Month: February 2021

As streaming breaks down the barriers of music globally, more and more artists have teamed up across genres and borders to create some truly fascinating combinations. Today we get a great example as Los Angeles-born reggaeton artist Becky G and Nigerian Afrofusion artist Burna Boy link up on “Rotate.” Built on a signature reggaeton beat, the song blends the two artists’ unique sounds, resulting in a scintillating track that could be a hit in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa, as well as the US, the melting pot where people from all cultures collide and collaborate.

Becky G, who began her musical career as a pop-oriented rapper before shifting to Spanish lyrics and South-of-the-border sounds, truly exploded in popularity after embracing Latin music. She’s also found success as an actress, appearing in the 2017 Power Rangers film as the yellow Ranger, and being featured in Riot Games’ League Of Legends in 2019 as part of the first virtual rap band. Meanwhile, Burna Boy accidentally blew up in the US after the coincidentally-titled “Ye” exposed him to fans searching for Kanye’s album with the same name. Since then, he’s become one of the primary representative’s of his home country’s music scene, receiving Grammy acknowledgement and seeing his second album Twice As Tall become a hit.

Listen to Becky G and Burna Boy’s “Rotate” above.

Burna Boy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

For the last several years, New York art-punk trio Palberta has dropping impressive album after impressive album. Their latest, Palberta5000, was released earlier this year, and might be the most intriguing of all the band’s releases to date. Across sixteen tracks, the trio seamlessly blends the danceability of funk and R&B with minimalist, plucky indie rock instrumentals, making for a constantly innovative and exciting listen.

To celebrate the new album, the band sat down to talk Avril Lavigne, their matching Palberta tattoos, and Zoolander in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Friendship, organic, fun, giggles.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

As music that inspires people.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

NYC baby!

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

Not sure if we have an answer to this question. While there is definitely overlap in what we listen to and grew up listening to, we also each listen to different music. And we don’t go into songwriting having a specific artist in mind that we try to emulate. Maybe our inspiration comes from our many incredibly talented and creative friends in our immediate and peripheral music community.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

Too many to choose from! Too many meals!

What album do you know every word to?

Let Go and/or Under My Skin by Avril Lavigne.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

Probably when we saw Liz Phair at a festival we played in Raleigh, NC. It was summer, so we were all covered in sweat in the front row, scream-singing and jumping the whole time. Then we got to meet Liz after her set and it was magical.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

Jeans, tank top or t-shirt and a pair of fly sneakers. It’s the cutest and most comfortable outfit

.Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

Lately we’ve all been really enjoying watching Tierra Whack’s incredible freestyles on her Instagram.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

Probably a Lucinda Williams or Neil Young song.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

Recipe for cinnamon buns.

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Bad Girls by Donna Summer.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

Oh god, so many to choose from. Maybe in Albuquerque, trying to fall asleep on the living room floor of someone who wouldn’t stop playing piano ballads & singing goth-cabaret-opera for hours after the show ended? Followed by them having loud sex in the same room divided by a curtain?

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

Our matching Palberta tattoo, written by Ani’s mom in her beautiful cursive. A friend in Philly gave it to us at their house! A couple of ours came out squiggly from shaking in pain!

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Drake, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Cardi B, also pretty much any pop song from the early 2000s.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

When we’re touring and people bring us home-cooked meals to our shows.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Don’t worry, you won’t be playing shitty boring folk music with boys forever!

What’s the last show you went to?

Lily’s band opening for Of Montreal at Union Transfer in Philly.

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

Zoolander.

What would you cook if Obama were coming to your house for dinner?

Clams linguine.

Palberta5000 is out now. Listen and pick up some merch on Bandcamp.

It feels like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, a glimmer of hope that we might be able to actually see the return of live music by the end of 2021. And with the possibility of hitting the road this year still in the cards, many up-and-coming artists are getting ready to make their defining statements. Everyone has had their time to experience the varying cycles of emotion that come with trying to navigate a global pandemic, with some artists reframing their whole musical identity around our new reality, and others forging forward and refusing to slow down.

