Month: July 2023

Much to the contentment of several notable rappers, Gunna is having a fantastic year thus far. Despite the calls to boycott his music, the rapper’s new album, A Gift And A Curse, continues to perform well. In fact, his single “F*kumean” has just snagged Gunna his very first solo top-10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Sandwiched between Taylor Swift’s songs “Cruel Summer” (at No. 7) and “Karma” featuring Ice Spice (at No. 9), Gunna’s “Fukumean” sits comfortably at No. 8 after climbing up four slots on the July 15 chart.

Gunna’s no stranger to the charts, with ten singles in the top 100 overall. However, on tracks “Drip Too Hard” with Lil Baby (peaked at no. 4), “Lemonade” with Internet Money, Don Toliver, and NAV (No. 7), and “Pushin P” with Future and Young Thug (also No. 7) has placed in the top 10.

For the bulk of the entertainer’s A Gift And A Curse album, he addressed the tension between his former friends, snitching allegations, and more. So, “Fukumean” was a breath of fresh air in which Gunna decided to return to his regular party/lifestyle storytelling. Ultimately, the thematic departure panned out.

A Gift And A Curse is out now via Young Stoner Life/300 Entertainment. Find more information here.

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

Courtney Barnett announced that she has a new instrumental album, titled End Of The Day, arriving in September. As an early preview, she shared the first three of the tracks “Start Somewhere,” “Life Balance,” and “First Slow.”

The new songs set the tone for the album, creating a gentle atmosphere as each track glides seamlessly into the others. Fans will also get the opportunity to hear some of Barnett’s music during a run of shows that will be divided into two parts: including her instrumental work and singing from her past releases.

To get an idea of what to expect, check out “Start Somewhere,” “Life Balance,” and “First Slow” above.

Below, find the End Of The Day tracklist and cover art. Continue scrolling for a list of Barnett’s tour dates.

1. “Start Somewhere”
2. “Life Balance”
3. “First Slow”
4. “A To B”
5. “(Electricity)”
6. “Two Circles Reflecting”
7. “End Of The Day”
8. “Floating Down”
9. “Spring Ascends”
10. “Intro”
11. “B To C”
12. “Like Water”
13. “Gold Room”
14. “Sun Through”
15. “River”
16. “Get On With It”
17. “Eternity Repeat”

10/11 — Brattleboro, VT @ Stone Church
10/12 — New York, NY @ National Sawdust
10/13 — New York, NY @ National Sawdust
10/14 — Philadelphia, PA @ Sanctuary First Unitarian Church
10/15 — Washington, DC @ Atlantis
11/03 — Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge
11/04 — Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge

End Of The Day is out 9/8 via Milk! Records/Mom+Pop Worldwide. Find more information here.

After making the jump from animation to live-action in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka is ready for her own series. The character became a fan favorite thanks to her prominence in Star Wars: The Clone Wars followed by Star Wars: Rebels. The latter will play a major role in Ahsoka‘s story that will reportedly set the stage for a massive Star Wars film event directed by Lucasfilm guru Dave Filoni.

Here’s everything we know about Ahoska from its release date to the latest trailer:

Cast

Ahsoka will star Rosario Dawson as the titular character as it brings her Star Wars: Rebels counterparts into the live-action realm. Natasha Liu Bordizzo is Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Hera Syndulla, Lars Mikkelson is Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Eman Esfandi will play Ezra Bridger. The late Ray Stevenson will round out the cast as the mysterious Baylan Skoll, who will be joined by his seeming apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno).

Plot

Much like Marvel, the Star Wars franchise is big on secrecy, so this is literally the entire synopsis for Ahsoka: “Former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.” Not a whole lot, right? Fortunately, the trailers have provided much more details for Ahsoka as well as the past two seasons of The Mandalorian.

The series is clearly picking up the story thread from the final moments of Star Wars: Rebels, which saw Ahsoka and Sabine Wren set off to search for the lost Jedi Ezra Bridger who disappeared with Grand Admiral Thrawn after jumping into hyperspace with the help of a Purggil. Ahsoka’s first live-action debut in Season 2 of The Mandalorian showed her searching for Thrawn, and the bounty-hunting series continued to drop even more Rebels references in Season 3. Most importantly, that season hinted at Thrawn already making moves to seize control of the Empire’s fallen ranks, which seems to greatly concern Ahsoka. As for Stephenson and Sakhno’s orange lightsaber-wielding adversaries in the trailer, your guess is as good as ours on those two.

Release Date

Ahsoka will make its Disney+ premiere on Wednesday, August 23. Following in the footsteps of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the series will drop its first two episodes on the same day before moving to a weekly release schedule for the rest of its eight-episode run.

