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House on the Cliff by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos

Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, the beloved studio based out of Valencia, Spain, presented a beautiful project which thet named House on the Cliff, among many other projects they present a stunning minimal design that is purely pleasing to the eye.

Find more work by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos here.

Little Thief Present New Song ‘All Our Sins’

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After a successful release of Doctor, the band known as Little Thief released their latest single All Our Sins just a few days ago. Little Thief’s release presents dazzling energy that has put them on the radar to many curators from the get-go. With this song released, we are eager to see what is next for them.

8 Stylish Male Shoe Trends for Spring 2020

When you think of men’s shoe trends, there are a few common styles that come to mind, and many men stick to these trends rather than breaking free and exploring the many exciting trends available to them. If you are looking for a new style or want to update your wardrobe before spring 2020, these 8 shoes have you covered. No matter what your style preference, there is a shoe here for you. Just be sure to get the shoe sizing right first!

Desert Boots

Bored of the same old shoes? While many men choose boots such as Timberlands (see below), desert boots are another fantastic option for a semi-casual look. These boots can be dressed up or down and provide a real versatile and retro look. Teamed with a great shirt and a pair of skinny jeans, these boots will make you a trend setter. Bergdorf Goodman was one of the first stores to start the desert boot fashion trend, and so they’re a good place to start when looking for the perfect pair.

Penny Loafers

A timeless look that goes well with workwear and regular wear, penny loafers will add class to any outfit you choose. These never go out of fashion, so invest in a good pair that will last for years to come. As penny loafers often come in a black leather look, they make a great pair of work shoes, especially if you are looking to impress in your new job.

Chelsea Boots

Another boot style that is making waves in male fashion magazines are Chelsea boots. These shoes are incredibly versatile and make a great addition to any man’s wardrobe. You dress them with tailored trousers or jeans if you want to break away from your usual sneaker style and add a bit more elegance to your outfits. Investing in a designer pair will ensure your boots last and still look brand-new months down the line, as long as you take good care of them.

Sneakers

You can never go wrong with a pair of sneakers and with so many new sneaker trends out there, the world is your oyster when it comes to men’s designer sneakers. Whether you enjoy two-tone sneakers, white sneakers, or like to go all out with your clothing and wear bright and funky sneakers, Fendi is a good designer choice. Fendi sneakers boast a unique and quirky style, perfect for the man who likes to stand out. You can find Fendi sneakers on SSENSE – a high-end fashion retailer that offers both an online store and physical outlets.

Sliders

Whether you are lounging around the house with the kids or hitting the beach, sliders are a fashionable and practical choice for any man. If you don’t like wearing covered shoes in the warmer months and sandals aren’t your thing, sliders are your new best friend. Many of the leading sports brands have their own range of sliders, including Adidas and Nike.

Runners

For any exercise fanatic out there that enjoys a good run, investing in a pair of runners will get you out and about this spring while remaining comfortable and trendy. Sneakers aren’t made for running and won’t offer the same support as a pair of runners, meaning you aren’t doing the best by your bones and muscles by choosing to run in sneakers. Many leading fashion designers have their own selection of runners, so you can run with panache wearing brands such as Prada and Balenciaga.

Boat Shoe

The boat shoe style is a classic and ageless look for the fashionable man. These make the perfect pair of shoes for dinner dates or a trip down the supermarket, meaning you can wear them every day and look sophisticated while doing so. For an easy slip on shoe that looks great without trying, boat shoes are an affordable style. Gucci have a range of quirky boat shoe styles, or if you want a more typical look, try Sperry. Sperry also give you the option of total customization of your boat shoe, meaning you can make the shoes unique to your style and color preference.

High-Top Boots

If you want a more standard pair of boots, Timberland offers their own unique style that most men love. These are a snug classic that can be found in a range of color styles, making them another versatile shoe that can be easily dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Many Timberland shoes are also waterproof, so you can look trendy even when walking the dog in the park on a wet spring morning. Made to keep up with those who have an active lifestyle, these make a great addition to any man’s shoe rack.

