A rock band can grow a lot in 13 years. No Doubt has changed members, sound and, except for guitarist Tom Dumont, hair colour.

Some bands turn success into a formula. No Doubt, on the other hand, used its commercial triumph as a springboard to try new things.

With sudden fame came internal problems. Only a group decision, and strong friendship, could keep things together.

The moment the world got smashed over the head with No Doubt's "Just a Girl" from 1996's Tragic Kingdom, it was widely assumed the band was an overnight sensation. Not exactly.

But the Southern California pop band instead opted to take its time and craft an album that not only showed how far it had come since its breakthrough LP, but how far it could go, said guitarist and co-songwriter Tom Dumont.

Is No Doubt a sure thing? The Orange County, Calif., pop band that ruled the airwaves with 1995's Tragic Kingdom will face a radically altered marketplace when it returns with Return of Saturn.

There's something different about the way ska-rockers No Doubt are going about recording the follow-up to their smash-selling Tragic Kingdom, and it's no mystery to guitarist Tom Dumont.

Being a rock guitarist is an iffy career choice at best, a one-way ticket to stardom or bust. It's no wonder Tom Dumont remembers clearly the day in March 1995 when he quit his real-world job.

After taking six months off from touring in support of their 13 million-selling breakthrough album Tragic Kingdom, ska-poppers No Doubt are preparing to enter the studio to record their next album, according to guitarist Tom Dumont.