In the past, concision and catchiness seemed to rank pretty low on Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s priority list. The project that introduced the world to these art-punk visionaries, At the Drive-In, demonstrated that they had a way with a rousing hook. But as their collaboration progressed, the pair focused less and less on making any sort of pop-oriented sense. When their neoprog juggernaut the Mars Volta broke up in early 2013, it seemed likely that the band’s ’03 debut, De-Loused in the Comatorium, would stand as their most coherent statement.
But several months back, the duo delivered a shocker. The self-titled LP by their new band, Antemasque—briefly leaked via Bandcamp in July, and receiving a proper release Monday 10—is easily the apex of their partnership so far, not to mention one of the best albums of 2014. Antemasque is 35 minutes of explosive yet unabashedly accessible rock, a riot of streamlined grooves and the kinds of choruses you’re already screaming along to on a second listen. Don’t expect to hear any ATDI or TMV material at these shows, Antemasque’s first in NYC; instead, revel in a set of fresh insta-classics from a duo that refuses to rest.—Hank Shteamer