If you want to look great in spring 2020, look no further than these 8 stylish men’s shoe styles. No matter what your fashion style, these shoes will add flair and sophistication to your wardrobe.

Best Albums: March 2020

In this monthly segment, we showcase the best albums of each month. Here are our picks for March, 2020:

Album of the Month: Porridge Radio, Every Bad

Porridge Radio: Every Bad Album Review | PitchforkFor a band that hails from the seaside town of Brighton, it’s fitting that Porridge Radio’s sophomore album feels like it’s been dredged right out of a stormy sea. Following their relatively unimposing debut Rice, Pasta and Other Fillers, the post-punk four-piece’s latest feels like an unstoppable torrent of emotion that showcases both each member’s unique strengths and the electric dynamism of the band as a whole. Though the album dives into a few disparate musical territories, from dream pop to alt-rock, the force of singer Dana Margolin’s vocal prowess pulls it all together, each one of her outbursts etching itself into your brain until her personal demons become your own. Throughout Every Bad, Margolin repeats phrases to the point where they take on a new meaning or lose their meaning entirely: “Thank you for leaving,” she hollers on opener ‘Born Confused’, while on the explosive, grungy ‘Sweet’, “I am charming/ I am sweet” feels less like an affirmation and more like a ritualistic attempt to bite off her neuroses. It all culminates with ‘Lilac’, an absolute knock-out of a song that slowly builds into an earth-shatteringly transcendent crescendo – the lyrics go from a genuine proclamation of hopelessness to a glimmer of hope that, unlike on ‘Sweet’, doesn’t feel forced or half-ironic, but cathartic: “I don’t want to get bitter/ I want us to get better/ I want us to be kinder/ To ourselves and to each other.” It all hits too close to home, but alas, we’re not allowed to enjoy any kind of hopeful resolution – like other tracks here, the song abruptly cuts to the next, as if negating a spell that’s too good for its own good. And rather than offering closure with the final track, ‘Homecoming Song’, what we get instead is an honest but depressing confession of feeling like “a sinking ship” with “nothing inside”. Perhaps all that mental magic, all that trying to mess with the sea, is too much for one person to carry; perhaps, rather than trying to control the tides, all we can really do is allow ourselves to be swept by them.

Highlights: ‘Lilac’, ‘Sweet’, ‘Long’, ‘Give/ Take’, ‘Born Confused’

U.S. Girls, Heavy Light

U.S. Girls' 'Heavy Light' is an urgent plea for solidarity - The ...Following 2018’s critically acclaimed, genre-bending In a Poem Unlimited, Meghan Remy’s project has grown ever larger, recruiting more backing vocalists and musicians; a fitting move considering the multiplicity of perspectives that surround her new album. Grounding Heavy Light are three sound collages featuring overlapping voices that intimate memories from their youth – ‘Advice to a Teenage Self’, ‘The Most Hurtful Thing’, and ‘The Colour of Your Bedroom’ – indicating that Remy is interested in exploring not only our shared collective past but also how our individual pasts connect and define us. And what defines us, it seems, is our utter cluelessness about life – in the deeply existential ‘IOU’, Remy restles with the idea that we are all born with no plan or manual for how to live, and the only thing that changes as we grow up is the fact that we learn from those around us. Unfortunately, much of what makes up the systems that are passed down to us is fundamentally problematic, from capitalism (‘4 American Dollars’) to patriarchy (‘State House (It’s A Man’s World)’). While not filled with the same societal anger as her previous outings, these moments act as a reminder that the personal is always political. And while Heavy Light may not be fuelled by the same fervent musical energy as In a Poem Unlimited, it still has that same emotional immediacy and plenty of exciting highlights that carry it through, like the groovy disco-latin fusion of ‘And Yet it Moves/ Y Se Mueve’. But it’s the album’s reflective, subdued tone that makes it stand out, like a light guiding the way into the deepest corners of the soul.

