St. Vincent is fresh off a new album, Daddy’s Home, but now she’s already hard at work promoting a new project. That project, of course, is her and Carrie Brownstein’s movie The Nowhere Inn. A trailer for the film was released a month ago, and now we’re getting a first look the score/soundtrack, which features new St. Vincent music. Today, she shared a video for the title track, a cinematic and evocative number that serves as a sort of theme song for the movie.
The soundtrack is set for release on September 19, a couple days following the film’s premiere.
“I’m so amazed and thrilled that somebody let us… gave us money to make a crazy film about me, sure, but also just about identity and the pitfalls when someone starts to believe in their mythology and floats off into outer space, or becomes craven in an attempt to hold onto their little idea of things. […]
I am not doing the convention of what these things normally do which is endear you to a pop star. That’s not the purpose of this film, and maybe that’s dangerous in this day and age. And that’s good. Theoretically we only have one life, why do it half-assed? Let’s do something crazy that people won’t forget. I think art is supposed to be dangerous. I think it’s supposed to be scary sometimes. It’s supposed to help us go to the crevices and recesses of our minds, and be a place where we can play with fire safely.”
Watch the “The Nowhere In” video above and check out the The Nowhere In soundtrack art and tracklist below.
It’s been nearly three years since we last saw Idris Elba throw on the red tie and jacket and take to the crime-filled streets of London in the BBC’s hit series Luther, and it turns out, all our patience is being rewarded generously. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Elba is reprising his role as the decidedly too dedicated detective John Luther in the series’ fifth-installment and first-ever full-length feature. The upcoming movie is part of a partnership between the BBC and Netflix, and will come exclusively to the streaming service upon release.
In Luther, Elba plays Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, a brilliant officer who is somewhat of a cross between Sherlock Holmes and blue-collar homicide detective Columbo. However, what truly sets Luther apart from other officers is quite simply his sheer force of will, and the dark places it often takes him all in the name of “justice.” Throughout the show, his inability to rest until a case is closed often becomes a burden to both him and those closest to him, and it looks like things aren’t about to be any easier for him in the upcoming movie.
In addition to Elba, two new stars have signed on to star in the film, and both of them are here to make Luther’s life just a bit more difficult. In Netflix’s Luther, Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Bad Times at the El Royale, Genius) will be playing “a detective who is also Luther’s nemesis” while Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Black Panther) is the story’s main criminal mastermind. With trouble on the streets and back at the precinct, it’s looking like a uniquely stressful time lies ahead for Detective Chief Inspector Luther.
However, there is a silver lining: long-time Luther fans will be thrilled to know the show’s creator and writer Neil Cross is on board to write the upcoming film, and will be producing alongside Elba, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and David Ready of Chernin Entertainment. As of right now, no release date is attached to the upcoming film. Here’s hoping we find out more early next year.
After releasing her standout 2018 album Tell Me How You Really Feel, Australian indie rocker Courtney Barnett is preparing the release of its anticipated follow up, Things Take Time, Take Time. She announced the LP and shared the pacifying single “Before You Gotta Go” last month and now, Barnett returns with a stunningly scenic video.
Barnett’s “Before You Gotta Go” video poises the singer as an ethnographer out on a field recording mission across various locations in her Australian hometown. Armed with a recording device, Barnett captures audio clips of plants, animals, and the rolling waves.
In a statement about the visual, director Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore described the filming process:
“Making this clip was an interesting experience for me. I love how brilliantly simple Courtney’s idea was, it brought real joy shooting part of it together, just me, her and my DOP with the other part being two long days directing over zoom across the Tasman Sea. I watch it now and feel that sense of peace, that potent calm you can only get immersed in the beauty of nature.”
Along with sharing the new visual, Barnett unveiled a website that allows fans to custom mix her new songs. The interactive program gives her listeners the opportunity to isolate, mute and mix different instruments and vocal-parts on her “Rae Street” and “Before You Gotta Go” tracks.
Watch Barnett’s “Before You Gotta Go” video above and visit her stem mixer website here.
Things Take Time, Take Time is out 11/12 via Mom + Pop Music / Marathon Artists. Pre-order it here.
