Hard-Fi defend album cover decision

Hard-Fi frontman Richard Archer has insisted that he doesn't regret the group's attack on album cover artwork.

The cover of the band's second album Once Upon a Time in the West only contains the title and the words "No cover art" in block lettering. They recently claimed that the lack of artwork is an attempt to make a statement about the decreasing importance of the physical release, but their decision has been criticised by some.

"We agonise over our artwork because it means a lot to us. We didn't do this lightly," Rich told the Daily Star. "If you want the same old boring rubbish then go and have it. What was the last sleeve to have created this much argument?

"You see CDs in shops with the air-brushed girl with her cleavage all hoiked up, or an indie band in big coats in a black and white picture trying to look all serious - then you see our cover and we're not playing that game. That's a record company tactic to sell records because they don't want to spend any money or have any imagination to do any decent artwork."

Once Upon a Time in the West is released on September 3.