There’s a reason Stranger Things was such a runaway favourite last year (and no, it’s not just because PUP music video celebrity Finn Wolfhard starred in it): people fucking love peering back into the past. Stranger Things was an invigorating blast of nostalgia; even if you didn’t grow up in the ’80s playing Dungeons & Dragons in the basement with your pals, you could find a parallel to your own youth. Those times carry an air of innocence and unbridled excitement that we’re always trying to get back to. If you’re aching for more pure retro-glory before season two drops, the heroes in Sam Coffey & the Iron Lungs are here to scratch that itch and then some. Plus, they love Dungeons & Dragons.

The Toronto six-piece is gearing up to release their new self-titled record via Dine Alone in Canada, and Burger Records in the U.S. The nine-track opus is due on July 28, and today they’re sharing the lead single, “Judy.” It sounds like if your beloved, patch-covered, never-washed jean jacket came to life, cram-listened to Bruce Springsteen and Thin Lizzy, and started a band with other punk-ass jean jackets. It’s a riotous punch of powerpop bombast, finishing with a windows-down outro that careens down the highway into the sunset. Producer Alex Bonenfant (METZ, July Talk) does a slick job of nudging the song into E-Street Band-grade anthemics, making it an indulgent arena-rock escape.

Coffey explains that the song is as escapist as it sounds. “‘Judy’ is a song about being young, sticking together and going the distance,” he says. “Growing up and starting to become self-aware in the suburban sprawl was a really important time for me (and I think for a lot of people) so it’s something that comes out pretty naturally when I write. If the whole album is a reflection on suburban blight and teenage isolation then ‘Judy’ is the thesis statement. It’ll also be the only song that name-checks Dwight Twilley this year. He’s the best.”

Whether you grew up in the ’80s or not, Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs will reactivate the part of your brain that believes things can be as good as they seemed when you were a kid. The band is hitting the road this spring and summer, joining The Dirty Nil and The Flatliners for the stacked Dine Alone Tour through May and June.

Tour Dates:

April 27 – Brooklyn, NY – Alphaville
April 28 – Montreal, QC – Turbohaus
May 25 – Hamilton, ON – Club Absinthe #
May 26 – London, ON – Rum Runners #
May 27 – Madison, WI – Mickey’s Tavern
May 28 – Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club #
May 31 – Regina, SK – The Exchange #
June 1 – Calgary, AB – Nite Owl #
June 2 – Kelowna, BC – Habitat #
June 3 – Vancouver, BC – Venue Nightclub #
June 4 – Whistler, BC – Garfinkel’s #
June 7 – Edmonton, AB – Needle Vinyl Tavern #
June 8 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigos Cantina #
June 9 – Winnipeg, MB – Park Theatre #
June 10 – Thunder Bay, ON – Crocks #
June 12 – Timmins, ON – The Working Class #
June 13 – Sudbury, ON – Asylum
June 14 – Ottawa, ON – Zaphod Beeblebrox #
June 15 – Waterloo, ON – Maxwell’s #
June 17 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace #
# = w/ Flatliners & The Dirty Nil

Luke Ottenhof is a writer living in Ontario. Follow him on Twitter.