When it comes to lyrical content, British Sea Power (BSP) are a band who like to eschew tried and tested themes.
Songs of youthful rebellion and unrequited love may litter the set lists of most indie groups but BSP have made their name by singing songs in praise of coastal shelves, mass immigration and Dostoyevsky.
If you head to their headline New Slang gig next Thursday you'll get a sneak preview of the next set of off-kilter delights they have in store for us as they preview tracks from their forthcoming album.
The band's guitarist, Martin Noble, says: “We are at the tail end of recording the new record and we've got a load of new songs that we need to start rehearsing, including a surreal one that features Nikita Khrushchev, Rick Stein and Wurzel Gummidge.
“We thought this Kingston gig and an NME one we are doing would be a good opportunity to give them a run out - we'll be playing about four of them.”
According to Noble, the new album will be in the shops in July, just after the World Cup, and the band have considered naming the record after the tournament - although the title, The Return of the Gender Benders, is currently looking the favourite.
The record will be BSP's fifth LP (including 2008's Mercury prize nominated, Do You Like Rock Music?) and the band have seen themselves settle into a comfortable niche that has gained them a loyal fanbase, critical praise and a chance to plough their own singular furrow.
Last year they recorded a soundtrack to Man of Aran, a fictional documentary filmed in 1934 about life on the islands of Aran, off the west coast of Ireland, and Noble says that experience has has had a big impact on how the new album has shaped up.
“Last year we rented a farmhouse and moved all our equipment in there,” he adds. “The first thing we did after moving in was the Man of Aran soundtrack and it allowed us to write songs that didn't have to stick to a verse-chorus format - we could be a bit more expansive. Some of that style has definitely creeped into the new record There are elements of glam and kraut rock in there too, but it is still pretty distinctly a BSP album.”
British Sea Power, New Slang @ Hippodrome, Kingston, February 11, £5, 9pm, banquetrecords.com
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