Month: December 2020

For their new album I Won’t Care How You Remember Me, Scranton punk outfit Tigers Jaw took a more collaborative approach than they have in the past, taking input from all of the band’s four touring members instead of putting the bulk of writing responsibilities on vocalists Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins. On the Will Yip-produced effort, they looked back to their early days playing in basements for inspiration, and the result is a dense and impressive work from one of the most consistent (and underrated) bands in the indie punk scene.

To celebrate the new album, Walsh sat down to talk Home Alone, Paul McCartney, and wanting to kill Santa Claus in the first of this year’s Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A holiday edition.

What’s the best holiday gift you’ve ever received?

I got an acoustic guitar and Saves the Day’s In Reverie CD from my parents when I was 14. More recently, my partner got me Phillies opening day tickets, which although the pandemic cancelled baseball, it was still such a nice gift because I’ve always wanted to go to opening day.

What is your earliest holiday memory?

Hitting my younger brother in the face with a snowball while at a christmas tree farm and worrying Santa wasn’t coming.

What’s on your wish list for this year?

Just to hopefully safely spend some time with loved ones.

What holiday song can you not resist singing along to?

“Christmas All Over Again” by Tom Petty.

What’s the holiday song you wish you could zap out of existence?

I might get some hate for this, but “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney can disappear from my brain forever.

What is your strangest holiday tradition?

The last few years, we’ve watched all the Christmas episodes of The Office on Christmas, in true Scranton tradition.

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi Trio.

Thoughts on snow?

Big fan. I grew up near a great sledding hill.

What holiday movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

Home Alone 2 is my favorite.

Marry, F*ck, Kill: Santa, Thanksgiving Turkey, Hannukah Harry.

Based on The Santa Clause logic, I think if I kill Santa I can become the next one. So kill Santa, f*ck HH, and marry the turkey I guess.

What’s the one food you need on your Thanksgiving table?

Sweet potatoes

Where’s the most interesting place you’ve ever spent the holidays?

Took a short trip to Cabo last year with my partner around the holidays because my birthday is in late December.

You decide to blow off the holidays and travel instead. Where are you going?

A cabin in the woods in Maine, or maybe Australia to escape the cold. One extreme or the other.

If the holidays are a time for giving, what’s the charity you’d like to big up for the season?

Pathways to Housing does great work in Philadelphia to assist the houseless. This is important work year round, but especially in the harsh winter months.

What’s your favorite holiday drink?

Nothing beats a hot cup of coffee this time of year.

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

Yes.

How early is too early to decorate for the holiday season?

Life is a highway, live your truth, and decorate when you want to.

What’s your ideal way to spend New Years Eve?

There’s usually cool shows on NYE, so probably seeing a band I love.

As the year ends, how are you going to remember 2020?

A very challenging year, where the high points required a lot more work than usual.

The ball is dropping. What are you wishing for in the new year?

For a true acknowledgment of the changes that need to happen that 2020 highlighted with social injustice, the need for universal healthcare, and the insanity of the wealth gap. On a lighter note, I would LOVE to play some rock shows in 2021.

I Won’t Care How You Remember Me is out March 21. Pre-order the album here.

It all begins with a tweet from comedian Alison Leiby waxing rhapsodic about New York City’s bodegas.

“People who live outside of NYC and don’t have bodegas:” she wrote, “where do you go to buy two Diet Cokes, a roll of paper towels, and oh also lemme get some peanut butter m&ms since I’m here, why not.”

For those of us not from NYC, a bodega is a corner store. If I’m not mistaken, bodegas are a bit less like 7-11 chain stores and more like unique, locally owned and operated mom-and-pop shops, but basically a one-stop store for all your basic needs. Debate ensued about whether or not bodegas really are special, or just another name for a convenience or grocery store. Apparently, bodegas often have cats living in them, so that’s a thing.

But something else interesting came out of the discussion—a whole thread about stereotypes of various American states and regions, and it is at once entertaining and eye-opening.

It starts with a biting stereotype about Appalachia shared by writer Sean Thomason. “When I tell people I’m from Appalachia they ask me about incest and if we’ve got shoes yet.” Not a surprising jab, but still pretty awful.

