Uproxx is set to celebrate all the flavors of summer with an exclusive Sparkling Sessions event in Chicago this week, just ahead of Lollapalooza. Sponsored by Sparkling Ice, Tetto’s rooftop will come alive on Wednesday, July 31st for an evening full of sips and sounds all against the backdrop of the stunning Chicago skyline.
This exclusive event promises a vibrant atmosphere featuring custom Sparkling Ice cocktails, a variety of food stations, a 3D photo booth, cornhole, human-sized Jenga, custom food stations, paletas, and more. R&B star Justine Skye will perform an exclusive set for attendees. Los Angeles comedian and DJ Zack Fox will also be throwing down beats for a DJ set.
While the event is free and open to the public, an RSVP is required for entry. To attend, you must be approved on Partiful, after which entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis until the venue reaches capacity. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to celebrate summer in style – RSVP for free here.
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.
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Sinai Vessel – I Sing
“Ten years eating shit / And going back for seconds,” Caleb Cordes sings at the beginning of “Country Mile,” a standout from Sinai Vessel’s new album. I Sing, the new album in question, is full of lines like these that practically jump off the (Genius) page. Surrounded by gorgeous acoustic guitars, tasteful pedal steel, and masterful production from frequent collaborator Bennett Littlejohn, Cordes’ tales of happiness and hardship come to life.
Hinds – “Superstar”
Long live Hinds! Viva La Hinds comes out soon in early September, and Hinds have given us excellent single after excellent single. It’s a streak that continues with “Superstar,” one of the Spanish indie rock duo’s best tunes yet; it’s perfect for a blissful drive in the summertime. Despite recently losing their rhythm section, Hinds’ Carlotta Cosials and Ana Garcia Perrote haven’t lost any of their verve.
Katie Gavin – “Aftertaste”
As the frontwoman of indie-pop trio Muna, Katie Gavin knows how to command a room. Her stage presence perfectly complements the band’s sophisticated synth-pop, an adept skill she has translated into making relatively quiet, introspective music under her own name. Gavin’s debut solo album, What A Relief, sees her adapt her predilection for memorable songwriting to a more intimate setting. Adorned with acoustic guitars and arrangements that evoke everyone from Sheryl Crow to the Indigo Girls, it marks a new path for Gavin. Despite the mellow milieu of her new endeavor, she hasn’t lost any of that commanding presence.
Porter Robinson – Smile! 😀
Bright, maximalist, and shameless, Porter Robinson’s third studio album lives up to its emoticon-anointed name. Semi-ironic Taylor Swift self-comparison? Check. Allusion to the infamous Pitchfork review of Jet’s Shine On? Why not! A song titled after a luxury fashion brand in which the producer does his best Bladee impression? Sure! It all might seem absurd, but the absurdity is kinda the point. It’s fun and self-aware, distinguishing itself as a new addition to Robinson’s proverbial Eras Tour. After all, bitch, he’s Taylor Swift.
Origami Angel – “Dirty Mirror Selfie”
Ryland Heagy and Pat Doherty are on a roll. As Origami Angel, the Washington D.C. emo duo pair lyrics about Pokémon with some of the sickest shredding you’ll ever hear. As evidenced by records like 2019’s Somewhere City and 2021’s double LP Gami Gang, the two musicians have their style down to a science. But there’s still room for fun surprises. Feeling Not Found, the third proper Origami Angel album, abounds with halftime screamo breakdowns, math-rock noodling, and pristine pop-punk hooks. Sometimes, like in the case of “Dirty Mirror Selfie,” all three of those appear in a single song. If Somewhere City is Charmander and Gami Gang is Charmeleon, then Feeling Not Found is Charizard.
Alex Izenberg – Alex Izenberg & The Exiles
On previous albums, Alex Izenberg’s ’70s-inspired indie-folk relished in sparse textures. For Alex Izenberg & The Exiles, however, the Los Angeles songwriter has transposed that dreamy languor into something bigger and more concrete by way of a full backing band. Legendary PNW indie producer Phil Ek presides over the boards, and Ek and the band give Izenberg’s music a bit more heft without losing the somnambulant quality so central to his work. The end product resembles something like sleepwalking and lucid dreaming at the same time.
