“I wrote this song about a boy I had a crush on who really wanted nothing to do with me,” Allegra Weingarten, who sings lead vocals on ‘Motorbike’, explained in a statement. “The song is basically just fantasy – even though it’s about a real person, it’s also about how we can make up elaborate ideas of who other people are in our heads, and get so caught up in these fake scenarios that they kind of end up feeling real. I wanted the song to feel like you’re escaping something, because my daydreams about this boy and his motorcycle were definitely an escape from my life at the time.”
Zambian-born, Botswana-raised rapper Sampa the Great has announced her sophomore album, As Above, So Below, which lands on September 9 via Loma Vista. To accompany the news, Sampa has released a video for the new single ‘Never Forget’, featuring Zambian rapper Chef 187 and two of Sampa’s relatives, cousin Tio Nason and sister Mwanjé. Check it out below and scroll down for the LP’s cover art and tracklist.
“‘Never Forget’ is an ode to Zamrock music, a genre born in the 70’s combining traditional Zambian music and psychedelic rock,” Sampa explained in a press release. “In particular, the song focuses on kalindula music. This tribute was inspired by the band WITCH and their lead singer Mr Jagari Chanda, who has become one of my musical mentors. I discovered Zamrock later in my life and was surprised that this music was known globally, yet not fully celebrated and acknowledged in Zambia today. It hit home for me as I felt similarities in my own journey, having had my career take off outside my birth country. I thought it was fitting to pay homage to those who came before me and merge past, present and future through music and imagery; passing the baton from one generation to the next. The archival footage in the clip includes the late great Paul Ngozi, the late president Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia’s first president) and the legendary WITCH.”
Furmaan Ahmed, who directed the song’s video, commented: “Creating this work was an incredibly cathartic experience as it was a nod to the iconoclasm of our shared cultures, heritage and bloodlines that have been erased over time. At its heart, Never Forget is an homage to the strength, resilience and magic of the diaspora, the veneration of time and in particular Sampa’s Zambian heritage. Set inside a world birthing itself from a dark ancestral monument, we invoke the past to imagine new futures. Never Forget is a ritualistic unearthing and a celebration of our heritages and the power of music in liberation.”
As Above, So Below Cover Artwork:
As Above, So Below Tracklist:
1. Shadows
2. Lane [feat. Denzel Curry]
3. Never Forget [feat. Chef 187, Tio Nason, Mwanjé]
4. Mask on [feat. Joey Bada$$]
5. BONA
6. Can I Live [feat. W.I.T.C.H]
7. Imposter Syndrome feat. James Sakala
8. Tilibobo
9. Lo Rain [feat. Mwanjé]
10. IDGAF [feat. Kojey Radical]
11. Let Me Be Great [feat. Angélique Kidjo]
Momma is the Brooklyn-based band led by vocalists and guitarists Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten, who met during high school in Los Angeles and have been making music since their teenage years. The pair started developing their ridiculously catchy, exhilarating style of indie rock on their 2018 debut Interloper before expanding their vision on 2020’s breakthrough Two of Me, a concept album that earned them considerable recognition. This Friday, Momma are returning with Household Name, their most ambitious and confident statement yet, one that deftly balances addictive, grunge-inflected hooks with intensely heartfelt songwriting and a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek humour.
Although they wrote several songs separately to reflect their individual experiences, the duo worked closely together throughout the entire process of making the album, their first to be recorded in a proper studio. With producer Aron Kobayashi Ritch helping to elevate and polish up their sound, Household Name feels at once bigger and more intimate, maintaining an earnest self-awareness whether cheekily obsessing over rock stardom or grappling with heartbreak, blurring the line between reality and fantasy. Momma promise a uniquely thrilling ride – and no matter how deep your knowledge of ‘90s alt-rock runs, or how much you can relate to the album’s deeply personal themes, it’s an invitation that’s hard to resist.
We caught up with Momma for this edition of our Artist Spotlight interview series to talk about the making of Household Name, rock culture, band feuds, and more.
