We spoke with drummer Darren Lackie of We Were Promised Jetpacks, in advance of the Scottish indie rockers’ first Vegas performance.

You’re doing your first show ever in Las Vegas, right? We stopped there for a night; we were passing by. We got a hotel, but I don’t think many of us actually used the hotel. We kind of walked about and had a look around the place in the middle of the night. This will be our first proper time there. We’re all really looking forward to that gig. It’s somewhere we’ve always wanted to spend more time. When the offer came in for the show, we were like, “Yes!.” It’s also going to be [bassist] Sean [Smith]’s birthday while we’re there, so that’s quite exciting.

That needs to be a birthday for the ages. Yeah, we’ve already decided it’s going to be a pretty horrible drive back to Solana Beach the next day. We’re all preparing for it. (laughs)

You’ve done so much touring in the States. Are there any memorable shows that stand out to you, for either good or bad reasons? We played one last summer in New York, on a dock [near] where the ferry ports are. It was just an amazing summer night—a big crowd, a free show. We were playing right next to a huge aircraft carrier. That was a pretty memorable show.

You guys are working on new music. How far along are you? We’ve been trying out some new material on the road, a couple of songs in our set. We’re plodding along. We don’t have a new album ready at the minute. We’re just trying to make sure that we write the best stuff we can. We don’t want to rush into a new record.

Are there any new inspirations this time around? What are the new songs sounding like? I’m not really too sure. We’re trying to go back to being four guys playing their instruments, having a good time. It’s still in the early stages. By playing it live, you have to jump right in and go for it. We’ve been playing two new ones at the minute … Hopefully, by the time we get ’round to Las Vegas, we’ll have a third one.

Is it nerve-racking playing new songs for a crowd? Like, “Hey, we’re going to play a new song,” and then you see people going to the bathroom? (Laughs) We just don’t mention that they’re new ones. [We] just go right into them and hopefully catch everyone off-guard.

2014 LP Unravelling was a big step forward for the band, and has really elevated your profile in America. What’s your perception of that record now that it’s been out a couple of years? I really like that album. We tried to add more keys and different instrumentation that we’re not known for, I guess. I think it was a good step forward, and we just need to follow up with something better. That’s always the aim, to outdo your last.

It does seem like a turning point that has given you guys some momentum. Yeah, the first album [2009’s These Four Walls] had a poppier side; the second one [2011’s In the Pit of the Stomach was] heavier; and then with [Unravelling], we tried to do something different. We always want to be changing [and] keep it fresh and exciting for people, rather than churning out the same music over and over again.

You recently reissued These Four Walls on vinyl. Looking back, what are your thoughts listening to it, now that you have a little bit more experience? It’s obviously done us a world of good. We were never fully satisfied with how it turned out in the end, how it sounds. That adds to the charm of it. It sounds quite almost DIY-type. It’s still pretty current. It’s lasted. People still like it. I’m very happy with that album.

Are you a vinyl collector yourself? I have started recently. I wanted to start off getting all of my favorite albums, and then I would work from there. I started my collection not that long ago, only a few months ago.

Which ones have been your priority? LCD Soundsystem’s Sound of Silver is one. Frightened Rabbit’s The Midnight Organ Fight. Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American. The classics.

Growing up, what made you go into drumming? I actually got into it in high school. They allowed you to take a free lesson once or twice a week, and you could pick when it was. I was like, “I’m going to get into this and I’m going to get out of math class.” (Laughs) That’s how I originally got into it, which is not what you’d expect. There was a test where you pretty much had to listen to tones and different musical notes and see whether it was going up or down, just to show if you had any kind of musical knowledge. I managed to pass that, so I decided I wanted to take up drums. I felt like a lot of people played guitar, I wanted to take up something different, so I went with the drums. Never looked back.

You recently toured with Explosions in the Sky. What was the best part about that? We’ve been friends for a while. We’re also all huge fans of them, so it was nice to go on tour with a group of your friends who are in an unbelievable band. They’ve taken a step up in the U.K., where they’re playing much bigger venues than they used to. We got to join them on that, which was great. We got to play some crazy venues [like] the Royal Albert Hall. One of the more memorable nights that we’ve had as a band.

WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS With Close to Modern, the Astaires, Hektor Rawkerz, Thursday, June 16, 9 p.m., $10-$12, Bunkhouse.