Mars Volta Members’ Antemasque Try to ‘Drown All Your Witches’
Antemasque, the group featuring former Mars Volta frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala, guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and drummer Dave Elitch, show off their chilly, acoustic side in “Drown All Your Witches,” a track off their forthcoming self-titled debut due out July 15th. The video offers a glimpse at the making of the song as Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López work on the riff, practice alien vocal effects (that don’t make the cut) and figure out the right mix.
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A statement from Rodríguez-López’s label said that the group had originally intended to release only one track last week, “4AM,” but ultimately decided to issue two others – “Hangin’ in the Lurch” and “People Forget” – due to a positive response from fans. Because of that reaction, the group will not sign to a major label or release music on a typical schedule; instead, it will release music based on demand from fans. “If the whole thing looked unplanned, that’s because it was,” the band said in a statement. “The anticipation of what the reaction from fans and critics was very real for us with every new song we put out.”
As part of the group’s nontraditional path, they are selling the three songs they released last week as a bundle, and the first 10,000 people to buy it will be able to download the song in the video above, “Drown All Your Witches.” Fans will also be able to download Antemasque two weeks before its release on July 1st, with those who already purchased the Antemasque songs released last week able to access the free download by purchasing music from Rodríguez-López’s other bands, the Mars Volta and Le Butcherettes. Rodríguez-López is also offering fans non-Antemasque bonus options such as the Le Butcherettes album for free with an additional track, via the website for his label Nadie Sound. (The website is set to go live at 12:01 AM EST on April 16th.)
The label also clarified the involvement of Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea in the project, as he is not a member of Antemasque. The label, Nadie, said that they had included him in a teaser video as a “thank you” for allowing the group to record in his studio and “literally letting us sleep on the floor to make this record.” They wanted to show how important his contributions were to their creative process. “This is what happens when artists collaborate for love of playing together, without an end result in mind,” the label said. While Flea has played on some Antemasque recordings, the label confirmed that he did not play on “Drown All Your Witches.”
The group also shared this quizzical video: