Veteran British alt-rock outfit James [ tickets ] is back with its first new album in seven years and a reunion tour that will hit North America this fall.

The band will headline shows in the US, Canada and Mexico during a three-week jaunt that is set to launch Sept. 15 in Boston. James will also join Squeeze for a Sept. 19 gig at New York's Radio City Music Hall. A UK tour will follow in December. North American shows are listed below and those overseas can be found at the band's website.

The reunited septet comprises Tim Booth, Jim Glennie, Larry Gott, Saul Davies, Mark Hunter, Dave Baynton-Power and Andy Diagram.

"This is the best period of James I've ever been involved in," frontman Booth said in a statement. "The band is reformed in its strongest lineup, (the 'Goldmother' to 'Laid' period) and everything feels fresh again. The response in Europe has been ecstatic and we are proud and excited to be returning to the States, where we feel we have some unfinished business."

James' new album, "Hey Ma," is scheduled to hit US shores Sept. 16. The musicians recorded the 11-track set over a few months in a chateau in northern France, according to their bio. They wrote eight pieces in one five-hour spell and 120 in total. A few cuts that made it onto the album are streaming at the group's MySpace page.

James burst onto the British alternative music scene in the early '80s, becoming one of the groups dubbed "the next Smiths," according to All Music Guide. The band broke through to American audiences with its 1993 set, "Laid," and, after nine albums and 20 UK Top 40 singles, James called it quits in 2001.

The bandmates reunited last year to support their double-disc compilation, "Fresh as a Daisy: The Singles."