The Sea and Cake is an American indie rock band based in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
The group formed in the mid-1990s from members of The Coctails, Shrimp Boat, and Tortoise; the group's name came from a willful reinterpretation of "The C in Cake", a song by Gastr del Sol, which McEntire was previously a member of. Starting with 1997's The Fawn, the group has relied on electronic instrumentation such as drum machines and synthesizers to color its music, but has retained its distinctive first wave post-rock style with marked influences from jazz and bossa nova. The band has shied away from releasing singles, preferring the album format. Contrary to his multi-instrumentalist role in Tortoise, John McEntire almost exclusively plays drums in The Sea and Cake.
Members Sam Prekop, Archer Prewitt, and John McEntire have each released solo albums. The cover art of The Sea and Cake's releases are largely paintings by member Eric Claridge and photographs by Prekop. Prewitt has been involved in publishing his own comic books and doing graphic design.
In 1995, the band contributed the song "The Fontana" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Bothered produced by the Red Hot Organization.