#NEWMUSIC: MUSE – “THE WOW! SIGNAL” NOW OUT

Today, GRAMMY® Award-winning English rock titans MUSE release their immersive new album, The Wow! Signal. Fueled by adventurous production and explosive instrumentation, the band’s tenth full-length races through a series of diverse soundscapes in a feverish quest to unravel themes of extraterrestrial communication, technological anxiety, existential wonder, and the human search for meaning in an increasingly disconnected world. Listen HERE. The Wow! Signal arrives alongside a visualizer for the standout track, “Hush” featuring Ellie Goulding. Watch HERE.

The cinematic 10-song set drops as MUSE prepare to embark on The Wow! Signal Tour. Following a July 2 headliner at Milwaukee’s Summerfest, the North American leg picks up Sunday, July 5, at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in St. Louis, MO, then touches down in cities across the United States — dipping briefly into Canada for dates including the Festival d’été de Québec — before wrapping up at Los Angeles’ iconic Hollywood Bowl on Monday, August 31. Along the way, the band will be supported by Bloc Party and Portugal. The Man on select dates, and The Temper Trap at all shows. MUSE will then head to the U.K. and Europe for a 16-date arena run. Find their itinerary below, and tickets HERE.

Arriving toward the end of The Wow! Signal, “Hush” hits like a last desperate grasp for connection between two souls in the midst of an apocalyptic event. Matt Bellamy and Ellie Goulding both make pleas to “forget the world together” over a score that moves from soaring raw riffage to minimal passages powered by spare piano and a four-four beat that kicks like a pounding heart. Eventually, their voices meet on the massive chorus: “It’s getting too loud, don’t let it drown us out (ooh hush) / It’s you and me now, there’s chaos all around / So lose yourself, free yourself, and feel / Take a breath and … hush.”

MUSE shared a strikingly varied set of singles ahead of The Wow! Signal, which now come together to create a single sonic universe. Most recent was the deliriously urgent “Nightshift Superstar,” which incorporates French House to create what Kerrang! called “a shimmering slice of OTT disco-rock.” And last month brought the towering “Hexagons,” “a vibrant, stratospheric expedition into the most technically bold and audaciously beautiful components of the band’s sound,” according to Rock Sound. Before that was “Cryogen” — hailed by NME as “a blast of classic MUSE harking back to their ’00s days with wailing riffs [and an] arena-destroying chorus” — and the hopeful “Be With You,” which earned 3 million streams in its first week and became the #1 Most Added at Alternative Radio, where it since climbed to #5.

The band originally stirred up rampant album rumors and acclaim last year with “Unravelling.” With arpeggiated synths that crash into a colossal wall of barbed riffs, the single racked up praise from an array of outlets including Rolling Stone (“transcendent”) Guitar World (“endlessly gratifying”), and DIY Magazine, who lovingly called the song “balls-to-the-wall maximalist.” The same could be said of The Wow! Signal, which includes writing and production by Dan Lancaster (Bring Me The Horizon, Blink-182) — who performs keys/additional guitar in the MUSE live band — plus additional production by Aleks Von Korff and BloodPop®, choir vocals, and strings from the London Metropolitan Orchestra.

The Wow! Signal takes its name from one of the most compelling interstellar mysteries of the last century: a powerful 72-second radio burst detected in 1977 originating from the constellation Sagittarius with a bandwidth and intensity that suggested a possible extraterrestrial source. The astronomer who discovered the anomaly famously circled the now-iconic sequence “6EQUJ5” and wrote “WOW!” on the printout beside it — giving the signal its name and cementing its place in scientific and pop-culture lore.

It’s an apt reference point for an album that thrums with mystery, awe, hope, and anxiety. Dive deep into the world of The Wow! Signal now, and connect with MUSE in person at one of the dates below.

MUSE, The Wow! Signal

1. “The Dark Forest”
2. “Nightshift Superstar”
3. “Shimmering Scars”
4. “Cryogen”
5. “Be With You”
6. “Hexagons”
7. “The Sickness In You & I”
8. “Unravelling”
9. “Hush” ft. Ellie Goulding
10. “Space Debris”

MUSE – The Wow! Signal Tour Dates

Jul 02 – Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest ^

Jul 05 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater * ~

Jul 07 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center * ~

Jul 10 – Tinley Park, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre * ~

Jul 11 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center * ~

Jul 13 – Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre * ~

Jul 15 – Toronto, ON @ RBC Amphitheatre * ~

Jul 17 – Québec, QC @ Festival d’été de Québec ^

Jul 18 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center * ~

Jul 22 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center * ~

Jul 24 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Albany Med Health System at SPAC * ~

