Japandroids are coming back for one last job. It’s been seven years since the dude-rockin’ Vancouver duo released their third album Near To The Wild Heart Of Life, and it’s been nearly six since they played their most recent live show. You could’ve been excused for thinking that Japandroids had quietly decided to hang it up, but Japandroids don’t do anything quietly. Later this year, they will return with Fate & Alcohol. It’s their fourth album, and it’s also their last.

The duo of Brian King and Dave Prowse haven’t given any indication of why they’re breaking up after the release of their new album, though a press release claims that Fate & Alcohol will be a “parting gift” to fans. Japandroids co-produced the record with longtime collaborator Jesse Gander. First single “Chicago” isn’t a Sufjan Stevens cover. It’s a surging, slow-building, heartfelt rocker about not wanting good things to end. “Chicago” is unmistakably a Japandroids song, and it feels custom-built for sweaty mass singalongs.

Here’s what Brian King has to day about the song:

On our last record, we wanted to broaden the definition of a Japandroids song and purposely left our demos quite open and malleable so that we had more flexibility to experiment in the studio. At the time, this approach was new and exciting and inspired us to be bolder, to take more chances. We were aiming for a more cinematic take on our signature sound. This time, we made certain that every song ripped in our jam space before Jesse ever heard it. If you listen to our first demo of “Chicago,” it’s obviously much rougher than what you hear on record, but it’s all there. Even on a blown-out iPhone recording, the energy was obvious, and the feeling cut through loud and clear.

And here’s Dave Prowse on the band itself:

I don’t think we’re the most technically proficient band in the world. And we’re not the most original-sounding or challenging band in the world. But we’ve always put a lot of passion into what we do, and I think that’s resonated with a lot of people. And I’m really grateful that we could be that band for people, in the same way that so many bands were for us.

Japandroids haven’t announced any live shows yet, but I can’t imagine them not playing shows when they’ve got a new record in the chamber. Below, listen to “Chicago” and check out the Fate & Alcohol tracklist.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Eye Contact High”
02 “D&T”
03 “Alice”
04 “Chicago”
05 “Upon Sober Reflection”
06 “Fugitive Summer”
07 “A Gaslight Anthem”
08 “Positively 34th Street”
09 “One Without The Other”
10 “All Bets Are Off”

Fate & Alcohol is out 10/18 on ANTI-.