Month: September 2020

Outside of The xx, the group member who has most prominently pursued a solo career has been Jamie xx. He has a couple of albums under his belt over the past decade, and based on “Idontknow,” the single he released earlier this year, it looks like he has another on the way. Earlier this year, Romy Madley Croft revealed she had a solo album of her own (as just Romy) on the way.

Now she has shared her first taste of it with her new single, “Lifetime.” Although Romy is a guitarist by trade, her single’s sound is more in line with the danceable electronic-leaning music of recent The xx albums. That makes sense, considering Jamie xx is among the song’s co-producers.

Rome wrote of the song on Twitter:

“This song was written and recorded in lockdown. I’ve been thinking a lot about how short life is and how quickly things can change… my intention with this song is to celebrate life, togetherness, to appreciate the moment before it’s gone. I think subconsciously the upbeat energy of the song is a reaction to the stillness and anxiety I was feeling in lockdown.

I was missing the pace of the outside world, spontaneous moments, the euphoria of dance floors, of love and connections with my friends and family. I realised when everything was stripped back, simple moments of togetherness, meant the most to me. I’ve always loved club classics that unite a room, big emotional dance songs, that you can sing along to as well. I’m excited to have the opportunity to show my love for dance music with Lifetime.

I loved working with a very talented and inspiring group of people on this song, thank you so much to my collaborators Fred again.. @Marta_Salogni Joy Anonymous Jamie xx you are all incredible. I had dreamt that we could be dancing in a room together to this song by now, but until then I hope you can dance to it wherever you are!”

A few months ago, she said of her solo material, “For the past couple of years, I’ve been writing a lot of songs for other people, writing a lot of songs for myself, and I ended up with all of these songs, so I’m gonna release a solo album […] under my name, so it’s just gonna be under Romy. I’m gonna be hopefully releasing it soon. I have loads of songs and I feel excited to try something new. […] With my new music, I’m excited to make it a lot more upbeat. It’s not — although I’m playing on the guitar and I love the guitar — it’s not exactly going to be guitar music.”

Listen to “Lifetime” above.

Tame Impala released their highly-anticipated record The Slow Rush back in February. Vocalist Kevin Parker had extensive touring plans, originally planning on making the North American rounds with artists like Clairo and MGMT as openers. Of course, all touring was put on pause just a month later as countries went on lockdown due to the pandemic. While the exact date of the return of live music overall still remains uncertain, Tame Impala offers fans a glimmer of hope with his rescheduled tour dates for next year.

Tame Impala’s rescheduled tour kicks off at the end of next July in Mexico. The band will then play shows across North America, making stops in major cities like San Fransisco, Chicago, and Austin.

Check out Tame Impala’s 2021 The Slow Rush tour dates below.

07/22/2021 — Mexico City, Mexico @ Foro Sol Stadium
07/28/2021 — Phoenix, AZ @ Gila River Arena
07/30/2021 — Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
08/02/2021 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
08/04/2021 — Vancouver, Canada @ Rogers Arena
08/06/2021 — George, WA @ The Gorge
08/08/2021 — San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Festival
08/12/2021 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
08/13/2021 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
08/14/2021 — Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center
09/15/2021 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
09/17/2021 — Las Vegas, NV @ Life Is Beautiful Festival
10/04/2021 — Toronto, Canada @ Scotiabank Arena
10/05/2021 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
10/07/2021 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/08/2021 — Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
10/10/2021 — St Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
10/13/2021 — Washington DC @ Capital One Arena
10/15/2021 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
10/17/2021 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
10/18/2021 — Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena

The Slow Rush is out now via Modular. Get it here.

Donald Glover has said on multiple occasions that he would be retiring his Childish Gambino moniker, using a different name for any future music that he makes. He said that before his latest project though, 3.15.20, which he released earlier this year. Now he has spoken to the future of Childish Gambino, suggesting that there could be more to come.

Glover and actor/director/screenwriter/more Michaela Coel had a conversation for a new GQ story, and in it, Coel praised Glover’s latest album, describing how she and a friend had a remote, socially distanced dance party to it. Glover responded by noting, “I still don’t feel like I’m done with that [music] project.”

That was about all Glover offered on that front, and that one sentence prompts more questions. Did he mean he doesn’t feel like he’s done with the 3.15.20 album, or that he’s not done with Gambino as a whole? Whatever the case may be, the statement at least indicates that there will be more music to come from Glover.

Meanwhile, Glover still has more work to do on Atlanta. Two seasons are apparently written and ready to be filmed, which it appears will happen around the start of 2021.

