The Mars Volta have unveiled their long-awaited comeback single “Blacklight Shine,” as well as a string of reunion tour dates.
The track finds singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitarist-composer Omar Rodríguez-López crafting a gleaming pop melody over a Caribbean-inspired, handclap-driven beat as the former wails, “If that rain don’t fall any sooner, I’m gonna wash upon the shore/ If that train don’t run any sooner, I’m gonna waste away.” Meanwhile, shot in black and white, the single’s short film shines a light on Caribbean culture through dance, music, drumming, dress, and community.
According to a statement by Bixler-Zavala, the song’s lyrics focus on a “wave of rolling blackouts washing memories onto shore, a heartbeat that still remembers everything.”
“Blacklight Shine” is the El Paso, Texas-based rock act’s first new music in more than a decade. Following the release of their 2012 album Noctourniquet, the band went on an indefinite hiatus, with its members going on to form multiple other projects including the short-lived Bosnian Rainbows, Zavalaz, and Antemasque.
Along with the single, The Mars Volta also revealed a round of headlining tour dates across the US. The run of shows begins September 23rd at The Factory at Deep Ellum in Dallas, Tex. and hits major cities like Philadelphia, New York, Toronto, and San Francisco before closing out at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on October 21st. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 24th via Ticketmaster., with pre-sales beginning June 23rd using the code DAZZLE.
Update, June 23rd: The Mars Volta have added additional shows in Dallas (September 22nd); New York City (September 30th); Seattle (October 15th); San Francisco (October 19th); and Los Angeles (October 22nd, 23rd). Tickets for the new shows go on sale Friday (June 24th). See the updated itinerary below.
Back in 2021, The Mars Volta reissued their entire catalog — including all six albums, the Tremulant EP, and the unearthed Landscape Tantrums collection — on vinyl.
The Mars Volta 2022 Tour Dates:
09/22 — Dallas, TX @ The Factory at Deep Ellum *
09/23 — Dallas, TX @ The Factory at Deep Ellum
09/25 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
09/27 — Philadelphia, PA @ Opera House
09/29 — New York, NY @ Terminal 5
09/30 — New York, NY @ Terminal 5 *
10/01 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
10/03 — Washington, DC @ Anthem
10/05 — Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
10/06 — Detroit, MI @ The Royal Oak
10/08 — Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
10/11 — Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom
10/14 — Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
10/15 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre *
10/18 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
10/19 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield *
10/21 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Hollywood Palladium
10/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Hollywood Palladium *
10/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Hollywood Palladium *
* = newly added since the original announcement
