The Sherlocks signal "smoother" sound for second album Under Your Sky

Fresh from playing Live at Leeds and supporting the Kaiser Chiefs at their huge Elland Road gig two weeks ago, the Bolton-on-Dearne band of brothers have revealed details of their follow-up to the enthusiastically-received Live for the Moment.

Under Your Sky will be out on October 4 and aims to build on the momentum that has secured The Sherlocks supporting slots with Liam Gallagher and paved the way to international festival bookings and a fan frenzy in Japan.

And it will see the trappings of youth — nights out, fights, hangovers and heartbreak — that were celebrated and commemorated on ...Moment elbowed aside for more mature reflections on the band’s experiences and a less rough-and-ready sound. 

At least, that’s singer Kiaran Crook’s take on things: “The first album was us four in a room.

“We wanted to make it really raw like the Arctic Monkeys’ first album or Kings Of Leon’s. “We wanted to capture the live sound and polish it up a bit. 

“With this one we’ve taken it a step further and made it slightly smoother and put more keyboards in. 

“Rather than having the guitars thrashing all the time we’ve tried being a bit sweeter with it. 

“It sounds more contemporary — I can hear it on Radio 1.”

The official word on their new approach is “worldly songs with one eye cast homeward”, as reflected by the album’s lead single NYC (Sing It Loud), which was inspired by the band’s first American tour.

“I was blown away by the place,” says Kiaran, a former Wath Comprehensive student.

“The other side was wishing certain people could be there to see it with me. 

“When you know people are at home and you’re having such a good time, you think: ‘If you could see what I'm seeing...’” 

A stormy festival weekend, a casual romantic encounter and the ambitions lost to people doing McJobs have all inspired songs, as have Crook’s musics on life back home.

This time around, The Sherlocks — completed by Kiaran’ s brother Brandon on drums and the Davidson siblings Josh (guitar) and Andy (bass) — have opted for a more structured recording process than they had with their debut.

They spent four weeks working Monday to Friday at Liverpool’s Parr Street Studios, with The Coral’s James Skelly producing.

The result is aimed at being tighter, brighter and ultra-modern, benefiting from Skelly’s knack for focusing on a killer chorus and smattered with stylistic swerves into new wave, ‘80s textures and all-out feedback. 

Think The Killers or The Cars. Could this be the release that turns The Sherlocks from stadium support to headliners in their own right?

You’ll be able to judge Under Your Sky for yourself on October 4 (pre-order is open now) and see how it shapes up live at Sheffield’s O2 Academy on November 2.