Category: News

As the January 6 hearings continued on Monday, one of Donald Trump‘s more unhinged interviews has reportedly made it into evidence. Back in late November 2020, a seething Trump appeared on Fox News where he began building the foundation for his “Big Lie” that the election was stolen from him. However, like all things Trump, the interview with Maria Bartiromo took a wild turn as the outgoing president began ranting about “big massive dumps.”

Granted, Trump was referring to alleged data “glitches” that he claims were giving thousands of his votes to Biden, but that doesn’t make it any less hilarious that he kept ranting about huge dumps on live television. Also, he accused the FBI and Department of Justice of being “involved” in said dumps, which as you can see, is coming back to bite Trump in the dumper.

“We had ‘glitches’ where they moved thousands of votes from my account to Biden’s account.” Trump said in the interview played by the Jan. 6 committee. “And these are ‘glitches.’ They’re not glitches. They’re theft. They’re fraud. Absolute fraud. This election was over, and then they did dumps. They call them dumps. Big, massive dumps. In Michigan, in Pennsylvania, and all over. How the FBI and the Department of Justice– I don’t know, maybe they’re involved. But how are people allowed to get away with this stuff is unbelievable.”

Naturally, Twitter is already having a ball with “big massive dumps” making a comeback, and you can expect more reactions like this to start piling in as the day goes on:

(Via Bobby Lewis on Twitter)

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

Last year, I saw the Boston-based indie-rock trio Pet Fox in a small space with fake spiderwebs hanging from the low ceiling and Brooklynites cloaked in colorful costumes for Halloween. They’d released their new EP More Than Anything a few months prior; it was three patient, powerful tracks that paid attention to build-up and intoxicating basslines. I listened to the songs, especially the addictive “Imagine Why,” on repeat since they first came out. My binging, however, took on a different meaning once I suffered an abrupt breakup. Theo Hartlett’s emotive shouts, reiterating the vague yet prophetic refrain “To know is to feel / Imagine why, imagine why,” became a point of solace for me. But as I moved on from my personal sadness, every melody and every line seemed to reverberate with pain, or at least the vivid memory of pain, so I took a step back.

When the band broke into “Imagine Why” in Bushwick that October, though, everyone was dancing in unity. It was an obvious celebration. Animals, superheroes, and monsters were all moved by this poignant anthem that surrounded us like a forcefield. It was equally invigorating and protective. My friend was dressed as a raccoon, crouching on the floor to photograph the three members, who were visibly driven by something bigger than themselves, their instruments becoming an attachment to their bodies like limbs. The next day, I put on More Than Anything again and immersed myself back inside of its catharsis.

A Face In Your Life is Pet Fox’s third studio album, following 2018’s self-titled and 2019’s Rare Occasion. While their previous records were both self-produced, the band turned to Ethan Dussault at New Alliance Audio for production for this new LP as well as Seth Engel for mixing, the latter of whom is known for working with some of the most interesting Chicago acts such as Ratboys, Retirement Party, and plenty more.

There’s a chance that this change contributed to the brilliance of A Face In Your Life, which watches Pet Fox engage in larger, more moving songs than ever before, unafraid and trusting their shared instincts. It bursts with the cosmic energy I witnessed at their live show, evoking a range of emotions, like melancholy, ecstasy, security, understanding, and vehemence. Everything that it elicits is severe and deep like a wound or a first love. A great deal of this stems from the rich sonic landscapes; Hartlett and Morgan Luzzi are also in prolific, cult-followed shoegaze group Ovlov with Luzzi also having a history in the indie-rock band Palehound, while drummer Jesse Weiss is in the idiosyncratic post-punk band Grass Is Green. What I’m saying here is that Pet Fox is the perfect storm.

Every track on A Face In Your Life contains mesmerizing instrumental work and is textured with comforting familiarity. The opener “Settle Even” is one of the more quiet songs, lingering in a wavering, downtrodden sound for the most part, like a placid body of water — that is, until the crashing, all-consuming guitar solos take over, sending a rippling current. “Only Warning,” the following song, picks up the pace with its overwhelming urgency that culminates throughout the four minutes and grows into a colossal, chaotic blizzard. Hartlett’s hypnotic harmonies make it all the more magnetic; his last words are his repetition of the phrase: “Only warning / only wanting,” another murky but visceral mantra. It’s a stunning second track whose repetitive twinkling riffs feel reminiscent of the beginning of Interpol’s Turn On The Bright Lights except three times faster. “Undeserving You,” which comes much later, also exemplifies the group’s knack for building momentum; after withholding their utmost energy for about two minutes, they deliver a frenetic surge that serves as a satisfying payoff.