Jul 25 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theater * ~

Jul 28 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion * ~

Jul 29 – Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion * ~

Aug 10 – Charlotte, NC @ Truliant Amphitheater – ~

Aug 12 – Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre – ~

Aug 14 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion – ~

Aug 15 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater – ~

Aug 18 – Greenwood Village, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater – ~ +

Aug 20 – West Valley City, UT @ Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre – ~

Aug 22 – Ridgefield, WA @ Cascades Amphitheater – ~

Aug 23 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre – ~

Aug 26 – Wheatland, CA @ Toyota Amphitheatre – ~

Aug 27 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre – ~

Aug 29 – Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre – ~

Aug 31 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl – ~

Sep 19 – Las Vegas, NV @ iHeartRadio Music Festival 2026 ^

Nov 12 – Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live

Nov 13 – Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live

Nov 15 – London, UK @ The O2

Nov 16 – London, UK @ The O2

Nov 18 – Berlin, Germany @ Uber Arena

Nov 20 – Milan, Italy @ Unipol Dome

Nov 21 – Milan, Italy @ Unipol Dome

Nov 24 – Düsseldorf, Germany @ PSD Bank Dome

Nov 25 – Düsseldorf, Germany @ PSD Bank Dome

Nov 27 – Paris, France @ Paris La Défense Arena

Nov 29 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome

Nov 30 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome

Dec 03 – Montpellier, France @ Sud de France Arena

Dec 04 – Montpellier, France @ Sud de France Arena

Dec 07 – Zürich, Switzerland @ Hallenstadion

Dec 08 – Zürich, Switzerland @ Hallenstadion

^ festival

• support from Bloc Party
• support from Portugal. The Man

~ support from The Temper Trap

• non-Live Nation date

ABOUT MUSE

MUSE are Matt Bellamy, Dominic Howard, and Chris Wolstenholme. Their previous album, Will of the People, debuted at #1 in multiple territories globally and marked the band’s seventh consecutive LP to debut in the UK top spot. Their 2015 album, Drones, went on to win a GRAMMY Award for Best Rock Album, the band’s second. Since forming in 1994, MUSE have released nine studio albums, selling over 30 million units worldwide. Widely recognized as one of the best live bands in the world, MUSE have won numerous music awards including two GRAMMY Awards, an American Music Award, five MTV Europe Music Awards, two Brit Awards, eleven NME Awards, and seven Q Awards, among others.

#NEWMUSIC: MUSE ANNOUNCE TENTH ALBUM” THE WOW! SIGNAL”

Today, GRAMMY® Award-winning English rock titans MUSE announce their forthcoming tenth studio album, The WOW! Signal, out June 26 via Warner Records — find the track list below, and pre-order and pre-save HERE. The announcement was truly out of this world, with MUSE launching the news from space! In partnership with Sent Into Space, the band sent a specially-designed tablet 33km up into the atmosphere to premiere the “Be With You” video, while a second package carried stickers for a limited-edition vinyl release to be claimed by fans.

The WOW! Signal marks MUSE’s first album since 2022’s acclaimed Will Of The People – which premiered at #1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums. Inviting us to dive headlong into the new album’s world, MUSE are sharing the massive opening salvo of a lead single, “Be With You,” alongside a scene-setting official music video starring Ella Balinska (Resident Evil, The Occupant). Listen HERE and watch HERE. 

“Be With You” opens on a huge, humming church organ and Matt Bellamy’s equally epic vocal as he zooms in on a heavy moment: “It seems my light’s been swallowed up, I’ve used up every ounce of luck / I need to leap into the fire, find a higher power, and reach for something new.” But soon enough, the track ignites into driving electronica and, eventually, searing rock as the narrator’s perspective shifts from dejection to resolve: “I feel my life has just begun, it can’t just be with anyone / It’s got to be with you.”

Directed by Nico Paolillo (Deafheaven, BAD OMENS), the “Be With You” video brings this galvanizing moment to life in stunning cinematic detail. As a red halo clings to the moon, Balinska begins to notice odd phenomena and seems pulled out into the night by some greater force. She eventually meets a man moved by the same strange energy, and together they witness a beautiful and terrifying phenomenon.

The WOW! Signal takes its name from one of the most compelling interstellar mysteries of the last century: a powerful 72-second radio burst detected in 1977 originating from the constellation Sagittarius with a bandwidth and intensity that suggested a possible extraterrestrial source. The astronomer who discovered the anomaly famously circled the now-iconic sequence “6EQUJ5” and wrote “WOW!” on the printout beside it — giving the signal its name and cementing its place in scientific and pop-culture lore.

While “Be With You” is only our first glimpse into The WOW! Signal, the common themes between the song and this phenomenon speak to the forces powering MUSE’s new album: a mix of cosmic mystery, existential hope, and the exhilarating possibility of contact with something far greater than ourselves.

