When The Jezabels’ frontwoman Hayley Mary speaks to The Guide, she’s clearly smarting after a series of “mixed” reviews for second album The Brink.

Much of the attention has focused on the band’s slick sound and stadium-friendly attitude, combining big keyboards and cavernous drum beats with Mary’s powerful voice.

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing to want to be a big band,” says Mary. “We want to write music that can entertain a lot of people in a big space – it feels good to aim for.

“When we put our energy into a song, it turns into an epic song. That can be a bit over-the-top for some people.”

The four-piece have recently experienced a bit of stadium action, supporting the likes of Garbage and Depeche Mode on tour. Mary admits it would be amazing to be at the level of those bands, although she doubts that happens any more.

It seems the band is being attacked for having a certain amount of ambition – as heard within anthemic album highlights The End, Psychotherapy and the title track.

And perhaps what also sticks in the craw of some of their detractors is the more positive sound of the follow-up to 2011’s calling card Prisoner – home to their trademark “intensindie” sound.

It’s a marked contrast to the birth of the album, which Mary admits had a tough gestation period. “That second album cliche exists for a reason,” she says. “Prisoner got people listening to us. We wanted to better ourselves so we put a lot of pressure on.”

The album was penned and recorded in the UK – seeing the band working outside of their Australian home for the first time – in a period following an intense run of international shows.

“We wrote quite an optimistic album,” says Mary. “With a lot of critics there’s a tendency to think if something is darker then it’s better – that something light or upbeat lacks integrity. It’s a prevalent attitude in the UK.

“I guess people might think we’ve faltered in making a shiny pop record, but I think when you’re down you want something that gives you hope. You want the silver lining and that’s what The Brink was for me.”

Mary has described The Brink as her most personal album yet.

“I’m a feminist. I make a big connection between the personal and the political. It’s how an individual connects with life. I talk about how I feel alienated and despondent, how I feel rather hopeless, but I think I talk as much about recognising the need to really hold on to hope.”

She believes it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by what is going on in the world around you, which can lead to cynicism.

“Not one review has concluded we might be trying to make any kind of social commentary,” she says. “It’s hard to get people to notice – everyone is so overwhelmed by information.

“Rock and roll isn’t going to solve anything and it’s hard to get a message across that lasts. You’ve got to serve your own desires when you write – if you’re trying to help other people and become a social commentator, you may just become frustrated. You have to write for yourself.”

She admits to concerns about how people take their rights for granted, and how easily they can be taken away – especially in a world where the WikiLeaks controversy has shown just how much the state is trying to control individuals.

“Our Prime Minister in Australia has just made some really heavy moves that are irreversible with regards to the environment,” she says. “People don’t realise the power of backwards politics and how much longer it takes progressive politics to get back on track.

“People think women are being emotional or annoying when they have strong opinions, but none of these rights are god-given.

“They were fought for in this country by women who ran in front of horses.”

Support from Champs and Beautiful Boy.