Month: January 2021

Just days away from her debut album’s release, Arlo Parks has already made a name for herself as an earnest songwriter through her recent singles like “Eugene” and “Black Dog.” Now, Parks returns to offer one last taste of her impending LP Collapsed In Sunbeams with a touching video alongside her track “Hope.”

Directed by Molly Burdett, Park’s “Hope” short film is a reminder of the value of friendship and perseverance. It follows a girl that Parks encounters who is struggling with mental health and fitting in. Parks takes the girl under her wing and proves that despair is only temporary.

Speaking about the meaning behind her track, Parks says she tried to convey the importance of remembering that things will always get better:

“This video to me is a warm, vibrant exploration of friendship and introversion. I think there’s something so powerful about the saturated, filmic textures, the human portraits and depictions of euphoria. The song surrounds isolation, being present in your pain and knowing that you’re not the only one on the planet feeling low. I think especially in times like these it’s important to focus on the inevitability that things will get better.”

Watch the “Hope” video above and check out the Collapsed In Sunbeams cover art and tracklist below.

1. “Collapsed In Sunbeams”
2. “Hurt”
3. “Too Good”
4. “Hope”
5. “Caroline”
6. “Black Dog”
7. “Green Eyes”
8. “Just Go”
9. “For Violet”
10. “Eugene”
11. “Bluish”
12. “Portra 400”

Collapsed In Sunbeams is out 1/29 via Transgressive. Pre-order it here.

Last week Selena Gomez teased her first Spanish language project with the release of “De Una Vez,” and today she’s shared more information about the upcoming project. Despite six full-length albums, the first three with her band, Selena Gomez And The Scene, and three solo albums, this is the first song she’s released entirely in Spanish. Now, she has an entire EP slated to come out on March 12 and is planning to share another single, “Baila Conmigo” which translates to “Dance with Me,” this Friday.

The new singles features guests Rauw Alejandro and Tainy, and both artists shared their excitement about the collaboration as well:

Gomez previously teased a Spanish-language project as something she’s been wanting to do for a long time, but it was unclear whether the release would be an EP or an album until now. This isn’t the first time Selena has collaborated with other Spanish artists though, back in 2018 she appeared on DJ Snake and Ozuna’s “Taki Taki” as a guest vocalist. This time, she’s the one bringing other stars in. Keep an eye out for the tracklist for her new EP dropping tomorrow, along with a new season of her cooking show coming very soon. Until then, check out “De Una Vez” above and tune back in on Friday to hear her latest song.

After days of discussion over comments Shaquille O’Neal made to Donovan Mitchell postgame on Inside the NBA, the Lakers legend and NBA Hall of Famer decided to use Instagram to make his point that he’s played alongside guards who are at the level he believes Mitchell needs to ascend.

“I played with the best ever-to do it,” he wrote in a post full of photos of everyone from Kobe Bryant to Penny Hardaway. “You know I know what best look like.”

Shaq also made it a point to stress that his credentials when he tries to discuss greatness are nigh unparalleled in the league.

In reality, the issue had nothing to do with whether Shaq had the bona fides to analyze Mitchell’s game, but more so that his timing was rather odd. The question came after Mitchell had just put up nearly a 40-point double-double in a win for the Jazz, and was not even part of a special interview or panel segment, but in the heat of a postgame interview that did not include specifics as to where he thought Mitchell had to improve his game. None of that has anything to do with the fact that Shaq was on the same team as guys like Bryant and Hardaway during his career. Shaq is, undoubtedly, an all-time great, but as both LeBron James and Kevin Durant recently pointed out, there will be times when younger players will just not want to hear what players from his era have to say, and it has nothing to do with the respect (or lack thereof) they have for them.

Calls for newly elected Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene to resign increased on Wednesday after activist Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was murdered during the Parkland school shooting in Florida, posted a video of Greene harassing one of the survivors. Greene can be seen accusing Parkland survivor David Hogg of being funded by George Soros while Hogg was in town to petition congress for stricter gun control to prevent further school shootings. Greene is also heard calling the young man a “coward.”

