Tim Heidecker has announced a new LP, Fear of Death, featuring contribution from Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering, the Lemon Twigs, Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado, and more. The follow-up to 2019’s What the Brokenhearted Do… comes out September 25 via Spacebomb. The artist has also unveiled the album’s title track, along with a music video filmed at Valentine Studios in Los Angeles. Check it out below, and scroll for the cover artwork and tracklist.
“I didn’t know that this record was going to be so focused on death when I was writing it,” Heidecker said in statement. “It took a minute for me to stand back and look at what I was talking about to realize that, yes, I am now a middle-aged man and my subconscious is screaming at me: ‘You are getting old, dude! You are not going to live forever! Put down that cheeseburger!’”
He added: “This record is a dream come true for me. I got to work with some of the best, and nicest, musicians in town who helped me take some shabby, simple tunes and turn them into something I’m really proud of.”
Fear of Death Cover Artwork:
Fear of Death Tracklist:
1. Prelude to Feelings
2. Come Away With Me
3. Backwards
4. Fear of Death
5. Someone Who Can Handle You
6. Nothing
7. Say Yes
8. Property
9. Little Lamb
10. Let It Be (The Beatles cover)
11. Long as I’ve Got You
12. Oh How We Drift Away
Dua Lipa has announced she will be releasing the deluxe edition of her sophomore album Future Nostalgia on Friday, August 21. Titled Club Future Nostalgia: The Remix Album, the LP will feature remixes of every song from the record, including a remix of ‘Physical’ by Mark Ronson featuring Gwen Stefani, as well as a previously announced remix of ‘Levitating’ featuring Missy Elliott and Madonna, to be unveiled on August 14.
“CLUB FUTURE NOSTALGIA THE REMIX ALBUM W THE BLESSED MADONNA COMING AUGUST 21ST,” the pop singer wrote on social media. “LEVITATING AUGUST 14TH – FEATURING MISSY ELLIOTT & MADONNA – PHYSICAL FT. GWEN STEFANI REMIXED BY MARK RONSON +++ ALL FUTURE NOSTALGIA TRACKS N THEN SUM REMIXED BY UR FAVES.”
Replying to a comment by a fan regarding the previously teased Future Nostalgia B-sides album, Lipa wrote: “don’t worry I got that n then some coming your way. Hold tight i’ve got enough to hold you all the way through till 2022.”
CLUB FUTURE NOSTALGIA THE REMIX ALBUM W THE BLESSED MADONNA COMING AUGUST 21ST – LEVITATING AUGUST 14TH – FEATURING MISSY ELLIOTT & MADONNA – PHYSICAL FT. GWEN STEFANI REMIXED BY MARK RONSON +++ ALL FUTURE NOSTALGIA TRACKS N THEN SUM REMIXED BY UR FAVES pic.twitter.com/LOeK09peYB
The two Welsh artists first met in London while collaborating on one of Cale’s songs, and decided to record a song together for Inner Song. Cale sings in both English and Welsh over Owens’ droning electronics.
“I knew with this album I needed to connect with my roots and therefore having the Welsh language featured on the record felt very important to me,” Owens explained in a press release. “Once the music for the track was written and the sounds were formed, I sent the track straight to John and asked if he could perhaps delve into his Welsh heritage and tell the story of the land via spoken-word, poetry, and song. What he sent back was nothing short of phenomenal. The arrangement was done during the mixing process and once I’d finished the track, I cried — firstly feeling incredibly lucky to have collaborated with John and his eternal talent and secondly for both of us to have been able to connect to our homeland in this way.”
Cale added: “It’s not usually this immediate that a productive afternoon brings a satisfying conclusion to a task. Kelly sent me a track she’d written — an instrumental that was a gentle drift — something comfortably familiar to what I’d been working on myself. On the first listen, the lyrics came with ease and a chorus and melody grew out of it. Even the Welsh phrases seemed to develop from a place of reflective memory, which was a surprise since I hadn’t written in Welsh for decades. Once finished, I realized there existed a built-in thread we’d created together and apart — and her kind spirit pulled it all together and in quick order.”
Owens previously shared the tracks ‘On’, ‘Melt!’, and ‘Night’, from her forthcoming LP. Inner Song was initially scheduled for release in May, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Atlanta-based rapper 645AR has teamed up with FKA twigs for his new song, ‘Sum Bout U’. Produced by SenseiATL with co-production from El Guincho, the track arrives with a video conceived by twigs and directed by Aidan Zamiri. Check it out below.
“I’m bringing real R&B back,” the rapper, who’s known for his “squeak rap” delivery style, said in a statement. “Shout out to FKA twigs.”
