Month: May 2022

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

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got new music by Beabadoobee, Arcade Fire, Toro Y Moi, and more.

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Toro Y Moi — Mahal

Toro Y Moi, the musical project of musician, visual artist, and chillwave pioneer Chaz Bear, shared his seventh studio album Mahal this week. Armed with chilled-out electro-pop beats and distorted psych-rock chords, much of the album is covertly inspired by his Filipino culture and uncovers the complexities of modern life.

Girlpool — Forgiveness

Girlpool may have started out as an acoustic duo in the mid-2010’s, but with their latest LP Forgiveness, the group venture into an electro-twinged sound. The confessional 12-track effort dives into fantasies, past relationships, and newfound personal truths with electro-pop catharsis.

Kelly Lee Owens — LP.8

Prolific producer Kelly Lee Owens is back with LP.8, an experimental follow-up to 2020’s Inner Song. The avant-pop project is a dizzying combination of spoken-word prose and a compelling blend of beats resulting in a raw and poetic effort as a whole.

Faye Webster — Car Therapy Sessions

It hasn’t been long since Faye Webster released her 2021 favorite I Know I’m Funny Haha. This week, the singer re-imagined a handful of the album’s tracks with a full orchestra for the 5-track project Car Therapy Sessions. The angelic collection also features two brand-new tracks, “Car Therapy” and “Suite: Johnny,” which are aching ballads underscored by a heart-tugging string section.

Tomberlin — I Don’t Know Who Needs To Hear This

Tomberlin burst onto the indie music scene with her revered 2018 debut effort At Weddings. Now, the singer shares her ambitious sophomore album I Don’t Know Who Needs To Hear This, a collection of 11 personal and tenderly minimalist tracks encapsulating a range of emotions from confinement to self-growth, and everything in between.

Melody’s Echo Chamber — Emotional Eternal

Neo-psychedelia trendsetter Melody’s Echo Chamber returned with her latest album since 2018’s acclaimed Bon Voyage. The album explores a different side to the singer; A new mother, Melody has a renewed since of bliss and childlike wonder. She remains playful over nine tracks, combining fuzzy, comforting vocals with groovy compositions and cascading chords.

Beabadoobee — “See You Soon”

Giving another look at her upcoming album Beatopia, Beabadoobee drops the healing track “See You Soon.” Giving a contrast to some of her recent rocking tracks, “See You Soon” is on the softer side, reflecting on aimlessness over a laid-back beat. “I want it to sound like a breath of fresh air, like a realization of some sort,” Bea said in a statement. “I wrote it during a time where I was away a lot and making a lot of mistakes and doing a lot of things to help me figure a lot of stuff out.”

Arcade Fire — “Unconditonal I (Lookout Kid)”

Arcade Fire is just a few days away from their comeback album We, which they have previewed with a few singles and a Coachella performance. Their new track “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” is another inspiring anthem from Arcade Fire, issuing a hopeful reminder of our power within. “‘Lookout Kid’ is a reminder, a lullaby for the end times, sung to my son, but for everyone… Trust your heart, trust your mind, trust your body, trust your soul,” Win Butler said of the latest single.

Tegan & Sara — “F*cking Up What Matters”

Fresh off their newly inked deal with Mom+Pop, Tegan And Sara offer the propulsive power-pop single “F*cking Up What Matters.” Despite their successful past two years (see: their book, album, and upcoming TV show), the song takes a witty approach to all the ways their lives haven’t gone according to plan. Playful and upbeat, “F*cking Up What Matters” is a buoyant preview of their new era of music.

The Black Keys — “It Ain’t Over”

The Black Keys’ new single “It Ain’t Over” is special in more ways than one. Not only does the rhythmic and fuzzy track point to their upcoming album Dropout Boogie, but it was built around a special instrument inspired by drummer Patrick Carney’s late uncle. They used an Optigan, also known as an Orchestron, which is a keyboard the uses pre-programmed dics (kind of like CDs).

