Mariachi El Bronx announce first album in 12 years and share hopeful yet “pretty dark” new single, ‘Forgive Or Forget’

Mariachi El Bronx have announced their first album in 12 years – listen to new single ‘Forgive Or Forget’ below.

• READ MORE: Mariachi El Bronx – ‘ Mariachi El Bronx II’ review 

The eight-piece Los Angeles band, which is the alter-ego of punk-rock outfit The Bronx, will release ‘Mariachi El Bronx IV’ on Friday February 13 via ATO. Pre-order/pre-save here.

Comprising 12 tracks, the forthcoming project follows on from their 2014 full-length effort ‘Mariachi El Bronx III’.

The group’s new material sees them continue to honour the rich Hispanic music and culture that has always surrounded them in LA.

According to a press release, Mariachi El Bronx are still “pushing creative boundaries” with their long-awaited new material. The themes of ‘Mariachi El Bronx IV’ are said to have been informed by the “clashing emotions of profound loss and overwhelming love”.

The songwriting process “started as a battle between love and death but became a way to process all the chaos of the world”, explained lead singer Matt Caughthran.

Over the course of the LP, Mariachi El Bronx delve into “stories of gamblers, former playboys, warriors, lovers – characters that became vessels for the specific pressures of being alive right now.”

The energetic and celebratory-sounding ‘Forgive Or Forget’ – which opens the album – features a galloping rhythm, and reflects the contrasting emotions found across the project.

Caughthran said he is singing on the single about someone “who’s completely dishevelled and a little washed out, looking back on their life in a way that’s kind of hazy”. He added: “There’s a little bit of hope there, but it’s pretty dark.”

The song includes the lyrics: “I can’t lie/ I still think about you all the time/ Some might say that those were the best days of our lives/ There’s always a price that has to be paid/ For desperately dreaming and wasting away.”

‘Forgive Or Forget’ features Ray Suen (Childish Gambino, Lorde) on violin.

The full tracklist for ‘Mariachi El Bronx IV’ is:

‘Forgive Or Forget’
‘Bandoleros’
‘Songbird’
‘All Things’
‘El Dorado’
‘Fools Gold’
‘The Takers’
‘RIP Romeo’
‘Gambler’s Prayer’
‘El Borracho’
‘Tie You Down’
‘Into The Afterlife’

Mariachi El Bronx have previously shared stages with Foo Fighters and The Killers, played sets at Coachella and Glastonbury, and made appearances on Letterman and NPR’s Tiny Desk.

Additionally, the band have lent their sound to TV by recording the theme songs for Weeds (‘Little Boxes’) and Aqua Teen Hunger Force (‘Aqua Something You Know Whatever’).

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