Whether a rising pop star, rapper, or indie rocker, 2021 is sure to the be year of some massive breakout acts. You might recognize some of the below names from our list of the most anticipated albums of 2021, and there are even some we’ve discovered and become bullish on within the last month. With more range of definition for “indie rock” than ever before, here are the rising indie musicians to watch in 2021.

Another Michael

After making waves in the DIY scene, Philadelphia-based trio Another Michael turned heads with their recently released debut album New Music And Big Pop. The album showcases their tight knight chemistry and their modest-yet-fun-loving attitudes, which give them the ability to craft breezy and infectious tunes. As they’ve already drummed up excitement about their debut release, Another Michael is sure to be going places. – Carolyn Droke

Michelle

New York City collective Michelle stormed onto the indie scene last year with their infectious and joyful single “Sunrise,” which boasted a unique blend of R&B and funky indie rock aesthetic. The group is said to be working on a new full-length album for release sometime soon, proceeded by the singles “Unbound” and “FYO,” all of which show the group’s versatility and ability to jump seamlessly across genre boundaries and sonic sensibilities. – Zac Gelfand

Wild Pink

One self-released EP was all John Ross’ band Wild Pink needed to get some label attention. After a release on Texas Is Funny Records, they found their way to Tiny Engines, where the group spread their wings over the course of their first two albums. That includes 2018’s Yolk In The Fur, a soaring, heartland-inspired indie rock album that first landed them on many people’s radars. Their first album on Royal Mountain Records, A Billion Little Lights, just dropped, showing that Ross and company are continuing on their upward trajectory with an exciting and natural progression forward.– Derrick Rossignol

Quinton Brock

Brooklyn-based rocker Quinton Brock caught our attention late last year with the infectious standalone single “To The Moon,” which blurs the lines between anthemic indie rock and reserved punk aggression. The track was born out of a particularly rough period in Brock’s life, when his best friend passed away, then his dog passed away, then his longtime girlfriend packed up and left. The track is Brock’s attempt to reconcile with his difficult new reality, something he manages to do with grace and poise. While there has been no official confirmation of forthcoming new music, we can’t wait to see what Brock comes up with next.– Z.G.

Kississippi

Kississippi (aka Zoe Allaire Reynolds) has undergone quite the transformation over the past few years and the whole journey has been worth keeping tabs on. She began her musical journey in more of an indie-folk lane, but she has new things cooking now. She signed with Triple Crown Records last year and dropped “Around Your Room,” a propulsive synth-pop single that shows off her adaptability, vocal smoothness, and melodic talents. She hasn’t released a new song since then, but it’s also the kind of tune that lives in your head rent-free, generating all kinds of interest for whatever she has coming up next. – D.R.

Arlo Parks

20-year-old UK songwriter Arlo Parks went from creating melodies in her bedroom to writing music that has literally saved people’s marriage. With her debut album Collapsed In Sunbeams, Parks combined poetic lyrics about relatable but oft-ignored aspects of teenage depression and anxiety, while also reminding listeners there’s always hope. Her words have resonated with many and thereby catapulted her into the indie spotlight, so keep an eye out to see where Parks takes her fluttering music next. – C.D.

Hovvdy

The Austin, Texas group has called their music “pillowcore,” and while that was said half in jest, it’s an accurate descriptor for the downtempo and comforting music they make best. Their 2020 single “I’m Sorry,” the band’s latest material released since their 2019 third album Heavy Lifter, encapsulates that energy well, as it’s an alternative-leaning track seemingly tailored for calming nerves while retaining musical interest. Hopefully, it’s also a sign of things to come.– D.R.

Buzzy Lee

Although Sasha Spielberg’s latest album Spoiled Love was just released earlier this year, the album’s intercontinental writing process imbued each song with a sense of space. It’s this fresh approach to songwriting that makes Spoiled Love a very interesting listen that will surely reward listeners and help to grow Spielberg’s following both within and outside in the indie-folk scene. – Z.G.