Highlights: ‘4 American Dollars’, ‘Overtime’, ‘IOU’, ‘And Yet it Moves/ Y Se Mueve’, ‘Denise, Don’t Wait’

The Weeknd, After Hours

The Weeknd – After Hours Lyrics | Genius LyricsEver since his commercial breakthrough with 2013’s Kiss Land, Abel Tesfaye has struggled to combine the transfixing quality of his early mixtapes with the massive success of his chart-topping singles. But the R&B crooner’s follow-up to the 2018 EP My Dear Melancholy, marks his most successful reinvention yet, revealing a softer, more vulnerable side while remaining as elusive as ever. The crimson-jacket-wearing, bloody-faced Tesfaye that appears on the cover might be a carefully crafted persona that owes a lot to the horror films that’ve always influenced his music, but there’s more to the record than just style over substance (speaking of substances, yeah… they make a few cameos). The opening cut, ‘Alone Again’, is coated in mesmeric layers of synths, with Tesfaye’s washed-out voice barely coming through: “Take off my disguise/I’m living someone else’s life/ Suppressing who I was inside,” he sings, as if drowning not in water, but in pools of blood. While the Weeknd’s signature lines about drugs and sex still make the cut, After Hours is the artist’s most introspective, emotionally resonant record to date, from the reflective ‘Snowchild’ to the heartfelt ballad ‘Scared to Live’. Co-producer Daniel Lopatin aka Oneohtrix Point Never – who scored Uncut Gems, in which Tesfaye made an appearance – provides some much needed texture and depth to the sonic makeup of the album, while megaproducer Max Martin contributes to the record’s most infectiously catchy singles, most memorably on the excellent 80s-inspired synth jam ‘Blinding Lights’ and the more modern ‘In Your Eyes’. On paper, After Hours shouldn’t work – there are too many musical worlds colliding, too many sides of the Weeknd unveiling themselves – which makes the album’s surprising cohesiveness an even greater achievement. Its greatest, though, is pushing forth The Weeknd’s most assured, multifaceted incarnation yet – and this, it seems, is only the beginning.

Highlights: ‘Alone Again’, ‘Hardest to Love’, ‘Scared to Live’, ‘Blinding Lights’, ‘In Your Eyes’

Dua Lipa, Future Nostalgia

Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia (Official Album Cover).pngDua Lipa has been building up momentum for years, but it’s not until now that it feels like she’s fully claimed her place in the pop landscape. If you’d disregarded her as another run-of-the-mill pop star, think again – where her long-in-the-works 2017 debut felt overstuffed and, ironically for a self-titled effort, lacking in personality, Future Nostalgia is a tight, confident sophomore outing that’s packed with one banger after another. “You want a timeless song, I wanna change the game,” she proclaims on the opening track, and with an effortless mix of 80s pop and modern production, she doesn’t fall short. From the slick bass line of ‘Don’t Start Now’ to the retro synth-pop of lead single ‘Physical’ to the INXS-sampling disco of ‘Break My Heart’, Lipa is not just in love, but in total command, showcasing her natural ability to carry an infectious groove that seems to span across multiple decades. The album peaks with three mid-album highlights – ‘Levitating’, an irresistibly catchy, Daft Punk-esque dance tune, ‘Pretty Please’, which sounds a bit like Billie Eilish singing a sultry funk banger (and nailing it), and ‘Hallucinating’, a carefree club throwback. Unfortunately, the record falters slightly towards the end: ‘Good in Bed’ features another great hook, but its rhymes are painfully stale, while closer ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ hits the right notes but feels entirely out of place. That aside, Future Nostalgia is a bold, defining statement from a pop star who’s definitely here to stay, a collection of tracks that can be as sophisticated as they are pure fun.

