APRIL: OF MICE & MEN
The band came back swinging, despite Austin’s departure
Life, or music? That was the punishing reality that Of Mice & Men’s former vocalist, Austin Carlile, faced this time last year. Due to his ongoing struggle with the genetic disorder Marfan Syndrome, he made the heartbreaking decision to quit the band and focus on his health. Bassist/clean vocalist Aaron Pauley stepped up as frontman, and Hammer attended their first show back, at Las Rageous music festival on April 21.
“There are still days where I go onstage and I expect to see him there,” says Aaron Pauley. “I’m so proud of him for taking care of himself and for making a decision that I don’t know if I could ever make. He literally did this until it almost killed him! That’s part of the huge reason why we decided that we were never going to replace him. It was the most natural conclusion for me to fill that void since I did half the vocals live anyway. All my bass parts are ingrained, so I was just putting vocals in where I didn’t used to before.”
Storming back with the vengeful force of a Spartan warlord, the Orange County four-piece released the defiant Unbreakable a couple of days later. With over a million views in its first week, you could say fans were a little stoked to see the boys back at it.
“Unbreakable was the song that really moved the needle and pushed us forward,” Aaron explains.
“For that song to have taken off so hard and so fast as it did, it felt like righteous validation. I think the only real negative reception has been from people that just don’t want to accept the change. You can either let the change define you or you can define yourself through that change. We feel stronger and very confident – especially with the new album we’re working on.”
He adds: “I’m a very, very impatient person. I just want fans to hear this thing. I make jokes about it all the time, like, ‘I’m just going to leak this fucking record!’ I don’t want to wait until next year, ha ha! Pretty much everything’s brand new except for one song, which is such a throwback barnburner. I can’t wait for everybody to hear it.”
The possibility of Austin ever returning to the band – even as a guest – stops him dead in his tracks when we bring it up. Taking a deep breath, the gravity of such a scenario seems to still weigh heavily on his mind.
“A part of me would love that, and part of me would be completely scared about causing him more bodily harm,” he says. “We love him and we want him to live a long and prosperous life. If making and performing heavy music detracts from that, then that’s not something that we advocate. We don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a world where you have to make difficult decisions in order to take care of yourself and take care of the people around you.”
“A part of me would love Austin back, but i’m Also scared of causing him bodily harm”