Petey

Making comparisons is a useful way to give a new listener an idea of what an artist sounds like. That doesn’t really work for Petey, though, because he’s just… Petey. He borrowed from emo, indie pop, folk, and pretty much everything else on the handful of EPs he has released since 2019. 2020 was particularly fortuitous, as the year yielded highlights like the LCD Soundsystem meets trap meets electronica of “Pitch A Fit!” and the emo-folk of “More To Life Than Baseball” (which, coincidentally, are both baseball-related). “You never know what they’ll do next” is a worn-out saying, but the only thing you can expect out of a new Petey release is that it will be distinctly Petey.– D.R.

Squid

After gaining a significant amount of buzz with a series of EPs and other short-form releases over the last several years, UK quintet Squid are finally prepping their debut full-length effort for release later this year. Bright Green Field finds Squid at a crossroads between the melodic sensibilities of the Talking Heads and the modern avant garde experimentation of an act like Black Midi. So far, we have only heard one single from Bright Green Field in the form of “Narrator,” which puts the band’s eccentricities on full display and promises a wild ride from the remainder of the album. – Z.G.

Sun June

Upon releasing their 2018 debut album, Austin, Texas five-piece Sun June spent the year touring with the likes of Lucy Dacus. Changing gears with their sophomore album Somewhere, the band focused on their songs’ production by leaning on the mantra “melodies are king,” which resulted in open spaces and discernible textures. Their focus on production, coupled with poignant lyrics, created an album that expertly examines grief in all forms with equal parts humor and humility. – C.D.

Miloe

Miloe’s 2020 EP Greenhouse was is an incredibly exciting taste of what this young Minneapolis artist by way of The Democratic Republic of Congo has to offer from a forthcoming full-length release. With only five tracks, the effort showcases Miloe’s seemingly almost effortless knack for melodies and simple, yet captivating instrumentals that make the project as a whole undeniable. Not much is known about what’s on Miloe’s docket for 2021, but consider us excited for whatever that may be. – Z.G.

Katy Kirby

Katy Kirby grew up in the Bible belt, an identity that she both explores and dismantles throughout her debut album Cool Dry Place. The album puts her own unique twist on folk rock, combining gentle melodies with playful instrumentation. Her disarming vocals and troubling ballads are oftentimes interrupted by well-timed pauses and samples of wind chimes, which also give her soulful music a unique sense of place. – C.D.

Pinkshift

2020 was supposed to be the year Baltimore’s Pinkshift really came into their own as a band, with their first official tour as a four-piece on the books, and new music in the works. The pandemic upended all of those plans, but they didn’t let that stop them. They unleashed their ferocious pop-punk single “I’m Gonna Tell My Therapist On You” in July, when it promptly went viral due to its My Chemical Romance-like grandeur and Ashrita Kumar’s insanely catchy vocals. With a viral hit under their belt, Pinkshift is already buzzing like crazy, and new music is surely on the way. – Z.G.

Proper.

Proper.‘s latest single “Don’t” was co-produced by The Wonder Years’ Dan Campbell, and undoubtedly features the band’s most direct and emotional songwriting to date as vocalist Erik Garlington grapples with the reality that they could be murdered by police at any moment. The powerful message is delivered atop the trio’s unique and earnest approach to emo and pop punk, a promising look at what’s to come from the buzzing Brooklyn outfit. The trio has used the pandemic to hone their songwriting, with Garlington attending virtual writing sessions with Campbell again, hopefully resulting in a sophomore LP for 2021. – Z.G.

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

Bruce Springsteen had a run-in with police officers last fall in New Jersey that resulted a driving while intoxicated (DWI) charge. News of the incident broke earlier this month and on Wednesday morning, Springsteen appeared in virtual court to for a scheduled arraignment. The singer plead guilty to one misdemeanor charge, but his more serious DWI and reckless driving charges were dropped.

