‘Keeping The Peace’, the second album from London-based quartet Arthur Beatrice, is a bold and radiant pop record. But it wasn’t until they started writing it that they would realise quite what a radical change – both emotionally and creatively – it would represent for them.

“Every single part of the process of making this album was deliberately more direct,” says Orlando Leopard, multi-instrumentalist and self-confessed studio shut-in. “We didn’t want to hide behind guarded lyrics or have a million things going on musically. We wanted to say something straight to our audience – with our lyrics, with our performance, with the production – so people can make an immediate connection with it.”

The physical reflection of this new clarity comes in the form of Ella Girardot, now the lone voice and sole front person of the band. On Arthur Beatrice’s last album, Ella and Orlando shared vocal duties – the band’s name a reflection of this male/female duality. “We were totally isolated when we wrote our first record,” she says. “That breeds a kind of perfectionism. But with this album, we just wanted to let go of that.”

Arthur Beatrice will release ‘Keeping The Peace’ 20.05.16