Month: February 2025

Chappell Roan made the most of her Best New Artist acceptance speech at the 2025 Grammys. “I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially for developing artists,” she said.

Seems reasonable! However, the “Good Luck, Babe!” singer was criticized by former music executive Jeff Rabhan in an op-ed for The Hollywood Reporter. He called the speech “hackneyed” and “wildly misinformed,” writing, “Artists like Roan aren’t changing the game; they’re repeating the old one — young stars getting a taste of success, turning into critics of the machine that elevated them, and ultimately, continuing to profit from that very system.”

Halsey defended Roan, and Roan herself responded in a series of Instagram Stories. “Wanna match me 25k to donate to struggling dropped artists?” she wrote in one, tagging Rabhan. In another, she added, “Mr. Rabhan I love how in the article you said ‘put your money where your mouth is’ Genius!!! Let’s link and build together and see if you can do the same.”

Roan also shared the names of four artists who she thinks “deserve more love and a bigger platform”: Hemlocke Springs, Sarah Kinsley, Devon Again, and Baby Storme. You can listen to songs from each below.

Hemlocke Springs

Sarah Kinsley

Devon Again

Baby Storme

For at least a couple months now, SZA has been promising updates to Lana: SOS Deluxe. Well, this weekend, SZA is going to have much of the world’s attention when she joins Kendrick Lamar during his Super Bowl Halftime Show, and she’s capitalizing: Those Lana updates are finally coming.

The Lana website says new songs are coming on February 9 at 7 p.m. ET, which is shortly after the game’s kickoff at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Last month, SZA went back and forth with fans who were upset about the delay for the new songs. She wrote, “I shoulda NEVER tried to give yall what u asked for . It wasn’t professional . It was KINDNESS AND A WILLINGNESS TO APPEASE u lunatics,” writing in another tweet, “N****s not bullying me . I don’t work for anyone but myself and God . I give so much to my fans energetically in person and online . If n****s wanna act DISGUSTING that’s on them .”

Meawhile, before SZA was announced for the halftime show, she spoke about Lamar, saying, “He’s such a genius, and part of his genius is him being so elusive, and so mysterious, and I love it. […] I’m just trusting all of his expertise and being thrust into these moments and spotlight and saying yes, and he’s so good at saying yes but staying grounded, so I’m just like, ‘Teach me, sensei, what you know.’

Steven and Ian open with a quick recap of the Grammys, including takes on Cowboy Carter winning Album Of The Year, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles still getting awarded trophies in 2025, and the potential star power and cringe factor of Doechii. Then they look back at the history of Super Bowl halftime shows ahead of the big game this week. They also look at two albums in the fantasy draft that are out this week, by the British post-punk band Squid and the veteran singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten.

In the mailbag, they answer listening questions about the recent documentary directed by Questlove about musical guests on SNL and the ethics of “name your price” shopping on Bandcamp.

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the emo band Head North and Steven shouts out the Chicago post-punk outfit FACS.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 225 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

If you were under the impression that “Tweaker,” the throwback rap experiment from GELO — AKA basketball dynasty middle child LiAngelo Ball — was a novelty, prepare to be put into the spin cycle by the song’s crossover success. After weeks of halftime performances, viral playbacks in locker rooms across the NBA, and the sort of opportunities that most rappers aspire to for years, GELO has unveiled a remix featuring none other than one of the rap icons who pioneered the style the song apes so aptly: Lil Wayne.

And yes, Wayne sounds right at home on the knockoff Mannie Fresh beat, getting right into his groove and delivering a blistering verse that could have come from his Carter II-era stash. You could never reasonably accuse Wayne of not taking a guest verse seriously — he really doesn’t have a lower gear to shift into on most of his features — but he goes full throttle, delivering a professionally polished counterpoint to GELO’s admittedly fun neophyte bars. He also makes a hilarious basketball reference that may or may not be a triple entendre involving a very niche internet meme and Ray Allen’s longtime Spike Lee-bequeathed nickname. With Wayne confirming the impending release of The Carter VI earlier today, it’s nice to hear him sounding so energized.

You can listen to GELO’s “Tweaker” remix featuring Lil Wayne above.

Life Is Beautiful, the new joint album from Larry June, 2 Chainz, and The Alchemist, is out now, as is the focus track, “Munyon Canyon.” If you listened to either of the prior singles, “Bad Choices” and “I Been,” you know what to expect: laid-back flexes over typically soulful loops orchestrated by the Los Angeles beatmaker.

Although June hails from the Bay Area and 2 Chainz is from Atlanta, they have a sparkling chemistry, with The Alchemist’s production buoying their down-to-earth boasts to greater heights. It’s fairly familiar sonic territory for Larry, who sounds about as comfortable as the seats of the luxury cars the two rappers delight in discussing, but it’s a bit of a swerve for 2 Chainz, adding a compelling dimension to his recognizable, off-kilter wordplay. As unexpected as it is, something about it just feels right.

In addition to deepening 2 Chainz’s palette, the collaboration also gives Larry one of his highest-profile rhyme partners, which is raising his profile higher than it’s ever been; on February 12, he’ll be making his national late-night television debut with the unofficial group on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Good job, Larry, indeed.

You can stream Larry June, 2 Chainz & The Alchemist’s “Munyon Canyon” up top.

Life Is Beautiful is out now via EMPIRE. You can find more information here.

Long Beach’s own R&B wunderkind Giveon is more than a decade removed from his days at Polytechnic High School, the alma mater he featured in his video for “The Beach.” But before he crosses the threshold of 30, he’s looking back on the time of his life that many folks say are for making mistakes. In the nostalgic video for “Twenties,” the baritone relives his mattress-on-the-floor era, half mourning the time he spent with a past paramour.

