Back in 2015, the energetic and inspiring Scottish punk band the Spook School released their excellent sophomore album, Try To Be Hopeful. Today, they’ve announced that they’ll follow it up with a new album called Could It Be Different? early next year. The first song we’re hearing from it is the powerful “Still Alive,” which, as vocalist Nye Todd explained to DIY, is about escaping an abusive relationship: “My tendency was to blame myself for not seeing signs or leaving sooner which wasn’t helpful or fair, so I wrote this song to try and force myself out of that mindset.”

The song is addressed to the abuser with incendiary directness. “Fuck you/ I’m still alive/ And I’m not going anywhere with you,” goes the chiming chorus. The verses shade in the circumstances even more, demonstrating how we can learn from even the most dire of situations: “You helped me grow thicker skin, and now I know all your little signs/ Guess I should give you that since it’s all you gave me.” “Still Alive” feels invigorating and freeing, and its combative chorus can be applied to pretty much anything that Spook School songs usually tackle — breaking ingrained patterns, challenging those that oppress us — but knowing that it’s written with something very specific in mind only makes it that much more resonant. Listen to it alongside a new video below.

Tracklist:
01 “Still Alive”
02 “Best Of Intentions”
03 “Less Than Perfect”
04 “Keep In Touch”
05 “Bad Year”
06 “Alright (Sometimes)”
07 “I Only Dance When I Want To”
08 “Hope She Still Loves You”
09 “While You Were Sleeping”
10 “Body”
11 “High School”

Could It Be Different? is out 1/26 via Slumberland/Alcopop!.