Chicago rapper Polo G has shared a new song called ‘Epidemic’. It arrives with an accompanying music video directed by Ryan Lynch. Check it out below.
‘Epidemic’ marks the first new music from the rapper since the release of his most recent studio album THE GOAT back in May. Earlier this week, he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon! for a performance of his song ‘Martin & Gina’. Polo G was recently named as a member of this year’s XXL Freshman Class.
Swae Lee has dropped a new song called ‘Dance Like No One’s Watching’. The track, which the rapper debuted during a performance at the iHeartRadio Music Festival earlier this month, is reportedly taken from his forthcoming record Human Nature. Check it out below.
So far in 2020, Swae has released a series of one-off singles, including ‘Someone Said’, ‘Reality Check’, and ‘Back 2 Back Maybach’. He was also featured on Chloe x Halle’s latest album Ungodly Hour. His last album was 2018’s Swaecation.
Aminé was the musical guest on Friday night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! The Portland rapper performed the Limbo tracks ‘Burden’ and ‘Woodlawn’ from a hot air balloon emblazoned with flags from around the world as well as Black Lives Matter messaging. Watch the performance below.
Limbo, the follow-up to 2018’s ONEPOINTFIVE, came out back in August. The LP features guest contributions from Young Thug, slowthai, Vince Staples, Summer Walker, and more.
Game fans worldwide are hotly anticipating various video games that are due to be launched in 2021. Here is a look at five of the most eagerly awaited.
Due for release in early 2021, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the sixth entry in the TT Games series, and it looks to be just as fun as its predecessors. Unlike most other Lego video games, in Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, you can choose to start the game from any of the nine Skywalker saga episodes, and you can complete them in any order you choose. Each episode contains five missions, so there is a total of 45 levels to keep you entertained for hours on end. The game will be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Windows.
Part of the World of Darkness series, Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood is based on White Wolf Publishing’s table-top RPG Werewolf: The Apocalypse. This game’s plot concerns an eco-terrorist werewolf called Cahal, who has been banished from his tribe. Cahal now fights against the evil Pentex Corporation and the terrible pollution the company causes. Fans of the table-top game and the World of Darkness are eagerly anticipating this game, but there is not very long to wait, as it is due for release for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Windows in February 2021. If you cannot wait that long, you could always play other wolf-centric games in the meantime, such as the howling-good-fun slot Untamed Wolf Pack, which is available at a casino online.
Did the first Resident Evil game really come out way back in 1996? My, how time flies! Since then, the franchise has become one of the most famous video game series on the planet. Now, the tenth installment is nearly upon us. After the enormously successful Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, fans around the world have their fingers crossed that Resident Evil Village can be just as jaw-dropping. And early reports suggest it is. The newest horror game in the franchise is set a few years after the previous game, and Resident Evil 7’s protagonist Ethan is still in the spotlight. Resident Evil Village will be available for Windows, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
The military sci-fi Halo video game series has become one of the highest-grossing franchises of all time, so fans the world over are hotly anticipating the sixth main entry in the series. It is due to be released sometime in 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows. Although it is the sixth game of the main series, Halo Infinite will actually be the fourteenth game. Little is known about Halo Infinite, but we do know that it continues the story of the Master Chief from Halo 5: Guardians, as he embarks on his greatest adventure to save humanity. We also know that the Banished, a splinter group from the alien alliance known as the Covenant, appears as the Master Chief’s enemies. Whether Halo Infinite can live up to expectations is anyone’s guess at present, but it is, without a doubt, one of the most eagerly anticipated video games of next year.
Every fan of Agent 47 is looking forward to the third and final installment in the hugely popular Hitman series of games. The stealth-based third-person-shooter is due out in January. Like the other Hitman games, Hitman 3 will focus on stealth and deception to assassinate significant criminals around the world. As Agent 47, you will travel to a variety of exotic places, including Dubai and England. Furthermore, players of the previous games will be able to sync their maps, levels, and progress with Hitman 3. This last installment in the Hitman franchise looks set to be every bit as good as the other two, if not better. And the developers of the game have said it will be a lot more mature and darker than its predecessors. Hitman 3 will be available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, and Stadia’s streaming service. The game will even feature VR compatibility on the PS4 and PS5 versions.