Then people started sharing their own experiences with assumptions and jokes about their home states, and it’s pretty fascinating. Having lived in eight different states myself, I’ve seen firsthand how many stereotypes are totally exaggerated (most) and how many are actually based in reality (always fun to find).

Let’s just start with the elephant in the room—Florida.

Poor Florida gets a lot of flack for being Florida, but Floridians seem to take it in stride.

New Jersey, as it turns out, actually has greenery and not everyone is in the mafia. Who knew?

Oregon actually does live up to some of its stereotypes. I’ve often joked about how Portlandia is only a slight exaggeration of what Portland is like. (Don’t get me wrong, I love it there—but it’s definitely quirky.)

However, as this person points out, there’s also some surprising realities about Oregon that you don’t hear about as much. Like that it was founded as a utopia for racists who wanted an all-white place to live.

Mississippi has it rough, unfortunately, thanks to actual statistics.

Though some of those statistics are actually surprising, like its high vaccination rates.

Some states, like Minnesota and North Dakota, get a lot of comments about their accents. (Accents are one of those things that I always assumed were exaggerated until I lived in different places and was delighted to find out Whoa, people really do talk like that here!)

West Virginia has a socioeconomic reputation that isn’t accurate for everyone who lives there. (Though there is something to be said for the low cost of living.)

And as this person pointed out, some people might want to look in their own backyard before making jokes about another.

Kansas has had eight decades of “Wizard of Oz” references to contend with.

And the Lone Star State is certainly more than horses and guns. (Though several Texans joked about the gun stereotypes being true. Texas gonna Texas.)

I lived in Iowa for a while, so I know the pig farm references are rooted in the fact that there are a whole lot of farms in the state. And the mall with the ice rink? Yeah, everyone knows that mall.

The bigger issue is the confusion between Iowa, Idaho, and Ohio. I’ve been to each of those states and can attest that they bear little resemblance to one another and aren’t anywhere near one another, but that doesn’t stop people from mixing them up.

Ah, Utah. A stunningly gorgeous state with incredible National Parks and otherworldly landscapes that prompts people to immediately conjure up pictures of polygamy.

Does Oklahoma have tornadoes? Yes. Is that all Oklahoma has? Don’t think so.

Sarah Palin did a bang-up job of creating her own category of Alaska jokes, but being so far north, people are often surprised to find out that the climate of Alaska actually varies quite a bit and isn’t all snowy all the time.

Hawaii is definitely unique among states, but not as unique as some people might assume. They do use American money. Because, you know, it’s America.

California is interesting in that it’s almost like it’s own country in many ways. It’s incredibly huge and incredibly diverse. Some stereotypes about some areas do hold water, though as this person pointed out, those stereotypes aren’t generally seen as negative.

And yes, we do see California a lot in movies and TV so a lot of it feels familiar, but it’s worth noting that not all parts of California are like L.A.

On the flip side, we rarely see anything or anyone from Wyoming, to the point where the main jokes are about whether or not people even live there. (Having driven through it several times, Wyoming is full of pristine landscapes and not a lot of people. But the cities and towns that are there are just as developed as anywhere else.)

The whole thread was an interesting exercise in acknowledging stereotypes, celebrating different state identities, and recognizing that what we imagine different states and regions can’t capture the complexity of those places or the people who live there.

There are things to love and things to not love every place you live. And the United States really is like a big patchwork quilt of cultures and quirks that make each part of it unique. Amanda Vink wrote, “Reading these comments, I get the feeling most people just want to be proud of where they’re from.” It’s true, and a good thing to remember when we feel tempted to make jokes about different places.

Earlier today, Taylor Swift debuted a snippet of her newly re-recorded version of “Love Song,” but chose an unconventional venue in which to do so. Part of the song featured in a new ad for Match that was written by Swift’s friend Ryan Reynolds. Now that the video has been out for a few hours, Swift fans have done some digging and noticed what seems to be an Easter egg in the video that takes a jab at Swift enemy Scooter Braun.