Angel Olsen — “Big Time”

Angel Olsen is about a month away from the release of her album Big Time, and she just unveiled the title track. Wispy and twangy, “Big Time” points to a return to Olsen’s stripped-down roots. Unlike her synth-laden 2019 All Mirrors, “Big Time” is an Appalachian-inspired ballad accompanied by a slide guitar and Olsen’s room-filling vocals.

Muna — “Kind Of Girl”

Stand-out trio Muna have been making waves since they signed to Phoebe Bridgers’ label and released the smash-hit single “Silk Chiffon.” Now pointing to an official LP, the band shares the single “Kind Of Girl.” The new track contrasts last year’s pop-leaning “Silk Chiffon,” instead taking a more country-inspired approach. “This song is the album’s country moment, and in some ways we feel it is the heart of the record,” says member Katie Gavin. “This song explores the power of language and the words we use to describe who we are and who we want to be.”

Dehd — “Empty In My Mind”

Muna wasn’t the only indie-rock trio to drop music this week. Chicago-based band Dehd shared the rhythmic single “Empty In My Mind,” previewing their upcoming effort Blue Skies. Detailing the feeling of being dumbstruck by a crush, the track features clean and sparse instrumentation — reflecting its title.

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

While on the red carpet at the Met Gala last night, Jack Harlow was asked about his role in the upcoming remake of the classic basketball comedy White Men Can’t Jump. In reply, he admitted that he never actually watched the original until after he was cast in the remake, which means it took him a FULL YEAR to do so after I brought it up in my interview with him ahead of his two-on-two game at NBA All-Star 2021 (did I manifest the remake happening? I don’t know. I’m happy to take credit).

“Can I be honest?” he confessed in response to a Vogue reporter’s question about whether he was familiar with the source material. “I was obviously familiar with it, it’s an iconic title and I’ve seen the movie poster, but I didn’t watch it until I got offered the role. I see why it’s a classic.”

And while news of Harlow’s casting met mixed reviews on social media, his performance in this year’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game showed he’s got the range for the role — literally, as he hit multiple 25-footers, despite some wonky shooting form. Meanwhile, there was plenty of interest in his on-screen partner, with everyone from Drake to Quavo being suggested for the role. However, the Wesley Snipes to Harlow’s Woody Harrelson will be played by Sinqua Wells from The Breaks, Friday Night Lights, and Teen Wolf. Meanwhile, Jack himself might just be hitting up his old buddy Tyler Herro for some pointers, since he now knows just what he has to live up to.

You would have to (dare to be) stupid to not be excited for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, the “Weird Al” Yankovic bio-comedy starring Daniel Radcliffe as the spoof-master supreme. “Wearing the Hawaiian shirt is a huge responsibility that I don’t take lightly,” the Harry Potter actor (who had the only good take about the Slap) said about the Roku Channel movie. “I’m honored to finally share with the world the absolutely 100-percent unassailably true story of Weird Al’s depraved and scandalous life.”

In the teaser trailer above, Radcliffe is a ripped, hard-drinking Yankovic, who in real life doesn’t drink and has never done drugs. “I’ve been around people that smoked dope, pot, Mary Jane, reefer. I enjoyed being around those people in college because it was very easy to make them laugh. But it was never my thing and my parents drilled into me not to ever take drugs, so out of respect for them I never did,” he told Rolling Stone. “Maybe when I’m 75 years old I might be ready for them. We’ll see what happens.”

Later in the teaser (which is set to “Like a Surgeon”), Radcliffe does the splits, gets into a fight, and asks, in his toughest movie guy voice, if anyone has an accordion. He’s immediately surrounded by accordions. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which looks like the best movie since UHF, premieres on the Roku Channel this fall.

After ordering a handful of dating shows last month, Roku is now working on a collection of cooking and lifestyle shows. Who knows what will be next! Perhaps a Roku stunt show?

The streaming service announced the first show, titled Martha Cooks, to be hosted by the iconic businesswoman Martha Stewart as she goes through a hundred of her favorite recipes right from her kitchen. Next up is Martha Holidays, which will feature Stewart’s holiday traditions. The third show is Martha Garden (do you see the trend here?) with tips and tricks from Stewart’s legendary garden.

