In 2014, Kathleen Edwards quit music. The Canadian roots-rock musician had released four albums and attained a certain level of critical and word-of-mouth success, but she was depressed and sick of the business. So Edwards returned to her Ottawa hometown and opened a coffeeshop called Quitters. For years, that was it. Edwards went more than seven years without releasing any music. Now, she’s back, and there’s a new album on the way.

Edwards actually released one song last year, a knowingly silly holiday number called “It’s Christmastime (Let’s Just Survive).” But according to Rolling Stone, the real impetus for her return came in 2017, when the young country star Maren Morris reached out, hoping to write with Edwards. Edwards co-wrote Morris’ 2019 song “Good Woman.”

Edwards has recorded a new album called Total Freedom, set for release this summer. It’ll be her first since 2012’s Voyageur, which Edwards recorded with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon producing. Edwards made Total Freedom in Nashville and Ontario, with Maren Morris/Kacey Musgraves collaborator Ian Fitchuk and her own longtime collaborator Jim Bryson.

Today, Edwards has shared “Options Open,” her first non-Christmas-joke song since 2012. It’s a midtempo roots-rock chug about refusing to be pinned down. Listen to it below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Glenfern
02 “Hard On Everyone”
03 “Birds On A Feeder”
04 “Simple Math”
05 “Options Open”
06 “Feelings Fade”
07 “Fools Ride”
08 “Ashes To Ashes”
09 “Who Rescued Who”
10 “Take It With You”

Total Freedom is out 8/14 on Dualtone.