Minus the Bear has been a model of consistency, producing full-length albums every two or three years since it was formed in 2001, and finding larger audiences with each subsequent release.
But between touring, other projects and responsibilities, the Seattle-based indie rockers had hit a wall when it came to generating new material.
"We've had a hell of a time getting back to the writing process," Minus the Bear frontman Jake Snider said. "The timing has been tough."
Enter "Lost Loves," a collection of outtakes, rarities and hidden gems released last month that span the past seven years of the band's career.
"We had a bunch of these completed songs that didn't make records for whatever reason, flow or stylistically," Snider said. "Somebody (in the band) started listening to a couple of them over a year ago. We were like, 'These are pretty cool,' and some of them hadn't been released at all."
The new album includes tracks recorded during sessions for three full-length releases going back as far as 2007's "Planet of Ice."
While the songs all fit comfortably in the band's canon of progressive rock permeated by intricate guitar riffs, the main obstacle for the band was to use the tracks to create something more than a compilation of retreads.
"I think in some way, it seems like some of these songs are more atmospheric and more moody than some of the stuff that ended up on records," Snider said. "We decided to put it together and make it flow like it was a new record, not chronologically. It collects all of these things that are just sounding like a cool new release."
The ethereal feel is captured on "Patiently Waiting," the album's fifth track, while "Invented Memory" is pensive, alternating from a creeping pace set early in the song to a sweeping clip driven by the guitars.
While critics often frown on releases of previously recorded songs, fans generally flock toward underground or unreleased material.
Snider said the response has been positive on both sides.
"It's been positive about the album feeling like an album instead of a collection of songs," he said.
Snider said guitarist Dave Knudson generally constructs the framework of the songs, bringing them to the rest of the band, with Snider's lyrics often the last addition.
"Usually Dave comes up with the genesis of the idea in the practice space," Snider said. "I try to get something down (lyrically), but if I don't have anything that sparks me, sometimes they get done the day before I'm in the studio."
The band formed in 2001 after a few years of crossing paths in Seattle's indie circuit.
"I had a house on the north end of Seattle," Snider said. "We had house shows, Kill Sadie (with Minus the Bear drummer Erin Tate and bassist Cory Murchy) played at the house and Dave's band Botch played. Dave wrote some stuff that wasn't very Botchy and it went from there."
The band released a full-length album and a couple EPs before gaining mainstream attention with "Menos el Oso" in 2005.
"I think after 'Oso' was released, it just started building a lot of steam at that point," Snider said.
Matt Bayles played keyboards during the early years, but left to focus on his work as a producer in 2006. He was replaced by Alex Rose, who had worked with the band previously as a sound engineer.
The general consistency within the band for more than a dozen years has helped it develop an experimental sound, marked by its elaborate instrumental interplay.
"When we have a new record to write, it really does help," Snider said. "We all have really high expectations and you never know what people are going to come up with. We know how to play together, so it's more organic and less forced."
The band will arrive in Alaska for the second time after playing in the summer of 2011. Currently in the midst of its tour supporting "Lost Loves," the band has a number of sold-out shows at venues on the East Coast and in the Midwest last month.
"The tour has been good so far," Snider said. "We can't wait to get up there and eat some reindeer."
Minus the Bear
When: 8 p.m. doors, show starts at 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6
Where: Bear Tooth Theatrepub
Tickets: $29.50 at beartooththeatre.net