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Raymond Weil Launch Freelancer Diver 2775 Collection

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Raymond Weil has launched the freelancer Diver 2775 collection. Taking inspiration from the world of Wing Foil. Raymond Weil has partnered with Titouan Galea, a three-time Wing Foil world champion, to celebrate this new launch. Through this collaboration, the brand has explored the champion’s world, remarkable skills, and the mindset that propelled him to success.

All four versions of the watch offer improved underwater visibility with a gradient dial transitioning from a darker hue at 6 o’clock to a lighter tone above. The full steel version of the freelancer diver 2775 is available with a 5-row stainless steel bracelet or a pierced rubber strap, while the two-tone models exclusively offer a 5-row stainless steel bracelet.

The freelancer Diver 2775 is available now and ranges from £1,995 to £2,195.

Mitski Releases New Songs ‘Star’ and ‘Heaven’

Mitski has shared two new songs ‘Star’ and ‘Heaven’, which are lifted from her forthcoming album The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We. They follow lead single ‘Bug Like an Angel’, which we named one of our songs of the week. Mitski worked with arranger and conductor Drew Erickson and a full orchestra at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles to bring the new songs to life. Take a listen below.

The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, the follow-up to 2022’s Laurel Hell, is due to arrive September 15 via Dead Oceans. Mitski has today announced a string of European and UK acoustic performances titled Amateur Mistake; find those dates below, too.

Sat Oct 7 – Edinburgh, UK – Queens Hall
Mon Oct 9 – Manchester, UK – Albert Hall
Wed Oct 11 – London, UK – Union Chapel
Sat Oct 14 – Berlin, DE – Babylon
Mon Oct 16 – Utrecht, NL – Tivoli / Vredenburg
Fri Oct 20 – Paris, FR – Le Trianon

Mr Jones Watches Presents a “Ferris Wheel” Watch

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Mr Jones Watches, the brand known for some quirky and fun timepieces, has launched another superb watch to their growing watch collection titled Enjoy the ride. The watch is the fourth collaboration between MJW and Kristof Devos, an artist out of Belgium who also designed A perfectly useless afternoonA perfectly useless morning, and A perfectly useless evening—all popular pieces by Mr Jones Watches.

The idea behind the watch focuses on the concept of the ferris wheel spinning, which displays the time passing and acts “as a reminder to live in the moment.” The seconds are represented by the ferris wheel carts, so it’s constantly in motion.

The watch is priced at £545 and is available to buy today.

Album Review: Jon Batiste, ‘World Music Radio’

In some ways, World Music Radio feels like a natural step forward for Jon Batiste. After ending his tenure as music director and bandleader of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last year, he became the first Black artist to win Album of the Year at the 2022 Grammys for his album We Are, which didn’t get reviewed enough to even get its own Metacritic profile yet beat out records by Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift. World Music Radio clearly expands on that album’s gleeful positivity, capitalizing on its success by bringing in a wider pool of collaborators. On the other hand, Batiste, who has been releasing albums since he was 17, seems wary of being defined by the retro-soul sound he explored on his most celebrated LP, even if it was still rooted in the intersection of jazz, funk, and hip-hop. Reaching beyond what was already a wide-ranging sonic approach, his attempt to take an ambitious leap on World Music Radio is admirable, but it lacks the imagination and specificity that would render it a profound cultural statement.

If World Music Radio sounds like an obvious title for a concept album about universal music, the songs themselves do little to provide a more enticing and distinct character. The premise – an interstellar radio show hosted and curated by Billy Bob that broadcasts sounds from around the world – is predictably shallow and unoriginal, a framing device he could have a lot more fun with if he wasn’t as concerned with tying it all together. The styles explored on World Music Radio – from improvisational jazz to modern pop to reggaeton – are finely executed and impressively varied, but in ways so effortless and generic it forgets to remind us of music as a unique expression of our flawed humanity, no matter where it comes from. Instead of transcending genre barriers, the album more often scans as a reflection of an era where different sounds already co-exist in the US charts.

The album’s pop-minded focus and bland messaging don’t make for a great combination.  A song that unites JID, Camilo, and NewJeans should be exciting enough on a musical level to excuse any lyrical shortcomings, but its corniness might actually dissuade listeners from finding out who the guest stars are – or forget they were here by the time this hour-long journey’s over. It’s no surprise that one of the album’s most intimate moments is also one of its biggest highlights: ‘My Heart’, a collaboration with Catalan singer Rita Payés, is a lovely torch song that proves you don’t have to shoot for the moon – or even tread unfamiliar territory – to make an impact. “I guess the moral of the story is… you know, you can feel it,” Batiste’s alter ego announces near the end of the album, but the feeling is constantly undermined by its own expansive scope.

Though it showcases his rich musical versatility, background, and vision, World Music Radio‘s clunky philosophical musings distract from the heart and soul Batiste has clearly poured into the project. It just barely offers a glimpse into his own personality or engages with his increased stature in any significant way. Though he doesn’t need to flirt with self-mythology the way Lana Del Rey, who guests on closer ‘Life Lesson’ and recruited him for this year’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, so often does, there’s a reason her songs have a strange, haunting resonance even this album’s more stately offerings merely hint at. Paying tribute to his heroes by sampling the likes of Duke Ellington, Wayne Shorter, and Quincy Jones, ‘MOVEMENT 18’ even has echoes of Del Rey’s ‘Judah Smith Interlude’, but it shares none of that track’s mysterious intimacy. Yet with imaginary listeners tuning out after ‘Goodbye, Billy Bob’, Batiste delivers some of his most earnest and affecting tunes at the very end of the album. It’s then, no longer bound by the concept of people connecting through music, that you can actually feel its power.

