The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' third full–length, It's Blitz! finds the trio moving from their squawky post–punk roots toward danceable synth rock and New Wave ballads. "I wanted to push the band to new places,? says singer Karen O, who urged guitarist Nick Zinner to play synthesizers on the album. The new sound isn't the only way that O, who recently turned 30, is maturing — she's also cut back on her drinking and toned down her famously unhinged live performances. "I used to be really reckless," she says. "Now I try and keep it semireckless."

This album has an Eighties feel, but what did you really listen to back then?
"We Are the World," I remember that. The Chipmunks Do Country [laughs]. Michael Jackson made a big impression on me. I was not hip whatsoever. I didn't get into rock until probably the ninth grade, when a friend started going to Sonic Youth, Pavement and Jonathan Fire*Eater shows in Manhattan.

What specific music did you draw on for this album?
Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Suicide, New Order were all references. I wanted to nail a song that had a hypnotic and ecstatic appeal — and could make people cry on the dance floor, too.

Has a song ever made you cry on the dance floor?
There was a moment with "Love Will Tear Us Apart" in a club in New York when I really teared up. It was a feeling of real emotional joy. Generally, I'm geared more toward tears of joy than anguish.