The Mars Volta are currently teasing what may be new material, according to NME. The disbanded progressive post-hardcore act has reportedly set up an art installation in Grand Park in Los Angeles, evidently called the “Voltacube,” that plays previously unheard audio.
The Mars Volta, led by former At the Drive-In members Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, last released fresh material in 2012 — the album Noctourniquet — but broke up shortly after. More recently, lead singer Bixler-Zavala seemed to confirm a reunion from The Mars Volta in a since-deleted 2019 tweet, saying, “It’s happening.”
See two recent cryptic tweets from The Mars Volta showing the location and dates for the art installation near the bottom of this post.
Those passing by can apparently visit the “Voltacube” through this Tuesday (June 21) at the public park in the civic center of L.A. Its emergence perhaps affirms what Bixler-Zavala was telling fans about a Mars Volta comeback three years ago.
At the time, the vocalist explained, “What it’s NOT going to be is your ‘fav member lineup’ playing their ‘classic records’ in full etc. Maybe we’ll play old shit, who knows how we feel.” (Again, the tweets containing these statements have since been removed from Twitter.)
He continued, “Just remember our past campaigns never relied on playing requests or going fully backwards. … It’s new shit, new people, left turns, tangent inconsistencies, mazapan dreams and churro wishes.”
Bixler-Zavala added, “I will say this though, when [lead guitarist Rodriguez-Lopez] played me a grip of new shit I fucking cried. Like Claire Daines [sic] in Romeo + Juliet cried. Yeah, it was fucking weird. It’s in its infancy right now. No deadlines, no ball tripping, no drama, just two grown-ass men using essential oils and bold new perfumes, shooting ideas and scooting their ass across the fucking lawn trying to get rid of these worms.”
After At the Drive-In broke up in 2001, the two musicians formed The Mars Volta. At the Drive-In member Jim Ward formed Sparta. The Mars Volta released six studio albums, starting with 2003’s De-Loused in the Comatorium, which features Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea on bass guitar. At the Drive-In briefly reunited in 2011 and 2016. The main Mars Volta duo moonlighted as the garage rock act Antemasque in 2014.
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The Mars Volta Tweets – June 2022
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