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Trace Mountains Shares Video for New Single ‘Hard to Accept’

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Trace Mountains, the solo project of LVL UP’s Dave Benton, has dropped a new song called ‘Hard to Accept’. It’s taken from the upcoming record The Burning Blue, following earlier singles ‘In a Dream’ and ‘Friend’. Check it out via the accompanying video, directed by Alyx and Sam Soard, below.

Speaking about the song, Benton said:

[“Hard to Accept”] reflects on those moments when communication breaks down in a relationship and we’re left to piece everything together. When I brought the song to Craig, I was excited to collaborate with him because of his impressive work on the Japanese Breakfast records. I thought his arranging instincts would be a good match, and we quickly got to work crafting the rhythm section arrangement. In our first recording session together, munching on dried mango and blueberries, Craig and I breathed new life into “Hard to Accept” with a vibrant, danceable quality while being careful to maintain its emotionality. He really took his time with my vocal, capturing breath and air in the recording that made the performance sound more intimate. I think we were able to strike a balance between the heavy feelings and a more upbeat, cathartic vibe—combining tears, laughter, and a sort of defiant, night-drive-blasting-music, “No, really… I’m good” attitude.

Alyx and Sam Soard added: “In the quiet moments before everything falls apart, there’s a strange kind of peace, a calm as we face the finality of an ending. Often, it’s the refusal to listen—miscommunication and stubbornness—that drive us apart, whether in a relationship or on a global scale. We beg each other to change, but neither side can hear the other, and this breakdown is the crux of the problem. Just as personal missteps can end relationships, our collective unwillingness to address climate change mirrors this larger failure to act. In both cases, we cling to fleeting moments of joy, even as the bigger picture crumbles, finding some kind of meaning in the chaos while grappling with what we couldn’t change.”

Into the Burning Blue is set to arrive September 27 via Lame-O.

Pharmakon Shares Video for New Song ‘METHANAL DOLL’

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Pharmakon has released a new track, ‘METHANAL DOLL’, from her upcoming album Maggot Mass. Following lead single ‘WITHER AND WARP’, the track arrives with a music video directed by Max Rooney and Hank Allen. Check it out below.

Discussing the new song, Margaret Chardiet shared:

This song represents the violent and sobering awakening from that suspended state. I looked down to see my flesh and remembered that “I” was… not the moss on a stone, or the worm in the dirt or the pollen in the wind. I am Margaret, not maggot. I wanted to reassure myself that I could die with dignity and purpose, not to be wasted. So I began to research… the highly concentrated area of organically rich soil which is left behind as a body rots is called a “Cadaver Decomposition Island.” On this island oasis, the nematodes and worms become more abundant, as do an increasingly diverse selection of plant life. The stage of this miraculous transfiguration can be measured by the “Maggot Mass.” But this only happens, I learned, during a so-called “green burial” — meaning without embalming, without concrete vault or casket, without cremation, … where all the critters that need to feed can access you… the way of chaotic creation.

Of course the clutches of capitalism reach for us, even beyond the grave. Those with means are preserved like monuments. But if you’re poor and live in the filthy concrete, steel and glass of artifice “you will burn, down to ash, in a city morgue, to a plastic bag.” The stark reality of death in America is that our dust does not return to dust. We deprive the universe of the energy we took from it. We hoard it inside our toxic graves of chemical sludge, all pickled and carved into stone. In our attempt to preserve our bodies that we may live eternally, we remove ourselves from the very chain of life and death that all else on earth adheres to. If the energy we inherit remains forever trapped in our lumps of matter, stolen away from the wider universe, are we incrementally draining and wasting all the available force of life?

Max Rooney and Hank Allen added: “The ideas arose naturally when all three of us discussed the themes of the album and our influences. We wanted to make something that was grotesque but also pastoral and somber. Margaret is super devoted to her craft and is keen on filling every moment with meaning. It’s been a truly exciting collaboration and seeing all of our visions come to life has been transformative.”

