It was four years between albums; what took you guys so long?
Well, we did come out with an EP called Night Train (2010), which we ended up spending a bit more time touring than we had anticipated. We thought we would just put out an EP and that would be it. Then we spent a year doing this record. But, you know, we wanted to have time to sort out our lives, as well. We have friends and families and it’s important to make time to see those people.

What in particular inspired Strangeland?
It’s definitely about the things we’ve been through. We’ve been growing up. We’ve been friends our whole lives and music has been something that’s been there throughout our lives. Obviously we all have experienced difficult things. Songs like “Silenced by the Night” and “On the Road” talk about being positive. And “Day Will Come,” as well, talks about those difficult points in your life that eventually pass. I think in a way, this is more personal than ever. “Sea Fog” is a song about those darker times in life when you just want to get swept away. And I don’t think many are brave enough to write songs about them. As for how it sounds, we took a long time playing the songs as a band in the studio and we really refined them, just making them as catchy as possible. It’s much more about the four of us in a room playing songs rather than the production trickery or extravagance of Perfect Symmetry (2008).

Do you feel any pressure from your fans when you release an album?
There’s always pressure, but I don’t think there’s been any more for this album than before. Maybe we’re more used to it now. We’re used to the idea that you just have to forget about everyone else and do what you think is best. And if people like it, that’s good. If they don’t, you know, it’s something we have to deal with. I don’t think you should make music to fit a certain market. Unless you’re one of the best pop music writers out there, people are going to realize that you are faking it. The music that we make is very much from the heart and I don’t think you can fake that. There is some cynical TV-based music out there that’s part of a factory trying to make money. But we feel like there’s one record in us and that’s the one we’re going to make.

What are your memories of Bangkok when you visited in 2006?
That was a pretty strange time. We were going through quite a lot of stuff, but I do remember the trip pretty clearly. I remember being taken to a temple complex and having an interesting time walking around there. We were driven around with a police escort. So that was pretty strange. I don’t know why. And then later in the day we just wandered off and got to see some of the city. It was a really good time. But the next few months were quite difficult. I guess we didn’t know what was coming at that point.

What are you looking forward to most this time?
I’m looking to reconnect with our fans out there. I always take my camera. I find that if I go out with my camera, I’m always going to find something interesting. And that’s really the thing I want to do: capture new memories in Bangkok.

What are your future plans?
We’re going to keep touring into next year and after that we’ll work on new songs. At some point we’ll get into the studio. I think it’s important that if you want to do this for a long time, you have to make room for, your life outside of the tour bus. We’ll take some time off at the end of next summer and see where we are. Right now we’re just enjoying the tour.