Muse return with heavy new single ‘Won’t Stand Down’ – listen
Frontman Matt Bellamy says the comeback track is about "protecting yourself from coercion and sociopathic manipulation"
By Tom Skinner
Muse have made their return with a new single called ‘Won’t Stand Down’ – you can listen to it below.
Having announced the song last week, the trio have today (January 13) unleashed the monstrous first preview of their anticipated next era. Frontman Matt Bellamy had teased the track during an Instagram Live broadcast in December.
“‘Won’t Stand Down’ is a song about standing your ground against bullies, whether that be on the playground, at work or anywhere,” Bellamy explained in a statement.
“Protecting yourself from coercion and sociopathic manipulation and to face adversity with strength, confidence and aggression.”
‘Won’t Stand Down’ arrives with a typically-dark and futuristic video, which follows “a fragile, mysterious figure that siphons the collective energy of a dark army to transmute into an augmented being”.
The clip was shot in Kyiv, Ukraine and directed by Jared Hogan (Girl In Red, Joji). You can tune in here:
Further information on a new Muse album – which would be their first since 2018’s ‘Simulation Theory’ – is yet to emerge. Back in May 2020, Bellamy told NME that the band were planning on spending the following year recording back in their hometown of Teignmouth in Devon.
“We’re likely to get in the studio next year to make a new album of some kind and then tour after that, depending on the travel restrictions,” he said.
A few months later, he told The Sun that his new songs were inspired by that year’s Black Lives Matter protests against racial inequality.
“I started writing when all the protests and all the chaos were kicking off,” Bellamy explained. “It’s a weird thing to say but it suits the music I write. It keeps you a little bit on edge.”
Muse are likely to showcase new material when they hit the European festival circuit this summer. They’ll play Isle of Wight Festival in June, alongside the likes of Lewis Capaldi and Kasabian, followed by a set at Madrid’s Mad Cool Festival in July.
Performances are also scheduled for Germany’s Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park, as well as Tempelhof Sounds in Berlin, OpenAir in Switzerland and more. You can find ticket details and the full list of dates here.