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Punk band Relient K seems to get bigger and bigger with each new album. mmHmm (2004) brought the band to new heights, debuting at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and since selling over half a million copies. The band has also been featured in a number of high-profile tours (Vans Warped, MxPx) and television appearances (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, MTV'sTRL). Yet Matt Thiessen (vocals/guitar/piano) takes it all in stride, suggesting that the band still hasn't broke big—though that's not exactly Relient K's goal either. On the eve of the release of the band's fifth album, Five Score & Seven Years Ago, we had a few moments to talk to Thiessen about how the band remains true to its Christian roots amidst all the new opportunities.

Matt Thiessen (at the wheel) and his band Relient K seem to be headed on the road to superstardom.

Last time we talked, you had mixed emotions about playing the Vans Warped Tour with Good Charlotte and Simple Plan. Did that tour work out the way you expected it to?

Matt Thiessen Yeah, we were a little apprehensive about that. We didn't know how well things would go over as far as [our sound and what we stand for]. We anticipated that we would be the black sheep on the Warped Tour because of our beliefs. But really we were the black sheep because we were the only band that didn't "scream." No bottles were thrown at us, or anything like that. I feel like a lot of bands—Sixpence None the Richer, Switchfoot, P.O.D.—have really paved the way for us. So while many of those bands on the Warped Tour didn't share our Christian beliefs, I guess they were just intelligent [or open-minded] enough to tolerate us and be cool with it.

Did you win any new fans?

Thiessen Maybe. But the Warped Tour is the exception to the rule [of gaining fans on tour], because there is so much going on all the time. It's harder to see direct results. It's like a big circus with multiple stages and bands playing at all times. But overall we have seen growth as a result of all the touring.

You've also played with MxPx. [Lead singer] Mike Herrera said in an interview that, "You can't go wrong having Relient K on the ticket." Yet you still think that Relient K seems to be flying below the radar. How can that be?

Thiessen It's all relative, of course. If Relient K shows up at the right "big" show, playing with MxPx or whoever, there might be a fan there that knows our band, but it's still not like we're Fall Out Boy or All American Rejects. We're on the radio and MTV, but we don't get pushed as much as they are. Those bands are far more recognizable. So, in that sense, we're still under that radar. I can go to the mall, and no one knows who I am. Not that we're pursuing that. We've never been out to say, "Mommy, we want to be famous someday." We love what we do and our favorite part about being a band is writing songs and having them mean something to somebody. That's all that matters to Relient K.

What are your upcoming tour plans?

Thiessen We're going out with Mae and Sherwood. It's this little headlining tour with two bands that are really good friends of ours. I think it could be my favorite tour that I'll have done. Mae is on Capitol now and they had the same producers on their record that we did.

As Relient K reaches mainstream and Christian listeners, how much do you consider the audience—reaching believers vs. non-believers—as you write songs?

Thiessen I don't think about any of that, honestly. I've always been about writing the things, the subjects that I want to write about. Have we changed since day one? Yes, we've change because we've grown up as people, maturing into adults. Have we changed the way we are inside? No. I love writing about what I believe in, but I'm not a preachy person in general. So why would I do that in a song? The music becomes an expression of who we are as people and as believers.

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