Experimental indie-rockers The Sea and Cake [ tickets ] return to the tour bus this fall behind "Everybody," the band's first full-length album of new studio material in four years.

The Chicagoans begin their trek Sept. 14 in Minneapolis and end it three weeks later in their hometown with an Oct. 5 concert. The group will hit a total of 18 cities on the outing. All dates are below.

For the band's first album since 2003's "One Bedroom," and seventh in a recording career that stretches back to the outfit's eponymous 1994 debut, the group used an outside producer for the first time, with drummer John McEntire handing over the soundboard to Brian Paulson (Slint, Wilco).

The group spent a month in Benton Harbor, MI, rehearsing the new songs with a pair of sound engineers. "A kind of rock-and-roll boot camp," guitarist Archer Prewiit termed the situation in a press release. "We knew we were there to make an important record. We ate and slept there and did little else."

"It's a rock album," added vocalist/guitarist Sam Prekop, calling the set "the most straight ahead, even 'rootsy' record we've ever made."

The four members--Prekop, Prewiit, McEntire and bassist Erik Claridge--originally conceived of the group as a one-off collaborative project, with all of the band members being well-known figures in the Chicago indie scene prior to forming The Sea & Cake. McEntire is still a member of Tortoise, and both Prekop and Prewitt have released solo albums.