Chicks duo records as Court Yard Hounds

"Emily and I had the itch," Maguire told Rolling Stone, "and every time we'd call Natalie (Maines, the Chick's lead singer) and say 'are you ready?' she wasn't ready. She wanted a clear-cut break."

The music was mainly recorded at Maguire's home studio in Austin. Labeled an "intimate pop-folk album" by Rolling Stone the disc features Robison on lead vocals for the first time. Songs were inspired by her recent divorce from Charlie Robison. "When Natalie's singing a song, it has to strike a chord with her," Robison said. "These songs are very personal."

Jakob Dylan sang on See You in the Spring. The duo will debut their new band at South by Southwest in March with a tour to follow.

The group's name is a reference to the best-selling novel "City of Thieves."

The Chicks have not disbanded, according to the story. They also said they see little of Maines, who lives in Los Angeles. "I'm hoping she'll come out to one of our shows," Maguire said. "Maybe it'll inspire her to want to do music again."