Trailer

Below is the official trailer for Ahsoka, which somehow leans even more heavily into the show’s Rebels connection than the teaser trailer that was dropped at Star Wars Celebration earlier in the year. Bordizzo’s Sabine Wren is featured prominently as well as the first look at Mikkelsen’s Grand Admiral Thrawn that isn’t just the back of his head. There’s also a painting of missing Jedi Ezra Bridger, whose live-action version has yet to be revealed.

Ahsoka premieres August 23 on Disney+.

You really wouldn’t need to know that Wonka was written and directed by Paddington filmmaker Paul King before the trailer gave the game away. Not only is it brimming with a similar visual style, it’s got the same soft heart, and a slew of Paddington cast members (including Sally Hawkins, Simon Farnaby, and Hugh Grant as the orange head on a CGI Oompa Loompa body). Only this time, Timothée Chalamet is the bear.

Here’s the official synopsis:

“Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, Wonka tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.”

Releasing on December 15th, only a month after Chalamet stars as an epic worm-riding sci-fi hero in Dune Part Two, the film sees him taking on the magenta coat of the iconic chocolatier made famous cinematically by Gene Wilder. It also stars Calah Lane (This Is Us), Keegan-Michael Key, Matt Lucas, Matthew Baynton, Jim Carter, Olivia Colman, and Rowan Atkinson. Essentially a stellar lineup of British comedic actors and the frenetic wonder of Keegan-Michael Key.

The obvious debate here is whether Chalamet’s performance will be worthy of the Wilder legacy. He’s undoubtedly got the chops to be weird, and wiry, and belt it out, but the most difficult line to hear in the trailer was “Scratch that. Reverse it,” because it evokes that memory too strongly. Hopefully, Chalamet will be able to step out of that tall shadow, make the role his own, and maybe feed a marmalade sandwich to a cameo star.

While there still haven’t been any updates regarding Playboi Carti’s long-awaited follow-up to his 2020 album, Whole Lotta Red. The “Popular” rapper has bought some time thanks to his recent festival run.

After being led on a highway chase following his appearance at Summer Smash 2023, the Playboi Carti might have gotten all the confirmation he needed to hit the road on his own tour. So, that led fans to ask, even without a new album out, is Playboi Carti going to tour soon? Well, according to Our Generation Music, the answer is yes. The outlet tweeted a billboard image alleging Carti’s next tour is in the works. But he won’t be gracing the stage alone.

In the image, not only is Playboi Carti photographed, but fellow recording artists Destroy Lonely, Ken Carson, and Homixide Gang are also listed in what is being dubbed the Antagonist Tour. Although Carti has remained radio silent on social media, seemingly since his arrest for felony aggravated assault in 2022, his rumored tourmate, Homixide Gang, took to Twitter to seemingly confirm the rumor.

No further information on the supposed Antagonist Tour is known at this time. However, fans are presumably beginning to budget just in case it turns out to be true.

Dunks. Home runs. Home runs and dunks. Two of the most beautiful and pure things in sports. Two of the most beautiful and pure things in life, really. Physical feats of strength and grace that show off the outer limits of what the human body can do. Magical little moments capable of extracting an “oooooh” and/or an “ahhhh” out of even the most jaded among us. Both things that can result in complete strangers high-fiving and hugging each other in the crowd. Both perfect in their own little way. Both really, to put a fine point on it all, just very, very cool.

How cool? Well, think about this: Two of our most popular yearly sporting events are just tributes to how fun they are. The Slam Dunk Contest happens every year during NBA All-Star Weekend and is a mascot-hurdling blast even when the contestants aren’t household names. The Home Run Derby happens every year during baseball’s All-Star festivities and features the sport’s biggest and strongest boys absolutely mashing rapid-fire dingers to the moon. They’re great. I love them both very much. And I want more of them.

This brings me to my proposal.

Have every major men’s sport hold both a home run derby and a slam dunk contest during their all-star events. Especially the big three. Baseball players trying to do dunks. Basketball players trying to hit home runs. Football players trying to do both, which is honestly my favorite part of this idea, in part because football does not have a good showcase event like this and in part because football players are fascinating physical specimens. Show me a massive defensive lineman holding a baseball bat like a pencil and trying to smash baseballs into little clouds of dust. Show me wide receivers gliding through the air to attempt windmill dunks. Show me, well, all of it.

There is precedent here, kind of. This is where I once again share the video of the 1992 Celebrity Slam Dunk Contest where everyone from Ken Griffey, Jr. to Michael Irvin to Barry Bonds to Deion Sanders competed. The terrible video quality makes it even better because it makes the whole thing look like an urban legend. Like Bigfoot might show up. I would also like to see Bigfoot dunk and hit home runs. But that’s another article. For now, please just marvel at athletic excellence.

Are they the best dunks anyone has ever done? Eh, no. Could almost any bench player on any NBA team outdo this collection of Hall of Famers from other sports? Probably. Does any of that make this video less interesting to me? Not even a little.