Eunice Yunjeong Lee: Shaping Spaces with Sensitivity at the Museum of Sex

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Eunice Yunjeong Lee, a spatial designer, is a rising star in the field of exhibition design, particularly through her work at the Museum of Sex in New York City. Her previous project, “RADICAL PERVERTS: Ecstasy and Activism in Queer Public Space, 1975-2000,” running from October 12, 2023, to April 14, 2024, exemplified her ability to combine spatial design with cultural narratives. Curated by Alexis Heller, this exhibition explored the intersections of ecstasy and activism in queer public spaces, offering visitors an immersive journey through a pivotal era in LGBTQ+ history.

As the exhibition designer, Lee’s role was pivotal in bringing the radical spirit of the 1975-2000 queer movement to life within the museum’s walls. Her design approach aimed to craft a chronological narrative that not only guides visitors through the history of queer activism but also immerses them in the emotional and social landscapes of the time. To achieve this, she utilized urban elements that evoke the public spaces where much of this activism unfolded. These spaces were crucial sites of resistance and community-building, and Lee’s design pays homage to their significance.

An important moment in the design process was her decision to use real tiles for a wall meant to evoke the atmosphere of a public bathroom—an essential thematic element in the exhibition. Despite the higher costs and longer installation time, Lee believed that the tactile quality and visual depth of real tiles were necessary to fully convey the exhibition’s message.

(Photo: Jules Slutsky; Courtesy of the Museum of Sex)

In designing the exhibition, Lee was deeply aware of the messages she wanted to convey to the audience. She emphasized the importance of aligning her work with the intentions of the curator and artists, ensuring that their messages were communicated with the respect and sensitivity they deserved. Lee’s design choices were carefully made to honor the essence of the work while being mindful of the contemporary social climate. This balance is crucial in exhibitions that tackle complex and sensitive issues, and Lee’s ability to navigate these challenges speaks to her skill and thoughtfulness as a designer.

(Photo: Jules Slutsky; Courtesy of the Museum of Sex)

Through her design, Lee highlights her exceptional talent for creating spaces that are not only visually striking but also deeply connected to the cultural and historical contexts they represent.

She invites visitors to engage with the past in a way that is both immersive and reflective, providing a powerful platform for dialogue and understanding.

Eunice also announced that her upcoming exhibition designs will be featured in “Hajime Sorayama: Desire Machines” and “Modern Sex: 100 Years of Design and Decency,” both part of the grand opening at the Museum of Sex Miami.

Additionally, her latest works include “Looking at Andy Looking,” curated by Greg Pierce. This exhibition features a collaboration with Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Museum to present a selection of Warhol’s early films. Furthermore, “I Licked It, It’s Mine,” curated by Ariel Plotek and Amanda Assaf, is also currently on view at the Museum of Sex. Both exhibitions will remain open until early 2025.

Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris for President

Following the first debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, Taylor Swift released a statement on Instagram giving her endorsement to Harris. “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift wrote. “I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”

“I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades,” she added. Read the full statement below.

Swift’s endorsement comes after months of speculation about whether the star would publicly throw her support behind a candidate in the 2024 US presidential race. In her statement, Swift also addressed fake AI posts of her endorsing Trump. “Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site,” she said. “It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”

Swift signed her post on Instagram – where she has over 283 million followers – as “Taylor Swift” and “Childless Cat Lady,” a reference to viral comments made by Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, about women without children.

Tim Walz told MSNBC on that he was “incredibly grateful” for Swift’s endorsement, adding, “I say that also as a cat owner, a fellow cat owner. That was eloquent and it was clear, and that’s the type of courage we need in America, to stand up.”

He continued: “We’ve seen it out of those Republicans who were at the DNC, we’ve seen it out of women who would like to have their own personal lives kept personal, but are forced to go out there cause they nearly died because they can’t get abortion services in a pregnancy. And now you have somebody like Taylor Swift, coming out and making that very clear.”

Walz then gave shoutout to Swift’s fans: “This will be the opportunity, Swifties — KamalaHarris.com — get on over there, give us a hand, get things going.”

 

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Allegra Krieger Releases New Song ‘Roosevelt Ave’

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Ahead of the release of her new album, Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine, this Friday, Allegra Krieger has shared one more track from it. ‘Roosevelt Ave’ follows previous offerings ‘Came’‘Never Arriving’, and ‘Into Eternity’. Check out its Lilliana Villines-directed video below.

