craig owens.

DAVISON, MI — Davison-bred post-hardcore rockers Chiodos have inked a record deal, paving the way for a new album, their first since 2008 with returning singer Craig Owens.

“There’s a majority of reasons why we decided to sign with Razor and Tie,” Owens told MLive-The Flint Journal via telephone from Los Angeles where the band was writing new material.

“First, Chiodos did their last album with EVR (Equal Vision Records). My last record (with D.R.U.G.S.) was with Warner Bros. I think that we really wanted to stay away from any major label anything. We really wanted to make sure we had longevity and integrity. Razor and Tie has both of those.”

Owens said Razor and Tie gives the band full creative freedom, as well as a vanity label. Chiodos has yet to come up with a name for the imprint because it has been focusing on the new album, which it will record after a run with the Warped Tour this summer. The jaunt comes to The Palace of Auburn Hills on Friday, July 19.

“The record’s coming along great,” said an enthusiastic Owens. “I think the majority of it has been written now. We’ve always been really rushed to make our record. This is the first time we’ve actually allowed deadlines. We’ve really let it have a bit of a free-flow effect so we can work on our relationships with the music and getting to that next point.”

Owens — who is joined in the band by original members Bradley Bell, Pat McManaman, Derrick Frost and Matt Goddard, along with the act’s newest member, guitarist Thomas Erak (formerly from The Fall Of Troy) — explained Chiodos will introduce fans to new music on the Warped Tour.

“We haven’t released music together with this lineup, well, technically never, ever since Thomas is in it now,” Owens said. “I haven’t released music with Chiodos since 2008, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

It doesn’t bother the band, however, that its songs may be plastered on YouTube upon the first show.

“We expect that,” Owens said matter of factly. “We are very aware of things like that. We kind of prepare for that. It’s a part of modern-day music culture that you have to get used to. As long as people are interested, that’s all we care about. It’s not the exact, first representation we want to have of the music or new music, but we do believe that we owe it to our fans to play a new song on this Warped Tour.”

While fans may be thrilled to hear that, Chiodos is just as excited.

“There’s a lot of anticipation,” said Owens, who was “let go” from Chiodos in September 2009 only to return to the fold in April 2012. “The overall feeling is we’re pretty eager and anxious. I think we’re ready to move on. I don’t think time’s moving fast enough for us. I think we’re really excited to do this new record. Time wouldn’t allow us to do it before Warped Tour. So the fact that we have to do it after Warped Tour makes us a little more eager. We’re all really excited and we just want to do it right this time.”