“I am so excited to bring new and engaging content and beloved episodes created by me and my team from throughout the years to the Roku audience,” Stewart said in a statement. Though she seems more excited about Pete Davidson.

Following Stewart will be the legendary chef Emeril Lagasse and his two shows: Emeril Cooks and Emeril Tailgates. Who is in charge of naming content over at Roku? The shows will highlight Lagasse’s dishes and techniques made famous in his hugely popular restaurants.

Last but not least, Christopher Kimball will also have two new shows: Milk Street’s Cooking School with recipes from around the world, and Milk Street’s My Family Recipe, which will feature Kimball and his family recreating cherished family recipes.

So, overall, if you need some help with cooking, or just need something to leave on in the background besides the Roku city backdrop, you’re in luck.

The pop world flooded this week with new releases that are going to be perfect summer anthems. From Justin Bieber and Don Toliver’s trap-tinged “Honest” to Maggie Lindemann and Kellin Quinn’s angst-filled “How Could You Do This To Me,” all of these new songs reverberate with intense emotion and bass, making them ideal to blast on a road trip.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop releases. Listen up.

Sam Smith — “Love Me More”

Though the “Stay With Me” singer is known for ballads of love and heartbreak, Sam Smith is looking inward on this new track “Love Me More.” His heartfelt vocals are the driving force against casual beats as he grapples with insecurities and problems with self-esteem: “Have you ever felt like being somebody else? / Feeling like the mirror isn’t good for your health?” With the repetition of the phrase “love me more,” it’s clear that he’s making progress and moving into a better place.

Khalid — “Skyline”

“Young Dumb & Broke” singer Khalid is grateful in “Skyline.” Buoyed by an exuberant bassline and a catchy rhythm, this new, feel-good song is about living your best life. “It’s like I’m living my dream / Feels like we’re on LSD,” Khalid sings as he dances in a a green, open field in the music video. It drips with a sense of freedom and peace, which is very much needed right now.

Kehlani — “Everything”

Kehlani’s Blue Water Road came out this week, and this sparkling track is representative of the intimate, thoughtful nature of this album, which they described as “an emotional journey, a sexual journey, and a spiritual journey.” They also said that it’s “light, transparent, and the sun is shining right through it.” This brightness is evident on “Everything“; their voice glimmers, and violins help the song soar.

Maggie Lindemann, Kellin Quinn — “How Could You Do This To Me”

As pop punk continues to spread with Avril Lavigne, Machine Gun Kelly, and Willow all bringing it back to the mainstream, Maggie Lindemann is an underrated voice in this current scene. She teamed up with emo veteran Kellin Quinn, bandleader of Sleeping With Sirens, for this blistering, angsty anthem. The searing instrumentals resemble that of Paramore’s “Misery Business,” while the lyrics are as edgy and sharp-edged as possible: “You know I like to take control / so I’ll be leaving you out here to bleed.”

Justin Bieber, Don Toliver — “Honest”

Justin Bieber seems to be as capricious as Machine Gun Kelly, ricocheting back and forth between genres. With “Honest,” a collaboration with Don Toliver, the “Peaches” singer is flirting with a hip hop sound again, after leaning back into pop with last year’s Justice. He dons a ski mask in this new music video — Twenty One Pilots style — and he uses his words sparingly: “Honest / You’re modest / I like it,” he utters.

Holly Humberstone — “Sleep Tight”

On “Sleep Tight,” British singer Holly Humberstone’s second song that’s co-written by The 1975’s Matty Healy, she captures the feeling of longing for stability. “I wrote ‘Sleep Tight’ about the uncertainty of friendships evolving into something more,” she said about the song, which deals with fear and regret, but also hope that things will work out. Her voice is sincere and brimming with emotion, and the nostalgia reaches a high when she sings: “God knows I’ve missed this feeling.”

Ava Max — “Maybe You’re The Problem”

Ava Max returned this week with this abrasive, fed-up anthem “Maybe You’re The Problem,” about recognizing the toxicity of a relationship. “You hate my friends / Turns out they were right,” she sings with confidence and sass. It doesn’t focus on the negative, though; the track is about moving on to better things.

