Remember Beth Ditto? Her indie band Gossip is back with a new album

There was a time when Gossip performed at Berlin's techno stronghold Berghain.

That was before the US punk indie band it entered a period of mainstream success that saw them shoot to worldwide fame thanks to hits like "Heavy Cross."

Now, singer Beth Ditto, guitarist Nathan Howdeshell and drummer Hannah Blilie are back in Berlin to promote their new album, more than a decade after they last released a record and some 7 years after they broke up in 2016.

"Real Power" is Gossip's sixth album and set for release on March 22, and the newly reunited trio have embarked on a heavy promo marathon, including back to the German capital.

"Well, come on. Berlin's really fun, let's be honest," Ditto told dpa at Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie art museum. Sporting a white-and-lilac knitwear dress over a black polka-dot tulle blouse alongside her trademark orange hair, the iconic singer fits right in among all the 21st century artwork.

"Real Power" includes 11 new songs and the name says it all. The record opens with "Act of God," a wonderful soul hymn, oscillating between rough punk and melodic Motown, with Ditto roaring on about losing control, faith in God and life.

The exquisitely versatile sound of the record is largely the brainchild of guitarist Nathan Howdeshell. "I trust his taste implicitly, and I trust that he'll say yes or no at the right time," says Ditto about her long-time band mate and co-founder of Gossip. "And to me, that's the most important thing."

Ditto and Howdeshell go all the way back to their teenage days in Arkansas, while Blilie joined later.

Star producer Rick Rubin was another driving force behind Gossip's new album, after he helped the band to break through in 2009 with "Music for Men." The record's first song, "Heavy Cross" was particularly successful in Germany where it spend almost two consecutive years in the top 100.

"Real Power" was produced at Rubin's studio in Hawaii over the past years, and unlike the band's previous record "A Joyful Noise," released in 2012, the new songs are a testiment again to Gossip's grasp on the genre spectrum.

"Real Power" marks a departure from the poppy beats of its predecessor and largely hits more sedate notes, even trying on ballads.

Stylistically, the record is full of different gems, including the magnificent "Tell Me Something" with a mix of deep, droning industrial elements, classical piano, light percussion and Ditto's powerful soul voice. In "Don't Be Afraid", on the other hand, the singer's dominance is showcased between a sprinkling of 80s keyboard.

Gossip was founded in Olympia, Oregon, in 1999 and the band's first albums are garage rock and riot punk. Their third record, "Standing in the Way of Control" released in 2006, heralds their ascent to the mainstream, and the band begins to see widespread success, particularly in Europe.

Ditto, now 43, quickly became an LGBTQI icon, and "Standing in the Way of Control" is considered an anthem for the protection of same sex marriage in America.

To date, Gossip has sold more than 10 million records worldwide, according to the band's label. When the group disbanded in 2016, there hadn't been any drama in the lead-up to that decision, Ditto said at the time.

And it looks like their comeback has been just as undramatic.

"There was not a hesitation, especially between me and Nathan," Ditto says. "[People in any relationships] understand that you need space, and you understand that they need space, and they understand that you're not the same person you were 13 years ago and vice versa," she adds.

"There's a simplicity in gossip that's just like, what I really love. There's not a lot of talking about our goals or what we want or what we don't want. It just happens."

Gossip's new album, "Real Power," is out March 22 and the band is scheduled to play concerts across Europe all summer.