Smells like Imperial Teen spirit; Imperial Teen survives leaving a label and geographic separations to create its long-awaited third album. (The Music Issue).

Imperial Teen is about to become, as they say in showbiz, "big in Japan"--at least, according to bassist Jone Stebbins's psychic,said our record is going to do quite well," promising the band success in the Land of the Rising Sun, reveals singer Will Schwartz. "And one of the things we said when we were sitting on the fence about making this record was, `Well, we've never been to Japan,'" says guitarist Roddy Bottum.

Originally formed while Bottum was on leave from playing keyboards in Faith No More, the San Francisco quartet--Schwartz and Bottum are both openly gay--won raves for its 1995 pop-punk debut, Seasick, and the 1999 follow-up, What Is Not to Love, met with equal enthusiasm. But then the group left its record company amid a corporate merger, and Bottum and Schwartz relocated to Los Angeles.

Despite these setbacks, the band's new release, On (Merge Records), is the most concise realization yet of its sweet, edgy sound. "We've come to know intuitively what we do well, and this record contains more of those refined moments," says Bottum.

From pumping disco riffs ("Million $ Man") and staccato synthesizers ("Teacher's Pet") to the Peanuts-style piano intro to "Our Time," keyboards play a greater role than before. "I was interested in expressing things musically [in ways] other than with guitars," explains Schwartz. "And the didgeridoo was not available."

Bottum claims the 400-mile commutes required to write and record On ultimately enhanced the outcome. "When the four of us were actually in a room together making music, the time was more precious," he says. The distances covered during recording weren't just physical--"it was also recorded in two parts," drummer Lynn Perko says. The foursome commenced work in summer 2000, then took a break while shopping for a deal. In the interim, "the momentum dropped for a while," Bottum admits, "but we always knew we'd finish." When a solid offer failed to materialize, the band elected to self-finance completion the following year.

Despite the hiatus, devotees of Imperial Teen remained faithful. "They have an incredible fan base for a band that hasn't put out a record in a while," observes Merge Records' Mac McCaughan. With two out gay members, the group receives a sizable chunk of that support from the queer community.

"If [being gay] comes up, it's good," says Bottum. "And if it doesn't, that's fine too. We're from San Francisco, so on one level, who cares? But on another level, there are kids out there who do care, and it makes a big difference to them."

Reighley is the author of Looking for the Perfect Beat.