Mastodon have shared the video for Teardrinker, the first official single from ninth album, Hushed And Grim – out on October 29 via Reprise.
Invoking their evolution once again, the elegiac track’s melodic riff cuts through a steady groove before a haunting hook takes hold, “I can see your face, and I feel the pain, and I feel the shame that I have let you down again.” The vocal call-and-response spirals into warbling guitar leads, and one last cathartic blast of distortion and drums. In the accompanying clip directed by Lorenzo Diego Carrera, the band enters an empty warehouse before being immersed into four uniquely curated mini universes, each of them feeding tears to a greater deity filling it with more life and power.
Their first full-length studio work in four years, Hushed And Grim was recorded in their hometown of Atlanta, over the course of the past 12 months with producer David Bottrill (Tool, Rush, Muse, Peter Gabriel). Their most ambitious body of work to date, each of 15 tracks, survey the sonic landscapes of the band’s vast confluence of influences and inspirations.
An atmosphere of very real loss, loneliness, and longing permeates through the trio of cathartic vocals as they musically say goodbye to old friend, confidant, and longtime manager the late Nick John by architecting an affecting, intense body of work that bears the influence of his eternal memory. Hushed And Grim represents the next step on Mastodon’s endless path of natural evolution. By removing boundaries and creating in a free form they evolved with a combination of newfound melodic confidence and their signature musical intricacy intact. In the end, HUSHED AND GRIM is hard-hitting, hypnotic, and heart-wrenching. More than ever before, Mastodon continue to be one of the most influential forces in modern rock music.
The Teardrinker clip arrives on the heels of the previously released track Pushing The Tides. The band will air the new material this autumn on a massive North American tour with co-headliners Opeth.
Watch the full video below.
Hushed And Grim tracklisting
Pain With An Anchor
The Crux
Sickle And Peace
More Than I Could Chew
The Beast
Skeleton Of Splendor
Teardrinker
Pushing The Tides
Peace And Tranquility
Dagger
Had It All
Savage Lands
Gobblers Of Dregs
Eyes Of Serpents
Gigantium
