The band’s tour launches with a show March 9 at New York’s Nokia Theatre and will spend the spring hopping around the U.S. and Canada through May. Opening duties on the tour will be handled by indie rockers Mae and Sherwood.

Five Score, which will drop March 6, is the fifth album from Relient K. The band is well known among CC music fans for its less-than-austere approach to the subject matter of its songs, not to mention the fact that they put on a butt-kicking live show.

The band’s Web site describes the new album as a departure of sorts from previous outings that includes, among other things, happy love songs. For frontman Matt Thiessen the new direction is pretty easy to explain.

“I always write about what I’m going through and I can’t avoid the fact that I’m just really happy and there are some good things going on,” he said.