In addition to the new collaborative single, twigs has also launched a fundraiser which aims to provide direct financial support to strippers and sex workers suffering financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, kicking off funds with her own donation of £10,000. The funds will be donated to SWARM, Lysistrata, and East London Strippers Collective (ELSC).
“I feel like now is the time for me to step forward, pay respect, and shine a light on the challenges facing sex workers, especially during these uncertain times,” the singer wrote on Instagram. “Sex workers I know and have met have discipline, craft, talent and work ethic—not only do they deserve better long-term, but their income has been wiped out by the lockdown and many are invisible to the financial aid available to others.” Read twigs’ full post below and click here to access the GoFundMe page.
Matilda Mann is a 20-year-old singer hailing from London. Earlier this year, she put out an EP called If That Makes Sense – a lovely, often beguiling indie folk project with a unique jazz flair punctuated by hypnotic rhythms, ethereal vocals, and enchanting lyrics – and she’s already gearing up for the release of another EP later this year. The first taste from that project, ‘As It Is’, suggests a slight shift towards a more stripped-back acoustic sound, one that enhances Mann’s evocative songwriting and beautifully layered, intimate vocal harmonies, which are strongly reminiscent of Billie Eilish. The second single, ‘Robbed’, was one of our favourite songs of the week; even more spare in its instrumentation, Mann’s heart-rending lyrics build to a wrenching chorus: “You know the saying, “Love makes you blind”?/ Well, it robbed all my senses/ It robbed my whole mind/ And I am left with no fire.” But her music is still teeming with emotion; it captures the all-consuming nature of desire with little need for an elaborate set up, then pulls you in just the same. Make no mistake: there’s definitely a fire in it.
We caught up with Matilda Mann for this edition of our Artist Spotlight series, where we showcase up-and-coming artists and give them a chance to talk about their music.
Was there a particular point when you decided to start making music?
If you count terrible songs I wrote about the green straw in my smoothie when I was 7 ahah. I’ve always been drawn to lyrics and writing songs about things. I guess they just got better as I got more influenced by new artists and started to properly work on them.
You’ve named Laura Marling, Big Thief, and the soundtrack for Juno as some of your inspirations – what is it about them that resonates with you?
I think it’s the simplicity they use but in such an effective way. It’s mainly the lyrics they write. It’s always very vague as to what it’s about but somehow feels more personal to you as the listener.
What was the inspiration for ‘As It Is’?
A song called “Old Bone” by Wet was definitely a big inspiration in terms of the sound we were going for. We wanted it to seem simple but with lots of layers. Kinda like people.
How was the process of writing and recording it?
Laura Welsh, Rich Cooper and I sat and spoke about music we loved and I brought up that my boyfriend was in America at the time and how I missed him. I don’t usually miss people that much and I took it as a sign of how much I wanted him around. I feel like some couples, when it’s not right, lose that want of being next to their partner, and you’re holding onto the relationship, simply because you’re too sentimental to let go.
You’re about to release new EP later this year – was your approach in any way different from If That Makes Sense?
Not massively. I always want to have an EP full of different types of songs. I don’t want one particular sound. The only musical elements I keep the same are lots of harmonies and interesting lyrics.
Aside from the release of the EP, what are some things you’re looking forward to this year?
GLASTONBURY (but next year ahah) I magically won a slot performing at Glastonbury next year, so I’m very excited about that!! Also I have a headline show in December, which I’ll have a band playing with me for the first time and I’m so excited to meet new people!!!
Playa de Cofete is a fantastic photography series by Polish photographer Paweł Franik. The series is from 2018 and explores the secluded beach Playa de Cofete in Fuerteventura, Spain. Franik utilises long shots to bring out sense of observation, calmness and earthly atmosphere.
The Paul Institute, the musical project founded by brothers Jai and A. K. Paul, have released an EP titled Summer 2020. The new collection of experimental pop and R&B songs includes A. K. Paul’s previously released ‘Be Honest’ – which was one of our favourite tracks of the week – as well as a batch of new songs from Paul associates. Listen to the EP below, and scroll for the visuals for three of the songs and invividual statements for each track.
In addition to ‘Be Honest’, the EP features songs by Hira, REINEN, Ruthven, Fabiana Palladino, and Pen Pals. The Paul Institute also aired a special on Beats 1 today (August 4) called ‘Magical Thinking’.
The project is also prompting fans to register once again at their site for updates: “welcome to the paul institute,” a message reads. “previous enrolees must re-enrol due to new privacy laws.”