Enumclaw – “Not Just Yet”
“Not Just Yet” is a loving, heartbreaking tribute to family. Uncle Mike, a relative of Enumclaw’s Aramis Johnson and Eli Edwards, was recently diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, and frontman Johnson marvels at the cruelty of time and the tenuousness of memory. “How could he forget me when he taught me everything,” he sings in the second verse. For all of its fuzzed-out guitars and noisy ambiance, “Not Just Yet” teems with heartfelt tenderness.
Spirit Of The Beehive – “I’ve Been Evil”
This past week, the wildly influential noise-pop trio Spirit Of The Beehive shared two new singles from their forthcoming fifth album, You’ll Have To Lose Something. But really, they work in tandem. “Something’s Ending” sets the stage for the more conventionally structured yet no less captivating “I’ve Been Evil.” It perfectly encapsulates what makes the Philly group’s artful, zany strain of indie rock so appealing.
Touché Amoré – “Nobody’s”
Touché Amoré is a band that thrives on intensity. For five albums, the Los Angeles post-hardcore staples have honed a fiery ferocity that’s as loud as it is melodic. They continue that pattern on LP6, Spiral In A Straight Line, if the opening track and lead single “Nobody’s” is any indication. Jeremy Bolm’s larynx-shredding vocals, lying somewhere between screaming and singing, is the main through line, as the rest of the band chugs forward with stacked riffs and kinetic drumming. For a song that Bolm describes as “about forward movement,” that much is conveyed in the instrumentals alone. Once again, Touché Amoré blaze ahead.
Peel Dream Magazine – “Wish You Well”
Following dalliances with shoegaze and kosmische, Joe Stevens has pivoted to woodwinds and glockenspiel. Steeped in the baroque-pop inclinations of Sufjan Stevens’ state albums, the other Stevens’ new work as Peel Dream Magazine marks another exciting turn from an artist always in motion. Rose Main Reading Room turns Stevens’ music into a delirious maze with surprises at every corner. Take the swirling, orchestral flourishes and the Byzantine drum patterns all over “Wish You Well.” Here, Peel Dream Magazine has never sounded dreamier.
After winning an Oscar, you can do anything (well, almost anything). So, at some point, we can assume that Robert Downey Jr. was on the hunt for another project when Marvel scooped him up before he could even consider another Doctor Dolittle installment. And they were prepared to offer him a lot of money to return to the MCU, of course, as a different doctor.
Variety reports that Marvel shelved out $80 million for Anthony and Joe Russo to return to the MCU for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. This comes after they cost Amazon nearly $200 million for Citadel reshoots. They needed to make that money back somehow!
That’s not all: the source also claims that Downey Jr. was offered “significantly more” for his appearance as Doctor Doom in the two upcoming flicks. For comparison, he reportedly racked up a measly $75 million each for Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. For his Oscar-winning role in Oppenheimer, one of the biggest films of 2023, he was given an estimated $4 million.
The move is quite perplexing, but makes more sense if you consider the fact that RDJ seems to like having fun and making money. According to Variety, he was only willing to return if the Russos returned, which they obviously did as a “break in case of emergency” move.
For all of his Iron Man appearances in the MCU, Downey Jr. reportedly made close to $500 million and $600 million. With that money, he could very well make three more Dolittle sequels, assuming the animals are up for it.
Filming for the next Avengers movie is slated to start next fall.
Earlier this month, Schoolboy Q had a show in Toronto canceled by its promoter, prompting the South Central rapper to lay the blame on Drake and his recent feud with Q’s former TDE labelmate Kendrick Lamar. Now, Inglewood singer SiR, who is on his Life Is Good tour, was also forced to cancel a show in Drake’s hometown. With the second TDE artist in as many weeks having a concert canceled (and the third from LA), fans — and the performers themselves — are surer than ever that Ontario’s capital city has a TDE ban in place for the foreseeable future.
