Meet Rockfour, the Holy Land’s hippest retro music export.

The Tel Aviv foursome is back for another tour of North American clubs. Already on the road since the start of October, the band will stay Stateside through December 6. Included on the itinerary is an eight-night run at the Knitting Factory in LA where they’ll be playing in the venue’s Alterknit Lounge.

This tour marks the third round of North American dates for the band this year and their sixth time touring the States. Not too shabby for a group who, as of 2001, had only played five shows outside their native land.

A glance at Rockfour’s touring history mirrors the story of their popularity. They’ve been a hit in Israel since the mid-‘90s but it wasn’t until 2000 that they broke out and gained an international following. The reason for the jump? English-language albums.

Up until 2000, Rockfour had been recording in Hebrew. Then, starting with the album Supermarket, they switched to English and soon found a fanbase in the States and Europe.

Although they can’t really escape the “retro” label, bassist Marc Lazare says, “A common mistake we always keep facing is Rockfour being classified as a retro band. This is inaccurate. Indeed, our composing and playing have always been deeply influenced by music running from the mid-‘60s through the early ‘70s, but we are definitely not with two dead-eyes open. Realizing Y2K is here to stay, we are constantly absorbing new elements and are fully aware of it.”

Whatever the pigeonhole, this band is being heard. Rockfour’s latest album, Another Beginning, was released this year and was recorded in English.