It’s been nine years since the Cinematic Orchestra released an album – and now three records are on the way.

The nu jazz meets electro group will play the O2 Academy tomorrow night, on the back of new single To Believe.

That song is the title track of an album due out in the spring, the first released by Jason Swinscoe and his collaborators since 2007’s Ma Fleur.

But it is only the start of Jason’s plans…

“I’ve actually been quite busy over the nine years, so there’s three records in the making,” he says.

“The pop world sometimes describes things in a marketing way, like ‘this is what we need for the next shift in the pop world’ and it doesn’t really work like that for me. I’ve heard guys like James Blake, or Thundercat, or Flying Lotus, and you have people pushing the envelope, so that’s when you get inspired by other people’s input.

“It’s all about breaking rules to go forwards. The body of two of the albums are connected because I was writing so much and had too much material for just one, while the third record was written in New York before the first two, and it has a totally different feel to it.”

The first offering from Jason’s work is To Believe, a stripped back acoustic and strings number featuring fragile vocals from Moses Sumney. For Jason it sets the tone for what is to come next year.

“It’s half vocal and half instrumental, so one track is very upbeat, another is more house, and it’s got that classic kind of cinematic narrative through it,” he says.

“It’s like a journey and there’s a lot of variety. It can take a while to find the right pieces of music that’ll sit next to each other and be harmonious.”

Attempting to tell a journey in music is something that has always fascinated Jason, going through all three of the Cinematic Orchestra’s albums. Originally starting as an art project, along the way he has found critical praise, while the track To Build A Home has soundtracked everything from Grey’s Anatomy to Top Gear.

While it is his best known song, do not expect a repeat anytime soon.

“It’s too easy to find a comfortable ground and a formula,” he says.

“People go to me ‘where’s the next Home’ but that was a one-off and I’m not going to write something like that again. I don’t see the point of attempting to write it again, or even considering it. It doesn’t make sense. You should try to be inspired, rather than redressing things you’ve done before.”

Inspiration is something that Jason feels is lacking, both in a lot of modern music and in today’s society as a whole, where the emphasis is on quickness rather than taking time to get things right.

“I’m not into the world being paced so fast – my philosophy is to take your time and understand things,” he explains.

“When Moses and I wrote To Believe, we wanted to write something that was relevant, rather than something that had no depth to it, like another love song. The album’s called the same, because it’s about people asking questions, and standing up…

“Musically, partying and clubbing had just become so mindless (in recent years). It was popping pills and house and grime tracks with no purpose.”

Given Jason’s love of the studio, you might think he prefers it to touring. However he is eager to take the new material out on the road.

“The studio has its moments, as you get the stillness and the tranquillity to compose, but I love sharing music live because you get that immediate reaction,” he adds.

“I want to get music on a stage because that’s the payoff – to see people loving music and enjoying it.”

The Cinematic Orchestra, O2 Academy, Friday, £27.50, 7pm