Renee McMahonI swapped a few notes with Moondoggies frontman Kevin Murphy last week in preview of the band’s co-headlining shows with the Maldives this weekend at the Tractor. Murphy gave me a heads up about what’s happening with the band’s third record, and follow up to their expansive sophomore album, Tidelands, in 2010. Here’s what we know so far:– The album will be released on Hardly Art, the Sub Pop subsidiary that released Tidelands and the band’s debut, Don’t Be a Stranger.– The band has 30 songs in consideration for the record.– They plan on finishing the record this year. But … “Don’t wanna rush this one like we’ve done before,” Murphy says.– Founding bassist Robert Terreberry is back in the fold after taking some time off. Jon Pontrello, a pedal-steel guitarist, who has a long, on-again off-again history with the band, is back in as well. And that’s it for now. If you’re hurting for some more Moondoggies, they’ve posted their December show at the Neptune to their web site. And you can download the whole thing for free. You can also, of course, check them out on Friday and Saturday at the Tractor.