Taking a break from the studio to talk to Hot Press, Danny O'Donoghue of The Script revealed the Dublin trio's plans for their next long-playing release.
According to the vocalist (and former Voice UK coach), it will see the chart stars leave the more overtly hip-hop and mainstream sounds of 3 for a "singer-songwriter" approach.
"We've enjoyed the journey we've been on musically," O'Donoghue says."Each album has progressed and grown. The first album was very eclectic, very homegrown. With the second one, we'd been on tour for a year, so we were like, 'we need songs that fill stadiums!' So we were writing the 'For The First Time's – big guitar, poppy, anthemic songs.
"Then the third album, we were not 'overexposed', but with me being on The Voice UK, there was a call for us to go 'mainstream'. It feels now like we've done that. We feel like we want to go back."
That means no rapping and minimal hip hop beats.
"It's like a prequel to the first album," Danny continues. "Like the album that should have come out before the very first Script album. It's really nice. It's a lot more stripped back."
O'Donoghue says the band are enjoying playing against the prevailing currents in pop music.
"Against the background of what I class as the shite that's out right now, it's really refreshing. It's not anything different, we just picked up a guitar and played it. But against the backdrop of so much dance and electronic music? A little bit of live, a little bit of air, a little bit of magic in the room, can really set it apart. That's where we are with the album."
In terms of a release date, O'Donoghue says that it will come after their forthcoming America dates. The band have been invited to open for One Republic across the US.
"We've got a great opportunity to put a massive dint in America like we never have before. Our album went so high there, number three, incredible! We now have the backing of one of the biggest bands that are kicking around over there. It's like direct marketing – if you ever put our name into iTunes, you always see 'people have also searched for': Killers, One Republic, Coldplay."
The arena tour kicks off in Denver in late May and wraps up in Florida in August. After that, all systems are go.
"More than likely, fingers crossed, it'll be this year. Sometime after summer – I think we'd be fools not to capitalise on the tour in America. Then subsequently come back here and start touring the new record, playing what we think should be the singles from the new album."

Danny O'Donoghue was speaking to Craig Fitzpatrick for the forthcoming Hot Press, on sale Thursday March 6. Pick up the issue for his reaction to The Script being named Best Live Act in the HP Readers' Poll and his memories of their recent live dates.