Home Blog Page 1077

Shame Announce New Album ‘Food for Worms’, Share Video for New Song

Shame have announced the follow-up to 2021’s Drunk Tank Pink. The new LP is called Food for Worms, and it’s set to arrive on February 24 via Dead Oceans. Today’s announcement comes with the release of the lead single ‘Fingers of Steel’, alongside a music video directed by James Humby. Check it out along with the album cover, tracklist, and the band’s upcoming tour dates below.

“Self-obsession, social media flagellation and death can all be seen in this Oscar-nominated performance,” Shame frontman Charlie Steen said of the visual in a statement. “No one’s ever done a video like this before and when you watch it, you’ll see why. Think Casablanca, but in color, and better.”

Shame recruited producer Flood, who has worked with the likes of Nick Cave, U2, and PJ Harvey, to record the new album, which Steen referred to as “the Lamborghini of shame records.”

“I don’t think you can be in your own head forever,” he added. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Popular music is about love, heartbreak, or yourself. There isn’t much about your mates.”

Food for Worms Cover Artwork:

Food for Worms Tracklist:

1. Fingers of Steel
2. Six-Pack
3. Yankees
4. Alibis
5. Adderall
6. Orchid
7. The Fall of Paul
8. Burning by Design
9. Different Person
10. All the People

Shame 2023 Tour Dates:

Mar 1 Dublin, Ireland – Button Factory
Mar 3 Glasgow, Scotland – SWG3
Mar 4 Newcastle upon Tyne, England – Boiler Shop
Mar 5 Leeds, England – Stylus
Mar 7 Sheffield, England – Leadmill
Mar 8 Liverpool, England – Invisible Wind Factory
Mar 9 Bristol, England – SWX
Mar 12 Cardiff, Wales – Tramshed
Mar 14 Nantes, France – Stereolux
Mar 15 Paris, France – Cabaret Sauvage
Mar 16 Bordeaux, France – Rock School Barbey
Mar 18 Lisbon, Portugal – Lisboa ao Vivo (LAV)
Mar 19 Madrid, Spain – Nazca
Mar 20 Barcelona, Spain – La 2 de Apolo
Mar 22 Nimes, France – Paloma
Mar 23 Milan, Italy – Magnolia
Mar 24 Zurich, Switzerland – Plaza
Mar 26 Munich, Germany – Technikum
Mar 27 Berlin, Germany – Astra
Mar 28 Hamburg, Germany – Markthalle
Mar 30 Oslo, Norway – Vulkan
Mar 31 Stockholm, Sweden – Debaser
Apr 1 Copenhagen, Denmark – Vega
Apr 3 Brussels, Belgium – AB
Apr 4 Cologne, Germany – Floria
Apr 6 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg
Apr 28 London, England – Brixton Academy
May 10 Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall
May 12 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
May 13 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
May 14 New York, NY – Warsaw
May 16 Boston, MA – The Sinclair
May 18 Montreal, Quebec – Foufounes Électriques
May 19 Ottawa, Ontario – Club SAW
May 20 Toronto, Ontario – Lee’s Palace
May 22 Kalamazoo, MI – Bell’s Eccentric Cafe
May 24 Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
May 26 St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway
May 27 Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck
May 28 Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge
May 30 Dallas,TX – Granada Theater
Jun 2 Austin, TX – The Scoot Inn
Jun 3 Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
Jun 4 New Orleans, LA – Toulouse Theatre

Grammy Nominations 2023: See the Full List

The 2023 Grammy nominations have been announced. Beyoncé leads this year’s nominations with nine nods, all but one for her latest album Renaissance. (The other is for ‘Be Alive’, her song for the film King Richard.) Kendrick Lamar earned eight nominations for his record Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, while Adele and Brandi Carlile are tied with seven for their albums 30 and In These Silent Days.

All those records are up for Album of the Year, along with ABBA’s Voyage, Mary J. Blige’s Good Morning Gorgeous, Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres, Lizzo’s Special, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, and Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti. Notably, Beyoncé is competing with Adele for Record, Album, and Song of the Year for the first time since 2017, when Adele controversially swept all three categories with 25 and ‘Hello’. Beyoncé is also now tied with Jay-Z for the most nominations received by any musician in the history of the awards, as they have both received a total of 88 nods.

Big Thief, Wet Leg, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were all nominated for both Best Alternative Music Album and Best Alternative Music Performance. Arcade Fire (WE) and Björk (Fossora) also picked up nominations for Best Alternative Music Album, while Arctic Monkeys (‘There’d Better Be a Mirrorball’) and Florence + The Machine’s (‘King’) were recognized in the Best Alternative Music Performance category.

