Mystery Jets: 'Reluctant' pop stars

Mystery Jets release their third album in July

Back in 2006, on the foot of the NME Awards tour bill alongside Maximo Park and Arctic Monkeys, Mystery Jets looked like outsiders.

A rag-tag bunch of unkempt misfits from London's Eel Pie Island thwacking kitchen colanders and singing about zoos - no one knew quite knew how to box them.

Above all that, the lead singer's 55-year-old dad was in the band.

Fast-track five years though and Mystery Jets are, for all intents and purposes, an almost completely different band.

"We didn't start off as a pop band," says affable lead singer Blaine Harrison shrugging his shoulders. "It just happened. We're quite a reluctant pop band."

'Killed the 80s'

Indeed, it did happen. The gap the foursome (Henry, Blaine's Dad, sometimes still contributes) jumped between their 2006 debut Making Dens and 2008 return Twenty-One was huge.

A brave move, which saw them transform from mottled indie band to sleek 80s-referencing pop-pirates.

Mystery Jets play a number of UK festivals this summer

New album Serotonin - named after the naturally occurring chemical that controls emotions in the brain - takes their journey another step on.

"We've killed the 80s - we've done it," says drummer Kapil Trivedi. "We've been there."

"We didn't want to make an album what was as referential as people seemed to say the last one was," says Harrison.

"It's quite a definitive Mystery Jets album. I think the influences come more from guitar bands on this album rather than the last record.

"On our part we were listening to a lot of Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp, ELO. I guess 70s bands."

Secret tour

This time out the band shook up their own recording habits by assuming a new identity, packing their bags and road-testing new material in Europe.

"We did a tour under the pseudonym Crystal Wolf Hunters in Germany," explains the singer. "In people's basements and in little coffee shops."

With any creases in the songs ironed out they hit the studio back in London to begin laying down their third album.

Blaine Harrison says Serotonin is a 'definitive' album for the band

"We knew which bits would make people move and which bits you'd stop and be quiet and listen to."

But their new way of doing things didn't stop there - while they were making the album they invited journalists and friends inside the studio to listen and critique. An unusual step.

"In the past we've always been quite private about that kind of stuff there were people coming in and having a listen and giving feedback," says Harrison.

'Cereal' inspiration

Feedback so far, unsurprisingly, has been a broad thumbs up with many noting they've nailed the pop formula they've been tirelessly working towards.

"It's difficult to sit down and say, 'Right I'm going to write a pop song'," explains Harrison, contemplating the process.

"What you tend to find happens is you wait around for weeks and weeks and one comes out of nowhere.

"It comes from something you read on the back of a cereal packet. Sitting around and trying to force something which makes it feel laborious.

"There's a real art to it. The secret to pop music is really just leaving stuff out."

The future

All of which means the band are feeling confident heading towards the release, or "pregnancy", of their new album.

"The way one of us described it the other day was 'like having contractions'," laughs Harrison. "We will be birthing it soon."

"With the album any premonitions we had about them seemed to have been fulfilled," he states.

"I always had this image of listening to this record whilst looking out of the window of a plane and it sounding really good at that altitude.

"I need to road test it now. Maybe charter a little 12-seater or something…

"In my dreams I'm flying a plane and it sounds good."

Right now, Mystery Jets are flying high.

Serotonin will be released on 5 July.