Cryogen (song)
| Muse song | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cryogen |
| Album/single |
|
| Length | 5:02 |
| Alternative titles | - |
| First live performance | 3rd April 2026 |
| Latest live performance | 3rd April 2026 |
| Recorded | 2025–2026 |
| Writer/composer | Muse, Dan Lancaster |
| Producer | Muse, Dan Lancaster |
| Chart position | |
| Song Nav | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shimmering Scars | < | Cryogen | > | Be With You |
| Album Nav | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will of the People (2022) | < | The Wow! Signal (2026) | > | |
Description
Cryogen is a fast-paced song with a leading guitar riff that draws comparisons to Plug in Baby, and features the same fuzzy guitar tone, with the wailing Fuzz Factory oscillator sound opening the track. The song is also reminiscent to the likes of Crying Shame, aswell as Euphoria, amongst others, and harks back to Origin of Symmetry days, while remaining fresh and modern at the same time. In terms of instrumentation, Cryogen relies primarily on guitar, bass and drums, coupled with vocoded vocal parts and a string section during the middle-8. The song also features an outro riff which includes a short bass solo/lick. Like other songs off of this album, the song was produced by Muse and Dan Lancaster, who provides backing vocals, with additional production and engineering by Aleks Von Korff.
Announced by Muse on their socials just two days earlier, on April 22nd, the song was released as a single on April 24th, 2026. The song sits at the third spot on the Big Top 40 from Global chart and peaked at #1 on the iTunes chart in several countries, including Austria, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the UK.[1]
Live
The song's been performed live for the first time at The Wow! Signal's promo show in London's Brixton Academy on April 3rd, 2026. During the performance, the line "freeze my blood into diamonds" was sung by Matt as "turn my blood diamonds".
Lyrics
Ice queen, I've been demonised Evil twin, love is synthesised Crystallize, freeze my blood into diamonds
Emptiness, she left me running Through a polar desert wilderness (wilderness) I'm begging
Cryogen I can never cry again Cryogen, I'm freezing over Yeah, this girl is nitrogen Don't cry again
Winter's end, she's Europa I'm a cracked interloper Icicles pierce my heart So cruel and quiet
Loneliness, she left me trembling In a polar desert wilderness (wilderness) I'm breaking
Cryogen I can never cry again Cryogen, I'm freezing over Yeah, this girl is nitrogen
Frostbite, I am lost in the wild She's a blizzard Feels like I've lost control
Frostbite, on the edge of decline I am collapsing now I am collapsing now
Emptiness, she left me running Through a polar desert wilderness (wilderness) I'm shaking
Cryogen I can never cry again Cryogen, I'm freezing over Yeah, this girl, she's nitrogen
Cryogen, I'm freezing over Yeah, this girl is nitrogen Don't cry again
Don't cry again