There is a specific kind of tension that arrives when a band decides to stop playing it safe. For the Mystery Jets, that tension manifests as a feedback-laden guitar buzz and a growling, psychedelic energy that feels less like a calculated comeback and more like an exorcism. After a six-year hiatus from studio albums, the Twickenham outfit has returned with “Black Sage,” a raucous single that signals a departure from the polished pop sensibilities of their mid-career and a return to the raw, improvisational spirit of their early days.
Released via Fiction Records, “Black Sage” is not merely a return to form but a pivot toward something more visceral. Collaborating with producer Leo Abrahams—known for his work with Brian Eno and Frightened Rabbit—the band has crafted a “psych rock beast” that prioritizes atmosphere and emotional honesty over radio-ready hooks. The track serves as a sonic manifesto for a new era, anchored by frontman Blaine Harrison’s meditation on the necessity of pain in the process of recovery.
The core of the song lies in a paradox: the idea that the very things that break us are the things that allow us to heal. In a lyrical landscape where “the remedy is in the poison” and “the blessing is in the curse,” Harrison posits that beauty is not found in perfection, but in the fractures. It’s a sentiment that echoes the Japanese art of Kintsugi—repairing broken pottery with gold to highlight the cracks rather than hide them—suggesting that our scars are where the light finally gets in.
The Alchemy of Suffering and Healing
For Harrison, the inspiration for the track was rooted in the ritualistic use of black sage. Traditionally used by indigenous communities in smudging ceremonies to clear negative energies, the plant serves as a metaphor for the band’s own internal house-cleaning. However, Harrison takes the concept a step further, questioning whether the “ghosts” we try to smoke out are actually intrinsic parts of our identity.
“But what if we are vessels for those energies, and the ghosts from our pasts have been living inside us all along?” Harrison asked. This philosophical inquiry transforms “Black Sage” from a standard rock song into a study of human resilience. By arguing that healing is inseparable from suffering, the band moves away from the sanitized version of “wellness” often found in contemporary music, opting instead for a grit-and-glory approach to mental and emotional recovery.
This thematic depth is mirrored in the song’s visual presentation. A live performance of the track was filmed at the James Turrell Skyspace in Cornwall, a site renowned for its intersection of light, space, and perception. The choice of location underscores the song’s lyrical preoccupation with light piercing through darkness, grounding the sonic chaos of the track in a space of curated, architectural stillness.
A Return to the ‘Flow State’
The sonic architecture of “Black Sage” was not the result of meticulous songwriting sessions or digital sculpting. Instead, the band reverted to a method they hadn’t employed since their inception: the extended jam. By stitching together a patchwork of improvisations and looping ideas until they reached a “hypnotic flow state,” the band allowed the song to dictate its own direction.
This shift in process is significant. In an era where many artists rely on “songwriting camps” or rigid grid-based production, Mystery Jets chose to embrace the unpredictability of the room. This improvisational approach is what gives the track its “growling” quality; it feels alive and slightly dangerous, echoing the psych-rock movements of the late 60s while remaining firmly rooted in the modern indie landscape.
The band’s trajectory over the last few years suggests a group that has spent its silence diversifying. While the collective paused its studio output, individual members explored different creative avenues. Most notably, bassist Jack Flanagan stepped into the spotlight in 2022 with his solo album Rides The Sky, featuring the psychedelic standout “Skyhorse X Skyhorse.” This solo exploration likely fed back into the band’s appetite for the psychedelic textures present in “Black Sage.”
The Evolution of a Twickenham Staple
To understand where Mystery Jets are going, one must look at the duality of their 2020 output. That year saw the release of A Billion Heartbeats, their seventh LP, which NME praised as a “wildly successful take on the world at large,” noting its celebrations of the NHS and its streak of protest songs. Parallel to this, the band released Home Protests, a lo-fi covers album recorded during the isolation of global lockdowns.
Home Protests was a stark contrast to the stadium-ready energy of their previous work, focusing on timeless tracks that tackled homelessness, war, and environmental destruction. This period of introspection and social commentary seems to have laid the groundwork for the emotional weight of “Black Sage.” The band transitioned from protesting external societal failures to exploring internal psychological landscapes.
| Year | Release/Event | Key Characteristic |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | A Billion Heartbeats | Seventh studio LP; focused on social commentary and the NHS. |
| 2020 | Home Protests | Lo-fi covers album recorded during lockdown. |
| 2022 | Rides The Sky | Solo psychedelic exploration by bassist Jack Flanagan. |
| 2024 | “Black Sage” | Return to psych-rock via improvisational “flow state” writing. |
Looking Toward the Stage
The return of Mystery Jets is not just a digital event. The band is preparing to bring their renewed energy to the stage, most notably at The Maccabees’ highly anticipated show at Leeds’ Kirkstall Abbey on July 31. Performing alongside Maximo Park and Everything Everything, the Jets are positioned to showcase their new sound in a setting that mirrors the grandeur and grit of their latest single.
As the band embarks on this new chapter, “Black Sage” stands as a reminder that the most compelling art often emerges from a place of instability. By embracing the “broken” parts of their process and their histories, Mystery Jets have found a way to move forward without erasing the past.
The band’s next major milestone will be their appearance at Kirkstall Abbey on July 31, which will serve as the first major litmus test for “Black Sage” in a live, large-scale environment.
Do you think the best art comes from a place of brokenness? Share your thoughts in the comments or let us know which Mystery Jets era is your favorite.
