FOLK punk star Frank Turner will be heading to Bournemouth next month to celebrate the release of his seventh studio album.

Be More Kind represents a thematic change for the Eton-educated singer songwriter who grew up near Winchester. It’s a record that combines the political and personal with his trademark intricate folk and punk.

“I wanted to try and get out of my comfort zone and do something different," says Turner, 36.

He recruited producers Austin Jenkins and Joshua Block, formerly of psychedelic-rock Texans White Denim, Florence And The Machine and Halsey collaborator Charlie Hugall and the idea of recording a more rock-led album with tints of electronic-pop took shape.

Be More Kind was made over a period of seven months, giving Turner the opportunity to turn songs on their head, try different versions and shake up the dynamics within his band.

Turner and his band, The Sleeping Souls, were on tour in the USA in 2016 “when the world decided to go collectively nuts” and the songs that make up the album started to come together.

“Somewhere in the record, there’s a convergence of the ideas of personal and political, which is a central theme of the album,” he says.

One of the driving themes of the album is empathy, even for your enemy. “You should at least be able to inhabit the mental universe of the people you disagree with. If you can’t do that, then how do you communicate with people other than through force of arms, which is something we all agree is a bad idea.”

* Frank Turner plays the BIC on February 1. Tickets £39.