Leeds band The Sunshine Underground feel like they're running to make up lost ground.

After a while out of the limelight, holed up in recording studios and band-mates' bedrooms, writing the follow-up to their 2006 album, Raise The Alarm, the group are under no illusions they've got a lot of hard work ahead of them to recapture the heights they scaled a few years ago.

"It is a bit nerve-racking coming back after a long while out," says singer Craig Wellington. "You're constantly thinking, 'Will anyone remember who we are?', but the important thing was to get away and come back with the best record we possibly could.

"It's not as if we haven't been doing anything for the last year – we've been working really hard making the album – it's just people assume because you're not out there in the headlines, you've disappeared or given up."

Armed with bucket-loads of new material – they say they've penned more than 50 songs in the past 12 months – the foursome will be aiming to announce their comeback in impressive style when they headline Hull's K-Fest next week.

Frontman Craig says the band will be out to remind people why they became one of the country's hottest indie bands following the release of Raise The Alarm – winning comparisons with the likes of The Stone Roses.

"It's weird because you do feel like you're running to recapture ground," he says. "We had such a great reaction after the release of the first album, which meant we were touring pretty much non-stop for almost two years.

"So, to go from that to completely away from it all, writing music again, was a big decision.

"But it's turned out pretty well and we're really happy with the new songs.

"We've picked the best 10 songs out of the 50-odd we wrote and think people will really love the album when they hear it. It was fairly easy to pick the best 10 , although there were a few heated, late-night discussions about which ones should make the album because everyone had their own particular favourites."

Judging by the taster tracks on the band's Myspace website, the quartet have embraced a U2-esque, anthemic sound for some of their new material.

"It's definitely a bigger-sounding record," says Craig. "It's more amplified. We wanted to get closer to our live sound and now I think we've got the tunes to fill the really big venues. Now, we've just got to get them out there for people to hear.

"That's why we're looking forward to getting back out and playing live again.

"We've played Hull a few times and always had a good reaction, so we're looking forward to coming and kick-starting what's going to be the next chapter for the band.

"After a year of being locked away, we're raring to go again."

Joining the Leeds outfit on the K-Fest stage during the course of the five-hour festival will be The Holloways, Nine Black Alps, Ambassadors Of Morocco and The Riffs. There will also be a new-age circus acts, world food stalls and a fully licensed bar.

The Sunshine Underground play K-Fest, Kingswood College of Arts, Wawne Road, Hull, on Friday, July 10, from 6pm. Tickets cost £10. Call (01482) 618055.