THE Subways plan to hurtle north of the border this month ahead of their fourth studio album.

The self-titled record will be released in two parts and is set to drop next February. Those that pre-order will have access to six tracks right away.

Ahead of their Scottish dates, bassist Charlotte Cooper spoke to Jen Mitchell: Are you excited about your Glasgow/Edinburgh gigs? What do you love about Scottish audiences?

It’ll be great to come and play in Scotland again - it’s really been far too long. We’ve had some awesome, crazy nights with you guys.

What do you love about performing live? What do you love about recording in a studio?

We feel our identity as a band lies in live performance - it’s where we feel at home. We make albums so that we can go on tour. We do enjoy the creative process, but we’re always thinking about how these songs will sound live.

What can audiences expect from your show?

We just want to create a huge party. We jump and dance around a lot, and we’re lucky enough to usually have audiences who want to do the same.

Where do you find the inspiration to write your own material?

Billy is the main songwriter in the band and he comes up with the initial ideas and all the lyrics. We then develop that further as a band and all work on our individual parts.

Tell me about the new album - the two-part to it sounds exciting, how did that come about? What can fans expect from the new releases?

It’s an idea we’ve had for a while and our manager has helped us make it possible. As we spend so much time on tour, we liked the idea of spreading the release, so it doesn’t seem like we release an album and then disappear for ages. It’s meant that we can probably add in a couple of extra tours as well, which is awesome for us. In many ways I think we’ve gone back to our roots and looked back to our earlier demos and the energy in those.

What’s been the highlight of your career so far?

We’ve been lucky enough to play and visit some amazing places, where I don’t think I’d have ever gone to if I wasn’t in a band. South Africa last year was incredible.

What’s your plans for the next 12 months?

Now that the album is pretty much ready to go, we can get back on the road - hurray! We have a UK tour in October and a long European tour starting in February next year to celebrate the album release. We’ll then be trying to do as many festivals as possible.

Anything else you wish to add?

Thank you to our Scottish fans for all your loyalty and support over the years, and for allowing us to visit this beautiful part of the country again.

Quickfire questions with The Subways’ Charlotte Cooper: Pub or club; Pub Favourite book; Jane Austin - Pride and Prejudice Favourite musician; Kylie Minogue Favourite movie; Pulp Fiction Favourite colour; Red Favourite superhero; Superwoman Relaxing or adventure holiday; Adventure. I find being active more relaxing Favourite season of the year; Autumn as it’s just starting Favourite drink; Champagne (it’s usually Cava though) Favourite perfume/aftershave; Jean Paul Gaultier Day or night; Day Coffee or tea; Coffee (I’m a cyclist, you have to like coffee) The Subways will be playing at Electric Circus (Edinburgh) on 21 October and King Tut’s (Glasgow) on 22 October. For more info and tickets, check out www.thesubways.net.