“While this may sound incredibly simplified,” the band said in the press release, “we really do just get together and play off of each others’ ideas, whether they were preconceived or pieced together in the moment.” This spontaneous chemistry is at the forefront of these songs; not only does Pet Fox’s music create a sense of togetherness within its listeners, but it exists within the three of the players. “Checked Out” has a playful ambiance with its fickle riffs and Hartlett’s frivolous vocals, and “Hesitate” haunts with its brooding bassline and patient drumming. It helps that the band cites both Weezer and Autolux as influences; it sums up their simultaneous ability to have a vibrant personality and shred in a Blue Album kind of way, while also tending to atmospheric, vulnerable walls of sound in a Future Perfect fashion.

The finale “Slows Me Down,” like the opener, finds power in delicacy, meandering slowly while Hartlett offers concise contemplations, “Picking up my old ways, not what I prefer / I’m always fighting to be heard.” The line matches the sentiment of the album artwork — an arm reaching out from underwater, trying to grab someone’s attention. His voice is fatigued but earnest, and not completely out of hope as he continues, “Aiming for something better than this / It can’t all be bad, I find it slows me down.”

No Pet Fox song is overly depressing or overly happy; I didn’t know “Checked Out” was an anti-capitalist track about people who don’t “give a damn about you until they realize that you hold some sort of worth that is valuable or cool to them” until I read their statement about it. I still don’t exactly know what the line “To know is to feel / Imagine why, imagine why” from “Imagine Why” means, but I don’t need to in order to feel its immensity. In fact, the abstract nature of the words makes them resonate even more. They’re never pushing any sort of story or meaning — they’re just guiding the listener into a place of feeling. It’s about fighting to be heard, but not dictating exactly what the interpretation will be. It’s therapeutic and necessary to have music that allows this. Pet Fox don’t just want you to listen to them, they want you to listen to yourself.

The biggest “will they/won’t they” award of this year goes to Disney/Pixar, as they famously cut out a same-sex kiss in Lightyear before putting it back in after employees spoke against the move. Now, if Disney wants to release the Toy Story prequel in other countries, they might have to cut it out again.

The film’s star Chris Evans even voiced his support for the kiss, saying, “It’s great that it’s back in the film…I think it’s a shame that it’s such a story. It should be more normalized, but I’m glad we are making those steps.” As it turns out, not everyone thinks it should be normalized.

Lightyear has been banned from several countries in the Middle East because of the kiss, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The scene involves Hawthorne, voiced by Uzo Aduba, as she kisses her partner in an emotional montage. Lightyear will be banned from various countries, including Saudi Arabia and The United Arab Emirates, due to its “violation of the country’s media content standards.”

This is the fourth Disney movie this year that caused outrage in other countries, all for LGBTQ references in the films. Doctor Strange, Eternals, and West Side Story all had trouble hitting screens in various Persian Gulf countries. While Pixar employees were happy that the kiss scene made it into the film, it just goes to show that the world is a long way from normalizing even the most basic form of LGTBQ affection. Even when its literally an animated character who does not exist!

In just three years, Cordae has gone from being a relatively unknown second banana in a viral favorite rap group to an accomplished solo rapper to a Grammy nominee and renowned activist. Most new artists would be fine with working alongside Stevie Wonder and dating an international tennis superstar, but apparently, Cordae has even bigger plans. His next step appears to be “motivational speaker,” as he premieres his first-ever TED Talk about what he calls the “Hi-Level mentality,” named after his recently launched label.

Of course, he recognizes that there might not be much overlap between the crowds who regularly attend TED conferences and Rolling Loud festivals, so he lightens up the mood during his introduction with a universal joke: A reference to the infamous “Where’s Ja?” meme kicked off by Dave Chappelle back when Cordae himself was just six years old. “I know what you’re thinking,” he predicts. “What does a 24-year-old rapper possibly have to say turning a TED Talk? Like, ‘Who cares what Ja Rule thinks,’ you know?”

It turns out, he has plenty to say, recounting how his mom raised him in a series of neighborhoods so bad that her car was once stolen twice in the same week but continually upgraded to the point where such things were no longer a concern. He also details how his own discipline led to his own rise in stature in the rap business and encourages the audience to “maximize your time on this earth.”