At about 1:13 into the video, Satan and his date 2020 are posing for a selfie in front of a dumpster fire (yeah, that’s part of the ad), and next to another trash receptacle in the background is a fallen scooter laying on the ground. Once fans noticed this apparent slight, they took to Twitter to express their satisfaction with it. Swift has not addressed it yet, but given the joy she has said she gets in hiding Easter eggs for her fans to find, it wouldn’t be surprising if she did in fact get Reynolds to include this one in the ad.

It’s been months since the feud between Swift and Braun over her masters blew up in a big way, and Swift is still not cool with Braun. Swift refused to support the new owners of her master recordings because in the terms of the sale, Braun still stands to profit off of Swift’s old music, which she had no interest in being a part of.

Hip-hop is a genre that’s rife with misogyny and sexism, drawbacks to an otherwise dynamic and powerful art form that has shaped pop culture for the better part of the last three decades. Still, those flaws persist despite the great strides the genre has otherwise taken to progress its image and benefit the good of more people. Case in point: Atlanta rapper Trouble, who appears to have had a difficult time gaining traction after some early career successes, just made a gross proposition in an attempt to garner some attention.

Hoping that the so-called “Drake Effect” could help jump-start his career, Trouble responded to a sleazy poll comedian Lil Duval posted to Twitter: “Would you let Drake f*ck your wife for a feature?” “Those hoes for da streets so yea,” he replied. After his initial response drew some unfavorable attention on Instagram, he doubled down in the comments of a post revealing his answer. “Why not?” he asked. “They gon f*kk em for free anyway if he slide in her DM.” He then reasoned, “Y’all soft azz n****z dont reply to me eitha. You’ll neva understand ah street n**** mental.”

Ummm, yeah. I guess. While Trouble’s comments reveal what looks like a serious lack of trust in his relationships and a low opinion of women in general (seriously, guy, therapy. And take Lil Duval with you), it’s not a hypothetical he’d ever have to explore in reality. Drake previously did collaborate with him on his Mike Will Made-It-produced debut album Edgewood in 2018 on the song “Bring It Back.” It’s easily his most-viewed track on YouTube, but considering the lukewarm reception for Edgewood and its 2020 follow-up Thug Luv, perhaps the veteran rapper could work on making more appealing tunes while he works on his regressive views instead of banking on big-name features.

Despite his breakout success in 2020, Jack Harlow has yet to release a full-length project. But that’s all about to change as Harlow officially announced his debut album Wednesday.

Titled That’s What They All Say, Harlow’s LP is slated for a December 11 release. The album announcement arrives on the tail-end of a big year for Harlow. It all started when he released his breakout track “Whats Poppin” in January. The song caught the attention of many, including Justin Bieber who added his own verse on a remix of the song. The single’s official remix tapped DaBaby, Lil Wayne, and Tory Lanez and spent an impressive thirteen weeks in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100.

While 2020 was undeniably the XXL Freshman’s breakout year, the Recording Academy barely had time to catch up to his hype. Unveiling this year’s Grammy nominations, the Recording Academy mistakenly credited Harlow’s “What’s Poppin” song to R&B singer Luke James. Despite the mix up, Harlow is still up for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance, sharing the category with artists like DaBaby, Big Sean, Nipsey Hussle, and Megan Thee Stallion.

Check out Harlow’s That’s What They All Say cover art below.

That’s What They All Say is out 10/11 via Atlantic. Pre-order it here.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Now that we’re officially in December, we’re feeling a tad nostalgic as we realize that there are only a few SNX DLXs left in this calendar year. 2020 has been one hell of a year for sneaker releases. We started this fresh decade strong and our favorite brands are finishing this trip around the sun with a lot of fire.

This week brings a refresh of the Yeezy 350 BREDs, a new take on the Adidas Gazelle by New York streetwear label NOAH, and quite possibly one of the most hyped Nike Dunk releases in a year full of hyped Nike Dunk releases. How Nike keeps operating at this high a level week to week, we’ll never know (yes we do, it’s deep pockets). Regardless, we thank them for keeping us stylish all of 2020 and into 2021.

Let’s dive into the best sneaker and apparel releases of the week in one of this year’s final editions of SNX DLX.

Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350 V2 BRED

The Nike-inspired BRED 350 V2 is one of Yeezy Brand’s most coveted colorways and now, three years after its debut, it’s finally getting an official refresh. All the details from the 2017 release are here again, including the “SPLY-350” branding in place of the now-standard monofilament patch. If you missed out on that Adidas Star Wars collection, this is a much better option to pick up if you want a sneaker that recalls Darth Vader without veering into kitsch.

The Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350 V2 BRED is set to drop on December 5th for a retail price of $220. Pick up a pair at the Adidas webstore or at Yeezy Supply.

NOAH x Adidas Gazelle Collection

New York-based streetwear label NOAH has linked up with Adidas for a dope two-sneaker collection, utilizing Adidas’ Gazelle silhouette. The pack is dropping in two wild colorways including a cheetah print iteration with long strands of pony hair and an orange duck camo colorway with a rugged canvas upper. Both pairs feature NOAH branding on the three-stripes and heel tab, with contrasting white leather detailing.

The NOAH x Adidas Gazelle Collection is set to drop on December 3rd for a retail price of $160. Pick up a pair at NOAH or the Adidas webstore.

FRAME x Nike SB Dunk Low Habibi

Quite possibly the most hyped release of the entire week, this Nike SB Dunk drop comes out of Dubai’s famed FRAME skate shop and features a UAE flag-inspired colorway with double swooshes, thick braided laces, and a double tongue. The Habibi, Arabic for “my love,” was designed to be a celebration of skate culture, Dubai, and the Nike Dunk itself, and considering it looks this fresh, we’d say FRAME nailed the concept.

The Habibi is being released via a raffle on the FRAME website today, with winners announced via email. A global release will follow at select skate shops and via the Nike SNKRS app on December 5th.

The FRAME x Nike SB Dunk Low Habibi is set to drop on December 2nd for a retail price of $110. Pick up a pair exclusively at FRAME Skate today or at select skate shops and the Nike SNKRS app on December 5th.

New Balance 550 Collection

New Balance’s ‘80s era 550 silhouette is experiencing a bit of a renaissance, so it comes as welcome news that the brand dropped two new colorways of the sneaker this week. The colorways are fairly standard, with a blue and white and red and white iteration, both featuring a premium leather uppers with black accent work. While they’re not flashy, they serve as an important iteration of a sneaker that is just getting itself off the ground after fading into obscurity.

The New Balance 550 Collection is out now for a retail price of $110. Pick up a pair at New Balance.

Patta x Reebok Club C

I’m admittedly a sucker for Reebok’s Club C silhouette, especially when they drop in the classic green on white colorway, and this iteration by Amsterdam-based Patta is simply beautiful. Featuring a full-grain leather upper in pure white, the Reebok branding on this sneaker is swapped out for Patta with the Union Jack is replaced with Marcus Garvey’s Pan-African flag, resulting in a subtly redesigned play on the OG.

Part of the proceeds from each sneaker will be donated to The Black Archives in Amsterdam, The Good Neighborhood Collective in Milan, and the Sistah Space in London, depending on whether you pick up the shoes from Patta stores in Amsterdam, Milan, or London.

The Patta x Reebok Club C is set to drop on December 5th for a yet to be announced retail price. Pick up a pair exclusively at Patta.

Teddy Fresh December Drop

Los Angeles based streetwear brand Teddy Fresh has just dropped a huge collection of new looks for the month of December. This winter-focused collection features fresh takes on that signature pastel and color block Teddy Fresh aesthetic, with highlights that include a Gingham hoodie, a Cream colored Sherpa, cords, and a colorful patchwork jacket.

The collection is a little more understated and subtle than what we’re used to from Teddy Fresh, but it shows a nice refinement for the brand and is their strongest winter release to date.

The Teddy Fresh December drop is live now, shop the new looks at the Teddy Fresh webstore.

Chinatown Market Call My Lawyer Jacket

Chinatown Market is probably the most playful streetwear brand out there right now, and they’re about to kick things up a notch thanks to a new glow-in-the-dark printing process they’re eagerly experimenting with. To debut the new tech, Chinatown Market is dropping a pair of tie-dye garage jackets with rhinestone-encrusted branding across the chest. It’s ridiculous, almost unwearable, but uniquely Chinatown Market.

