Squeeze has spent 50 years writing pop classics like “Tempted,” “Cool for Cats,” “Up the Junction,” “Black Coffee in Bed” and “Hourglass.” 

Still, after all that time, lead singer/guitarist Glenn Tilbrook gets a kick out of talking about his craft and tours. Squeeze, Adam Ant and Haircut 100 will perform at Chandler’s Wild Horse Pass on Sunday, Sept. 20. 

Squeeze is touring in support of its “new” project, “Trixies,” which pulls the English band back to its earliest days. The songs were written by Tilbrook and singer/guitarist Chris Difford when they were teenagers in 1974. Originally imagined as a “concept album” set inside a fictional nightclub, the songs were left unfinished for decades before finally being completed with producer/bassist Owen Biddle (The Roots, John Legend, Al Green).

Tilbrook explained that the band resisted the urge to modernize the material. 

“We didn’t do much to them to make them different, except play them and sing them properly,” he said via Zoom about Squeeze’s 16th collection. “All those things that make a big difference were done to the songs that were there then.

“I think the songs are very much of their time. I was 16, and Chris was 19. I can hear that in the songs. Practically everything I was listening to was coming out of my writing in a quite recognizable way.”

“What More Can I Say,” the opening track on “Trixies,” is an obvious nod to Stevie Wonder, particularly in the instrumentation and lyrics. 

“You can tell there’s that influence, but it sounds like us,” Tilbrook said. 

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Squeeze will “squeeze” a nine-piece band onto Wild Horse Pass’ stage. Tilbrook called the lineup one of the strongest live bands it’s had in its career. Besides Tilbrook, Difford and Biddle, the band includes percussionist/vocalist Steve Smith, guitarist/vocalist Leon Tilbrook, keyboardist Stephen Large, drummer Simon Hanson, backing vocals Danica Dora and guitarist, pedal steel, mandolin and vocalist Melvin Duffy.  

Newer additions bring fresh energy, he said. Smith joined in 2017, adding percussion and vocals. Biddle contributes bass and production insight. His partner, Dora, adds a vocal dimension the band had long been missing. 

“We had good singers, but we didn’t have an all‑round vocal approach,” Tilbrook said. “I’ve been really keen to develop that.”

Then there’s Tilbrook’s son 23-year-old Leon, who is a guitarist and singer whose presence adds talent and emotional resonance. 

“I would never have imagined that he would be joining the band,” Tilbrook said. “He’s adding such a lot. Plus, his youthful enthusiasm can’t help but be contagious.”

“Youthful enthusiasm” has been a de facto theme of the tour. Tilbrook has watched his audience evolve over the past 10 or so years. Alongside classics like “Tempted,” “Cool for Cats,” and “Up the Junction,” the band has attracted a younger audience through streaming and the continued influence of its songwriting on artists ranging from Erykah Badu to The Shins.

“Trixies” isn’t the only project Squeeze has underway. Tilbrook revealed that the band recorded an entirely separate album of new material at the same time — a modern counterpart to the 1974 songs. Once all the tracks were recorded, they decided to finish “Trixies” first.

“We portioned off ‘Trixies’ and the new album,” Tilbrook said. “We finished ‘Trixies’ and left the new album with just the tracks and rough vocals.”

That unfinished album is next on their list. After touring the United States and the United Kingdom, Squeeze will return to the studio to complete it. Tilbrook said the project promises to reveal who Squeeze is now.

“At this stage of our career, when Squeeze releases their 17th album or whatever it is, people aren’t going to go, ‘Oh my God! Thank goodness they’ve done that.’ It’s just not going to happen.

“But the story is true with ‘Trixies.’ It’s such a great story that I think that has drawn a lot of people in. So that’s our calling card for this record. I think that’s a great basis to go on from there.”