The Oakland-raised, Brooklyn-based artist mxmtoon has unveiled a new single called ‘mona lisa’. Check it out below.
“as someone who usually writes songs about other people, one of my ongoing questions is ‘will anyone ever write songs about me?'” Maia explained in a press statement. “mona lisa is about wanting to be the subject of the art for once instead of being the creator. i think we all daydream at some point in our lives of diving into our favorite stories and finding ourselves in the pages. we all deserve the chance to feel like we’re worthy of a spotlight every once in a while, and mona lisa is meant to express that sentiment exactly.”
In 2020, mxmtoon released a pair of EPs, dawn and dusk, which featured collaborations with Carly Rae Jepsen and Tune-Yards’ Merrill Garbus.
Jordana has announced her official studio debut, Face the Wall, with the new single ‘Catchy My Drift’. The album is set for release on May 20 via Grand Jury. Check out the Tess Lafia-directed video for ‘Catch My Drift’ and find the album’s cover artwork and tracklist below.
“The album title has a few meanings to me,” Jordana explained in a statement. “Mostly, it’s about not giving up. The wall can be anything in your way. The album is a sort of reminder to myself that I have to face those things, and I can’t take the easy route and turn around.”
Commenting on the new song, she said: “This song is about going back and forth with your feelings for someone when they make you question whether they are even reciprocated. The song is about realizing you shouldn’t be emotionally dependent on anybody, and that it’s just a waste of energy.”
Sharon Van Etten has released a new a single called ‘Porta’, marking her first new solo release since 2020. The track was produced by Van Etten andDaniel Knowles, with backing from her live band of drummer Jorge Balbi, guitarist Charley Damski, and bassistDevin Hoff. Check out its Leslie Raymond-directed video below.
‘Porta’ was written in 2020 “at one of my lowest lows,” Van Etten explained in a press release. “For most of my adult life I have struggled with bouts of depression and anxiety and coping mechanisms, and I sometimes let those dark moments get the best of me. During this time I felt very dissociated. Not connected to my body and I felt out of control.”
Van Etten eventually reached out to her friend, Stella Cook, who runs Base Pilates in North Carolina. “I was seeking a friend, someone to talk to who understands what finding the core means but also knows what my weaknesses are and can help me work around them and find my other strengths,” she continued. “I knew I was entering a no judgment zone and I needed to be held accountable for my actions and Stella helped me step up. We would meet once a week on Zoom, have a catch up on life over a quick coffee and then get to work. Then, a day or two later she would send another video my way so I had something to work towards the end of the week. She was encouraging, but not pushy. If life got in the way, I didn’t feel like I let her down – but I loved our sessions. I looked forward to them. I started feeling closer to her, and closer to myself, and it helped things seem hopeful. And I just wanted to share that with the world,” says Van Etten. “Instead of the darkness. Instead of my fears. My message is to work through them. Even when it’s hard. Even when it hurts. Reach out. Reach out to that friend who helps you reach out towards yourself.”
Along with the track, Van Etten has also announced the Darkness Fades Tour, which will take her to Europe, the UK, and Ireland in the summer. The UK run kicks off on June 17 at London’s Brixton Academy and includes dates in Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, and Dublin, with support from L’Rain. Tickets go on sale from Friday, February 11 at 10am local time. Van Etten will then head out on a US tour alongside Angel Olsen, Julien Baker, and Spencer. Find her full itinerary below.
Wed Mar 2 – Sat. Mar. 5 – Cancún, MX – One Big Holiday !
