SPIN

LISTEN: Steel Train, "Turnpike Ghost"

According to frontman Jack Antonoff, the as-yet-untitled album -- set for a June release -- will be an energetic romp that already reminds him of the band's early days playing American Legions and firehouses in their home state. "The sound systems were always so bad, we had to go ape shit to put on a real show, and somehow that inspired the music and lyrics to reflect all that madness," he tells SPIN.com. "It's all positive aggression. That's the vibe of the record and the shows."

And "Turnpike Ghost" mirrors that reckless attitude. "The music is frantic and aggressive to support the lyrics which are about moving on, pulling yourself out of whatever hole you've fallen into," Antonoff explains. "I wrote this song after hearing a Propagandhi lyric: 'When you jump ship, you can either swim to shore or drown.' The song and the whole record are about that. Getting the fuck out of bed with your mind open to the world around you. No bitterness."

Check out "Turnpike Ghost" -- and by the way, the weird skipping noise at the beginning of the song is intentional -- and tell us whether it tugs you up by your bootstraps. The song will be available as a free download via the band's official site later this week.

Steel Train is on the road with Tegan and Sara into April, and will also hit the festival circuit at April's Coachella festival in California and May's Bamboozle in New Jersey.