After a year spent out of the spotlight, Punchline is making up for lost time.

And while the band's got a new album, a new label and a new sound, only some serious time on the road will do it.

Calling from his tour van, frontman Steve Soboslai is driving through one of Pittsburgh's tunnels, on the way to Harrisburg for the band's second and third performance of the day.

Though neither show will see more than a few hundred fans (Punchline will play an acoustic set in a Hot Topic store, then a club gig), there's no denying that the Pittsburgh boys are, as Soboslai says, "definitely back, and definitely better than ever."

Since forming in high school in the late 1990s, Punchline quickly grew into one of the city's most established bands.

Originally a trio, the band fell headfirst into the hot musical trend of the day: pop-punk. Specifically, the fast-churning, pogo-drumming type of mall punk that blew up in the '90s with the success of genre godfathers Green Day and then Blink 182.

But where those bands always maintained a bratty, adolescent humor, Punchline often kept things a bit more serious. Maybe that's why the band's Pittsburgh fans have stuck with them through the long stretches between albums. The band waited five years between its self-released, self-titled sophomore disc and "37 Everywhere," its first on indie upstart Fueled By Ramen, the label that's launched a thousand emo bands into the teen dream stratosphere (Fall Out Boy, anyone?)

"I texted Pete [Wentz, Fall Out Boy bassist] the other night to tell him to check out our video, and we thought 'I wonder if Ashlee Simpson's going to see this,' " said Soboslai.

For Punchline, though, success isn't quite measured in pop-star marriages or rabid tabloid coverage.

"We'd be super happy to be able to put out two albums a year and tour and draw out 500 people to a show. If we can pack small clubs we'll be happy -- we just want to keep doing this and live comfortably," said Soboslai.

And with the band's new album, "Just Say Yes," getting solid reviews from critics and fans alike, that may not be a far-fetched dream at all.

"Just Say Yes" shows that sometimes, it's best to be patient. The disc, which was recorded but then shelved for a year without distribution, is a welcome return to a Pittsburgh favorite with a much-refined sound.

Founding Modern Short Stories records, Punchline gave the label its first release, giving the band full control over the recording and merchandising process, a well-deserved freedom after releasing two records under Fueled By Ramen.

Punchline version two packs the disc with a more textured sound -- some slower tempos and piano layers added to the familiar crunchy guitar and ever-catchy hooks. This could be the -- dare I say -- mature record that the band's finally ready for.

"When we went into the studio, Chris [Fafalios, bass] was listening to Bjork. PJ [Caruso, drums] was into Tegan and Sara, and I was listening to Ben Folds," Soboslai said.

With the unsurprising exception of Bjork, the influences show (Folds' plodding piano and simple melodies are all over "Just Say Yes"), making for Punchline's most varied and interesting record yet.

"The idea was giving the album more range. Sometimes when you hear an album it's got the same guitar sound throughout the whole thing -- we wanted to liven things up," said Soboslai.

With the record satisfying both the band and its fans, it'd be only fitting to have a homecoming celebration.

Cue Club Diesel, where the band will unleash its new sound Saturday night on the many fans who spent last year wondering what happened to Punchline.

"It's awesome to tell people that yes, we have an album out. You can actually go to a store and buy it," said Soboslai.

And with the scene so saturated with so-called punkers on the Internet, it says something that fans took note of the band's absence. But, then again, Pittsburgh's always been good to the Belle Vernon natives.

"Everywhere we play, people say their city has the highest murder rate and drug use, but we have only good things to say about Pittsburgh," said Soboslai. "The Pittsburgh scene was off for a while, but I think, as far as the bands out there now, it's stronger than ever."

Soboslai pauses, his statement so clearly reflecting his own band.

"It's good to be busy ... it's good to be back."