Etta, I read that after making Two of Me, you said that the next record couldn’t help but be more personal. Where do you think that need came from, and in what ways do you think that intimacy ended up manifesting on the record – even though it’s also quite conceptual?
Etta Friedman: Well, the last record was a full concept record. There’s moments where you can get personal with it and project your own personal stuff into these characters and stories that we were playing around with, but I think as we’ve grown as individuals and as songwriters, our full outlet of expression, in terms of our emotional our inner emotional states, really comes out through writing music, individually and together – going through things together as well. I just think we didn’t want to write something that was so concept-based. There’s fun things to play around with that definitely show off our personalities, like ‘Rockstar’, for example, but I think it was really easy to get more emotional.
Your personalities definitely come through on the record, and you’ve also said that you wanted Household Name to serve as a true introduction to Momma. I was wondering if that’s partly because you feel like you’re more aware of what makes the band unique, and more aware of yourselves and your relationship.
Allegra Weingarten: Yeah, that’s a good way to put it. We’ve been a band for like seven years at this point, which a lot of people don’t know. We’ve kind of been doing it for a while, so we definitely have honed in how we write together and how we play guitar together, but also as individuals. I think we definitely know what makes us special, and we’ve tried a lot of things and some of them haven’t worked. [laughs] So now, this is kind of like, “OK, here’s what we feel is going to work. Let’s just do that.”
Did you feel that confidence immediately when you started working on the record, or is it more now that you look back that you realize it’s reflective of who you are?
EF: I think the process was so different for this record that it made us way more confident. We just had so much time – we just didn’t have time to do a lot before in terms of recording. We’re recording in between school breaks and things like that, the only times that we can really get together. And now we all live in the same city and we had all the time on our hands to mess around and listen to things and we demoed at Aron’s house, and he has his own studio. So it was the first time that we were able to lay something down and then listen back to it, and then sit with it for three days until the next time we demo and come back with ideas. We rehearsed every song before we went into recording. That’s something different for us. [laughs] So it was just a really easy process, in terms of being able to feel that type of confidence. We had so much time and practice and we were all together, so it was easy to be as dedicated as we’ve always wanted to be.
A lot of the album revolves around rock culture, which obviously is one of the things that brought you together when you met in high school. What else do you remember bonding over, and what are your memories of that time in general?
AW: There’s a lot. The first time Etta and I ever hang out, we watched Cops for like 24 hours straight. Not that we love cops or anything, just the show. [laughs] But we definitely bonded over true crime, reality TV and stuff like that. Alex G was a huge one for us. Speedy Ortiz was a band that we both loved. Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
ET: One of my first memories being at your place, too, is we were chilling and listening to Rocky Horror. [laughs]
AW: Whoa, yeah.
ET: I just remember being like, “This is cool.” Because I had been a huge fan for so long and didn’t really know that many people who liked it. So, that, and then I just think generally going to high school together, the characters that were perusing the halls with us were pretty crazy, so we were able to just observe [laughs] and talk about a lot.
You mentioned some artists that you were getting into at the time. How much do you think your ideas of rock culture or the music industry in general that are reflected on Household Name formed at that age and have stayed with you?
ET: I had no concept of what the music industry was when we were starting to make music. It wasn’t even until two years ago that we had to think about getting a manager, realistically, if we wanted to try to get on a label. Things like that where you’re like, “We can’t just do it ourselves.” We grew up in this very DIY mentality and grew up in a really DIY scene, so my idea of all that has changed so much. But I feel very savvy now, so that’s good. Very business-y, like, can read a contract – not really, but you know, things like that.
AW: As a kid, my perception of a rock star had nothing to do with how those people function in the industry, and how crazy it is that people could be so outspoken and do whatever they wanted and still get record deals and contracts and crazy offers. Because I feel like now being in the industry, which we barely are, it just makes you realize how polite you have to be to everyone and how carefully you have to be who you are. You have to be a good person to work with in order to get other opportunities. And you can’t just be the rock star diva that I thought everyone was allowed to be. [laughs]
I have a question about Smashing Pumpkins, so maybe we’ll get back to that… But in terms of how your understanding of the music world has changed based on your involvement in it, did you see that directly influencing the record in any way?
