Just as fans have come to accept Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo as producers under the guise of the Neptunes, and as a part of a freestyle rock band called N.E.R.D., they may have to get used to an entirely new identity for the songwriting tandem.

Pharrell recently implied that the moniker they've made famous with innumerable hits for the likes of Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z and Britney Spears might be changing.

"We can't really talk about it because you're going into a land of, um, yet-to-be-determined information," he said in typically evasive fashion.

Pharrell was asked about the two songs he and Chad recently produced for Gwen Stefani's upcoming solo debut (see [article id="1485633"]"Gwen Stefani Warns, 'Watch Out' For Solo LP, Summer Single"[/article]). "Yes, we did work with her, but no, it wasn't the Neptunes," he tried to explain. "Yes, it was Pharrell and Chad. There were no other producers there, but it wasn't the Neptunes."

When pressed further, Pharrell stressed, "It's not the name, it's the music [that matters]. You appreciate the respect you get from the name and the connotation behind the name, but where did the connotation come from? The music. And that's what's most important to us. That's why the Neptunes didn't work with Gwen Stefani. Pharrell and Chad did. But under some other pretenses? I don't know. It was definitely all about the exploration of sound, though. The exploration of sound. The exploration of sound."

In a more tangible way, Pharrell, Chad and their old friend, Shay, certainly alter their sound on N.E.R.D.'s Fly or Die album. Due March 23, the group's second effort takes on the distinctive feel of 1970s-style pop-rock in the vein of Steely Dan, E.L.O. and Hall & Oates -- with punk attitude, hip-hop bravado and a touch of schmaltzy ballads.

"It's like a playground for us," Chad said. "We're not really trying to be anything. We're not really rock or hip-hop. We don't want to be labeled. Just making music we feel. Hip-hop and classic rock. Everything from every musical genre interpreted our own way."

Added Pharrell, "We don't expect to sell tons of records with this. We mainly just made this record for us and all the people we run with -- the underdogs."

Many of the songs on Fly or Die deal with issues that face adolescents -- rebellion, parental pressure, life decisions. Pharrell agreed it was an undercurrent of the album.

"It's important to just express yourself and not necessarily point the finger and preach," he said. "That's the problem with the relationships between kids and parents. Sometimes a kid just wants to be shown and not preached to and parents have to understand that. There's a lot of outlets for kids that weren't there for you when you were children. These days, kids don't have to turn to drugs when they don't want to listen to their parents -- there's so many things, and we're just trying to make the parents and the kids all at once aware that life is precious."

One song, "Chariot of Fire," is about a teenage fan named Mildred, who Pharrell said is the group's most ardent supporter. She was diagnosed with cancer, and Pharrell wrote the song for her as a tribute. He promised her he wouldn't say her name but slips between calling her "Mildred" and "Music" within the song's lyrics. Since they wrote the song, her cancer has been in remission, Pharrell said.

Meanwhile, N.E.R.D. are leaning toward the song "Breakout" as the next single.

Track list for Fly or Die, according to a Virgin spokesperson:

• "Don't Worry 'Bout It"
• "Fly or Die"
• "Jump"
• "Backseat Love"
• "She Wants to Move"
• "Breakout"
• "A Wonderful Place"
• "I Was Waiting for You"
• "Drill Sergeant"
• "Thrasher"
• "Maybe"
• "The Way She Dances"
• "Chariot of Fire"