The 65th Grammy Awards will take place on February 5, 2023 in Los Angeles. Check out the full list of nominees below.

Record of the Year 

ABBA – “Don’t Shut Me Down”
Adele – “Easy on Me”
Beyoncé – “Break My Soul”
Mary J. Blige – “Good Morning Gorgeous”
Brandi Carlile featuring Lucius – “You and Me on the Rock”
Doja Cat – “Woman”
Steve Lacy – “Bad Habit”
Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 5”
Lizzo – “About Damn Time”
Harry Styles – “As It Was”

Album of the Year

ABBA – Voyage
Adele – 30
Bad Bunny – Un Verano Sin Ti
Beyoncé – Renaissance
Mary J. Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)
Brandi Carlile – In These Silent Days
Coldplay – Music of the Spheres
Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers
Lizzo – Special 
Harry Styles – Harry’s House

Song of the Year

Gayle – “Abcdefu”
Lizzo – “About Damn Time”
Taylor Swift – “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”
Harry Styles – “As It Was”
Steve Lacy – “Bad Habit”
Beyoncé – “Break My Soul”
Adele – “Easy On Me”
DJ Khaled featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend and Fridayy – “God Did”
Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 5”
Bonnie Raitt – “Just Like That”

Best New Artist

Anitta
Omar Apollo
DOMi and JD Beck
Muni Long
Samara Joy
Latto
Måneskin
Tobe Nwigwe
Molly Tuttle
Wet Leg

Best Pop Solo Performance

Adele – “Easy on Me”
Bad Bunny – “Moscow Mule”
Doja Cat – “ Woman”
Steve Lacy – “Bad Habit”
Lizzo – “About Damn Time”
Harry Styles – “As It Was”

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

ABBA – “Don’t Shut Me Down”
Camila Cabello featuring Ed Sheehan – “Bam Bam”
Coldplay and BTS – “My Universe”
Post Malone and Doja Cat – “I Like You (A Happier Song)”
Sam Smith and Kim Petras – “Unholy”

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Michael Bublé – Higher
Kelly Clarkson – When Christmas Comes Around
Norah Jones – I Dream of Christmas (Extended)
Pentatonix – Evergreen
Diana Ross – Thank You

Best Pop Vocal Album

ABBA – VoyageAdele – 30
Coldplay – Music of the Spheres
Lizzo – Special
Harry Styles – Harry’s House

Best Dance/Electronic Recording

Beyoncé – “Break My Soul”
Bonobo – “Rosewood”
Diplo and Miguel – “Don’t Forget My Love”
David Guetta and Bebe Rexha – “I’m Good (Blue)”
Kaytranada featuring H.E.R. – “Intimidated”
Rüfüs Du Soul – “On My Knees”

Best Dance/Electronic Music Album

Beyoncé – Renaissance
Bonobo – Fragments
Diplo – Diplo
Odesza – The Last Goodbye
Rüfüs Du Soul – Surrender

Best Rock Performance

Bryan Adams – “So Happy It Hurts”
Beck – “Old Man”
The Black Keys – “Wild Child”
Brandi Carlile – “Broken Horses”
Idles – “Crawl!”
Ozzy Osbourne featuring Jeff Beck – “Patient Number 9”
Turnstile – “Holiday”

Best Metal Performance

Ghost – “Call Me Little Sunshine”
Megadeth – “We’ll Be Back”
Muse – “Kill or Be Killed”
Ozzy Osbourne featuring Tony Iommi – “Degradation Rules”
Turnstile – “Blackout”

Best Rock Song

Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Black Summer”
Turnstile – “Blackout”
Brandi Carlile – “Broken Horses”
The War on Drugs – “Harmonia’s Dream”
Ozzy Osbourne featuring Jeff Beck – “Patient Number 9”

Best Rock Album

The Black Keys – Dropout Boogie
Elvis Costello and the Imposters – The Boy Named If
Idles – Crawler
Machine Gun Kelly – Mainstream Sellout
Ozzy Osbourne – Patient Number 9
Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa

Best Alternative Music Performance

Arctic Monkeys – “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball”
Big Thief – “Certainty”
Florence and the Machine – “King”
Wet Leg – “Chaise Longue”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs featuring Perfume Genius – “Spitting Off the Edge of the World”

