just sit and wait for the next thing.”

Miller says the new material is moving forward from the sound of “Reign of Terror.”

“Alexis and I have both grown a lot since recording the last album,” he explains. “There have been personal and professional changes. That’s something that has remained constant. There’s no sense in re-creating the wheel when we’re writing, but we’re also not going to stop the wheel in its tracks. We use our previous material as a blueprint of what to build off of. We want to continue and grow with each song and album.”

As far as writing material for “Reign of Terror,” Miller explains that there are songs that didn’t make the album. He says having more songs than the duo needed was a testament to the creative vibe between the two.

“We didn’t put restrictions or limitations on ourselves,” he explains. “We try not to do that in any sense. We are as original as we can be. Sure, we have our influences, but that’s only something that you can hear in our music.”

Miller says that they have barely just scratched the surface when it comes to ideas that the two produce.

“We’ve learned how to collaborate and trust each other when it comes to music,” he says. “While the first album was more of my record, we’ve developed our process to meet in the middle. She’s come up with some fantastic melodies and that helps because she’s always singing different hooks. With Alexis coming to the forefront more, I’ve gained trust in her and I find myself giving up more control.”

With the duo growing more comfortable with each other, Miller says that he’s been able to take risks and put himself out there more through his lyrics.

“I’ve noticed a change in my writing to where I’m getting more personal, and it seems to work and come together,” he says. “I know that with us being more open with ourselves, our fans are able to get to know us more. That’s what counts the most. We’re able to give our fans music and make that connection with them. We never thought that we’d have this kind of success because we do this because we love it.”