Nick Cave [ tickets ] and the Bad Seeds have announced their first North American tour in more than five years, on the heels of the band's new studio album, "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!"

The group, which kicked off an extensive European tour earlier this week in Paris, will launch the North American leg of the outing Sept. 16 in San Diego. The 11-date trek will start on the West Coast and move east, following a brief foray into Canada with dates in New York City (10/4) and Washington, DC (10/5).

All American dates are shown below; the overseas schedule can be found at the group's MySpace page.

Released in March, "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" is the band's 14th studio album. Recorded in London last year with veteran producer Nick Launay (Arcade Fire, Talking Heads), the album purports to retell the story of the biblical title character, Lazarus, in a modern setting, according to Cave.

"Ever since I can remember hearing the Lazarus story, when I was a kid, you know, back in church, I was disturbed and worried by it. Traumatized, actually," Cave wrote on the band's website.

"We are all, of course, in awe of the greatest of Christ's miracles--raising a man from the dead--but I couldn't help but wonder how Lazarus felt about it. As a child it gave me the creeps, to be honest. I've taken Lazarus and stuck him in New York City, in order to give the song, a hip, contemporary feel."

The album, generally considered a return to form by music critics, hit No. 4 on the UK album charts, peaking at No. 64 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Cave's recent side project, Grinderman, released its self-titled debut album last year. The group features several members of the Bad Seeds (drummer Jim Sclavunos, bassist Martyn Casey and violinist Warren Ellis) and centers around Cave's newfound interest in playing lead guitar.