Anjimile Unveils New Single ‘Animal’

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Anjimile has released a new single, ‘Animal’, lifted from his upcoming full-length The King.  Following the previously unveiled title track and ‘Father’, the track was written in the summer of 2020 and references the death of George Floyd. It’s accompanied by a video from director Robby Operman, which you can check out below.

The King is set to arrive September 8 via 4AD.

Shabazz Palaces Announces New Project ‘Robed in Rareness’, Releases Song

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Shabazz Palaces has announced the follow-up to 2020’s The Don of Diamond Dreams. Out October 27 on Sub Pop, Ishmael Butler’s new mini-album includes collaborations with Porter Ray, O Finess, Lavarr The Starr, Camp Lo’s Geechi Suede, and Butler’s son Lil Tracy. Lead single ‘Binoculars’, featuring Seattle rapper Royce the Choice, is out today. Check it out via the Jacob Kasar-directed visual below.

Robed in Rareness Tracklist:

1. Binoculars [feat. Royce The Choice]
2. Woke Up In A Dream [feat. Lil Tracy]
3. P Kicking G feat. Porter Ray
4. Cinnamon Bun [feat. Lavarr the Starr]
5. Scarface Mace [feat. O Finess]
6. Gel Bait [feat. Geechi Suede]
7. Hustle Crossers

Soccer Mommy Covers Taylor Swift’s ‘I’m Only Me When I’m With You’

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Soccer Mommy announced a new covers EP, Karaoke Night, which is out September 22 via Loma Vista. Along with her previously released version of Sheryl Crow’s ‘Soak Up the Sun’, it features takes on songs by Pavement, Slowdive, R.E.M., and Taylor Swift. Listen to Sophie Allison’s newly unveiled rendition of Taylor Swift’s ‘I’m Only Me When I’m With You’ below.

“I really wanted to cover this song because it’s one of my favorites from Taylor’s first album,” Allison said in a statement. “I listened to that record so much when I was a kid and I think it had a lot of influence on me then.”

Soccer Mommy’s most recent album was last year’s Sometimes, Forever.

Oneohtrix Point Never Announces New Album ‘Again’

Daniel Lopatin has announced a new Oneohtrix Point Never album: Again is set for release on September 29 via Warp. Check out a trailer for the LP below.

Following 2020’s Magic Oneohtrix Point Never, the new album is described by a press release as “speculative autobiography” and “‘an illogical period piece’ where memory and fantasy converge to form something entirely new.” Its cover artwork is a sculpture created by Matias Faldbakken, conceptualized with Lopatin, and photographed by Vegard Kleven.

Lopatin served as executive producer of the Weeknd’s 2022 album Dawn FM. He also produced Soccer Mommy’s 2022 record Sometimes, Forever and worked with Weyes Blood on her latest full-length, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow.

Again Cover Artwork:

Parquet Courts’ A. Savage Announces New Album ‘Several Songs About Fire’, Shares Single

Parquet Courts leader A. Savage has announced his new album Several Songs About Fire, which will arrive October 6 via Rough Trade Records. Featuring the recently released single ‘Thanksgiving Prayer’, the album was recorded in Bristol with producer John Parish and help from friends such as Cate Le Bon and Modern Nature’s Jack Cooper. Today, Savage has shared a new track, ‘Elvis in the Army’, along with an Emile Moutaud-directed video. Check it out and find the album details below.

“We often describe ourselves in geographic terms,” Savage reflected in a statement. “American, New Yorker — two terms that I’ve used to identify myself that have to do with being from or of a certain place. So ‘Elvis in the Army’ is a bit of an inventory of those labels. They have less to do with geography than we realize. Really we’re just talking about ourselves, then framing certain characteristics geographically. No matter where I live I’ll have an American psyche until the day I die, for better or for worse. I’ll always be of America. And I can’t imagine a time where New York doesn’t feel like home. But despite that, I’d rather not be associated with a place, at least for now.”

“I imagine myself playing these songs in a small club that is slowly burning,” he added of the follow-up to 2017’s Thawing Dawn. “Fire is something you have to escape from, and in a way this album is about escaping from something. This album is a burning building, and these songs are things I’d leave behind to save myself.”

Several Songs About Fire Cover Artwork:

Several Songs About Fire Tracklist:

1. Hurtin’ or Healed
2. Elvis in the Army
3. Le Grande Balloon
4. My my, My Dear
5. Riding Cobbles
6. Mountain Time
7. David’s Dead
8. Thanksgiving Prayer
9. My New Green Coat
10. Out Of Focus

L’Rain Announces New Album ‘I Killed Your Dog’, Shares New Single ‘Pet Rock’

L’Rain, the project of Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist and composer Taja Cheek, has announced a new album, I Killed Your Dog. The follow-up to 2021’s Fatigue arrives October 13 via Mexican Summer. It includes the previously released single ‘New Year’s UnResolution’, as well as a new song, ‘Pet Rock’, which comes with a video directed by Studio Jojo’s Josie Keefe and Jonny Campolo. Check it out and find the album’s cover artwork and tracklist below.

“I’m envisioning a world of contradictions, as always,” Cheek said in a statement about the new LP. “Sensual, maybe even sexy, but terrifying, and strange.”

Revisit our Artist Spotlight interview with L’Rain.

I Killed Your Dog Cover Artwork:

I Killed Your Dog Tracklist:

1. Sincerity Commercial
2. Our Funeral
3. Pet Rock
4.I Hate My Best Friends
5. I Killed Your Dog
6. All The Days You Remember
7. 5 to 8 Hours a Day (WWwaG)
8. Sometimes
9. r(EMOTE)
10. Uncertainty Principle
11. Oh Wow, a Bird!
12. Knead Bee
13. Monsoon of Regret
14. Clumsy
15. What’s That Song?
16. New Year’s UnResolution