REFUSED: New Song 'Françafrique' Available For Streaming

Reunited seminal Swedish hardcore band REFUSED will release its new album, “Freedom”, on June 30 via Epitaph. The CD was produced by Nick Launay (ARCADE FIRE, Kate Bush, Nick Cave) except for the songs “Elektra” and “366”, which were helmed and co-written by Shellback, the Swedish pop superproducer who has worked with pop superstars Taylor Swift, Britney Spears and Pink, among others.

“It’s not a reunion anymore,” said REFUSED frontman Dennis Lyxzén in a statement. “This is one of the most radical things we’ve ever done, both musically and lyrically.”

“Nobody wanted us to fuck with the image of the band who makes a great album and splits up,” added drummer David Sandström. “Nobody wanted us to dilute it. That actually provoked us.”

“Freedom” will get a limited-edition CD release featuring a 28-page hardbound book with a poster and gold foil stamping on the album cover.

“Freedom” track listing:

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

The song “Françafrique” can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

REFUSED last year parted ways with guitarist Jon Brännström. He revealed his exit from the group in an October 31, 2014 posting on REFUSED‘s Facebook page, where he wrote: “I was fired from REFUSED a while ago. I wasn’t given a reasonable explanation and wasn’t even invited to sit down and talk about it, so I’m not completely sure why they decided to go on without me.”

Back in 2012, REFUSED embarked on a reunion tour where the band performed tracks from its classic 1998 album, “The Shape of Punk To Come”, at festivals around the world. The final show of the trek took place on December 15, 2012 in REFUSED‘s hometown of Umeå, Sweden.

REFUSED‘s legacy was chronicled via the “Refused Are Fucking Dead” collection, which featured never-before-seen material and videos. In addition, REFUSED‘s landmark 1998 album, “The Shape Of Punk To Come”, was remixed and remastered in 5.1 surround DVD audio format, and was re-released through Epitaph Records. Also re-released were remastered editions of REFUSED‘s “Songs To Fan The Flames Of Discontent” and “The EP Compilation” CDs.