Third Eye Blind, summer’s biggest music festival standout, will release We Are Drugs on October 7. Serving as the follow-up to last year’s critically acclaimed studio album Dopamine, We Are Drugs was recorded in late-Spring during a week-long intensive at renowned Sonic Ranch, a vintage recording studio secluded in the midst of a pecan ranch in the Texas borderland. “The setting allowed us the focus to take songs sometimes all the way from inception to completion in continuous sessions,” frontman and songwriter Stephan Jenkins said of the process. “We also allowed ourselves freedom on We Are Drugs from any definitions or guidelines of what we were supposed to be. We just took joy in getting in a big room together and letting music happen and then chasing it around wherever it led us. It is one of the most freeing recording experiences I have had.” Check out a stream of “Company Of Strangers,” the EP’s propulsive opener, via SoundCloud. We Are Drugs also features the advance previewed track “Cop Vs. Phone Girl,” a nightmarish yet uplifting sing-along that taps on police brutality and race. Written by Jenkins, the song’s impact is all the more intense because the absurdity that it depicts is an accounting of an actual assault that took place last year at Spring Valley High in South Carolina on a student by an over aggressive campus safety officer. In a testament to Jenkins’ songwriting mastery, he still finds a way to chide hope into a dark narrative, and creates something anthemic out of viscously specific details. To say it’s been a busy year for Third Eye Blind would be a major understatement. From its massive draws across summer music festivals the world over to the countless headlines they’ve made in the political arena and charity work for organizations such as “Make Room,” the band has been tirelessly working on its craft and, in the process, being vocal about the issues that matter to them. The release of We Are Drugs is the next chapter in its legacy – a fully-realized body of work that continues to incorporate the band’s perfect pop sensibility with an ever-present progressive intent. Jenkins utilizes his characteristic rhythmic vocal style and lyrical prowess on issues of identity, connection, isolation and authenticity while keeping a sharp eye on a culture in rapid change, which has suited him well over the years. After five albums and millions of records sold worldwide, Third Eye Blind continue to write, record and tour, entertaining while growing a larger, younger and more dedicated fanbase than ever, which is something they continue to be thankful for. We Are Drugs takes its title and cover inspiration from Dali’s and his file Un Chien Andalou. “It is a reference that we make to the drug Dopamine.” “It’s simple, really,” says Jenkins. “Everything that has been happening to us and around us these days has been pretty goddamn surreal.” Third Eye Blind will be making the following live appearances in 2016. Tour dates below. SEPTEMBER 17 – Del Mar, CA – KAABOO Del Mar 25 – Las Vegas, NV – Life Is Beautiful Festival We Are Drugs EP track listing: 01. Company Of Strangers 02. Queen Of Daydreams 03. Don’t Give In 04. Isn’t It Pretty 05. Sherri 06. Weightless 07. Cop Vs. Phone Girl