So sorry to my Toronto fans. The show has been cancelled. We’re working on rescheduling for a later date.
While there’s no evidence that Drake has actually tampered with TDE’s tours, history — both recent and established — has shown him to be pretty petty, if we’re judging by his musical output to date. He certainly has reason for any potential retaliation; after exchanging a handful of diss tracks with Kendrick (who’s no longer even ON TDE), Kendrick’s song “Not Like Us” became a national phenomenon. Not only did the Compton rapper play the song five times back-to-back at his Ken & Friends Pop Out concert (with his former Top Dawn family on stage), but the song generated a fan made video game and even prompted the LA library to retire one of its mascots.
So, while Drake appears to be taking “Not Like Us” in stride, it does seem like there’s a non-zero chance he’s found a way to get the last laugh, after all.
Lol they cancelled the Sir concert TN too. Drake is such a petty man. Guess anyone connected to TDE ain’t playing in Toronto
How does a television show continue without it star? Well, hiring James Spader to play a character named Robert California is one way. But it appears Yellowstone is going in a different direction.
As you are probably aware, especially if you’re a dad above the age of 50, Kevin Costner is not returning for the final season of Paramount Network mega-hit Yellowstone. Why? Well, it’s messy. Fans of the Taylor Sheridan-created series have wondered how the final six episodes will go without the Horizon: An American Saga star / financier. A new teaser (with old clips) offered a possible direction, with the focus shifting from Costner’s character to the conflict between Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie (Wes Bentley).
Earlier this year, Reilly revealed her dream ending for Beth. “Peace, I think,” she told TVLine. “As possible as it is for any of us. Peace requires some digging and some surrender and letting go of old pains and hurts. I certainly believe that she can find that. Whether or not that’s possible, I don’t know. She’s such a warrior, isn’t she? Her reason to be is to protect. Her reason to be is to fight. But I’d like to see that for her.”
Would she settle for peace between Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan?
Yellowstone returns to Paramount Network on November 10.
Big Sean has a new album, Better Me Than You, coming out soon, and this week he announced that he also has new representation to go along with it, leaving his old management company after 10 years. Sean was previously managed by Roc Nation, but from now on he’ll be represented by S10 Entertainment’s Brandon Silverstein, according to Billboard. The rapper told the trade, “Brandon shares the vision, understands where I’m headed, and I’m incredibly excited to work with him and the S10 team.”
Meanwhile, Silverstein said, “Big Sean is an incredible talent who, even after topping charts, breaking records, winning awards and headlining across the world, is just getting started. I can’t wait for fans to hear the new music.”
That new music is due in early August, but some fans were able to hear it early after it was allegedly leaked online by a Kanye West fan who was angry about Sean’s recent freestyle for the On The Radar Radio show. While some fans think that the music was leaked by Kanye himself, Sean dismissed that theory as “bullsh*t.” He appears to be taking everything in stride and forging ahead with the new album, as well as features on songs from DJ Premier (“Ya Don’t Stop“) and Eminem (“Tobey“).
Better Me Than You is out 8/9 via FF to Def Entertainment. Find more information here.
Usher has had a massive past year that saw him perform the Super Bowl Halftime Show, release his new album Coming Home, and so much more. Usher’s not stopping, either, as he just announced Usher: Rendezvous In Paris, a new concert film.
The film, directed by Anthony Mandler, is currently set for a limited run from September 12 to 15, screening in 2,000 theaters worldwide, with about 1,000 of those in the US. Global screening details and ticketing information will be available on the movie’s website starting on August 6 at 9 a.m. ET.
USHER: RENDEZVOUS IN PARIS is coming to cinemas WORLDWIDE Sept 12 – 15! It was a gift to perform in the City of Lights and I can’t wait to share that gift to U
Per a press release, the film “incorporates the essence of his landmark cultural phenomenon Vegas residencies into a seductive French touch confession” and features the songs “Yeah!,” “My Boo,” “Love In This Club,” and others “performed with never-before-seen costumes and state-of-the-art lighting and special effects.” The film also promises to give “audiences a glimpse inside life beyond the stage — creating a global moment that moviegoers won’t want to miss.”
