The Mars Volta have made their long-awaited return with a new single called ‘Blacklight Shine’ – listen below.
The Texas-formed band released six studio albums between 2003 and 2012 before splitting due to a falling-out between founding members Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López.
The pair quickly made amends, however, and formed a new group, Antemasque. They also revamped their pre-Mars Volta outfit, At-the-Drive-In, for a new record in 2017.
Having recently teased a comeback, The Mars Volta have now released their first music in 10 years with ‘Blacklight Shine’. It arrives with an accompanying black-and-white short film, which was directed by Rodríguez López.
In a statement, vocalist Bixler-Zavala said that the lyrics to the song delve into the idea of “a wave of rolling blackouts washing memories onto shore, a heartbeat that still remembers everything”. Tune in here:
The Mars Volta previewed ‘Blacklight Shine’ recently by setting up a mysterious box installation in Los Angeles’ Grand Park, which plays new material from the band when you walk inside.
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Fans can visit the ‘L’YTOME HODORXÍ TELESTERION’ attraction until 8pm tonight (June 21). Those who can’t make it in person can see it via an official digital experience on July 1, according to a press release.
Details of a potential new Mars Volta album – which would follow on from 2012’s ‘Noctourniquet’ – are yet to emerge.
The Mars Volta have also announced a US tour, which will run from September 23 until October 21.
Tickets for the tour will go on general sale at 10am local time on Friday (June 24) from here, and you can see The Mars Volta’s upcoming tour dates below.
September
23 – The Factory at Deep Ellum, Dallas, TX
25 – Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
27 – Opera House, Philadelphia, PA
29 – Terminal 5, New York, NY
October
1 – MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Boston, MA
3 – Anthem, Washington, D.C.
5 – Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario
6 – The Royal Oak, Detroit, MI
8 – Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL
11 – Mission Ballroom, Denver, CO
14 – Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA
18 – The Warfield, San Francisco, CA
21 – Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA
A Mars Volta reunion has been hinted at by the band several times in recent years. In 2019, Bixler-Zavala effectively confirmed it when he told a fan on Twitter that “it’s happening”. In a further update, Cedric said the reunion would see them leaning heavily on new material.