Read the full feature here.

The Craft was a surprise hit in the spring of 1996, but not even the biggest Fairuza Balk fan could have guessed that it would be a Halloween movie mainstay 24 years later. The film, about four high school girls who take up witchcraft, has remained so popular that Blumhouse is releasing a “continuation” (not a sequel, mind you) this October.

The Craft: Legacy stars Cailee Spaeny, Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, and Zoey Luna as the new Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Rachel True, and Balk, and follows roughly the same beats as the original. The new girl finds her fellow “weirdos” at school, “light as a feather, stiff as a board,” powerful spells that begin to backfire, etc. One added wrinkle is that one of the would-be witches picks up a Polaroid of Balk’s character Nancy, implying some connection to the original; also, Legacy is directed by Zoe Lister-Jones, who was on New Girl and also directed the charming indie-comedy Band Aid.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

In Blumhouse’s continuation of the cult hit The Craft, an eclectic foursome of aspiring teenage witches get more than they bargained for as they lean into their newfound powers.

The Craft: Legacy premieres on VOD on October 28. Spooky!

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got a gorgeous and unexpected fall surprise from Fleet Foxes, long-awaited new albums from Sufjan Stevens and Deftones, and the divisive latest effort from Idles. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.

Sufjan Stevens – The Ascension

It’s been more than half a decade since Sufjan Stevens released his last proper solo album, Carrie And Lowell. In many ways, The Ascension feels like the antithesis of Carrie And Lowell, marking some of Stevens’ darkest and angriest music to date. The album was created mostly by himself with a collection of drum machines and synthesizers, The Ascension “sounds more solitary than he ever has before — and that’s saying a lot for someone with an extensive solo acoustic discography,” writes Philip Cosores for Uproxx.

Fleet Foxes – Shore

Released out of the blue last week to coincide down to the minute with the autumnal equinox, Fleet Foxes’ fourth studio album is by far their most accessible and instantly exciting. Shore, according to Caitlin White for Uproxx, is “an album purposefully designed to warm and comfort the listener, immediately establishing that though Fleet Foxes may be back, the band is continually growing and evolving.”

Deftones – Ohms

Since their inception in the late ’90s, Deftones have been working to differentiate themselves from the metal mainstream, both with a range of influences far larger than many of their peers and the intensity of their longevity as a band. Ohms, their first release since 2016’s somewhat disappointing Gore, is what Steven Hyden calls for Uproxx “their strongest work in years, a return to form that finds them reconnecting energetically with their heavy, hard-rock roots.”

Will Butler – Generations

The second solo album from one of Arcade Fire’s many multi-instrumentalists is both jubilant and political. The album’s ten tracks are versatile in their sound and lyrical content taking cues from the best of indie pop and punk rock and making for a truly engaging and impressive record to tide us over while waiting for new Arcade Fire.

Idles – Ultra Mono

Idles had the title for their third album Ultra Mono before they wrote a note of music. They used the phrase as a guiding light while writing, all of the band’s members working together toward what Robert Ham calls for Uproxx “the singularity of purpose of any band — various talents and personalities joining forces to create a unified sound,” making for some of the band’s most prescient and progressive songwriting to date.

Sylvan Esso – Free Love

With two albums under their belt, Sylvan Esso were feeling a new sense of confidence going into Free Love. The confidence pays off on the album, with Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn digging into their small arguments as a married couple to craft ten gorgeous tracks which work together to provide a gimpse into their shared life that is “more intimate and cohesive than ever before,” writes Josh Modell for Uproxx.

Nana Adjoa – Big Dreaming Ants

Nana Adjoa’s debut album is always on its toes, bouncing back and forth between elements of soul, folk, jazz, and more. Across the album’s unique and uniquely original selection of tracks, I wrote for Uproxx, “it seems like the sky is the limit to what Adjoa can accomplish on a song.”

Terminal Crush – Columbus

Although Grey Gordon’s other work in bands like Kill Surf City and Summerhead air on the heavier side of the spectrum, the Terminal Crush project originally started as a bedroom pop recording. However, it wasn’t long before a label offered Gordon funding to make a proper Terminal Crush record. The result is a lush, guitar-centric release inspired by dreamy indie rock of the ’90s, and a perfect soundtrack for dreary days.

Mat Kerekes – Amber Park EP

You might know Mat Kerekes as the frontman of the modern grunge outfit Citizen, but his solo work takes on a completely different approach. On Amber Park, Kerekes dials back the aggression of his band in favor of acoustic-driven ballads that air a bit closer to Ed Sheeran than The Smashing Pumpkins. Each of the EP’s six tracks showcase Kerekes’ true talent as a songwriter, and it wouldn’t be surprising in the least bit if his solo music pumped out a hit in the near future.