How could you not love it?

The jackets are also a team-up with famed street art law firm Gluck and read “Call My Lawyer” on the back. Overall, it’s absurd, but if you can rock a glow-in-the-dark tie-dye garage jacket, you’re truly stylin’ on another level.

The Chinatown Market Call My Lawyer Jackets are available now at Chinatown Market.

Palace Ultimo 2020

Palace has all your winter streetwear essential needs covered in this extensive holiday 2020 drop consisting of outerwear, hoodies, and other winter-focused clothing. Highlights from the over 30-item collection include the playful “Palaska” mountain range crew neck sweaters, reversible Cordura hoodies, and some Palace branded winter headwear that manages to move beyond baseball caps.

The collection also includes turtle necks, if that’s your vibe!

The Palace Ultimo 2020 collection is set to drop on December 4th. Shop the looks at the Palace webstore.

DaBaby is a rapper who is well-known for his sense of humor and love for trolling. His videos are full of funny imagery and he’s maintained a detached sense of amusement on social media, even when fans call for his head. So when Twitter lit up with the so-called “Nate Robinson Challenge” — basically, “planking” from a few years ago — after the NBA star was knocked out by Jake Paul during their exhibition match on Saturday, DaBaby was entertained enough by the meme to perform the pose himself while in the studio with Paul a few days later.

Nate seems to have taken the defeat — and subsequent trolling at his expense — in stride. He posted a pair of humble messages to his Instagram, thanking his fans and NBA brotherhood for their support, and graciously expressed his appreciation for the opportunity, even if he didn’t quite receive the outcome he would have liked.

Jake Paul, meanwhile, exploited the attention with a new song, “Park South Freestyle,” and began challenging even more fighters such as Conor McGregor (he might regret that one if McGregor accepts). For his part, DaBaby appears to be hard at work on music once again, despite releasing an EP honoring his late brother just weeks ago.

Check out DaBaby’s Nate Robinson Challenge entry above.

Spotify has been the toast of the music world today as music fans are sharing their Wrapped lists of what they listened to the most over the year. For some, though, Spotify becoming a trending topic has made them think about how much they prefer Bandcamp, a famously artist-friendly distribution platform.

Posthuman, an artist who has about 4,600 monthly listeners on Spotify, noted the difference between his income via Spotify and Bandcamp, writing on Twitter, “in 2020, I made around £300 profit on Spotify from Posthuman tracks. I made around £3000 profit on Bandcamp from Posthuman tracks. I mean… it’s still a very long way from making a living & without live/DJ gigs it’s sh*t. But the comparison is stark.”

He continued in subsequent tweets, “Perceptions of what artists make financially from music sales & streams can be way off the reality. Obviously, radio play & adverts can change things dramatically, and more mainstream music means much higher plays. If you’re a fan of underground music — especially of artists who usually play out live or DJ — take a moment to think about how they are surviving right now. You’d be surprised at artists you think are ‘big’ who are struggling to pay the rent. I’m lucky to have a partner who still has a job, and to have a pretty small mortgage. Also my label brings in a bit of cash too, though I try & pay my artists much higher cuts than standard. But I have artist mates who are higher profile than me who are utterly broke right now.”

DJ Food, an artist with around 38,000 monthly Spotify listeners, responded to Posthuman’s tweets, “I totally up my last 3 PRS [royalty] payments earlier for 2020 so far. Apple/itunes just over the £10 mark, Spotify, google/youtube all around or under the £5 mark, Amazon didn’t even make it over 50p.”

Although not a direct response to Wrapped or about Bandcamp, Operators member Devojka had a viral tweet recently (it’s at about 196K likes as of press time) about paltry Spotify royalty payments, writing a few days ago, “Spotify gave me $2.25 for a song I wrote that was streamed on their platform 125,000 times. Seems fair.”

In response to Devojka’s tweet, rapper Show You Suck noted that he has found a compromise between the two platforms, tweeting, “THIS IS WHY I PUT SINGLES ON SPOTIFY AND MY FULL PROJECTS GO TO BANDCAMP ONLY.”

