Revered indie rocker Ted Leo has signed a new deal with Touch & Go Records and will release his next album with his band the Pharmacists later this year. Leo was previously inked to Lookout!, which issued his last three studio albums dating back to 2001.

Since then, the former Chisel principal has blossomed into one of the most respected artists on the underground circuit thanks to his unique blend of classic and modern rock influences, ranging from Thin Lizzy and Bruce Springsteen to Fugazi and Split Enz.

"As sad as I am that circumstances have forced a move from Lookout! Records, I'm insanely happy and thankful to be able to make that move over to Touch & Go," Leo says. "T&G is a label that has provided me, personally, with amazing music for 25 years; over those years, I have become friends with many of their artists and staff, and it's an honor to now be a real part of their ongoing ruling-ness."

Leo's as-yet-untitled new album will be the follow-up to 2004's "Shake the Sheets," which debuted at No. 26 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart.

He and the Pharmacists will begin a spring tour March 2 in Brooklyn, N.Y., that also includes three appearances at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, and a set at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in late April in Indio, Calif.