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The Umbrella Academy Season 5: Cast, Rumours & Potential Release Date

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Netflix’s hit series The Umbrella Academy premiered in 2019 and quickly gained popularity thanks to its charming cast, kooky tone, and intriguing premise.

The show follows a group of adopted, estranged siblings with superpowers who reunite following their father’s death. Like an awkward family reunion wasn’t enough, they realize they have to prevent the end of the world as they know it. No big deal. For fans looking to dive deeper into the action, check out Genshin Top Up Center for exclusive offers and content.

The excitement around The Umbrella Academy’s fifth season builds as fans speculate about its cast and release date. For sports fans, odds tips at oddspodden.com offer valuable insights to make informed bets.
During its run, The Umbrella Academy steadily topped the streaming service’s Top 10 and constantly reinvented itself, to the delight of fans from all over the world. So much so that you’re probably hoping the series will run for years to come.

But is that the case? Let’s find out!

The Umbrella Academy Season 5 Release Date

Season 4 of The Umbrella Academy premiered on August 8, 2024, and saw the Hargreeves siblings reconnect to once again stop an apocalypse.

Unfortunately, Netflix confirmed back in 2022 that this is the show’s last season. Additionally, the finale’s events leave little room for a potential season 5 – even though, given the supernatural aspect of the series, that’s never out of the question.

We do live in an era of revivals and reboots. The Umbrella Academy may always come back in some shape and form in the future. For now, we’re afraid the siblings’ story has come to an end.

The Umbrella Academy Cast

  • Elliot Page as Viktor Hargreeves / Number 7
  • Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves / Number 1
  • David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves / Number 2
  • Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves / Number 3
  • Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves / Number 4
  • Aidan Gallagher as Number Five
  • Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves / Number 6

Is The Umbrella Academy based on a true story?

Given that it revolves around superheroes and apocalypse-like events… no. After all, the series is set in a universe where a group of women gave birth at the same time in 1989 without showing any sign of pregnancy. While we often hear about spectacular birth stories, we combed the archives and are pretty sure that never happened in real life.

Does The Umbrella Academy TV adaptation stay loyal to the novels?

The Umbrella Academy is based on the comic book series of the same name penned by My Chemical Romance lead vocalist Gerard Way.

That said, the TV adaptation takes plenty of liberties with the characters and plotlines, as well as boasting a less absurdist tone. As both the comics and series have flair to spare, experiencing the story via both mediums is never a bad idea.

Watch Katy Kirby’s NPR ‘Tiny Desk Concert’

Katy Kirby stopped by the NPR office to play a ‘Tiny Desk Concert’ with her band – Austin Arnold on drums, Margaux Bouchegnies on bass, Logan Chung on guitar and keys, and Lane Rodges on piano. They performed three tracks from Kirby’s latest album Blue Raspberry – ‘Fences’, ‘Cubic Zirconia’, and ‘Table’ – as well as ‘Juniper’ and ‘Portals’ from her 2021 debut Cool Dry Place. Watch it below.

Blue Raspberry was released back in January. Read our track-by-track interview and revisit our Artist Spotlight feature with Katy Kirby.

Wendy Eisenberg Releases New Song ‘HM’

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Wendy Eisenberg has unveiled a new song, ‘HM’, which will appear on their forthcoming LP Viewfinder. Listen to it below.

“‘HM’ is a resurrected tune for small ensemble I wrote in 2016,” Eisenberg explained in a statement. “I wrote it about the feeling of paralysis that occurs when everything you see feels invented or arbitrary. The written material is a line of unbroken and breathless melody, but the rest of the piece is a game—how do you improvise around the fixity of a phenomenon when that phenomenon is the totality of your project?”

Viewfinder is slated for release on September 13 through American Dreams. ‘HM’ follows lead single ‘Lasik’.

Squint Announce New Album, Share New Songs

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St. Louis hardcore outfit Squint have announced a new album called Big Hand, which is out October 25 via Sunday Drive. Along with the news, they’ve shared two new songs: ‘Pack Rat’, which comes with a music video, and ‘Sunshine’. Check them out and find the album cover and tracklist below.

Produced by Jon Markson, Big Hand references “the constant moving of time on a clock,” according to a press release. “In a more literal sense, a big hand can pack a punch, swell, break and recover.”

