WHATEVER comes to mind – there are no wrong answers, no silly ideas, no formula. Letting the music steer as much as possible. Sheer creative freedom. As lead singer Lyle Kennedy puts it: "We just go with it."

Box of Trash may well be a new project on the face of it, but it has been a few years in the making, coming together from pieces of La Club Royale as well as former bands The Tripps/The Savalas and Ranzas.

It was initially comprised of Lyle Kennedy, Connor Adam, Barry Fisher, and Jordan McKee. Though bass player Adam recently stepped away, and has since been replaced by Aiden Davidson, the founding ethos remains. Take the idea – whatever it is – and see where it goes.

The quartet have released only one track thus far, with Here and Now unveiled only last month. The song is really just a taster of things to come, with the debut album already recorded.

Those who have supported the band so far, and those who followed the previous outfits associated with the project, will already have had their interests well and truly piqued. Kennedy, however, insists audiences will still be taken by surprise by what is just around the corner.

"We're not taking things too seriously," Kennedy tells The Weekender. "There is a freedom there, to just go out and sing about something – anything. In the past, with other bands, there would have been no way we could have done that."

The process is inviting. They gather and work on any idea. There is no barrier to creativity in the room. Sometimes the subject borders on the obscure, but it is that open forum idea that has galvanised Box of Trash.

The frontman continues: "We sit down and ask each other what we want to write about and we end with the most obscene or weird thing. It's the freedom of being able to write about anything, with it needing to be something so personal.

"I've been writing songs since 16 and I used to write really personal songs with the likes of Ranzas. But writing with Barry can be just insane. There are songs on the Box of Trash album where we just go with it.

"We have one called Spaceman, and it was actually the one that caught the attention of the label, but it's about an alien invasion... We have another track that came about during lockdown when I was reading about Simone Segouin, a teenage partisan freedom fighter in Nazi-occupied Paris. I asked Barry if he wanted to write about her story, he came up with this, you could call it, Mission: Impossible riff and it all came together.

"It's just that freedom – there is no way I would have written a song about that with a previous band. There is just an enjoyment there, to play around with the lyrics a bit more. We just go for it."

Box of Trash have already surprised a few people with their material. They played their first few shows this year, including a hometown debut, and the feedback has been largely positive.

Kennedy says: "The sound is a little bit of 'trashy' rock 'n' roll with a wee bit of psychedelic thrown in there. It's a bit heavier, certainly from La Club Royale. But we do like a bit heavier, we can sing and scream a little more. It's a different energy.

"I think it has taken a few people by surprise, especially those who had listened to Ranzas stuff in the past. We're just looking to get these songs out to let more people hear them."

It's fair to say that Box of Trash are not going about things in the same way most other bands do. Recording an album before playing live? Catching the ear of a US-based record label without having released a single track? There is no normal for the four-piece.

Earlier this year, they travelled over to Chicago to take their first major step. They had an album ready to go but went through the re-recording process over a gruelling nine days in the studio.

"It's been an intense few months," Kennedy adds. "It was always going to be a challenge to record a full album while over in Chicago. I think we went to the city once while we were there – the rest of the time was 10am to 11pm in the studio. It was constant… full-on.

"But then that's the environment we want to be in. Essentially, working full-time and recording an album. It would have been a great place to do a gig, and we're hopeful we can get back over there at some point and play a few. "

Release details are still being finalised but the band are eyeing a window in March to unveil their debut LP. A few singles are likely on the way beforehand, with Box of Trash aiming to make huge moves in 2023.

Kennedy says: "Nine tracks have been mixed – and another one to go. We think all the songs are different in their own way, but we still have that psychedelic rock 'n' roll element throughout. I think we've even been given the label of Brit-Pop which is a new one for me.

"Here and Now was a taster of things to come, but the reaction to it has been great. We didn't think it would do as well as it has, just because no one has really heard us before. We've got two singles lined up to come as well and I think the second single deserves a bit of attention. It is good, man."