INTERVIEW: OF MICE AND MEN IN CONVERSATION WITH AARON PAULEY AND TINO ARTEAGA
Interview by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
The US metalcore band Of Mice & Men's Aaron Pauley and Tino Arteaga joined No Barriers to talk about their ninth studio album, ‘Another Miracle’, and their coming Australian tour in 2026 with Japan’s Crystal Lake.
“I’m stoked! It’s one of our favourite places to play,” stated Aaron Pauley about the coming Australian tour in May 2026.
“You guys love live music. Live music is so popular, and Australian crowds are great. Australia holds a special place in our hearts. Live gigs are chaos. It’s great! I know it’s been six years since we have played in Australia, but we are looking forward to coming on down”.
“It will be great to play our new album live as well,” said Aaron Pauley. “Yes. We are excited to be bringing our new songs to our fans,” stated Tino Arteaga. ‘‘We hope that our music is bridging the gap of distance. It is hard to be in another place. But we are hoping our new album is reaching fans, and that they are listening”.
The studio album ‘Another Miracle’ is an album built on crushing guitar riffs, tight breakdowns, and beautiful operatic vocals that feel lived-in. Of Mice & Men have spent years evolving their sound. The Southern California band have doubled down on both heaviness, as you can hear in ‘Troubled Water’, and the loveliest melodies in their song ‘Wake Up’. The band are crafting songs that punch and linger in equal measure.
“We have written songs for this album that follow our musical excitement and emotions…we have this Zen thing,” explained Aaron Pauley. “When we write our songs, we follow our musical instincts – like bloodhounds – until we figure out what it is”. Tino Arteaga joined in the saying, “We started Of Mice & Men as a band to have fun and play breakdowns. It’s crazy to think we have lasted for nine albums. We want to write great music with texture, layers, and depth, and we think we have that with this new album”.
Tino Arteaga quickly added, “It's insane, really, and it's so cool to release this album. It's what all the hard work is for. We spend so much time crafting and creating music behind the scenes...we never stop, really, but to finally get to share the music, play it live, and roll things out for the fans is, like honestly, that's what it's all about. Finally getting to share the music with everybody and see the excitement — and we get excited, too”.
Aaron Pauley stated, “Music is the universal language, and it’s the language we use to communicate with each other and our fans”. Tino Arteaga agreed. “This is what we do. For us, the music we make is how we like to express ourselves ... Life can be stressful, I have a young daughter, and life can be wonderful and it can be hard, and it can be everything in between. And there can be a song for every moment and every feeling in between. Not every song or piece of music has to be everybody's favourite or the biggest song in the world or anything, but we enjoy the process of making it”.
“Then we go out and we play it live,’’ said Tino Arteaga.
The band Of Mice & Men’s line-up currently consists of drummer Valentino (Tino) Arteaga, guitarists Phil Manansala, and Alan Ashby, and bassist and talented lead vocalist Aaron Pauley.
“We want to see moshpits, crowd surfing, and circle pits when we come to Australia. Playing our music live makes it special – it’s different from recording - and we can’t wait to share it with our Australian fans”.
Of Mice & Men new album ‘Another Miracle’ is out now. The band are returning to Australia in May 2026 with Japan's Crystal Lake for a massive metalcore tour.
The Australian Tour dates are:
Tuesday, 5 May 2026 - Magnet House, Perth, WA
Thursday, 7 May 2026 - Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide, SA
Friday, 8 May 2026 - 170 Russell, Melbourne, VIC
Saturday, 9 May 2026 - Manning Bar, Sydney, NSW
Sunday, 10 May 2026 - The Triffid, Brisbane, QLD
If you want to get any merch before the show or purchase the vinyl album with its outstanding artwork see the band’s site: Of Mice & Men.
