It's been over four years since Sponge's debut album, "Rotting Pinata," spawned the alt-rock hits "Plowed" and "Molly." The band's sophomore effort, 1996's "Wax Ecstatic," didn't take off.

Now the boys are back with their third record, "New Pop Sunday," a raucous rocker with psychedelic-pop overtones (see "Sponge Has A Date For 'New Pop Sunday'"). The first single is the twangy "Live Here Without You."

As frontman Vinnie Dombroski told the MTV Radio Network, the road back was a tough one for the band, which found itself in an artistic skirmish with its former label.

"We were in New York a year ago, you know, just kind of putting the finishing touches on the record when we were on Columbia," said Dombroski.

"New Pop Sunday" found a home with the BMG-distributed Beyond label, and it's in stores now.

You can catch Sponge supporting both the Cranberries and Blondie on tour this spring. If you're not willing to wait, the band will be appearing in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Thursday and Toledo, Ohio on Friday.