Listen to the Worldwide Premiere of Muse’s ‘Dead Inside’ + Watch Official Lyric Video

Today (March 23) on radio stations around the world, British alt-rock trio Muse debuted their brand new song “Dead Inside,” the first official single and leadoff track from their forthcoming album, Drones. The band also followed-up the radio premiere by posting an official lyric video on its YouTube channel. Check out the NSFW video above.

Known for turning gut-level blues rock riffing into fist-pumping stadium rock, Muse crank up the theatricality with “Dead Inside,” which sets the stage for the dystopian-future storyline that runs through the songs on Drones. As previously shared track “Psycho” made explicitly clear, Drones imagines life where a repressive military regime pressures the public into thoughtless conformity. But where the “Psycho” riff recalls the Doors’ classic “Roadhouse Blues,” the slinky synth bassline at the heart of “Dead Inside” hews closer to latter-day U2.

“Dead Inside” also introduces listeners to the album’s protagonist. Frontman/guitarist Matt Bellamy explains that the character “loses hope” as soon as the album kicks off, which leaves him “vulnerable to the dark forces introduced in ‘Psycho’ and which ensue over the next few songs on the album.” As the disc unfolds, Bellamy says that the main character “eventually defects, revolts, and overcomes these dark forces.”

While it sounds like Drones, which is out June 8 (pre-order details here), will make for an intriguing listen as a complete album, “Psycho” and now “Dead Inside” once again demonstrate Muse’s penchant for crafting concise, catchy radio anthems. Fittingly, Drones was produced by Muse along with blockbuster producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange, who helmed landmark smash hits by the likes of AC/DC and Def Leppard.

Muse’s European tour dates begin in late May and culminate with Japan’s Fuji Rock festival in July — check out the full itinerary at here.