The Sea and Cake is an American indie rock band based in Chicago, Illinois, United States.

[1] The group formed in the mid-1990s from members of The Coctails (Archer Prewitt), Shrimp Boat (Sam Prekop and Eric Claridge), and Tortoise (John McEntire); 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.

Contrary to his multi-instrumentalist role in Tortoise, John McEntire almost exclusively plays drums in The Sea and Cake.

The cover art of The Sea and Cake's releases are largely paintings by member Eric Claridge and photographs by Prekop.