Shamir – “Other Side”

With his self-titled album just around the corner, Shamir has unveiled a cinematic new single that was inspired by the true-crime series Unsolved Mysteries. Regardless of the song’s lyrical inspiration, the track’s arrangement “displays Shamir’s ability to lean on different musical styles as it opens with undulating guitar riffs, banjo, and steel pedal reminiscent of a dusty country-western score,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.

Emily A. Sprague – “Star Gazing”

When she’s not working on music for Florist, Emily A. Sprague is putting her intimate knowledge of synthesizers to good use with the arrangement and production of ambient music. Her new ambient album, Hill, Flower, Fog, was released briefly on Bandcamp earlier this year, but is now slated for proper physical release in November. The sprawling, pulsing track is supremely relaxing, lasting nearly seven minutes of bliss.

Souvenirs – “Be Sweet”

The lead single from Souvenirs’ new album is a love song disguised as a recollection of an argument that songwriter Tim Riley had with his wife. In a statement, Riley credits his wife with being a guiding light and a source of compassion in the face of insurmountable change, and the breezy shoegaze-inspired “Be Sweet” is a beautiful tribute.

Garcia Peoples – “Gliding Through”

Only a year after their last full-length, Garcia Peoples are back with Nightcap At Wits’ End, a new studio album. “Gliding Through” is the LP’s opening track, finding the psych-rock band reveling in the anxieties and circular nature of modern life. It’s a promising preview of what can be expected from one of our favorite underground bands.

Sonder Bombs – “What Are Friends For?”

For their sophomore LP, Cleveland’s Sonder Bombs teamed up with producer Joe Reinhart (Hop Along, Modern Baseball, Beach Bunny) to fine-tune their breezy, melodic sound. “What Are Friends For?” is a track that would fit nicely on alternative rock radio, and an extremely impressive introduction to the new era of the band.

Bikini Trill – “All In”

Despite almost sharing a name with an iconic feminist punk band, Bikini Trill doesn’t sound anything like Bikini Kill. Instead, they take on a more funky, R&B-inspired sound that is equal parts dreamy and instantly engaging.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Leave it to Ryan Reynolds to make it weird as filming gets serious again on Red Notice with Gal Gadot and The Rock. The Netflix movie, which our own Brian Grubb declared two years ago to be “the only movie that matters now,” was forced to apply the brakes earlier this year (along with every other Hollywood production) due to our current global situation. The Netflix movie leaped back to the set this month, and Reynolds showed his followers his COVID-19 test experience on Instagram. Now, things are humming along more smoothly, and Reynolds posted a photo to demonstrate his dedication (complete with some mildly unsettling eye contact) to the project.

Fortunately, Reynolds is not breaking the fourth wall with that eye contact, which might be too much for those at home (2020 is disturbing enough). As photographed by Frank Masi, however, here’s a look at Reynolds doing an intense-face while gazing at director Rawson Marshall Thurber. For what it’s worth, Reynold claims that he was really thinking about The Rock’s hair while the camera snapped away.

In all fairness, it’s entirely possible that Reynolds was actually thinking about how to spend that $20+ million paycheck that he’ll receive for this massive production, which reportedly carries a $160 million price tag. As of now, there’s no firm release date on Red Notice, but Netflix will hopefully set it adrift on the streaming waves in 2021.

During a recent interview to discuss his role in the Netflix movie Project Power, Machine Gun Kelly also wound up having to address the notion that he left hip-hop behind. The Cleveland artist was questioned by fans after the release of his new album Tickets To My Downfall, which found him switching lanes from the high-velocity rap that once saw him going bar-for-bar with Eminem in a rap battle to a pop-punk revival. MGK refuted the accusation that he’d abandoned hip-hop, citing some of his forebears and maintaining that he still had the “vigor” for the rap game.

“I’m not leaving hip-hop yet,” he told HipHopDX’s Trent Clark. “André 3000 said it my favorite way: ‘Hip-hop is a young man’s game’. So essentially when I don’t have, or when I’ve stopped living a certain way, or if I don’t have the right vigor to deliver my lyrics with, then I’ll stop. But I’m a fresh 30 and I’m still fully out there. So I don’t think hip-hop is going to stop for me at all.”