Thu Apr 21 – Charlottesville, VA – The Jefferson Theatre ~
Fri Apr 22 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom ~
Sat Apr 23 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse ~
Sun Apr 24 – Charleston, SC – High Water Music Festival
Tue May 31 – Lisbon, PT – Aula Magna #
Thu Jun 2 – Barcelona, ES – Primavera Sound
Sun Jun 5 – München, DE – Muffathalle %
Mon Jun 6 – Antwerp, BE – Openluchttheater Rivierenhof %
Tue Jun 7 – Hamburg, DE – Markthalle %
Thu Jun 9 – Oslo, NE – Loaded &
Fri Jun 10 – Stockholm, SE – Rosendal, Djurgarden &
Sat Jun 11 – Copenhagen, DK – Syd For Solen &
Mon Jun 13 – Berlin, DE – Metropol %
Tue Jun 14 – Utrecht, NE – TivoliVredenberg Grote Zaal %
Wed Jun 15 – Paris, FR – La Cigale %
Fri Jun 17 – London, UK – O2 Brixton Academy %
Sat Jun 18 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute %
Sun Jun 19 – Leeds, UK – O2 Academy Leeds %
Tue Jun 21 – Glasgow, UK – Barrowland %
Wed Jun 22 – Dublin, IE – Vicar Street %
Thu Jul 21 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap Center For the Performing Arts *
Fri Jul 22 – Asheville, NC – Rabbit Rabbit *
Sat Jul 23 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium *
Mon Jul 25 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater *
Thu Jul 28 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre *
Fri Jul 29 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre *
Sat Jul 30 – Berkeley, Ca – Greek Theatre *
Tue Aug 2 – Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater *
Wed Aug 3 – Redmond, WA – Marymoor Amphitheater *
Fri Aug 5 – Boise, ID – Idaho Botanical Garden *
Sat Aug 6 – Salt Lake City, UT – TBA *
Sun Aug 7 – Denver, CO – Sculpture Park *
Tue Aug 9 – Minneapolis, MN – Surly Brewing Festival Field *
Wed Aug 10 – Chicago, IL – TBA *
Thu Aug 11 – Kalamazoo, MI – Bell’s Eccentric Cafe *
Fri Aug 12 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall *
Sat Aug 13 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall *
Mon Aug 15 – Shelburne, VT – The Green at Shelburne Museum *
Tue Aug 16 – LaFayette, NY – Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards *
Thu Aug 18 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion *
Fri Aug 19 – Philadelphia, PA – Skyline Stage at The Mann *
Sun Aug 21 – New York, NY – Central Park Summerstage *
! = with My Morning Jacket
~ = with Mia Joy
& = with The National
# = with The Weather Station
% = with L’Rain
* = The Wild Hearts Tour with Angel Olsen, Julien Baker, & Spencer
Pusha T has returned with a new song called ‘Diet Coke’. The rapper’s first single of the year is co-produced by Kanye West and 88-Keys, with West also credited as a co-writer. Give it a listen below.
In an interview with Complex last month, Pusha T discussed his upcoming fourth album, which is expected to arrive later this year and will likely feature ‘Diet Coke’. “A Pusha album takes a long time,” he said. “It takes a long time to put this shit together, but when it comes together, ain’t nothing fucking with it. We stamping that on everything. I don’t care what they say, how they act. I don’t care how viral they go, none of that. Nothing is fucking with it. I’m on some one thousand percent rap superhero shit, man.”
Veteran music executive Steven Victor also told Complex that “the Pusha album is coming sooner than you think. And we’re dropping back to back to back. You know when the President comes to town and they have the procession and all that, and the trucks, and it feels never-ending? That’s how we’re coming this year. Tonight, we’re leaving here and going to the studio. We’re working on Donda 2. We’re putting the finishing touches on Pusha’s album.”
Since dropping his last album, 2018’s Kanye West-produced Daytona, Pusha T has collaborated with Black Thought (‘Good Morning’), Mako (‘Misfit Toys’), and more.
Last year, a petition addressed to NASA was launched by fan Christian Arroyo for the planet TOI 1338 b to be named after the late SOPHIE, receiving over 95,000 signatures and support from SOPHIE collaborator Charli XCX. Now, the International Astronomical Union’s Working Group Small Body Nomenclature (WGSBN) has revealed it has officially named an asteroid after SOPHIE. RE1, an asteroid discovered in 1980 by Antonín Mrkos at the Kleť Observatory in the Czech Republic, is now officially known as Sophiexeon.
