Gold-selling hard rockers Of Mice & Men — Aaron Pauley (bass + vocals ), Valentino Arteaga (drums), Alan Ashby (guitar), and Phil Manansala (guitar) — will release their new album, Tether, on October 6.
The band kicks off the new album cycle by releasing the video for the new single, “Warpaint.”
Vocalist and bassist Aaron Pauley shares more about the new track:
“We’re excited to share ‘Warpaint’ as the first single. We feel like it bridges the gap between the OM&M you’ve heard and known, and what’s to come. ‘Warpaint’ is a heavy and anthemic song about resilience, and rallying the courage to face your fears head on.”
Taking all creative matters into their own hands, the Southern California quartet self-produced and engineered all of the songs on Tether, their astonishing eighth album. Pauley mixed and mastered the album while drummer Valentino Arteaga designed and painted the album’s artwork. As a legion of devoted listeners worldwide has come to expect, guitarists Phil Manansala and Alan Ashby, Aaron, and Tino poured their hearts and souls into every note, creating another sonic document of their lives.
“With this one, we weren’t really focused on how it sounded as much as we focused on how it felt,” Pauley explains. “And that’s a weird thing to do when all you’re working with is sound. But that was really the goal. And we walked away from making it, feeling like we’ve accomplished that.”
The band takes sobering looks at depression, anxiety, loneliness, and existential dread, powering through the darkness, and emphasizing the importance of creativity as a balm for mental health. A commanding tempest of sounds coalesces within Of Mice & Men, blending the uplifting eloquence of modern active rock with the atmospheric dissonance of experimental post-rock. The band first emerged as part of a vanguard of future aggressive rock hitmakers. Over the years, they’ve distinguished themselves with musicality, creative ambition, and resilient determination.
Album eight is no less ambitious. Tether is anchored by a reflective meditation on what it means to draw together as friends, family men, artists, and bandmates. What does it mean to be there for the people who depend on us, knowing we can’t fully protect them from the hardships of life?
Tether is the next step in OM&M’s evolution, combining their core sound with experimental and ethereal sound designs. The creative process focused on the excitement of discovery rather than preconceived “goals.” Pursuing the moments when the elusive “x factor” reveals itself in the songs. Those moments are palpable in songs like “Integration,” “Warpaint,” “Enraptured,” and “Indigo.”
The Of Mice & Men core since 2016 — Aaron, Alan, Tino, and Phil — maintain a powerful bond with their audience and each other, no matter the obstacles. Whether a powerful anthem or atmospheric confession, their songs translate in intimate clubs and massive festivals. “It’s about creating moments for people,” Pauley says. “Music is the soundtrack to people’s lives.”
Tether is set for release on October 6 via SharpTone and is now available for pre-order. You can also catch OM&M on the road this fall with Bullet for My Valentine and Vended. All dates are listed below.
Of Mice & Men 2023 Tour Dates
9/8 — Alton, VA — Blue Ridge Rock Festival*
10/8 — Montreal, QC — Mtelus
10/10 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium
10/12 — New York, NY — Terminal 5
10/13 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore Silver Spring
10/15 — Philadelphia, PA — Franklin Music Hall
10/17 — Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE
10/18 — Cleveland, OH — The Agora
10/19 — Cincinnati, OH — The Andrew J. Brady Music Center
10/21 — Kansas City, MO — Uptown Theater
10/22 — Chicago, IL — Riviera Theatre
10/24 — Minneapolis, MN — The Fillmore Minneapolis
10/26 — Denver, CO — Mission Ballrom
10/28 — Flagstaff, AZ — Pepsi Amphitheater
10/29 — San Diego, CA — SOMA Mainstage
10/31 — Los Angles, CA — The Wiltern
11/1 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren
11/2 — Albuquerque, NM — Revel Entertainment Center
11/4 — San Antonio, TX — Boeing Center At Tech Port
11/5 — Dallas, TX — House of Blues Dallas
11/7 — Houston, TX — House of Blues Houston
11/8 — New Orleans, LA — The Fillmore New Orleans
11/10 — Orlando, FL — Hard Rock Live Orlando
*Festival Date
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