Jefferson Starship have released their first single in 12 years.

Jefferson Starship

Jefferson Starship

The legendary rock group - composed of David Freiberg, Donny Baldwin, Cathy Richardson, Chris Smith, and Jude Gold - have announced the release of a brand new single titled 'It's About Time', which is out now and comes as their first piece of new music in over a decade.

'It's About Time' is the first single from their upcoming EP, 'Mother of the Sun', which will be released on August 21 via Golden Robot Records.

The EP features seven new tracks, including two songs co-written by original Jefferson Starship/Jefferson Airplane members - 'It's About Time', which was co-written with Grace Slick and another co-written with Marty Balin.

The collection also features the return of original Jefferson Starship member Pete Sears, who plays bass on three tracks.

And singer Cathy Richardson says the EP is dedicated to the group's late leader Paul Kantner, who revived the group in the early 1990s until his death in 2016.

She said in a statement: "Paul Kantner was our bandleader and the visionary who kept Jefferson Starship going through so many eras. He inspired so much about this record, from the messages in the lyrics to the title and album art to the collaborative process of creating music as a band with some of his original muses - Grace, Marty, and Pete. 'Mother of the Sun' is dedicated to PK."

Jefferson Starship's current members had been touring incessantly prior to the coronavirus pandemic, and have already planned a 2021 tour to support their upcoming EP, with the dates set to be announced later this year.

'Mother of the Sun' tracklist:

'It's About Time'

'What Are We Waiting For?'

'Setting Sun'

'Runaway Again'

'Embryonic Journey'

'Don't Be Sad Anymore'

'What Are We Waiting For? (Extended Version)'