Refused Unveil First New Track in 17 Years, Announce New Album Details

In November last year, when we reported on signs of activity amid the camp of long-dormant Swedish punk icons Refused in the form of guitarist Jon Brännström belatedly announcing his firing via Facebook, we took a bit of flack from certain social-media commentators who questioned why we would be reporting on a band that hadn't been active - properly active - for more than a decade.

Today, though, we take great pleasure in yelling "we told you so" right in their negative faces after the venerated outfit officially announced Freedom, their first new full-length album since 1998's seminal The Shape Of Punk To Come, complementing the news with the unveiling of the album's artwork and first track, Elektra, to whet the considerable appetites of those to whom the arrival of this album means something.

Check out the art and long, long-overdue new goodies below.

If you're not aware of the cultural importance behind Freedom, then know that, in 1998, Refused were on the cusp of something huge with their acclaimed, experimental The Shape Of Punk To Come before imploding under the weight of it all, their album-born refrain of "Refused are fucking dead" taking on unnerving prescience in the wake of their dissolution. The band lay dormant until a handful of reunion shows in 2012 reignited flickering hopes the world over that the members might reconvene in a more official capacity and, now, nearly 20 years after their original split, we've been given validation with the band's new message: "Refused are fucking alive".

"It's not a reunion any more," frontman Dennis Lyxzén said in a statement. "This is one of the most radical things we've ever done, both musically and lyrically."

Added drummer David Sandström: "Nobody wanted us to fuck with the image of the band who makes a great album and splits up. Nobody wanted us to dilute it. That actually provoked us."

Freedom arrives in Australia via Epitaph on Friday, 26 June, ahead of its 30 June international release (suckers). The album was produced by Nick Launay (Arcade Fire, Nick Cave), and will receive a limited-edition CD release replete with accompanying hardcover book and gold-foil album-cover stamping. Fancy.

Refused recently announced a series of global dates for their Freedom world tour, the name of which now makes a lot more sense. Unfortunately, despite shows being booked in Belgium, Germany, the US, Canada, Finland, Italy, Spain, Norway, and the UK (including at Reading and Leeds festivals), there's no love for southern sovereign states as yet. Keep your eyes peeled for future announcements of Aussie tour dates to really make this a perfect development, or start eyeing off some trips abroad between May and August.

freedom track list

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