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Camera Obscura Unveil New Song ‘Liberty Print’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Camera Obscura Unveil New Song ‘Liberty Print’

Camera Obscura have released another single from their forthcoming album Look to the East, Look to the West. ‘Liberty Print’ follows the previously unveiled cuts ‘Big Love’ and ‘We’re Gonna Make It in a Man’s World’. Check it out below.

“I like ‘Liberty Print’ because I think it’s the song that sounds most unlike anything we’ve done before,” Tracyanne Campbell shared in a statement. “It introduces a new direction. It sounds fresh and exciting, and it introduces Donna [Maciocia] on keys in a big way. It was important to us that if we were to have a new player, that she be allowed to make her own creative stamp on the songs.”

Look to the East, Look to the West arrives May 3 via Merge.

The Future of Dating in Our Constantly Evolving and Malleable Society

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The Future of Dating in Our Constantly Evolving and Malleable Society

In 2021, the global online dating market was valued at $2.5 billion and is on a path to increase to $3.5 billion by 2025. This projection is supported by the rise in the number of dating app users worldwide, which escalated from 240.9 million in 2016 to 366 million in 2022, with an estimated further increase to 452.5 million by 2028.

The financial implications of these statistics are profound, with dating app revenue reaching $5.61 billion in 2021. However, forecasts suggest a slight dip to $5.34 billion in 2023. This fluctuation might be attributed to various factors, including market saturation, changes in consumer behavior, or advancements in technology that influence how users interact with these platforms.

In the United States specifically, the proliferation of online dating is evident, with 19% of internet users currently engaged on a dating platform and an additional 27% having utilized such services in the past. This widespread adoption underscores a cultural shift towards the acceptance and normalization of online dating as a fundamental component of contemporary social interactions.

Shifting Perceptions and Priorities in Dating

Contemporary dating is not only shaped by technological advancements but also by changing societal perceptions and priorities among different generations. A striking example is the viewpoint of Gen Z, where 69% as of 2024, express a diminished emphasis on adhering to a conventional relationship timeline, opting instead for a more leisurely exploration of dating experiences. This perspective is indicative of a broader societal move towards valuing individualistic approaches to relationships over traditional milestones.

Furthermore, preferences within the dating pool have shown considerable evolution. A notable 63% of online daters in 2024 report prioritizing emotional maturity over physical appearance. This shift suggests a deeper search for meaningful connections as opposed to superficial attractions, a trend that could profoundly affect how relationships are initiated and developed.

The internet has also facilitated niche dating interests and needs. For instance, there’s a noted increase in online searches to find a sugar daddy, signaling a demand for relationships that may not conform to traditional frameworks but fulfill particular desires or circumstances of the individuals involved.

Additionally, with the birth of various technologies, there’s been a notable change in how initial interactions occur, with 23% of OkCupid users in 2022 having video chats before meeting in person, an increase from 16% in 2017. This approach, along with 23% of Plenty of Fish users widening their location preferences, signifies a growing comfort with utilizing diverse and flexible methods to foster connections that are not limited by geographical constraints.

Technological Advancements and Their Double-Edged Impact

The role of emerging technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence in shaping the dating scene cannot be overstated. These innovations offer novel ways to connect and interact, enhancing the user experience and introducing complexities. Artificial intelligence, for example, has improved the sophistication of algorithms and bots, potentially making matches more precise. However, this same technology contributes to the proliferation of fake profiles that dupe users, undermining trust in the platforms.

Blockchain technology is hinted to have the potential to enhance user verification processes, thereby increasing safety and authenticity. However, it simultaneously raises concerns regarding privacy and data security. Users are becoming increasingly cautious about the information they share online, given the risks associated with digital platforms.

Despite these technological advancements, challenges persist, including the lack of nonverbal cues in digital communications, an overreliance on technology which may impair the development of interpersonal skills, and unrealistic expectations fostered by curated social media personas. These issues underscore a critical examination of how technology shapes human relationships and the necessity for users to navigate these tools judiciously.

Historically, the LGBTQ community has faced unique struggles in the dating scene, with 56% of LGBTQ online daters having received unwanted sexually explicit messages. This statistic points to the broader issue of safety and respect in digital spaces, which platforms must address. Conversely, 48% of young social media users in relationships view technology as important for expressing affection, highlighting the nuanced role of digital tools in facilitating connections.

The Lemon Twigs Release New Song ‘How Can I Love Her More?’

