Arrivals, The "Payload" LP

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After a 15-year hiatus, Chicago punk veterans The Arrivals return with Payload, their first new album since 2010’s Volatile Molotov. The highly anticipated record arrives April 17, 2026 via Recess Records and marks a long-awaited and triumphant return for one of Chicago’s most revered and enduring punk bands.

“Drill Baby Drill" confronts capitalism, neocolonialism, and the global struggle over resources. Guitarist and vocalist Isaac Thotz explains:

"I wrote this song after the 2008 Republican National Convention, where it was the rallying cry for the McCain/Palin energy policy. The lyrics point to a dystopian future where truly precious resources like clean air, healthy food, and viable ecosystems are sacrificed for a fetishized resource like oil. They point to one of the worst parts of capitalism: that something gains value only if it can be commodified. The phrase ‘drill baby drill’ was later resurrected by Trump, which is how the song ended up on Payload. From his mouth I think it means the rich and powerful can do whatever they please and the rest of us must suffer the consequences. The video then addresses the application of this worldview in U.S. geopolitics, looking back at the U.S.’s early involvement in Iran, Venezuela, and Greenland, and nodding to what’s happening with U.S. policy in those places today. The video connects to other predominant themes of the album: the destruction of the natural environment, neocolonialism, and war for resources."

Payload was recorded by Joe Gac (Meat Wave) at Chicago’s legendary Electrical Audio, and captured their powerful, dynamic sound in a way that practically jumps out of the speakers.