Ladytron first came to prominence over a decade ago during the electroclash fad. Unlike some of their early peers (remember Fischerspooner? Me neither), the four piece are still going strong, releasing a greatest hits compilation earlier this year. Their fifth album Gravity the Seducer is out on 12 September in the UK and 13 September in the US on Nettwerk. the girls are recently caught up with Helen Marnie, one of the band’s dual lead vocalists, to talk about the new record.

So what should fans expect from the new record Gravity the Seducer?
Gravity is quite different to any of our previous albums. It flows from start to finish, like a tapestry of themes weaving into one another. We never like to create the same thing twice. It needs to reflect where you are in your life, incorporating events, changes. Nothing ever stays the same. We need to progress as a band otherwise it would just become stale. Gravity is more lush and ethereal than anything we’ve done before.

What’s the meaning behind the enigmatic title?
People often think there is some deep thinking behind our album titles. I mean, we do put a lot of thought into it, but generally our titles have come from a song lyric. Gravity the Seducer lyric features in the song ’90 Degrees’ and we all agreed the title encompassed the album as a whole. Thematically it just made sense.

There seems to be a bit of a flying theme with the title, cover and ‘Altitude Blues’; was touring much of an inspiration?
Yes, flying, gravity, elevation, levitation, optical illusions, heaven and earth, are all there on the record rolling into one another. With the cover we wanted something that encapsulated the themes of the album. Neil Krug has done an amazing job for us. He’s so talented. He’s managed to create a cover that takes you into a different world. Because we all write, inspiration is pretty personal and comes from many angles. Myself, touring itself is not a particular inspiration when writing though perhaps my fear of flying plays a part. Inspiration goes deeper than that. The things that impact you most serve as inspiration and they tend to be very close to the heart.

You’ve said this album is quite cinematic; what kind of films do you envision Gravity the Seducer soundtracking?
Hmmm. It’s always great when someone wants to use your track on a film. I like the soundtrack to films such as The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, along with In The Mood For Love and 2046. Something along those lines would be great. Ideally though we would create music specifically for a film. It would be amazing to write for particular scenes with motifs returning at points throughout and being embellished upon. Obviously, with a studio album you aim for each track to be different.

It’s safe to say that magic is a bit of a long-running touching point (Light & Magic,Witching Hour) for Ladytron lyrically, and now with the new album we have the instrumental ‘Ritual’. What is that appeals about the supernatural?
Yes, I think the supernatural is so intriguing. It’s basically the unknown, and that to me is particularly exciting but also equally alarming. Also, its great to try and represent the real world in a more enticing way. A world that people want to discover. There is so much beauty out there and we often present that through our lyrics and music. Magicians freak me out. There is no place for magicians in my heart. Magic, in a different sense of the word, happens all the time.

Do we detect a bit of a 60s influence on this record? Were you listening to any particular records when you were making the album?
I think if you listen to all our previous albums you can hear the 60s influence. Going back to 604, it was there then and it still is now. Songwriting then was so classic. One of our favourite records is ‘Nothing But A Heartache’ by The Flirtations. You can’t really beat it.

You’ve been around for well over a decade, what’s kept you all together for so long? Any desires for solo or side projects?
Yes, we’ve have a great 11 years or so together. We’ve managed it by being respectful of one another and getting our own space when we needed it. Being on the road for long periods of time with 10 or so people is a very unnatural environment to be in, and one that does take it’s toll. Knowing when to take a step back is key. Before making Gravity The Seducer we had some much needed time off. We’ve done some touring throughout the summer and will be going on the road in North America as of mid Sept. Come Christmas time we will again need to retreat for our own sanity. With regards to side projects, we’ve all got stuff we’d like to do in varying fields of music, photography, film and fashion. We just want to keep it interesting.

You’ve said in the past that as a band you feel quite out of step with both electronic and indie scenes; is that still the case when you play larger festivals?
It’s not that we feel out of step, it’s just we don’t really feel we belong. Festivals are usually fun to play, whether they’re big or small. Usually though i only know a few names on the bill!

And lastly, where are you touring for this record?
First stop is Mexico, then onto the rest of North America. In November we have some South American dates lined up including Brazil. Looking forward to them.

Emily Manuel