Along with the video, Guttenberg dared Greene to ask him her questions in person and to be ready to record his response. You can watch the clip below:

Guttenberg’s video arrives on the heels of a damaging CNN report that took a deep dive into Greene’s social media activity. Like incoming Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, Greene is a believer in QAnon conspiracy theories that portray Donald Trump as a heroic, messianic figure who’s fighting a shadow war against a satanic cabal that consists of Hillary Clinton, Hollywood celebrities, and other liberal politicians. What makes those beliefs particularly dangerous for someone like Greene is that she has an online history of calling for Democrats and FBI agents to be executed. Via CNN:

In one post, from January 2019, Greene liked a comment that said “a bullet to the head would be quicker” to remove House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In other posts, Greene liked comments about executing FBI agents who, in her eyes, were part of the “deep state” working against Trump.

Considering the January 6 attack on the Capitol was the direct result of QAnon beliefs and violent online rhetoric, it’s not hard to see why members of Congress must now pass through metal detectors when Greene and Boebert are among their ranks.

(Via Fred Guttenberg on Twitter, CNN)

The most recent Porter Robinson album, Worlds, dropped in mid-2014. That was nearly seven years ago, which is an eternity in the music world these days. Fortunately, Robinson is set to make his return: His second album, Nurture, is set for release on April 23.

He previewed the album today with “Look At The Sky,” an uplifting number on which Robinson addresses his creative insecurities, singing on the chorus, “Look at the sky, I’m still here / I’ll be alive next year / I can make something good, oh / Something good.” Robinson says of the track:

“‘Look At The Sky’ is fundamentally a song about hope. There’s no shortage of fuel for despair, but you can’t take meaningful action to improve things if you don’t have some belief that things might get better. That’s what hope is, and I think it’s an emotion worth nourishing. I wrote this song at my lowest point emotionally, when I thought I couldn’t make music anymore, and I wasn’t sure if my existence would have any meaning if I couldn’t make music. In the lyrics, I’m sort of imagining what life would be like once I was on the other side of all that fear and anxiety and sadness. I’m happy to report that it’s amazing on the other side of all this, and I’m so glad I had hope and persisted.”

Listen to “Look At The Sky” above and check out the Nurture art and tracklist below.

1. “LL”
2. “Look At The Sky”
3. “Get Your Wish”
4. “WT”
5. “Musician”
6. “DRM”
7. “Mo”
8. “DS”
9. “ST”
10. “Mirror”
11. “Something Comforting”
12. “B”
13. “U”1
14. “TtFA”

Nurture is out 4/23 via Mom+Pop. Pre-order it here.

Philadelphia-based trio Another Michael have been writing songs together since their 2016 EP Sans and now, they are Run For Cover Records’ newest signee. After living together in an apartment, Another Michael were able to put the finishing touches on their debut album, which they’ve previewed with the singles “New Music,” “I Know You’re Wrong,” and, as of Wednesday, the new track “Big Pop.”

Another Michael’s dynamic energy can be heard throughout the jangly tune’s upbeat chords and earnest lyrics. The single offers yet another taste of their forthcoming album New Music And Big Pop, which is slated for a February release.

Speaking about the breezy single, bassist Nick Sebastiano said the song is their way of enjoying their own music:

“‘Big Pop’ is a song about breaking the fourth wall with regards to all things music. It’s about letting go of the more serious habits of being a music fan, as well as the serious habits of being a musician. It’s good to have overwhelming feelings about art that you enjoy, and it’s good to enjoy your own art. We put together the lyric video as extension of that sentiment, hoping to embrace the vulnerability that comes along with loving music. It’s okay to ‘sing-along’ to your own songs. It’s probably healthy in the same way that it’s healthy to enjoy good times while you’ve got them. We felt it fitting to pair this song with some phone videos of good times that we’ve shared together as a group.”

Listen to “Big Pop” above and find Another Michael’s New Music And Big Pop cover art and tracklist below.

1. “New Music”
2. “I Know You’re Wrong”
3. “What Gives?”
4. “My Day”
5. “Big Pop”
6. “What The Hell Is Going On?”
7. “I’m Not Home”
8. “Row”
9. “Hone”
10. “Shaky Cam”

New Music And Big Pop is out 2/19 via Run For Cover. Pre-order it here.

Since the start of the pandemic, whenever James Bond moves, the other Hollywood blockbusters move him. But this time around, some studios are standing firm after No Time to Die made its third release date change, pushing it even further into 2021. While the Bond delay shifted a few titles, four major blockbusters are currently holding firm to their summer release dates: Black Widow, F9, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and the highly anticipated sequel to a Tom Cruise classic, Top Gun: Maverick. According to a new report, these films will not be pursuing a streaming market due to the high profitability of a theater release, and executives at Paramount are feeling especially confident about not having to move the upcoming Cruise film thanks to the incoming Biden administration. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

“We have no plans to move our theatrical release of Top Gun,” says Paramount president of distribution Chris Aronson. “I think the next two months are critical, and whether the new administration can implement a robust vaccination plan. If Biden’s 100 million vaccines in 100 days works, then I think we’ll be in good shape.”

