Anderson .Paak has unveiled a new song called ‘Lockdown’ alongside a music video directed by Dave Meyers. The visual features appearances from from The Internet’s Syd, Jay Rock, Andra Day, Dominic Fike, and more. Check it out below.
The video shows .Paak and other artists going to a diner after a protest. “Oh, won’t you tell me ’bout the lootin’, what’s that really all about?” he raps. “‘Cause they throw away black lives like paper towels / Plus unemployment rate, what, 40 million now? / Killed a man in broad day, might never see a trial / We just wanna break chains like slaves in the South.”
The clip ends with a Black Lives Matter logo and a list of names of those who have lost their lives to police brutality, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The final frame depicts a note stating that .Paak House, the rapper’s foundation, has made donations to Action Bail Fund LA, Atlanta Solidarity Fund, and Albany Safety Fund for Black Lives. The salaries of the cast and crew were also donated to different non-profit organizations.
For resources in the fight against racism and police brutality, as well as a list of organizations you can donate to, click here.
Last week, BTS announced a new album, MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 ~ THE JOURNEY ~, scheduled for release on July 14. Now, they have shared a new track from the album titled ‘Stay Gold’. Check it out below.
The song is one of the few new original songs to be featured on the record, which will primarily consist of Japenese versions of songs from this year’s massively successful MAP OF THE SOUL : 7. The album will be the group’s first Japanese full-length release since Face Yourself in 2018.
Since MAP OF THE SOUL : 7, which was released this February, band member SUGA has put out a solo mixtape under the moniker Agust D called D-2 u.
Noname has shared a new track titled ‘Song 33’, seemingly in response to J. Cole’s suspected criticism of her. The song, which is the rapper’s first solo single of 2020 following ‘Song 31’ and ‘Song 32’ last year, is produced by Madlib. Check it out below.
The track comes two days after the release of J. Cole’s ‘Snow on Tha Bluff’, in which it was speculated that he was rapping about Noname. “Just ’cause you woke and I’m not / That shit ain’t no reason to talk like you better than me,” Cole raps in the song.
The rapper was quick to bounce back from criticism, writing on Twitter: “She has done and is doing the reading and the listening and the learning on the path that she truly believes is the correct one for our people. We may not agree with each other but we gotta be gentle with each other.”
In her new song, Noname seems to hit back at Cole: “Wow look at him go/He really ’bout to write about me while the world is in smokes?” she raps. “When his people in trees, when George was begging for his mother saying he couldn’t breathe/you thought to write about me?”
Noname also shared the song’s lyrics in a screenshot posted to Twitter, which you can read below. Her last album was 2018’s Room 25. She recently launched a book club with the aim of highlighting “progressive work from writers of Color and writers within the LGBTQ community.”
Doves have returned with their first new song in 11 years titled ‘Carousel’. Listen to it below.
The Manchester trio emerged from their near 10-year hiatus in December of 2018, when they announced a string of reunion shows.
Speaking of the track, Andy Williams said in a statement: “It’s a reminiscence of the times that we’d go to places like North Wales on holiday as kids,” Andy Williams said in a statement. “Places where you had your first experience of sound systems and music being played really loud.”
In an interview with NME, frontman Jimi Goodwin added: “‘Carousels’ is a really exciting track to come back with, especially now as it’s shot through with a lot of hope. It calls back to going to the fair when you’re a kid, dodging all the psychos and getting your waltzer money taken off you.”
The song, which is built around a drum sample by the late Tony Allen, is taken from their long-awaited fifth studio album, which has yet to be officially announced. Their last full-length release was 2009’s Kingdom of Rust. Since then, Goodwin has released his debut solo album, 2014’s Odludek.
Perfume Genius has covered Mazzy Star’s iconic 1994 single ‘Fade Into You’ as part of Amazon Music’s new PROUD series. Listen to the Amazon Original here.
“I chose ‘Fade Into You’ because I carried it with me for a long time and I always looked to it for the warmth and the very heavy vibe that it always brings,” Perfume Genius explained in a statement. “It felt almost uncoverable but I wondered what I could do to make it sharper and maybe a little more desperate but still maintain the sort of beauty of it and the quietness of it.”
Last month, Perfume Genius put out his fifth studio album, Set My Heart On Fire, via Matador Records. Check out our review of the album here.
