Meric Long and Logan Kroeber have been performing together as acoustic rhythmic songwriters The Dodos since 2005. They’re currently combating a leak of their forthcoming alum Time To Die which has damaged sales but whetted the appetite of fans. They say their sound is now thicker and more melodic than ever before. They have the spirit of a more deconstructed, layered version of Vampire Weekend who can’t quite summon up the energy to get out of bed.

Dazed Digital: Do you know how the album leaked?
Meric Long: I’ve heard reports somebody in France put it up on the Internet. I’d assume it was a member of the press. We sent out 300 promo copies a while ago and one of them got into the wrong person’s hands.

DD: With album’s leaking seemingly every week, did it come as a surprise to you?
Meric Long: No, part of me hoped it did get leaked because then you know that people still want to download your record. It’s reassuring to know the interest is still there. We were nervous we wouldn’t be able to do another record that would be received well.

DD: Could you estimate how much money you might have lost as a consequence of the leak?
Logan Kroeber: There’s no way to know, no chart to see how many times it was downloaded, or how many CDs of it were burned, it’s incalculable. I suppose it is trivial but I’d like to know the number so I could bring it up in conversation. So I could boast. You know, like “25 dollars worth of our music got stolen!” Maybe next time we’d do something different. We could watermark it but all that happens with that is tell you who leaked it then you can point your finger at them and say ‘You! You did this”, but then they’re just like “Yeah, I did, sorry about that”, and that’s it.

DD: What’s so special about you?
Meric Long: I think our approach to our instruments is unique. I’ve never seen anyone use Logan’s set up. My style of finger picking is, I like to think of it as my own.
Logan Kroeber: That’s true. I’ve never seen anyone play like Meric does and take it into a rock club setting. Nobody else finger picks like that when they’re trying to rock a crowd like Meric does.

DD: The last album (Vetiver) was described by critics as folk. But this one sounds a lot more upbeat and complicated. What do you think about that?
Meric Long: Folk is a misnomer for our music that unfortunately came about. When we first started everything was built around an acoustic guitar so a lot of people associate us with folk music. But I think of us as a rock band that plays acoustic instruments.

DD: What’s your worst vice?
Logan Kroeber: The relationship between drinking and being on tour.  These days I’m trying to wean myself off of the situation but it’s more the years that I’ve been in a relationship with the drink. My favourite, as I’ve been trying to class it up a little bit, is an Italian liquor called Fernet. I like to drink that with ginger ale. It’s kind of liquoricey but not like Jagermeister. It’s a very herby taste.

DD: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Meric Long: My friend John Dwyer from Thee Oh Sees said ‘Stay scared’. It’s a more direct way of staying ‘Don’t start believing in your own shit’. For me being humble is really important but being scared is something that I carry with me all the time. It’s more of a constant feeling than a reaction to different situations.

DD: What is the world coming to?
Logan Kroeber: Some hard fucking personal decisions that maybe nobody wants to make. Like do you care about the environment or is it just like ‘Fuck it, let’s ride the world off into the sunset’, or are you going to pay for music or are you just going to download it? There’s a lot of freedom in the world and people have to decide what sort of a world they live in; the easy way or the hard way. Personally I have decent aspirations and piss poor actions. But I aspire to improve.

DD: What’s your favourite website?
Logan Kroeber: Skatedaily.net. I can’t skate but I love it. I can kickflip if you give me enough time.  But I feel a bit too conscious of protecting my wrists.
Meric Long: Epicurious.com. It teaches you to cook everything.

DD: What music are you listening to at the moment?
Logan Kroeber: A three disc compilation of Waylon Jennings. I’m trying to listen to all of his songs, some are horrible but you can pick out the ones you’ve really enjoyed. So you can distinguish between the gold and the rest. Also Grizzly Bear and Sir Richard Bishop.

DD: What’s happening next?
Meric Long: Shows, touring, drinking, travelling. We’re excited. We’re doing more clubs than festival now which is very enjoyable. It’s more reliable as you have all your gear with you and you’re not going to miss your flight. It’s more like a band of gypsies aiming to strike that golden middle between drinking too little and too much.

'Time to Die' out now.