Punk-pop quartet The Starting Line [ tickets ] is keeping up its relentless touring schedule with upcoming shows across the US and in Australia.

The band starts next month with a single show in Honolulu, HI, before heading Down Under for a handful of dates on the Soundwave Festival, and will return home in time to kick off a cross-country tour of the US beginning March 19 in Pittsburgh. That trek will visit clubs and theaters through early May, with Bayside [ tickets ], Four Year Strong [ tickets ] and Steel Train [ tickets ] filling the opening slots on all dates. US gigs are listed below; those overseas can be found at the band's website.

The Starting Line is supporting its July release, "Direction," which reached No. 30 on The Billboard 200 and has spawned modern rock hit "Island (Float Away)."

The album marks a new beginning for the bandmates, who say they were snubbed by their former record company after releasing their 2005 sophomore effort, "Based on a True Story."

Bassist/singer Kenny Vasoli, guitarists Matt Watts and Mike Golla and drummer Tom Gryskewicz--who formed The Starting Line eight years ago--built a solid fanbase in the early 2000s through touring as an indie act. Despite that, and despite playing major festivals like the Warped Tour, the bandclaims its major label de-prioritized its album and never serviced the first single to commercial radio, according to a bio at The Starting Line's website.

"After the record came out, the label didn't even murmur a word about it," Vasoli said in a statement. "I think that sent us into a little bit of a depression. It just didn't feel like we had a lot of people on our side."

Instead of giving up, the band begged its way out of the recording contract and quickly signed to Virgin Records. A few months later, the guys started work on "Direction" with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, All-American Rejects).

"Over the past two years, we've been through a lot," Watts said in the bio. "But I think that this album is what made it worth it."

A few songs from the set are streaming at The Starting Line's MySpace page.