In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on June 19th, 2020:
Bob Dylan, Rough and Rowdy Ways
Bob Dylan is back with his much-anticipated 39th studio album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, out now via Columbia Records. Following a trilogy of albums covering American standards popularized by Frank Sinatra, the Nobel Prize-winning singer-songwriter’s latest is his first album of original material since 2012’s Tempest. It was recently revealed that the double LP, which includes the singles ‘Murder Most Foul’, ‘I Contain Multitudes’, and ‘False Prophet’, features contributions from the likes of Fiona Apple and Blake Mills. In a rare interview with The New York Times, Dylan explained: “The lyrics are the real thing, tangible, they’re not metaphors. The songs seem to know themselves and they know that I can sing them, vocally and rhythmically. They kind of write themselves and count on me to sing them.”
Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher
Phoebe Bridgers has put out her sophomore album Punisher via Dead Oceans. Released a day early on Thursday (June 18th), the follow-up to her 2017 debut Stranger in the Alps was co-produced by Tony Berg and Ethan Gruska and features guest appearances from Conor Oberst, Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, Christian Lee Hutson, Nick Zinner, Blake Mills, and Bright Eyes’ Nathaniel Walcott. Since her debut, Bridgers has also shared the boygenius EP with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, as well as Better Oblivion Community Center with Conor Oberst. “On the album I’m grappling a lot with my inability to be grateful for the moment, and this is definitely forcing us to live in the moment,” Bridgers said in an interview with NME. “There is no future to speak of – even though there is, we won’t know what that looks like yet.”
Neil Young, Homegrown
Neil Young has finally released Homegrown, a previously unreleased studio album recorded between 1974 and 1975, via Reprise. Originally scheduled for release on April 18 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Young’s so-called “lost” album has been the cause of speculation among fans for decades. “I apologize. This album Homegrown should have been there for you a couple of years after Harvest,” Neil Young said in a statement. “It’s the sad side of a love affair. The damage done. The heartache. I just couldn’t listen to it. I wanted to move on. So I kept it to myself, hidden away in the vault, on the shelf, in the back of my mind… but I should have shared it. It’s actually beautiful. That’s why I made it in the first place. Sometimes life hurts. You know what I mean. This is the one that got away.” The album features contributions from the likes of Emmylou Harris, Robbie Robertson, Ben Keith, Tim Drummond, and Stan Szelest.
John Legend, Bigger Love
John Legend has shared his seventh studio album, Bigger Love, via Columbia. Executive produced by Raphael Saadiq, it features guest contributions from the likes of Gary Clark Jr., Jhené Aiko, Koffee, Rapsody, and Camper. “This album is more focused on joy, love, hope, and on optimism,” John Legend said during a Zoom listening session earlier in June. “I think my last album [2016’s Darkness and Light] was kind of an album about being worried about being concerned and I definitely feel both. I feel like the world needs some joy.” He also said the lyrics “feel different now, given the circumstances”, and that he hopes the album will “lift people up.”
Other albums out today:
Black Eyed Peas, Translation; Jason Mraz, Look For The Good; lamb of god, lamb of god; Kacy Hill, Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again.
It was announced in 2012 by CD Projekt, and now sadly once again the long-awaited video game Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed. According to the official Twitter account of the game, the projected date for the launch of the game will be moved to the 19th of November. The last delay was moved to the 17th of September.
It seems like the game is complete in terms of content and gameplay, however still needs some work on the bugs which impact the game significantly. While this announcement has irritated a lot of fans, CD Projekt is known for delivering quality, and we feel it is only best to trust their judgement.
Some fans took to Twitter and shared their reactions.
Cyberpunk 2077 delayed again from September 17 to November 19. Two more months. I know some people will be upset, but as always, I'm willing to wait if it ultimately means getting the best version of the game possible. https://t.co/56USux1OW3
Not an Ordinary Day in Lasnamäe is a photography series by Andrés Gallardo Albajar; a self-taught photographer who currently resides in the Baltic country of Estonia. The series focuses on Lasnamäe, the most populous district of the capital Tallinn. The area is known for having a population which is majority Russian-speaking.
The first season of The Society was released on Netflix in 2019 to generally positive reviews and an instant loyal fanbase. The series was recently renewed for a second season, though in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, its late 2020 release may be delayed.
Busloads of high school students part with their parents as they leave for a camping trip, only to return the same day due to rainy weather. When they arrive back home, they find the town deserted. The buses drive away, leaving them alone in what they come to theorize is an alternate universe. Over time, the teenagers establish a new society while trying to figure out how they came to be there and how to get back home. In their spare time, they’re forced to interact with people they’d never spoken to before, making for some unusual pairings. Here are ten pairings that were the most interesting to see develop and evolve.
