Chris Wollard is fully back in Hot Water Music after taking some time off, and his band Ship Thieves (with members of Quit, Samiam, and The Enablers) has been busy lately too. They just recently released a new song on a split with Reconciler, and now they've announced their first full-length album in five years, Irruption, due March 12 via The Bouncing Souls' Chunksaah Records (pre-order). We're premiering lead single "He Lost His Head," an anthemic punk rager that fans of both Ship Thieves and Hot Water Music should instantly connect with. Chris' voice remains umistakable and his gravelly hooks remain undeniable.

"'He Lost His Head' was one of the last songs written for the album," Chris tells us. "It’s one about one of the various 'characters' that come and go through the album. A man that, out of fairness, I won’t name. But this man became so disenchanted by various lies and conspiracies that he eventually became unhinged from reality. He could not find it in himself to believe in anything but the most basic facts. Everywhere he looked, he saw lies. And he was never quiet about it. He ended up extremely alienated and mocked, which only deepened the mania. And eventually it just consumed him."

"But here’s what got me," Chris continues, "he was ALWAYS SMILING. A weird, wild, big ol’ smile. All the time. Like a hyena watching the sunset or something. Totally unhinged." Give the song a listen below.

When Ship Thieves released their split with Reconciler, we ran an interview between Chris, his Ship Thieves bandmate Addison Burns (Quit, The Enablers), and Reconciler's Derron Nuhfer (ex-Less Than Jake, Gunmoll). If you're into hearing three old friends talk about the glory days of the '90s Gainesville punk scene, it's very much worth a read.