We know we’re really late on this record,” laughs Doves’ lead singer and drummer, Andy Williams, stating the bleedin’ obvious. ”We realise that.”

On route to the studio to prepare for Doves’ first gig in four years, the 38-year-old’s laid-back charm goes some way to explaining why Doves have been away so long.

“Two and a half years in, questions were being asked and our attitude is ‘it’s finished when it’s finished’ really,” he continues. “We tried to cut off from outside influences and all the questions that were being asked but no one was more aware than us as to how late we were.

“The record just had to be right though, because it is a document that will be there for years to come. People aren’t gonna remember that it was late in a few years time, so it was worth taking our time really.”

If you’re reading this interview expecting a definitive answer to the question, “where the f**k have Doves been for the last four years?” I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed.

Because the fact is that Doves never split up, nor did they really take any great time off, nor – even - did they get strung out on smack and get holed-up in rehab for a couple of years. The truth – put simply – is that this, their fourth album, really has just taken bloody ages to make. Boring, yes, but true.

“We wrote the songs over a period of about three years,” says Andy. “We finished touring sort of December ‘05 and then we had like three months off because we were just exhausted from touring and stuff.

“It had been pretty much non-stop for like eight years before that. And then since April 06 we’ve literally just been in the studio doing the album for three years.

“We’ve been quite military in the studio really. We try not to slack because when we do we tend to take too long off. We’ve been kind of workaholics really. I kind of wish we were one of those bands that could do things really quickly, but with us each record kind of feels like a bit of a struggle just to get the songs that all three of us are happy with.”

Anyone familiar with their sound will understand how making a Doves record might be a painstaking process. Their first album, 2000’s Lost Souls, was a brilliantly brooding, atmospheric affair, heavy on layers, textures, strings and effects; and with each song laden with slow, building intros and soaring choruses. Their next two, 2002’s The Last Broadcast, and 2005’s Some Cities, were equally refined, though – perhaps as a result of the commercial success of Lost Souls – felt like they were going in a slightly more chart-friendly direction than the debut.

All three were universally adored by the critics - with the first two being nominated for the Mercury Prize – making Doves the kind of post Brit-pop, infinitely more sophisticated cousins of fellow Mancs of Oasis, that it was okay to like if you read The Guardian.

Their next album, Kingdom Of Rust, is out in April and promises to be more of the same. Lead track, ‘Jetstream’ (already offered as a free download on the band’s MySpace site) is a good indicator of what’s to come and Williams says the album is the best thing the band have done – it should be, it took long enough.

“It took a long time getting the songs together,” I’m told. “We had 40 or 50 songs for this record, so it was hard getting the right ones and the right direction. We’re really chuffed with it though. We’re at that last stage now. At the end of last year we got the right songs so they would fit together and it would be cohesive. When we put the songs together and we thought it really sounded like an album and we thought it sounded really strong.

“It’s different from the last record, but it’s us you know. It’s Doves. It’s always gonna sound like us, but there’s new territory on this record. There’s new sonics you know. It’s definitely a different record from the last one without a doubt.”

Kingdom Of Rust was recorded in a purpose-made studio in a converted barn in Cheshire, which the band have built themselves.

Williams tells me they felt they needed a base for this record and once the studio was built, all the writing, recording and production was done just there.

The band has a strong background in dance music. Before forming Doves they were in the dance collective Sub Sub which had a hit with ‘Aint No Love (‘Aint No Use)’ in the early nineties and this history – combined with their continued passion for all forms of dance music - is something that still resonates in their writing and recording techniques.
“For us it’s never just enough to have a bass, guitar and drums,” says Andy. “I suppose with our background and stuff we’re always looking to experiment and try and create a bit more of a sonic soundscape.

“For us we always feel like you need to be able to get lost in the sound of the music, you know. So we find all those kinds of dance sounds quite interesting. And although we don’t really make dance music, the ethos of it and the hypnotizing quality is still something that is really key to our music.

“We were very involved in the early dance scene in Manchester. They were really good times. You could sense something was really happening. To be honest it was really the American dance music that got everyone really excited.
“All those bands like The Mondays and The Stone Roses, they were going out and listening to American dance music and I think that’s something that really gets forgotten really. They were really good times though, and it definitely informs what we do now.”

Along with the release of the new album comes a new tour. The band has announced a string of dates in March, April and May and it’ll be the first time they’ve played to an audience in nearly four years.

So then, are they nervous? “We can’t wait,” says Williams. “Can’t wait to get out there really. It’s been far too long. It’s gonna be weird being out in front of people, definitely. We pretty much play together in the studio all the time so playing together won’t be weird, but as far as playing to an audience goes it’s gonna be weird. It’s gonna be good though. We really can’t wait.”

That’s good… Because , frankly, neither can we.

Doves play HMV Forum on 19 March. For ticket information call
020 7284 1001.