The Mars Volta Make Their Return with New Music & Tour

Kathryn Milewski -

After nearly a decade of no new music, The Mars Volta are back. Their new song "Blacklight Shine" has arrived alongside a complementary black-and-white short film directed by band member Omar Rodríguez-López. The core duo also announced tour plans for the fall.

"Blacklight Shine" is a psych rock standard with tropical themes that's carried by a rumbling bass and congo drums. In a statement, Mars Volta vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala said “Blacklight Shine” is about “a wave of rolling blackouts washing memories onto shore, a heartbeat that still remembers everything.” The song is the band's first new track since the release of their 2012 album, Noctourniquet.

Prior to the release of “Blacklight Shine,” the band held a pop-up public art installation dubbed “L’Ytome Hodorxí Telesterion.” In Los Angeles’ Grand Park, a giant cube allowed visitors an early listen of the song alongside an immersive visual journey. An online version of the installation is set to drop July 1.

In additional Mars Volta news, the band announced a 13-date North American tour. It will mark the first time they’ve performed live since 2012. The tour will begin September 23 and wrap up on October 21. Tickets go on sale this Thursday, June 23, with more information available on the band's website.

Mars Volta’s return comes a few years after Bixler-Zavala hinted at a possible reunion back in 2019. Most recently, they dropped a box set, La Realidad de los Sueños, featuring all their studio albums and previously-unreleased material.

Watch the video for "Blacklight Shine" below.


Check out our selection of free stations streaming The Mars Volta music at Live365.com.

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Article Image: The Mars Volta frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala sings into a microphone while under bright pink light during a 2008 concert. (Clownhouse III [CC BY 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons.)