Devil's Gate Music
Related Articles
Gold-selling hard rockers Of Mice & Men — Aaron Pauley (bass + vocals ), Valentino Arteaga (drums), Alan Ashby (guitar), and Phil Manansala (guitar) — will issue their new album Tether on October 6 via SharpTone. Pre-order it here.
They’ve just shared the third single ‘Indigo‘. Listen to and watch the visualizer here.
“‘Indigo’ is about questioning why the sky would choose to be blue if it had the choice to be anything else — blue also meaning sad,” states Pauley. “It’s about comforting a loved one in a time of loss by telling them you feel blue, too.”
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 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.”
OM&M take 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 TRACK LISTING:
01. Integration
02. Warpaint
03. Shiver
04. Eternal Pessimist
05. Into The Sun
06. Enraptured
07. Castaway
08. Tether
09. Indigo
10. Zephyros
OM&M will be touring the UK and Europe this winter, with support coming from Caskets and Defects. These dates will see Of Mice & Men headline shows across 12 UK cities and 6 European cities, having not performed live in our continent for 4 years!
Tickets are on-sale now from: www.ofmicetickets.com
Of Mice & Men – UK + EU Tour 2023
w/ Caskets + Defects
20.11 DE – Munich, Backstage Halle
21.11 DE – Frankfurt, Das Bett
23.11 FR – Paris, Cabaret Sauvage
26.11 NL – Amsterdam, Melkweg
27.11 DE – Hamburg, Knust
28.11 DE – Koln, Luxor
30.11 UK – Manchester, Academy 3
01.12 UK – Glasgow, Slay
02.12 UK – Leeds, Stylus
04.12 UK – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
05.12 UK – Stoke, The Sugarmill
06.12 UK – Birmingham, Institute 2
08.12 UK – Oxford, Academy 2
09.12 UK – Colchester, Arts Centre
10.12 UK – Norwich, Epic Studios
12.12 UK – Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
13.12 UK – Bristol, The Fleece
14.12 UK – London, The Dome
