REFUSED + SPIN PREMIERE NEW SONG “ECONOMY OF DEATH” — LISTEN
NEW ALBUM WAR MUSIC OUT OCTOBER 18 VIA SPINEFARM/SEARCH & DESTROY
Punk legends REFUSED have premiered the new song and video for “Economy of Death” at SPIN. Watch and listen here.
The song appears on the new album War Music, out October 18 via Spinefarm/Search & Destroy. War Music is available for pre-order here.
“Economy of Death” is a master class in the specific type of songcraft that has made the Swedes one the most respected and celebrated bands of their generation. It contains one of their most punishing riffs and one of their most tender moments in its four-minute running time. Sharp as a shard of glass and blunt as a wrench to the temple, with echoes of German speed metal and the snarl of early punk, this mesmerizing tour de force will make the week-long wait for the record unbearable.
The song represents is a band at the peak of its power, capturing the paranoid madness of the present moment like no other artist working today, like a metal Don DeLillo or a The Who on steroids with a handsome Slavoj Zizek on vocals. “It’s only a mushroom cloud away,” vocalist Dennis Lyxzén declares, and if you want to know the alternative to this doomsday scenario, stay tuned for War Music, which includes a fanzine elaborating their vision for a better tomorrow.
In other Refused news, they will tour the U.S. and Canada this winter. The tour marks the band’s’ first North American dates since May 2019. The trek kicks off on February 21 in Washington, DC and runs through March 9 in Los Angeles. Supporting Refused on these dates will be Metz , who will only appear on the West Coast dates, and Youth Code. All Refused tour dates are below.
ICYMI:
Listen to “Blood Red” here. Watch the video for “REV001” here.
REFUSED ON TOUR:
WITH METZ + YOUTH CODE:
2/21 — Washington, DC — 9:30 Club
2/22 — Brooklyn, NY — Brooklyn Steel
2/24 — Montreal, QC — MTELUS
2/25 — Toronto, ON — Phoenix Concert Theater
2/26 — Grand Rapids, MI — Intersection
2/27 — Detroit, MI — Saint Andrew’s Hall
2/28 — Milwaukee, WI — The Rave
2/29 — Minneapolis, MN — Fine Line Music Cafe
3/3 — Portland, OR — Roseland Theatre*
3/4 — Vancouver, BC — Commodore Ballroom*
3/5 — Seattle, WA — The Showbox*
3/7 — Berkeley, CA — UC Theatre*
3/8 — Sacramento, CA — Ace of Spades*
3/9 — Los Angeles, CA — 1720 Warehouse*
*Metz Appears
ABOUT REFUSED:
Formed in Umeå, Sweden in 1991, hardcore-punk legends Refused are one of the most influential rock bands of the early ’00s. Artists as diverse as Linkin Park, Rise Against, Steve Aoki, Paramore, Thursday, Dillinger Escape Plan, Blink-182, and AFI have been heavily cited crediting the 1998 album The Shape Of Punk To Come as being a fundamental influence on their musical styles. That album has become a cultural touchstone for the entire post-hardcore generation as the year zero of stylistic genre-bending — utilizing electronics, jazz and slick production for the first time – their reputation tent-poled by politically radical lyrics and solidified by their energetic live shows to spread their message.
After a 14-year pause, the band reunited in 2012, playing much anticipated shows like mainstream festival Cochella and were subsequently awarded the “Special Prize for Music Exports” by the Swedish Ministry of Trade in 2013. In 2015, they released their fourth studio album Freedom, which was recorded with Nick Launay (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Killing Joke), while also turning to Swedish pop/producer Shellback — whose credits include Taylor Swift and Britney Spears — for the lead single “Elektra.”
Out October 18, War Music will be their fifth full-length studio album and will be accompanied by a worldwide concert tour, which began in May 2019 with a U.S. tour with The Hives and three major European music festivals in June.