Best Alternative Music Album

Arcade Fire – WE
Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
Björk – Fossora
Wet Leg – Wet Leg
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Cool It Down

Best R&B Performance

Beyoncé – “Virgo’s Groove”
Mary J. Blige featuring Anderson . Paak – “Here With Me”
Muni Long – “Hrs and Hrs”
Lucky Daye – “Over”
Jazmine Sullivan – “Hurt Me So Good”

Best Traditional R&B Performance 

Snow Aalegra – “Do 4 Love”
Babyface featuring Ella Mai – “Keeps on Fallin’”
Beyoncé – “Plastic Off the Sofa”
Adam Blackstone featuring Jazmine Sullivan – “Round Midnight”
Mary J. Blige – “Good Morning Gorgeous”

Best R&B Song

Beyoncé – “Cuff It”
Mary J. Blige – “Good Morning Gorgeous”
Muni Long – “Hrs and Hrs”
Jazmine Sullivan – “Hurt Me So Good”
PJ Morton – “Please Don’t Walk Away”

Best Progressive R&B Album

Cory Henry – Operation Funk
Steve Lacy – Gemini Rights
Terrace Martin – Drones
Moonchild – Starfruit
Tank and the Bangas – Red Balloon

Best R&B Album

Mary J. Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)
Chris Brown – Breezy (Deluxe)
Robert Glasper – Black Radio III
Lucky Daye – Candydrip
PJ Morton – Watch the Sun

Best Rap Performance

DJ Khaled featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend and Fridayy – “God Did”
Doja Cat – “Vegas”
Gunna and Future featuring Young Thug – “Pushin P”
Hitkidd and GloRilla – “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)”
Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 5”

Best Melodic Rap Performance

DJ Khaled featuring Future and SZA – “Beautiful”
Future featuring Drake and Tems – “Wait for U”
Jack Harlow – “First Class”
Kendrick Lamar featuring Blxst and Amanda Reifer – “Die Hard”
Latto – “Big Energy (Live)”

Best Rap Song

Jack Harlow featuring Drake – “Churchill Downs”
DJ Khaled featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend and Fridayy – “God Did”
Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 5”
Gunna and Future featuring Young Thug – “Pushin P”
Future featuring Drake and Tems – “Wait for U”

Best Rap Album

DJ Khaled – God Did
Future – I Never Liked You
Jack Harlow – Come Home the Kids Miss You
Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers
Pusha T – It’s Almost Dry

Best Country Solo Performance 

Kelsea Ballerini – “Heartfelt”
Zach Bryan – “Something in the Orange”
Miranda Lambert – “In His Arms”
Maren Morris – “Circles Around This Town”
Willie Nelson – “Live Forever”

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

Ingrid Andress and Sam Hunt – “Wishful Drinking”
Brothers Osborne – “Midnight Rider’s Prayer”
Luke Combs and Miranda Lambert – “Outrunnin’ Your Memory”
Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton – “Does He Love You – Revisited”
Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde – “Never Wanted to Be That Girl”
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – “Going Where the Lonely Go”

Best Country Song

Maren Morris – “Circles Around This Town”
Luke Combs – “Doin’ This”
Taylor Swift – “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version)”
Miranda Lambert – “If I Was a Cowboy”
Willie Nelson – “I’ll Love You Till the Day I Die”
Cody Johnson – “’Til You Can’t”

Best Country Album

Luke Combs – Growin’ Up
Miranda Lambert – Palomino
Ashley McBryde – Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville
Maren Morris – Humble Quest
Willie Nelson – A Beautiful Time

Best Latin Pop Album

Christina Aguilera – Aguilera
Rubén Blades and Boca Livre – Pasieros
Camilo – De Adentro Pa Afuera
Fonseca – Viajante
Sebastián Yatra – Dharma+

Best Música Urbana Album

Rauw Alejandro – Trap Cake, Vol. 2
Bad Bunny – Un Verano Sin Ti
Daddy Yankee – Legendaddy
Farruko – La 167
Maluma – The Love and Sex Tape

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album

Cimafunk – El Alimento
Jorge Drexler – Tinta y Tiempo
Mon Laferte – 1940 Carmen
Gaby Moreno – Alegoría
Fito Paez – Los Años Salvajes
Rosalía – Motomami

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)

Chiquis – Abeja Reina
Natalia Lafourcade – Un Canto por México – El Musical
Los Tigres Del Norte – La Reunión (Deluxe)
Christian Nodal – EP #1 Forajido
Marco Antonio Solís – Qué Ganas de Verte (Deluxe)

