Tom Stearn, former singer with Admiral Fallow, is contemplating grander more complex concepts as his Kettle of Kites return with second album Arrows, drawing inspiration from sci-fi and in particular one of the genre's greatest writers. 'I'm a big fan of Isaac Asimov and we took inspiration from many of the themes in his books,' explains Stearn. 'As well as the more scientific and futuristic side of his work, there are always underlying eternal themes in his books which people can identify and connect with, much like the songs on this record, such as love, time, destruction, spirituality and journeying into the unknown. I think the idea is the sci-fi side of it pulls those eternal themes together in an interesting way.'

Lead single 'Orchid' is a widescreen slice of indie that uses futuristic concepts to address climate change and possible ecological disaster. 'I think what inspired me about his [Asimov's] writing is how forward-thinking his ideas were, how relevant they are today and how he blended elements of real science with storytelling to make you reflect on the bigger picture of humanity. I found delving into these ideas to be a great source of inspiration in writing the lyrics for the record, as it was for everyone else in the band when it came to working on the musical side of things.'

Even with the band spread across the globe (Stearn and bassist Pietro Martinelli are based in Genoa, with guitarist Marco Giongrandi in Brussels and drummer Riccardo Chiaberta in London), Stearn knew these were the right people for the project. 'They're fantastic musicians and also really into what we were doing. This album really feels like we worked together as a band on all the compositions and that we're all following the same path musically.'

Hug & Pint, Glasgow, Fri 6 Sep.