The Mars Volta (album)

The Mars Volta
Studio album by
the Mars Volta
ReleasedSeptember 16, 2022 (2022-09-16)
Recorded2019–2021
GenrePsychedelic rock, progressive pop,[1] alternative rock
Length44:45
LabelClouds Hill
ProducerOmar Rodríguez-López
The Mars Volta chronology
Noctourniquet
(2012) 		The Mars Volta
(2022) 		Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazón
(2023)
Singles from The Mars Volta
  1. "Blacklight Shine"
    Released: June 21, 2022
  2. "Graveyard Love"
    Released: July 8, 2022
  3. "Vigil"
    Released: August 5, 2022

The Mars Volta is the seventh studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released through Clouds Hill on September 16, 2022.[2] Produced by guitarist, songwriter and musical director Omar Rodríguez-López, the album was preceded by the singles "Blacklight Shine", "Graveyard Love" and "Vigil".[3]

Self-titled to mark a "clean slate" in the band's history,[4] it is the band's first studio album in over ten years, following their 2012 album, Noctourniquet, and subsequent break-up. After reuniting in secret in 2019, band leaders Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala made a conscious effort to break from their previous progressive rock sound and record a pop-influenced album, with Bixler-Zavala directly addressing his family's recent struggles with the Church of Scientology in his lyrics.[4]

Founding bass guitarist Eva Gardner and longtime keyboardist and percussionist Marcel Rodríguez-López returned to the band during the recording process, recording their parts in New York alongside session drummer Willy Rodriguez Quiñones.[5] Jazz pianist Leo Genovese contributed to the recording process, eventually joining the band on a full-time basis for the album's accompanying tour, alongside new drummer Linda-Philomène Tsoungui.

The band re-recorded the album acoustically and released it as Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazón on April 21, 2023.[6]

  1. ^ Pareles, Jon (September 7, 2022). "The Mars Volta Returns with a Swerve: Its Own Version of Pop". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Anderson, Carys (August 5, 2022). "The Mars Volta Announce New Self-Titled Album, Share "Vigil": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  3. ^ Corcoran, Nina (August 5, 2022). "The Mars Volta Announce First Album in a Decade, Share New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Clarke, Patrick (September 13, 2022). "Stay Vigilant: The Mars Volta Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  5. ^ Kamiński, Karol (September 12, 2022). "The Mars Volta unveil new chapter of their impressive ongoing artistic revolution with their new 7th album". Idioteq. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  6. ^ Slingerland, Calum (March 10, 2023). "The Mars Volta Detail Acoustic Album Qué Dios Te Maldiga Mí Corazón". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 20, 2023.