Members of Refused have launched a new project, Backengrillen, and announced their self-titled debut album. Listen to the single ‘A Hate Inferior’ below.
- READ MORE: Refused tell us about their final tour, winning over fans from ‘The Bear’ and the future of hardcore
The Swedish hardcore punk outfit are due to play their final-ever live shows next month, following a recent run of last dates in the UK and Europe.
When announcing their farewell gigs, Refused revealed that a new group had “been born within the band”. Now, it’s been confirmed that Backengrillen will release their debut album on January 23, 2026 via Svart Records (pre-order here).
The experimental project features three out of four Refused members (singer Dennis Lyxzén, bassist Magnus Flagge and drummer David Sandström), as well as the non-Refused saxophonist Mats Gustafsson.
“Backengrillen’s music is a paean to chaos and destruction,” the band explained in a statement. “The basic idea is to take a death/doom metal, or noiserock riff and play it until it loses meaning and then break it apart like a ravenous cat would a tiny forest mouse.”
They went on to describe the LP as being “filled to the brim with the self-hatred endemic to the province of Västerbotten from whence the members hail”.
“The record was written on a Thursday during their first ever rehearsal, performed live on a Friday and recorded on a Saturday, so what you’re hearing is raw, stupid, gut instinct music played by seasoned purveyors of hardcore punk, metal, free jazz, noise et cetera,” the outfit continued.
Backengrillen confirmed that their second album was already “in the making”, describing it as “less stupid, more ugly”. They added: “Stay tuned and fuck the pigs.”
The band have previewed their five-track debut with a menacing 10-minute single, ‘A Hate Inferior’. Tune in above.
The tracklist for Backengrillen’s self-titled debut album is:
1. ‘A Hate Inferior’
2. ‘Dör För långsamt’
3. ‘Repeater II’
4. ‘Backengrillen’
5. ‘Socialism Or Barbarism’
Sandström had previously explained that the members wanted to be in “a band with no baggage, no fans to please, limited only by our wildest musical hopes and dreams”, adding: “We’re very excited about getting around to taming this new wild beast.”
Backengrillen previously played live together in early 2023.
Refused’s final-ever dates will take place in Sweden, with performances scheduled for Gothenburg, Norrköping, Stockholm and Umeå next month. These are set to follow a run of gigs in Australia.
Speaking to NME at Mad Cool 2025 this summer, Sandström explained: “We have other plans for our future, and Refused doesn’t fit in there.”
Lyxzén elaborated: “What we’re doing with Refused is very physical and quite demanding. I already feel like it’s pushing it. In 10 years, I’ll be 62, and that’s not a good look to try and prance around in tight pants.”
The band also discussed the future of the hardcore scene, and how featuring on The Bear’s soundtrack had won them some new fans. Watch the video interview in full below.
Refused’s winter 2026 Sweden dates are:
DECEMBER
11 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Pustervik (with Division Of Laura Lee and Spøgelse)
12 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Pustervik (with Rome Is Not A Town and Darla_
13 – Norrköping, Sweden – Arbis (with Fireside and Lost Faith)
17 – Stockholm, Sweden – Fallan (with Abhinanda and Twin Pigs)
18 – Stockholm, Sweden – Fallan (with Youth Code and Harrowed)
19 – Umeå, Sweden – Vaven (with Youth Code, Left Hand Of Darkness and Millencolin)
20 – Umeå, Sweden – Vaven (with Fireside, Mattias Alkberg, Top 10 Babies and Deppa)
21 – Umeå, Sweden – Vaven (with Abhinanda, Final Exit, Nix and Dream Warriors)