Like them or not, you can't deny that Editors have achieved a rare combination of critical and commercial success. Their debut album, The Back Room, went platinum and earned the band a 2006 Mercury Prize nomination. They followed that with 2007's An End Has a Start, which hit #1 in the UK and landed Editors on the US charts for the first time.

Now Editors are back with In This Light and On This Evening, a strong third record that might just help them conquer America. They've changed things up quite a bit, dropping their trademark guitar sound and putting synths front and center. Editors also brought on legendary producer Mark "Flood" Ellis (known for his work with Depeche Mode, U2 and many other huge acts) and the result is something very different, yet still immediately recognizable as an Editors album.

Bassist Russell Leetch talked to SuicideGirls about the new record.

Russell Leetch: Hello, Jay, how are you?

Jay Hathaway: I'm good. I wish they'd put your album on the hold music, instead of whatever I was just listening to.

RL: Was it shit? There's a lot of shit at Sony, they've got some terrible acts.

JH: [laughs]

RL: I can't vouch for all acts on the label. [laughs]

JH: Before I ask you any serious questions ... I was just reading your Wikipedia page. Are you still growing a beard? What's the deal with that?

RL: [laughs] You know, the problem with Wikipedia is that your friends can edit it, and they can put stupid shit in place of what's supposed to be there. It becomes very miscellaneous. I can't actually grow a beard. Maybe on my 30th birthday I'll have a beard. I don't know.

JH: Cool, cool. So, you're living in New York now, right?

RL: Yeah.

JH: I've heard a lot about how the new album was influenced by London. Did New York have an influence on it as well?

RL: I went out to more smaller shows, and got back into watching bands and being excited about music again. For a while, because we've been a band for quite some time, and we've played so much, I just got a little bit tired of certain things. Being there, I felt quite refreshed. I guess it did rub off on us in some ways.

JH: Is your outlook on the future as dark as this album might suggest?

RL: I don't know what it suggests, really. All kinds of things come through. At the end of Bricks and Mortar, there's a nice sentiment of "I hope life's good with you." I think if you go into a city at nighttime, any city, you're bound to see a lot of the things that are touched upon. It can be such a hedonistic, good experience, but then you can come out of a bar and witness some really horrible violence. It kind of feels threatening, but also good at the same time. It's the same everywhere.

JH: There are a lot of references in your lyrics to guns and God. What's the story behind that?

RL: All of us are atheists, we just don't think there's anything really there ... how could there be so many problems? The modern world relies a lot on people going on about religions to justify wars. How does that work? I think that's troubling to a lot of people in our generation.

JH: So, you all had to sing on this album ...

RL: Yeah, on the backing vocals. Flood [Producer Mark "Flood" Ellis] made us! He was like, "So, Tom does all the backing vocals?" and we were like, "Well, yeah, 'cause he can sing the best." He said, "Well, you all sing in tune, and it'll sound like someone else's voice. That's what you want for the backing vocals." When we started singing, we'd be laughing and going "We are really bad at this!" But the Boxer vocals are from all four of us, and they sound quite nice and eerie. It was opening us up to the fact that being a bit shit can be to your advantage.

JH: It's not going to sound like everything else, at least.

RL: There was a lot of freedom with that kind of thing on the record. It's quite a different Editors record from the first two. I really like the sonics of it. I think it's got a really nice, warm tone. It's quite an inviting record, I think.

JH: And then the really big change was that you used so many more synths. It seems like the dance music side of Editors came out a lot more obviously on this record ...

RL: I think that's exactly right. Everyone's going "Oh my God, you just suddenly got synthesizers." Well, no. They're on both of the previous records, but they're as backgrounds, rather than at the forefront. Having a riff on a keyboard is quite different from having it on a guitar, but it was just more fun writing on the synthesizers. We've always loved 808s and 909s and drum machines generally. We're much bigger fans of New Order than of Joy Division, by a long way.

JH: That says a lot right there. So, you end up getting remixed a lot more, too, since you're going in that direction ...

RL: Yeah, remixes can be really good. The Tiesto one for us has been pretty big across Europe. It's been a big dance hit. It's kind of cool that your band can get integrated into the dance world and people might discover you that way. I quite like that.

JH: Have you heard your songs in a club yet?

RL: Yeah! We were in club in Paris (this was a couple of years ago) the Sebastian remix that happened for us got played. I just thought that the production on it was absolutely immense. He did a really good job.

JH: Do you miss playing bass, though?