The IAU’s documentation describes SOPHIE as “a highly influential Scottish singer, songwriter, and producer. Sophie was known as an electronic music pioneer whose futuristic style changed the landscape of pop music in the early 21st century.”
“Sophie has influenced so many of us, and now she will forever be part of the cosmos,” Ayorro wrote in their update. “I thank every single one of you who signed and shared this petition, which itself will be kept up as a memorial to the great Sophie Xeon.”
SOPHIE passed away in January of last year at the age of 34, after an accidental fall in Athens, Greece.
Everything Everything have announced their next album: Raw Data Feel arrives on May 20. The band have also shared a new single, ‘Bad Friday’, alongside an accompanying video. Check it out below and scroll down for the LP’s cover art and tracklist.
“This song is about being a victim of violence, explaining it away through the gauze of a ‘crazy night out’,” frontman Jonathan Higgs said of ‘Bad Friday’ in a statement. “We wanted the video to have a monochrome Ink Spots classicism to it, disrupted by elements of A.I.-generated imagery. This reflects the approach to writing and producing the song – the minimalistic combined with the surreal and disorientating.”
The band used an A.I. programme to make some of songs on Raw Data Feel, feeding information such as “the entire terms and conditions of LinkedIn, the ancient epic poem Beowulf, 400,000 4Chan forum posts and the teachings of Confucius – into A.I. automation processes and using its responses as a basis for the record’s lyrics, song titles and artwork creation.”
In addition to the album, Everything Everything are releasing a new limited-edition lyric and photo book titled CAPS LOCK ON: Lyrics + Debris 2007-2022, on May 20 via Faber Music. A press release describes it as “a full-colour, hardback edition presenting the lyrics to all songs released by the band including b-sides, rarities and new album Raw Data Feel. It will present a treasure trove of previously unseen images featured alongside the lyrics, including behind-the-scenes archive material of notebooks, chord sheets, set lists and photos.”
Raw Data Feel will follow the band’s 2020’s record RE-ANIMATOR.
Raw Data Feel Cover Artwork:
Raw Data Feel Tracklist:
1. Teletype
2. I Want A Love Like This
3. Bad Friday
4. Pizza Boy
5. Jennifer
6. Metroland Is Burning
7. Leviathan
8. Shark Week
9. Cut UP!
10. HEX
11. My Computer
12. Kevin’s Car
13. Born Under A Meteor
14. Software Greatman
To the human mind, darkness is identified for its potential to enforce limitations upon the body and self. Rebecca Solnit challenges this assumption in her essay on Virginia Woolf, arguing that artists must “go into the dark with their eyes open”; to embrace the uncertainty of the unknown and see through the fear and false sense of truth that it incites. The Welsh art-pop artist Cate Le Bon has cited this essay when discussing her sixth solo album, Pompeii, but the way she engages with its ideas is more than purely academic or philosophical. Paraphrasing her favorite line from it, Le Bon has said the dark people are afraid of is “the same dark in which people make love in.” Though it might be an insignificant and unintentional distinction from the phrasing of the original quote – “in which love is made” – her use of the active voice is in line with her vivid and urgent approach to songwriting as a tool of boundless imagination. Despite its apocalyptic title, Pompeii is full of wonder, depth, and passion, drawing from the tradition of surrealism to come up with something both disorienting and enchanting.
In fact, it is precisely the threat of total annihilation that led her in this direction, free to deconstruct notions around identity, art, and religion. “Every fear that I have/ I send it to Pompeii,” she sings on the title track, which makes no effort to dramatize either the personal or historical narrative that pervades it. Its presentation is stately and meticulous, building on the hallucinatory style that ran through 2019’s excellent Reward, but imbued with a new and intriguing sense of purpose. If that album revolved around loneliness, Pompeii explores the liberating possibilities of isolation; Le Bon wrote it primarily on bass in an “uninterrupted vacuum” before recording it largely by herself with longtime collaborator Samur Khouja in Cardiff, giving herself permission to “annihilate identity.” A semblance of herself still echoes through the album: Le Bon sought to mimic the “religious” sensibility of a painting by Tim Presley, recreating it as the cover artwork and using it as a compass for its sonic palette.
