Mars Volta releases its sophomore album, Frances the Mute, on March 1 via Strummer/Universal. Expanding on the progressive epics of the former At The Drive-In members’ 2003 debut, Deloused in the Comatorium, the new set features 77 minutes of music spread across five tracks, three of which contain multiple subsections.  

First single The Widow is an anthemic, mid-tempo rocker accented by an acoustic guitar intro and organ flourishes. Frances the Mute was produced by group member Omar Rodriguez and mixed by Rich Costey, who provided the same service on De-loused in the Comatorium. That set debuted at No.39 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 298,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.