While most studios are feeling confident about the theater industry’s prospects in 2021, Warner Bros. is looking like more of a lone wolf as its held strong to its controversial HBO Max release strategy during a recent earnings call. AT&T CEO John Stankey credited Wonder Woman 1984 with doubling the number of subscribers to HBO Max, and he believes WarnerMedia’s streaming plan is the right decision based on the number of films being crowded into late 2021.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

In Utero, the 1993 Nirvana album that would end up being the band’s final one, is one of the most beloved records of the ’90s. It also has one of the best behind-the-scenes stories: Steve Albini, who produced the album, proposed a wager to the group, saying that if one of them could beat him in a game of pool, he would produce the album for free.

He told the story in a new Kerrang feature, adding that if he won the game, his fee of $100,000 would be doubled. Albini said, “I did that with every band I worked with, and no one ever took me up on the offer. It’s not like I’m a particularly good pool player, but I have an equal chance of winning in a fair game. Ultimately, it wasn’t going to make that much difference to my life if I got double the money for the session or worked for free. But I guess Nirvana were a little more risk-averse than I was.”

Grohl once addressed that proposed wager, saying, “We were paying him $100,000. Anyone who’s got the stones to gamble something that large must be amazing, so everyone said no. Plus he had his own stick. We didn’t want to f*ck around with that.”

Read the full Albini feature here.

Seth Rogen is a busy guy. When he’s not calling Ted Cruz a “fascist” and a “stupid f*ck,” he’s making vases and sharing them with the world. I am genuinely proud of him. But the Freaks and Geeks actor — now streaming on Hulu! — still found time to write a book.

Yearbook is a “collection of true stories that I desperately hope are just funny at worst, and life-changingly amazing at best,” Rogen wrote. He shares recollections of his “grandparents, doing stand-up comedy as a teenager, bar mitzvahs, and Jewish summer camp, and tells way more stories about doing drugs than my mother would like.” Speaking of his mom: Sandy Rogen, who is also very good at Twitter, wrote a statement in the press release for Yearbook. It’s charming as hell (sorry to swear, Mrs. Rogen).

“At first I was worried that Seth was writing a book, because I was like, ‘Oh no! What’s he gonna say?!’ I was actually scared to even read it. But I’m very happy I did. It’s not really a memoir, like I thought it might be. I guess it’s more of a bunch of funny stories? Does that make sense? He talks about doing stand-up when he was a kid (I drove him to all his shows!), his grandparents, high school, moving to L.A., meeting some famous people, things like that. If I’m being honest, I really wish there wasn’t so much drug talk. Why does he need all that? It’s like ‘We get it!’ And some of the stories? I mean, they’re entertaining, but I was just shocked they happened and he never told me! Overall, I think it’s more sweet and funny than anything, so I like it, and I’m glad he wrote it, but I’d be even more glad if he called me more.”

Mazel tov to the Rogens. I hope Seth does his own audiobook, complete with laughs.

You can order Yearbook here.

(Via Vulture)

Chicago’s Lil Eazzyy’s “Onna Come Up” deftly describes his condition over the past month or so after releasing his debut EP Underrated. The EP’s breakout single, “Onna Come Up” was updated earlier this month with a remix featuring Eazzyy’s Windy City forebear G Herbo, and today, the song received a slickly polished video that depicts Eazzyy’s vision of his rags to riches transition.

Directed by AJ Spitz, the video transplants the two Second City natives to the West Coast, where Eazzyy performs his machine-gun verses under a flaming umbrella at a funeral and soaks up the sun on a beach surrounded by wine-sipping models. However, the air of menace he’s cultivated in his music is never far from hand; a secondary location finds Eazzyy sitting against a lowrider, rapping as a dice game goes on in the background.

Meanwhile, Herbo, who’s been going through the flames in his personal life lately, raps in front of a beach bonfire while visual effects transform his features into ghoulish caricature. Herbo recently turned himself in on federal identity fraud charges, pleading not guilty in their wake and releasing the song “Statement” to refute any implication that he’s not 100 percent authentic.

Watch Lil Eazzyy’s “Onna Come Up” remix video featuring G Herbo above.