“All these forgeries perched upon my shoulders, maybe they will go away.“
Since officially reuniting in 2022, The Mars Volta charted a strange course. Dropping the prog aspect of their sound, they leaned into psychedelic-tinged pop with their comeback album. While it did not have significant staying power, it did have excellent singles, along with spawning an acoustic version and a documentary film. They kept touring as well, and are currently opening for Deftones along with Fleshwater.
On this tour, however, they are explicitly not playing the hits. Instead, they’re playing their new album Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacío. Thus far, this has been the only opportunity to preview the album in any official capacity. With no singles released in the run-up, we have very limited information from the band themselves. Perhaps that stems from some of the more tepid reactions to their last LP, as this one comes from a similar place. Regardless, we know The Mars Volta does whatever they want, and this is no exception.
Opening tracks “Fin” and “Reina Tormenta” act together as a pair of intros. The former features Cedric Bixler-Zavala‘s isolated and processed vocals and sparse instrumentation while the latter turns up the wick with prominent synths and drums. Barely more than a minute long each, they demonstrate one major change structurally. Across these eighteen tracks, only eight are longer than three minutes. The first such track, “Enlazan Las Tinieblas”, builds with classic Volta Latin and jazz influences. Layered and dense to start, it breaks apart towards the end before seguing into the vocal interlude “Mictlán”.
Subsequent track “Nefilibata” takes its time establishing itself. Refrain “you’re the one that I want” serves as a touchstone for it to return to, spinning around it without straying too far. “Cue The Sun” covers a bit more ground as the most single-ready track on the album (not that we have one, of course). It has most of the attributes highlighted so far, including strong vocal emphasis, blaring synths, and wandering drum patterns. We’ll return to this one down the line.
The longest track, “Voice In My Knives”, is album’s center point, and starts to beg the question: has Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacío shown all it has to offer? While a decent track in its own right, it largely treads the same ground already covered. Mid-tempo like much of the rest, outside of some bubbling noise in the outro, it demonstrates the self-contained and brief nature of many tracks was the right move. “Celaje” acts as further proof, with one of the hookiest numbers that comes and goes quickly.
Next up, “Vociferó” takes similar course, paired as well with its own ambient companion track. “Un Disparo Al Vacío”, on the other hand, picks up the pace. This one shows off some salsa flair with some of the heaviest guitar riffs so far. The chorus also comes into its own, making for one of the most complete tracks on the album.
For the remaining length, the most notable section comes from the final couplet. As promised, “Cue the Sun” returns with a reprise, this time adding even more layers and tempo. Then, closer “Lucro Sucio” (‘Dirty Profit’) takes a gloomier tone. The instrumentals drift, heavier on saxophone and keyboards, creating the most internally variable track on the record. It makes for a strong closing statement, helping to set the album back on course after an aimless middle section.
Ultimately, the most interesting things The Mars Volta do on Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacío come from its overall composition. With an emphasis on bite-sized tracks, Cedric Bixler-Zavala‘s vocals and lyrics thrive. By the halfway mark, you will know if this album will hold any weight for you. As a fan of their recent poppier direction, this mostly hits the mark. It’s more steeped in psychadelia this time, harder to pin down, and ever elusive.
7/10
The Mars Volta‘s Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacío releases today on Clouds Hill, with pre-orders here.