ET: I don’t know if there was a huge influence on our experience of growing as a band. ‘Rockstar’, obviously, is about being a rock star and paying your rent and going on tour, but that’s not reflective of our experience – it was literally based off watching Tenacious D.
AW: ‘Rip Off’ is about us being denied by labels. ‘No Stage’, for me, I was going through a really hard breakup and it was basically just me talking to myself about how I didn’t need anyone else. I was just making this record, and all I needed to do was just write. It’s also semi-fictional, but ‘No Stage’, definitely. I mean, if it’s not in the lyrics, it’s in the music itself, because the record took us a year to even write. We were writing for a year before we started recording it. So as all these things were happening, we were getting offers, then getting denied, and then we signed. There’s a lot at once, and we definitely kept on stepping up our game with the recording style and the production and changing things around. We definitely learned a lot in that year about the industry and how it works.
I read that one of the bands that you were obsessing over was Nirvana, partly as a way of getting over that breakup. I also obsessed over them during a very specific time in my life, and I’m fascinated by this idea of obsession as a form of healing. It’s not clear to me how much of it is about the thing that you’re obsessing over and whether it’s related to your experience, and how much of it is just the obsession itself. I don’t know if that makes sense.
AW: That makes a lot of sense. I’m also a highly obsessive person. I mean, I don’t think that Nirvana or Kurt Cobain really had anything to do with my breakup because they don’t even really have that many breakup songs. But yeah, it was just the obsession itself. For me, it was just having something to go home to every day that was getting me through the day, knowing that I could go home and watch a bunch of Nirvana videos and feel like a detective looking through YouTube and the internet.
Household Name includes references to both the Pavement song ‘Gold Soundz’ and ‘Hummer’ by Smashing Pumpkins. I was recently reading about the feud between those two bands, and the different values they came to represent, in Steven Hyden’s book Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me. I was wondering how much you think that kind of cultural context even matters for people in our generation who are discovering these bands now.
ET: I think this is going back to what we were talking about – the idea of being a classic rock star was so functional back then, not as much nowadays. And I think that the interesting thing with these feuds is just the media back then also making it a big deal or making it a point of conversation. I think that’s more so interesting rather than something that’s necessary to know nowadays. If you’re someone who nerds out about music history in the way that we do, it gives context to the records when you listen to them. There’s a Pavement song [‘Range Life’] that directly references the Smashing Pumpkins and how they don’t like them. That’s really just funny. [laughs] I just think that’s ballsy and cool.
AW: I actually didn’t even realize that we did that, to be completely honest.
ET: I didn’t either, that was not intentional.
AW: We were simply shouting out songs that we liked and that also happened to rhyme. I don’t know, a lot of people always say, like, “Momma sounds like they’re from the ‘90s” and “What is it about the ’90s that you love?” It’s just a time where good music was made and I think there’s nothing really that deep about it. I would be lying if I sat here and was like, “The ethics and the mindset of the ‘90s…” [Etta laughs] I just don’t feel that way, you know. You could have never heard these bands and still enjoy our music, you could have known these bands and seen these bands live and still enjoy our music. And if you think all we’ve ever written is a ripoff, then you were never going to enjoy our music anyway.
What interests me about the Smashing Pumpkins-Pavement feud is less what Stephen Malkmus’ intentions were when writing ‘Range Life’ than what it came to signify for Billy Corgan, and the type of people that are more likely to identify with each side. Maybe being removed from the ‘90s, in a way, makes us obsess more about the music and the history rather than trying to fit ourselves into all that.
ET: It’s interesting because feuds like that and bands getting pinned against each other, and then the social repercussions of that in terms of, like, “Are you a Cure fan or are you a Smiths fan? Are you Stones are you Beatles?” It says a lot about the type of person, and it’s interesting because I was thinking that there’s not even that today – I can’t think of, right now at least, two bands that are defining youth culture. You’re either this or this, then you’re either a jock or you’re a bad boy, whatever it is. It’s just a fascinating part of music history.
