Seattle’s beloved pop-punk band Tacocat has taken the time to announced their fourth studio album, This Mess Is a Place, will be released on Friday, May 3 under their new label, Sub Pop. The new album’s sound will be driven by more pop elements and full of energy all around.

The concept for This Mess Is a Place is set with the band waking up the morning after the 2016 election results and trying to figure out how to navigate in this new reality “where evil isn’t hiding under the surface at all – it’s front and center, with new tragedies and civil rights assaults filling up the scroll of the newsfeed every day.” This take on incorporating politics into music isn’t a new concept at all, especially for Tacocat. The difference between their previous political works, the band is diving deeper into the more nuanced aspects of political discussion, leaving listeners to think about the complexities of power structures and our interactions with them.

In the track “Crystal Ball,” the band is exploring the intimacy of emotional responses to the current news cycle. Echoing a message of how do citizens fight the good fight with a profound voice while having no energy to leave your bed. Frontman Emily Nokes sings the lyrics “Stupid computer stupor/Oh my kingdom for some better ads,” continuing on with classic punchlines, “Truth spread so thin/It stops existing.” The song “Rose-Colored Sky” explores the idea of privilege and how some individuals, unknowingly, let this privilege guide them through life without facing systemic disadvantages. Nokes sings the lyrics, “For all the years spent/Hot lava shaping me/For all the arguments/I wonder who else would I be?”

The album also features some other concepts through different tracks. “Little Friend” focuses on the connections we feel with our pets, “New World” imagines what a better world would look like, and “The Joke of Life” tries to find humor in a world that lacks comedy.

With the announcement of a new album coming, the band premiered an official music video for their lead single “Grains of Salt.” The video itself features a variety of Seattle drag performers doing what they do best, performing. Nokes mentioned in a press release that “this song is for roller skating, friendship, self friendship, yes and no doubt, turning it off, running up and down that hill, leaving gross stuff behind, landing the backflip, imposter syndrome, being your own genie, and remembering who the fuck you are.” A song basically telling the listener to be your most authentic self and own it with pride.

The producer of the album, Erik Blood, has been behind the scenes developing this forthcoming album to its full pop potential. He mentioned that even while examining the tough realities of the world and the emotional responses one would have to them, the band is able to produce a product that speaks on those issues in an upbeat mood.

Check out below for the full tracklist and cover art.

This Mess Is a Place Tracklist:

1. Hologram
2. New World
3. Grains of Salt
4. The Joke of Life
5. Little Friend
6. Rose-Colored Sky
7. The Problem
8. Crystal Ball
9. Meet Me at La Palma
10. Miles and Miles