The tour follows Kings of Leon's sold-out spring tour of the US, as well as a sold-out UK jaunt, which the band will finish July 22. In November/December, the Nashville-based quartet will be back in the UK for a round of arena dates. Those shows are listed at the band's website.

Kings of Leon--which comprises brothers Caleb, Jared and Matthew Followill and their cousin Nathan Followill--are out supporting their third album, "Because of the Times," which surfaced in April and reached No. 25 on The Billboard 200. The set, which follows 2004's "Aha Shake Heartbreak," has been praised by critics as a huge leap forward for the group's songwriting and musical prowess.

"I think people tend to expect a certain sound from us," drummer Nathan Followill said in a statement, "but on this record, we tried to throw them for a loop.

"We weren't scared to try anything," he added. "I think that's the difference between this album and the last."

Trying anything meant a lot of firsts--the band's first song to clock in at more than five minutes ("Knocked Up"), its first song with vocal effects ("On Call"), and its first tune that could be described as a genuine arena-rock anthem ("Black Thumbnail"), according to Kings of Leon's bio. It was also the first time that every member contributed equally to every song. It's all part of the band reaching a new level of maturity, according to Nathan Followill.

"There's nothing like touring with consummate pros like U2 [ tickets ] [in 2005] and Bob Dylan [ tickets ] and Pearl Jam [ tickets ] [in 2006], that'll force a young band to grow up fast," he said.

A few songs from "Because of the Times" are streaming at Kings of Leon's MySpace page.