Cordae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

While the world hasn’t gotten a new Radiohead album since A Moon Shaped Pool came out in 2016, The Smile’s A Light For Attracting Attention is one of the best albums of 2022 so far. The trio, of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood along with drummer Tom Skinner, laid down an excellent guitar-driven collection of tunes like “Thin Thing” and “You’ll Never Work In Television Again” that often feel as macabre and paranoid as Radiohead’s classic musings. Produced by Nigel Godrich, it’s a seriously stunning album and more than just a stopgap in the Radiohead canon.

Today, The Smile announced their first tour of North America and all of the dates will be happening before 2022 comes to a close. Their East Coast run begins in mid-November with dates in Providence, Boston, and New York City, before shooting up to Canada, the Midwest and then ending in on the West Coast for dates in Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Fans across the country will get a chance to experience the band’s new album live and tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, June 17th at thesmileband.com. Check out the full list of tour dates below.

11/14 — Providence, RI @ Veterans Memorial Auditorium
11/16 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
11/18 — Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
11/20 — New York, NY @ Hammerstein
11/23 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
11/25 — Montreal, QC @ MTELUS
11/26 — Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
11/28 — Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre
11/29 — Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater
12/01 — Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
12/03 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
12/04 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
12/06 — New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theatre
12/08 — Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum
12/10 — Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
12/14 — Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
12/16 — Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater
12/18 — San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
12/21 — Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Auditorium

We’re now just a few days away from the release of Bartees Strange’s new album Farm To Table and now he’s offered what will presumably be the final pre-album single, “Wretched.” The track is guided forward by soaring X&Y-era Coldplay guitars and comes with a thumping hook that’s as catchy as anything Chris Martin and company have done in recent years.

Strange says of the song, “This song is about the people who’ve always stood by me, even when I was wretched. When I was trying to be something other than myself — they saw me even through that and held me down. Folks from past lives, and folks who’ll play a big part in my future — I’m grateful for them and the love they’ve poured into me. This song is for and about them.”

He also told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe:

“I’ve been messing with this song for a long time and when it all came together November in London last year, I was just like, ‘Yo, that’s it.’ […] It was all about getting out of the way, just letting the song rock. We were all on our feet, there was only two of us in the room… so we looking at each other like, ‘Yo!’ And then after we did it, I was like, ‘How do we make like six more of these?’

That song in particular is about how thankful I am for all the people who held me down when I did feel wretched. I think a lot of people second guess themselves when they feel it in their tummy — they second guess that feeling — but that’s the light. You gotta follow that. This song and this experience has really showed me the importance of doing that, so I plan to keep doing it.”

Listen the “Wretched” video above.

Farm To Table is out 6/17 via 4AD. Pre-order it here.

Coldplay is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Even in the wake of Young Dolph’s passing, his protege Key Glock is carrying the torch for Paper Route Empire, continuing to support the deluxe version of his 2021 album, Yellow Tape 2. His latest release is the video for “No Choice,” which sees him return to the snowy landscape from his and Dolph’s Dum And Dummer 2 videos as he ruminates on his “hustle or die” mentality over a soulful loop. Shots of Glock on tour, rapping on stage, and even playing basketball are interspersed throughout.

The Memphis native recently gave his first interview since his mentor was shot and killed in front of a local bakery last year, detailing how Dolph’s death has affected him. “I’m maintaining,” he said. “I’m not getting better, I’m not getting worse. I’m just here right now. I can’t shake it, man. I ain’t even gonna lie. I can’t even shake it. It is what it is.”

Since then, though, he has done his best to make Dolph proud — even releasing a single on the label compilation paying tribute to their fallen leader called “Proud” — and dropped videos for “Painkillers” and “Play For Keeps,” as well as appearing in the video for Gucci Mane’s “Blood All On It,” which also featured a verse from the late Dolph.

Watch Key Glock’s “No Choice” video above.

Legendary Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini has signed with MLS side Los Angeles Football Club following the expiration of his contract with Juventus, becoming the latest European star to make the move to the United States. Chiellini tweeted the news on Monday following weeks of reporting and speculation.

In joining MLS, Chiellini follows fellow Italians Lorenzo Insigne, Sebastian Giovinco, Matteo Ferrari and Andrea Pirlo, who all joined MLS later in their playing careers. The 37-year-old center back signed a contract through the 2023 season and is expected to be available for selection when the summer transfer window opens in July. He was signed using targeted allocation money and will not occupy LAFC’s vacant designated player slot, providing the team some roster and cap space flexibility.

“I don’t think there is a mold like [Chiellini]. I think he’s unique,” LAFC general manager John Thorrington told ESPN. “I can’t think of another player who has his track record of being a captain and is a serial winner and all the rest. It’s not as though there are a lot of these players.”