Highlights: ‘Don’t Start Now’, ‘Physical’, ‘Levitating’, ‘Pretty Please’, ‘Hallucinating’, ‘Break My Heart’

Waxahatchee, Saint Cloud

Waxahatchee Saint CloudFrom its very first notes, Waxahatchee’s fifth studio album feels like the calm after the storm. Gone is the grungy, distorted indie rock of 2017’s Out in the Storm, and in its place has bloomed an altogether different flower, its roots planted firmly at the core of American folk music. With the skies having opened up, seemingly by the sheer force of human will, a newly sober Katie Crutchfield approaches the familiar subjects of love and heartache with a sense of clarity and self-acceptance: “I’m a bird in the trees/ I can learn to see with a partial view/I can learn to be easy as I move in close to you,” she sings on ‘Fire’. That effortless ease is part of what defines Saint Cloud, thanks in part to Brad Cook’s warm, spare production that perfectly accommodates Crutchfield’s songwriting, which, while as poetic and evocative as ever, feels simpler, more natural. “I want it all,” she repeatedly laments on the opening track – there’s still a fire burning inside her, but it’s entangled in the kind of longing that comes with finally being free. ‘The Eye’ is a highlight that showcases Crutchfield’s ability as an engaging storyteller; she allows the song to take its full shape with subtle touches in her vocal delivery, so that when she sings about lovers levitating or a “a scientific cryptogram lit up behind the sunbeam”, the image is projected in front of you. But the album only unveils its full beauty at the very end, with its two final tracks: ‘Ruby Falls’ finds Crutchfield sharing her wisest and most profound learnings, like how “real love don’t follow a straight line”, while the closing title track confronts death with soul-crushing immediacy: “And when I go, when I go/ Look back at me, embers aglow,” she pleads. With Saint Cloud, Waxahatchee has crafted a modern folk classic we won’t soon forget.

Highlights: ‘Oxbow’, ‘Fire’, ‘The Eye’, ‘Arkadelphia’, ‘Ruby Falls’, ‘St. Cloud’

Strange Beauty by Zac Henderson

Zac Henderson, a photographer and videographer out of Boulder, USA, revealed an eye-pleasing series named Strange Beauty in which Henderson explores the beauty of geothermal activity in Yellowstone Natural Park, USA.

Find more work by Zac Henderson here.

Sound Selection 088: Pixelord and Sangam Present ‘City High Fantasy’

Tanner J. Royal Bar Fight

Tanner J. Royal, released his six-track EP just last month, featuring the finale song Bar Fight. In this addicting song, Tanner delivers a beautiful wave of lyrics, a warming vibe and a fascinating progression that in the end comes to a stunning crescendo that fantastically ends the song. This one is for the playlists.

Big Black Delta Summoner

When it comes to terrifying music, Summoner by Big Black Delta has it all. Eerie atmospheres, sinister-like synths with a dark spirit that will stick with you from the get-go. Summoner is not just a spectacular piece of technical work, but a genuinely thought out track that digs more intense with every element it presents.

FARR Wildflowers

Catchy and marvellous would be two words to describe Wildflowers by FARR, a duo who just recently released their album Weightless. FARR’s vocals are worthy of a mention here; vocally this track is impressive that carries a rich vocal tone with terrific power and soul. When it comes to structure and progression, the song hits the nail on the head too and thus making it one of our favourites for 2020.

Sangam & Pixelord City High Fantasy

When it comes to nightlife driven, high-energy, raw-sounding electronic music, there is not much better than Pixelord, a respected figure in the world of electronic music. On the other hand, we have Sangam who shifts to a calmer, texture-heavy ambient style of electronic music that we have come to love.

The duo joined together to bring us a five-track EP named City High Fantasy via Hyperboloid Records. The EP itself was all done remote and presented the two different languages of the producers superbly. There is a lot of complex beat structure and otherwordly melodies that mix stunningly with majestic synths pads throughout. This EP is worthy of respect.

Interview: Yves Cohen

Yves Cohen, a film director of Letters to God which screened the Manchester Film Festival, joined us for an interview to talk about the film, his beginnings and culture.

Hi, how are you?

Hi, ’til now I’m fine, in this very strange period of time, thank you. 

So, how did your journey into film start?  