Kehlani, the Bay Area singer who helped to launch a revival of R&B with her mixtapes Cloud 19 and You Should Be Here and continued to carry the flag while breaking new ground with albums SweetSexySavage and It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, is preparing to release her new album, Blue Water Road, this winter. She announced the album with a beguiling trailer which is sure to spark curiosity for what appears to be a highly conceptual project.
The cinematic clip shows a snippet of a larger, magical narrative, opening on a closeup of a demolished statue and pulling away to the singer nursing a bloody leg injury as she traverses a barren landscape via a deserted dirt road. She encounters a buzzing insect, which she catches, but the bug bursts into flame, causing her to drop it on the ground. When it lands, a group of vines bursts from the gravel to collect its remains, then Kehlani is overshadowed by something that rises up in front of her off-camera before a smash cut to black and title cards reading “Blue Water Road. Coming This Winter.”
NBA 2K22 officially dropped last week, which means it’s time for an age-old tradition: Gamers playing it and posting videos of weird things that popped up in the game to social media. One example of this, from @ChrisPesos_ of Knicks Gaming in the NBA 2K League, shows that it is apparently impossible to try and dribble in the game against Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, who is apparently capable of putting the clamps on anyone.
Bro 2K who’s career is this because it can’t possibly be mine … Am i playing TJ McConnell or prime Gary Payton ??? pic.twitter.com/2T0vMHb6li
The video ended up making its way to TikTok, where he explained that he ran into this issue in MyCareer. His player’s ball handling rating is a 99 and possesses the unpluckable badge, and yet McConnell is not just able to force turnovers at a crazy rate, he straight up broke the NBA’s steals record in this game with 12.
In fairness, McConnell’s a crazy good on-ball defender, both in real life and in NBA 2K22. While he is a 78 overall, some of his defensive stats are ridiculous — McConnell has a 97 steal rating, a 95 pass perception rating, and an 82 perimeter defense rating. So if anything, let this be a lesson to everyone who is still in the early days of playing 2K22 that if you’re playing the Pacers, dribbling near TJ McConnell is a terrible idea.
While imitation might be the most sincere form of flattery, that kind of flattery does not bode well for huge cinematic endeavors such as Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming science-fiction space opera Dune — and therein lied the team’s biggest challenge. In an interview with The Wrap, Villeneuve revealed the iconic status of Star Wars saga ultimately wound up being a slight problem for him as he was trying to discover Dune‘s unique visual language. According to Villeneuve, tackling Dune as a bunch of “Star Wars kids” forced him and his team to take on the “fun challenge” of finding their own identity:
“The main…I will not say ‘enemy,’ was Star Wars. It’s well known that Star Wars has been deeply inspired by Dune, and here we are, making a Dune movie, and we are Star Wars kids. To find our own identity and bring something that we are hoping is fresh and new for the audience, it was a fun challenge.”
Luckily for Villeneuve — who has said repeatedly that creating a Dune movie was his “Holy Grail” — his reverence for the film’s source material ended up helping him quite a bit in isolating what makes Dune, well, Dune, and not just another science-fiction film. Villeneuve said that while working on Dune, he often went back to his childhood dreams, and “worked alone with [his] storyboard artist to figure out what would be the visual language of the movie.”
“I had such powerful source material. All the detail made by Frank Herbert is so rich and precise, the dream was the people who loved the book will feel we put a camera in their mind and brought back images that will feel like what they imagined when they read the book.”
After over a year of delays, Villeneuve’s Dune finally hits theaters — and HBO Max, much to the director’s dismay — on October 22.
Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.
This past week, singles dominated the new releases in the R&B world. Chloe Bailey made her long-awaited solo debut with her new single, “Have Mercy,” a track she just performed at the 2021 MTV VMAs. Ari Lennox also made her return with new music, that being her fun and free-spirited new single “Pressure” while The Internet’s Syd calls for help from Smino for their bouncy collaboration, “Right Track.”
Chloe Bailey — “Have Mercy”
Last year, Chloe Bailey, along with her sister Halle Bailey, combined to be one of the year’s most impressive acts as they dropped their equally impressive sophomore project, Ungodly Hour. This year, Chloe is stepping out on her own and her new single “Have Mercy” marks her first steps as a solo act. The Murda Beatz-produced track is flirtatious, confident, and fierce, all being things we can expect Chloe to bring to the table for her upcoming debut album.