Big Hand Cover Artwork:

Big Hand Tracklist:

1. Lesson Learned
2. Sunshine
3. Magic
4. Half Asleep
5. Well Wisher
6. Pack Rat
7. Crawl Back
8. Grace
9. Golden State
10. Big Hand

Trace Mountains Release New Single ‘Friend’

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Trace Mountains have put out a new song, ‘Friend’, from their upcoming record Into the Burning Blue. Featuring Craig Hendrix of Japanese Breakfast, the track arrives on the heels of the 7-minute lead single ‘In a Dream’. Check out its accompanying video, directed by sisters Alyx and Sam Soard, below.

“I like to joke that I’m a ‘loner in recovery,’” Dave Benton shared in a press release. “When I wrote “Friend,” I was facing a pretty big transition in my life. I needed to address my own loneliness, and writing the song was like my first step on that path. It was my way of saying, “Yep, I feel lonely sometimes,” and dealing with that good old millennial malaise. I’m just really grateful for the people in my life and trying to tackle the meaning of a word like “Friend” feels impossible, but it’s fun to try.”

About the video, Sam Soard said: “When Dave and I were brainstorming ideas for “Friend,” we found ourselves reflecting on the bizarre nature of the loneliness epidemic. During one of our phone calls, I suggested portraying him as a werewolf. We both laughed at the idea initially but soon realized it was a playful way to capture the surreal social experience we’re all enduring. Dave and his reputation as a well-known cat mom brought a unique perspective to this concept. Exaggerating his personality in this creature-feature felt like a fun way to explore the song’s themes. Our goal was to use humor to emphasize the importance of genuine companionship in a world that often feels chaotic and disconnected.”

Into the Burning Blue comes out September 27 via Lame-O Records.

Closebye Share Video for New Song ‘Lucky Number’

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Closebye have unveiled a new song, ‘Lucky Number’, from their forthcoming album Hammer of My Own, which is out this Friday (August 23). It follows the recently released ‘Two Knocks’. Check out a music video for it below.

Opening up about ‘Lucky Number’, singer-songwriter Jonah Paul Smith said:

The first inspiration for “Lucky Number” came from some article I read about lottery winners who had destroyed their own lives after winning the prize. The idea of a lucky number ultimately leading to someone’s downfall was sad and funny to me. I was thinking about luck and destruction, and at the time, I was mourning the loss of a friendship. The song became about all of those things. One day you feel resentful and betrayed, and another day you feel ashamed of your own stake in the mess. The song follows that shift of blame, as the chorus lyric turns from “take a look at what you destroyed” to “take a look at what I destroyed” later in the song.

A lot of this album is about rebuilding, and this song, the opener of the album, places me sort of looking around at the wreckage and trying to figure out what happened.

Joanna Sternberg Shares New Single ‘A Country Dance’

Joanna Sternberg has released a new song called ‘A Country Dance’. It’s featured prominently in Between the Temples, an upcoming film directed by Nathan Silver and starring Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane. Listen to it below.

Recorded in upstate New York by Alex Wenquest, ‘A Country Dance’ was inspired by Sternberg’s close friend Sami Bronowski, who was the first person to encourage them to sing in public. “The joke of the song is: I don’t dance, I don’t drink wine, I don’t go outside and I DEFINITELY do not go out in nature (allergies and insect phobias), but I wanted a playful nonsensical song to sing and to capture the fun I have with my dear pal,” Sternberg explained in a statement.

“I think the reason the song can fit in this beautiful film, is that it captures a freewheeling imaginative feeling,” they added. “The lyrics are vague enough to be applied to anything, and it just creates a ‘fun and fancy-free’ mood!”

‘A Country Dance’ is the third stand-alone since the release of Sternberg’s second album I’ve Got Me last year, following ‘Neighbors’ and ‘Without You’. Check out our Artist Spotlight interview with Joanna Sternberg.

Desire Share New Single ‘I Know’

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Desire have released a new single, ‘I Know’, taken from their upcoming album Games People Play, which is due October 2. It follows the previously unveiled singles ‘Vampire’, ‘Human Nature’, ‘Darkside’, and ‘Dangerous Drug’. The song’s accompanying video was directed by Desire and filmed and edited by Johnny Jewel. Check it out below.

“Lost in a hazy daydream on the islands of Malta & Gozo,” Megan Louise shared in a statement. “We can pretend sometimes…I know.”

This Week’s Best New Songs: Christopher Owens, Fashion Club, Fievel Is Glaque, and More

Throughout the week, we update our Best New Songs playlist with the new releases that caught our attention the most, be it a single leading up to the release of an album or a newly unveiled deep cut. And each Monday, we round up the best new songs released over the past week (the eligibility period begins on Monday and ends Sunday night) in this best new music segment.