Making an investment is the process of spending money that you predict will be returned or even increased in the future. You can choose to invest in big things such as houses or cars, and even smaller items like designer clothes and accessories that are sure to maintain their value. Investing in fashion can be such a rewarding and exciting experience, as there are just so many different brands and styles to explore! So, if you would like to find out more about how you can invest in clothes and accessories, then read on to uncover some of the best top tips and tricks that you can make the most of today!
There are so many world famous fashion brands that offer stunning clothing and shoes (often for a considerable price), and these brands are recognisable. Many of the top fashion designers maintain certain features that enable you to detect the brand and therefore its value and quality, such as the red bottoms that you might find on a stunning pair of Louboutin heels. When investing in clothing and shoes it’s a good idea to stay plain and stick with a few items that aren’t to an acquired taste, as you must be able to resell these pieces with ease in the future. Visit auction sites and other similar platforms to see whether you can find a bargain, as you don’t always need to head straight to a certified supplier to find the perfect investment opportunity. Look for limited edition series that didn’t see huge swathes of stock released, as these items will grow in value quite dramatically as soon as they sell out. Think designer dresses, coats and jeans, as well as trainers and heels – these are generally the most popular high fashion items that are bought by the average shopper, so you’re almost guaranteed a good return on your investment.
Another great area to focus your investment efforts is jewellery and other forms of wrist wear like watches, as it’s far easier to invest in such a piece that will appeal to a greater number of potential buyers. Many necklaces and rings consist of simple metals and attractive precious stones, so the simple design and makeup of the items make them super easy to market and sell in the future. Watches are an ideal area to invest money, as certain brands are renowned for their rising value and profitability. For example, sourcing a quality Jaeger-LeCoultre timepiece will offer you jaw dropping commitment to design and aesthetics, with an almost certain return for years to come. Be sure to take good care of any watches or jewellery that you invest in, as small cracks or scratches can really deduct from the overall value of the pieces.
Investing in clothes and accessories has never been so simple when you are able to make the most of the top tips and tricks that have been detailed above! Start making a profit today whilst getting to do your favourite activity more often – shopping!
Riz Ahmed plays a drummer coping with hearing loss in the new trailer for Sound of Metal, which is set to come out in theaters and Amazon Prime Video this fall. A favorite at the the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, the film marks the directorial debut of Darius Marder, best known for co-writing the 2012 Ryan Gosling vehicle The Place Behind the Pines. Marder co-wrote the script with his brother, Abraham.
“During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist tells him his condition will rapidly worsen, he thinks his music career — and with it his life — is over,” reads the official synopsis of the film. “His bandmate and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) checks the recovering heroin addict into a secluded sober house for the deaf in hopes it will prevent a relapse and help him learn to adapt to his new situation. But after being welcomed into a community that accepts him just as he is, Ruben has to choose between his equilibrium and the drive to reclaim the life he once knew.”
Notably, Riz Ahmed is a musician in his own right, having released music under the moniker Riz MC and as a member ofthe trio Swet Shop Boys.
Sound of Metal will head to select theaters on November 20th and will be available on Amazon Prime Video on December 4th. Check out the trailer below.
Arlo Parks appeared on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge for a cover of Billie Eilish’s latest single ‘my future‘. Check out her performance below.
Earlier this month, Miley Cyrus also offered her own rendition of the same song as part of Live Lounge Month, though she took quite a different approach to the track. Parks also recently joined Phoebe Bridgers for a cover of Radiohead’s ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ for BBC Radio 1’s Piano Sessions and teamed up with MICHELLE for a new version of ‘SUNRISE’. So far in 2020, she’s unveiled the singles ‘Eugene’, ‘Black Dog’, and ‘Hurt’.
