Chrissie Hynde is fine on her own. Just listen to “Alone,” the title track of her band the Pretenders’ album from October, for reassurance.

“No one to say ‘You’re doing it wrong’ / I’m at my best / I’m where I belong, alone,” she sings in her trademark half-sung, half-spoken delivery.

Calling from a tour stop in San Diego this month, the 65-year-old Ohio native said the key to the Pretenders’ longevity has been to “do things differently once in a while, or else it just gets formulaic.” It’s part of the reason why the current band’s lineup, the one she’s toured with for years and that she’ll play with Sunday at Royal Farms Arena, isn’t featured on “Alone” at all. Throughout roster changes over the years, the Pretenders essentially go as Hynde does.

“Most bands don’t stay the course for 30 years. You have to bring in fresh blood, try new ideas,” said Hynde, who added she gets along fine with her bandmates. “The band starts with a personality, but keeping it alive over a period of time — obviously things change.”

In the continued evolution of the Pretenders, Hynde — the band’s creative force — hired a new set of eyes and ears to guide “Alone.” Produced by Dan Auerbach, the Black Keys singer-songwriter, the Pretenders’ 10th album captures Hynde’s unapologetic takes on doomed love (“Never Be Together”), fleeting flourishes (“Let’s Get Lost”) and self-loathing (“I Hate Myself”).

Hynde gravitated toward Auerbach’s fast-moving, decisive approach to production, she said. Recorded as Hynde fought a respiratory infection, the record sounds warm and modern, while also wearing some rough edges that hark back to a less glossy era of rock ’n’ roll.

That balance is what makes Auerbach a producer of the moment, Hynde said.

“He’s got a certain authority. He really knows what he’s doing in there,” she said. “It’s a very timeless sound, and that’s something I personally really like in anything. I like it in restaurants, and I like it in music.”

Longtime fans of the Pretenders would likely describe Hynde, too, as timeless. Formed by Hynde — then a London transplant — in 1978, the group became critical darlings over the next two decades, thanks to swaggering, radio-friendly hits like “Brass in Pocket,” “Don’t Get Me Wrong” and the widely covered ballad “I’ll Stand by You.”

Those in attendance Sunday can expect to hear those songs, as Hynde understands most fans aren’t coming for a set of new material.

“I know if I went to see a band now, and they didn’t play my favorite songs, I’d feel really gypped,” she said.

Don’t mistake Hynde for a proponent of nostalgia, though. She’d prefer to concentrate on the present and future, and rejects “this idea of living on past laurels.”

“I only want to be doing this if I feel that what I’m doing has some resonance and some value for the moment,” Hynde said. “Otherwise, it doesn’t mean anything to me.”

Despite claiming she would never write a book, Hynde changed her mind in 2015, when she released her memoir, “Reckless: My Life as a Pretender.” (During the interview, she acknowledged that this contradicted with her earlier remarks about not reflecting on the past: “Call me a hypocrite — sue me!”)

Writing the book, which made headlines for Hynde’s account of her sexual assault involving a biker gang, was an important exercise in taking stock of her past in order to have a better understanding of the future, she said.

“I think with anyone, when they hit a certain age, there’s this sense of wanting to turn this page on your life and move forward, and get rid of the past,” Hynde said.

The memoir received mixed reviews, which doesn’t bother Hynde. In music, she’s long lost a need for critics’ approval and can’t help but express her distaste for the music industry’s biggest awards show.

“I hate the whole Grammy culture. Are you kidding? It sucks. It disgusts me,” said Hynde, whose band has received nominations in the past. “If I see anyone’s name and it says ‘five-time Grammy nominee,’ I turn the page because I already know that person is not rock ’n’ roll.”

The only validation Hynde said she’s interested in is the connection between the band and the audience. Now in her fifth decade as a musician, Hynde doesn’t have any ambitious plans, but knows for certain she will continue to push forward. That will likely result in new music, but Hynde makes no promises on when to expect it.

“My policy has always been to do the least you have to to get by,” she said. “I’m not a workaholic. I’ve never tried to be the biggest or the best. I just try to keep the band on the road.”

wesley.case@baltsun.com

twitter.com/midnightsunblog