On this week’s list, we have Christopher Owens’ ‘No Good’, the defeated yet dynamic new single from his first album in nine years; Fashion Club’s revelatory duet with Perfume Genius, ‘Forget’; Charly Bliss’ ‘Back There Now’, a vibrant, catchy highlight off their new album Forever; Fievel Is Glaque’s ‘As Above So Below’, the fluttering, delightfully intricate lead single from the jazz pop duo’s third album; Frost Children and Danny Brown’s bombastic collab ‘Shake It Like A’; ‘Vanessa’, the haunting yet tender new single from Midwife’s upcoming album; ‘Mutations’, another captivating preview of Nilüfer Yanya’s new album; Merce Lemon’s stirring, subtly frantic ‘Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild’; and Wild Pink’s latest single, the bright, expansive ‘Sprinter Brain’.

Best New Songs: August 19, 2024

Christopher Owens, ‘No Good’

Song of the Week: Fashion Club feat. Perfume Genius, ‘Forget’

Charly Bliss, ‘Back There Now’

Fievel Is Glaque, ‘As Above So Below’

Frost Children feat. Danny Brown, ‘Shake It Like A’

Midwife, ‘Vanessa’

Nilüfer Yanya, ‘Mutations’

Leveraging Smart Contracts for Transparent and Secure Elections in 2024

Blockchain has thrown the world for a loop by stepping outside of crypto gambling and online gambling and into polling booths. The need for a transparent electoral processes has never been more important. With so many important issues on the line, it is time to say goodbye to traditional voting systems. Old voting systems face challenges such as fraud, manipulation, and inefficiency. All that is about to change with the introduction of blockchain technology and smart contracts. Reshaping the  electoral landscape has nothing except benefits for people across the globe.

What are Smart Contracts?

Smart contracts are advanced self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement directly written into code. Smart contracts are part of blockchain’s impressive technology, and smart contracts can transform the way elections are conducted. Smart contracts can guarantee transparency and security in the electoral process, regardless of what type of election. 

Why Use Smart Contracts in Elections?

Using smart contracts in elections gives a new sense of transparency. Smart contracts operate on a decentralized network, meaning every transaction is recorded on a tamper-proof ledger that all participants may access. Anyone with access to the blockchain can verify the entire electoral process, from voter registration to ballot counting.

Smart contracts can enhance the security of elections by preventing fraud and manipulation. The blockchain technology ensures that once a vote is recorded, it cannot be altered or tampered with. Thus, eliminating the risk of vote tampering, ballot stuffing, or other forms of electoral fraud. There are so many problems that plague traditional voting systems. Cryptographic techniques can encrypt voter identities and ensure the confidentiality of individual votes. Smart contracts are upping security in ways never thought possible. 

The Unbeatable Efficiency of Smart Contracts in Voting Systems

One significant advantage of smart contracts in elections is the unbeatable efficiency. Traditional voting systems involve manual processes such as paper ballots and manual counting. Elections also require verification by electoral officials. All these tasks take up important time. Smart contracts automate many aspects of the election process. Previously slow tasks like voter registration, identity verification, and ballot counting would speed up drastically. Plus, smart contracts would reduce the need for human intervention effectively streamlining the process from start to finish.

Other ways smart contracts can help elections is by increasing voter participation and accessibility. In many countries, voter turnout is decreased  by long queues, limited polling stations, and difficulty accessing voting locations. Online or remote voting through blockchain-based platforms would make the electoral process more convenient and accessible for voters. Smart contracts could change the ability for people to access voting, especially those unable to physically attend polling stations due to mobility issues or work commitments.

Building Trust in the Electoral Process

Smart contracts can build a greater trust and confidence in the electoral process. Blockchain technology can help address concerns about electoral integrity and legitimacy. Increased trust can encourage greater participation in the electoral process.

Smart contracts offer several perks but implementing smart contracts for elections is not without challenges. There are multiple technical considerations to tackle. The need for robust cybersecurity measures must be carefully addressed to ensure the integrity of the electoral system. Legal frameworks would require updates to accommodate the use of blockchain technology in elections to address privacy, data protection, and voter rights concerns.

Smart contracts offer solutions to many challenges facing traditional voting systems. Smart contracts can provide transparency, security, efficiency, and accessibility in elections. Blockchain technology is enhancing trust and confidence in the electoral process. As countries worldwide prepare for the 2024 elections,, adopting smart contracts could be just the thing needed to empower voters.