Best Tropical Latin Album

Marc Anthony – Pa’lla Voy
La Santa Cecilia – Quiero Verte Feliz
Víctor Manuelle – Lado A Lado B
Tito Nieves – Legendario
Spanish Harlem Orchestra – Imágenes Latinas
Carlos Vives – Cumbiana II

Best American Roots Performance

Bill Anderson featuring Dolly Parton – “Someday It’ll All Make Sense” (Bluegrass Version)
Madison Cunningham – “Life According to Raechel”
Fantastic Negrito – “Oh Betty”
Aaron Neville With the Dirty Dozen Brass Band – “Stompin’ Ground”
Aoife O’Donovan and Allison Russell – “Prodigal Daughter”

Best Americana Performance

Eric Alexandra’s – “Silver Moon [A Tribute to Michael Nesmith]”
Asleep at the Wheel featuring Lyle Lovett – “There You Go Again”
Blind Boys of Alabama featuring Black Violin – “The Message”
Brandi Carlile featuring Lucius – “You and Me on the Rock”
Bonnie Raitt – “Made Up Mind”

Best American Roots Song

Anaïs Mitchell – “Bright Star”
Sheryl Crow – “Forever”
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – “High and Lonesome”
Bonnie Raitt – “Just Like That”
Aoife O’Donovan and Allison Russell – “Prodigal Daughter”
Brandi Carlile featuring Lucius – “You and Me on the Rock”

Best Americana Album

Brandi Carlile – In These Silent Days
Dr. John – Things Happen That Way
Keb’ Mo’ – Good to Be…
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Raise the Roof
Bonnie Raitt – Just Like That

Best Bluegrass Album

The Infamous Stringdusters – Toward the Fray
The Del McCoury Band – Almost Proud
Peter Rowan – Calling You From My Mountain
Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway – Crooked Tree
Yonder Mountain String Band – Get Yourself Outside

Best Traditional Blues Album

Gov’t Mule – Heavy Load Blues
Buddy Guy – The Blues Don’t Lie
Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder – Get On Board
John Mayall – The Sun Is Shining Down
Charlie Musselwhite – Mississippi Son

Best Contemporary Blues Album

Shamekia Copeland – Done Come Too Far
Eric Gales – Crown
Ben Harper – Bloodline Maintenance
North Mississippi Allstars – Set Sail
Edgar Winter – Brother Johnny

Best Folk Album

Judy Collins – Spellbound
Madison Cunningham – Revealer
Janis Ian – The Light at the End of the Line
Aofie O’Donovan – Age of Apathy
Punch Brothers – Hell on Church Street

Best Reggae Music

Kabaka Pyramid – The Kalling
Koffee – Gifted
Sean Paul – Scorcha
Protoje – Third Time’s the Charm
Shaggy – Com Fly Wid Mi

Best Global Music Performance

Arooj Aftab and Anoushka Shankar – “Udhero Na”
Matt B and Eddy Kenzo – “Gimme Love”
Burna Boy – “Last Last”
Rocky Dawuni featuring Blvk H3ro – “Neva Bow Down”
Wouter Kellerman, Zaken Bantwini and Nomcebo Zikode – “Bayethe”

Best Global Music Album

Berklee Indian Ensemble – Shuruaat
Burna Boy – Love, Damini
Angélique Kidjo and Ibrahim Maalouf – Queen of Sheba
Anoushka Shankar, Metropole Orkest and Jules Buckley featuring Manu Delago – Between Us… (Live)
Masa Takumi – Sakura

Best Comedy Album

Dave Chappelle – The Closer
Jim Gaffigan – Comedy Monster
Randy Rainbow – A Little Brains, A Little Talent
Louis C.K. – Sorry
Patton Oswalt – We All Scream

Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording

Jamie Foxx – Act Like You Got Some Sense
Mel Brooks – All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World
Viola Davis – Finding Me
Questlove – Music is History

Best Song Written for Visual Media

Beyoncé – “Be Alive” (from King Richard)
Taylor Swift – “Carolina” (from Where the Crawdads Sing)
Lady Gaga – “Hold My Hand” (from Top Gun: Maverick)
Jessy Wilson featuring Angélique Kidjo – “Keep Rising (The Woman King)” (from The Woman King)
4*Town (Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell) – “Nobody Like U” (from Turning Red)
Lin-Manuel Miranda – “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” (from Encanto)

