Month: March 2023

In November of 2022, Fever Ray announced Radical Romantics, their first new album in over five years. After releasing singles like “What They Call Us” and “Carbon Dioxide,” they unveiled the LP today and shared a video for “Even It Out.”

Featuring cameos from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross who helped produce the album, the video is inspired by legendary writer Susan Sontag and the cult classic John Waters film Female Trouble. It’s at once unsettling and humorous as Karin Dreijer sings ecstatically about revenge: “There’s no room for you / And we know where you live.”

This third studio album is a follow-up to 2017’s Plunge. On social media, they shared a statement: “To make an album and to release it takes a lot of work from a lot of people!” they wrote. “From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank all of you who have been involved in making it happen and helping me out creating a space for playfulness.”

Fever Ray will be heading out on the road soon for the There’s No Place I’d Rather Be Tour. They’ll also be joining 100 Gecs onstage in DC for a show.

Watch the “Even It Out” video above.

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

In support of her recent record, Queen Of Me, Shania Twain stopped by the popular UK video interview series, Chicken Shop Date. The “That Don’t Impress Me Much” singer most notably was asked about her relationship with Harry Styles.

Last year, she made a surprise appearance during Styles’ headlining Coachella show, as they tackled her “Man, I Feel Like A Woman” hit in matching sparkly outfits.

“It was really great. Harry’s sweet. He’s a lovely, lovely guy,” Twain said. Then, in the series host Amelia DiMoldenberg’s typical deadpan fashion, she asked if she could have Styles’ phone number.

“No, I couldn’t. I’m too loyal,” she said. “I’d like to, but I can’t. I like you, but I can’t give you Harry’s number. I could, but then I’d feel bad about it. I’m too loyal and he gave it to me in confidence.”

During the episode, Twain also talked about the meaning behind her new album and its title.

“Queen of Me means I am my own boss, I drive my own bus,” Twain explains before the conversation derails. “I mean, I can drive a bus. No, I don’t drive my own tour bus — I could. I can drive a lot of things. But what I really mean is, take charge of myself. Take responsibility for myself.”

Check out Shania Twain’s Chicken Shop Date video above.

South By Southwest — SXSW for the cool kids — kicks off today, March 10th, in Austin, Texas. The fest is an all-encompassing, city-wide melee of tech, film, music, education, and culture spread over nine days. There are screenings, parties, talks, and musical events with tons of art, style, and vibes squeezed in between them all. This year, Uproxx is going to be in ATX with some fresh fits and a live taping of Fresh Pair, starring hip-hop legend Just Blaze and sneaker-customizer-to-the-stars Katty Customs, who will be co-hosting a brand-new episode featuring rap icon (and Texas royalty) — Bun B.

After the March 16th taping, we’ll be throwing a party after the live episode of Fresh Pair at Native Hostel in tandem with Mezcal Los Siete Misterios. Keeping with the custom theme of the show, the brand will offer wildly inventive (free!) mezcal cocktails and special expression pours. There will be a DJ, merch, and a whole lot of fun to be had.

The event will kick off on the 16th at 12:30 pm at Native Hostel, right in the middle of all the SXSW action, and continue with the cocktail hour at 2 pm (both local time). Fans of Uproxx Mezcal Los Siete Misterios, Bun B, and Fresh Pair can attend for free! See you there and make sure to wear your best fit!

Twice celebrated the release of their new 12th mini album, Ready To Be, by dropping by 30 Rock for a special performance of “Set Me Free” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

“Our next guests were honored with the Billboard 2023 Women In Music Breakthrough Award,” Fallon announced as he held a copy of their record.

From there, Twice built anticipation in the crowd as they stayed in the shadows while some electric blue lights signaled their arrival. With nine total members, Chaeyoung, Nayeon, Tzuyu, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun and Jeongyeon, each one carried the choreography to a level of complete perfection. Not once did a single girl’s movements miss a beat in the incredibly catchy track.

Fans cheered throughout and loved watching it online — for the ones who couldn’t make it in-person. Nayeon also shared some backstage snaps to her Instagram story, with a caption that one fan translated as “Can’t wait for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and don’t forget to check out our first stage of ‘Set Me Free.’”

In addition to giving their all in the live debut performance, Twice dropped the cinematic music video for “Set Me Free” last night (March 9.)

Check out Twice’s “Set Me Free” live performance above.

