If a decade ago you’d asked Nick Zinner where he’d be now, it’s unlikely he’d assume in one of the most influential bands of the decade. “We’ve been unbelievably lucky with how far we’ve come,” the Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist and keys-man agrees. “We’re all really grateful people.”

From the humble beginnings of sharehousing in Brooklyn (along with future members of Canadian outfit Metric), Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ rise to fame was swift. When Fever to Tell hit the airwaves back in 2003, Zinner claims the band had only one aim.

“We got together when dancing was illegal in New York,” he says with a chuckle. “We would go to clubs with people just standing there, because, you know, they were too cool for dancing. We wanted to make music that commanded people to dance.”

And command they did. The band that joked about changing it all had managed to do it in one fell swoop. While most bands face the fear of the notorious make-or-break sophomore album, Yeah Yeah Yeahs faced a different challenge. While Fever to Tell and 2006’s Show Your Bones were lauded by fans and critics alike, their third studio release took a harder hit.

What should have been the jewel in their crown, this year’s – œdisco album’ It’s Blitz, seemed be overshadowed by a barrage of mixed reviews. For the first time since their arrival on the scene, the band had their first taste of backlash.

The biggest change on It’s Blitz is the near-absence of Zinner’s crunching guitars, replaced with the sound of the moment – synths. “It still confuses me why people said the things they did about it,” he admits. “The other albums were dance albums too, this is just different dancing. We wanted to do something different; as musicians it’s something well always strive to do, and all bands do it. I can’t imagine any musicians saying they’re happy with making the same thing over and over.

“Maybe our changes weren’t as subtle as other bands and people didn’t like it, but we couldn’t produce another album just like the others; we wouldn’t be happy doing it and I don’t think any of us would be comfortable with it either. I really hadn’t had much to do with them [synths] before we started recording. I’d bought it on eBay and just decided to bring it along last minute. I’m really proud of what we made there.”

Zinner makes no apology for the development in the band’s sound. “I wouldn’t so much say that I liked it, rather than it was essential. It was completely essential for us to go somewhere else with our sound. We weren’t going to make an album that didn’t go anywhere. If we did we wouldn’t be even be coming to Australia!

“You know, the process of making that album was hard, and it wasn’t something I particularly enjoyed, but now after getting through all the recording and releasing, it’s at a point where I enjoy playing those songs live. That’s really all I can ask for.” The album was recorded in a barn in the middle of winter, and a stint in the desert outside El Paso, adding a certain edge to proceedings. “I think you can hear the surroundings, definitely. Having an unintentional change in sound was also reflected by where we were.”

In their ninth year together, the trio has been busier than ever. With Brian Chase working his way onto a – œTop 50 drummers of all time’ list and Zinner dedicating his time to his New York mathcore band Headwound City, time has been quickly ticking away. The real star of the moment, though, is the lady herself Karen O, who has managed to find herself a school of harmonic children and work on the soundtrack for the greatly-anticipated Where the Wild Things Are film.

A New Years tour down under seems like a heavy way to wrap things up. “For us having breaks are so important, especially for Karen; so she’s not just writing songs about being lonely out on tour,” Zinner laughs. “It’s good for us to pursue our other interests and then come together as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It makes it so much more enjoyable. And I think everyone is pretty excited about that film.”

Yeah Yeah Yeahs head to Australia this New Years Eve period as headliner of Falls Festival, Sunset Sounds and Southbound.

Tuesday 29 December – Festival Hall, Melbourne
Wednesday 30 December – Falls Festival, Lorne
Thursday 31 December – Falls Festival, Marion Bay
Thursday 7 January – Sunset Sounds, Brisbane
Friday 8 January – Hordern Pavillion, Sydney
Sunday 10 January – Southbound, Busselton