Best Music Video

Adele – “Easy on Me”
BTS – “Yet to Come”
Doja Cat – “Woman”
Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 5”
Harry Styles – “As It Was”
Taylor Swift – “All Too Well: The Short Film”

Best Music Film

Adele One Night Only – Adele
Our World – Justin Bieber
Billie Eilish Live at the O2 – Billie Eilish
Motomami (Rosalía Tiktok Live Performance) – Rosalía
Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story – Various Artists
A Band A Brotherhood A Barn – Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Jack Antonoff
Dan Auerbach
Boi-1da
Dahi
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

Amy Allen
Nija Charles
Tobias Jesso, Jr.
The-Dream
Laura Veltz

Kelela Announces New Album ‘Raven’, Shares New Single ‘On the Run’

Kelela has announced a new album called Raven. The follow-up to 2017’s Take Me Apart arrives on February 10 via Warp. Today, Kelela has shared the new single ‘On the Run’, which was produced by herself, Yo van Lenz, Kaytranada, and Bambii. Check it out and find the album’s cover artwork and tracklist below.

“I started this process from the feeling of isolation and alienation I’ve always had as a black femme in dance music, despite its black origins,” Kelela said in a press statement. “Raven is my first breath taken in the dark, an affirmation of black femme perspective in the midst of systemic erasure and the sound of our vulnerability turned to power.”

OCA, aka the ambient duo of Yo Van Lenz and Florian T M Zeisig, and LSDXOXO serve as main producers throughout the album, with additional production from Bambii. The record will include the previously released tracks ‘Washed Away’ and ‘Happy Ending’.

Raven Cover Artwork:

Raven Tracklist:

1. Washed Away
2. Happy Ending
3. Let It Go
4. On the Run
5. Missed Call
6. Closure
7. Contact
8. Fooley
9. Holier
10. Raven
11. Bruises
12. Sorbet
13. Divorce
14. Enough for Love
15. Far Away

Chat Pile Announce ‘Tenkiller’ Soundtrack, Share New Songs

Chat Pile have announced their score for the indie film Tenkiller. Written and recorded in the winter of 2020, the soundtrack will be released this Friday, November 18, the same day the movie – which features Chat Pile frontman Raygun Busch – arrives on Amazon. Two songs from the record, ‘Tenkiller’ and ‘Lake Time (Mr. Roda)’, are out today. Check them out below, along with a trailer for the film.

“The music we made for Tenkiller is quite a bit different than what you may come to expect from us,” the band explained in a statement. “We were given the freedom to really experiment and explore territories that we’ve never done before. It’s not going to be for everyone, but we hope some of you connect with what we set out to do.”

A synopsis for Tenkiller reads: “One year after the tragic death of his best friend, an eighteen-year-old machinist struggles with the split of his parents and the violent way of life surrounding him.”

Chat Pile released their debut album, God’s Country, earlier this year.

Tenkiller Motion Picture Soundtrack Conversation:

Tenkiller Motion Picture Soundtrack Tracklist:

1. TAH
2. Badman
3. Dad’s Drunk
4. The Fabulous Shitheads
5. LE
6. The Return of Badman
7. Lake Time (Mr. Rodan)
8. Kids
9. QUAH
10. Badman 3: Die Badman Die
11. B4dm4n
12. Punishment Box
13. Beck’s Theme
14. OK
15. Badman V: A New Beginning
16. Bleeding Out
17. Tenkiller

Album Review: Weyes Blood, ‘And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow’

The story of Narcissus has been passed down as a cautionary tale about a man who fell too in love with himself. It wasn’t self-obsession that ultimately led to his demise, but his failure to recognize his own reflection; to differentiate between himself and the rest of the world. The modern individual, plagued by unceasing self-awareness and uncertainty about the future, suffers from a slightly different kind of disillusionment. “In order to polish and perfect the part he has devised for himself, the new Narcissus gazes at his own reflection, not so much in admiration as in unremitting search of flaws, signs of fatigue, decay,” cultural historian Christopher Lasch writes in his influential 1979 book The Culture of Narcissism. “Life becomes a work of art,” and we’re all surrounded by mirrors – in technology, in movies, in culture at large – that help us keep up the theater of everyday life. A capitalist society rewards this performance as the highest form of creative achievement, so we become dependent on it, even if the reality it presents is banal, isolating, and void of imagination. We’re left with not much to believe in, least of all a future.

