Today longtime Chicago punk rockers The Lawrence Arms released a music video for their new single, “Quiet Storm.” Coming in at a brief 2 minutes and 7 seconds, the new single will serve as the opening track to the trio’s upcoming seventh studio album Skeleton Coast (out Friday via Epitaph). The quick-tempo anthem has singer and guitarist Chris McCaughan acknowledging that while there is no past or future, he is “now free to live at last.”

The trio is able to squeeze in a lot in just over two minutes as the song opens with inviting, melodic strumming only to abruptly switch to the fast-tempo power chords fans of the band have come to love for the last 20 years. The track ultimately comes to a triumphant close with McCaughan repeating his new “free at last” mantra – a highlighting moment that will no doubt translate particularly well to their live shows.

According to a press release, the band recorded Skeleton Coast at Sonic Ranch Studios outside of El Paso with longtime producer Matt Allison. Even though it was completed before the arrival of COVID-19 to the states, the album offers a sound and mood that is surprisingly fitting for the current times.

“For a band that has been around for as long as us, this is about as urgent of a record as we could make,”  says bassist and vocalist Brendan Kelly. “It may be kind of dark but it’s really about searching for light in the darkness and finding it, as small as those moments may seem.”

Formed in Chicago in 1999, McCaughan, Kelly and drummer Neil Hennessey released the first single from the new album, “PTA” in May after being tapped by Bad Religion to support their 2019 summer tour.

Skeleton Coast will be the group’s first full-length album in more than six years.