Of Mice & Men 'Defy' With Anthemic New Song, Announce 2018 Tour

With less than two months to go before Of Mice & Men's new album, Defy, sees its release, the metalcore act has released a lyric video for the brawny title track which can be heard in the player above. Shortly after the album comes out, they'll hit the road with Blessthefall, Cane Hill and Fire From the Gods.

"Defy" is defined by two halves, one extreme and the other anthemic. These elements have always made up Of Mice & Men's sound and here they're used with more dynamic effect as djenty grooves dominate the verse while Aaron Pauley alternates rigid vocal barks with fluid, cathartic cleans. The chorus leans heavier on clean vocals with the "I defy" refrain coming in the form of a gang chant with call and response as Pauley's cleans soothe the tension.

"To defy means to challenge the power of; resist boldly or openly," comments Pauley. "Our song 'Defy' is all about digging your heels in and being defiant towards feelings of hopelessness and defining yourself in the process."

Starting Feb. 1, Of Mice & Men will embark on a headlining North American tour, which will run from coast to coast, starting and ending California, making nearly 30 stops before wrapping up on March 7. For a full list of dates, check below.

Defy will be out Jan. 19 through Rise Records and the album will be Of Mice & Men's fifth studio offering and their first without longtime frontman and founding member Austin Carlile. The singer stepped down at the tail of 2016, revealing that three tears in his spine rendered him unable to scream and forced his decision. After the group issued their first new single, "Unbreakable," since his departure, Carlile publicly backed the band, saying he was "proud" to see them carry on.

Of Mice & Men 2018 North American Tour Dates

Feb. 01 — Santa Cruz, Calif. @ Catalyst*
Feb. 02 — Portland, Ore. @ Wonder Ballroom*
Feb. 03 — Seattle, Wash. @ El Corazon*
Feb. 04 — Boise, Idaho @ Knitting Factory*
Feb. 05 — Salt Lake City, Utah @ Complex*
Feb. 06 — Denver, Colo. @ Summit Music Hall*
Feb. 08 — Minneapolis, Minn. @ Music Hall MPLS*
Feb. 09 — St. Louis, Mo. @ Ready Room
Feb. 11 — Chicago, Ill. @ House of Blues
Feb. 12 — Detroit, Mich. @ Crofoot
Feb. 13 — Toronto, Ontario @ Opera House
Feb. 14 — Montreal, Quebec @ Corona Theatre
Feb. 16 — Boston, Mass. @ Paradise Rock Club
Feb. 17 — New York City, N.Y. @ Gramercy Theatre
Feb. 18 — Asbury Park, N.J. @ Stone Pony
Feb. 19 — Philadelphia, Penn. @ Trocadero
Feb. 20 — Charlotte, N.C. @ Underground
Feb. 21 — Atlanta, Ga. @ Masquerade Heaven
Feb. 23 — Orlando, Fla. @ Beacham
Feb. 24 — Destin, Fla. @ Club L.A.
Feb. 25 — New Orleans, La. @ House of Blues
Feb. 27 — Houston, Texas @ White Oak
Feb. 28 — Dallas, Texas @ Canton Hall
March 01 — Albuquerque, N.M. @ Sunshine
March 04 — Vegas, Nev. @ Vinyl @ Hard Rock Live
March 05 — Flagstaff, Ariz. @ Orpheum
March 06 — Phoenix, Ariz. @ Nile Theatre
March 07 — San Diego, Calif. @ SOMA
*No Cane Hill