Konstantinos Pappis
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The Lemon Twigs Release New Song ‘How Can I Love Her More?’

The Lemon Twigs have released a new song, ‘How Can I Love Her More?’, taken from their forthcoming album A Dream Is All We – out May 3 on Captured Tracks. It follows previous offerings ‘My Golden Years’, ‘They Don’t Know How to Fall in Place’, and the title track. Check out a video for it below.

“With ‘How Can I Love Her More?’ we tried to bridge the gap between professional Brill Building writing and the more off-the-wall writing style of the post Sgt Pepper psychedelic scene,” the band commented in a statement. “There are a lot of musical ideas but it’s still a catchy pop song. We’re very excited for people to hear it!”

Joyer Drop New Single ‘Softer Skin’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Joyer Drop New Single ‘Softer Skin’

Joyer have shared a new single, ‘Softer Skin’, lifted from their upcoming LP Night Songs. Following previous entries ‘Silver Moon’, ‘Star’, ‘Drive All Night’, and ‘Fall Apart’, the track arrives with a video by Sabrina Nichols. Check it out below.

“’Softer Skin’ was a fun one to write because it was one of those songs that just was a product of us messing around and jamming,” the duo’s Shane Sullivan said in a statement. “I love approaching songs like that every once in a while because it reminds me of the spontaneity and playfulness of making music. Some of the lyrics were inspired by this exhibit I saw about antique weathervanes from farms around the country combined with a recurring stress dream I was having. Every possible thing that could go wrong in ordinary life did; accidentally locking myself out of my apartment, trying to park my car and hitting every single car around me, things like that. I knew I really wanted to incorporate that into a song. I guess I’m kind of an anxious person and feel like I can be unlucky sometimes.”

Nick Sullivan added: “The video was made by Sabrina Nichols who also sings on the track with us. I used to drum in her band Shep Treasure and always loved her singing in that project so it was cool to have her featured on a couple of songs. We’ve also been huge fans of her animation for a while so it was awesome to have her do her thing for the video. A lot of songs on this album were written around the times we were touring with Shep Treasure, and her other band Kitchen, which were some of the best times I’ve had since starting Joyer, so I think it works as kind of a fun time capsule for us too.”

Night Songs comes out April 26 via Hit the North/Julia’s War.

Porches Returns With New Song ‘Rag’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Porches Returns With New Song ‘Rag’

Porches, the project of NYC’s Aaron Maine, has returned with a new song called ‘Rag’. It comes paired with a video directed by longtime collaborators Nick Harwood and Ben Carey. Watch and listen below.

Porches’ last album, All Day Gentle Hold !, came out in 2021.

Rich Ruth Announces New Album ‘Water Still Flows’, Shares Video for New Single

Konstantinos Pappis
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Rich Ruth Announces New Album ‘Water Still Flows’, Shares Video for New Single

Nashville-based experimental musician Rich Ruth has announced his third album, Water Still Flows. The follow-up to 2022’s I Survived, It’s Over is set to arrive on June 21 via Third Man Records. Today, Ruth has shared the single ‘No Muscle, No Memory’, alongside a video directed by Joseph Bird. Check it out below.

“After spending a large portion of the past 12 years touring and recording, none of this stuff has gotten easier,” Ruth said in a press release. “Much of the anxiety and intense feelings I’ve poured into this record are a direct correlation to the uncertainty of trying to earn a living with music. Despite many hopeful opportunities I’ve been given, it has taken a toll on my body and mental health merely trying to survive playing music in the current age. The soothing quality of these new pieces reflect a constant search for solitude and stability. The frenetic, heavier parts mirror the tense variability I feel on a regular basis as a working musician. At the end of the day, all of the sacrifice and uncertainty is a small price to pay for the privilege to share this music with people.”

Water Still Flows was recorded at Ruth’s home studio and mixed by Jake Davis (William Tyler, Skyway Man). Other collaborators on the LP include pedal steel player Spencer Cullum, drummer Ruben Gingrich, violinist Patrick M’gonigle, and saxophonist Jared Selner. “Working with people who are just better musicians than me, or play drastically different instruments like harp and saxophone, opens up millions of new pathways of where the music can be taken,” Ruth added. “I’ll stitch a narrative out of these improvisational ideas but letting these players do whatever they want without parameters creates a much more unpredictable and interesting thing.”