Usher says in a statement, “Paris was a special experience for me as an entertainer and for my fans. I hope those who weren’t able to make it in person get to experience how special it was. As for those of you who were, I hope you experience the show and see what it takes to get there through a different lens.”
If you were between the ages of 7 and 12 in 2009, “Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana,” a three-part crossover event involving Disney Channel’s Wizards Of Waverly Place, The Suite Life On Deck, and Hannah Montana, was a big deal. But curiously, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, arguably the network’s two biggest stars, didn’t share a scene together. Now we know why.
On a recent episode of the Wizards Of Waverly Pod re-watch podcast, Wizards Of Waverly Place star Jennifer Stone and co-host David DeLuise revealed that some “high school nonsense” involving Nick Jonas from the Jonas Brothers kept the two apart. “They intermittently got along,” she said about Cyrus and Gomez. “I mean, come on. It was, like, high school. Like, they both dated Nick… I think Miley dated him first and then Selena dated him, and then it was it was just messy high school nonsense.”
Stone added, “They’re fine now. They’re all good now. But, yeah, it was high school just BS.” It was “So High School” of them.
Back in 2016, Gomez addressed rumors of bitterness between her and Cyrus with W Magazine. “We never feuded,” she said. “We both liked the same guy when we were 16. It was just a Hilary Duff–Lindsay Lohan thing: ‘Oh, my God, we like the same boy!’ We are now completely settled in our own lives.”
Last night (July 29), Meg shared a promotional image on Instagram, for a Harris-supporting appearance, and it lists a time of 7:30 p.m. ET and a location of Atlanta. Rolling Stone also confirmed the news, with a “source” saying that Meg is planning a “special performance” for Harris’ Atlanta rally today, July 30.
How To Watch Megan Thee Stallion’s Performance At Kamala Harris’ Atlanta Rally
As for how to watch Megan’s performance, FOX 5 Atlanta notes they plan to “stream Harris’ speech on Facebook, YouTube and the FOX Local App.” Based on the phrasing, it’s not clear if their stream will include Meg’s time on stage. Either way, video will surely surface on social media shortly after it happens.
As ABC News notes, this will be Harris’ first trip to Georgia since Joe Biden bowed out of the 2024 presidential race. Dan Kanninen, the Harris campaign’s battleground states director, said, “The vice president is energizing and mobilizing our base. Having a candidate who can mobilize our key Biden-Harris coalition, talking about the issues that resonate with Georgians […] make that state in play.”
There are not many award ceremonies I go back and re-watch. Why would I? I don’t need to be reminded of Green Book winning Best Picture over The Favourite and Roma. But sometimes when I need laugh, I’ll marvel at John Mulaney and Nick Kroll hosting the Independent Spirit Awards. The “double XL unmarked grave” joke about Harvey Weinstein gets me every time.
The Oh, Hello duo would be naturals to host the Oscars, but unfortunately, the Academy hasn’t asked Kroll and Mulaney reportedly turned the gig down.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “ABC is said to have made offers to both Jimmy Kimmel and John Mulaney, both of whom passed on the opportunity.” Mulaney — who has said that hosting the Oscars would be “really fun” — was considered a favorite “ever since he won over the Oscar crowd at the Governors Awards earlier this year,” but “in the end, he decided to pass for this year.”
Though hosting the Oscars is a prestigious opportunity and still a major platform, it’s also a massive, months-long and often thankless undertaking. Plus, Mulaney would have had to give up other opportunities, including another likely (and hugely lucrative) standup tour
If Mulaney turning down the Oscars means we get another season of Everybody’s In L.A., he made the right call. As for who will host the 2025 Oscars, well, the Muppets are waiting.
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They DON’T like us 
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