After a string of tour dates opening for Albert Hammond, Jr. the band heads back out for aheadlining tour with The Photo Atlas and Dark Romantics.

In typical bombastic fervor, frontman Sammy James Jr. shared his thoughts about the impending album release and the accompanying performances.

“The moment is finally upon us! On June 19th, the long, long, long awaited 4th Mooney Suzuki studio album, Have Mercy, shall spring forth into the world in all its glory – AND THEN SOME! New York City’s Foot-Stampin’ Hand-Clappin’ Rock’n’Roll Sensation coming soon to your neck of the woods! See, feel, touch and hear the electrified and amplified vibrations of the Mooney Suzuki, the R&B sweat machine – you will leave the show covered head to toe in Rock’n’Roll.”

The band claims Have Mercy sounds different than its previous works, and for good reason.

When James was writing the album, there was no guarantee there would even be a Mooney Suzuki when he finished. The band had parted ways with Columbia Records, its rhythm section was again in disarray, and guitarist Graham Tyler had left the group.

Unsure of the band’s future, James began writing songs that, he hoped, could stand on their own, unaided by the usual Mooney Suzuki bombast.

“It’s amazing to me that this is still an upbeat record,” says James. “When I was writing these songs, I wasn’t thinking, ‘Man, I gotta make a peppy record.’ I was not in a good place. I wrote these songs out of necessity: We were in debt, we didn’t have a band, and it seemed like this potential career that had for so many years been dangling just out of reach was finally gone for good.”

The album was set for release in February, but the band’s new label, V2, had dissolved, leaving the album’s future a mystery. When V2 Records’ parent company, Sheridan Square, announced the label’s restructuring, the Mooney Suzuki found themselves in limbo again.

While the future of Have Mercy remained unclear, the band hit the road, performing solo gigs, with Albert Hammond, Jr. and some sets at this year’s SXSW.

The full-blown tour starts June 22 in Oklahoma City and crisscrosses the country for at least 17 dates.