In your experience, do you feel like the industry, or at least the community among artists, has created a more inclusive and supportive environment and that there’s less of a tendency to pin bands against one another?
AW: Yeah, definitely. I don’t think that the media really has pinned two bands together in a really long time. I wouldn’t even be able to think of an example. And I think that bands are really supportive of each other, too. I will say that a lot of music journalists get pretty lazy when comparing femme bands with each other, just because we’ve gotten compared to a lot of other bands that have femme frontpeople that I don’t think we sound anything alike. And it’s not to say that one of us is better than the other, it’s just simply different. And it’s confusing and misleading, because, I don’t know, you wouldn’t say that Fontaines D.C. sounds like Alex G – it’s random, it doesn’t happen. But all the time you get “Momma sounds like this” or “Clairo sounds like this” and “Snail Mail sounds like this.” We’re all different. We’re all really individual and unique artists. That’s my one problem with contemporary indie music media.
ET: I also do feel like as a society, we’ve maybe moved past having to be like, “this femme-fronted band.” We’re just a band. It’s not how we identify. I don’t know why that’s a situation. We’re just playing music, and we like to do it. And I like to think we’re good at it, so there’s no point in putting some type of weird moniker to that.
Having introduced a distinct sound and approach on Household Name, do you feel like there’s a need for you to explore different ideas and diversify even more going forwards, or is it more about continuing to hone that style?
AW: I think we definitely want to try a lot of other things. I think we have a distinct way of writing guitar parts and melodies, but what makes this record so unique is that there’s a lot of conventional guitar sounds layered with unconventional stuff, like there’s a lot of breakbeat drum sample stuff that Aaron did. The beginning of ‘Rip Off’ has some weird percussion made from card shuffling – all of those different textures folded in is what we’re making a statement as being us, being more Momma. And also, I think we figured out that we can write a pretty catchy chorus. So we’ll try to write even catchier choruses.
Can you share one thing that inspires you about each other?
ET: Oh, that’s such a good question.
AW: Well, outside of being a musician, Etta inspires me in a lot of ways. I see the way that Etta interacts with people and how people interact with Etta, and they’re just a really magnetic, kind, approachable person. And I really enjoy that and I aspire to have that kind of energy all the time.
ET: That’s super sweet, thank you. Allegra inspires me in her confidence. I feel like you know exactly what you want and will say it, and that’s awesome. And you know how indecisive and hard it is for me to, like, say shit sometimes, especially when it comes to songwriting. Allegra inspires me in terms of music as well because the way that she writes leads is so different, and I feel like it’s so cool to watch because you can hear what you’re about to play and then you’re just trying to do it. And then you finally figure it out and it’s like, “Yeah!” We’re all like, “Yes, this is it.” Allegra writes guitar differently than I do, but the way that it meshes together works really nicely.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Snail Mail has shared a cover of Superdrag’s 2002 track ‘Feeling Like I Do’, her contribution to the Spotify Singles series. She’s also unveiled a new rendition of her Valentine cut ‘Headlock’. Take a listen below.
Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan had this to say in a statement about the release:
So a typical day in the studio for me has been really different from album to album. But the approach I’ve taken more recently is to flesh out the demo as much as possible before bringing the song into the studio so I can work out the details by myself. I work incredibly slowly and don’t like to be under too much pressure while trying to be creative. I like taking lots of breaks and giving the songs room to breathe before continuing to work on them. So I try to spend a lot of time in the studio. It’s also super important for me to take breaks, to eat good food and get air. It can be really mentally draining work, so it’s important to adjust according to how you work as an individual.
So I think that the Spotify version of Headlock is different from the original version of Headlock in that the original was recorded almost two years ago, and the more I performed the song, the more I think of ideas that I wish I had put into the original. This version gave me the opportunity to implement some of those ideas.
The ideal listening environment for my Spotify Singles are in a dark wet cave.
