Since last summer, Muse fans have been kept on edge after the Teignmouth 3-piece started confirming themselves to appear at a whole host of festivals over the world. And as we all know, the prospect of festival dates on the horizon generally means there’s new material on the way. But since the first announcements came through last August… nothing really happened. But then, once the new year broke through the band became way more active on their socials, and any deep-digging Muse fan was able to hear a teaser for their first new single since 2018’s Simulation Theory was released. That snippet was then released as “Won’t Stand Down”. Their next offering “Compliance” is set for release this Thursday (March 17th). You can pre-save the track by looking here. Until the new track comes out, however, you can listen to “Won’t Stand Down” below.
The band also released a short statement seemingly explaining the fundamental message of the track. It reads, “Compliance is about the promise of safety and reassurance sold to us by powerful entities during times of vulnerability. Gangs, governments, demagogues, social media algorithms & religions seduce us with misleading truths and comforting fables. They want us to join their narrow worldview in exchange for obedience and turning a blind eye to our own internal voice of reason & compassion. They just need our compliance.” So, judging by this, it would seem that we’re in for another classic Muse journey. Grappling with universal maxims to try and take on whatever societal issue they’re planning on solving this time. We’ve dealt with war on Drones, I guess we got The Matrix with Simulation Theory, but this route seems to be more reminiscent of The Resistance. Considering the fact that the general census probably points towards The Resistance being the last solid Muse album; maybe this is a good thing. See the band’s latest teaser below and see what you think.
— muse (@muse) March 9, 2022
Aside from these 2 singles, so far there have been no official announcements for when the new album will be coming out. But I think it may be safe to assume sooner rather than later considering the festival dates this year and the fact we already have these 2 tracks. A full-scale tour will also probably crop up, but until then you’ll have to make do with appearances at their only confirmed UK date at the Isle of Wight Festival alongside Lewis Capaldi and Kasabian. Fancy a trip abroad? Maybe Tempelhof Sounds in Berlin, Mad Cool Festival in Madrid and Germany’s Rock am Ring and Rock im Park are what you’re after. See Muse’s full summer roster here.
