France’s HIGHWAY Turn Up the Voltage with AC/DC Inspired Single “D.K./D.C.”
France’s high‑voltage hard rockers HIGHWAY fire up the engines once again with the release of their explosive third single, “D.K/D.C”, taken from their upcoming sixth studio album “Last Call for Rock N’ Roll,” arriving April 24th, 2026, via Rock City Music and distributed physically by FTF-Music and digitally by Virgin Music.
After the anthemic road‑warrior spirit of “Hi‑Way” and the swaggering arena‑rock punch of “¡Bang Bang!”, the band now unveils one of the album’s most unifying and rebellious tracks, a song built to be shouted back by thousands of fans.
“D.K/D.C”, short for “Don’t Know / Don’t Care”, opens with a subtle, unmistakable AC/DC‑inspired picking intro, a playful wink to the band that first ignited HIGHWAY’s passion back in 1999. But the track quickly evolves into something entirely their own: a dynamic, tension‑building rocker that teases, coils, and finally erupts into one of the biggest choruses on the album.
This isn’t a full‑throttle assault from the first second; it’s a slow burn, a prelude before the explosion, a rock’n’roll tease that pays off in pure catharsis. Lyrically, “D.K/D.C” closes the motivational trilogy started with “Go! Go! Go!” and continued with “Let Me.”
This final chapter is a bold declaration of independence: Forget the haters. Forget the judgment. Forget the noise. Live your life your way. Chase your happiness; nothing else matters. It’s a rallying cry for anyone who’s ever felt held back, criticized, or boxed in. A middle finger to conformity. A celebration of personal freedom.
With its nervous, electrifying groove, massive backing vocals from new members bassist Cerise Pouillard and guitarist Florian Arnaud, and a chorus designed to shake venues to their foundations, “D.K/D.C” is destined to become a live highlight. This is the kind of song that transforms concerts into communal explosions of energy, fists in the air, voices united, sweat flying, amps roaring.
HIGHWAY themselves describe the chorus as:
“One of the great moments of the album, and one of the great moments to come on stage.”
“D.K/D.C” also showcases the band’s revitalized lineup and their most powerful sound to date. Twin guitars are back for the first time since 2007. Cerise Pouillard brings thunderous bass and soaring backing vocals. Florian Arnaud adds precision, fire, and vocal power. Produced and mixed by Brett Caldas‑Lima (Ayreon, Devin Townsend, Megadeth) for a rich, organic, high‑voltage sound. This is HIGHWAY at full strength, confident, mature, and unapologetically rock’n’roll.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Ben Chambert (Guitar): Hi! I’m Ben, guitarist and songwriter for the French rock band HighWay. I’d describe HighWay as an authentic, passionate, and heartfelt hard-rock band that unites people and transcends borders. We’ve been a “band of brothers” sharing this same passion for 25 years now.
We started out playing traditional hard rock, but our sound has become more open and eclectic over the years. Our music has matured alongside us, shaped by over 500 shows across Europe and six albums under our belt. It’s a kind of “Hard-Rock’n’Roll” rainbow, a bridge between AC/DC, Queen, and Aerosmith.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
Our new album, “LAST CALL FOR ROCK’N’ROLL,” drops on April 24th. It’s our sixth album, and we’re particularly proud of this one. It features 12 new tracks of big “arena rock,” but with many different influences, moods, instruments, and emotions. It’s a 60-minute rock’n’roll journey and – by far – the most accomplished work of our career. You’ve got to give it a listen! I hope you will enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed writing and recording it
Walk us through your creative process when creating music.
I usually build the foundation of our songs. I always write the music first, then the vocal melodies, and the lyrics last. Because of that, the vibe of the music directly influences the mood of the lyrics; whether that’s fun, melancholic, or angry.
Regarding the lyrics, I often feel the need to share a specific emotion. For example, the ballad “Mayday” is about the passing of my father. “Peace Out” is about my divorce and why I chose that path. Sometimes, a song starts from just a word or a sound, like “Hi-Way” or “¡Bang Bang!” Other times, I’m inspired by a movie or a documentary; “Go! Go! Go!” was inspired by a documentary on the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger. From there, the song practically writes itself.
Once I feel a track is good enough, I share it with the band. Each member adds their own touch and arrangements. Sometimes it changes a lot, sometimes very little, but that’s how it becomes a “HighWay” song!
Now that the music is out, what does the ‘road ahead’ look like? Beyond tours and videos, what’s one ‘bucket list’ goal you hope to achieve with this release?
The time has come for us to get back on stage, play these new songs for our fans, and win over new ones around the world! We can’t wait. While only a few dates have been announced in France and Europe so far, we’re currently putting together a plan to tour South and North America for the first time; that’s a major goal on our bucket list!
Beyond touring, we’d love to record and release our first live album. With our current line-up, the timing feels perfect. There are also a few collaborations we’re aiming for; we’re already working on them, but I can’t reveal any names just yet!
Every artist has a ‘lightbulb moment’ where things just clicked. Looking back, what’s the one performance or milestone that made you realize, ‘Okay, this is what I was meant to do’?
My brother Romain and I were absolutely “thunderstruck” by AC/DC’s performance on the Live at Donington VHS! Right then, we said, “That’s what we want to do! Let’s start a band.” I was 13 or 14. We listened to a lot of music back then, AC/DC, KISS, GN’R, Metallica, Queen, The Beatles… all the big names!
Romain started learning the drums, and I picked up the guitar so we could play together. HighWay was born in 1999, and the rest is history! We’ve worked our tails off and have been playing what we love for 25 years now. A dream came true.
We love championing Canadian talent. If you were curating a ‘Must-Listen’ playlist of emerging artists right now, who is the first person you’d add?
I can’t name a specific emerging Canadian band right now. I’m sure there are plenty of talented ones over there but I do know an outstanding Canadian guitarist who lives in France now. His name is Elma Niacci. He’s a metalhead (formerly of a Canadian hard-rock band called “Rusted”) who now plays incredible acoustic instrumental music. His live performances are amazing and really take your spirit to unique places. He creates beautiful melodies and even appeared in our recent music video, “¡BANG BANG!”.
There’s nothing like the energy of a live room. Where can fans catch you on stage next, and for someone seeing you for the first time, what should they expect froma “HighWay live experience?”
HighWay is pure energy, boiling over with rock’n’roll fever. Expect catchy choruses you can sing along to, total “live debauchery,” twin-guitar harmonies, and massive backing vocals like you haven’t heard since Def Leppard! We love sharing a sincere, authentic moment with the audience; we want them to feel good. We play “good vibes” music!