Max — “Gucci Bag”

This groovy, ’80s-style track from Max is both irresistible and funny. It’s a love song stepped in materialism: “I’m in my Gucci Bag / Lookin’ so damn fly / Come and kiss me babe (why) / Take me satellite high,” Max sings, his vocals high-pitched and lazy in a luxurious kind of way. It’s only a little over two minutes, wasting no time.

Zolita — “I F*cking Love You”

Zolita is over paparazzi and press on her new song “I F*cking Love You,” and she’s giving herself over completely to feeling. “What if I let it slip? Tell you that / Oh my God, I f*cking love you,” she sings in the chorus, finally letting her guard down. The music video captures her shift from worried to carefree with quite a few steamy scenes.

Lexi Jayde — “Self Sabotage”

Lexi Jayde prefaces the music video for “Self Sabotage” with a statement about the way a breakup last year made her feel as if her world was ending. “So here I am 8 months later, and I’m the best version of myself,” she writes. This song, though, encapsulates the pain that immediately follows the end of a relationship. It has the illusion of permanence and has a way of feeling inescapable: “Drowning in my panic attacks / I’m sick of suffocating in my tears,” she sings, but she holds onto her glimmer of hope that eventually sets her free.

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

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of three teams currently trying to fill a head coaching vacancy, along with the Kings and Hornets, but they seem willing to be patient this offseason while waiting for a full complement of candidates to be available.

Unsurprisingly, the Lakers seem intent on finding someone with head coaching experience to fill their opening, with plenty of big names being attached to their wishlist early on. Jazz coach Quin Snyder and Sixers coach Doc Rivers were among the first to be named as top targets, with Raptors coach Nick Nurse being floated as well. The problem with all three is that they’re under contract with their current teams (and all had playoff series to prepare for), and while Rivers is the only one still coaching, we haven’t had any movement on the Lakers search so far.

We likely won’t hear much about Snyder’s situation for some time as he’s about to have hip replacement surgery, and on Nurse’s end, the Raptors are not looking to let their coach explore other opportunities. On Tuesday, Masai Ujiri met with the media and was asked about the Nurse rumors and noted that no one’s asked him for permission on Nurse before offering up a pretty funny response that he too likes to dream, but teams hoping for Nurse to come available can “keep dreaming.”

“No team has contacted me,” Ujiri said. “And I see all the stuff that you guys see. I dream like they dream. I want Messi. I want Renaldo. I want Kobe Bryant. So they can keep dreaming. I dream too. … I’m not going into that Grange. How I dreams? Just like the Lakers [laughs].”

It would’ve been shocking for the Raptors to grant the Lakers permission to talk to Nurse about their opening, so this comes as little surprise, but it’s a great quote from Ujiri and a reminder that sometimes when we see things floated publicly, it’s as much about hoping and dreaming as it is something that could realistically happen.

Arcade Fire underwent a major change recently, as the group announced longtime member Will Butler left the band in late 2021, a move the now-ex member only announced in March. Now, Win Butler, the band’s singer and Will’s brother, has spoken up about the departure.

In a recent interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe (which will be shared soon but of which Consequence has an exclusive advance clip), Win says:

“I love Will. I mean, he’s my brother, he’s my only brother. And he’s always had interests that transcend music. I think that he sort of followed his big brother into this band. It was his first job. I can’t really speak for him, but… this pandemic was… he’s got three young children, and [wife and Arcade Fire bandmate Régine Chassagne] and I are able to bring our child on the road, but I think that if I wasn’t… there’s things way more important than music. […]

My brother has his own path, you know what I mean? He took a year out in the middle to go back to school. He’s sort of done his own thing the whole time and I think that there’s things other than music that he has interest in. But I think fundamentally, you only have one chance to raise your family and to kind of have a life with your family. I think it’s very, extremely understandable. It’s easy just to get… I’m proud of him for doing his own thing.”

Win also noted he doesn’t see himself leaving the band, continuing, “The whole band is my family and there’s family you’re born with, and family that you choose, and I think sometimes the family you choose can be just as big a thing, because it’s love and life, all that sh*t, it’s not a straight line. I’m not really scared of any of it. I feel really grateful to be able to play still and to be able to do shows. It was really dark not having access to that, for me. This band is my life, so there’s no out for me, fortunately.”

