In an unusual twist, one of my favourite bands from last year - Alphabeat - have split with their record label, EMI.

This is a brave move, especially when you consider they're on the verge of recording the follow-up to the highly successful This Is Alphabeat.

The rumour mill went into overdrive, with most people suggesting that the band had been dropped by their record label. In a blog post clarifying their position, the band say it was the other way round:

You may have read rumours about us being dropped by EMI on several blogs in the last couple of weeks. Have we been dropped? Nope ... But before X-Mas we had the opportunity to leave - and we did.

We (this means us - Alphabeat) sat down round a table before we went on X-Mas holiday and decided that we needed a change before starting recording our new album ... and one of the major changes would be a new label !

We're back in the UK and we're happy to say that we're signing with a new label as we speak

If you're a fan of the band, you'll be glad to read that last sentence - they're signing with someone else. So you will get your delivery of upbeat, fun 80's themed music this year! Hooray!