Good news and bad news. Bad first, to get it out of the way. It’s been almost two years since the second season of I Think You Should Leave debuted on Netflix. That’s… it’s a long time. Too long. It’s understandable because good things take time and the first two seasons were very good (great, even), which means we have no reason to believe another season would be anything less. It just stinks a little because, like, it would be better to have it now. Today. This minute.

This brings us to the good news…

I’m sorry. I realize now as I type this that the way I set it up might have made you think season three had just been dropped all at once, out of nowhere, on a… I’m sorry… Fri-day night. That’s not what happened. Netflix just announced that it WILL drop on May 30. Which is soon! Kind of! Not as soon as right now, I guess, but still. Not too bad, all things considered. You can make it until May. Probably. You definitely have an incentive, at least. I believe in you.

(It’s not really important but I do enjoy the official description Netflix provided with the press release, if only because describing this show in a few sentences is kind of impossible. I give them credit for the effort: “The critically acclaimed and hilariously absurdist comedy series, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson returns for a third season. Creators and writers Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin bring their distinct comedy style and observational humor to the forefront, continuing to poke fun at life’s most bizarre and mundane situations.”)

Anyway, until May 30… yeah. Let’s just watch a million highlights from the first two seasons. Here are a bunch that Netflix has uploaded to YouTube. Slop ‘em up, piggies.

In January, Meet Me @ The Altar announced their highly anticipated debut full-length Past // Present // Future and previewed it with “Say It (To My Face)” and “Kool.” The record is finally out today, and the Fueled By Ramen band also shared an angsty music video for the catchy track “TMI.”

“I wanted to make a video that shows me at my most vulnerable place: completely without makeup where I am my true natural self,” vocalist Edith Victoria said in a statement. “The song is about low self-esteem, anxiety, and self-hatred. I know everyone experiences these deep emotions, so I made it my mission to let people know that they are not alone in it. It’s normal to have trouble accepting yourself, flaws and all — I wanted everyone to know that they aren’t alone in their darkness.”

Upon announcing Past // Present // Future, the band shared insight into what shaped the songs, “The things we hold from our past inform who we are now and where we might go. This album pays homage to the music we loved growing up while reflecting our modern-day lives, sounds, and experiences – we can’t wait to share Past // Present // Future with the world.”

Check out the video for “TMI” above.

Click to download here.

“McNulty’s got the kind of alcoholism you think you can work with.” —Rachel Fisher

Ziggy’s got a duck and we have writer, co-host of the Hollywood Crime Scene Podcast and recent The Wire binger Rachel Fisher returning to Pod Yourself The Wire to talk to Matt and Vince about season two, episode eight of The Wire, “Duck and Cover.”

The episode starts with an extended McNulty rock-bottom-hitting scene. Dominic West is proving he is our generation’s finest drunk actor. He’s puffy, red, sweaty, and ready to bone. Then, the show gets as lolrandom as David Simon is capable of. Ziggy brings the titular duck to the Polish Dudes Rock bar so he can make it drink booze and finally get some of the respect he wants so badly. And it works! Acting like a silly goose is what these people want from him. If Ziggy had taken some improv classes instead of doing crime, he’d still be alive today (but think of how female improvisers he would have sexually harassed – -maybe for the best).

Rachel started watching The Wire when she heard we were doing the pod, further proof that we are industry tastemakers, and she and Matt agree that the AA meetings in The Wire are the only realistic depictions of AA meetings on TV. According to these two, there is no cross talking in AA meetings. You’re telling me they’re better organized and more respectful than this podcast? Seems unlikely.

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Support the Pod: become a patron at patreon.com/Frotcast to get more bonus content than you could ever want, AND hear these episodes a week early. Sign up for the Pod Yourself a Shoutout tier to hear Vince give you a corner nickname on the podcast, like this week’s newest members: C-Train, Mute Button, & Cans.

-Description by Brent Flyberg

There are few cocktails that feel more iconic and Oscars-night-worthy than the old-school Hollywood classic, The Brown Derby. The cocktail dates back to the heyday of the Golden Age of Hollywood and the Brown Derby restaurants at the heart of the scene back in those days. It’s also an easy three-ingredient shaker that you can make at home very easily.

The deep Hollywood history of this refreshing cocktail aside, it’s also delicious. The mix balances bourbon, fresh grapefruit juice, and honey syrup that delivers boozy whiskey vibes with a bright explosion of sweet citrus with just the right amount of bitterness and soothing honey. Once you sip this one, it’s super easy to see why this cocktail became so famous and beloved in old Hollywood — and why it remains a stone-cold classic to this day.

