The Ladybug Transistor's next album, Argyle Heir, with its indie kitsch stylings, was released in spring 2001. After losing Jennifer Baron and gaining Julia Rydholm, the band decamped to Arizona to record its next album, The Ladybug Transistor (2003), with Calexico producer Craig Schumacher. More lineup changes followed as Bell left the band and Jeff Baron became more of a satellite member. The band stayed fairly quiet for a couple years as the lineup sorted itself out, and Olson spent time producing other artists. They returned in 2006 with the Here Comes the Rain EP and followed up with the excellent Can't Wait Another Day, which was released in June 2007 by Merge. The lineup for the album added keyboardist Kyle Forester and guitarist Ben Crum of Great Lakes.
Sadly, mere weeks before the release of the album, drummer San Fadyl, a beloved figure in the indie rock community, passed away due to complications from severe asthma. Before recording its next album, the group's lineup shifted again with guitarists Michael O'Neill and Mark Dzula and drummer Eric Farber added to the core of Olson, Rydholm, and Forester. The band's seventh studio LP, Clutching Stems, was released in June of 2011. ~ Jason Ankeny & Tim Sendra, Rovi