With the release of 2008’s Skeleton, Abe Vigoda became synonymous with tropical punk, as the Los Angeles–based four-piece blended sunny guitar licks with feverish rhythms and spazzy exuberance. However, when the musicians began working on material for their fourth album, Crush, they found inspiration in an unexpected source: the twisted plot lines of American novelist Dennis Cooper.

“All of his stories are super-violent, tragic love stories with strange themes,” explains frontman Michael Vidal, speaking from the tour van as the band drives just outside of Chicago. “He runs the gamut of disgusting, beautiful, and weird. It’s gay teens killing each other.”

Although Vidal is laughing when he says this, it’s clear that the author’s works made a lasting impression on the singer. “I read about three of his books in a row,” he reveals. “There was an inevitable influence there.”

Cooper’s themes of destructive love and sexual violence factor prominently in Crush, which came out last September. Unlike the beach-ready stylings that first lifted the quartet to buzz-band status, new songs like “Pure Violence” and “Dream of My Love (Chasing After You)” brim with despair.

“It’s about love that’s really intense and ultimately doomed,” Vidal says of the latter track. “It can just be so wrong sometimes.”

The musical accompaniment is as dark as the lyrics, with minimalist dirges going toe-to-toe with spiky synth rock and ominous electro pop. On “Repeating Angel”, a chiming guitar figure spirals for six heart-stopping minutes as the rhythm section lays down an insistent disco groove, punctuated by buzzing keyboard leads. “Beverly Slope” nestles its six-string stylings in an eerie blanket of reverb before an otherworldly drone slowly takes over in the final minute.

As for the source of Abe Vigoda’s newfound interest in synthesizers, Vidal says that much of the credit belongs to drummer Dane Chadwick, who joined the band following the departure of former member Reggie Guerrero in 2009. “He did a lot of the programming and electronics,” says the singer. “Our previous drummer never really took an active role in songwriting. Dane is way more involved.”

Despite Vidal’s fascination with gloomy postpunk, the frontman is upbeat and talkative when discussing the group’s recent direction. He’s especially enthusiastic when speaking about producer Chris Coady (TV on the Radio, Grizzly Bear), who helped the band to usher in its new sound

“We did our best to make it a sleeker representation,” he says.

As polished as Crush is, fans shouldn’t expect Abe Vigoda to delve too far into the world of glossy, radio-ready pop.

“We’re amateurs, really,” Vidal says humbly. “Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Abe Vigoda plays the Biltmore Cabaret on Monday (February 28).