It’s been really cool getting to cover, feeling like I do by super drag because I love it and I’ve loved it for a while and I was able to make it my own by singing on it.
Snail Mail released Valentine, her sophomore album, last year.
It’s summer, and that means it’s the season of music festivals! From Lollapalooza to Coachella, we’re gearing up to spend some long weekends outdoors, dancing the day away with our favorite artists. Here are five things you can bring to ensure you don’t wipe out before the encore.
Keep Yourself Above 10%
When you’re jostling with thousands of dusty concertgoers, it’s easy to lose track of the crew you came with, making your smartphone that much more essential.
But unless the festival grounds have charging stations, you also have to worry about your phone battery. Or do you?
Bring a portable battery or if you’re with a big crew, invest in the best solar generator to keep your squad connected. It’s perfect for festivals, camping, tailgating, and when you need some extra juice to keep you connected in the great outdoors. Take Lorde’s advice and “turn it on in a new kind of bright.”
Hydrate
Festivals are often exhausting, and with temperatures hitting record highs, it’s more crucial than ever to keep yourself hydrated.Skip the long lines at the beer tent and bring yourself a reusable bottle to keep your system cool.
Regular sips throughout the day will maintain your energy throughout the day. If you are planning on drinking, it’s also a smart way of mitigating that nasty hangover on the second day of the festival.
Is your fanny pack filling up? Look for a collapsible container that won’t take up too much space after you’ve replenished.
Sun Protection
Speaking of the heat, a little SPF goes a long way in combating the sun. If you’re soaking it up with Sheryl Crow or vibing with Vance Joy in the Saturday Sun, you’d better bring some protection for your body’s largest organ.
Re-apply generously throughout the day—your skin will thank you. So will your selfies, unless you want to look beat red in your photos!
Ready for Rain in July
It’s not just the sun that can damper your fun. When the storm clouds gather, be ready with a poncho or two. As every Gaga or Grande stan knows, you have to be resilient when the rain comes. A quick-dry towel and a light raincoat will keep you dancing in the front row, flicking off every drop.
Blanket
Maybe Erykah Badu is running 45 minutes late to her show. Maybe you’re not interested in seeing the next band. Or maybe you need to sit down and take a breather. That’s when it’s time to spread out a blanket and take up some space on the lawn.
It’s a great way to relax and recharge in the middle of a long day. If you’re coming to the shows solo, it’s also a fantastic way to make new friends.
Be Prepared
As with any multi-day event, a little preparation goes a long way. When you’re partying hard, sometimes the slightest inconvenience can be a total buzz kill. With the essentials we listed, you’ll be ready for all the elements, so you can stay relaxed and enjoy what you broke into your savings account for: the music.
DraftKings has announced plans to open a temporary retail sportsbook. The pop-up location will be at the Bay Mills Resorts & Casino in Brimley, Michigan. The plan is to be open late June, 2022.
The American company cited the need to give its growing fanbase a taste of in-person sports betting. The temporary location will include sports betting via human ticket booths. It will also include six self-service kiosks with the same appeal as the company’s mobile sportsbook app.
The new establishment is temporary but it is part of a larger plan to open a permanent retail sportsbooks in late 2022. DraftKings sees this temporary location as a way to gain experience in the market. It should serve as a foundation for the company’s future retail sportsbook.
The future permanent locations will include more amenities. There will be more self-service kiosks, live ticket booths, and large video walls will complete the new locations. The opening of the temporary location will be marked by special celebrations by DraftKings and Bay Mills Resort & Casino.
Partnerships Facilitating DraftKings Expansion
The new location will be part of DraftKings’ 2020 agreement with Bay Mills Resort & Casino. The two collaborated on an agreement to give the mobile sportsbook company access to Michigan sports bettors.
DraftKings’ Chief Business Officer, Ezra Kucharz, noted that the partnership will allow the company to capitalize on the opportunities available in Michigan. More importantly, it will be one more opportunity for the company’s efforts to provide Michigan residents with the top-tier experience. h DraftKings is known to have excellent customer service.