Explaining the new direction, he pointed out, “I would like to normalize how we think about doing multiple types of music. I didn’t ‘switch genres’; I’m versatile, and the wall isn’t boxed in. … Limitations would cause you to believe that, because I’ve put out four albums that are rap, I shouldn’t put out a fifth album that’s not rap.”

The timing on his change is uncanny, though; Another hip-hop outsider, Logic, recently announced his own retirement to stream video games, sparking a renewed wave of discussions on how some artists use hip-hop to build their brand before leaving it behind for greener pastures.

Watch Machine Gun Kelly’s interview with HipHopDX above.

Back in late May, Jeff Rosenstock released his boisterous record No Dream without any warning, something he’s done in the past. The 13-track album stayed true to his sound, offering guitar-driven hooks while Rosenstock screams lyrics about contemporary issues. While the band hadn’t planned on releasing an album during a global pandemic, his music underscored fans’ frustrations at the state of the world. This, Monday Rosenstock aired those frustrations during an energetic performance on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

Taking center stage wearing a mask showing support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Rosenstock gave a sweaty and uproarious rendition of his No Dream track “Scram!” Backed by a full band, Rosenstock’s lively stage presence made it seem as though they were truly performing a live show.

Ahead of their performance, Meyers praised Rosenstock for his music: “You know, the least we deserve in trying times like this is great punk music, punk music that stands for something. This next guy is one of my favorites. He’s angry and urgent and prescient and while I’m super bummed that he and is band are not here live tonight, at least we will not have to pay for a studio roof that they will surely have ripped off.”

Watch Rosenstock perform “Scram!” on Late Night With Seth Meyers above.

No Dream is out now via Polyvinyl. Get it here.

This past March saw the NCAA reach the sudden but necessary decision to cancel the 2020 NCAA Tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, hundreds of athletes missed out on the chance to play in the most storied hoops tournament and millions of fans found themselves without brackets to fill out and midday hoops to watch.

The good news for the latter is that we have an opportunity to scratch that bracket itch here in October, not in human sports but in the great competition that is Fat Bear Week. Katmai National Park and Preserve in King Salmon, Alaska is home to a tremendous bear population thanks to Brooks Falls, home to a massive amount of wild salmon, and each year heading into hibernation season, they put on Fat Bear Week, a chance to vote on your favorite gigantic bear and crown a champion before they enter their long, winter slumber.

The voting begins tomorrow on their website and concludes next Tuesday, October 6 when they’ll crown this year’s Fat Bear Champion. You may wonder who each of these bears are and for that, I’m thrilled to present the contenders for this year — who you can read about in full here.

THE FAVORITES

Four bears earn first round byes, the kings and queens of this here fat bear game, and these are your favorites.

747

[Extreme Jon Gruden voice] They call him 747 cause he weighs as much as a jet, man. Just look at the size of this bear. His bio highlight is that he’s so big he doesn’t even have to be aggressive, other bears just respect the girth.

Although dominant bears can maintain their rank in the hierarchy through aggression, 747 typically keeps his status by sheer size alone. Most bears recognize they cannot compete with him physically and they yield space upon his approach. He was estimated to weigh more than 1,400 pounds (636 kg) in September 2019 and he looks to be at least that big this year.

747 is, for me, a strong, strong competitor.

435 Holly

The reigning, defending Fat Bear Week champion is Holly 435, who has not one but TWO children in the competition this year as well. Just an absolute tour de force of a bear. Her bio highlight includes being called “the shape and color of a toasted marshmallow,” as well as an incredible story of strong mothering.

When Holly and her single yearling arrived in 2007, the yearling had a pronounced limp. Despite the difficulties that accompanied her yearling’s injury, Holly was able to successfully care for him. The yearling’s leg healed by the end of summer and he was weaned the following spring. This bear, now known 89 Backpack, still uses Brooks River.

89 Backpack is both a bear and also the hottest new rapper out of Atlanta.

480 Otis

Not sure if Otis can win this competition again — he is a three time champ but hasn’t won since 2017 — but he certainly would win a “most contented bear” competition, just look at this king relaxing. His bio highlight might be the most relatable of them all.

Otis is a master of patience and efficiency, especially in his preferred fishing spots like the jacuzzi and far pool. He rarely makes an effort to chase salmon like younger, more energetic bears. While Otis occasionally appears to be napping or not paying attention, most of the time he’s extremely focused on the water.

Using energy is for suckers. We stan a patient, occasionally napping in the river king.

128 Grazer

128 Grazer has not one but two cubs with her this year and is a beast. Her bio highlight is her unprompted motherly aggression that gets her to the best fishing spots.

