In 2007, four disheveled boys in sneakers from Newmarket, Ont., quickly became one of Canada's most in-demand musical exports.

Indeed, it's been quite a ride for Tokyo Police Club. The art-rock band played its first Letterman gig in April '07 and inked a deal with Saddle Creek Records (Bright Eyes, ex-Rilo Kiley) in July, two highlights that were followed by well-attended sets at high-profile festivals such as Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bumbershoot that summer, not to mention the non-stop tour schedule that stretched throughout the year.

Strange as it is, David Monks (vocals, bass), Josh Hook (guitar), Greg Alsop (drums) and Graham Wright (keyboards/vocals) have a 16-minute EP to thank for the hype - 2006's A Lesson in Crime. That breathless, noisy outing snagged the band plenty of praise - but praise turned to pressure when more time passed and Tokyo Police Club had yet to release a full-length record.

The band went to Connecticut in September of '07 to rectify that, and spent three weeks recording with respected producer Peter Katis (Interpol, Spoon, The Grates). Unfortunately, the session didn't go as well as the band had hoped.

"We weren't in the right headspace," Alsop says, over the phone. "We had a lot of half-formed songs and ideas. When we came out of three weeks of recording, we weren't happy with it at all."

Ultimately, the decision was made to scrap that session and head back to the band's home base of Toronto to re-record (Katis would still mix the album).

"It wasn't the easiest decision to make and I don't think the labels were exactly happy about it, but it was the right decision," Alsop says. "If we released what we had, I don't think I'd be doing this interview right now. We just weren't excited about it. Now, I think we have the album we set out to make."

That album is Elephant Shell. Released at the end of April, TPC's long-awaited debut marks a dramatic departure for the band, both musically and creatively.

"The EP was done in three days and it was very rushed," Alsop says. "It was very brief, very, 'Here's everything, here you go' and then it's over. And I think it sounds like that too."

One could argue that's exactly what gave A Lesson in Crime its charm. Absent from Elephant Shell is the twitchy, lo-fi, just-rolled-out-of-bed sound that made people salivate over A Lesson in Crime, and to a lesser extent, October's Smith EP. The new record is more fleshed-out and realized, a calm (and often pretty) comedown from the freak-outs of its predecessor.

"I think being more confident has changed the sound a lot," Alsop says. "We had time to go back and work out the kinks a little bit."

For a band known for its brevity, Tokyo Police Club knows when to take its time. Sure, it kept fans waiting for nearly two years for a record, but Alsop says that period was necessary for the band's growth.

"We did everything we could with (A Lesson in Crime), but it never felt stagnant," he says. "We didn't want to release an album as a flash-in-the-pan buzz band. We wanted to release it as an established band."