Earlier this year, Omerta vocalist Gustavo Hernandez explained to us that his group's mission "is to challenge the expectations of what you think art should be." Damned if that wasn't an understatement, because "America's most hated boy-band" are back today (May 1st) with a truly insane bit of genre-obliterating madness called "Charade." It's a wild ride, so you better buckle up.
The track, which teases the band's yet-to-be-announced sophomore EP, is a chaotic cross-pollination of pop, metal, electronic and experimental flavors. 98 Degrees singing over top of a lost Autechre glitch-out? Wah-wah-crushed funk metal? Nu-adjacent rap-slamming? Cartoonishly over-the-top voice acting? All of the above, and plenty more.
"Charade" is also notably Omerta's first release via Blowed Out Records, the label co-founded by Ghostemane, "nu-metal godfather" Ross Robinson and SideOneDummy Records' Billy Armstrong.
"'Charade' is cringecore. It's avant-garde. It's post-post-hardcore. It's acid jazz. It's K-Pop. It's prog rock. It's an anime opening. It's neo metal. It's an overture heralding the arrival of a sui generis cycle. It's a bridge that we've built across a few of those aforementioned island," the group said in a collective statement.
"In this profound, suffocating darkness and loneliness, this song is our proposal for a vibe shift — a bullet through the skull of Nihilism. This is our love letter to you."
The video, meanwhile, is a hyper-violent, screen-distorting stab of anime-style visuals created by Japanese multimedia artist and musician, Miyashita Yuu. Are you down with this charade? Check out the vid up above to find out.
As previously reported, Omerta are on the road with SeeYouSpaceCowboy and Callous Daoboys this summer. You can find the full tour route here.
