Those of us who are old enough to remember blazing to the sounds of The Mars Volta can attest to the immense talent that guitarist Omar Rodriquez-Lopez and singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala both share. Before their stint as a international acclaimed progressive psychedelic band, Rodriquez-Lopez and Bixler were a part of the popular post-hardcore group At the Drive-In.
The five-piece band broke up in 2001 after releasing the highly regarded album Relationship of Command, but resurfaced in 2012 by headlining the major California-based festival Coachella. After burrowing back into the underground for a bit, At the Drive-In resurfaced at the start of the year with an international tour. Now, the punk icons are finally back with their first song in 16 years, entitled “Governed by Contagions.”
The new track takes diehard fans back to those menacing guitar leads and slightly harsh and high-pitched utterances by Bixler-Zavala. It also comes packaged in a politically-charged animated lyric video directed by Damon Locks and Rob Shaw. In the description of the video, the band promises an upcoming album produced by the band’s guitar savant Omar Rodríguez-Lopez and Rich Costey.
The day after dropping “Governed by Contagious”, At the Drive-In announced a short tour in March 2017 that will stretch throughout Washington DC, New York, Boston, Detroit, and Toronto. This tour will supplement the shows the the band missed on their tour earlier this year, due to Bixler-Zavala losing his voice.
While most fans have been temporarily satisfied with the group touring on their classic material, there is certainly reason to be excited for their newest song. The return to form on “Governed by Contagious” gives hope for a promising album by the reunited group. Though the long-awaited followup album has yet to be given a release date, you can expect it to be dropped via Rise Records sometime next year.
