The Mommyheads will release their 17th album, No Quietus, on November 7 , 2025. The title, Latin for “No Death,” sets the stage for a record that doesn’t lean on cliché character narratives or overblown rock operatics, yet carries a unifying theme that pulses through every rhythm and strum. Death is the unlikely protagonist of this sonic journey—though the music is far more inviting than one might expect. At its heart, No Quietus shows how deceptively simple songs can be both captivating and endlessly listenable: subtly mind-bending, yet irresistibly hummable in true Mommyheads fashion.
“The ‘I’m Your Apocalypse’ video plays like a visual tone poem, exploring how the narratives we create eventually harden into the masks we wear. The music’s intricate urgency mirrors our astonishment at society’s endless cycles. We wanted to trace a brief history of masks and makeup across cultures—sometimes used to tell stories, sometimes to conceal—leading up to today’s geopolitical landscape in the U.S. That said, if you’re a big fan of Cossacks, Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, or the U.S. ICE program, this probably isn’t your kind of video”
The rest of the album is a vibrant, genre-blending collage that feels both timeless and urgent.
“Triumph and Crash” barrels in like an epic funeral march, reflecting on empire’s collapse through the eyes of a fly. In “Black Veins,” the frailty of the narrator comes into sharp relief: “Take these black veins and turn them blue, I gave all my oxygen to you”—a piercing observation of the co-dependency woven into love. The title track marks a turning point, as the protagonist faces the possible loss of the most important person in his life. “Always Reaching” contrasts philosophical lyrics with danceable energy, perfectly balanced within its 4:40 runtime. Side one closes on a lush, late-’70s Bee Gees-inspired groove, inviting us to imagine how religion fit’s into this sweeping story.
Side Two deepens the meditation with songs like “Finally Free,” “Strong,” and “It’s Only Life.” Here, the band confronts the universal struggle with mortality, offering a musical document that examines death from many angles—society, loved ones, ego, relationships, faith, and personal identity. Much like a prizefighter probing for weakness, No Quietus explores each facet with precision and compassion.
Paradoxically, this record about death may be the Mommyheads’ most hopeful work yet. In their long and fruitful career, they’ve never made an album about life’s end feel so alive.
No Quietus by THE MOMMYHEADS
1 Triumph and Crash
2 Black Veins
3 No Quietus
4 I’m your Apocalypse
5 Always Reaching
6 RaceCar Brain
7 The Beast is Back
8 Finally Free
9 Strong
10 It’s Only Life
