KEY POINTS:
No bags, no lines, no frown. David Keuning is not the face of stress.
In fact, tucked up in a cosy chair in his London hotel room, the guitarist from indie rock band The Killers looks comfortable beyond measure.
He's wearing a loose-fitting T-shirt printed with his band's
name on the front, has his guitar within arm's reach of his bed, and a myriad of his electronic gadgets adorn one of the tables in the elaborately furnished room.
He sips a jar of still water and sinks smoothly into discussion.
His relaxed appearance should come as no surprise, really. The American band's worldwide album sales are approaching 12 million - thanks largely to the success of Hot Fuss and Sam's Town, and they are one of the most successful bands of the decade. So who would blame The Killers for taking it easy?
However, just seconds after this assessment and merely one question into the interview this facade is quashed as Keuning describes the pressure facing the band over their new album Day and Age, in stores tomorrow.
Behind Keuning's pleasant greeting and calm demeanour he's doing anything but relaxing.
"There's pressure from the media, the label, the fans... I think there is a little less pressure than before the second album, but there is certainly still plenty," Keuning says.
The Iowa-born guitarist is right - the weight of expectation is immense.
Although the band has taken a more low-profile approach to this album than Sam's Town, where lead vocalist Brandon Flowers was quoted modestly describing it as "one of the best albums of the past 20 years" before release, Keuning admits there is plenty of self-imposed pressure, and the competitive edge of wanting to be better than other bands.
"I've bumped into people who don't know who we are and have never heard of us, so we're obviously not doing enough! There's more to be done. We don't want to let our fans down, and we still have a lot to prove."
Another thing Keuning's fresh face belies is the long hours being spent on the new album. When I speak to him the tracks aren't finished and deadlines are looming.
Flowers (vocals/keyboard), Ronnie Vannucci (percussion/drums), Mark Stoermer (bass/vocals) and Keuning (guitar/vocals) have come to London to put the finishing touches on the tracks with producer Stuart Price after working on most of the new album from their Las Vegas base.
Keuning says fans can expect something different from Day and Age.
"I think we have tried to explore some different sounds and try some new things. We don't want to keep producing the same stuff."
The sound has been described as more "stripped down" than previous works, with each instrument finding its place.
"There are definitely some new things in this album including some tropical' sounds, which is a first for us," Keuning says.
The tropical sound can be heard in I Can't Stay - a song which marks a definite step away from The Killers' known sound.
Other tracks - A Dustland Fairytale, Human and Spaceman are more pop-rock songs with very catchy lyrics, while Losing Touch is a heavier rock song and is sealed with The Killers' trademark synth-sound and Flowers' vocals.
Keuning expects fans will hear the influences of U2, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie in the album, with one track even being likened to Roy Orbison's I Drove All Night.
The major influence on The Killers' new path for this album is the Paris-born British producer, Stuart Price.
Price achieved a Grammy nomination with his remix of The Killers' Mr Brightside in 2005, but he is best known for his work on Madonna's album Confessions on a Dance Floor.
So, how is Madonna's most famed producer fitting with The Killers? Very well, according to Keuning.
"He's a man of many talents. I had great respect for him before this, from his work with his own bands.
"He's done a lot. I might, for instance, play a guitar part and he might take that away and play around with it. There are a few parts in there that sound like keyboard that are actually guitar."
The studio sessions are something of an endurance test for Keuning - his least favourite aspect of being a rock star.
"I prefer playing live than in the studio. There's so much to create and so many decisions to be made in the studio. The work in the studio all builds up to releasing an album, and the tour is essentially the celebration of the album."
He says music festivals are his favourite gigs, and such occasions require a special warm-up: "I have a guitar backstage and I like to play a few chords about half an hour before we go on. Then I like to do a few stretches to stretch things out. Then it's a couple of shots of Jagermeister and I'm ready to go on. That's a warm-up for me," he laughs.
I'm sure he's serious.
Ireland and Scotland are Keuning's favourite tour destinations, however, the 32-year-old does have fond memories of a visit to New Zealand. "Last time we came we went four-wheel motorbiking. It was so much fun - one of the best things we've done."
With a world tour on the horizon, it's unsure whether the band will make it back.
"I would like to think we can get back to New Zealand in a year and a half of touring. I know I would like to go back," Keuning says, carefully deflecting my line of questioning.
"Maybe sometime in 2010 we will look at taking a year off. People may be scoffing at the thought, but they don't understand how busy our lives are."
Keuning says after a six-month break last year - "the shortest time of my life" - he's realised that being famous is not quite what he'd imagined.
"It doesn't feel like I thought it would feel. Yeah, we're on MTV and yeah, we have sold some albums, but I still feel like me. When you're successful you just get busier."
* Day and Age is released tomorrow.