Joe Satriani has released a poignant new single titled “Faceless” off his upcoming album The Elephants of Mars. You can listen to it below.
The second single off his new LP, “Faceless” follows the groovy ”Sahara,” which Satriani released in January. The Elephants of Mars comes out on April 8.
After his tour was sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the guitarist used his time off the road to make progress in the studio and ended up writing two new albums. The Elephants of Mars will be Satriani’s 19th studio effort and a follow-up to 2020’s Shapeshifting.
The guitarist challenged himself to “set a new standard” for instrumental guitar albums with his new work. “I want to show people that an instrumental guitar album can contain far more creative and entertaining elements than I think people are using right now,” Satriani said in a previous statement.
“Faceless” may strike a chord with listeners who have felt disconnected due to a lack of in-person interaction amid the pandemic. Satriani described “Faceless” as a song that deals with loneliness and separation.
“It’s about when the person you want to see you for who you really are, doesn’t seem to recognize you,” he said in a new statement. “It’s also a comment on a society where people are truly knowing each other less and less, being separated by their differences rather than being united for their shared hopes and dreams. The solo section represents one’s true self finally breaking free.”
The Elephants of Mars is available to preorder now in several configurations, including pink, orange and purple vinyl and a limited digipak CD that includes seven double-sided cards of Satriani’s original artwork to represent each of the 14 tracks on the album.
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