Some other artists made direct appeals to fans to support their favorite artists on Bandcamp, like composer Darius Holbert, who wrote, “I appreciate all of these year-end Spotify lists, but a quick PSA: Music is made by real folks w families to support, esp during these tricky days. Buy from bandcamp.com or other artist-direct sites, dont just stream. It’s $10 vs $.00003 to them.” The band The Subways also noted, “Spotify’s all well & good. Share your kajillion plays of your favourite bands. But also visit bandcamp & online merch stores to help artists at this very difficult time.”

Adding onto a post about items added to their Bandcamp store, record label Lost Map summed up the sentiment of the aforementioned tweets, writing, “A gentle reminder that Bandcamp is much much better than Spotify.”

Bandcamp has been especially good to artists in 2020. In March, they launched a popular fundraiser that became a regular occurrence, for which they gave artists their share of profits from sales on some Fridays. During the first such Friday, artists made $4.3 million. The final Bandcamp Friday will be held this week, on December 4.

Check out some artists’ reactions to Spotify Wrapped here.

White House press secretary and Donald Trump campaign spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany offered an, uh, interesting defense for the administration’s decision to continue holding holiday parties despite coronavirus cases surging across the nation. During a Wednesday press conference, McEnany fired back at questions about whether it was responsible for the White House to engage in holiday celebrations as medical experts have been repeatedly warning against large gatherings going back before Thanksgiving.

“If you can loot businesses, burn down buildings, engage in protests, you can also go to a Christmas party. You can celebrate the holiday of Christmas,” McEnany said in a clear rebuke of the Black Lives Matter protests during the Spring. However, she quickly pivoted to a more sensible defense of the holiday parties. Via CNN:

“You can do it responsibly, which is why the East Wing has noted that a lot smaller guest list, masks are going to be available, social distancing is going to be encouraged, hand sanitizing stations, among other measures. But we will engage in the celebration of Christmas and there will be a Hanukkah celebration as well.”

You can watch McEnany’s remarks below:

As CNN notes in an earlier report, the White House is still flouting CDC guidelines despite McEnany’s list of precautions. Current size restrictions is capped at 10 people for Washington, D.C., and yet, First Lady Melania Trump recently held a “thank you” party for several dozen volunteers who helped with this year’s Christmas display. According to social media photos, guests did not follow social distancing guidelines and were close together in the White House foyer.

But even before the winter coronavirus surge, the White House was the site of at least two outbreaks, the first being the Rose Garden event celebrating Amy Coney Barret’s Supreme Court nomination, which allegedly infected President Trump, and the second when Vice President Mike Pence’s staff was infected shortly before the election.

(Via CNN)

It’s been a very good week-plus for Aubrey Plaza. She’s one of the best things about Happiest Season (it’s hard to stand out in a stacked cast with Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Victor Garber, Alison Brie, and Mary Steenburgen, but she found a way), and Deadline reported that she’s set to star in Guy Ritchie’s next movie with Jason Statham. I’m as excited for a Plaza/Statham press tour as I am for the actual movie. Speaking of good pairings, Adam Sandler interviewed the Parks and Recreation actress for Interview magazine, and he had a lot of good things to say about Black Bear.

“This movie is unbelievable. Your performance killed me,” he told Plaza about her role in the meta-drama. “I loved you in it. I couldn’t believe what I saw. This is just a monumental performance. People are going to be so excited seeing this. You dove in there so deep. But let’s talk about other shit first. I’ll ask you some questions.”

Here is one of Sandler’s questions:

When you’re making a movie, how do you handle eating?

And another:

Do you take naps during the day like me?

There is a one hundred percent chance he was wearing gym shorts while doing this interview. “What you did in the last 20 minutes of that movie — with the drunk of it all, and the emotions of it all, and the ups and downs — was so on the money,” Sandler later told Plaza. “I’ve never seen anyone play drunk and have to go through what you did. I was so happy it was you and not me, because I could not handle what you do.”

Find out what Plaza does on December 4, when Black Bear hits digital.

(Via Interview)