Billie Eilish is currently on a massive tour, promoting last year’s colossal Happier Than Ever on stage. At London’s O2 Arena, the “Bad Guy” singer will not only be bringing her songs but also a climate seminar. It will take place on June 10, 11, 12, 16, 25, and 26. There will be musicians, activists, and experts participating in talks and panels, while the documentary Overheated airs, featuring Eilish, Vivienne Westwood, Girl In Red, Glastonbury co-organizer Emily Eavis, and more.

Proceeds from ticket sales go to Support + Feed, a charity that promotes plant-based diets, as well as Reverb, which advocates for sustainability and climate compatibility in music events.

This is not Eilish’s first time trying to make a change when it comes to climate issues. In 2020, she had an inspirational ad campaign that addressed how young people can use technology for good by connecting with each other, inspiring grassroots activism, and pressuring large corporations to be more sustainable. “We all have the potential to make a positive impact on our planet, and I’m hopeful our generation will use their platforms to collaborate and communicate and make a difference,” she said in a video. She has also stated that her track “All The Good Girls Go To Hell” is about climate change.

Ever since the news dropped that Elon Musk was planning to buy Twitter in the name of free speech, all of the formerly banned Donald Trump cronies and co-conspirators have been making their triumphant return to the platform… before being summarily re-banned (see: Mike Lindell and Roger Stone). While Trump himself has claimed that he will not be returning to Twitter—what with his own TRUTH Social existing, and even sometimes working—President Joe Biden’s staffers are reportedly hoping that promise, like so many other statements that have come out of Trump’s mouth, is a lie.

While CNBC recently reported that the Biden Team is really hoping Trump’s permanent Twitter ban will, in fact, remain permanent, the Washington Examiner is claiming otherwise. They’re getting this information from Jonathan Lemire, Politico’s White House bureau chief, who was a guest on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Monday, where he claimed that one “thing White House officials are cheering for—a number of them told me this over the weekend—[is] that if Elon Musk indeed takes Twitter, they hope the first thing he does is put Donald Trump back on it.”

Given the bonkers former president’s equally bonkers followers, why is that something they would want? To remind the world of just how unhinged he is, of course.

As Daniel Chaitin wrote:

Biden insiders believe Trump, who had more than 80 million followers on Twitter, would go back to posting inflammatory content, scaring voters away from Republicans at a time when the president is suffering from low poll numbers and the GOP is poised to retake control of the House and quite possibly the Senate, according to Lemire.

“They think that if Trump starts tweeting again, it will just simply remind these voters of the crazy that came from his time in office, particularly around Jan. 6. He’ll amplify these fringe messages. He’ll amplify these fringe right-wing candidates, and that can only be good for Democrats, they think,” Lemire reported.

You can watch Lemire’s Morning Joe conversation below:

(Via The Washington Examiner)

Need some good news?! We’ve got it. Your favorite pranksters from Jackass are heading back to the small screen for various shenanigans and cringey stunts. This is just what we need right now.

After the success of the fourth movie Jackass Forever, Paramount+ is bringing the boys back to TV for a new series. Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish said, “Based off the success of Jackass Forever, we’re working with the creators to continue the partnership with a new series, bringing even more ridiculous antics straight to Paramount+.” The antics in question will likely include more giant waterslides and jumping into cactus fields. So like, normal stuff.

The announcement comes after Netflix acquired the upcoming Jackass 4.5, an extended version of Jackass Forever, which hits the site on May 20th. It’s unclear who will return for the new series, but the latest installment introduced a handful of new crew members who are willing and eager to engage in potentially dangerous stunts.

The original Jackass tv series ran on MTV for three seasons beginning in 2000 before becoming a cult classic. While Jackass veteran and leader Johnny Knoxville revealed he would be retiring from “big stunts” after his decades of stunts and 16 concussions, there is still an opportunity for him to star in the series and force all the newbies to do the big ones. Or maybe Eric Andre will step in for him. The opportunities are endless!