Michigan residents have expressed an interest in online sports betting. Unlike many others in the US, the local laws already support limited casino locations. Before DraftKings arrived in Michigan, roughly one-third of the population had placed legal bets via mobile phone. DraftKings enhanced the betting experience for Michigan residents by making it more innovative, immersive, and entertaining. The new location is an extension of the enhanced gaming experiences. Michigan residents will now have more entertainment options.
The plan to open a retail sportsbook follows the announced partnership with UK-based BetBlocker. A partnership designed to promote safer play technologies. DraftKings customers can now customize gaming restrictions on any device using BetBlocker’s free software.
DraftKings’ partnership with BetBlocker symbolized the company’s commitment to responsible gaming. The company is expanding its S.E.R.V.E.S. (Service, Equity, Responsible Gaming, Vitality, Entrepreneurship, and Sports) program. There will be a new emphasis on responsible gaming ethos.
Is a Mobile Casino Better Than an In-person Casino?
Many will be enticed to bet due to the new opportunity for in-person sports betting. However, the current trends in the industry are toward online sports betting. Reality suggests that it is all a matter of convenience for different kinds of punters. From being considered a passing fad, mobile casinos have risen to dominance. Given the increased internet and smartphone usage, online betting appears to be the future of sports betting.
Many casinos have developed iOS and Android apps. They also have online platforms that are accessible without the use of apps, which means that customers no longer have to go through the tedious process of downloading time-consuming apps.
Other advantages of mobile casinos include the availability of bonuses. In most cases, online platforms offer better deals than traditional casinos. They are also more convenient as well. One can bet from anywhere and at any time as long as they have an internet connection. Online gamblers also have more freedom to switch platforms for better odds.
Mobile casinos are not without flaws. Ease of access may provide some the opportunity to engage in risky behavior. Most proactive gambling legislation include stringent guidelines to safeguard the population from irresponsible gambling.
Online casinos are also chastised for having a limited number of slots. Some casino games have yet to be simulated in order to create software versions. Online gamblers miss out on such games, making their gaming experience less enjoyable than that of in-person gamblers. Online gamblers may miss out on games that cannot be played on smaller screens in some cases.
This realization is one of the primary motivations for DraftKings’ decision to open a retail sportsbook at the prestigious Bay Mills Resort. Operating a retail sportsbook is one way for Michigan residents to compensate for the various online casinos’ shortcomings. It will also help to promote the brand and strengthen its position as a sports betting company. It represents the company’s progress and foreshadows a bright future.
In the fourth track of their new self-titled record, synth-pop trio MUNA – consisting of LA natives Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson, and Josette Maskin – considers what it means to forge a new path. “If we’d kept heading the same direction,” ponders Gavin, the lead singer, “Would we be home by now?” After their standout 2019 record Saves the World, their career took a turn when they were dropped by their major label just as the pandemic began, but rather than hitting the brakes the band hurtled forward into new music and a poppier sound. To release an eponymous record this far into their career is an admirable act of self-definition; as their debut since being signed to Phoebe Bridgers’ label Saddest Factory, this project maps change, heartbreak, and self-discovery, blending lilting Americana and vibrant disco.
The album’s opener, ‘Silk Chiffon’, features Bridgers herself, and serves as the breezy pop embodiment of lazy afternoons and youthful freedom; the hook “Life’s so fun, life’s so fun/ Got my mini skirt and my rollerblades on” went viral on TikTok last year, with users affixing it to clips of coffee runs and pastel sunsets. Gavin’s vocals are both wistful and contented as she charts the slow fade of summer days, with faintly garbled harmonies running behind acoustic guitar to create the feeling of plunging into cool water before rising into the sunshine. Yet if this track is drenched in ebullience, the next song, ‘What I Want’, provides a sharp sonic contrast, with an explosive drum track and shimmering ‘90s keys. The chorus ushers in synths that leap and thump in flashes, like shafts of light shooting from a disco ball. “I want the fireworks/ I want the chemistry,” Gavin declares, fantasising about a night of elation at a gay club.