Back on November 14th, Springsteen was on a motorcycle in Sandy Hook, New Jersey’s Gateway National Recreation Area. A police officer pulled him over and noted that he had a blood alcohol level of .02, well under the legal limit. “I had two small shots of tequila,” Springsteen told the judge during his hearing. But because drinking is prohibited in the area, the officer charged him with reckless driving, DWI, and consuming alcohol in a closed area.

According to AP News, prosecutors did not have sufficient evidence to convict Springsteen for driving while intoxicated and reckless driving, so they have decided to drop the charges altogether. However, because Springsteen plead guilty to the misdemeanor charge of consuming alcohol in the prohibited area, he’ll face a fine of $500 for the offense, plus $40 in court fees.

At the time that news broke of Springsteen’s arrest, he was just days away from appearing in a Jeep Super Bowl commercial. But because Jeep didn’t want someone with a DWI charge to appear in their ad, so they decided to pull it off the air. As a Jeep spokesperson had said, “It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the details of a matter we have only read about and we cannot substantiate. But it’s also right that we pause our Big Game commercial until the actual facts can be established. Its message of community and unity is as relevant as ever. As is the message that drinking and driving can never be condoned.”

Zach LaVine is in the middle of a historically great offensive season, and there’s really no way around that. But because the Bulls have hovered below .500 most of the year and LaVine has a reputation that he is not necessarily a winning player, there was a lot of doubt over whether he would be named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Now that he has indeed made the team, though, Chicago is rightly pumping up their guy.

The team tricked LaVine into joining what he thought was a media availability session on Zoom, but was actually a collection of his friends and family members who had come together to wish him congratulations. His parents looked back on the work it took to get here, his mentor Jamal Crawford gave him praise for the dedication he’s shown since being a kid in the Pacific Northwest, and his little sister even called in during a dinner run to help ring in the big moment.

These are the people LaVine likely would have been around all season if not for the restrictions put in place during this pandemic season, so it had to be nice for LaVine to see them, even if it was virtual.

LaVine was also consistent that his work isn’t done, and when teammate Thaddeus Young chimed in on the call, the two doubled down on their goal of making the postseason with the Bulls this year. So while LaVine’s prolific scoring season (he’s averaging nearly 29 points per game on 52 percent shooting) is impressive, the All-Star game is just one reward on his journey toward proving he can be a winning player.

Vic Chesnutt was an important musician to many in the ’90s and ’00s. Most famously, he was honored on the 1996 compilation album Sweet Relief II: Gravity Of The Situation, which featured covers of his songs from folks like R.E.M., Garbage, and Madonna. Now his music has been covered again, and this time, it’s Bright Eyes tackling “Flirted With You All My Life.”

Conor Oberst says of the cover, “I had the pleasure of seeing Vic perform many times over the years and from a young age. I can truly say he deeply changed my worldview and what it meant to write a really unique and thought-provoking song. One of the greatest ever. Always missed. Here is our humble version of one of his best.”

This recording is actually one Bright Eyes fans have heard before: It was a B-side on the vinyl single “Persona Non Grata” released in August 2020. However, this is the first time the cover is available on streaming services.

The song was a tragically prophetic one for Chesnutt. The song addresses his thoughts on death, with lyrics like, “I flirted with you all my life / Even kissed you once or twice / And to this day, I swear it was nice / But, clearly, I was not ready.” The song appears on his 2009 album At The Cut, which was released shortly after the artist died on Christmas 2009 due to an overdose of muscle relaxers.

Listen to Bright Eyes cover “Flirted With You All My Life” above.

Not that Matthew McConaughey needs to worry about his bank account, but he could have a few extra millions in there if he continued making romantic comedies like he did throughout the 2000s. The Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Failure to Launch — they all made money (even Ghosts of Girlfriends Past grossed over $100 million), and as he wrote in his memoir, “I enjoyed being able to give people a nitty-minute breezy romantic getaway from the stress of their lives where they didn’t have to think about anything, just watch the boy chase the girl, fall down, then get up and finally get her. I had taken the baton from Hugh Grant, and I ran with it.” But by 2010, he was ready to move on. McConaughey turned down a $14.5 million paycheck to make another rom-com where he takes his shirt off, and thus, the McConaissance was born.

