According to Blabbermouth, Texas-based progressive rock band The Mars Volta has made a triumphant return with their first new single in over a decade. The song is entitled “Blacklight Shine” and it is accompanied by a black and white music video and short film. 

The video begins with a young girl sitting on the beach, running sand through her fingers as a man on horseback comes riding through. She wanders through town before joining in on a bomba style dance, a tradition in which the dancers lead the drummers musically with their body movements. Several dancers are shown, each dressed according to their customs. The video complements the song nicely as there is a great amount of energy in both. The weight of the drums are illuminated throughout the song, highlighting the Caribbean rhythmic beat.  

Speaking about the song, vocalist and lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala explained that the lyrics were meant to reminisce “a wave of rolling blackouts washing memories onto shore, a heartbreak that still remembers everything.”

The band has kept busy despite this being the first new single they have shared in over a decade. In April 2021, they released their LP Landscape Tantrums. In March 2021 they released an early version of their single “Inertiatic ESP” and announced an 18-LP box set La Realidad de Los Sueños which featured their entire discography and previously unreleased music. The Mars Volta’s return should serve as an excellent surprise for fans who were looking forward to it since May 2019, when Bixler-Zavala teased the reunion.

Photo Credit: Owen Ela