MUSE, The WOW! Signal

The Dark Forest

Nightshift Superstar

Shimmering Scars

Cryogen

Be With You

Hexagons

The Sickness In You & I

Unravelling

Hush

Space Debris

ABOUT MUSE

MUSE are Matt Bellamy, Dominic Howard, and Chris Wolstenholme. Their previous album, Will of the People, debuted at #1 in multiple territories globally and marked the band’s seventh consecutive album to debut in the UK top spot. Their 2015 album, Drones, went on to win a GRAMMY Award for Best Rock Album, the band’s second. Since forming in 1994, MUSE have released nine studio albums, selling over 30 million units worldwide. Widely recognized as one of the best live bands in the world, MUSE have won numerous music awards including two GRAMMY Awards, an American Music Award, five MTV Europe Music Awards, two Brit Awards, eleven NME Awards, and seven Q Awards, amongst others.

#EDITORSNOTE: MR. WILL’S BEST OF 2012

2012 was a memorable year for Music, with several standouts in Music and Film.  I was busier than ever chasing  Stars in the City, with several Celebrities having good reason to visit Toronto this year, including one of the most star-studded TIFFs in recent memory.  Let’s take a walk down Memory Lane in honour what I feel were the most memorable Films, Pop Songs and personal Celebrity Encounters!

 

Top Ten Movies of 2012

1. Argo
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
3. Django Unchained
4. Ted
5. Silver Linings Playbook
6. The Hunger Games
7. End of Watch
8. The Sessions
9. Les Misérables
10. Rock of Ages

Top Ten Singles of 2012

1. Brokenhearted – Karmin
2. What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger) – Kelly Clarkson
3. Madness – Muse
4. Midnight City – M83
5. We are Young – fun. ft. Janelle Monáe
6. Dance Again – Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull
7. Skyfall – Adele
8. Wide Awake – Katy Perry
9. Starships – Nicki Minaj
10. Gangnam Style – PSY

 

Top Celebrity Encounters of 2012

Steven Tyler, Paula Abdul, Sheena Easton, Alanis Morissette, Nelly Furtado, Carly Rae Jepsen, PSY, The Wanted, One Direction, Ed Sheeran, fun., Karmin, Emeli Sandé, Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Quentin Tarantino, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Robin Williams, Jon Voight, Malcolm McDowell, Viggo Mortensen, Matt Dillon, Andrew McCarthy, Rob Lowe, Linda Hamilton, Ben Affleck, Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Joe Manganiello, Aaron Johnson, Ben Whishaw, Dane DeHaan, Joel Kinnaman, Daniel Radcliffe, Josh Hutcherson, Zac Efron, Logan Lerman, Jeremy Irvine, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Michael Shannon, Patrick Wilson, John Krasinski, Adam Sandler, Tracy Morgan, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Mann & Judd Apatow, Allison Williams, Meg Hilty, Lisa D’Amato, Cobie Smulders, Zoe Kazan & Paul Dano, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Mélanie Laurent, Marisa Tomei, Eva Mendes, Lily Collins, Alice Englert, Elle Fanning, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Hendricks, Kim Kardashian, Seann William Scott, Stephen Amell, Ricki Lake, Connie Chung, Jacky Cheung, George Takei, Mike Smith, Rosie Napravnik, Frankie Dettori, Andy Roddick & Brooklyn Decker and Jeremy Lin.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

#NEWMUSIC: MUSE – “MADNESS”

I’m in love!   Like a Virus, Muse‘s latest Single Madness has crept-up on me and has me in full, infecting me with Mad Muse Syndrome.  After first seeing them perform the Track on Saturday Night Live last month, it has been bubbling-under in my subconscious and after having won the praise of Coldplay‘s Chris Martin and Adam Lambert, it appears the Alternative Rock Track is on its way to becoming a Crossover Track with its  Noir Queen/Prince/George Michael-like inflections.  Is this the sexiest Track of 2012? I’d say so.

The Track from the GRAMMY Award-winning Brit Outfit currently is at number 60 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, but expect that to continue improving in coming weeks. In Canada, it just cracked the Top 50 at number 47 on our Canadian Hot 100 Chart.  It can be found on their sixth Studio Disc from Warner Music, The 2nd Law.

Not only is the Track stunning, its Video is also! Watch the Anthony Mandler-directed Clip in full below:

 

For those of you on Rdio – I recently just joined too!   See what I’m listening to by following me here.

 Listen to Madness on Rdio in full here.

Muse will be live at Air Canada Centre on April 9, 2013.

 

(Photo/video credit: Warner Music)