17 years is a long wait, but Swedish hardcore punk legends Refused will no doubt make it well worth it for their fans. As Triple J reports, the band have announced their first new album in well over a decade, Freedom, and unveiled the first cut from the LP, ‘Elektra’.
What’s more, the band have revealed they have plans to return to Australia “early next year”. It looks as though the wheels may already be in motion, too, with Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah tweeting that there is definitely a chance the band could make it to the festival next year.
Freedom is currently set for release on Friday, 26th June, breaking the almost two-decade gap since the band released their beloved 1998 album, The Shape of Punk To Come, which the group followed by breaking up that same year.
A lengthy hiatus ensued before the band reunited to perform at Coachella in 2012, followed by a world tour, which saw them make their first visit to Australia. The trek also saw them begin to formulate tunes for a new album.
Drummer David Sandström, guitarist Kristofer Steen, and bassist Magnus Flagge had been writing eclectic instrumental material together for several years. After noticing the undeniable Refused taste to the tunes, they asked frontman Dennis Lyxzén to add the vocals and Freedom was born.
Readers can check out ‘Elektra’ below, which Lyxzén told Richard Kingsmill was “the first song that I did vocals [and] lyrics for”, adding, “When we started playing that we were like ‘yeah, this is really cool’… then we kind of knew we had something going on.”
Interestingly, the 10-track album was co-produced and co-written with Swedish hit machine Shellback, who’s written #1s for the likes of Pink, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Britney Spears. The choice “shows our disregard for everything [and] the open minds that we have”, Lyxzén said.
The bulk of Freedom was produced, however, by the legendary Nick Launay (Nick Cave, Midnight Oil, Silverchair). “It was a perfect match. He’s fantastic and just his track record,” said Lyxzén. “I’m a huge fan of Nick Cave; the way the Grinderman records sound.”
As for the band’s Aussie tour plans, Lyxzén said, “Of course there are plans to come back – I love Australia! Those shows were phenomenal and we had such a good time, so we’re planning for Australia I would say early next year – that’s the plan.”
Refused – Freedom Tracklist
1. Elektra
2. Old Friends / New War
3. Dawkins Christ
4. Françafrique
5. Thought Is Blood
6. War On The Palaces
7. Destroy The Man
8. 366
9. Servants Of Death
10. Useless Europeans
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) April 13, 2015
