The Apples in Stereo plot 'Space' journey for spring

Indie-rockers The Apples in Stereo return to the road this spring just in time for the release of their latest studio album, "Travellers in Space and Time."

The trek gets underway April 16 in Lexington, KY, and runs through a May 4 show in St. Louis, MO. The 14-city outing also includes dates in New York City (4/21) and Chicago (4/30). Details are included at right.

"Travellers in Space and Time," the band's seventh studio album, is due in stores April 20 on three labels: Elijah Wood's Simian Records, Yep Roc and the band's longtime Elephant 6 imprint.

"I wanted to make a futuristic pop record, to reach out to the kids of the future," bandleader Robert Schneider said in a press release. "It is what I imagine their more highly-evolved pop might sound like: shiny soul music with robots and humans singing together, yet informed by the music of our time. So we are sending a pop-music message through time, hoping they will decode it and be into it."

The new set, the band's first full-length studio effort since 2007's "New Magnetic Wonder," is also the group's first album to feature drummer John Dufilho, who replaced previous drummer Hilarie Sidney following the recording of "Wonder." The band also added keyboardist John Doss and vocalist/keyboardist John Ferguson as permanent members in the interim between releases.