Barely a month ago we were ordered by Cali-metalcore barbarians, Of Mice & Men to slap on some ‘Warpaint’ for their first single in quite time time, riling the masses together for their eighth album Tether - available October 6 via SharpTone Records. Well, points to anyone who painted their face like Wilson the Volleyball from feature film Castaway, because you’ll never guess what their next single is called?
After sailing the seven seas and scouring the earth for decades in search of the shiniest new metalcore tunes, you’ve found yourself shipwrecked and alone. You’ve become the very thing your ears were searching for, a ‘Castaway’. Jumping straight into the track we are met with a much punkier/post-hardcore feel than the previous heaviness in ‘Warpaint’.
Diving out of the rapid paced intro chords we begin to float through the first verse, pounded along by single stringed strumming on the guitars and sombre sampling on synths. Aaron Paul chimes in with his effervescent vocals, delivering a constant pop catchiness to the songs melody. While the screams have taken a back seat on this single, they certainly haven’t disappeared. Grouped in with the slammy, hardcore breakdown comes the pit starting fry screams this song was lacking.
While ‘Warpaint’ kept the essence of heaviness from 2019's EARTHANDSKY ‘Castaway’ definitely clings onto that mature refined lighter sound we heard on 2018's Defy, with such tracks as ‘Back To Me’. Whether they make an earthquake triggering metalcore/hardcore track or a melodic, jumpy, post-hardcore tune, Of Mice & Men always leave a mark on the scene.
You thought the excitement ended there huh? There’s whisper going round of a tour in October that’s set to sail as OM&M join Bullet For My Valentine for North America. Better not get shipwrecked or you’ll be a ‘Castaway’.
On the single, the band comments:
"'Castaway' is about longing for connection with the people in our lives who tend to distance themselves when dealing with hardships, and how our inability to help them often feels like we're frozen in time."
Words by Ed Atlas @yourfavouritemerchguy
Stream ‘Castaway’ here
Pre-save/order Tether here
Of Mice & Men – Tether tracklisting
1. Integration
2. Warpaint
3. Shiver
4. Eternal Pessimist
5. Into The Sun
6. Enraptured
7. Castaway
8. Tether
9. Indigo
10. Zephyros
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdN88l0E0Ro&pp=ygUYb2YgbWljZSBhbmQgbWVuIGNhc3Rhd2F5
