The eagerly-awaited follow-up to the 2004 debut 'Silent Alarm', will see the band "Grow Up" according to singer Kele Okereke.

He said: "One thing that we've learnt from touring over the last two years is that there are other ways to be powerful whilst making music, rather than being completely full on, 100 miles per hour."

"This next record is hopefully going to be a lot more intricate and layered. We learnt so much about the power of arrangements. I know it sound cheesy, but I guess it is going to be a more grown up Bloc Party."

Speaking with Billboard, the singer has also spoke of is admiration for David Bowie, and how his influence will have a positive effect on the new material.

"[Bowie's] had a career where you can actually trace influences and styles. He's just a real sort of artist in the way a lot of rock musicians now aren't given the scope to develop," he says. "That's something that became really fascinating to me toward the last half of the year. There's more we can do as a band than being fast, loud and shouty and I think these songs are going some way to explore that."

The band have been demoing new material, which as we reported last month, is to be produced by former compulsion man, now reknowned producer, Jacknife Lee.

New tracks include 'Waiting for the 718', 'Kreuzberg', 'Cruel', 'Merge on the Freeway' and 'Machines', the later exploring the influence of MTV culture on young people around the world.

"When British music magazines say we're overly serious or po-faced I think it's actually an indication that the mindset of people right now is to be completely apolitical and not be concerned about what's happening in the world," he says. "To try and draw attention to this, you're labeled as a [political] party person or something and I think that's sad," he said.

Another new song is 'Hunting for Witches', which is a song influenced by the terrorist attacks in London last summer.

Kele says: "The 30 bus in Hackney, which is just around the corner from where I live, was blown up. [That song was] written when I was just observing the reactions of the mainstream press in [the United Kingdom] and I was just amazed at how easy it'd been to whip them up into a fury."

"I guess the point about the song for me is post-September 11th, the media has really traded on fear and the use of fear in controlling people."

The band will be recording the new album later this summer, with a release expected towards the end of the year.