Nine months after the death of former guitarist and co-founder Brent Hinds, Mastodon unveiled its first musical tribute to him and announced a major North American tour with Deafheaven and Alcest. Hinds died last September at age 51 in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta. The guitarist left Mastodon in early 2025 after more than two decades with the band.
The track "Your Ghost Again" is released alongside a music video edited from archival footage spanning his years with the band. According to the band, the composition serves as both a remembrance and a celebration of Hinds's enduring influence on Mastodon's history.
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«The song „Your Ghost Again“ is about being in those familiar places where you used to hang out with people, and for us, that was the studio,» says drummer and vocalist Brann Dailor. «I just kept seeing [Brent] out of the corner of my eye, where he used to sit with his guitar. That’s what it’s about. The mind plays tricks on you, especially so soon after someone dies, when you’re in those places they’ve always been. You just see them.».
«"We wanted to pick a song that sounded like Mastodon and had all of that in it, because that's the first impression people will hear," says guitarist and vocalist Bill Kelliher. "It's about events that just happened and people passing away. I could go into that, but I don't want to because a lot of it is personal.".
«"The bridge lyrics are two lines of pure gratitude to Brent," says bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders. "It's like, 'All these gifts are yours, now you can take them with you wherever you're destined to go.' I mean, you came into my life, you showed me things that touched me deeply, together we conquered thousands of stages around the world and experienced magical moments that will never be repeated, but all the beauty you gave me will stay with me forever. And always will.".
Mastodon also announced their fall North American tour, which will kick off on October 17 in Las Vegas and run through October 24 at the Sick New Word festival in Texas. Support will be Deafheaven and Alcest throughout the tour, with King Woman appearing on select dates.
Here are the Mastodon fall tour dates:
September 16: Orlando (Hard Rock Live Orlando) September 18: Asheville (Asheville Yards) September 19: Pittsburgh (Stage AE) September 20: Louisville (Louder Than Life 2026) September 22: Philadelphia (Franklin Music Hall) September 23: Boston (Citizens House of Blues Boston) September 24: Brooklyn (Brooklyn Paramount) September 25: Washington, D.C. (The Anthem) September 27: Montreal (MTELUS) September 28: Toronto (REBEL) September 29: Buffalo (Buffalo RiverWorks) October 1: Detroit (The Fillmore Detroit) October 2: Chicago (The Riviera Theater) October 3: Minneapolis (Palace Theater) October 6: Salt Lake City (The Complex) October 7: Boise (Revolution Center) October 9: Oakland (Fox Theatre) October 10: Los Angeles (Hollywood Palladium) October 11: San Diego (The Sound) October 14: Denver (Fillmore Plaza) October 16: West Des Moines (Val Air Ballroom) October 17: St. Louis (The Pageant) October 18: Memphis (Satellite Music Hall) October 20: Cleveland (Agora Theatre & Ballroom) October 21: Greensboro (Piedmont Hall) October 22: Atlanta (The Eastern) October 24: Fort Worth (Sick New World Texas 2026)
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