THE DROP
Mastodon just dropped "Your Ghost Again," their first single since co-founding guitarist Brent Hinds died in a motorcycle accident last August *. The four-and-a-half-minute track was written in the studio where Brann Dailor kept seeing Hinds' ghost in the corner where he used to stand †.
WHAT TO KNOW
- First single from their ninth studio album, due later in 2026 — produced by Patrik Berger and Converge's Kurt Ballou *
- Hinds left the band in March 2025 after 25 years; he died five months later when his Harley was hit by an SUV in Atlanta *
- The new album features no musical contributions from Hinds — replacement guitarist Nick Johnston and keyboardist João Nogueira are credited as composers and lyricists *, †
- Described as alternating between aggressive and psychedelic sections †
- Troy Sanders' bridge lyrics express gratitude: "It's all the gifts from you, now you can take them back where you must go" †
THE TAKE
This is Mastodon publicly grieving for the first time after months of silence, and Dailor's admission that he "just couldn't" address it earlier feels painfully honest †. The fact that Johnston and Nogueira have writing credits on a tribute to the guy they replaced is either generous or complicated — probably both.