Fans of punk/pop veterans Pennywise [ tickets ] will get a belated Christmas gift from the group in March when the band gives away its next album for free.

The giveaway is the result of a collaboration between their new label, MySpace Records, MySpace.com, and online music distributor Textango. On March 25, fans will be able to log into MySpace and download a "high-quality" DRM-free copy of the band's forthcoming album, according to a press release. The free download will be available for two weeks.

The label will also release an enhanced CD/DVD version of the album the same day to traditional retail outlets, with the CD containing the same songs as the free online version.

"All on the same day--March 25--you will be able to go out and buy our new record, download it and then go buy it, or just download it for free and sit back and check it out," said guitarist Fletcher Dragge in a press statement. "How cool is that ... an option for all ways of thinking?"

"I think for a band like ours that has put out eight albums already, it's a great way to give back to our fans for their support over the years," added lead singer Jim Lindberg. "We can also potentially expose our music and message to people around the world who may have never had the opportunity to hear it because they either couldn't afford to buy a CD or they didn't have access to music outlets or good distribution.

"It's a way for us to instantly expand our music into places it's never been before. Maybe there's someone in Sri Lanka that is a huge Pennywise fan but just doesn't know it yet."

The band is working with producer Cameron Webb (Social Distortion, Motorhead) on the as-yet-untitled disc, which will be the group's ninth full-length studio album. It follows 2005's "The Fuse," which appeared under the Epitaph label, which had distributed all of Pennywise's previous releases dating back to the group's self-titled 1991 debut.

The new album "will be a combination of what our fans expect from us with a few curveballs thrown in here and there," said Lindberg. "We have to be happy with what we're doing before anyone else, so it will all be about trying to challenge ourselves."