The Penske File Roar Into New Chapter With Fiercely Hopeful Single “Lions,” New Album Reprieve Out October 3rd
Hamilton-based punk rock trio The Penske File return with “Lions,” the first single from their upcoming album Reprieve, out October 3rd, 2025 via Stomp Records. Fierce, hopeful, and charged with the energy of youth, the track is a call to keep life on track while celebrating the beauty in change.
Written by drummer and vocalist Alexander Standen on a quiet Sunday morning, the song captures a reflective moment turned anthem. “There’s a line near the end: ‘we were titans, we were thorns, now we wait for babies born.’ I wrote this before any of our friends had kids but I could feel it coming. Now, most of them – and some of us – do. It shows how much can change in a few short years and there’s a lot of beauty in that,” Standen explains.
The band recorded the track with a “first instinct wins” type of mentality, laying down all the main parts live in a room together to maintain the urgency and excitement of a newly written song. Longtime friend and producer Adam Michael, who engineered and produced the record, championed “Lions” as the ideal lead single.
The track’s infectious energy mirrors the band’s signature live performances – a mix of nostalgia, camaraderie, and raw punk rock spirit. While the song reflects on youth and change, there’s a celebratory optimism woven through every chant-worthy chorus and driving riff
.
“We always paint a bit of a dark picture but show where the little bits of light shine through,” Standen notes. “That’s a common theme in most of our music – always trying to be the glass-half-full guys.”
The Penske File’s upcoming album, Reprieve, is their most expansive effort to date. From stripped-down tracks to full-throttle punk rock bursts, it showcases the band’s evolution while remaining true to the camaraderie and energy that has defined their live shows. Recorded in Hamilton and produced by Adam Michael, the album was captured largely live to preserve the authenticity of the band’s performances, with overdubs added in subsequent months.
FOLLOW THE PENSKE FILE ON SOCIALS:
FACEBOOK • INSTAGRAM • SPOTIFY • APPLE MUSIC • BANDCAMP