Two years removed from his last release, Give Or Take, Giveon’s had plenty of time to grow up and evolve his sound. On Twitter, he called “Twenties” the “first chapter from this book I can’t wait to share,” which sounds a lot like he’s ready to deliver a follow-up — just in time to celebrate his entry into the next decade of his charmed life.

That life has, so far, included once-in-a-lifetime moments like singing for SZA during a job interview at Bubba Gump Shrimp, donating a brand-new recording studio to one of the Beach’s local institutions, and participating in a No. 1 single release (Justin Bieber’s “Peaches”). If that’s what his twenties brought, we can’t wait to see what he does in his thirties.

Watch Giveon’s “Twenties” video up top.

Ava Max ended 2024 on a strong note with her festive single “1 Wish,” and now, begins her 2025 campaign with another solid entry to her discography, “Lost Your Faith.” The pop savant taps into the zeitgeist for a driving breakup (or maybe a “hold on”) song, featuring a 1980s rock-esque straight beat (similarly to her Bon Jovi-like 2020 single, “Kings & Queens“) that quickly morphs into a more electronic dance-pop instrumental for its chorus. Ava laments the slow disintegration of the relationship, noting that it feels like her lover’s devotion has waned.

At the same time, there’s a bit of a hopeful message for the times we’re living through, as well; as she says in a press release, “‘Lost Your Faith’ is a message of love and hope. Somewhere in the wreckage, you realize you’re still standing. You piece yourself back together-not into who you were, but someone stronger, someone more certain of their own light.”

Although Ava released a couple of singles last year, “My Oh My” and “Spot A Fake,” she had a relatively quiet 2024 as she prepared her third studio album. A follow-up to her 2023 album, Diamonds & Dancefloors, is certainly expected sometime in the near future. If that’s the case, “Lost Your Faith” is the right way to start a rollout, as it does a lot of things Ava’s done well in the past, while also pushing her sound into its next phase.

You can listen to Ava Max’s “Lost Your Faith” above.

Earlier this week, alt-indie darling d4vd announced the release date of his debut album, Withered after previously releasing the singles “My House Is Not A Home,” “There Goes My Baby,” and “Where’d It Go Wrong?” Tonight, he shared the next single, “One More Dance,” along with a video featuring his now-signature dark comedic style.

In the video, which appears to pick up where the “Where’d It Go Wrong?” video left off, a bloodied, blindfolded d4vd is seen dragging what appears to be a dead body down a dirt track in the woods. It’s quickly revealed that the body belongs to d4vd himself, setting up an interesting dynamic. He’s helped by a young couple (Nicholas Paige and Lailah Gross) who stuffs the body in the trunk of their car, getting into all kinds of shenanigans before finally digging the hole and tossing d4vd in. They share a dance (ha!) as the camera fades to black.

In his announcement for the upcoming album, d4vd wrote on his Instagram, “Thank you all eternally for waiting on me. This album means SO much to me you have no idea the blood sweat and tears that came with trying to create this project over the past 2 years. Constantly starting over and over and over until there was nothing left on this audio landscape of a canvas than thoughts, melodies, and emotions that were unequivocally me.”

Watch the video for d4vd’s “One More Dance” up top.

Withered is out on 4/25 via Darkroom / Interscope Records. You can find more info here.

Rema is well on his way to becoming an African icon, but on his latest single, “Baby (Is It A Crime),” he channels another legend from the continent. As you have probably guessed from the title of the song, “Baby” samples Sade’s 1985 hit “Is It A Crime?” pairing a sample of singer Sade Adu’s instantly recognizable chorus with a scintillating, undeniable Afrobeat rhythm.

Rema initially teased the single back in November, playing fans a snippet on his social media accounts. In a sly bit of promotion, he later posted a photo of himself purchasing a copy of Sade’s 1985 album, Promise, from which “Is It A Crime?” was the second single.

The Afrobeats star hasn’t yet revealed whether the new single will appear as part of a larger project, but he’s only seven months removed from the release of his last album, Heis, which featured the singles “Benin Boys” and “HEHEHE.” Furthermore, a potential guest verse from British rapper J Hus which was teased last November appears to have been cut or reserved for a future remix. That means Rema’s 2025, already off to a hot start, could get very busy in the near future.

Listen to Rema’s new single “Baby (Is It A Crime)” up top.

Blackpink member Lisa is releasing her debut solo album, Alter Ego, soon, and today, shared the latest single, “Born Again,” featuring Doja Cat and Raye. A seductive disco-funk dance floor burner, “Born Again” finds the three divas-in-the-making taunting their ex-lovers, boasting their glow-ups since their relationships’ dissolutions. As Doja Cat says in her half-sung/half-rapped verse, “I hope you learned somethin’ from a lil’ fiasco / You played the game smart, lettin’ lil’ me pass go.”

“Born Again” is the fourth single from Alter Ego which drops on February 28. Prior to announcing the release date, Lisa shared “Rockstar” last June, “New Woman” with Rosalía in August, and the Sixpence None The Richer homage, “Moonlit Floor” in October. The album will find the K-pop star channeling five different characters (hence the title), allowing her to explore the wide range of sounds represented by those singles and still have a cohesive theme.

In addition to making her solo debut this year, Lisa will also make her US screen debut as part of the cast of White Lotus season three. In an interview about making the transition from recording music to acting, she said, “I’m super excited and nervous, but I feel like we’ve shot a lot of music videos. You’ve got to be expressive on camera. I just wanted to try something new that I never had a chance to do, because I’ve been singing for eight years, and sometimes you feel like you need something new to try.”

You can watch the video for “Born Again” above.

Alter Ego is out 2/28/2025 via LLOUD Co./RCA Records. Find more information here.