We Are Scientists are a band who are not afraid to take a few risks.

First making waves following the release of 'With Love and Squalor' 16 years ago, the US two-piece have become known for their unique brand of quirky indie rock, packed with humour, dance inducing guitar riffs and rousing choruses.

However, not content to rest on their laurels, the duo have decided on a change of direction for their fifth album, going all out pop.

"It was no accident," says bassist Chris Cain. "This was what we wanted to do on this record.

"It's definitely veering a little bit more towards pop than our previous records. The last record I think was a little cooler, a little more indie rock and the choruses were sometimes understated and just felt like another part of the song but this record is far more in line with pop's vision of a giant chorus that gives a big lift in the song."

The album exudes humour and charm, placing the band's rock sensibilities and tales of relationships in a glossier, pop wrapping.

It may seem like an unusual direction for the pair but it was former band member Max Hart who helped turn their desire to create a pop record into reality.

"I think a lot of it came from working with Max, who produced it for us and is also an old friend," says Chris. "Max was our keyboardist on our second record and then he went and joined Katy Perry's band so he has this really great pop sensibility. He brought a great glossiness to the keyboard and drum textures that I think fitted really well with these particular songs."

Despite releasing four albums that have made it into the UK charts and five top forty singles, Chris says that the band do not take anything for granted.

"I don't know what the key to our longevity has been," he says. "To be completely realistic that could cease to be the case at any time. It seems to me undeniably true that we could sit down to write the next album and all the songs that we write could just feel really tired and uninteresting and we might suddenly realise that we don't have anything that needs to be broadcast to the general public any more.

"The fact is that when we do get around to sitting down and writing songs, the stuff that we create still seems really cool and exciting to us and when we show it to our label they're excited too so we put the thing out. If at some point all our fans or our collaborators just say 'Man, you guys have lost it' that's going to be fine."

Beyond their pounding basslines and punchy guitar riffs, the group are also known for their humour, something which Chris says has helped him and frontman Keith Murray deal with their rise from 'hobby band' to rock darlings.

"We have always felt that there was something a little bit funny about being a rock star," says Chris. "That's probably a little bit of an overstatement for We Are Scientists, we're not playing stadiums or anything, but even playing in front of 500 or 1,000 kids and having them sing along to your songs, there's something very strange that we react to by laughing. I think some people react to it by feeling all powerful. Some people maybe just feel sincere gratitude and don't need to laugh about it. We find it humorous, not in a mocking way, just in a life is funny type of way."

It's a situation that Chris says the band did not initially expect to find themselves in.

"Music for us was always kind of a hobby in the early years" he says. "It was really just about hanging out with your friends in a basement and playing every couple of months and maybe managing to get a gig that some of your friends would come to and I think it would have been fine if it had stayed that way to be honest. I mean that's what music is for the majority of people who play and that's the most important way for music to exist, as a way for people to engage with their own emotions and their own daily lives.

"The same way that anyone should be able to sit down and write a private blog or something, I think it would be useful if everyone in the world could sit down with a guitar or piano and just sing about whatever's on their minds. It doesn't need to be performed in a field in front of 10,000 people to be useful. In fact I think that, while it's fun and exciting and serves it's own purpose, it's the less important aspect of what music is for folks."

The group are now preparing to showcases their new material with a show at Glasgow's Stag and Dagger Festival on May 1.

"As performers we are incredibly eager to please so we play all of our hits," Chris says. "We'll obviously be playing some music from the new record which is sounding amazing in rehearsals. I think these songs are going to sound absolutely massive live so I'm looking forward to dropping some jaws with these tunes.

"Scottish audiences are among the very finest of crowds. The fans usually exhibit the perfect combination of taste, drunkenness and recollection of your lyrics so they can sing along."

However, there's one other venue that the band will definitely visit during their trip to the city.

"Glasgow is one of our favourite towns to just have a day off in," says Chris. "It's a great walking town and there are great restaurants, pubs and museums. It's a hell of a town.

"We always, for better or worse, end up in Nice 'N' Sleazy's. It dates back to our first couple of trips to Glasgow. We played down there in the basement in the early days. I remember Gary from Snow Patrol taking us there to see Frightened Rabbit. He had kind of discovered them and had helped them get their first record put out. I remember going down there and seeing Frightened Rabbit and thinking 'this is a great band'. It's a great room for a certain sort of stage in a band's life so we will inevitably go to Nice 'N' Sleazy's, it's a good place to go."

We Are Scientists play the Stag and Dagger festival on Sunday, May 1.