Grazer is one of the most defensive mother bears at Brooks River. She often preemptively confronts and attacks much larger bears, including some of the river’s most dominant adult males, in order to ensure her cubs are safe. Her defensiveness is risky, yet provides her with access to areas of Brooks Falls that many other mother bears won’t approach.

Alpha stuff, right there.

THE CONTENDERS

856

The LeBron James of Katmai National Park, his bio calls him the “most consistently dominant bear since 2011,” but also seems to question if he’s soon to lose his grip on top of the bear hierarchy.

Eight-five-six does not shy away from conflict, but how much longer can he maintain his high level of dominance? Life at the top of the bear hierarchy is difficult. As he ages, 856 will increasingly experience tough competition from younger bears who want access to the same resources as he.

#WashedKing [crown emoji] #RWTW #KeepThatSameEnergy [rocket emoji]

151 Walker

That boy is draggin’ a wagon. He was estimated at about 1,200 pounds last year, which puts him in the upper echelon of beef in this year’s class, a couple hundred shy of 747. Bio highlight includes a pivot to becoming a bully to old friends now that he’s achieved maximum girth.

As a fully grown adult, Walker’s priorities have changed. Walker now ranks among the river’s largest bears and he’s become less tolerant of other bears, including some of his former playmates.

Questionable character, but unquestionable size.

402

Apparently one of the biggest females in the park, and also, a first-ballot Hall of Fame mother just by sheer volume.

Few bears can rival 402’s maternal experience. Four-zero-two is the mother of at least seven litters, more than any other bear currently at Brooks River. This includes two litters of four cubs apiece.

Per the site her fat reserves are large enough to support even more cubs this year.

32 Chunk

With a name like 32 Chunk, you know he’s gotta be in the mix. His bio indicates he’s in the “top tier of the bear hierarchy” but is sometimes a kind, gentle bear.

However, his behavior can also be enigmatic. In recent years he’s shown a tendency to wait patiently to scavenge leftover salmon and even play with other bears. These are two uncommon behaviors for a dominant bear to display. Due to his size and strength, 32 Chunk is poised to take advantage of opportunities not available to most other bears. Yet, it is only by observing his full range of behaviors that we can get a true sense of his individuality.

Salute to a sensitive 1,100 pound bear.

THE DARKHORSE

Not everyone can be a dominant, fully grown adult, and it’s nice to see Fat Bear Week shine some light on up-and-comers. I don’t think three of them have a chance, but there’s one I’m keeping my eye on.

435 Holly’s Spring Cub

The most adorable contender this year, but don’t let that size fool you, this bear cub has been putting in that work and might be the pound-for-pound champ, going from 1 pound at birth to 60 pounds currently. Has managed to do so despite playing through injury.

Her curiosity hasn’t always led to reward though. In early September, she encountered a porcupine and has since suffered from quills stuck in the bottom of a front paw. The quills do not seem to bother the cub while she swims, but on land she is hobbled and avoids placing weight on the injured paw. Holly’s cub is well positioned to completely recover from the injury caused by porcupine quills, and she’s already shown improvement in mobility.

A real Gruden grinder.

Just when Simba thought he was out, they’ll pull him back in…

Moonlight director Barry Jenkins has officially signed on to direct a sequel to Disney’s remake of The Lion King. Written by Jeff Nathanson, who scripted the 2019 remake, details about the ambitious follow-up are under wraps, but it will reportedly involve Mufasa’s origin story, making the film reminiscent of The Godfather: Part II while still maintaining the “musical tradition” of The Lion King films and Broadway adaptation. Via Deadline:

“Helping my sister raise two young boys during the ’90s, I grew up with these characters,” Jenkins said. “Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this magnificent tale of friendship, love and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk within the African diaspora is a dream come true.”

Considering the 2019 remake walked away with a $1.6 billion box office haul, it’s no surprise that Disney has fast-tracked a sequel to the Jon Favreau-directed film. However, Disney’s latest trend of remaking its animated classics has not been without controversy. Animators from the original films have spoken out the issue of royalties and the sting of watching their work being recreated through CGI-fare that they feel lacks the art and creativity of the originals.

“It’s sort of sad that the stockholder is now in the room deciding what movies get made…” animator David Stephan who worked on the original Lion King movie previously told HuffPost. “Disney’s now taken the cover off, and it’s now in your face: ‘Yeah, we just want to make money.’ That’s disappointing as an artist, from a studio that was founded on originality and art.”

A release date for The Lion King live-action sequel has not been announced.

(Via Deadline)