Having just completed a tour of the U.S. Southwest, San Francisco noise-pop ensemble Deerhoof [ tickets ] is set to return to the road again in support of its new album, "The Runners Four.

The quartet will play a short list of venues, starting with a Jan. 24 appearance in Cambridge, MA, on its way out of the country for an extended overseas tour. After seven East Coast shows, the band will spend most of the first half of 2006 visiting Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Europe.

On selected nights during Deerhoof's upcoming U.S. outing, the band's shows will be opened by arts collective Starter Set, a multimedia dance and music troupe primarily based in New York and billed in its press kit as "New dance and music for the camera."

"The Runners Four," released in October, is the seventh studio release from Deerhoof since the prolific band made its debut with 1997's "The Man, The King, The Girl." Samples from "The Runners Four," as well as other Deerhoof tracks, are available for download on the band's website.

The busy band recently took time out from touring and recording to contribute a Beatles cover to the BBC. Deerhoof's version of “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” is part of the BBC's commemoration of the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death, which features different artists covering songs from The Beatles' "White Album." All 31 songs can be currently heard at Radio 1's website.