“I wrote this song in a sort of fever dream state – inspired by some abrupt life changes & a walk through Queens down Roosevelt Ave,” Krieger explained in a statement. “During this time in my life, everything felt very vivid, fragile, and temporary.”

Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine follows last year’s I Keep My Feet on the Fragile Plane. Read our Artist Spotlight interview with Allegra Krieger.

Merce Lemon Releases New Single ‘Crow’

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Merce Lemon has released a new single, ‘Crow’, lifted from her forthcoming LP Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild. It follows previous cuts ‘Backyard Lover’ and the title track. Check it out below.

“Every year the crows migrate over Pittsburgh,” Lemon explained in a press release. “I wrote this song after sitting on my roof in 2019, watching the sky turn black with fluttering wings, flying in mass towards the blue water tower planted on the hill in the distance.”

Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild is due September 27 on Darling.

Joan Shelley Announces New EP ‘Mood Ring’, Unveils New Song

Joan Shelley has announced a new EP, Mood Ring, which is out October 4 via No Quarter. Today, the Kentucky singer-songwriter has previewed it with the opening title track, which you can hear below.

‘Mood Ring’ was inspired by “the idea that heat and time are interlinked,” according to Shelley. “That they tug and warp each other in space. I had read about block universe theory and it bothered me—if it were true, how do we really change anything? The song wove its own little message in response: this sense that all of us, our web of connections and the friction of our relationships, are the fuel that propels us through time… and that inevitably we are consumed by it. But what a spectacular thing to get a chance to ignite this vast, incomprehensible space with our lives. To have gotten an invitation to be here at all.”

The EP came together after Shelley gave birth to her daughter and moved from the place she was raised in rural Kentucky. The first time she listened to the mixes of the new songs was reportedly on the drive to the new family home in Louisville. “I listened with my daughter on the drive and she wanted ‘I Look After You’ over and over,” Shelley recalled, continuing:

She asked, ‘Is this to me?’ And I said yes, while also knowing that I wrote it before she was born, and that it’s for lovers too, as well as grieving mothers. I looked at her in the rearview mirror as she mouthed the words in her carseat. When we reached the end of our drive I lost service, so I played the songs again off my phone and rolled the windows down, hearing the lyrics again ‘just seven steps… all you need to know for your journey’ and I wished it were that simple.

Shelley released her latest album, The Spur, in 2022.

Mood Ring EP Cover Artwork:

Mood Ring EP Tracklist:

1. Mood Ring
2. Singing To You
3. Fire of the Morning
4. Seven Steps
5. I Look After You

Planes Mistaken for Stars Announce New Album, Release New Song

Planes Mistaken for Stars have announced a new album called Do You Still Love Me?, which comes out on November 1 via Deathwish Inc.. The follow-up to 2016’s Prey features the band’s final recordings with Gared O’Donnell, the singer and guitarist who passed away from stage III esophageal cancer in 2021. Today, they’ve shared the new song ‘Fix Me’, which you can hear below.

Do You Still Love Me? was recorded with producer Sanford Parker in Chicago. The album was written during the pandemic and while O’Donnell was going through chemo and radiation treatment.

Do You Still Love Me? Cover Artwork:

Do You Still Love Me? Tracklist:

1. Matthew is Dead
2. Fix Me
3. Further
4. The Arrow
5. Modern Logic
6. Punch the Gauge
7. Do You Still Love Me? No. 1
8. Run Rabbit Run
9. Peace
10. Put Your Heart on the Fire
11. The Calming
12. In Hell
13. Do You Still Love Me? No. 2

Mew Announce Breakup

Mew have announced they are breaking up. The Danish rock band will bid farewell with a pair of concerts, which will be held at Aarhus Congress Center in Aarhus on May 29 and at Royal Arena in their hometown of Copenhagen on May 31.

Singer Jonas Bjerre, drummer Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen, bassist Johan Wohlert, and guitarist Bo Madsen founded Mew in 1995. The band’s last album was 2017’s Visuals.