Allie and Helena
Allie is the sister of Cassandra, the school’s Student Body President who is shot dead in the third episode. After her death, Allie takes over as the society’s leader. Helena is Catholic and becomes a preacher for anyone who still attends church in the new world. She’s dating Luke, a responsible jock who is a member of Allie’s Guard. The two girls don’t always see eye to eye on political matters, though they both want to protect their loved ones.
They start the season disagreeing on most issues. Helena refuses to hand in her gun when Allie begins confiscating them after Cassandra’s death. Later, minor characters start to question Allie’s right to authority, so she decides to hold an election. Her power is threatened by some more violent, power-hungry characters, a prospect that frightens Helena. She sees that Allie truly has the town’s best interests in mind and vows to give political speeches in church, even though the principle of the act makes her uncomfortable.
When Luke and the rest of the Guard are coerced into supporting the more dictatorial candidates at the election, Helena is torn between who she should help. She and Allie have developed an unlikely alliance, and more importantly, a friendship. Helena’s position will likely be an essential arc in season 2.
Allie and Lexie
When Allie’s leadership is threatened, Lexie is the main contender for the role of mayor. She is a vocal character from the beginning of the series, though mostly dismissed as overly emotional and nosy. However, when given the opportunity to voice her concerns before an audience, people listen and agree with her. She has a talent for persuading others to turn against Allie by making her look bad. However, Allie and her friends doubt Lexie’s competency to be a good leader because of her selfishness.
Lexie is guided by her emotions rather than logical thought, and Allie warns her that being a leader is harder than she thinks. In fact, Allie desperately resists taking over from Cassandra after her death. Lexie ignores Allie’s advice until she teams up with Harry, a former popular boy who has spent most of the season depressed and addicted to drugs provided to him by Campbell, a psychopath.
Campbell has control over Harry, but nobody wants to elect him, so he suggests he and Lexie become co-mayors. But instead of waiting for the election, Campbell decides to take Allie’s power by force. They arrest her, and when she gets a chance to speak to Lexie, Allie warns her that her humanity is already slipping away and that she hasn’t even noticed.
Sam and Becca
Sam and Becca are best friends despite vast differences in character. They have a unique way of communicating through a mixture of sign language, words, and facial expressions since Sam is deaf. Both have a wry sense of humour and do not fit in with most of their peers.
Early in the series, Becca discovers she’s pregnant. She doesn’t tell anyone except Sam. He tries to reassure her, but she quickly tires of his copious jokes. Becca adamantly refuses to say to him who the father is and gets extremely defensive every time someone asks. She worries about what will happen when their friends find out, so Sam comes up with a story that he is the father, even though he’s gay.
Cassandra and Harry
Harry is one of the most popular boys in school, and one of the most privileged. His parents hold a certain degree of influence over the way the town is run, though their role is never made clear. In any case, his family is one of the wealthiest. Perhaps this is why he’s still bitter that Cassandra was elected Student Body President, and not him. He barely tolerates her authority, but when the two get one-on-one scenes together, they share an almost flirtatious banter.
When Cassandra is killed, many are quick to assume Harry is the murderer because of his talk that he should be the leader. Though he tries not to show it, he’s affected by her death and spirals into depression. Their relationship doesn’t get a lot of screentime because of Cassandra’s death, but fans and cast members have some interesting theories about the couple. Their unique dynamic was one of the most intriguing to watch and decode.
Kelly and Gordie
Kelly and Gordie form an unlikely friendship, considering their contrasting backgrounds. Kelly was Harry’s girlfriend before the series but breaks up with him in the first episode when she sees him flirting with another girl. After this crucial decision, she changes much of her behaviour. She surrounds herself with different people and greatly supports Cassandra, who is struggling with the stress of being the town’s leader.
By her side is Gordie, a very smart, shy character who comes up with the theory that they’re stranded in another universe. After Cassandra dies, those who made up Cassandra’s support system are brought closer together. Earlier, when Cassandra is alive, Kelly tells her it’s alright if she thinks Kelly is silly and shallow. But as she evolves, Kelly realizes how much she enjoys helping others. She even starts a small medical clinic and Gordie helps her with research on health issues. The two make a great team, especially when their peers get food poisoning at the Thanksgiving dinner.
