Post-hardcore outfit Enter Shikari formed in Hertfordshire, England in 2003. Founded from the remnants of the group Hybryd, the line-up comprises of vocalist Rou Reynolds, guitarist Liam ‘Rory’ Clewlow, bassist Chris Batten, and drummer Rob Rolfe.

On The Spark, Rou’s lyrics find him at his most enlightened, honest and inspiring. And Shikari are still growing too, 18 years into a storied career. They’ve had the same line-up since they formed as schoolfriends in 1999 (under the name Hybryd), and have been working relentlessly ever since. “I don’t know if Enter Shikari would feel like Enter Shikari if one of us left or was replaced,” says Rou, overflowing with praise for his bandmates’ work on the record. “There’s just such a dynamic between the four of us.” It’s the dynamic of a great British band.

Shikari made their name on four hyper-ambitious, frenzied albums, ricocheting between genres – hardcore punk, drum’n’bass, garage, dubstep, grime – in a single song. This approach won them a clutch of Kerrang!, AIM and NME awards – but this time, Rou decided to switch the script. “I get so easily over-enthusiastic that I wake up one morning and I wanna write a symphony, then some obscure electronica; a choral piece, hardcore punk,” he says. “I find it hard to focus on one sound.” With The Spark, his intentions were clear: simplicity, melody, songcraft. “Not dampening the variety, but trying to write the best songs instead of trying to be the heaviest, the most technical, the most emotional.”

Shikari found their ideal producer in David Kosten. “I co-produced it with him,” says Rou. “I wanted someone that would help push us out of our comfort zone, understand the direction and give us confidence, and he encompassed all those things so well. Plus he had all the vintage 80s synths I was drooling over. He had so many ideas, it was perfect.”