In a statement, Bjerre said:

Dearest Frengers

Next year marks the 30th anniversary of Mew! It’s been quite a journey, that’s brought me and my lovely band mates on countless adventures, for which I am eternally grateful. And none of it could have happened if not for you Frengers and your support. This is something I’ve never taken for granted, and never will.

For me, this journey will be coming to an end. Next year will be my last year with Mew. I have come to the realisation that it’s time for me personally to embark on a different journey, and focus on other creative projects. I am so happy that we get to play these farewell shows, and that I get to go on one last trip with my dear friends and co-founders Johan and Silas, as well as the Doc and Mads Wegner. I will be writing a longer post about all of this soon. For now, I can’t wait to see you out there at the shows next year!

Love, Jonas.

And the full lineup had this to add:

30 years? Nobody in their right mind would have imagined us still being here back in 1995, when we started out, making noise in Jonas’ teenage bedroom. But we did! Maybe we were out of our minds, on a mission. We dared to dream, and dream big – together.

Today we have been around the world – played more shows than we can remember and yet it feels just like yesterday, sitting there in that noisy bedroom trying to become a band. We want to invite all of our Frengers around the world to celebreation of our 30 years of being Mew. We are beyond excited to play these shows as they mark a truly exceptional occasion for us, for you and for Mew.

Sincerely yours, Johan, Silas, Jonas.

 

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Feng Di Shines at the 2024 11th Singapore International Arts Festival: A Masterful Performance Rooted in His French and British Experience

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In September 2024, the highly anticipated 11th Singapore International Arts Festival took place, where flutist Feng Di emerged as a standout performer. Drawing on his extensive musical training in France and the UK, Feng Di once again impressed both audiences and the music community with his refined skills and profound musicality.

Special Appearance by French Master Vincent Lucas

The festival featured a special appearance by renowned French flutist Vincent Lucas, one of the most influential figures in the French flute scene. For Feng Di, this was a meaningful reunion with the French musical traditions he had studied during his time in Paris. Feng Di’s education at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, where he honed his craft under rigorous training, laid a solid foundation for his exceptional performances.

The UK Connection and Feng Di’s Artistic Development

In addition to his French background, Feng Di is currently based in the UK, where he continues to develop his artistic career. This year’s festival was chaired by Goh Tiong Eng, who also has a background from the Royal Academy of Music in the UK, where he studied under the renowned British flutist William Bennett. The convergence of their musical paths in the UK adds a significant dimension to the festival, coinciding with Feng Di’s current activities in the UK, where he serves as a flute professor at the London Performing Academy of Music.

Captivating Performance: Trio Performance of La Campanella

During the festival, Feng Di performed alongside prominent Chinese flutists Pang Ying and Chaoyue Zhang in a trio rendition of A. Albisi’s La Campanella for 3 Flutes. The harmonious collaboration of these three artists brought out a unique depth and charm in the piece. Feng Di’s delicate tone and technical prowess enriched the performance, while his seamless integration with his fellow musicians added a new dimension to the composition.

Audience members were highly impressed with the performance, and fellow musicians praised Feng Di’s execution. The trio’s performance was a highlight of the festival, showcasing Feng Di’s status as a leading international flutist and his ability to merge Eastern and Western musical traditions.

Audience and Peer Praise

After the performance, attendees expressed their admiration for Feng Di’s emotionally compelling and technically superb playing. Festival chair Goh Tiong Eng praised Feng Di as “an artist who perfectly integrates Eastern and Western musical traditions.”

Feng Di’s collaboration with the other Chinese flutists showcased their individual musical styles in perfect harmony, making the performance one of the festival’s standout moments. Colleagues in the flute community also lauded Feng Di as “a performer with both emotional depth and exceptional technique.”

Through his remarkable performance at the Singapore International Arts Festival, Feng Di has once again affirmed his exceptional status on the international music stage. With his rich background in both French and British music education, he continues to elevate his flute performance to new heights and explore the fusion of Eastern and Western musical cultures.

As one of the most influential flutists of his time, Feng Di’s musical journey is far from over. His future performances are sure to offer audiences more enchanting and inspiring musical experiences.