Kelly and Becca
Another unlikely friendship that Kelly begins is with Becca. After Becca finds out she’s pregnant, she feels like she has nobody to talk to, except Sam, but Becca wants to talk to a female about it. Kelly is very observant and realizes Becca is pregnant early on. She wants to help her, saying that maybe “in this universe” she’s meant to be a doctor. The two girls develop a relationship deeper than that of a patient and her doctor. They become friends, adding some much-needed lightness to their lives – and the show.
Elle and Allie
The first episode sees the kids panicking, then enjoying the freedom suddenly thrust open them. They storm the supermarkets, loading carts with an unnecessary amount of products. Allie observes with disgust as Elle piles food into her already loaded cart.
Before the disappearance of everyone in the town, Elle was a ballet dancer. She’s closed off and maintains a very serious disposition. She’s surprised when Allie approaches her and tells her about The Poseidon Adventure. Allie wonders which character she would be – the selfish one, the survivor, the one who shuts down, or the person who helps others. This story reaches Elle, who returns some of the items.
Elle soon moves in with Campbell, Sam’s psychopathic brother. He abuses her psychologically and, later, physically. She’s too afraid to leave him, so she tries to poison him with a pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Her attempt is unsuccessful, and though Campbell suspects something, he never speaks on it. He now has more power over her, and she is more afraid. Eventually, she escapes. She has nowhere to go but to Allie, who protects her despite everything.
Sam and Grizz
Sam is quiet and has a very small circle of friends, while Grizz is a jock who everyone seems to love. But Grizz notices something about Sam early on. He even tries to learn sign language so that he can communicate with Sam in his language, but he accidentally learns British Sign Language instead of American. As the two spend more time together, it becomes clear that they share many interests and enjoy each other’s company. They have a lot to talk about and form a unique way of communicating.
When Becca goes into labour, Sam has to tell him that he’s the father of her baby even though it’s not true. Grizz is heartbroken, but Sam is committed to keeping his promise to Becca. Neither of them knows what to do until Grizz is about to leave for an expedition to find arable land. Sam gives him Walden by Henry David Thoreau to read while he’s away. After a successful trip, Grizz returns a week later to riots in the town.
Helena and Luke
These riots are partly a result of Allie’s Guard being coerced to join Campbell, Harry, and Lexie. Luke hasn’t told Helena the truth about his decision to join their side. Because she trusts and loves him more than anyone else, Helena believes the recycled lies he’s been feeding her about Allie’s corruption and selfishness.
Earlier in the season, they decided to get married. Helena is devoutly Catholic, but the two consummate their relationship because she’s sure that they’ll be together. She also says that maybe the rules are different in this new world. Until Luke is swayed by Campbell’s manipulation, he seems like a genuinely good person who supports and respects Helena even though he’s not religious. In season 2, she will likely discover what happened, which promises an extra layer to their relationship.
Elle and Campbell
This has to be the most nuanced relationship in the series. At first, Elle appears to have a degree of authority and freedom, but as Campbell gets to know her, his grip (literal and figurative) on her tightens. He learns the best ways to manipulate and scare her. He intends to keep her by his side and does everything in his power to do so. However, he also seems to fool himself into believing that she wants to be with him. Though she’s wary, at first, she really is drawn to him. The only reason she stays with him is that she has nobody else.
After the Thanksgiving fiasco, the Guard search everyone’s houses for possible poisons. Campbell notices that Elle is nervous and fidgety, so he covers for her. Neither of them ever speak about the incident, but it’s clear that Campbell suspects something and has even more leverage over her. When she escapes, he hunts the town for her and realizes that Allie’s protecting her. He thinks he’s saving her when he finally finds her and tells her to spit in Allie’s face as they’re leaving. Afraid, Elle does as he says but lets Allie know that she’ll make things right. This dynamic is sure to be one of the most interesting to watch in season 2.
Chloe x Halle might have had their big breakout moment thanks to Beyoncé, but while Bey’s fans have been asking for a full-fledged collaboration with her sister Solange for years, this sister duo’s natural chemistry and collaborative spirit is precisely what makes their music so appealing. The way their voices float atop one another not only provides depth and colour to these compositions (their compositions, to be exact, as they are notably credited as sole songwriters on many of the tracks here), but also evokes a sense of sisterly solidarity that’s both inspiring and impressive. Combined with the smooth, elegantly clean quality of the production, Ungodly Hour becomes a lilting antidote to these turbulent times.