Belief isn’t just at the heart of Weyes Blood’s music; it is the heart of it. The heart unravels, cracks, illuminates, and Natalie Mering is attracted to it like a moth to a flame. As someone who was raised in a strictly religious household, she was drawn to the idea of wanting “to undo religion but still have the structure, still have that architecture living empty within me,” she said in a recent interview. “My form of worship became centred on music.” Her reverence for the devotional reverberates in many of her songs, especially the ones on her new album And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, whose sumptuous melodies often rise like a prayer. Take ‘Children of the Empire’, where a lonesome piano and vocal burst into one of the most heavenly and upbeat arrangements on the record, complete with cello, trumpet, and tuba, before a light flurry of strings and harp (courtesy of Mary Lattimore) lead the dance to its ethereal conclusion.

But rarely does the ritual come alive as nakedly as it does on ‘God Turn Me Into a Flower’, Mering’s retelling of the myth of Narcissus, in which she seems to relate to the pathological condition identified by Lasch – whose work she read while writing the album during the pandemic – as she looks to the crowd for validation. To escape the prison of the self, she curiously turns to the old Narcissus, whose cursed fate becomes the object of her yearning; a plea to be soft and bendable, one with the universe instead of withering into nothingness. “It’s such a curse to be so hard/ You shatter easily/ And can’t pick up all those shards,” she sings, and with the help of Oneohtrix Point Never’s Daniel Lopatin on synths, liberates herself. In the second half of the song, her wordless melody, as hauntingly beautiful as ever, floats amidst otherwordly ambience and birdsong, painting the transformation – and death – in a new light.

And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is the second in a trilogy of albums that began with Weyes Blood’s magnificent 2019 LP Titanic Rising. Mering may no longer be an observer of impending catastrophe, as she presented herself on that album, but rather “in the thick of it,” yet her eyes are just as open wide. And while she has promised the third entry will be about hope, she can’t help but find flickers of it here, in the wreckage. “The whole world is crumbling/ Oh baby, let’s dance in the sand/ ‘Cause I’ve been waiting for my life to begin,” she sings on the resplendent ‘Hearts Aglow’, burning brightly despite the sorrow that underlies it. Over shuffling percussion and watery guitar from Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado, Mering calls out a lover who left her waiting in the dark on ‘Twin Flame’, where another realization crystallizes into view: “We are more than our disguises/ We are more than just the pain.” But it’s not enough to change the direction of the song; you sense that Mering is preserving whatever ashes of light she stumbles onto for a greater show of transcendence.

Compared to its predecessor, much of Hearts Aglow sounds notably subdued. Even when it embraces the cinematic instrumentation and emotional grandeur that have become Weyes Blood’s trademark, it grounds itself in simple, everyday realities. There’s a humble melancholy to the first piano chords of ‘It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody’, which opens the record with a relatable scene: “Sitting at this party/ Wondering if anyone knows me/ Really sees who I am.” Against the searingly familiar pandemic backdrop of ‘The Worst Is Done’, Mering expresses regret about not staying with her family and instead isolating “in my little place/ In the world’s loneliest city,” referring to the small Californian town of Altadena, where she spent two years crafting the album and where, astoundingly, the only art store is called McGinty’s Gallery at the End of the World. Experiencing the cycle of a relationship offers a glimpse of what it’s like to stand powerless at the precipice of change: love songs like ‘Hearts Aglow’ and ‘Grapevine’ are doomed by the feeling the ship might sink into oblivion at any moment, no matter who’s steering the wheel. But underneath their dazzling, ghostly energy is a more earthly drama: two lovers on a Ferris wheel, one driving back the I5.

Even without the ability to transcend, these songs reach for acceptance, which in turn can yield a kind of love that is selfless, true, and even eternal. Again and again, Mering seeks solace in the knowledge that she’s not alone in her suffering. “Narcissism appears realistically to represent the best way of coping with the tensions and anxieties of modern life,” Lasch writes, “and the prevailing social conditions therefore tend to bring out narcissistic traits that are present, in varying degrees, in everyone.” Coming at the end of that long sentence, in everyone almost sounds like a relief – the way ‘It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody’ almost mines a solution from the problem itself. Mering may not see an end to these “prevailing social conditions,” whatever you want to call them – but she fixates on the universal nature of the fears and dreams that simultaneously bind us and separate our existence from others. Having lost control, we find ourselves staring, as she does, not at our reflection or even a flawed image, but “that black water down below.” In the darkness, we might actually see each other. And what better way to freedom?

