Muse have kicked off their European tour the only way they know how: loud, weird, and full throttle.
At the opening show in Helsinki last night (June 12), the band debuted a brand-new track called Unravelling. And, it’s exactly as chaotic and cinematic as you’d expect.
The Finnish crowd at Kulttuuritalo got the first taste of the unreleased single, which the band have been teasing for weeks via cryptic posts and synth-drenched snippets. “Back at it,” they wrote earlier this week alongside what looked like footage from a soon-to-drop music video. Based on the live debut, Unravelling is a fitting title. It’s Muse in full spiral mode.
The track opens like it’s crawling out of The 2nd Law or Simulation Theory, all digital hums and tension, before detonating into a riff-heavy meltdown. It sounds like it was plucked straight from the Drones/early-’00s playbook. Matt Bellamy’s voice tears through the mix like a warning siren, flanked by thunderous low-end and their usual operatic flourishes. Really, it’s Muse being Muse.
The rest of the set proved they’re not done looking backward either. Unravelling sat comfortably alongside mainstays like Plug In Baby, Knights Of Cydonia, and Hysteria, as well as newer cuts like Compliance and Won’t Stand Down from 2022’s Will Of The People. It’s a band that refuses to let go of its own maximalist mythology—and, really, why should they?
Muse are on deck to hit major European festivals over the next couple of months, including Mad Cool, NOS Alive, Hellfest, Pinkpop, and Open’er. Notably, they were recently called up to replace Kings Of Leon on the NOS Alive lineup. Which in turn was probably a win for anyone wanting a bit more fire and chaos in their festival diet.
No official release date yet for Unravelling, but based on how quickly it’s being worked into live sets, don’t be surprised if it arrives with a fully scorched music video any day now.
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