Chloe and Halle have come a long way, not just since starring on the Disney TV series Austin and Ally, but also since Beyoncé caught their viral cover of ‘Pretty Hurts’ and signed them onto Parkwood Entertainment. For one thing, the Atlanta-born, Los Angeles-based duo have become regulars on the teen sitcom Grown-ish, and Halle is set to play Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Musically, though, their artistic growth has been slow but steady. If 2018’s Grammy-nominated The Kids Are Alright proved that the duo had more chops than most Disney stars who try to thrust themselves into the music world, Ungodly Hour is a further testament to their talent and versatility as they flesh out their sound and display more signs of maturity.
Across the album, Chloe x Halle deliver lavish, confident R&B tunes that boast a winning combination of angelic vocal harmonies and frequently audacious lyrics. “Better, baby, better treat me better/ Better than those other guys who change up like the weather/ It is such a shame that they went missing, they can’t find ’em now/ Oh, I wonder how I accidentally put them in the ground,” they sing on the bouncy, infectious ‘Tipsy’, while ‘Busy Boy’ is fearless yet funny in its depiction of more mature themes, with the line “It’s four o’clock/ You sendin’ me too many pictures of your…” immediately sticking out. The album’s cover perfectly encapsulates the tone of the record – deceptively innocent on the surface, but self-empowering and playfully salacious at its core.
Ungodly Hour might not be the most original R&B album out there, but it’s so well-executed that it’s hard not to revel in its joys. It helps that the production, much of which is handled by Chloe herself, occasionally adds a bit more punch to the album’s gently unassuming qualities – small details like the finger-snaps on the Latin-inspired ‘Baby Girl’ or the pounding drums on ‘Tipsy’. Meanwhile, the Disclosure-assisted title track packs a killer of a chorus as the duo coil effortlessly around the song’s dreamy instrumental. “When you don’t have to think about it/ Love me at the ungodly hour,” they proclaim.
While part of the album’s strength lies in the singers’ self-determination, Chloe x Halle aren’t afraid to express a softer side, particularly on the stripped-down interlude ‘Overwhelmed’ and the tender follow-up ‘Lonely’, which pulls you in to offer a warm, comforting embrace. While the album’s second half falters slightly – ‘Catch Up’ feat. Swae Lee being the record’s one big misstep – ‘Don’t Make it Harder On Me’ is a soulful late-album highlight that showcases the duo’s classic R&B influences. Nothing on Ungodly Hour is particularly new, but the way Chloe x Halle tiptoe around those superficial binaries – classy and modern, innocent and sultry, angelic and sinful – gives it a refreshing edge. And besides, they pull it off with such grace and charisma that you can’t help but succumb to its rhythm.
Bob Dylan is back with his much-anticipated 39th studio album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, out now via Columbia Records. Following a trilogy of albums covering American standards popularized by Frank Sinatra, the Nobel Prize-winning singer-songwriter’s latest is his first album of original material since 2012’s Tempest. It was recently revealed that the double LP, which includes the singles 
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Neil Young has finally released Homegrown, a previously unreleased studio album recorded between 1974 and 1975, via Reprise. Originally scheduled for release on April 18 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Young’s so-called “lost” album has been the cause of speculation among fans for decades. “I apologize. This album Homegrown should have been there for you a couple of years after Harvest,” Neil Young said in a statement. “It’s the sad side of a love affair. The damage done. The heartache. I just couldn’t listen to it. I wanted to move on. So I kept it to myself, hidden away in the vault, on the shelf, in the back of my mind… but I should have shared it. It’s actually beautiful. That’s why I made it in the first place. Sometimes life hurts. You know what I mean. This is the one that got away.” The album features contributions from the likes of Emmylou Harris, Robbie Robertson, Ben Keith, Tim Drummond, and Stan Szelest.
John Legend has shared his seventh studio album, Bigger Love, via Columbia. Executive produced by Raphael Saadiq, it features guest contributions from the likes of Gary Clark Jr., Jhené Aiko, Koffee, Rapsody, and Camper. “This album is more focused on joy, love, hope, and on optimism,” John Legend said during a Zoom listening session earlier in June. “I think my last album [2016’s Darkness and Light] was kind of an album about being worried about being concerned and I definitely feel both. I feel like the world needs some joy.” He also said the lyrics “feel different now, given the circumstances”, and that he hopes the album will “lift people up.”
