Inspired by the overwhelming response to previous release ‘Unbreakable’ and the outpouring of support at live shows and fan demand for more new music, Of Mice & Men has surprise-released its second new song, ‘Back To Me’.
Like ‘Unbreakable’, ‘Back To Me’ was recorded with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (In Flames, All That Remains), mixed by Grammy winner Chris Lord-Alge (Deftones, Muse) and mastered by Chris Athens (Drake, Ozzy Osbourne). The video for “Back To Me” chronicles the band’s past few weeks — a frenzied whirlwind that saw them release an “Unbreakable” video that’s already amassed 1.7 million views and deliver a string of electrifying, show-stealing performances at Las Rageous, Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion and, most recently, Rock On The Range.
“‘Back To Me’ is a very meaningful song for us,” says vocalist/bassist Aaron Pauley. “When going through major life changes, whether it’s loss or growth, it’s incredibly easy to feel like you’ve lost a part of yourself — and like you’ll never be yourself again. I’ve come believe that we can never truly lose ourselves. I believe we persist through these changes, and that if you can discover, tap into, and ignite your true passions, you’ll always be able light the way back to you. We really wanted to put out ‘Back To Me’ as the follow up to ‘Unbreakable’, because we wanted to reassure and encourage ourselves and others to press on when times get tough. ‘Let hope be everything that you need…'”
Next comes an international tour that kicks off June 8 at the Greenfield festival in Switzerland and includes stops at the Download festival in the U.K., In.Fest in Milan, Nova Rock in Austria and more. Los Angeles-based fans can catch the band — Aaron Pauley, guitarist Alan Ashby, drummer Valentino Arteaga and guitarist Phil Manansala — performing alongside Rise Against on July 13 at the Shrine Auditorium.
‘Unbreakable’ and ‘Back To Me’ are Of Mice & Men‘s first new releases since the departure of vocalist Austin Carlile, whose ongoing battle with Marfan syndrome forced him to leave the band at the end of last year.
Carlile announced his departure from Of Mice & Men last December (statement). Although his exit was initially believed to have been caused by the fact that he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a rare genetic tissue disorder, he has since revealed that a feud with his former bandmates contributed to the split. Handling lead vocals in the group now is bassist Aaron Pauley.
Of Mice & Men‘s much-anticipated new album, “Cold World” is released on September 9 through Rise Records.
Upcoming Shows:
Thu 08 Jun 2017 Greenfield Festival 2017 Interlaken, Switzerland
Sat 10 Jun 2017 Download Festival UK 2017 Castle Donington, UK
Mon 12 Jun 2017 Petit Bain Paris, France
Tue 13 Jun 2017 Longlive Rockfest 2017 Villeurbanne, France
Wed 14 Jun 2017 In.Fest Music Festival 2017 Milan, Italy
Fri 16 Jun 2017 Nova Rock Festival 2017 Nickelsdorf, Austria
Sat 17 Jun 2017 Graspop 2017 Dessel, Belgium
Sun 18 Jun 2017 Hellfest 2017 Clisson, France
Mon 19 Jun 2017 La Laiterie – Grande Salle Strasbourg, France
Tue 20 Jun 2017 Komma Worgl, Austria
Thu 22 Jun 2017 With Full Force Festival 2017 Gräfenhainichen, Germany
Fri 23 Jun 2017 Southside Festival 2017 Neuhausen Ob Eck, Germany
Sat 24 Jun 2017 Jera On Air 2017 Ysselsteyn, Netherlands
Sun 25 Jun 2017 Hurricane Festival 2017 Scheessel, Germany
Wed 28 Jun 2017 Volt Festival 2017 Sopron, Hungary
Thu 29 Jun 2017 Bråvalla Festival 2017 Scheessel, Germany
Fri 30 Jun 2017 Roskilde Festival 2017 Roskilde, Denmark
Sat 01 Jul 2017 Vainstream Rockfest 2017 Münster, Germany
Sat 15 Jul 2017 Festival d’été de Québec 2017 Quebec City, QC, Canada
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Video for ‘Back to Me’