Of Mice & Men’s Aaron Pauley Names His Dream Collaborations

Of Mice & Men's Aaron Pauley was the guest on Full Metal Jackie's weekend radio show. The singer was on hand to promote the band's new album Tether as well as the lead single "Warpaint."

In addition to speaking about the new music, Aaron touches on how the band's legacy plays into their recording. Plus, he opens up about the return of Jamie's Elsewhere, he shares his dream collaborations and what's been inspiring him musically.

Check out the chat below.

We're here with Aaron Pauley from Of Mice & Men, who recently kicked off promotion of their new album, Tether, with the new song, "Warpaint."  Aaron, "Warpaint" is a great song to start with. But can you tell us how the new track either compares to or contrasts with what we can expect from the new record?

I think it's a good introductory track to the rest of the album in terms of what fans know from our band and what they can expect from the rest of the record.

Of Mice & Men, "Warpaint"

Aaron, there's a long legacy for the group that predates your entry, but you've been with the group just over a decade now. Does the band's initial blueprint of their sound impact what you feel you have to do with the group musically or do you feel the group has evolved to the point where there's no restrictions?

To be honest, that's a really good question. The answer is kind of boring though. I don't think that we really think too heavily about what we're going to do. I think like at least recently with the last couple of records, we've been just really focusing on things that excite us, just different sounds or different ideas or song structures. But no, I don't think we ever think about it too heavily. It's hard to recreate the past.

Aaron, the Echo album was very much about the highs and lows and internal examination during the pandemic lockdown period. Tether evokes a certain imagery. Can you speak to how the album title plays into what themes we might be approaching on the new record?

I think a lot of the new record has to do with the idea of wanting to protect your loved ones from the troubles of life. But just the older you get, the more you sort of understand that you can't do that, and the best you can do is sort of be a tether for them rather than a shield. So, I think that's sort of where the name from that comes from.

How much are you enjoying having Jamie’s Elsewhere back on your plate? And does having another creative outlet impact how you approach Of Mice & Men? Like, do you find any creative overlap in what you get out of the two bands?

It's been fantastic. And to be honest, those guys are some of the most creative people I've ever met and they're my brothers. We go way, way, way, way, way back because time flies. But it's cool because it's a totally different project with a totally different approach to sort of everything. So, yeah, it's really nice. It's really refreshing.

Jamie's Elsewhere, "Escapist"

Aaron last year you had a chance to hop on "Sacred Kiss" with Bad Wolves, one of several collabs you've done over the years. Given the friendships made over time and the music you love, is there a band you'd love to hop on one of their songs or perhaps someone that's on your wish list that you'd like to get on an Of Mice and Men song?

Oh, there's so many that the list is countless. I think Deftones would probably be one, A Perfect Circle would probably be one. Yeah, we'll start, we'll start with those two. [laughs] We'll see if lightning strikes twice.

Bad Wolves Featuring Aaron Pauley, "Sacred Kiss"

This is going to be your sixth studio album with Of Mice & Men. Over time there's a need to find new ways to keep things fresh. What's inspiring you artistically these days?

I consume a lot of legacy media and just stuff that either is nostalgic for me or just stuff that I like. I don't really get too much into the fray of any of the new stuff, either, culturally or politically or whatnot. I play a lot of video games too but I don't know, I like reading a lot about science and history, I guess.

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Looking forward to seeing you guys out on the road and I really appreciate your time.

Yes. Thank you so much.

Our thanks to Of Mice & Men's Aaron Pauley for the chat. The band's Tether album will be released Oct. 6 through SharpTone, with pre-orders available here. They're also hitting the road with Bullet for My Valentine and Vended this fall. Dates can be found here. You can also keep up with the band's activities through their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Spotify and YouTube.  Find out where you can hear Full Metal Jackie's weekend radio show here.