This prerelease tour, and the tattoo on Mr. Miller’s left biceps — a thin blue outline of Florida, his home state — were the result of a barroom wager, friendly but determined. It’s another example of how ambition and happy accidents, coupled with musical savvy and careful planning, have shaped the career of this band.

Since they appeared in 2009, a duo with a striking sound and a fully-formed vision, they have adroitly navigated the pitfalls that often scuttle new indie rock groups subject to breathless online hype — the cyclotron of buzz, backlash and boredom that plagued many acts before and many since. Instead, Sleigh Bells has so far managed to thrive, a feat they hope to continue with their new album, “Reign of Terror,” due on Feb. 21 from Mom + Pop Music. It’s a sweet but tense spot to be in.

“Nothing is a given for how this will actually be received,” Mark Richardson, the editor in chief of Pitchfork, the music site, said of the album. “I’m very interested. I feel like they’ve done it right so far.”

Even before Sleigh Bells’ first album, “Treats,” was released in 2010, they were darlings of the indie scene, propelled by a perfect storm of attention. There were early demos circulating to all the right tastemakers, breakout shows at the CMJ Music Festival attended by eager industry types, and suddenly, the interest of the rapper M.I.A., who called Mr. Miller into her studio to produce for her after hearing a few of his tracks. The Sleigh Bells sound — Mr. Miller’s pummeling wave of distorted guitar riffs and hip-hop-inflected beats, over which Ms. Krauss provides catchy, breathy, melodic vocals — was hailed as a new direction even for noise pop, earning glowing reviews of “Treats.”

Sleigh Bells had barely played a dozen shows before they were booked for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, a month before their debut album was out. A European tour with M.I.A. followed, putting the new duo in front of tens of thousands of fans. Their tracks showed up in blue-chip commercials for the likes of Nike and Honda, and in shows like “Gossip Girl;” Beyoncé expressed interest in their production technique.