The Mars Volta Reportedly Tease New Music Through Street Art Installation
The Mars Volta are publicly airing what sounds like new material, according to NME. The disbanded progressive post-hardcore band has reportedly set up an art installation in Olive Court in Grand Park in Los Angeles, the "Voltacube." It plays previously unheard audio.
The Mars Volta, led by former At the Drive-In members Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, last released material in 2012 — the album Noctourniquet — but broke up shortly after. More recently, singer Bixler-Zavala seemed to confirm an imminent reunion from The Mars Volta in a since-deleted tweet, saying, "It's happening."
Those in L.A. can visit the Voltacube through Tuesday (June 21) at the park in the city's civic center. Its emergence may affirm what Bixler-Zavala was saying of a Mars Volta comeback in 2019.
At that 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 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 [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 split in 2001, the two musicians formed The Mars Volta. At the Drive-In's Jim Ward formed Sparta. The Mars Volta released six 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 rockers Antemasque in 2014.
Below, see tweets from this month showing the location and dates for the installation. Spotify listeners will notice Mars Volta background art there also shows the coordinates.