WITH its image of a woman's head and back doused in blood–red hair dye the cover of Polica's second album Shulamith was one of the most unforgettable of 2013.

For singer and lyricist Channy Leaneagh the photograph expressed the contrasting worlds women inhabit.

“We are balancing between beautification and brutality,” she says. “It's blood and make–up – we are dyeing our hair, waxing, manicuring and pedicuring to maintain this perfection and quest for youth.

“At the same time we are left with the responsibility for breeding and raising children, bleeding every month, and have the dangers of rape and abuse, although we have to carry on being the beauty of society.”

Taking its name from radical feminist Shulamith Firestone one might be forgiven for thinking there was a polemical side to the Minneapolis band's second album.

“It's important to know that I didn't learn about Shulamith until I had written the record,” says Leaneagh, who discovered the Canadian feminist after she died in August 2012.

“I named it in tribute to her and the way I want to move forward in my life – with her intelligence, strength and bravery.

“With the lyrics I let myself build more complex stories and delve deeper into narrative.”

She concedes there is a natural feminist perspective to the album, the follow–up to 2012's word–of–mouth cult hit Give You The Ghost.

“It's a record from a woman's perspective,” she says. “But it's also about me as a person and my experience of life. I'm not a fan of naming things so simplistically as one type of subject matter – there's a lot of stuff in there.”

As a mother of a five–year–old daughter she is seeing first–hand the complex confusion of being a girl in the 21st century.

“The conversation about feminism is whether a woman can be a feminist and still wear high heels and make–up,” she says.

“We need to deal with rape and abuse, and the discrepancy in equality for women.

“There was a headline in the Washington Post saying that for sexual abuse and assaults against women to stop more women should get married.

“We need more role models showing women how to be strong and not just sexy.

“I don't know if I would like myself to be seen as a role model – but if you're standing on a stage in front of people there is a responsibility, which you can take or leave. You have to think about your actions and how you carry yourself – what you represent.”

Shulamith continues the electronic R'n'B–influenced indie–sound which was captured so successfully on Give Up The Ghost by Leaneagh and producer Ryan Olson.

Perhaps the biggest change is Leaneagh's vocals, which are much more to the fore, losing some of the layers of effects which previously masked her lyrics.

And the touring band of bassist Chris Bierden and drummers Drew Christopherson and Ben Ivascu played an increased role in the recording sessions – to the point where Leaneagh believes you can't distinguish between each member's contribution.

As the band plays Hove in advance of a Glastonbury appearance they are already working on album number three – although progress has been slow because of a tough US tour.

“We are playing a lot of s****y venues and driving a lot,” admits Leaneagh. “We don’t have time to sit in a quiet room and write.”

Duncan Hall