There isn’t really a new rom–com king (Noah Centineo does not count), so Jared Leto sees an opening. The Oscar winner and recent Golden Globe nominee was interviewed by W magazine for the publication’s “Best Performances” issues, where he was asked if he ever would star in a Notting Hill-style romantic comedy.

“You know, I was threatening to do, like, an opposite McConaissance. I just go dive straight into early-2000s-style rom-coms. Shoot on the beach in either Mexico or Hawaii — that’s contractual. Eight-hour days, maybe six, just show up and have a blast,” Leto answered. “The hardest part of preparation is the keto diet. That’s basically what it’s going to come down to. Avoiding those carbs can be tough work.”

I can see it already: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy gives girl a dead rat, girl gets her own movie, boy turns into Jesus. A tale as old as time. Starring Jared Leto!

(Via W magazine)

Freddie Gibbs has built a reputation as one of the funniest rappers on Twitter and today, he brought that off-color sense of humor to the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. In the four-hour conversation, Gibbs, Rogan, and comedian Brian Moss talked boxing, Freddie Gibbs’ wild, secret Instagram profile, and more. You can check it out at the link below.

Meanwhile, Gibbs has been promoting his upcoming major-label debut album, dropping the animated video for his first single “Gang Signs” earlier this month. The video transforms Gibbs into a hedonistic white rabbit (a euphemism for his favorite subjects) as he goes about the same activities he generally likes to rap about, mining the juxtaposition for some head-scratching, borderline inappropriate comedy.

In addition to “Gang Signs,” Gibbs recently collaborated with Big Sean and Hit-Boy on “4 Thangs” celebrating LeBron James. Meanwhile, he’s kept fans entertained with his social media antics, which have included freestyling over his Piñata partner Madlib’s new instrumental album Sound Ancestors in an Uber. The one thing fans won’t be able to expect from him is a Verzuz appearance; aside from disapproving of Jeezy’s recent match with Gucci Mane, Gibbs shot down speculation over a potential battle between himself and hip-hop’s other resident coke rap connoisseur, Pusha T.

Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

For years, people have criticized the Grammys for historically recognizing white artists over talented Black and brown musicians, and this year the Recording Academy received similar backlash. Three musicians nominated for Best Children’s Album even asked for their nominations to be removed this year in protest of the all-white category. But the Recording Academy is trying to appease their critics by breaking ground on the first-ever Black Music Collective pre-Grammy event, which will highlight iconic Black musicians making waves in the industry today.

The event will feature performances by Grammy-winning artists HER, PJ Morton, and Yolanda Adams. Freddie Gibbs, who is now a first-time Grammy nominee, is also set to perform with The Alchemist. Along with live music, honorary chairs John Legend, Janelle Monáe, Issa Rae, Jimmy Jam, Quincy Jones, and activist Tamika Mallory will join in for fireside chats about racial justice and the Black experience.

In a statement about the inaugural event, chair and interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr. said they intend to “amplify Black voices” with the event:

“As the first of its kind, we created this event with every intention to amplify Black voices and each of our experiences within the industry. The BMC will continue to foster a space for members and industry professionals to educate and elevate Black creators during Grammy Week and beyond.”

Echoing Mason Jr.’s statement, BMC chair and Atlantic Records executive Riggs Morales expressed his excitement about the event: “We are thrilled to announce this virtual program as the BMC continues to celebrate Black music and those who share our mission to foster and accelerate Black representation, equity and inclusion throughout the music industry. The Black Music Collective will continue to tailor events for Black creators to feel uplifted and supported and we are excited for this Grammy Week kickoff.”

The Black Music Collective pre-Grammy event kicks off 3/10 at 5 p.m. PST. Watch it here.

