When Skegss frontman Ben Reed appears on a Zoom call for an interview, Australia’s morning sun illuminates his face with a golden hue. In his signature nonchalant tone, he says it’s the middle of a scorching summer, and while it’s the season for good times and relaxation, the band is ready to embark on its next adventure.

“I’m excited to get back to America,” Reed says. “The shows out there have a lot of energy, so those memories are still lingering as if it were yesterday. We’re excited to kick it off in California and hopefully go and have a rinse in the ocean first and then maybe get a taco.”

Skegss will begin their American tour to SOMA San Diego on Tuesday, and follow up at The Observatory in Santa Ana on Wednesday and at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on March 9.

The tour is in support of their third album, “Pacific Highway Music,” released Oct. 18. It is the first without their longtime friend, bassist and vocalist Toby Cregan, who left the band in 2023. Skegss’ core group is back down to founding members Reed and drummer Jonny Lani, who formed the band in 2015 out of Byron Bay, Australia. Their hometown friend Kelton Lee, who has been sporadically performing with them to sharpen his skills for the tour, will fill in on bass for their dates in America and Europe.

“Kelton is a bit younger and hasn’t traveled as much as we have, so he’s really excited for that,” Reed says. “It’s nice having his energy around and seeing someone experience new stuff. It’s reignited things a bit for us. We’ve got a pretty good crew of mates right now, and it feels strong. Everyone’s constantly looking forward to the next time we get together. Everyone loves traveling and hanging out.”

The new experiences that traveling ushers in are part of the inspiration behind “Pacific Highway Music.” Reed and Lani decided to do something different by recording the album without a bass player and outside of Australia in Southern California studios. They recorded at the Village and Topanga Canyon’s Fivestar Studios with producer Paul Butler, who has worked with Devendra Banhart, Michael Kiwanuka, St. Paul & the Broken Bones and others. The duo also tapped musician and engineer Dave Catching, who’s worked with Queens of the Stone Age and Mark Lanegan, to help them cut “Pacific Highway Music” demos at Rancho de la Luna in Joshua Tree.

“I like how it came out because it’s just a mellow, easy-listening kind of thing,” Reed said. “It’s not the most upbeat and exciting stuff I feel like we’ve made before, but it’s more something that’s part of the catalog now with a different feeling.”

The album’s title is a nod to the Australian coastal road they’ve driven countless times for tours and surf trips. Reed said that when he drives on the highway, his mind falls into a hypnotic state, shut off by every passing mountain, tunnel or winding road. He hopes the music will also invite listeners to drift into an imaginative place where they can relax, reflect or find solace from a world that never stops spinning.

On the surface, Skegss may resemble other psychedelic surf rock party anthem outfits, which they undoubtedly embrace at shows by shotgunning beers and going berserk onstage. Some of that libertine energy is channeled from influences such as the Godfather of Punk, Iggy Pop, and more underground artists like Deepakalypse.

However, a closer look at Reed’s lyrics reveals a more profound introspection, a characteristic that fans have become familiar with through their previous albums, “Rehearsal” and “My Own Mess.” Their third release is consistent, with Reed’s lyrical prowess on display on tracks like “Out of My Head,” where he sings, “Like a warm wind from the west / Smoothing out the ocean / I need one to blow into my head / And smooth out my emotions.”

Reed’s lyricism is inspired by imagination and what he believes it’s like being in another’s shoes. In his youth and early songwriting days, he would pair the recordings he crafted in his bedroom with comic books that illustrated stories of fictitious worlds and characters. As he’s traveled more, speaking with fans and others, Reed has found increased inspiration at his fingertips. Their experiences allow him to take what he relates to and channel it back through Skegss. In “It Is,” Reed writes about overcoming sadness and embracing happiness, singing, “Today, a cloud came over me / But I stood taller than it / Just so that I could see / How beautiful the day truly is.”

“Some people are in good situations, and they’re tripping, and some are in bad ones, but they’re content and good at being positive, and it’s impressive,” he said. “I want to sing about things and get to know things, but when I was growing up, sometimes I would pretend to be people and sing from what I thought their perspective was. As time goes on, you experience that wisdom, and you can give advice to those people who may be tripping. In a way, they’re snippets of you, and you’re trying to give yourself advice.”

Although Reed’s lyrics invoke wisdom, songs on the album like “Spaceman” use outer space as a premise to offer a humbling realization that we really don’t know much of anything. Reed sings, “Week to week, weak and strong / Feeling bleak, put my blinkers on / Sometimes, time can seem so long / Every right turn can end up wrong,” emphasizing the disorientation of stumbling through trial and error. The phases of uncertainty in subjects like space are something that Reed finds amusing.

“Space is one of those things that’s not going to be super conquered for a long time,” he said. “If you think about it, it’s so funny because some people you could just talk about it with, but other people cannot think about it. Anything people can’t comprehend, they go, ‘No, I don’t think about those kinds of things,’ which is hilarious in its own way.”

In addition to hitting the road for a new tour, the group has the release of a new EP coming up that was recorded in Australia, 20 minutes from Reed’s home. While he and Lani got to experience a new way to produce music in Southern California for their more recent album, they’ve also realized the appreciation and comfort that comes with creating at home.

“We learned we have a pretty good formula, and now we know that for sure,” Reed said. “We made this EP the other day, and it’s coming together really well. It wasn’t too thought out and was a bit impulsive. We just caught everything live and didn’t worry about anything. Everyone’s pumped about it, and it’s way more upbeat. Hopefully, people like it too when it comes out, and we’ll get to go to the States and travel more.”