MUNA carves a space of total acceptance and thrilling adventure, traversing a sparkling cosmos of pop. ‘Runner’s High’ opens up a bubbling electronic landscape as sounds shift like tectonic plates; synths shudder in the manner of small earthquakes, and the end of the chorus sweeps in like an eruption, with drums pounding and pulling back. Buzzing with a kind of trapped energy, the track delicately balances urgency and hesitation: “Didn’t stay for the fight,” Gavin sings, “Honey you should see me fly.” Such earnest self-examination is notable also in ‘Kind of Girl’, an early single steeped in Americana; Gavin’s vocals take on a country twang as she proclaims, “I’m not some kind of minor trope/ Who’s never gonna change,” adding, as if as an afterthought, “That’s so/ Derivative.” Violins steal in and reinforce this lyrical sincerity, quivering behind slide guitar. Though production can be sparse, this record never lacks depth.
‘Handle Me’ pushes MUNA’s lyrical skill further, playing with cliches of female physicality and appearance to create a softly subversive anthem. “Bend me back and send me flying,” sings Gavin in the second verse. “I’m not gonna break, I promise.” This kind of confidence soars in ‘No Idea,’ another ‘90s club track with energetic synths and irresistible bass which opens with the declaration: “She is not a scene on your movie set/ She is not a mirror in which you reflect/ Yeah, she is of material substance.” Even as they swing from delicate acoustic production to full-blown disco, MUNA’s boldness never wavers.
The end of the record sees no deterioration in either MUNA’s eloquence or sonic playfulness, and previous single ‘Anything But Me’ is the epitome of both. “You’re gonna say that I’m on a high horse,” Gavin drawls amid marching drums and gritty electric guitar. “I think that my horse is regular-sized.” Having waded through the murky depths of grief and uncertainty to finally seize upon self-assurance, MUNA finds independence rather than loneliness: “We’ve paid in pain/ Now we’ll keep the change/ The blame is for the birds,” Gavin reflects in airy falsetto in ‘Loose Garment’. Final track ‘Shooting Star’ shrugs off the weight of the past and dips into new love, wary of the danger of being “hung over the moon, stranded in space.” Country guitar creeps in again as synths and strings emerge and dissolve like light passing over water.
What becomes clear in this record is that, regardless of the route or the destination, MUNA are enjoying the ride. As if moving with the tides, their sound transforms throughout the project, but at its core is vibrant pop that grasps tirelessly at freedom. Perhaps it is not about returning home, but, as Bridgers declares in the closing track of her record Punisher, seeking “a new place to be from.” MUNA makes that place, wherever it is, seem undeniably inviting.
poolblood, the moniker of Toronto artist Maryam Said, has shared a new single called ‘twinkie’, which was produced by Shamir, via Next Door Records. Check out its accompanying Emma Cosgrove-directed visual below.
“‘twinkie’ is a song I wrote about the tenderness of time, time as a source of love, and the way time is the ultimate parent,” Said explained in a statement. “Starting over is as sweet as a golden sponge cake. The song is about starting over, so it was great timing to have Emma and I shoot the video while the flowers were blooming.”
Pianos Become the Teeth have shared a new single, ‘Skiv’, lifted from their upcoming album Drift – out August 26 via Epitaph Records. The track follows lead offering ‘Genevieve’, and you can listen to it below.
“[Skiv] is one of my favorite songs we have ever done,” guitarist Mike York commented in a statement. “It’s slow and brooding and feels uncomfortably dry at times. This song feels like what a 3 AM night feels like to me after having too much to drink.”
Ty Segall has released the latest single from his forthcoming LP “Hello, Hi”, which is due out July 22 via Drag City. Following ‘Saturday Pt. 2’ and the title track, ‘Don’t Lie’ is a cover of a song by The Mantles, which originally appeared on the Oakland band’s 2009 self-titled debut. Give it a listen below.
“Hello, Hi” will follow last year’s surprise-released Harmonizer, as well as Segall’s recently released soundtrack to the Matt Yoka documentary Whirlybird.