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

The following is a preview of “Home Sweet Home,” season 10, episode 17 of The Walking Dead, which has already aired on AMC+ and will air on AMC this Sunday, February 28th. Details about the story — AND MINOR SPOILERS — will be revealed, so if you want to go in fresh, please skip this post.

There has only been one episode of The Walking Dead over the last 325 days, which was the original Season 10 finale that saw the defeat of Beta, but The Walking Dead universe itself has been mostly centered on the first half of Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 and the first season of The World Beyond. The latter seemed to find its legs near the end of its first season, while Fear featured its best season at least since the front half of Season 4.

With that said, there’s always something very comforting and satisfying about watching episodes of the parent series, and seeing these characters we’ve been with for the last decade feels, fittingly, like returning home (the title of the first episode back is “Home Sweet Home”). That is doubly so this time around, because not only will these six bonus episodes be the first string of episodes we’ve seen in nearly a year, the opening episode also spends an extensive amount of time with Maggie for the first time since Episode 5 of Season 9, about two and a half years ago.

For Maggie, it’s actually been much longer than that, because of the time jump after Rick was abducted by the Civil Republic Military (i.e., the villains in The World Beyond). It’s been about seven or eight years for Maggie. It’s also been that long since she’s seen Negan, the guy who killed her husband. Their first confrontation is awkward and tense, to say the least. It’s doubly weird because while Negan made considerable strides with Daryl, Carol, and the others (especially Judith) after he killed Alpha, Maggie has no such history with Negan. It’s also Maggie’s rightful home, and her return immediately leaves Negan as the odd man out, which is both understandable and somewhat disappointing given his redemption arc. It feels like Negan will have to re-earn all this goodwill back with Maggie, although it is unclear whether the two will ever be able to co-exist.

In the episode, however, Maggie doesn’t really have time to deal with her concerns with Negan, because she has other pressing matters. There’s possibly another group of big bads called The Reapers, who may or may not have followed Maggie from her previous camp. We don’t see where Maggie’s been in flashbacks, but she does reveal her whereabouts over the last several years to Daryl in a heart-to-heart the two have. It’s not a particularly compelling backstory — at least not yet.

In fact, most of the pressing concerns with Negan and with rebuilding what the Whisperers destroyed (Alexandria and The Hilltop) are likewise put on the back burner, as the episode instead has something of a story that I sense will exist as a part of a stand-alone arc limited to the next six episodes. In fact, these six episodes will probably do more to catch us up with moments we missed offscreen (like Negan’s origin story, or Daryls’ whereabouts during his lengthy absence after Rick’s abduction) than they will in advancing the story. That’s not to say that the story will not be advanced at all in the next six episodes. It’s more that this arc will serve as a bridge between the tenth season and the final season. Hopefully, that will also include some sort of resolution to Maggie and Negan’s relationship, one way or another. This new outside group of villains, The Reapers, may in fact provide Negan with an opportunity to earn Maggie’s trust.

Otherwise, the first episode back introduces us to two new characters who came with Maggie, Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari), the masked ninja who is not quite who he seems, and Cole (James Devoti), who actually seems to serve a function similar to the one that Dante served in the comics. He’s a sort of right-hand man and potential (but not likely) love interest to Maggie.

Without giving anything away, however, I will note that the biggest moment in the episode involves the introduction of Glenn and Maggie’s son, who it is clear shares a lot in common with both his mom and dad. His introduction to the series makes the first episode back worth watching alone, and I’m very excited to see little Hershel eventually meet Judith Grimes. I suspect they will become fast friends.

Will the bonus episodes be necessary viewing? Perhaps not. They’re likely to be smaller in scale and tell more intimate stories given the COVID-19 protocols in place. Without a doubt, however, it feels good to spend some time with these characters again, and while the other The Walking Dead universe series (and the Rick Grimes movie) will serve as able replacements in the years to come, this serves as the beginning of the end for The Walking Dead. We all need to prepare ourselves for a future in which most of these characters, who have been in our lives so long, will no longer be around.

AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ officially returns on Sunday, February 28.