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British pop group Squeeze became one of the hottest bands in the New Wave period starting in the late 1970s. Some referred to lead singers/songwriters Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook as the next McCartney and Lennon. The group put out a lengthy catalog, with hits like "Tempted" and "Black Coffee in Bed." But despite the fanfare, Squeeze disbanded in the early 1980s.

After decades of being in an on-again/off-again musical relationship, with supporting band members rotating in and out, Difford and Tilbrook remained constants when Squeeze was "on" again. They toured as a band, as an acoustic duo and as individuals on solo tours, always in an effort to keep the music going.

Difford and Tilbrook were back together in October 2015 to release "Cradle to the Grave," the first Squeeze album with new songs since 1998.

"We have spent a long time respecting our past," said Tilbrook on a phone call with The Tribune. "We are a bit on a roll right now and in a really great place."

The band makes a stop in Salt Lake City at the Depot on Friday, Oct. 7, part of the first full band tour in four years. Look Park, the solo project of Chris Collingwood of Fountains of Wayne, opens the show.

Tilbrook talked humbly about making the climb back into music and being Squeeze today.

The musical journey

It's a bit of a cliché but it's a really interesting journey. I don't think I would be where I am now unless I had the harder times because the harder times really taught me a lot in terms of dedication to what I do. We all did that thing of 12 years ago touring and sleeping on people's floors and we had a great thing going. That was a funny thing to do in your 40s — you normally do it when you're in your 20s. But I did it again, and I proved to myself how determined I was. By that point I was throwing myself into it. It certainly wasn't about money because I lost money at first for a few years. But I wanted to have a band and the band was great. It reminded me of when Squeeze was first coming out and we were a great band then. It's sort of like a lobster being slowly boiled: You don't realize you're changing. Certainly by the '90s, Squeeze wasn't a great band. We did some good stuff but it wasn't great and it wasn't viable. It feels like we took it for granted and I never wanted to do that again.

'Cradle to the Grave'

We wrote the songs for a BBC TV series ["Cradle to the Grave"] about this guy who is a contemporary of ours called Danny Baker, who is a journalist and a broadcaster. The show is based on his life. A lot of our songs are not by nature nostalgic. It was good to have a reason to do that. It pulled out some really interesting things from us. Chris Difford and I worked really well together on this project. We were writing together, helping each other out, and it was a much closer process. We've had a fantastic reaction to it most places we go. Generally, the people who come and see you don't lie. They might want to flatter you, but they can never lie. You just get a sense of whether they are liking what you do or whether they don't get it or if they prefer something else. The reaction we've had has been really brilliant. It's just the best I could wish for.

Being onstage

We are a very tight band; we can do a lot of things. We know how to roll, we know how to swing, we're very tight — we listen to each other. That is a real joy. That's my favorite part of the day is being onstage. [We are] playing just for you, the catchiest songs in the universe.

Squeeze today

Squeeze today is certainly a very exciting band. We're playing better than we have ever played. The other thing about Squeeze is that we have spent a long time respecting our past. But if you do just that, you sort of become fossilized. Without a present and a future, none of it works properly. We've got a present and a future. This album is one of our best.

The future of Squeeze

The album is exactly how we wanted it to be and it works on a lot of different levels. People that have heard it love it and say that it retains the best of the Squeeze that we used to know. It's weird how things happen. Sometimes it's almost like things are just lined up for us now after years of not having done that. Very gradually, everything has clicked into place. We're on a bit of a roll at the moment so we are going to do another record next year. What I am interested in doing is doing more stuff with Squeeze. Squeeze

With Look Park, the solo project of Chris Collingwood of Fountains of Wayne, touring in support of a new self-titled debut album.

When • Friday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m.

Where • The Depot (at The Gateway), 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City

Tickets • $30; Smith's Tix