Since I was 7, I always wanted to be a director. Life put me on another road until I could realize my child dream with this first movie, at 63. In “my lives before”, I have travelled the world, smuggling from one country to another. I sold old radios at flea markets; I created and managed several import-export and recycling companies. Until the day I felt completely drained. My life no longer had any meaning. I found myself facing myself. It was then that my childhood dream came back to the surface. I had completely forgotten about it. I stopped everything and started writing for the cinema.

What are your influences?  

So many different movies and directors I love. Impossible to name them all but some names are coming naturally up: Orson Welles, Francis Coppola Sofia Coppola, Hitchcock, Claude Sautet, Andrei Tarkovsky, Mikhaïl Kalatozov, Julian Schnabel… There are movies that I keep on watching all the times, others that I always think of: The Godfather 1, 2, 3, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Stalker, All That Jazz, Cabaret, When Harry Met Sally … 

Your brilliant film Letters to God screened at the Manchester Film Festival, how did the idea for the film come about?

I had the opportunity to learn directing in Tel Aviv, so I went to leave there for a while. One day, I had to post a letter, so I looked on the internet for a post office nearby my place. This is how I discovered the existence of a unique post office, in Jerusalem, which processes the mail addressed to God by people from all over the world. That’s how the idea of the movie came up and I invented this story with this imaginary post office based on a true fact. 

Did you face any significant challenges during the making of the film?

The whole process was a challenge. Being in a foreign country, not speaking the language and wanting to shoot in Hebrew, knowing no one in the cinema industry and a first time director on top of it, you can imagine. But we were on the land of miracles, and it worked marvellously… With a lot of determination.The film being about forgiveness, what I m very proud of, I must say, is that I could build an Israeli-Palestinian team with an international touch: David Blanco (co writer and executive producer) came from Barcelona, Daniella Nowitz, Dop, from Los Angeles, Pablo de Michelis, Sound engineer, from Argentina, Jiries Copti, line producer, is Palestinian as a good part of the technical team. The actors and the rest of the team are Israeli. 

Do you have any projects lined up?

I’ m now working on a long feature taking place in India as well as on two other short movies and a documentary. 

Our final question, what is your definition of culture?

From my point of view, culture is a path to knowledge, sharing and tolerance. Through the thoughts or the emotions that the work of art arouses, it must help us to grow.

Thank you for joining us Yven!

Artist Spotlight: Unstabile

Lo-fi bedroom pop singer-songwriter Unstabile’s music shimmers with lush synth textures and an intimate vibe that evokes Blood Orange’s blend of free-flowing, snippet-style R&B with DIY indie production. Following their 2019 LP A Drop in the Stream, the artist has just today graced us with a new EP titled Glimmers, written, composed and produced in its entirety by Unstabile. Highlights including the opening track, ‘Falling’, a hazy, ethereal tune glistening with a wonderful vocal melody and night-time jazzy synths, or the breezy, hopeful ‘On My Way’, where Unstabile calmly proclaims: “And I feel like I’m on my way/ Being right here feels okay.” Fittingly, the record feels like a glimmer of light in a dark room.

We caught up with Unstabile for this edition of our Artist Spotlight series, where we showcase up-and-coming artists and give them a chance to talk a bit about their music.

What inspired you to start making music?

When I was a little kid I was so inspired by visions I experienced while listening to music, and it made me want to make movies based on what I saw in my head.  But before too long that just turned into me wanting to make music, and let people have their own visions with it.  Once I had an ipod, I looked forward to bus rides to school where I could listen to music and daydream before having to arrive at all the shit you deal with at school.  Music was this space of emotional understanding, caretaking and communication, and so I wanted to be a part of that and reach people that way.  I didn’t know that many creative people growing up, and I guess I kept a lot of it to myself.  I took lessons and did chorus and occasionally made some things, but it wasn’t really until sometime in college that I started making a lot more.  I did it almost compulsively after class and stuff, just messing around.  Now I really see it as something like water, it’s just something that I need…expression being part of day to day life instead of this separate thing.

How would you describe your sound?

