Bristol math-rock shape-shifters Maebe are officially entering their next era. The band have just signed to Ripcord Records and are marking the moment with a brand new single, Brain Paint, out now on all the usual streaming spots — complete with a suitably vivid, colour-splashed official video.
If this track is a teaser for what’s coming next, consider us locked in.
Brain Paint is the first taste of a forthcoming new Maebe release, due later this year on physical CD via Ripcord. Details are still under wraps, but the statement is already loud and clear: this band is swinging big.
Sonically, Brain Paint is a celebration of instrumental rock in all its brain-bending forms. It fuses razor-sharp guitar virtuosity with hooks you can actually hum, before exploding into widescreen, cinematic post-rock dynamics. It also marks the studio debut of Maebe’s new five-piece line-up — and it captures the same restless, high-energy intensity that’s earned them slots alongside Intervals, Alpha Male Tea Party, Poly-Math, Standards, and a packed-out stage at ArcTanGent Festival.
Band leader and guitarist Mike Astley-Brown sums it up perfectly:
“‘Brain Paint’ is a bombastic riff fest – it’s a pretty bold statement of intent, but it’s fun and heartfelt, too. Everyone in the band listens to a lot of instrumental music, and I don’t think any of us have heard anything quite like this.”
Alongside the new single, Maebe have also announced a run of May/June 2026 UK headline dates, capped off with an appearance at Manchester’s Radar Festival — a certified mecca for contemporary progressive music. Tickets are on sale now, and if you’ve seen Maebe live before, you’ll know these shows won’t stay small for long.
The journey here hasn’t been overnight. Maebe started life as Mike Astley-Brown’s bedroom project back in 2020, released quietly with zero promo — purely for the love of playing and the satisfaction of finally putting music into the world. Fast-forward six years and Maebe have grown into one of the UK’s most exciting math-rock prospects.
Their second album ‘Rebirth. Relive. Repeat.’ picked up praise from Fecking Bahamas, Noizze, Distorted Sound, LOUDER, plus PROG Magazine, Guitarist, and Classic Rock in print. It landed on PROG and Total Guitar’s best albums of 2023 lists, while tracks like Harsh Realm and Tautology found support from MTV and BBC Introducing South & West.
With a new label, a sharpened line-up, and a run of live dates on the way, Maebe feel like a band very much in motion — and Brain Paint is the sound of that momentum hitting full colour.
Live dates
- 28 May – The Exchange, Bristol
- 29 May – The Rainbow, Birmingham
- 30 May – The Fickle Pickle, Southend
- 25 June – Wharf Chambers, Leeds
- 26 June – JT Soar, Nottingham
- 27 June – 33 Oldham Street, Manchester
- 2 August – Radar Festival, Manchester
New music and more live announcements are coming soon. For now, press play on Brain Paint and let it melt your maths-rock expectations just a little.
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