Backstreet Boys plan a comeback

Five years after the Backstreet Boys put out one of the fastest-selling albums in pop history, the quintet is preparing to reenter the arena with a new release.

The untitled effort, due in June, is said to have a more mature sound than when the group was fighting rival boy band ‘NSync for supremacy in the teen pop sweepstakes, a contest that’s since lost much of its steam at retail and on radio.

“We wanted to make sure this album would give us a shot again to be around for the long haul so people will realize that we’re not, hopefully, a flash in the pan in their eyes,” group member Howie Dorough told Billboard recently. The Boys have been working with producers including John Shanks, Billy Mann, the Underdogs and Max Martin on the successor to “Black and Blue,” which sold 1.6 million copies its first week in stores.

The group is slated to do a series of shows in U.S. clubs, starting March 24.