It's been ten years since Cage the Elephant first appeared on the music radar.

The American psychedelic indie rockers have come a long way since then, releasing four albums, undergoing a line-up change and receiving a Grammy nomination for 2013 album Melophobia.

The band have now released Tell Me I'm Pretty, a record that replaces their almost scientific approach to songwriting on Melophobia with a quest to find a more stripped back, timeless sound.

Singer Matt Shultz said: "On Melophobia we put each song underneath a microscope. We'd structure a song and then we'd tear it apart, look at all the pieces and put it back together. We'd focus a lot on multi-tracking and what we could layer into it.

"However, this record's much more stripped down. It's got the same kind of intensity and focus but on different areas.

"We were really particular about trying to create a classic sound that couldn't really be pinned down to any specific time period and that could very much live in a contemporary kind of world."

The band have grown as musicians since starting out ten years ago but Matt says it's important that they don't try and put all of their tricks into each record.

He said: "The more you play, the better you can play your instruments. The difficulty then is to make sure the songs still feel natural and not forced. I think the danger is that you grow as a musician and then you overdo it and try to show your growth and how you can play rather than your songwriting. Our songwriting is about honesty and transparency and capturing the classic sound."

The new record has been praised for its candidly honest lyrics, a far cry from some of the band's early offerings which often put persona above all else.

However, a chance listening to Etta James' 'Almost Persuaded' made Matt rethink his lyrical approach.

He said: "When I was younger I put so much stock in persona and I think it weakened the content of the songs. There was this huge lure to cater to particular titles, like write a song to be perceived as artistic or poetic or rock 'n' roll and I think the most impactful songs are songs that are intentional and have a purpose that is cathartic rather than some kind of scheme to present yourself to the public.

"If I don't feel some kind of connection with what the song is about or it's not honest to myself then I just can't really feel convinced to perform it. I started to realise that through listening to other artists.

"I heard this Etta James song where she goes to a party and meets this guy, she starts falling for him and right before she kisses him she catches a reflection of her wedding ring. I was just blown away by the honesty of it because she's pouring her heart out and it's about adultery. A song like that lives in your heart and if you're hoping to reach people you should be writing songs like that."

Surprisingly, the rise of streaming services such as Spotify and the way they promote music to fans also influenced the record.

Matt said: "Something that I think was a catalyst to the inspiration behind the record was the streaming services that have emerged. On Spotify you can go to discovery mode and based on what you listen to it will start to filter and send you suggestions for groups it thinks you might like. Before an artist like Nina Simone would be considered archaic by some but now all of a sudden streaming services make it current. That raised a lot of questions for us about what is current and what's already living in the past."

After a decade together, Matt hopes that 2016 will give the band a chance to take stock of what they've achieved and use it to continue to grow and develop.

He said: "We've improved as musicians and the more you listen to, the more diverse your palate becomes.

"For us, Melophobia was an experience of really having to figure out what kind of writers we could be and then on this record it was more about shaping a sound in a much more controlled environment. Hopefully the next record will apply learnings from both, maybe it'll be a blend of the two."

The band are now preparing to play the QMU on February 16.

Matt said: "I don't know what will happen but every single show that we play we try to create an experience that is real.

"The Scottish crowds are great. It reminds me almost of a Nashville audience where people aren't afraid to enjoy themselves and be part of an experience without wondering how cool they look."

However, Matt says the band will always have a soft spot for King Tut's.

He said: "We played a show there and there was this chandelier. I was crowd surfing and I grabbed the chandelier and thought it would be a great idea to hang upside down for it. Just as I put all my weight on it, it broke from the ceiling and I fell. We still have the chandelier, they gave it to us."

Cage the Elephant will play Glasgow's QMU on February 16.