Jessica Winter Announces New EP ‘Limerence’, Unveils New Song ‘Funk This Up’

0

Jessica Winter announced a new EP, Limerence, with a video for the new single ‘Funk This Up’. The EP, which will include the previously shared single ‘Choreograph’, is out February 10 via Lucky Number. Watch the Ella Margolin-directed visual for ‘Funk This Up’ below.

​​”Limerence was written during a time when I was trying to understand my relationship to love and my behaviours around it,” Winter explained in a statement. “Love confuses me so much and I think this EP demonstrates that.”

Of ‘Funk This Up’, she added: “This song began as a conversation with myself… the verses being in the present and reacting to the choruses where I embody the more deranged temptress luring me into the depths of addiction and chaos. The video captures two versions of the addict, the version that tries to stay balanced and together and the version that falls from the centre. We used different forms of distortion on the face and body and more extreme performance to capture the temptress.”

Limerence EP Cover Artwork:

Limerence EP Tracklist:

1. Choreograph
2. Clutter (feat. Lynks)
3. Let Me In
4. Funk This Up
5. The Love Song

The Linda Lindas Share Video for New Single ‘Groovy Xmas’

0

Los Angeles punk band the Linda Lindas have shared a new holiday-themed single, ‘Groovy Xmas’, alongside an accompanying video. Check it out below.

“There are so many cool Christmas songs that we love to dance to, and a lot of them are by our favorite punk bands: Alice Bag, Red Kross, Shonen Knife…” the group said in a statement. “We were inspired by them to write our own carol that you can add to your jolly playlist and enjoy at holiday gatherings! Please sing along and share: and we hope you have a very Groovy Xmas and an awesome new year!”

The Linda Lindas released their debut album, Growing Up, earlier this year.

H. Hawkline Announces New Album ‘Milk for Flowers’, Shares Video for New Song

H. Hawkline has announced his fifth album, Milk for Flowers. The follow-up to 2017’s I Romanticize is slated for release on March 10 via Heavenly Recordings. Today, Huw Evans has shared the LP’s title track, alongside a video shot by Ben Hardy and edited by Casey Raymond, with choreography by Daisy Smith and styling by Gus Sharpe. Check it out below.

“Grief is a song that can’t be unheard: from the moment you learn it, you never stop singing,” Evans said of the new song and visual in a statement. “Its music paints the scenery – pulling the strings of every day. Forgotten corners and untended gardens can become rich with sickly vegetation, ice rinks and playgrounds decaying with every chord. These videos (this is the first of 3) are a way of trying to express that sensation in the most direct way possible. Every day, an audition. At least I choose the soundtrack.”

Milk for Flowers features production and musical contributions from Evans’ longtime collaborator Cate Le Bon. “A gentle and knowing hand, Cate did what no one else could have done: it’s what Cate always does,” Evans remarked.

Le Bon added: “I watched my dear friend, H.Hawkline, fold into himself and extract from a terrible time an album so exquisitely raw, yet deftly graceful. I had the extreme honour of being trusted as producer and gently helped him tease this beautiful work into existence. He writes music and lyrics that are porous to all the hues of a day. He sits melancholy at the table with absurdity and no-one bats an eye. Not without effort but always with a natural hand moving pieces around from the inside out. It’s a beautiful thing to be continuously moved and surprised by an old friend.”

Other collaborators on the album include Davey Newington on drums, Paul Jones on piano, Tim Presley on guitar, Stephen Black and Euan Hinshelwood on sax, Harry Bohay on pedal steel, and John Parish on bongo. Milk for Flowers was engineered by Joe Jones, with additional engineering by Krissy Jenkins. It was mixed by Patrik Berger and mastered by Heba Kadry.

Milk for Flowers Cover Artwork:

Milk for Flowers Tracklist:

1. Milk For Flowers
2. Plastic Man
3. Suppression Street
4. I Need Him
5. Denver
6. Athens At Night
7. Like You Do
8. It’s A Living
9. Mostly
10. Empty Room

How to Boost the Plays on SoundCloud?

SoundCloud is a leading and well-respected music platform. If you are a musician, artist, or other music industry member wanting to harness this site’s power, you must understand how to boost SoundCloud plays.

This article will teach you some excellent ways to get more plays and enhance your SoundCloud account.

8 Elite Ways to Get More Plays on SoundCloud

You can’t simply upload a track and expect everyone to listen. Indeed, it takes some effort and knowledge. Here are eight great ways to increase your SoundCloud plays.

