HAILING from San Francisco, folk-rock duo Two Gallants have acquired cult status with their melodic blend of the fast and furious, and heartachingly lovely.

Making their name with 2004 debut The Throes, Adam Stephens (guitar) and Tyson Vogel (drums) are back with a new album The Bloom and the Blight. And are pitching up at the O2 Academy Oxford tonight to give us a taste.

Fans of old may find it a curious change of direction from the recent fare. “Our past albums have been a lot more folk and blues-based, and I tried to move away from that to some extent,” says Adam.

“I wanted to find a rawness in the music and take us back where we’d come from, from punk rock and grunge in particular, to our childhood, in some ways.”

The pair have been making music together since the age of 12 (they are now in their early 30s), entertaining crowds at teenage house parties, before moving on to gigs and multiple world tours. And, throughout, they have evolved - continually pushing for something fresh.

“This record is important for us as a next step,” says Tyson. “It’s a passage into adulthood in a lot of ways. We had a hiatus of a few years, and each of us went through things that we had to go through. This record breaks the silence.”

The album follows a difficult time for the duo, with Adam recovering from injuries sustained in a serious road accident. “I wasn't able to play guitar or piano for about four months,” he says. “But I started writing songs for the record as soon as I was healthy enough.”

The result is an epic rush of guitar and drums, which was largely recorded by John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, Modest Mouse) in California.

“He’s an artist in his own right,” Tyson says of the producer. “He put his own emotional investment into the songs and, as a result, he took us to another level.”

“Adam and I went on different paths these past years,” he adds. “But I think we share a common feeling, a commitment to try to transcend what we’ve gone through, and build something stronger out of it.”

Two Gallants play the O2 Academy Oxford tonight, Tickets are £12.50 from ticketweb.co.uk