While they continue work on their long-awaited follow-up to 2009's 'I and Love and You,' the Avett Brothers are on the road testing out new material -- although when they stopped by 'Conan' on Thursday (June 21), they decided to pull out an older song.

Rather than playing any of the newer songs they've been working into the set list (including 'The Once and Future Carpenter' or 'Winter in My Heart'), the band treated the audience to a performance of 'Murder in the City,' from 2008's 'The Second Gleam' EP, which also appeared on 2010's 'Live, Volume 3.'

Pretty much everyone expected the Avetts to have their new record out by now -- including the band, who told Rolling Stone last year that they expected to release it early this year. But in a recent interview with Urban Tulsa Weekly, Seth Avett explained the delay by saying, "There are just a lot of elements involved to getting this record out. Some of it is professional stuff and some of it is creative."

Continued Avett, "The reason this record has taken longer is more maturity on our part. Before, we would go in and record an album in a week and just pick a release date arbitrarily ... We didn't have anyone to notify, we could just put it out. Over time, though, our team has grown and there are more moving pieces and things to consider."

But the wait is almost over. "I can say the new record is finished," Avett went on to reveal. "The artwork is almost done and we've still got the mastering to do, so it's still in the final stages, but we're done with our part ... I'm really excited about the new record and anxious to get it out -- hopefully within the next three months."

Watch the Avett Brothers Perform 'Murder in the City'

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