Water Still Flows Cover Artwork:

Water Still Flows Tracklist:

1. Action at a Distance
2. Crying in the Trees
3. God Won’t Speak
4. No Muscle, No Memory
5. Aspiring to the Sky
6. Blue Shell
7. Somewhere in Time

Cola Announce New Album ‘The Gloss’, Share Video for New Song

Konstantinos Pappis
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Cola Announce New Album ‘The Gloss’, Share Video for New Song

Cola have announced their sophomore album, The Gloss, which arrives June 14 via Fire Talk. The follow-up to 2021’s Deep in View includes the previously unveiled singles ‘Keys Down If You Stay’ and ‘Bitter Melon’, as well as a new song, ‘Pallor Tricks’. Check out a video for it below, and scroll down for the album cover and tracklist.

“The title ‘Pallor Tricks’ is obviously a play on ‘parlor tricks,'” the band’s Tim Darcy said in a statement. “The lyrics feature imagery from film sets and such. I suppose I was thinking of the kind of self-consciousness that can arise when a camera is rolling. I’ve always been particularly affected by the performances I (rarely) see on so-called ‘reality tv.’ The type of performance where a person is compelled into a kind of ‘hyper-real’ state where they summon grotesque approximations of emotion that are exaggerated but not elevated, as they are in art. I’m sure there’s lots of compelling stuff that goes on in those programs and I don’t mean to cast aspersions, this idea of performance simply became a jumping off point when we were writing this one. The song also cycles to a more sincere open chorus, a kind of musical juxtaposition.”

“The video by Craig Scheihing is not only a brilliant piece of film, it also mirrors some of these themes by presenting an array of screens and refracted 16mm dreamscapes alongside this kind of direct connection of Evan [Cartwright] and his girlfriend,” Darcy added.

The Gloss Cover Artwork:

The Gloss Tracklist:

1. Tracing Hallmarks
2. Pulling Quotes
3. Pallor Tricks
4. Albatross
5. Down to Size
6. Keys Down If You Stay
7. Reprise
8. Nice Try
9. Bell Wheel
10. Bitter Melon

Linda Thompson Announces New Album ‘Proxy Music’, Releases New Song

Konstantinos Pappis
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Linda Thompson Announces New Album ‘Proxy Music’, Releases New Song

Linda Thompson has announced a new album, Proxy Music, which will be released on June 21. It features artists handpicked by Thompson and her son, co-producer Teddy Thompson, to record a new collection of her songs “by proxy.” The Proclaimers, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, John Grant, Dori Freeman, the Unthanks, Ren Havieu, Eliza Carthy, and her children Kami and Teddy contributed to the LP. Listen to the new single ‘Solitary Traveller’, written by Linda Thompson and James Walbourne and featuring Kami Thompson, below.

Commenting on the song, Linda Thompson said: “Solitary Traveller, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been one. But, if you have a lot of people in your life, you sometimes yearn for solitude. Conversely, solitary people often crave company. It is a bit of a dichotomy. My daughter doing the honours.”

Thompson has a rare vocal condition known as spasmodic dysphonia, which began affecting her ability to talk and sing in the early 1980s. Following her 1985 solo debut One Clear Moment, she returned in 2002 with the album Fashionably Late, followed by Versatile Heart in 2007 and Won’t Be Long Now in 2013.

Proxy Music Cover Artwork:

Proxy Music Tracklist:

1. The Solitary Traveller feat. Kami Thompson
2. Or Nothing at All feat. Martha Wainwright
3. Bonnie Lass feat. The Proclaimers
4. Darling This Will Never Do feat. Rufus Wainwright
5. I Used To Be So Pretty feat. Ren Harvieu
6. John Grant feat. John Grant
7. Mudlark feat. The Rails
8. Shores of America feat. Dori Freeman
9. That’s the Way the Polka Goes feat. Eliza Carthy
10. Three Shaky Ships feat. The Unthanks
11. Those Damn Roches feat. Teddy Thompson

METZ Share Video for New Song ‘Superior Mirage’

Konstantinos Pappis
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METZ Share Video for New Song ‘Superior Mirage’

Ahead of the release of their new album Up On Gravity Hill this Friday, METZ have shared a new single called ‘Superior Mirage’. Following previous cuts ’99’, ‘Entwined (Street Light Buzz)’, and ‘Light Your Way Home’ the track comes alongside a music video directed by John Andrews. Check it out below.

