“Today, I let go of everything,” Sundowner main man Chris McCaughan sings on “Life in the Embers,” an equally cutting and chipper highlight from the Chicago songwriter’s next album. That opening line doubles as a sort of mantra for McCaughan, who moonlights as the co-leader and guitarist for punk trio the Lawrence Arms.

“I decided I had to find a way to let go of all the shit that had built up over time, that had crowded my days, that I’d held onto for too long,” McCaughan told SPIN. “So, [“Life in the Embers”] is a song of acceptance, of coming to terms with things you can’t change, of a past you can’t alter. And, with that, it’s a song of self-actualization, of enacting an uncertain rebirth, of seeing hope in the bonfires of what once was. Or maybe it’s just a song about watching it all burn.” Stream it below and decide for yourself.

:audio=0:116525:song:Life in the Embers:

Sundowner tour dates:

September 7 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill

September 20 – Normal, IL @ Firehouse Pizza

September 21 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen

September 24 – Moline, IL @ Bier Stube

September 26 – Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class

September 27 – Detroit, MI @ Small’s