Ahead of their upcoming fourth album, British India are back on the road, bringing a new, heavier sound with them.

And for the four Melbourne lads, life right now is just one big party. Vocalist Declan Melia says the opportunity to tour is one they'll never reject, evident in a recent string of rural shows, in some offbeat locations. “At the moment it’s just playing where we can and the places we missed on the last tour. It's been a pretty fun few weeks doing Hobart and rural Victoria and some mining towns in WA, so at the moment for us it's just doing these strange live shows.”

The band will hit Brisbane and the Gold Coast later this month. “It's still so exciting for us just to be on stage and playing the songs. I mean the show’s just a party, that's what it's always been for us.”

A recent stint in the recording studio has seen a change in direction for the band, introducing a heavier side to their otherwise upbeat garage rock sound. “The music industry just started taking itself too seriously so I think we were kind of more interested in producing the more celebratory sound.”

The time in the studio has lead to a more eclectic mix then the album’s predecessor, 'Avalanche', but Declan says fans have enjoyed the new material so far.  “We're known for being a live band, I think, with funkier side shows and pub shows, so that's certainly not something we're going to mess around with.”

That's not to say they're not messing around elsewhere, and having fun with the process as they go. “I'm eating Jelly Belly’s, but about one in seven of them is just awful, and we were wondering if anyone actually likes the bad ones, or if they intentionally manufacture them to make the good ones look good?”

A possible philosophical dilemma for the otherwise down to earth group? “It's just a strange world we live in; appreciate the oddness of it all. That's as philosophical as I'll get. The best way to appreciate that oddness is to pay 30 dollars and see British India!”

British India play Elsewhere Friday April 13 and The Zoo Saturday April 14.