You Me At Six frontman Josh Franceschi has said their fans have accused them of selling out with new single 'Rescue Me'.

The one-off single, which doesn't feature on the group's forthcoming album, features vocals from rapper Chiddy of Chiddy Bang.

In an exclusive interview with Gigwise, Franceschi said he found the mixed reaction “weird” - because the song was only intended as a stop-gap between albums.

“Some of our fans think we have sold out and that the song takes this new mainstream radio route,” he said.

“People must be stupid to think that's the new vibe for the band and new album. I think it's good to mix things up - it keeps us on our toes. Fans need to realise that we won't be recruiting Snoop Dogg for our new album.”

The singer said the group had decided to work with Chiddy Bang after their label proposed a number of UK rappers that weren't adequate.

“Our label was suggesting a few well known top 5 UK rappers for us to work with but the band didn't want to ride off somebody else's success,” he said.

“Then we found Chiddy Bang and they were perfect.”

'Rescue Me' is due to be released on February 13. The band are due to release their new album later this year.

You Me At Six - live