M.I.A. Releases New Track, 'Born Free'

We couldn't be more pleased that M.I.A. is officially back. With her buzzworthy blimp announcement during Jay-Z's set at Coachella, we knew her third record is on the way for a June 29 release, and now we have an official preview with a new jam, 'Born Free.' It's the perfect "welcome back" kind of track for M.I.A., and thankfully we can report that she hasn't turned soft.

'Born Free' opens with a loose, almost free jazz drum-circle stomp that gathers momentum until the track explodes into a rapid-fire punk vamp with razor-saw bass tones. M.I.A., all dubbed out with echoing vocals, updates her unique brand of ranting into an aggressive sounding tirade. "I got something to say," she snarls in the chorus. "I was born free."

It's a welcome change to her already successful formula. Dropping most of electro and hip-hop elements for something more visceral, immediate and unabashedly based around rock music, she yelps: "I don't want to live for tomorrow/ I'll push my luck today."

The new, currently untitled album is dropping on N.E.E.T./Interscope, M.I.A.'s personal imprint under the major label's umbrella. Look for more new songs in the coming weeks as she gears up to headline HARD festival shows in New York City and Los Angeles.