Ari Lennox — “Pressure”
Two years ago, Ari Lennox left us impressed with her phenomenal debut album, Shea Butter Baby. Last year, she cooled things down and delivered a few solo tracks and guest features to keep her supporters happy. This year, it appears her sophomore album could be on the way as she steps forward with her brand new track, “Pressure.” The song features help from Bryan Michael-Cox, Johnta Austin, Jermaine Dupri, and Jai’Len Josey for what amounts to a lively new single.
Syd — “Right Track” Feat. Smino
My hope is that Syd has a full body of work on the way, but until that’s confirmed, enjoying the music she gifts us is probably the best bet for the time being. The singer returns with her third single of the year with “Right Track” featuring Smino. On it, Syd pleads for her partner to stick to their course toward success in love while Smino steps in to amplify Syd’s message.
Tems — “Crazy Tings”
It’s been amazing to watch Tems’ rise over the past 12 months. Last fall she released her excellent EP, For Broken Ears. The following month she connected with Wizkid for “Essence,” a track that would grow to be one of this year’s song of the summer contenders. Now, she’s back to the solo route and it comes with “Crazy Tings,” her groovy new single. The track is the lead single to her upcoming EP If Orange Was A Place which will arrive with five songs and a lone feature from Brent Faiyaz.
Aaliyah — Aaliyah
Blackground Records continues to upload old albums from artists who were on their label in the early 2000s. This week’s release is a fan-favorite with Aaliyah’s self-titled album. The project featured heavy songwriting from Static Major and production from Timbaland, Eric Seats, Rapture, and more. Now, all of Aaliyah’s official albums are available on streaming services ending a wait that’s lasted well over two decades.
Yebba — Dawn
Yebba has impressed with her work this year, whether it be her collaboration with Lucky Daye or delivering her own interlude on Drake’s Certified Lover Boy. Now, the Arkansas-based singer is stepping out with her own body of work through her debut album, Dawn. It comes equipped with 12 songs and guest appearances from ASAP Rocky and Smino.
Eric Bellinger — New Light
One of the game’s most consistent and active singers is back with a new album. In what makes for his second project of 2021, following this year’s 1-800-HIT-EAZY with Hitmaka, Eric Bellinger arrives with New Light. It’s 15 tracks are amplified by appearances from Dom Kennedy, The Game, Sevyn Streeter, Brandy, Teedra Moses, and Kierra Sheard.
Kyle Dion — “Parmesan”
In less than a week, Kyle Dion will drop off his third album Sassy, and so far, the West Coast singer has delivered three singles for the upcoming project: “Purr” with Kari Faux, “Placebo” with Ja Rule, and “Money.” Now, he’s back with “Parmesan,” and it’s a record dedicated to his flashy appeal and sauce that’s like no other, but one that’s perfect for the parmesan companion in his life.
Alicia Keys — “LALA (Unlocked)” Feat. Swae Lee
In what arrives as an unexpected collaboration between the two artists, Alicia Keys and Swae Lee joined forces for their new single “LALA (Unlocked).” The slow-tempo finds the two artists singing back and forth about the growing feelings a couple possesses for each other and how their love is altered, for the better, but outside substances.
Kevin George — Everybody’s In My Ear
Kevin George is back in action with Everybody’s In My Ear, his sixth project since 2018. Comprised of seven songs and a guest appearance from Johan Lenox, George’s EP blends multiple genres that include R&B, melodic rap, and even pop. In a press release, the singer explained how the effects of “social media, perception, [and] opinions” brought him to this new era of his career. “I had forgotten my real purpose in this sh*t & for the first time since I was 15 I stopped making music completely for about 4 months,” he said. “I had to find a way to heal and move forward, but this time with absolute confidence and awareness in myself and who I am & why I even create.”
RIMON — Digital Tears
A year after impressing with her I Shine, U Shine EP last year, RIMON returns another project to display her growing artistry. Her Digital Tears EP arrives with six songs and a lone guest appearance from Earthgang. While the project delivers the up and down emotions of life that we can expect from her, it’s dipped in this sort of cyber aesthetic that makes an enjoyable listen that will stand out in her discography.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
About a year ago, clothing brand American Eagle’s underwear line, Aerie, stopped retouching photos of their models.