In fact, it might make it even better. This is a no-lose proposition like that. Yes, sure, it would be fun to see the kind of damage someone the size of Aaron Donald or Joel Embiid could do to a baseball if they put a good swing on it and connect, all that strength and length creating what many respected physicists refer to as “a big whomping.” But it would also be fun to watch them flail about like amateurs while they try to make their bodies attempt a new and unnatural motion. It would be humanizing in a way to watch these superhumans become mortals. And funny. It would be very, very funny. This is where I post a video of Charles Barkley swinging a golf club, which does not, technically, have anything to do with home runs or slam dunks but still gets to the point I’m making. And is also very funny.

There are some logistical hurdles here. I’ll accept that criticism. The NBA All-Star Game takes place in February and it could be hard to hold a Home Run Derby in a host city that does not have warm winter weather or an indoor baseball facility. It might be tough to convince a collection of proud athletes to subject themselves to ridicule by attempting an unfamiliar skill in a public setting. I don’t know how many baseball players can even dunk well enough to participate in a contest, just based on the thing where Ken Griffey, Jr. is one of the most athletic players to ever put on a glove and even he wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire in that video up there.

But we can figure this out. Swap out the baseballs for softballs. Lower the rim to 9.5 feet. Throw some obnoxious prize money at everyone so it recruits the best of the best to give it a go. Make it fun. Make it silly. Do whatever you have to do. Just make it happen. For me. Please. The NFL already nixed the actual Pro Bowl and replaced it with a series of goofy little carnival games. We are so close to making this happen. We can do it.

We should do it.

Dunks.

Home runs.

Home runs and dunks.

For the people.

The National will be giving fans a special treat at Cincinnati’s Homecoming Festival this fall, making it a spot-on return to their hometown.

On both nights, the band will be headlining — playing High Violet in full on Friday night and Trouble Will Find Me from start to finish on Saturday. The National was supposed to perform High Violet for the tenth anniversary in 2020, but plans changed. Now, they are honoring both the passed celebration and Trouble turning ten.

“When we launched Homecoming in 2018, we were overwhelmed by the response from the community and by our renewed sense of connection to our hometown. It was such an exciting, memorable weekend and we’ve long hoped to bring it back,” The National said in a past statement. “We’re honored to return to Cincinnati five years later and be joined by so many of our favorite musicians and friends.”

Hosted on September 15 and 16, the two-day festival will also include previously-announced performances from Patti Smith & Her Band, Pavement, The Walkmen, Weyes Blood, Snail Mail, Bartees Strange, and many more.

There are one-day, general, and VIP passes available for Homecoming Festival. Additionally, members of The National’s Cherry Tree fan club will receive early entry to the festival and a special fanzine. All tickets are currently on sale now, and more information can be found here.

(Potential spoilers for Silo and Hugh Howey’s Wool omnibus will be found below.)

If it seems like Rebecca Ferguson is everywhere these days, then it’s high time that it felt that way. She’s currently on tour to promote Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and attended the NYC premiere while clad in a glittering Maison Natan gown with some sort of funky statement necklace. The ensemble is a far cry from the coveralls that she mostly sports in Silo, although the necklace does look like something that could be useful in mechanical.

Speaking of Silo (which you really should watch), Apple TV+ has greenlit a second season, which is already shooting in London. As Ferguson cautiously hints above, Juliette experiences a sensation that provides clues on whether her next location matches up to that of the books. Readers who are also viewers will know that the show already departed in a few significant ways from the books, and that includes fleshing out Juliette’s past love life along with adding Common’s Inexplicable Leather Jacket. The end of the first season matches up, however, with the halfway point of Wool, where Juliette leaves the silo, does not die, and disappears over the hill while Bernard freaks out because she’s about to discover a bunch of silos over the hill.

Those who have read Hugh Howey’s Wool omnibus can guess what probably happens next, but is Rebecca providing any clues? As she told Variety from the M:I red carpet, “We’re right in the middle of it. It gets incredibly intense… wet.”

She, of course, couldn’t say much, but in the source material, Juliette does end up in a neighboring silo, where she encounters a man who has been living alone. He has dubbed himself as “Solo,” and the moniker sure fits. However, the lowest third or so of the silo is flooded, and Juliette ends up submerging herself and traveling to the bottom in an attempt to get the structure’s pumps working again. So, at least we know that this will happen in the show, and it should be even more nail-bitingly tense as the water-bound scene where she saved her silo’s generator in Season 1.

It does seem hard to imagine that Season 2 won’t once more add to the source material, or else, Season 2 would become a play, mostly only between Juliette and Solo, so we’ll have to see what changes do arise. Here’s what Rebecca previously declared of the show’s future:

“I think two, three years ahead. Right now, sir, it’s one fantastic f*cking show, and we’ve green-lit number two. Apple is extremely happy, and I’m happier. That’s where I’m gonna leave it. We started filming Season 2 quite recently, so we are chockablock, smack back in the beginning of the shoot. I am doing this for some time in the future.”

