Stream Refused’s New Album, ‘Freedom’
Refused's new album, Freedom, comes out June 30, but you can stream the whole album right now (as long as you're a Pandora member).
Freedom is the band's first album since the now-classic The Shape of Punk to Come was released in 1998, shortly before the band broke up -- a development they announced with a crazy and awesome press release. In part, it gave the following reason for their dissolution: "We were hoping that we could be the final nail in the coffin of the rotten cadaver that was popular music, but unfortunately the reification was too big for us to succeed with our feeble attempts to detour this boring discourse."
The band's dramatic exit made fans wary of the band's reunion, which started with shows the band played in 2012. But they say it's motivated them to make a more confrontational work. "Nobody wanted us to f--k with the image of the band who makes a great album and splits up," drummer David Sandström said in a statement when the album was announced. "Nobody wanted us to dilute it. That actually provoked us."
The album was produced by Nick Launay, who has worked with Nick Cave and Arcade Fire with some production and writing contributions by Shellback, the Swedish producer who co-wrote a long list of pop hits including Usher's "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" and Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble."
Refused – “Dawkins Christ” (Official Music Video)