PAULINST0009DS _ A. K. Paul – ‘Be Honest’
“This is a song about giving up control for a moment, allowing yourself to feel something beyond what you’ve known. It’s a song about liking something you didn’t think you would like, feeling something you didn’t think you would feel – and as you come to your senses being faced with the prospect you’ve only half lived…”
PAULINST0012DS _ Hira – ‘Unreal’
“The winter of 2018 gave the ice to this song. Lighted in the glow of a person who no longer shines inward, this song was composed in the hashish of an individual who becomes abstract in search of some superficial superstition…”
PAULINST0013DS _ REINEN – ‘Shadow Knight”
“Shadow Knight is a ritual ceremony, a synchronic chorus of chaos; It’s a twisted night odyssey as seen through the cat’s eye, with his ability to transmute in body and mind for the prowl. The groove surreptitiously moves with his stealth mission through the supernatural, from the back streets to the eTHERjUNGLE. This ominous opera is an homage to my majestic Chartreux, Bluey Dragon Twist via the freaky lens of CatLady3020.”
PAULINST0011DS _ Ruthven – ‘Have You Decided?’
“It’s narrated in the form of a heart-on-your-sleeve kind of romantic gesture. The narrator doesn’t feel like they deserve love, but in this case, believes they’ve found the real thing. The other is very present throughout the song but stays silent despite giving ‘affection’. Though the song has a romantic feel, the declaration of love remains unanswered.”
PAULINST0010DS _ Fabiana Palladino – ‘Waiting’
“I wrote Waiting a few years back. I was playing my old Teisco shark-fin guitar a lot and wanted to write my own version of a new-wave guitar tune. I was listening to Joe Jackson, Squeeze, early Police… and then I heard ‘When You Were Mine’ by Prince – a perfect mix of that new-wave sound with the funk he brought to it. Prince’s song is about a love triangle but mine is from the perspective of a broken android left behind in a destroyed city. She’s sick of waiting for her human lover to come back for her. She’s the voice of my own real-life frustrations with that feeling of endlessly waiting for things, both mundane & extraordinary, to happen… for work to pick up, for boys to text back, for life to start!”
PAULINST0014DS _ Pen Pals – ‘Dynasty’
“When rival values create rivals. Contempt is rising, delusions charge anger, and jealousy is in denial. Dynasty is simple, and its voice preaches against exceeding simplicity”. Pen Pals is the newest recruit to the Paul Institute, a culture fusion between the jungles of Bermuda and streets of Heathrow; a duo comprising Keen Collard and Mahir Mistry. Recorded in its entirety over video conference software, ‘Dynasty’ celebrates the origins of both artists, their fibre optic friendship, and the international sound clash.”
Arcade Fire have unveiled a new performance of their track ‘Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)’, in celebration of The Suburbs‘ 10th anniversary. Régine Chassagne and Win Butler played the track during a livestream hosted by Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts, where they also performed ‘The Suburbs’ and ‘Haiti’ off 2004’s Funeral. Watch their performance below.
“The Suburbs is 10 years old now. Can’t wait to all play music together again. Until then, stay safe and well,” they wrote on Instagram.
Back in April, Butler revealed that the band is working on their follow-up to 2017’s Everything Now. “We had been exploring a lot of lyrical and musical themes that feel almost eerily related to what is happening now,” he wrote.
In 1999, Bill Callahan released the album Knock Knock under the moniker Smog. It opens with the track ‘Let’s Move to the Country’, which was presumably about his residence in a South Carolina farmhouse with Cat Power’s Chan Marshall at a time when their relationship was falling apart. Now, Callahan has reworked the track for his upcoming album Gold Record. Listen to the new version and revisit the original below.
“Let’s pretend it’s a new song. Please. I have nothing else,” Callahan said on social media when sharing the track. It certainly sounds different: more stripped-back, intimate, and warm, it’s more in line with the overall mood of the new album.
British punk trio Big Joanie have released a cover of Solange’s ‘Cranes in the Sky’, from her critically acclaimed 2016 album A Seat At The Table. It appears alongside an original composition titled ‘It’s You’ as part of a 7″ that’s set to arrive on August 14 via Third Man Records. Check out the cover below.
To celebrate the release of the 7″, the band will perform a socially-distanced release concert at London’s Ecstatic Peace Library Record Store at BOLT on August 15. Entry will be free, with proceeds from donations going to Girls Rock London and Decolonise Fest.
Big Joanie put out their debut album, Sistahs, in 2018, and are gearing up for the release of its follow-up, to be released via legendary punk label Kill Rock Stars.