Dreamy, fluid, hazy, minimal, lush, textural, intimate.

What are some of your biggest influences?

Well, in general there’s so much music to be inspired by and that I have been inspired by over the years it’s hard to even account for…These days I’ve listened to a lot of Liv.e, MIKE, Solange, Earl, and a lot of jazz pianists, like Ahmad Jamal and Alice Coltrane, to speak of just a few artists who I love, but wouldn’t be seen clearly as an influence in my music.  I would say that in recent years, some of my biggest influences have been people like Blood Orange and (Sandy) Alex G, as a songwriter. They’re both pretty different from one another of course, but in my mind they share an intimacy and a sort of demo-like, and yet totally genius and refined, homemade sound.  And one that isn’t easily pinned down.  When I got into Alex G, I found myself so inspired by how far and how beautifully he was able to take a lack of technicality on the recording side (using garageband and a usb mic), and a simplicity on the music side .  It kind of awakened the kid in me who wanted to make music and wasn’t worried about being polished or cool, or worried I wasn’t good enough at my instrument or at producing yet.  It was just like, oh, I can do this and just be me.  Thankfully, this accessibility and homecooked-ness is true of a lot of great artists of all different kinds today.

What were some of the ideas that went behind your EP Glimmers?

The project sort of emerged on its own, but at the time of making it I had begun thinking more about how to be devoted to music, how to show up for it and for myself better.  I was dealing with the idea of how thinking can really hold you back and make you feel bad if you’re not careful.  There’s a lot of inattention and distraction that prevents growth, or as I was noticing, prevented me from appreciating my growth.  Like, I’d make a track and unconsciously assume it wasn’t good, or I’d just forget about it, and then show it to someone else or come back to it later and be like, why do I keep telling myself I haven’t made anything recently?  Why do I assume that it’s not good before I even give it a chance?

So there was this idea of trying to notice and broaden the light I experienced in life, however faint it may have felt, and to be carried by that.  Like a light dimly illuminating an otherwise dark space in time…processing some feelings in short songs.  By the end of it I had this idea of trying to hold hope and despair together in the music, instead of seeing them as in opposition.

 What was the recording process like?

I was putting time into music after work, in my bedroom, like usual, and trying to be more consistent.  I was going through a bit of a tough time and really recording was just my way of staying present and checking in with myself.  It was a lot of finding inspiration in playing little things on the bass, and layering it and/or pitching it up, just keeping it simple with harmony in part due to being less familiar with the instrument than I am with keyboards.  For the most part, tracks were pretty spontaneous, and were recorded within a day or 2.   It was a cold and quiet time, and with that there was a gravitation towards ambient, at times sparse, slow burning tracks.  At the same time, I was trying to be concise.  I wanted my vocals, when lyrical, to feel more directly expressive, even if they weren’t put at the forefront of the mix.  It was a time of growth, a lot of which manifested in demos and songs that aren’t actually on this project, but pivot me towards more songwriting and whatever else is next.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

It’s kind of up in the air right now, but I really have plans to deepen my creative practice and  flow anew. I know I want to develop more musical relationships and move to a new place, and continue learning life, while also facing this fucked up, shifting world.

Interview: Nyah Grace

Nyah Grace, an up-and- coming soul singer-songwriter, joined us for an interview to talk about her latest single Sunday.

Hi, how are you?

I’m good! I’m currently quarantining at my home but doing alright.

Me too. So, how did your journey into music start?

I started singing at the age of six, and then learned how to play basic chords on piano at around age 11. It was around that time that I started songwriting, though none of it was any good. I picked up guitar around 13 or 14 and really started to become serious about my career at that time.

How did your song Sunday come about, what was the inspiration for it?

I wrote this Sunday with the very talented Steve Chrisanthou. The two of us decided the album could use another song with a totally different flavor to what we’d been working on previously, so I found an old hip hop kit loop on youtube and ran through it about 1000 times before coming up with the chord progression. There wasn’t any one event or person in my life that inspired me to write this song. Steve and I both agreed that the idea of wanting to wake up with someone on a Sunday morning is something practically every person on earth can relate to. Sunday to me is a song about one of our most basic human needs to be wanted and loved.

