The Mars Volta Return With First New Song and Tour in 10 Years

The Mars Volta are back with their first new song in nearly a decade, “Blacklight Shine,” which arrives alongside a complementary short film directed by Omar Rodríguez-López.

“Blacklight Shine,” a classic Mars Volta hit of psych rock carried by a rumbling groove, marks the Mars Volta’s first new music since the release of their 2012 album, Noctourniquet. In a statement, Mars Volta vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala described the lyrics to “Blacklight Shine” in aptly poetic terms, saying they aim to capture the idea of “a wave of rolling blackouts washing memories onto shore, a heartbeat that still remembers everything.”

The band previewed the arrival of “Blacklight Shine” with a public art installation dubbed, “L’Ytome Hodorxí Telesterion” — a giant cube that popped up in Los Angeles’ Grand Park and offered visitors an early listen of “Blacklight Shine” alongside an immersive visual journey. An online version is set to drop July 1.

Along with releasing “Blacklight Shine,” the Mars Volta have also announced a North American tour, which will mark the first time they’ve performed live since 2012 (the same year their last studio album, Noctourniquet, arrived). The run kicks of Sept. 23 at the Factory at Deep Ellum in Dallas and wraps Oct. 21 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. Tickets will go on sale this Thursday, June 23, with full information available on the Mars Volta’s website. 

The Mars Volta’s proper return comes a little over three years after Bixler-Zavala first hinted at a possible reunion for the revered El Paso outfit. Since then, the band has kept quiet about new material, but last year they did drop a career-spanning boxset, La Realidad de los Sueños, featuring all their studio albums and an array of previously unreleased material. 

Mars Volta Tour Dates

September 23 – Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum
September 25 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
September 27 – Philadelphia, PA – The Metropolitan Opera House
September 29 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
October 1 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
October 3 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
October 5 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
October 6 – Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
October 8 – Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
October 11 – Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom
October 14 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
October 18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
October 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium

This story was updated 6/21/22 at 10 a.m. ET with the Mars Volta’s tour dates.