Bowling for Soup's irreverent pop tunes gave the North Texas band an international following, more than a few silly music videos and even a Grammy nomination (for 2003's "Girl All the Bad Guys Want"). The foursome has enjoyed great highs since forming in 1994.

So the guys felt comfortable taking time off after their 2006 album The Great Burrito Extortion Case. Lead singer Jaret Reddick, a husband and father of two, pursued improv comedy with a local troupe. Bassist Erik Chandler moved to South Carolina so his wife could take a university teaching job. Guitarist Chris Burney learned the art of bartending. Drummer Gary Wiseman went to real-estate school.

The band finally comes roaring back to the music world next week with the release of its 10th album, Sorry for Partyin', a set of insanely catchy songs that Reddick says might be the guys' best so far.

"The thing was, I didn't not like our last record, but it went in a few different directions," Reddick said in a recent phone chat. "It didn't punch me in the face the way our older stuff did. So we decided to make an awesome, focused Bowling for Soup album."

Reddick and company introduced fans to some of the new material – including singles "My Wena" and "No Hablo Ingles" – during a mini-tour that recently hit Dallas' House of Blues.

"What's always worked about us in the past is that, show-wise and album-wise, it sounds fun and effortless," Reddick says.

Here's more from the singer.

Q: You just shot a new music video. What can you tell us about it?

Reddick: We filmed the video for "No Hablo Ingles." I can just tell you this: It's like a cross between an infomercial and a motivational speaker kind of thing. As far as footage, it's the funniest thing we've done. But it's in editing right now, so we'll see what happens.

Q: It must be weird having Erik live so far away after all these years.

Reddick: He and I were the guys that moved into the van and lived together. We actually stayed in his mom's attic when it was too cold. For two years and after we met our wives, we always lived in the same spot. It's funny. We don't even have to speak – we just know what each other's thinking. It's kinda like that with the four of us, really. We have our own language that includes moods and signals. It's weird. Being in a band for 15 years, especially in one where we actually enjoy each other's company ... you're closer than you are to anyone on the planet.

Q: You guys are so funny onstage. Sometimes you just stop in the middle of a song and do a bit. Are there cues for that?

Reddick: It's a strange thing. Very seldom do we mess that up. All of that is spontaneous. The whole show is. There's no set list. We walk onstage and whatever happens, happens. Of course there are certain ways to introduce a song that provides a segue. But it's mostly off the cuff. The guys say they just sort of know where the punch lines will be.

Q: Do you rib each other after the show if anyone is off, or in a dark mood?

Reddick: We'll usually call that out onstage. The other day Erik hadn't said anything all show, and at the end he started chiming in and I was all, "Oh, you're going to start speaking now?" And sometimes, after he and I have been doing a lot of morning radio, he'll get into that mode and not distinguish between the two. So Chris actually spoke up the other night and said "What the [expletive]? Is this the Jaret and Erik Morning Show? We're trying to do a concert here." And I said, "You know, I actually kind of agree with that. What the hell are you doing, Erik?" He probably quit the band at that point, for a brief second.

Q: Your lyrics always tell stories, which is admirable considering so many pop songs make no sense. Where does that ability come from?

Reddick: That's the country influence – the growing up in Texas and having Willie Nelson playing in the car all the time as a kid. I listened to metal as a kid, too, and sometimes I'd hear a song's lyrics and think "That makes no sense." Being in this band, I always write specific songs about real life. So writing general is hard for me. I definitely can't do the whole not-make-sense thing. The closest I've come to it is a song on the new record called "I Got You," and even me not making sense makes sense.

Q: The album's opener is "A Really Cool Dance Song," which is about the band changing up its style to write a hit single. Will it actually be a single?

Reddick: I think it actually might. Right now it's the runaway favorite for those who've heard the album. It's funny because it works both ways – it's about trying to make a really cool dance song, and it is, in fact, a really cool dance song.

Q: And then there's the song and video for "My Wena." What's the real inspiration for that one?

Reddick: That's a love story put into the most insane innuendos you could ever think of. I had to think about whether it'd been taken too far, but I knew if we were going to do it we had to go all the way. My mom saw the video, called me and said, "I think this is really funny, but I have to admit. I saw the [squirting milk] part, turned to your dad and said 'There's absolutely nothing he won't do.' " But we did go back and do a version of the video where we took out the 7-foot penis and put in just footage of puppies, so you can go to the Web site and see both versions.

Q: I take it the video can't be played on most music video channels.

Reddick: It cannot. There are a couple of stations in the U.K. that can play it, but it was actually deemed obscene in Japan, so we sent them the puppy footage. You know what's funny about that? Our video is deemed obscene and there have been people offended by it. But this is the first time in three albums that we don't have a parental advisory sticker. We're not even stickered!

Q: There's a $1,000 pre-order package for 'Sorry for Partyin" that includes a personalized song written and recorded by the band. Have you had any takers for that yet?

Reddick: We had an order the first day and have sold a couple more since then. So we're gonna write songs with the person's name and send it to them.

Q: Do you have ideas ready yet for the custom songs?

Reddick: I actually think we'll wait until we get the names, and write with them in mind. I don't think it'll be too much of a challenge. I made "Texas" and "breastises" work, so I can handle weird names.

Q: After 15 years in the music biz, what still surprises you?

Reddick: Not to get too dark, but there's definitely a lack of loyalty. When you've been in it this long, it's funny how many so-called friends in other bands and radio can bail on you. And we've not necessarily been unsuccessful yet. But it's coming. We're not friggin' U2. ... In the same regard, there's a lack of heart. Everybody does this as a job. People in the record business will just slit your throat at any time. I'm not like that.

Q: Knowing you, though, there's a funny song to be written about that.

Photographer Jason Janik has shot Bowling for Soup album covers, including the new one, so the guys were pretty comfortable working with him on our Quick photo shoot before their recent gig at House of Blues. When the idea of getting a shot in the venue's green-room shower came up, Jaret Reddick immediately volunteered to go the extra mile: "So, shirts off? We're always up for a shirts-off party."

Erik Chandler wasn't quite as enthusiastic about being the one held upside down in the toilet shot, though. "I'm the littlest guy, so I always get roped into these kinds of things," he said. Reddick replied, "But he's heavier than he was three years ago! It's OK though. I've been doing P90X."

... And just so you know, we didn't ask Chris Burney's beloved bulldog Sherman to be part of the toilet shot. He just showed up for a drink of water when Janik started snapping.