Antemasque Detail Debut Release, Clarify Flea’s Involvement

Antemasque, the group consisting of former Mars Volta members Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and Dave Elitch, have shared details of how fans can get their hands on the group’s forthcoming debut album, and have clarified Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ bassist Flea‘s involvement.

As Rolling Stone reports, a statement from Rodriguez-Lopez’s label explained that the band had originally intended to release only one track last week — that being 4AM — but decided to release Hangin’ in the Lurch and People Forget due to the overwhelmingly positive response from fans.

As a result of the reaction, the band have opted to eschew signing a major label deal or releasing music on a typical schedule. Antemasque will instead release music based on demand from fans. “If the whole thing looked unplanned, that’s because it was,” explained the band in a statement, via RS.

“The anticipation of what the reaction from fans and critics was very real for us with every new song we put out,” they add. The band have detailed their release plan via Facebook. They are offering fans a number of bundles, including options to download the album ahead of its 1st July release.

The label also clarified RHCP bassist Flea’s involvement, confirming that he is not a member of Antemasque. The bassist was included in a teaser video, done as a “thank-you” for allowing the band to record in his personal studio and “literally letting us sleep on the floor to make this record.”

“This is what happens when artists collaborate for love of playing together, without an end result in mind,” the statement proclaimed. While it was initially reported that Flea is a member of the group, he later disputed this on Twitter, explaining he simply “played on some tracks” with his friends.

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