In less capable hands, the result might have been frustratingly anonymous and lacking in resonance. But Le Bon strikes a delicate balance throughout the record, which is accessible and propulsive yet multi-layered and inscrutable by nature. Its fusion of pop and psychedelia makes her sound untethered from time and space, but as an artist she has a knack for precision and dimensionality that many others operating in this lane tend to disregard. Lyrical revelations come in small fragments, and although their meaning remains ambiguous, Le Bon holds the listener’s attention by focusing on how the elements of a song interact in the context of the album. “In the remake of my life/ I moved in straight lines/ My hair was beautiful,” she sings on ‘Remembering Me’, but the unruliness of the track evokes the horror that lies in restructuring a version of yourself through memory. And although she continues to cultivate her gift for oblique imagery and heady soundscapes, that is only one part of what gives the record is character. While the tone of her voice oscillates between cool, melancholy, and playful, her bass lines are the animating force behind a lot of the songs, intermingling with wistful saxophones and Stella Mozgawa’s unwavering drums.
That’s the other thing about darkness – it’s where things come together and can become transformed. There’s no apparent release in Pompeii, but Le Bon revels in the fluidity and physicality of stretching yourself beyond the bounds of the ordinary, realizing the surprising pleasures that lurk in the emptiest of places. On the album’s most direct and memorable moments – the opulent rush of ‘Moderation’, the dazzling ‘French Boys’ – the fruit of that labour is abundantly evident. “Sound doesn’t go away/ In habitual silence/ It reinvents the surface/ Of everything you touch,” she theorizes on opener ‘Dirt on the Bed’, and you could say the same about happens to identity in the face of destruction, or even something as simple – and at this time, familiar to everyone – as a pause. “This self having shed its attachments was free for the strangest adventures,” Woolf wrote in To the Lighthouse. “When life sank down for a moment, the range of experience seemed limitless…. Beneath it is all dark, it is all spreading, it is unfathomably deep.” Answering in her own way, Le Bon reaches toward expression: “All my life in a sentiment.”
Recently, Bianca Saunders presented their Autumn/Winter 22 menswear collection at Paris Men’s Fashion Week. The collection showcased classic tailoring with boxy tops and shorter sleeves, showing the garment underneath. There were sets of jumpers and trousers with optical illusion prints centred around the waist, giving the illusion of a smaller waist. In addition, the collection maintained the silhouette of any menswear garment, boxy and a perfectly fitting outfit. While a broken boundary of archetypal menswear clothing surfaced design such as pleating, commonly seen in womenswear.
Recently, Georges Wendell presented its Fall/Winter 22 collection at the Paris Men’s Fashion Week. Creative director Pierre Kaczmarek took inspiration from the Vaudevilles, a theatrical genre. The show was held at the Parisian restaurant L’Ami Louis where models repeated the activities of diners, such as taking videos, having drinks, and chatting — making it for a semi-casual collection.
We saw various materials being utilised throughout the collection, including corduroy and denim. The casual aspect of the collection came from the different fun prints that included wine glasses, stripes, shapes and presumably images from film scenes. A showcase of womenswear was also included in this collection, featuring lace, ribbons, and fur to create a girly, feminine, and delicate look.
Prada presented their menswear Fall/Winter 22 collection named Body of Work at the Milan Men’s Fashion Week — not long ago. Using workwear as their basis, Raf Simmons and Miuccia Prada brought together two styles and modernised the concept without losing sight of workwear’s original role in fashion.
The collection radiates masculinity through trench coats, bomber jackets, and blazers. Among the additions to the pieces were mohair trimmings on the sleeves and hems of the coats, which broke away from masculinity’s archetypal image. There was also lengthening sleeves on coats, adding stature to the classic Bomber jacket with a belt that cinched the waist, giving the illusion of broad shoulders. Colours generally adhered to the typical workwear hues of black, grey, navy; however, pastels and bright colours were also incorporated into the palette.
