Paris-based band MASCARA are about to release their debut full length, Going Postal. The record draws from the friction between collapse and release, shaping a sound that moves fluidly through shoegaze, post hardcore, and alternative rock without settling too comfortably in any one space.
The new single, Nerium, offers a clear entry point into that world. It opens in a haze with distant vocals circling over a steady rhythm, before tightening its grip. There’s a mesmeric quality to the track that feels both intimate and volatile. The band allows tension to gather naturally, and ultimately being able to deliver a lot of weight.
The album itself took shape over two years, a period of reflection that sharpened its emotional focus. Recording, however, was compressed into a single week with Clément Decrock at Boss Hog Studio. That contrast, long internal development followed by concentrated execution, can also be felt, as the music varies, moving from crushing riffs to dense washes of distortion to passages of experimental ambience.
On the song the band shares: “‘Nerium takes its name from the oleander, a beautiful but poisonous flower. It grows even in the most arid places, like a tenacious poison. It attracts you, soothes you, but every part of it is toxic. The song evokes the illusion of control that imprisons us and the silent denial that prevents us from facing reality. It speaks of addiction and the need to forget when the world becomes too heavy to bear.”
At its core, Going Postal is rooted in the present moment. It reflects the fatigue and frustration of living in a world that feels increasingly unstable, yet it doesn’t surrender entirely to despair. MASCARA capture that complexity, allowing the weight of the songs to speak for itself.
Going Postal comes out on March 13th, 2026 through Fever Ltd.
ZR