After so much time spent with loud electric instruments, the next album will be all acoustic. Here's a picture of most of the instruments recorded so far. It's pretty classy except for the Pepto pink egg shaker.
While I technically can play all these instruments, I don't want to exaggerate--on some I barely hit the bar. But it still works for recording. In terms of song composition and arrangement, what it means is the songs and vocal expressions have to be that much stronger because the instrumentation itself is conservative. There won't be any spectacular electric guitar solos on this album. There won't be any effects dials cranked up to 11. It's pretty raw. Some of the best music is raw though, and that's going to be the point. This one is just about the songs.
It's a bit like being at a campfire with a bunch of musicians after the gig. All the effects pedals are gone. It's just music for the joy of it. When someone calls the right tune, the magic reveals itself in purest form.