La Dispute unveil penultimate three‑song “Act IV” from upcoming album

Michigan post‑hardcore outfit La Dispute have issued the three‑song suite that forms “Act IV” of their forthcoming album “No One Was Driving the Car”, due September 5th through Epitaph Records. This release follows earlier shared acts including the opening three tracks and their nine‑minute epic “Environmental Catastrophe Film”.

“Act IV” comprises “Top Sellers Banquet”, “Saturation Diver”, and “I Dreamt of a Room With All My Friends I Could Not Get In”, continuing the album’s multi‑act narrative structure. The first track spans over eight minutes and blends spoken‑word storytelling with atmospheric instrumentation. The second is complemented by a video directed by Adam Vass, featuring introspective folk textures. The third track rounds out the suite with hypnotic guitar work and Jordan Dreyer’s distinctive vocal delivery.

According to Dreyer, “Act IV” was inspired by a climactic banquet scene in the film First Reformed, where characters share a ritual of transcendence. In the album’s narrative, attendees of a corporate banquet experience a metaphysical event, with non‑employees levitating in a surreal flash of light. The narrator, increasingly disassociated, likens himself to a saturation diver who remains grounded while others ascend. The final song finds him in a state of emotional collapse, pleading for another chance at connection amid failed self‑control and unraveling relationships.

With these latest additions, “No One Was Driving the Car” reveals its complex, cinematic ambition built around themes of existential unease, modern malaise, and spiritual disintegration. The multi‑act format underscores the band’s commitment to storytelling as much as sound.

1. I Shaved My Head
2. Man With Hands And Ankles Bound
3. Autofiction Detail
4. Environmental Catastrophe Film
5. Self-Portrait Backwards
6. The Field
7. Sibling Fistfight At Mom’s Fiftieth / The Un-sound
8. Landlord Calls The Sheriff In
9. Steve
10. Top-Sellers Banquet
11. Saturation Diver
12. I Dreamt Of A Room With All My Friends
13. No One Was Driving The Car
14. End Times Sermon