Billboard.com just dropped an info-rich update of all that’s happening in Hot Chip’s world and it’s like, a lot of stuff. We already knew about their cover of “Transmission” at the request of New Order, and their collaboration with Peter Gabriel on Peter Gabriel’s planned cover of the Peter Gabriel-referencing “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.” (Now that Vampire Weekend has used “feels so unnatural…” yet again, maybe Pete will start a collection of VW covers.) There’s more (remixes and solo albums and production side projects) but the best news is that they’re already six cuts deep into the writing process for the next album. For a preview, here’s a decent video grab of the new, Alexis-and-Joe sung, sentimental synth jam “Alley Cats,” live two nights ago at L.A.’s Wiltern Theater.

More stuff from that Billboard report: In a month, Hot Chip will release an album remixing Made In The Dark (dubbed Remade In The Dark, obvs), featuring three reworkings from Robert Wyatt (Hot Chip returned the favor by producing a song on Wyatt’s next LP). Also, lead Chipper Alexis Taylor has a solo LP titled Rubbed Out out in a few months on the Treader label. And finally, about that new Hot Chip record, Joe Goddard said:

Made in the Dark felt bold, but for me it was all over the place. This next one… won’t have an A-side and a b-Side. It will be much more mid-paced, like a Fleetwood Mac album.

Look out for that in early 2009.