The "Self-Titled" Era
Nostalgia is an incredibly loaded term, both comforting and cynical, making us feel safe in its familiarity and shaming us for our lack of bravery. When At the Drive-In resolved in late 2018 the sense of nostalgia we had felt for At the Drive-In became complete. The band, who had combusted just as their hard work was paying off, finally got their victory lap. There was a healing fulfillment to that tour and when the final note of the final rendition of One Armed Scissor ricocheted across Porto Alegre it seemed that book of At the Drive-In could finally be shelved. Perhaps, not perfect, but certainly whole.
Naturally, the fanatics of Omar and Cedric immediately began to wonder, began to pontificate, "When is The Mars Volta coming back?" It had been nearly five years since they had started the healing process of their relationship with 2014's ANTEMASQUE. They saw that run, they saw the At the Drive-In reunion, and then they saw it support a whole new album of adolescent rage. So surely, surely, this would mean the logical conclusion would be to unearth the seismic beast of The Mars Volta. Omar, Cedric, you have now been reunited for five years, call upon your monsters of music, make it surface again! Unfortunately, it would not be quite time for it, but fear not for it when it shed its skin, it became something beautiful; an homage and a threat to their era of old.
The return of The Mars Volta began in secret during At The Drive-In's reunion run. The nostalgia run hitting its final lap had apparently begun to wear on Omar and Cedric stating "Being on tour with At the Drive-In for three years, playing way faster than we even do in Mars Volta and more aggressively, you know, it's all the same frequencies, right? Two guitars, the cymbals and Cedric's voice are all in the same frequency, fighting all night long, every day. With the exhaustion of the tour, I just started making tracks, and as I was saturated with this other thing, I wanted to do something else. For me, the most exciting new direction is something we haven't done: to cut things down, to do our version of pop." As with most music written by Omar, it is a response to what had come before, a desire to move in the opposite direction. This was true with the initiation of The Mars Volta as well, as it was a rebellion against At the Drive-In and its, alleged, future direction.
To rebirth The Mars Volta, as Cedric would croon about back in 2012 although I am sure that was a different context, they would need to again react against what they were doing. Instead of the fast-paced guitar assault of At The Drive-In there would be a need to react against in. In the olden days this typically meant to turn the straight forward assault of a musical sword and melt it into an abomination. Same energy, but turned into chaos. This time around they leaned into passivity and simplicity, rebelling against the brutal beating of In•ter a•li•a and Diamanté and responding with soft, comforting warmth. Pop music, they declared, would be the next era of The Mars Volta. At least in the studio.
Recording began shortly following At The Drive-In's conclusion with Omar presenting Cedric with nearly 48 tracks from which he picked at least 14 to sing on. Omar would again tap his brother Marcel to help with keyboard and synth work, adding mixing and engineering to his responsibilities as well. A wise decision indeed as it led to a robust, full, and hearty presentation of the music. Omar would tap original bassist Eva Gardner for bass parts, and Willy Rodriguez Quiñones to fill the mystical role of drums. Both serve their roles well, fulfilling the expected role of being a unique presence in music that thrives of stand out moments. Prior collaborator Leo Genovese would fulfill the more intensive and elaborate key and piano duties while Daniel Diaz Rivera would complete this studio line-up with percussion work. Although never fully confirmed, COVID-19 likely significantly delayed the recording and release of this album. The album would be self-titled to reflect a new beginning for the band and an acoustic version Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazón was likely recorded at the same time, although this was never confirmed.
The essence of The Mars Volta began to emerge in the public eye in the Spring of 2022. Hints of an unspecified event began to sprinkle on the internet that would mean the official return. This was paired with the unveiling of what turned out to be their new logo. What was going to happen in California? What was Telesterion? "Dude, come," lured label manager Johann, not promising a live performance, but also not not promising one.
The Mars Volta officially returned to the live stage in the Autumn of 2022. The line-up had drastically changed either due to deaths, disagreements, or divergence in musical interests. Omar, Cedric, and Marcel would be the only remaining members to return from 2012's line-up. Juan had fallen out with Omar and Cedric for unclear reasons, depending on who you ask, and Deantoni likely was not invited to return based on the style of this new tour and I can also imagine his interest had moved on. Ikey had already exited the group in 2010 and any prayer of him returning to the keyboard stool were dashed forever in 2014 following his abrupt passing.
In 2025 it appears we are going to be entering the 4th year of this era, an unprecedented length for two individuals who have always seemed hell bent on eternal evolution. Within the fabric of these shows there are moments of growth, flickers of another shift in the works. A new album is pending announcement seemingly any day. The mixture of gratitude, admiration, anticipation, and frustration have begun to hit their boiling points. Please, always, more of this, but we also know you all are never ones to sit still, to worship a glory day, to linger in a moment too long. We know its coming. We are ready for the next phase in your endless mutation.