RL: Not at all. It's nice to roam about and play different instruments and stuff. I grew up playing the piano, so that's my main instrument. I just play bass in the band, really. That's kind of fun, just being more varied.

JH: So you guys already had the musical expertise to play all the synth parts for the album?

RL: We knew what oscillators and waveforms were, so we kind of understand what synthesis is. And we like a certain type of synth. We like something with a bit of grit. Something with a bit of power. There's a lot of modern synth music which can be a little bit wet. We wanted it all to be kind of played on, like analog synths. Still to be a band. Kind of how people saw it in the '70s, when these things were invented and people started making bands out of them, especially the Krautrock influence. Something like Neu! That's a big part of this record for us.

JH: Are you planning on directing any more videos?

RL: Oh! I didn't direct that Bones video. I compiled a load of footage that was off a video camera, that's the best explanation for it. I wouldn't class that as directing, it wasn't good enough.

JH: Well, are you going to have another go at doing some video stuff? Did you enjoy doing that?

RL: I didn't really enjoy it, no. We just got asked to make a video diary of what we were seeing each day. Sometimes it's a little bit tiresome. Like, today, all we're doing is playing cards. It's like, "That could be a music video for 4 minutes, but it'd be a bit rubbish. Find something a little bit more inventive." We've got Arni & Kinski, who did the video for Smokers, doing our new video for You Don't Know Love, which I'm really excited about seeing. Some videos, I really love, and others I really don't like. For example, the Papillon video, I'm not a fan of it. Some of our fans are, some aren't. But when someone does a video, we pass it over to the director and they can have their artistic license.

JH: Did the other guys in the band like it?

RL: [laughs] Uh, the majority didn't, actually, for that one.

JH: Interesting ...

RL: Well, it became too late in the day for us to get a video that we would all like. It got to the release date without a video, so some favors had to be pulled in. Things like that happen. People liked it. That's cool. It's just funny how sometimes people take it that it's us, that we've decided the video. We try to have as much control over it, but sometimes it's just not our idea.

JH: What was it like working with Flood?

RL: It was fun. It was really good. I think everyone would have an idea or a preconception of what he's going to be like. He's a very ordinary, nice guy, who speaks a very straight-talking, non-highbrow kind of talk. He's made some amazing records, from Nick Cave to Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, U2. You'd imagine that someone that's got a big repertoire to be a bit of an arsehole, but he just wasn't. He joined Editors very well, and we're looking forward to working with him again pretty soon.

JH: Since a lot of people know Flood for his work with U2 ... how do you guys feel about U2?

RL: I guess some of us like them and others don't. They've never been one of my favorite bands. I'd leave that to R.E.M. or Radiohead or Spiritualized. I've never been into getting all of their albums and listening through. I'd go and watch the 360 Tour, it'd be a fun night out. As a band, I don't know ... they're just there, aren't they? They've been around a long time.

JH: Do you guys ever want to be the biggest band in the world? Like U2, but cooler, or something?

RL: I think if you want to be absolutely massive, you definitely lose cool. I don't think you can be like ... I don't know who's done that well. Maybe R.E.M. a few years ago? They were still pretty cool when they were huge. It's hard to do. We're not cool enough in some people's books anyway.

JH: What's the biggest rock star moment you guys have had? Ever smashed any hotel rooms?

RL: No, I think it's stupid when people trash hotel rooms. There's cleaners who have to clean, and yeah, you can pay some money, but that's pretty scummy, I think. If you're going to be extravagant, I think it's best to go to really nice restaurants and blow some money on some really nice wine and food. Do it that way, rather than being a dickhead. If anything, we'll go and spend a large amount of money on some fine dining.

JH: What was living in Birmingham like?

RL: I think the equivalent in the US is Pittsburgh. There's not that much there. It's a post-industrial city. It's a bit a grey. There's not a lot going on. It doesn't invite people to go and visit it, that's for sure.

JH: That's fair. It's sort of a post-industrial album, in a way ...

RL: I think we've definitely always had that vibe, and I guess that stems from where we're from. The big grey canvas of concrete definitely rings true. We definitely weren't brought up in the country, that's for sure.

JH: What were you guys like in school?

RL: We were all good, I think. We were just regular kind of guys. Not too mischievous, but not like the brightest bunch. [laughs] Got on with people. Grade C students. Maybe Bs, actually. Good Bs.

JH: Since this is for SuicideGirls, I feel like I should ask: does anyone in Editors have tattoos?

RL: Yeah, Chris does. Chris has got three roses on his arm.

In This Light and On This Evening is out on iTunes now, and in stores January 2010.