Mastodon Unveil Powerful, Emotional New Single + Video, “Teardrinker”
Mastodon have released “Teardrinker,” the second single from their forthcoming album, Hushed and Grim (although for some reason they’re referring to it as “the first official single” despite the existence of “Pushing the Tides“).
“Teardrinker” arrives with a powerful music video, and in conjunction with what I’m able to pick up from the lyrics on first pass it’s clear this one’s about the passing of the band’s longtime manager, Nick John, who died in 2018 of pancreatic cancer. That’s consistent with what Mastodon have already said about Hushed and Grim as a whole, but themes of pain and grief run deep in this particular song, as does the imagery of literal ever-flowing tears in the video. It’s intense, and there’s some neat visual eye-candy that adds to the feeling.
Drummer Brann Dailor — who I believe is the lead singer on this track — said previously of the album, “It’s about grief, about guilt, about all those fun feelings. It’s awful seeing your friend suffer like that and knowing there’s nothing that you can do. If you know, you know…”
As for the song, it’s a mid-paced Mastodon number with an undeniably catchy vocal hook and some nifty guitar and drum work. If we take Mastodon’s more commercial material and put it all in a separate bucket to be judged only against itself, I’d definitely pick this tune over a lot of ’em.
Have a watch of “Teardrinker” below. Hushed and Grim will arrive on October 29 as a double album via Reprise Records; pre-order here.
Mastodon and Opeth will co-headline the U.S. this fall. Dates:
Nov 16 – Asheville, NC – ExploreAsheville.com Arena [tickets]
Nov 18 – Boston, MA – The Wang Theatre [tickets]
Nov 19 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre [tickets]
Nov 20 – New York City – Hammerstein Ballroom [tickets]
Nov 21 – Washington, DC – The Anthem [tickets]
Nov 23 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium [tickets]
Nov 24 – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern [tickets]
Nov 26 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theater [tickets]
Nov 27 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom [tickets]
Nov 28 – Sugar Land, TX – Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land [tickets]
Nov 30 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Amphitheatre [tickets]
Dec 01 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium [tickets]
Dec 02 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater [tickets]
Dec 04 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union [tickets]
Dec 05 – Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom [tickets]
