The most useful thing to keep in mind when listening to Art Brut is that frontman Eddie Argos is an obsessive acolyte of Jonathan Richman Argos’ blatantly simple, Richman-like lyrics were the hallmark of Bang Bang Rock & Roll, the band’s 2005 debut. Backing up the words were rather expected guitar angularities and messy yet dance-floor-ready drums. On It’s A Bit Complicated (Downtown), Art Brut’s sophomore effort, the usual Britpop templates are augmented by soaring arena-rock solos and aw-shucks melodies reminiscent of tunes by Ian Dury or Nick Lowe. The lyrics are slightly more nuanced and, yes, complicated. Argos hasn’t lost his appetite for dry observational humor, but there are more profound intentions to his tales of love gone wrong, love that will go wrong very soon, drinking too much and dancing like crazy. Argos’ delivery is more than a little world-weary, yet it’s shot through with humor. Even the band’s most explosive dance number (“Direct Hit”) takes a moment to admit, “She can’t talk to members of the opposite sex/She starts to talk, they start to look perplexed.” And “St. Pauli” includes the rousing, tongue-in-cheek internationalist exhortation: “Punk rock ist nicht tot.” You have to wonder whether Argos really believes punk isn’t dead, but then you realize it informs everything he writes.

MAGNET spoke with Eddie Argos (no longer sporting his Fassbinder mustache, and looking the better for it) and the band’s two guitar players, Ian Catskilkin and Jasper Future.

If “Formed A Band” (from Bang Bang Rock & Roll) is to be believed, Art Brut just kind of fell together. Now that you’ve put out two records and played a lot of shows, what does this band mean to you after four years?
Catskilkin: It’s nice to have this breather after four years, to be playing new songs. We’ve changed and gotten more competent, but it’s been quite gradual. We’re popular in different parts of Europe as well as America, and it’s a fresh experience to come to each new country with the new songs.
Future: This tour we have a much fuller sound, we’re more dynamic, and we have brass on nearly everything.

I know that Eddie writes his lyrics separate from the musical composition. How does that work?
Argos: Yeah, I don’t play any instruments so I keep quiet.
Future: He’s got ideas about general subjects, and then we play the music and he gets more specific. We spent three weeks all together writing for this album, and came up with half the songs.
Catskilkin: Once we’ve put our parts together and Eddie’s come up with lyrics, everything just clicks and we come together.

Eddie, your writing seems to swing between the sardonic and the confessional. Is that a way of cutting whatever losses being so honest might leave you with?
Argos: I’ve always wanted to write songs that were conversational, like me and whoever’s listening were down at the pub having a discussion. With “Modern Art,” I got really intimate, and that’s a tough thing. But people have taken all the songs quite nicely, and through the songs being so direct, I’ve made quite a few new friends.

With so much success in the U.K. as an NME-approved phenomenon, how do you find your audiences relate to you? Are they there for the show or for the scene?
Argos: You know, it’s funny. These other bands get magazine coverage and it brings out an army of 17-year-olds just going nuts. But we’ve not had that, really. Everywhere we go, there’s young kids, but there’s also plenty of oldheads, people with Black Flag tattoos. Those bands who really want all those young kids in the audience, I don’t really get that. I’d like us to be somewhere in the middle, between Mojo or Q and the NME.

Eddie, I understand you’re a Jonathan Richman fan. How does that inform the music?
Argos: Oh yeah. I’m actually so excited; I thought I had all of Jonathan Richman’s records, but then I found out there’s this bootleg I’m missing, a tape called Songs For Laura. All the songs are like, “Hey Laura,” and he covers “Singin’ In The Rain,” which is brilliant. I certainly would like to hold myself in company with him. I want our songs to be conversational, to make mundane things exciting

Is it really just happenstance that you have songs on this album titled “Pump Up The Volume,” “I Will Survive,” “Jealous Guy” and, although it’s got one more ‘nag,’ “Nag Nag Nag Nag”?
Argos: I mean, it was not just having a joke. The song titles all did just seem to fit, like a happy accident, and this is pop music ... appreciation, but not a commentary in any way.

Although what you sing about is often very mundane or maybe even frivolous, it seems like it all comes from a kind of punk-rock ethos. Do you consider Art Brut to be a punk band?
Argos: I can see that. But listen, punk is just doing what you want to do, not caring either way. And I’m all for that, but bands who take the time to write manifestos? That all seems a bit contrived. I think what’s important and good and fun about being punk is coming together, not being too heavily influenced by outside opinion, being a bit of a dick and certainly there’s the freedom aspect.

You’re about to embark on a long tour. Are you excited or dreading it?
Argos: I love it. I’m home for two weeks and I can’t wait to get out there again.
Future: As we’ve gotten better it’s [become] more fun, and the response of audiences is a real thrill.
Catskilkin: We like showing off, and the thing about that is that no one will watch you jump around and freak out on a double-neck guitar if you’re playing it by yourself in your room.