Did you face any challenges when writing the song?

The biggest challenge we faced when writing this was the last chorus. It was changed and re-recorded about four times until Steve, and I finally arrived at the version on the record.

What have you got planned for 2020, any new singles or albums?

I plan on releasing one or two more singles within the next couple months, followed by my album around the summertime!

Our final question, what is your definition of culture?

For me, the most prominent aspect of one’s culture is art, and more specifically, music. Where and how I grew up played a big role in my development as a singer and songwriter, and is the reason for why my music sounds the way that it does. My culture defined this song in one way or another, and I am more than happy with how it turned out.

Albums Out Today: Dua Lipa, Pearl Jam, Waxahatchee, Sufjan Stevens

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In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on March 27th, 2020:

Dua Lipa, Future Nostalgia

Image result for dua lipa future nostalgiaEnglish pop star Dua Lipa has come through with her sophomore LP, Future Nostalgia, out now via Warner Records. It was originally planned to be released on April 3rd, but was pushed forward after the record was leaked in its entirety last week. Working with producers Jeff Bhasker, Ian Kirkpatrick, Stuart Price, and The Monsters and the Strangerz, Lipa has said that the album has more of a “nostalgic” feel, with more live elements as well as electronic production mixed in. “What I wanted to do with this album was to break out of my comfort zone and challenge myself to make music that felt like it could sit alongside some of my favourite classic pop songs, whilst still feeling fresh and uniquely mine,” she explained, citing the likes of Gwen Stefani, Madonna, and Blondie as major influences.

Pearl Jam, Gigaton

Image result for pearl jam gigatonPearl Jam are back with their 11th studio album, their first release of original material since 2013’s Lightning Bolt. Marking the longest period of time the band has spent between albums, Gigaton was co-produced by Josh Evans, who’s previously worked for fellow grunge rock giants Soundgarden. “Making this record was a long journey,” guitarist Mike McCready explained in a statement. “It was emotionally dark and confusing at times, but also an exciting and experimental road map to musical redemption. Collaborating with my bandmates on Gigaton ultimately gave me greater love, awareness and knowledge of the need for human connection in these times.”The album cover, ‘Ice Waterwall’, depicting the Nordaustlandet ice cap, was taken by Paul Nicklen in Svalbard, Norway.

Waxahatchee, Saint Cloud

Image result for waxahatchee saint cloudKatie Crutchfield aka Waxahatchee returns with a new album titled Saint Cloud, out now via Merge Records. The follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimed Out in the Storm was produced by Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Big Red Machine, Kevin Morby) and features contributions from guitarist/keyboardist Josh Kaufman, drummer/percussionist Nick Kinsey, as well backing band Bonny Doon. The album is described as having a more stripped back, raw sound compared to her previous releases, acting as a backdrop for Crutchfield’s “unflinching self-examination”, describing an “intimate journey through the places she’s been, filled with the people she’s loved.”

Sufjan Stevens and Lowell Brams, Aporia

Image result for sufjan stevens aporiaThis is a collaboration between singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens and his stepfather, Lowell Brams, released on March 24th through Asthmatic Kitty. The album, which is inspired by new age music and acts like Enya and Boards of Canada, marks the retirement of Lowell Brams, with whom Stevens founded the label Asthmatic Kitty two decades ago. In Stevens’ words, Aporia “tells a bigger story of stewardship and mentorship. He’s been there since I was five. It’s been a long haul … This record is a synthesis of all of that history.” The 21-track album was originally slated for release on March 27th, but was pushed forward because of concerns over record stores closing due to coronavirus.

Other albums out today:

Nicolas Jaar, Cenizas; 5 Seconds of Summer, Cold; San Fermin, The Cormorant I & II; Little Dragon, New Me, Same Us; Half Walf, The Caretaker; Brian Fallon, Local Honey.