The new album is the Cardiff group's biggest and boldest yet, moving far away from their pop-punk roots.

And the diverse sound was chiefly a result of the guys going back to some old favourites.

"On a track like The Florist, the brass on there makes the whole song change," says singer Aled Phillips, in a thick Welsh brogue.

"There's a Motown feel on it, which is something that Iain Mahanty (the band's guitarist) and I wgrew up listening to. It's borrowing from our childhood, and all the music that shaped us.

"The song Fire has a sax solo, so we were indulging ourselves a lot, which was really refreshing and a new way for us to work."

Fire's saxophone solo isn't the only thing of note about it, given that it sounds familiar to Michael Jackson's classic foot-stomper Dirty Diana. And Aled admits the Jacko comparison is fair enough.

"In Fire's original form, it didn't sound like Michael Jackson a lot," he argues.

"But when it got stripped back, what was left was a bass line that made it a bit more obvious. We're calling it a homage!"

All these inspirations are quite different from their beginnings. Named after a lyric in a song by cult American group Glassjaw, the band's debut album Smart Casual was heavy on catchy pop-punk, while second album Dirt, which featured a guest appearance by Saturdays beauty Frankie Sandford, saw the band's sound become more varied.

In Gold Blood goes even further in that direction and Aled knows not all fans will be keen to follow them.

"We'd be a bit foolish if we didn't expect that some of our fans might not go along with this," he says.

"There was a lot of preconceived notions about what the album would sound like, but maybe there's people who didn't like us before, who now do. There's been people who've been so encouraging about it, and come with us – there's so many positives from it."

And Aled feels that the record showcases how the group's ambition has grown over the years.

"The way we recorded it lends itself to bigger songs," he says.

"We used to record with just drums, bass and guitars and it was just pop we were writing.

"Now it's a bit more expansive with our instruments, so it sounds a bit fuller, a bit more organic, and that in turn makes the songs a bit more anthemic."

Those anthems will be heard at the ABC tonight, the quintet's biggest headline date yet. Although the show has been downgraded from the Barrowland,

Aled believes that the five-piece's live performances can surprise people.

"Live, even our first album songs were a lot more hard-hitting," he says.

"It might take people back a bit, because they'll think we were poppy and then come see us live, and we'll be a lot harder. This time it'll be fun, we'll recreate those textures that were a lot easier to recreate in the studio, because you've got time and lots more instruments."

And he doesn't believe that stepping up to larger venues will cause any difficulties.

"We don't really feel the pressure live, because we can only play to the best of our ability and hope that people have a good time," he muses.

"I think we're now better as a live band than before. The songs sound so much better live than the old stuff – I think if people come to see us, they will be impressed."

- Kids In Glass Houses, tonight, ABC, £13, 6.30pm.

Kids In Glass Houses play at the ABC tonight at 6.30pm, tickets cost £13