Refused is back, and this time, it's for real. Three years after a fleeting Coachella reunion and 17 years since the release of their career-defining album The Shape of Punk to Come, the Swedish punks have reformed with plans for a new studio album.
"It's not a reunion anymore," frontman Dennis Lyxzén says via press release. "This is one of the most radical things we've ever done, both musically and lyrically."
The new album is called Freedom, and it drops June 30 on Epitaph, the same label that released The Shape of Punk to Come back in 1998. And that's not all. They've shared the opening track from Freedom, a burner that sounds a good deal like much of Punk to Come, minus the jazzy interludes and spoken word samples.
Listen to the first new song "Elektra" below...
You can head over to www.refusedstore.com for worldwide pre-order bundles and options. There is the exclusive Deluxe CD edition from Epitaph & Refused. This edition of Freedom is a beautiful art piece disguised as music limited to 2,500 pieces. It comes in a hardcover book with a 28 page full color booklet, a poster, and gold foil print on the cover.
'Freedom' Track List:
01 Elektra
02 Old Friends / New War
03 Dawkins Christ
04 Françafrique
05 Thought Is Blood
06 War on the Palaces
07 Destroy the Man
08 366
09 Servants of Death
10 Useless Europeans
Refused Tour Dates:
05-02 Meerhout, Belgium - Groezrock
05-22 Hünxe, Germany - Ruhrpott Rodeo Open Air Festival
05-24 Las Vegas, NV - Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival
05-25 Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory
05-26 Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy Theatre
05-28 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
05-29 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
05-30 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
05-31 Chicago, IL - Double Door
06-01 Boston, MA - The Sinclair
06-03 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
06-04 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
06-05 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel
06-20 Montebello, Quebec - Amnesia Rockfest
06-27 Seinäjoki, Finland - Provinssi
07-02 Gdynia, Poland - Open'er Festival
07-11 Collalbo, Italy - Rock im Ring
07-16 Viveiro, Spain - Resurrection Fest
07-17 Tønsberg, Norway - Slottsfjell
07-18 Tromso, Norway - Bukta Tromso Open Air Festival
07-30 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade Music Park *
08-01 Philadelphia, PA - Mann Center *
08-02 Columbia, MA - Merriweather Post Pavilion *
08-04 Boston, MA - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion *
08-05 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden *
08-07 Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh Coliseum *
08-28 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival
08-29 Gräfenhainichen, Germany - Pure & Crafted Festival
08-30 Reading, England - Reading Festival
* with Faith No More