As their CEO Jennifer Foyle said in a statement in 2014, “There is no need to retouch beauty.”
The results were beautiful.
And profitable.
After putting the nix on retouching, quarterly comparable sales for Aerie were up 9%.
9% for that quarter. The next quarter, Q3 of 2014, up only 3% in comparable sales. But then in the next two quarters? Up 13% and 12%. Coincidence? Maybe. But I like to think it has to do with things like this pic:
The brand uses the hashtag #AerieReal to let its fans know that the photos remain unretouched.
Model Iskra Lawrence, featured below kicking around on the beach, told Elle:
“I love my body and really don’t see myself as a size but more of a shape.”
Aerie clearly agrees!
She’s featured in ads aplenty. Unretouched, of course!
Aerie also agrees that backs are beautiful.
Stomachs being stomachs are cool by them, too!
Don’t freak out, but Aerie also agrees that real butts look like real butts.
Yes, some of these models have what the mainstream already traditionally thinks of as “great” bodies. But for some reason, the usual practice is to airbrush and retouch even THAT.
These photos show that there’s no such thing as a “perfect” body; ALL bodies have moments of #realness. And there’s nothing wrong with showing that. That’s what I love about them and what I love about this campaign.
And to their credit, in case the model bodies don’t do it for you, the brand has also posted photos of non-model, everyday women using the hashtag #AerieReal to spotlight the glory that is the unretouched photo on all types of shapes and sizes.
Frankly, no one needs Aerie to tell them that it’s OK for them to have a body and to love it without a filter. But if you ask me, more brands could get OUT of the game of body shaming and INTO the game of body positivity like Aerie.
And if Aerie is any example, body positivity is profit positivity.
So, a couple of things about Syd’s endearing, upbeat new song “Right Track“: First and foremost, it has been way too long since we heard from The Internet‘s frontwoman on the solo tip, so this and her other 2021 singles like “Missing Out” and “Fast Car” are more than welcome. I hope that it means she’s going to put out another solo album soon (you all slept on Fin and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves). Secondly, it’s always fun to hear her on more energetic, bouncy fare like this, especially as it so closely evokes the sound and feel of The Nepturnes’ prime-era R&B work. More of this, please.
But finally, and perhaps most importantly, the representation Syd offers in the song’s simple but effective video is so needed. Rather than shoot for salaciousness as previous depictions of same-sex female relationships have, which indulges the male gaze far too much to really be considered true representation, Syd offers a more evocative angle that works way better at suggesting the type of romance she sings about on “Right Track.” The masc-femme dynamic also offers a nice counterpoint to much of the hypersexualized depictions of queer love, while the cinematography itself is clean and gorgeous to look at.
After spending the back half of the summer railing against anti-vaxxers and the politicians who encourage them, comedian Bill Burr is setting his sights on his biggest target yet: the NFL. During the latest episode of his Monday Morning podcast, Burr took the league to task for promoting Black Lives Matter while refusing to listen to players’ concerns over playing unnecessary games.
While calling the NFL “hypocrites” for commissioner Roger Goodell’s “bizarre” decision to extend the regular season after players asked to remove at least one exhibition game for safety concerns. The whole thing didn’t sit well with Burr, and he let the league know it. Via Mediaite:
“Dude how funny is it that the NFL has Black Lives Matter written on the back of their helmets as they also make the predominately black league play an extra football game every year after all the shit they know about CTE,” Burr ranted on his Monday Morning podcast.
Of course, the NFL can ignore Burr’s warning at its own risk, but it should probably be aware that the comedian accurately predicted a COVID breakout in Milwaukee following the Bucks’ NBA playoff run. Back in July, Burr blasted Bucks’ fans “who probably created a new variant of the f*cking coronavirus” during their “no masks no condoms” celebration.
“Jesus Christ, they [may as well] have put f*cking COVID in liquid form and just put it into a crop duster and just f*cking flown right over that goddamn crowd,” Burr ranted at the time. Two weeks later, 491 cases were traced back to the Bucks event. So again, we’re not saying Burr is Nostradamus or anything, but the NFL might want to hear him out. He’s on a hot streak.
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(@ChrisPesos_) 
