Of Mice & Men Paint A Picture Of Their New Era

Of Mice & Men have signed with promising new label Sharptone Records, beginning a new era for the band. Fortunately for fans, the band has painted a clear picture of what this new era entails. The band has been busy during quarantine, and plan to release three new EPs throughout 2021. Beginning with their first EP ‘Timeless’, Of Mice & Men are exploring a new business model, way of writing, and sound with this new era. Let’s breakdown what this means for the band.

How Is Of Mice & Men Working Under Sharptone Records?

For the first time in the history of the band, they are releasing music under the EP format. While the band will release plenty of music in the form of three EPs throughout 2021, this is different from the typical album cycle the band is used to. This method is a great business move. By spreading out their releases, the band can be sure that fans digest each release for what it is. Another added benefit is that the band can tap into specific lyrical content tailored to the time period. Additionally, this strategy allows for more freedom and less stress making standard deadlines. Being backed by a label willing to push and advertise three releases in one year is a huge advantage. Bring Me The Horizon is another band that hopes to release several EPs in a short amount of time. Could this format become the new normal?

What Does This New Era Sound Like?

The initial single from Of Mice & Men’s new EP ‘Timeless’ comes off as a direct sequel to their last album ‘Earth & Sky’. The track bares striking similarities to the title track off the previous album, but this is not a bad thing. The track begins with a heavy “outer space-like” ambiance that crushes throughout the first 51 seconds of the song. Instead of a traditional breakdown, the song features a somber break with strings, and it works wonderfully. The song does everything ‘Earth & Sky’ does, but much better (aside from a longer breakdown). Featuring a powerful chorus with significantly better lyrics than what can be found in the previously mentioned track. In ‘Earth & Sky’ Of Mice & Men tackled a new sound.

While certain tracks from their 2019 record like ‘Gravedancer’, ‘How To Survive’, and ‘Mushroom Cloud’ hit hard and were met with fan praise, some tracks were lost within their large discography. Expanding on the promising sound found throughout ‘Earth & Sky’ is a promising approach for the band’s future.

The New Track, Timeless

The latest release by Of Mice & Men is the title track for the new EP. ‘Timeless’ is even more promising than Obsolete already was. While Obsolete played it safe and remained close to the sound of ‘Earth & Sky’, ‘Timeless’ flirts with the band’s biggest record ‘Restoring Force’. If this new era aims to combine the powerful “stadium worthy” choruses found within ‘Restoring Force’, with the crushing instrumental sound of ‘Earth & Sky’, Of Mice & Men may just become timeless yet.

Many fans believe that the band’s latest album was a bit lacking when it came to the choruses. While tracks like ‘Taste of Regret’, ‘Pieces’, and ‘Linger’ were sung loud and proud by fans upon release, many of the record’s tracks featured little catchy sing-along moments. The chorus of ‘Timeless’ is the band’s strongest chorus since Restoring Force. Vocalist Aaron Pauley taps into a vocal style that hasn’t been prominent since the 2014 tracks ‘Another You’ and ‘Identity Disorder’ and it pays off beautifully. Hopefully Pauley showcases his latent vocal talents more throughout these three EPs.

What do you think about this new era for Of Mice & Men? Are you enjoying the ‘Timeless’ EP so far? Let us know down in the comments.