For a band like Teenage Fanclub, who have remained indie music's critical darlings during their three-decade career, there are few topics that haven't been raked over by nosey interviewers. Yet the pandemic has transformed even the blandest enquiries into questions loaded with meaning.

So it is when speaking to Fanclub's co-founding member Norman Blake as the band gear up for their first performances since 2019, when the question 'are you looking forward to touring?' stokes an understandably conflicted series of emotions.

'We've had the biggest gap between shows in the entire history of the band, so it's great to be back,' said Norman. 'But it's all been a bit strange and people are still hesitant to come to gigs. I don't know how long it'll take before things get back to normal, but I'm hoping it'll be quicker than we think.'

Although of a naturally sunny disposition, Norman wears his heart on his sleeve and makes no bones about the performance anxiety created by the pandemic. 'I felt slightly nervous and a little bit rusty when we first went on stage again. We've been doing this for so long that you rarely get nervous, but it was a bit, "oh god, what do we do again?" Once you're on for ten minutes you're absolutely fine, but it takes a bit of getting used to. It was frustrating not being able to tour the new album. Normally you'd be touring the day of an album's release. But this time it came out and everything just stopped, which was really weird and frustrating. Now we can't wait to play these songs live.'

The album in question is Endless Arcade which, with its trademark jangling guitars and gorgeous melodies, feels perfectly attuned to the hopefulness of a post-lockdown world, although most of the songs were written long before the pandemic began. It's arguably the most successful release the band have enjoyed in quite some time, already reaching number two in the Scottish Album Charts and garnering generally positive reviews for its ability to let dark themes of divorce and despair bristle alongside its upbeat 60s rock aesthetic.

As the first album not to feature co-founder Gerard Love, who left after he could no longer reconcile his personal life with the band's extensive touring schedule, Norman credits recent upheaval to the album's artistic success. 'We've had a big change in the band with Gerry leaving, but I think the new line-up made us feel reinvigorated in many ways. We brought in Euros Childs (from Gorky's Zygotic Mynci) to play keyboards, and Dave (McGowan) moved from keyboards onto bass, and it gave us a bit of extra motivation. The last shows Gerry played with us were when we reissued all of our Creation Records albums in 2018. It was like we closed a chapter with that and opened a new one with this record.'

Despite Gerard's departure, there's no animosity from Norman, who seems keen to emphasise everyone within the band's long-lasting friendship. 'I think we've always been compatible in terms of our personalities. And we've never been like The Monkees living in the same house together, we've always maintained separate lives outside of the band. We're friends, but I think having a certain distance has always been good for us. Some bands thrive on that kind of internal antagonism, but that's never been us at all. We're all pretty easy going.'

Although they've undergone a seismic change and Endless Arcade itself contains plenty of songs concerning adversity and struggle, Teenage Fanclub remains a stable foundation for Norman and co-songwriter Raymond McGinley. 'I feel very fortunate that we've been able to work like this for so long. Most bands don't get to make more than a couple of albums, and we're 120 or so songs in.' With plans to release a new album of material once touring for Endless Arcade is complete, it won't be long before fans of the Fannies have even more tunes to sink their teeth into.

Teenage Fanclub's latest album Endless Arcade is available now. Tickets for the band's tour are available now.