Putting lead singer Dennis Lyxzén’s famous stage presence front and center, Refused have released their new single ‘REV001.’ In the music video, directed by the band’s own Kristofer Steen, Lyxzén dances his way towards revolution, battling neo-fascists in a bright cabaret of clarity and full of panache. ‘REV001’ follows ‘Blood Red’ from the upcoming album ‘War Music’ which will be released globally via Spinefarm / Search & Destroy on October 18th.
The song’s mix of power, message and outright danceability perfectly showcase Refused’s talent for enlisting us all in the revolutionary cause, one spin at a time. Featuring Swedish singer/songwriter Mariam The Believer as guest vocalist, ‘REV001’ is a catchy call to arms that promises to get the world moving in 2019.
“In 1914 when the blinkered Kaiser kicked off that shitshow WWI the subjects of the Austro Hungarian empire had no idea that the empire had effectively put a gun to its own head. The whole thing was gone in a couple of years. These things happen. ‘Empires rise and empires fall.’ Lots of blinkered Kaisers out there right now, eating their own, their right hands stealing from their left hands, the majority slaving away to make ends meet, infected with the venom of lack, the venom of need, excluded from social insurance, pitted against each other by ignorant ruthless infanticidal curb crawler tyrants, while an apathetic minority bathes in the eternal sunshine of a tilting climate, a doomsday clock wound up by the predatory capitalist insanity of this the most dysfunctional mammal, man.
‘REV001’ is a protest song. A punkrock song. We like to think of it as incredibly violent pop music. Whatever you call it, we’re hoping it’ll get your blood boiling and that it’ll make you wanna dance (like it does our fearless captain @dennislyxzen in the video), ‘cause what else can one do in these desperate times? Well, we at the bottom could arm ourselves and go for those at the top, while smashing a few banks on the way? We’ll get there. Like we said, these things happen all the time. For now, we’ll leave you with these words, from author Ursula K Leguin: ‘We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable–but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings.’
‘REV001’ is blessed with the limitless talent of the inimitable Mariam The Believer @mariam_repeatuntildeath and the video was directed by our very own Kristofer Steen (Shot by Adam Nilsson and cut by Johan Söderberg).
‘War Music’ is out October 18. Stay tuned and see you in the pit.” – shared the band.