For a group bent on subverting the expectations of what it means to be a rock band by spreading the message of love and kindness, IDLES’ music sure does sound like the equivalent of getting hit in the face. That was certainly the case with their relentlessly ferocious 2017 debut, Brutalism, and their sound lost none of its visceral impact with the release of its critically acclaimed follow-up, Joy as an Act of Resistance, a year later, even as it saw frontman Joe Talbot and company wearing their heart more prominently on their sleeves. Continuing to embrace vulnerability and self-acceptance as they expand their sound and build their reach, the cover artwork for their brand new album, Ultra Mono, out now via Partisan, seems to embody the bracing energy of the group, that in-your-face directness that gives it much of its appeal, while also underlining the approach they’ve taken when it comes to dealing with haters they’ve picked up along the way: as Talbot deadpans towards the end of the album, “Fuck you, I’m a lover.”
For the latest instalment of our Behind the Artwork series, we interviewed Russell Oliver about meeting Joe Talbot, how their political differences inspired their first collaboration for the single ‘Mercedes Marxist’, and the process of creating the cover artwork for Ultra Mono.
I had met Joe a few years before IDLES released their debut album Brutalism. Soon after, he would often mention that he had been keeping me in mind for future IDLES projects, as he was impressed by the paintings I had been producing. Joe would later conceive of a charity project wherein each track from the band’s second album, Joy as an Act of Resistance, would be assigned an artist to produce an original artwork to be auctioned-off with all proceeds going to The Samaritans. The artworks would also be reproduced in the limited edition deluxe LP as double-sided prints. Even though ‘Mercedes Marxist’ was dropped from the album before release, my contribution was included in both the charity auction and deluxe LP. Later, ‘Mercedes Marxist’ would be released as a single featuring a censored version of my painting due to its use of copyright/trademarked corporate logos, I believe.
On meeting, Joe and I quickly realised that we were (and remain) on opposite sides of the political spectrum – with Joe firmly on the Left, and myself of the Right. There has never been any animosity when discussing issues of the day, and even though we often disagree – we enjoy the conversation. Perhaps that’s why Joe asked me to produce a painting for ‘Mercedes Marxist’ as the song, Joe had explained, expressed his inner turmoil as a “lapsed Marxist” and anti-capitalist, who, on occasion, engages in frivolous consumerism – specifically his unquenchable thirst for expensive trainers. Joe left any concept for the painting completely in my hands. I could produce anything I saw fit – total artistic freedom. As IDLES often like to play with clichés lyrically, my finished painting employed Marxist cliché poster-boy Che Guevara, mixed with the screaming and melting Nazi face from the climax of Raiders of the Lost Ark – a portrayal of ideological meltdown, green with shame-induced sickness and of capital (money). The background “revolutionary” red and green clash in opposition (as on the colour wheel). The eyes became the titular Mercedes insignia, and Che’s beret sported a Nike and Apple corporate skull and crossbones configuration in a clash of ideology, principals and values.
The concept for Ultra Mono‘s cover art was entirely Joe’s. He’d assured me many times that he wanted an album cover from me, and knowing that I’m a versatile painter, also perceived that I could deliver something radically different stylistically from the ‘Mercedes Marxist’ work. Joe knew exactly what he wanted – a shirtless guy, arms by his sides, defenceless, being hit in the face by a bright candy-pink ball – but could I “do it in the style of Italian master Caravaggio?” – and that remained the brief throughout.
The painting – or the concept behind the painting – relates to Joe and the band’s ideal of unconditional love and acceptance for all, including their critics, or political opposition, or for other bands who may have positioned themselves as “rivals” or adversarial. The large pink ball (Joe’s favourite colour) represents this unstoppable and unavoidable ideal of love and acceptance colliding forcefully with such an opponent – to “Kill Them With Kindness” (Track 5 on Ultra Mono).