“It’s definitely new territory for us, and I really love the sounds we were able to achieve,” frontman Alex Edkins explained in a statement. “We blended a Linn Drum with some homemade samples and made this ad-hoc junkyard drum sound that propels the song along. We really tried to make the backbeat the defining trait of the song. The lift on the chorus is pretty huge, too. We wanted the wall of guitars to knock you sideways.”

Looking ahead to the Champions League Quarter-Final Clashes

Our Culture Mag & Partners
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Looking ahead to the Champions League Quarter-Final Clashes

Every season the Champions League delivers unrivalled drama among Europe’s top clubs and this campaign is no different with the best sides on the continent competing once again for the most famous UEFA trophy.

With millions of people tuning in from every corner of the world, the remaining eight teams are set to offer another football spectacle with fans eagerly anticipating four thrilling ties.

As supporters gear up for the rivalries and attempt to make their Champions League predictions by following expert insight and assessing each side’s chances before placing a wager on their favorite team, the coaches and players of Europe’s stellar sides will be gearing up for the toughest of challenges as they bid to make the semi-finals.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City

This clash sees European Cup royalty take on one of the new kids on the block. While Real Madrid have won the continent’s major competition a record 14 times, Manchester City added their name to the esteemed list of winners for the first time last season when they triumphed over Italian giants Inter in the final.

As the two sides prepare to do battle, it’s fair to say they know plenty about the other having already met in the previous two campaigns. It was City who were victorious last time out, securing a stunning 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium on their way to winning their maiden Champions League. However, in 2022, it was Real who secured bragging rights between the two sides as they came out on top with a 6-5 aggregate victory in the semi-finals which set up a final showdown with Liverpool which they won 1-0 to add another trophy to their collection.

This time around, City boss Pep Guardiola will be aiming to outwit fellow master tactician Carlo Ancelotti. Both clubs boast supreme talent from the defense to the attack and must deal with the same levels of expectancy as only winning is accepted by two fanbases who have come to enjoy success annually.

Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

While Bayern has been regulars in the Champions League this century, the Gunners endured a testing time towards the end of the Arsene Wenger era and so have spent recent seasons in the Europa League.

However, now back on track under manager Mikel Arteta, Arsenal are shining in the Premier League and Europe and will fancy their chances of getting the better of quarter-final opponents Bayern over two legs.

While Arsenal are pushing Man City and Liverpool for the Premier League title, Bayern are enduring a difficult time domestically and look set to miss out on a first Bundesliga title in 13 years as they trail Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen with less than two months of the campaign remaining. For that reason, the Bavarians will be desperate to salvage their season by triumphing in Europe.

With Harry Kane up front, Bayern will be hoping the former Tottenham striker can get one over his former rival as he did on occasion in the north London derby.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona

These two sides played out one of the most incredible ties in football history back in 2017 and anything close to a repeat would be nothing short of extraordinary.

Barcelona, despite their supreme talent and success in this competition, looked all but out after losing the first leg 4-0 in the French capital. With the away goals rule in place, it meant that should PSG score just one goal at the Nou Camp, only finding the net six times or more would be enough to see them progress.

Amazingly, Barca led by three goals to nil with an hour to go and the game was poised when Edison Cavani scored for the away side. It seemed like a massive blow and surely too great a task for the Spanish giants but famously they managed it, with Neymar scoring a late brace before Sergi Roberto netted a stunning clincher in the 95th minute.

This time around, both sets of fans will be hoping for a much more relaxed event but neutrals will be hoping for just half of that drama from seven seasons ago.

Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund

This tie sees two sides who have competed at the top for the last decade despite often having to compete for supremacy with mammoth clubs. While Atletico do well to rival Real and Barcelona in La Liga, Dortmund have been the club in Germany to push Bayern hardest before this campaign.

Diego Simeone’s Atleti are famously difficult to get past and thrived with the away goals rule, capable of finding the net and shutting up shop. However, the fact that a particular method of aggregate scoring is no longer in place gives Dortmund a greater chance of progressing. The 1997 Champions League winners may have drawn a blank in two of their six group games this season but with Nicklas Fullkrug and Donyell Malen up front, BVB will fancy their chances of competing with Atletico and reaching the semi-finals.

Summing Up

The Champions League quarter-finals are set to be watched all over the globe and are sure to be thoroughly entertaining ties. While the winners of Arsenal vs Bayern Munich will face the victor of the match between Real Madrid and Man City, Dortmund or Atletico will take on Barcelona or PSG in the other last four match-ups.

At this stage of the competition, every match is huge and it will be fascinating to see which side comes out on top at the historic Wembley Stadium in June.

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