Karen Dió has announced her second EP, Fugaz, which arrives on August 21 via Hopeless Records, alongside the release of its lead single, “Free Yourself.”
The Brazilian punk rocker has quickly become one of the genre’s most exciting new artists following the success of her debut EP My World and the viral breakout of “Sick Ride.” After sharing stages with the likes of Limp Bizkit, Sum 41 and Garbage, Dió is continuing that momentum with six new tracks exploring themes of freedom, change and living in the moment.
Speaking about “Free Yourself”, Dió revealed the song first came to her in a dream before she finished writing it alongside her husband and Dinosaur Pile Up frontman Matt Bigland.
“Most of the time I unfortunately forget the songs by the time I’m awake, but I’m glad I remembered this one,” she explained. “During the whole process we reminded ourselves to be completely free with our creativity and, to be honest, to try being ridiculous sometimes.”
She also revealed one of the song’s standout lyrics came from a misunderstanding after she improvised the phrase “Jeans are dangerous”, with Bigland hearing it as “Genes are dangerous”. The pair loved both versions but ultimately chose the latter.
Fugaz follows the success of My World and continues Dió’s mission to bring Brazilian punk rock to a wider audience. Backed by Hopeless Records and earning support from artists including Fred Durst, KennyHoopla, Sum 41 and Incubus, she continues to establish herself as one of punk’s brightest emerging voices.
Fugaz arrives on August 21 via Hopeless Records, with “Free Yourself” available to stream now.