Rob Crow wants to make people happy.

It’s an admirable ethos, but not a surprising one if you’re familiar with his work in Pinback.

For 10 years, Crow and bassist Zach Smith have helmed the band, churning out mid-tempo songs that have enough pop music sensibility to bring a smile to one’s face. Their latest effort, Autumn of the Seraphs, is in the same vein, in which the two delve into the intricacies of the interplay between Crow’s guitar hooks and Smith’s bass lines and add layer upon layer of music. The overall effect is an album that oozes beauty.

Throughout the album, Pinback’s lyrics reveal a constant search for the happiness they desire for others and for themselves.

In “”Good to Sea,”” Crow sings: “”Gotta keep your mind on somewhere else / Gotta keep from thinking of your health.”” After the advice, he cooly says, “”Oh no I hit rock bottom.””

These dichotomies of ignorance versus knowledge and joy versus gloom define the band at the moment.

“”A lot of our lyrics are about fighting depression,”” Crow said. “”But we’re enshrouded by it right now.””

In the last two weeks, keyboardist Terrin Durfey’s 10-year battle with cancer relapsed.

The band scrambled to find a replacement and began playing benefit shows to raise awareness for Durfey’s illness.

Now, there’s one week left for the band to cohere before they open the tour in Tucson at The Rialto Theatre on Sept. 16.

“”There will definitely be some first-show nerves,”” Crow said.

He has a right to be worried. Crow still needs a projector for the visual accompaniment. The band is eight songs shy of the 30 with which they go on tour. And then there’s the question of what the mood will be like at the show when the band takes the stage without Durfey.

With so much of Pinback focused on happiness, the loss of Durfey confounds what Crow and company are trying to do onstage. It’s a new burden, Crow said, that will force the band to transcend the depression that comes with a serious illness, and hopefully bring the audience along with them.

“”In a way, it’s kind of right,”” Crow said.

Pinback plays at The Rialto Theatre at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16. Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 the day of the show. To support Terrin Durfey visit www.myspace.com/terrindurfeyfoundation.