1) Make Good Music

Although this method for boosting plays might seem obvious, it is still worth a mention. If you create high-quality music and upload it to SoundCloud, your profile will head in a positive direction. When you give listeners the best music you can, they will find it more attractive, and your plays will get a significant boost.

2) Use Relevant Tags

Including relevant or trending genre tags within your track descriptions will give listeners more chances to find your music. Consequently, you will get more plays, and your music career will be on an upward trajectory.

Of course, you should not use tags just because they are popular. Doing so could harm your profile, as the SoundCloud algorithm will use these tags to recommend your music to people searching for similar vibes. Therefore, ensure the tags you use are related to your genre.

3) Create Attractive Artwork

The first exposure potential listeners get to music is through your track or album cover artwork. Indeed, if this is sufficiently attractive, it could be the main reason why someone decides to play some of your music.

Therefore, you should use the 800*800 artwork pixel space wisely and give your audience something eye-catching. However, you should also ensure your cover images represent you or your music. If it does, you will attract the right listeners who have an interest in your music genre, subsequently boosting your plays.

4) Upload Consistently and On Time

Uploading your music consistently will demonstrate that you are active and reliable to SoundCloud listeners, ultimately boosting your credibility and reliability. Subsequently, they will understand your uploading schedule and be waiting to play your music when you upload a track.

Similarly, you should understand your audience’s active hours and include these in your content calendar. When you know the best time to post a new track, you can maximize the number of plays it receives.

5) Make Your Track Discoverable

Listeners can only hear your music if they can find it. Therefore, making your tracks easy to discover will boost plays.

Including the track name and relevant tags in the description will make it easier for potential listeners to search for your music. Also, including the correct metadata will enable the SoundCloud algorithm to accurately categorize your music, potentially getting it featured in more searches and increasing plays.

6) Partner with Influencers

As part of your marketing strategy, collaborate with influencers. Doing so allows you to tap into their audiences, increasing your SoundCloud plays.

Influencers give you opportunities to promote your music to a much wider SoundCloud community. Therefore, before you upload a track, consider reaching out to a few other artists to get your plays soaring.

7) Share it on Social Platforms

Sharing your tracks on other social media platforms, like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc., is an effective way of marketing and promoting your music and increasing plays. Although SoundCloud is a leading music-sharing platform, many people still need to start using it.

Having a broader social media strategy for your tracks means you can reach this potential audience. Sharing your music on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, and Tik Tok will also demonstrate your depth of appeal to your SoundCloud fans.

Also, if you have a website or blog, you should place your music front and center on these to maximize promotion opportunities. Taking advantage of these will send your SoundCloud plays skyrocketing.

8) Purchase SoundCloud Plays

Another excellent way to grow your SoundCloud plays is to buy them. Doing so gives you some incredible benefits, including the following:

  • Give New Tracks a Head Start. When you upload a new track, it starts with no plays. Purchasing plays gives your new music a head start and helps it gain traction among listeners.
  • Boost Organic Plays. Getting a significant number of plays early will boost your organic plays. The SoundCloud algorithm will notice this activity and recommend your tracks in user searches.
  • Grab Listeners’ Attention. Buying plays on SoundCloud is an excellent tactic for grabbing listeners’ attention, leading to increased plays.
  • Potential Virality. Generating a buzz from some purchased plays can send your music viral. Your track might be just a few more plays from the tipping point of virality, so you should consider buying some.

Of course, you must ensure that bought plays come from authentic users. When you buy SoundCloud plays from Media Mister, you are guaranteed they’ll be from real users.

As they are entirely genuine, your purchased plays will have the social proofing needed for success. More importantly, they will not be penalized by SoundCloud.

Media Mister has been providing outstanding social media services for more than ten years. During this time, they have developed an excellent reputation with thousands of satisfied customers.

Their SoundCloud plays will boost your music’s visibility and credibility. Therefore, you should consider purchasing them to enhance your music career.

Conclusion

Using SoundCloud is a powerful way to get your music heard. However, you must understand how to boost SoundCloud plays.

The more significant the number of plays you get, the bigger your audience will be. Hopefully, this article has given you the information you need to give your music career the momentum it needs.

Watch Bruce Springsteen Perform ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ on ‘Fallon’

Bruce Springsteen was the musical guest on last night’s episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he performed his rendition of ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ by Frank Wilson. He also sat down for an interview to talk about his new soul covers album Only the Strong Survive, the correct lyrics for ‘Thunder Road’, and potentially collaborating with Taylor Swift on tour next year. Watch it below.