Okay, let’s dive in and shake up the perfect Oscar Night cocktail!

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The Brown Derby

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1.5 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
• 0.5 oz. honey syrup
• Grapefruit peel
• Ice

I’m using Michter’s Small Batch Bourbon for this one. It has that absolute classic bourbon vibe that shines in an equally classic cocktail like this. You get deep notes of spice, caramel, and dark fruits that balance well with the sharpness and sweetness of the grapefruit and the smoothness of the honey. It all just works.

What You’ll Need:

• Coupe, cocktail, or Nick and Nora glass (prechilled)
• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Juicer
• Fine mesh strainer
• Paring knife

Method:

• Prechill your glass in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight.
• Add the bourbon, honey syrup, and freshly squeezed and sieved grapefruit juice to a cocktail shaker. Add a large handful of ice, affix the lid, and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds or until the cocktail shaker is ice-cold to touch.
• Fetch the glass from the freezer and strain the cocktail into it.
• Express the oils from a grapefruit peel over the cocktail and rub it around the edge of the bowl and stem of the glass.
• Drop the peel in the cocktail and serve.

Bottom Line:

This pops! The bright citrus and honey really meld well with the deep and classic bourbon. You get a hint of that Kentucky bourbon spice and cherry with a hint of oakiness that’s accented by sharp grapefruit (it almost feels healthy!). It’s almost glazed by the soft honey notes, tying the whole drink together nicely.

The best is that you can shake these put in about 30 seconds if you’ve already squeezed the grapefruit juice. It’s super easy and quick. That makes it the perfect drink to shake up while you watch the awards roll in on Sunday night.

Click to download here.

“If you have any sort of sentimentality in this rotten system, you’re going to lose.” -Nando Villa

Writer, host of the new podcast Shoot The Messenger, and returning guest Nando Vila joins Pod Yourself The Wire this week to break down season two episode seven of The Wire, “Backwash.”

Nando raises an interesting point about Herc and Carver. They are yet another in a long line of comedy duos featuring a dumbass and his even dumber sidekick (Harry and Lloyd, Abbot and Costello, Matt and Vince, etc.), but also they are like a pair of Benny Hills. “Yakety Sax” would not sound out of place over scenes of these goobers running around trying to put the proverbial toothpaste back in the tube. In this episode, they go to the spy store, which is definitely a place where the dumbest men max out their credit cards, to buy a listening device to fit into a tennis ball. Hilarity ensues, but it’s The Wire, so the subtext of that hilarity is that the institutions Americans rely on are rotting all the way to their thick-skulled core.

A trip in The Back In The Day Machine reminds us of the time George W. saw some elephants fornicate, and that catcalling is an Ancient Roman tradition. The next time you see a man harassing a woman on the street, ask yourself, is he a pervert or a historian?

What would Jason DiBiaggo’s podcast be like? Tell us in a five-star review on Apple Podcasts

Email us at [email protected]; leave us a voicemail at 415-275-0030

Support the Pod: become a patron at patreon.com/Frotcast to get more bonus content than you could ever want, AND to hear new episodes a week early. Sign up for the Pod Yourself a Shoutout tier to hear Vince give you a corner nickname on the podcast.

-Description by Brent Flyberg

The Chicago Bears have made a decision on what they’re going to do with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Chicago will trade back eight spots and acquire additional draft capital, while the Carolina Panthers will jump up to the very top of the Draft and select before anyone else.

Adam Schefter of ESPN added everything Chicago will get back in exchange, which includes multiple first and second-round picks, along with wide receiver D.J. Moore, who should give Bears quarterback Justin Fields the sort of No. 1 pass catcher that he’s lacked during his first two seasons.

Rapoport noted that the assumption is Carolina, which hired Frank Reich to serve as its head coach earlier this offseason, will move up to pick a quarterback. While there is no word right now who they are targeting, the four names who are considered the top prospects in this draft are Kentucky’s Will Levis, Florida’s Anthony Richardson, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, and Alabama’s Bryce Young. Last season, the Panthers finished 7-10 and narrowly missed out on making the postseason.

Chicago, meanwhile, is presumably banking on Fields to be the quarterback to lead them into the future, but if they decide to move on, they have plenty of draft picks to acquire a big name target. Regardless, Moore should receive plenty of targets for whomever is lining up under center — last season, the former first-round pick reeled in 63 balls for 888 yards and seven touchdowns.