With the concept understood, I had to first collect source material to work from which included boxers being punched, for facial impact reference, and guys taking a football to the face, and many balls and spheres for light references. The first problem I encountered was, that when Joe had said “ball” he hadn’t specified a huge ball, and I had presumed by ball he’d meant football-sized ball. I’d already sketched the scene on to the canvas but luckily thought to consult Joe before going ahead with the oil paint. “Ah” he said, “the ball needs to be much, much bigger – taking up most of the canvas,…sorry” – so it was back to the drawing board, because increasing the size of the ball dramatically changes the physics or dynamics of the impact on it’s “victim”.
I also anticipated that too much pink ball would be visually uninteresting and so I sort to have that dominant space interrupted by having the “victim’s” arm raised across the ball, as he’s knocked back off balance. I used a footballer heading a football, arms raised for balance, and combined that with another footballer taking a hard and fast football to the face. I also had my twin brother Ryan pose identically and under strong lighting in the Caravaggio style, so I could fill in the blanks anatomically, as the footballers were not shirtless, and also to achieve the required lighting conditions.
I devoted myself solely to the painting for over a month of toil with the brush, solving unforeseen problems along the way, as is quite normal. When I thought I had finished, I messaged Joe a photo – one problem – the ball was a far too dark, hot pink for his liking, and so I had to repaint the ball completely, which seemed a daunting task. In the end though the ball worked out much better than the first attempt. Joe still tweaked the colour in post for the album cover – I don’t think he’d have been completely satisfied unless he’d mixed the paint himself – He was after something very specific that only he could pinpoint.
They’re defiantly depictions of conflict and collision, a single moment captured in the midst of fracas. When seen together, they seem to inform one another, because they depict different stages of a vanquishing, separated by mere seconds. I had been keeping Joe updated with each painting coming out of my studio, and when I showed him ‘The Flight/The Fall’ he immediately said that the painting wasn’t a million miles from what he had in mind for the album that would become Ultra Mono. Also, ‘The Flight/The Fall’ probably convinced Joe that I could pull-off what he envisioned.
I had a fairly tight deadline to meet, but I work best under pressure – you have to solve problems on the fly and really knuckle down – you have to “live and breathe” the painting, it’s a bit like a dream. Painting the album cover for Ultra Mono was a great experience. It’s a joy to be tasked with bringing another talented artist’s vision to life, especially for a friend, and an honour to be given that responsibility. What’s fantastic about producing an album cover for a hugely popular band, as an artist, is that my painting is going to be seen infinitely more widely than any of my previous work and in print form at least, be owned and hopefully enjoyed by thousands and thousands of people around the world – that’s a real buzz.
Find more work by Russell Oliver here.
Tame Impala have released a remix of their Slow Rush track ‘Borderline’ by Devonté Hynes aka Blood Orange. Hynes recruited Porches’ Aaron Maine to play drums on his rendition of the song, which adds new layers of guitar, bass, and synths. Check it out below.
Earlier this week, Tame Impala appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon! to perform ‘Borderline’. Back in August, Four Tet’s Kieran Hebden shared a remix of ‘Is It True’.
Matt Maeson has shared a new version of his song ‘Hallucinogenics’, from his 2019 debut album Bank On The Funeral. It features vocals from Lana Del Rey. Check it out below.
Last year, the two artists performed the track live together at a concert in Oklahoma City. “Pushin’ past the limit, trippin’ on hallucinogenics / My cigarette burnt my finger ’cause I forgot I lit it / Drunken in Seattle, two more Xans, and without a paddle / I don’t remember your face, or your hair, or your name, or your smile / ‘Cause I just couldn’t open up, I’m always shiftin’,” they sing in unison.
Sometime in the near future, Lana Del Rey is set to release her Jack Antonoff-assisted follow-up to Norman Fucking Rockwell!, titled Chemtrails Over the Country Club. Back in July, she unveiled the spoken word poetry album Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass.
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