Chiellini leaves Serie A side Juventus following a decorated 17 years with the Turin club, where he is third on its all-time appearance list behind only Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon. With Juventus, he won a record nine consecutive Serie A titles from 2012 to 2020 as well as five Coppa Italia titles and five Supercoppa Italiana titles. He also played in two UEFA Champions League finals, in 2015 and 2017. Chiellini has been named in the Serie A Team of the Year five times and was awarded the Serie A Defender of the Year three times,

He also announced his retirement from international duty having played his last match for Italy at Wembley earlier this month in the UEFA Cup of Champions, the “Finalissima.” Having made his international debut in 2004, Chiellini retires with 117 caps, making him Italy’s joint fourth-highest appearance holder. He helped the Azzurri win UEFA Euro 2020, reach the final of UEFA Euro 2012 and win a bronze medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

In LA, Chiellini will join a formidable team that currently sits atop the Western Conference standings after a disappointing 2021 campaign in which LAFC missed out on the playoffs. One-third of the way into the 2022 season, LAFC has scored the most goals in MLS this year (29) and has been solid defensively, with only five teams conceding fewer goals. The Black and Gold have a talented group of center backs, including 19-year-old Mamadou Fall and veteran 28-year-old Jesus Murillo, that will likely embrace the opportunity to learn from the Italian defensive legend. Although he is in the twilight of his playing career, the front office is hoping that Chiellini’s presence and leadership in the locker room will pay dividends for the squad.

“The way I look at it is it’s a good group that’s going to get even better, and I think Giorgio adds something different to that group,” Thorrington said. “But I do know what Giorgio adds will make every other one better.”

Rian Johnson has unveiled the official title for his highly anticipated follow-up to Knives Out, which until now, has simply gone by Knives Out 2. The sequel, which is the first of two greenlit by Netflix for a hefty sum, will see Daniel Craig return to the detective role of Benoit Blanc. As for a release date, Netflix and Johnson are still keeping that one a mystery, but the title teaser does hint that the sequel will arrive this Holiday season. More importantly, the title.

“Benoit Blanc’s next case, the follow up to Knives Out, is called GLASS ONION,” Johnson tweeted on Monday along with a look at the film’s logo touting it as “A Knives Out Mystery.”

In addition to Craig, Glass Onion is packing one hell of a cast. Seriously, check out this killer’s row of talent: Edward Norton, Ethan Hawke, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monae, Kathryn Hahn, Jessica Henwick, Leslie Odom Jr., and Dave Bautista. That should more than make up for the lack of Chris Evans wearing sweaters, or at least act as a consolation prize. Your mileage may vary.

While Glass Onion is set to stream on Netflix later this year, there has been talk of a theatrical release. Following news of financial trouble as the streamer experiences a loss of subscribers, Bloomberg reported that Netflix has been weighing putting the Knives Out sequel in theaters for 45 days to recoup some of the production cost before streaming it to its million of subscribers. As for how well that would work considering audiences are aware they can stream the film at home this holiday season, remains to be seen.

That said, it could be an interesting move to see if Netflix’s Originals really do have box office clout or not, and with its stacked cast, Glass Onion seems like a good enough film to test that theory.

(Via Rian Johnson on Twitter)

This year’s NBA Draft figures to see some significant movement as there a few teams, like the Thunder and Spurs, who have a handful of first round picks and almost no reason to want to use all of them, along with a number of teams that will be looking to make win-now moves on draft night, headlined by the Kings and Blazers picking in the top 7.

Normally, draft trades don’t happen until the day of, but on occasion someone will lock down a deal in the weeks leading up. On Monday, just such a deal was struck involving the Thunder unloading one of their first round picks (the final selection of the first round at No. 30) and some future seconds to Denver in exchange for JaMychal Green and a future protected first.

Green has a player option for next year worth $8.2 million and this certainly seems like a move from Denver that is the precursor to another move, as they unload some money off of their books and create a sizable trade exception in the process. The Nuggets, now armed with picks 21 and 30, could look to move up in the draft or send those picks out to get some veteran help for their roster that is otherwise pretty locked in given the massive contracts held down by Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. If they felt there was an upgrade to what green brought out there, this is a move that gives them some flexibility to make a move this summer.

For the Thunder it’s pretty simple, they continue to use their stash of first round picks and large amounts of free cap space to take on contracts in exchange for future picks that are a bit better than what they send out — the Nuggets protected first is almost assuredly going to end up being better than No. 30. There’s almost no world where Green plays for the Thunder next year, but he’s a valuable enough player OKC could work with him to find a new team this summer via trade, as he’s expected to pick up his option.