The Mars Volta returned on Friday with the group’s second new release in ten years, “Graveyard Love”. The single arrived less than three weeks after the group helmed by vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López broke its decade-long silence with “Blacklight Shine“.
“Graveyard Love” carries a progressive, almost futuristic tone that continues to illustrate what The Mars Volta of 2022 will look like. The group that was ahead of its time 20 years ago continues to push the boundaries of what a prog-rock band can do musically. Meanwhile, the song’s lyrics point to over 100 years of brutal colonial rule by the United States in Puerto Rico where Rodríguez-López was born in 1975. Of the lyrics, Bixler-Zavala said, “They will seek your ruin, and burn your lands because if they can’t have you, no one can.”
The track’s accompanying black-and-white music video cements the lyrical connection to the island with shots of various facets of Puerto Rican culture. The eight-minute video—which dwarfs the songs actual 3:14 minute runtime—closes with a quote from Puerto Rican revolutionary Lolita Lebrón: “¡Yo no vine a matar a nadie; yo vine a morir por Puerto Rico!” (“I did not come to kill anyone, I came to die for Puerto Rico”). On YouTube, the band provided a timeline of U.S. action in Puerto Rico as well as resources for further reading.
Watch the music video for “Graveyard Love” by The Mars Volta and stream the track below. The group will tour North America in the fall, and recently added a string of new dates.
The Mars Volta – “Graveyard Love” (Official Video)