Plaxton and the Void performing at the Wooden Nickel on Record Store Day.

The last anybody heard from Warsaw’s Plaxton and the Void, the band was holed up in the studio, finishing up a new EP. Both the band and the new record have finally emerged.

That EP, “Still Alive,” began streaming on bandcamp on June 30. Since then it has been met with positive reviews.

The record will premier on Rdio, iTunes, Amazon and many other digital outlets on Saturday, Aug. 23. “Still Alive” will be officially released on Aug. 26. CDs will be available at Karma in Warsaw and Plymouth and the Wooden Nickel and Neat Neat Neat in Fort Wayne.

“Still Alive” finds lyrcist Joel Squires exploring darker, heavier themes, while the rest of the band – Joshua Jacoby (guitar), Dave McCall (bass), Tom Wagoner (drums) and John Faulkner (keys) – pushed the Plaxton sound into new territory while tightening up its arrangements.

“When I was writing some of the songs I was going through some major life changes and battling with whether or not I’d made the right decisions,” says Squires.

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“We have been focusing more on quality and on perfecting arrangements,” says McCall. “We were trying to do what best served the songs,” adds Faulkner.

Some parts were recorded in an old chapel in Winona Lake, yielding massive drum sounds to many of the songs. Much of “Still Alive” was tracked in the band’s basement studio, Squidtown Music.

Almost all of the record was produced in-house. Jacoby acted as producer and engineer. McCall mastered the record. Once again, artist and fan of the band, Matt McClure, provided the album art.

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“’Still Alive’ is a solid representation of where our sound is headed,” says Jacoby. “Our work in the studio and the addition of a fifth member [Faulkner] have really taken our live performances to the next level.”

Plaxton and the Void are currently participating in the Whatzup/Wooden Nickel Battle of the Bands. The guys survived the first round of the contest, facing stiff competition from the likes of James and the Drifters and Desert Train.

The band’s next performance is at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21 at Columbia Street West in Fort Wayne. Plaxton and the Void hope its fans will come out and show their support.