The group's last release was the 2002 EP "Make the Cowboy Robots Cry," after which it went on an indefinite hiatus. "We always left it that if the time comes or the elements are right, we'd probably do this again," drummer Aaron Sperske tells Billboard.com. "With the Sub Pop [reunion], they said, 'We'll give you some money.' They basically facilitated us getting in the studio. That was the catalyst we needed -- someone to underwrite this."

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"We're more flexible in our sound," Sperske says. "A part of it is getting back into the fold and honestly, it has never sounded better than it has before. People are really good players now, too. It's not like they weren't before, but we can do things beyond what we could do before."