Silo‘s full first season is available on Apple TV+.

After taking over Munich, Portugal, and Rotterdam earlier this month, Rolling Loud is returning to where it all started. Rolling Loud’s hometown Miami festival is set to kick off next week, but if you won’t be able to make it to Florida for the in-person action, have no fear; the customary livestream is returning once again to ensure that you can stay up-to-date on all the performances from ASAP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, and more.

According to a press release, Rolling Loud Miami will stream live from the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, July 21-23, on Amazon Music, Prime Video, and Rolling Loud’s Twitch channel. The stream will start each day at 4:00 ET and the livestream schedule will be announced ahead of the festival itself. In a statement, Rolling Loud co-founders Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif said, “We are excited to team up with Amazon Music to bring Rolling Loud Miami to the masses. Miami is our flagship festival and hip-hop’s biggest stage, and with the help of Amazon Music, we can show millions of people what Rolling Loud is all about.”

Rolling Loud continues to expand both domestically and internationally; in addition to the above festivals, the brand also returned to Los Angeles this year and made inroads into Asia with its first Thailand show.

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 from Metric, PJ Harvey, Local Natives, Petey, and more.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

Liza Anne — “Rainbow Sweater”

Much of Liza Anne’s charm is her ability to tackle heavy topics with lightheartedness and humor. Her jubilant new song “Rainbow Sweater” exemplifies that with its joyous sound and playful lyrics: “Cure my depression with a rainbow sweater / Maybe I’m crying but I never looked better,” she sings, and it actually seems like a sufficient solution.

Metric — “Just The Once”

Idiosyncratic indie rock is what Metric is for, and that’s what they’re giving us. “Just The Once” explodes with skittish, infectious rhythms with a disco slant. The vocals are breezy, and it’s easy to sing along and get into the groove of it: “Said it would be just the once / Said it would be just the once / Said it would be just for fun / Said it would be just for fun.”

Liz Phair — “Free Ride” (Nick Drake Cover)

Liz Phair fans were recently celebrating several anniversaries — 20 years of her polarizing self-titled record and 30 years of her smashing debut Exile In Guyville. Now, the star is back with a stunning cover of Nick Drake’s “Free Ride.” Her candid way of singing fits the tone of the intimate song; she does it justice.

Teenage Fanclub — “Tired Of Being Alone”

Kicking it since 1989, Teenage Fanclub are revered indie rock veterans, most known for their power-pop classic, 1991’s Bandwagonesque. Their new song “Tired Of Being Alone” captures a more downtrodden, low-key side of them, buoyed by soft guitars and resigned vocals. It’s a beautiful ballad.

Bush Tetras — “Bird On A Wire”

In case you haven’t heard, post-punk legends Bush Tetras, most known for their 1980 feminist hit “Too Many Creeps,” are back. Their new track “Bird On A Wire” shows strong Sonic Youth influence, lingering in a brooding atmosphere with scrappy guitars and seething vocals, made better by a playful bassline.

Local Natives — Time Will Wait For No One

Time Will Wait For No One by Local Natives is an artful experience. The songs are gentle and thoughtful, moving at an unhurried pace. “Paper Lanterns” showcases their mellow appeal; “Ava” displays their knack for emotional ballads: “What if I lose you / What if you disappear?”

Say Sue Me — “Mind Is Light”

Upbeat and poignant, “Mind Is Light” by Say Sue Me is one of their best songs yet. Tinged with shoegaze, the vocals are drowned out by sweeping guitars but Sumi Choi’s words encapsulate the singular feeling of the music: “I’ve got a lot on my mind / But I know I’ll be fine / I’m trying to have a good time / Now my body and mind are light.”

Petey — “I’ll Wait”

Petey doesn’t hold back on his new song “I’ll Wait,” which immediately dives into intensity and gloom: “I’ll wait, I’ll wait / For the moment to pass / It doesn’t really matter how I feel / Between now and then / It always ends,” he sings, though this doesn’t come off as a totally bad thing. The track persists, fast and unstoppable.

Steady Holiday — “Summer” Feat. Jim James

“All rise,” Steady Holiday starts off her new song “Summer” singing. She continues, “It doesn’t matter now who’s wrong or right / Daylight / We lose it either way tonight.” Jim James is a great addition to this laid-back earworm as the two of them harmonize, guiding the track into a nostalgic place.

PJ Harvey — I Inside The Old Year Dying

PJ Harvey’s new album I Inside The Old Year Dying is, predictably, a force of nature. From the tranquil, patient opener “Prayer Gate” all the way to the powerful, colossal ender “A Noiseless Noise,” the legendary musician takes the listener through the motions with her expansive, unique sound and voice.