Category: News

Wilco is on the verge of something big, in a literal sense: They recently announced a new album, Cruel Country, that sees them returning to their country roots across 21 tracks. Today, they’ve shared on of those songs, “Tired Of Taking It Out On You,” a pleasant, midtempo number with just the right amount of twang.

Jeff Tweedy says of the song:

“I’ve realized over the years that a lot of the songs I’ve written have worked as reminders to myself to pay attention to various things. Sometimes I think I’ve figured out how the world works in some small way, and I worry I’ll forget it if I don’t sing it back to myself occasionally. This song, I believe, is going to come in handy for just that purpose. I’m a person who needs to stay alert to how I’m treating others when I’m not feeling my best. And now that I mention it, when I look around, it seems like a lot of us have been taking things out on each other when we would be better served striving for understanding and empathy. I’m just trying to be honest with myself, and I guess I’m hoping if this song can help me focus on that, maybe someone else could find it useful in the same way.”

The band also announced a bunch of North American tour dates today, which run from mid-August to early October. Their Solid Sound Festival is also coming up, from May 27 to 29.

Listen to “Tired Of Taking It Out On You” above and find all of Wilco’s upcoming tour dates below.

05/27-29 — North Adams, MA @ Solid Sound Festival
06/11 — Oslo, NE @ Loaded Festival
06/13 — Copenhagen, DK @ Amager Bio
06/14 — Koln, DE @ E-Werk
06/16 — Frankfurt, DE @ Alte Oper
06/17 — Zeebrugge, BE @ Zeebrugge Beach Festival
06/18 — Kent, UK @ Black Deer Festival
06/20 — San Sebastian, ES @ Auditorio del Centro Kursaal
06/21 — Zaragoza, ES @ Parque Grande Jose Antonio Labordeta
06/22 — Barcelona, ES @ Poble Espanyol
06/24 — Valencia, ES @ Auditorio Casa de la Cultura de Burjassot
06/25 — Murcia, ES @ Plaza De Toros Murcia
06/27 — Madrid, ES @ Noches Del Botanico
06/28 — Madrid, ES @ Noches Del Botanico
07/01 — Beuningen, NL @ Down The Rabbit Hole Festival
08/12 — Cedar Rapids, IA @ Paramount Theatre
08/13 — Bellevue, NE @ Outlandia Festival
08/14 — Indianapolis, IN @ TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
08/16 — Newport, KY @ PromoWest Pavilion Outdoor at OVATION
08/17 — Interlochen, MI @ Interlochen Center for the Arts/Kresge Auditorium
08/18 — Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
08/20 — Montreal, QC @ MTELUS
08/21 — Cooperstown, NY @ Brewery Ommegang
08/23 — Lafayette, NY @ Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards
08/24 — Burlington, VT @ The Green at Shelburne Museum
08/25 — Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
08/27 — New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl
08/28 — Martha’s Vineyard, MA @ Beach Road Weekend
09/09 — Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
09/11 — Fargo, ND @ Fargo Brewing Company Outdoors
09/12 — Sioux Falls, SD @ Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science
09/14 — Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
09/15 — Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Opera
09/17 — San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
09/20 — Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater
09/21 — Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
09/23 — Calgary, AB @ Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
09/24 — Bozeman, MT @ The ELM
10/02 — Memphis, TN @ Mempho Fest
10/04 — New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre
10/05 — New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre
10/07 — Columbia, MO @ Roots N Blues Festival

Cruel Country is out 5/27 via dBpm Records. Pre-order it here.

Eva Mendes had a stellar streak going there in the late 2000s, early 2010s. In a three-year span, she was in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (Werner Herzog and Nicolas Cage are a match made in nutty heaven), The Other Guys (an underrated highlight in the Will Ferrell canon), Fast Five (the best Fast and Furious movie), Holy Motors (a confounding masterpiece), and The Place Beyond the Pines (which also starred her future partner, Ryan Gosling). Also, she was in Hitch. Don’t forget Hitch.

But since 2013, Mendes has only been in one movie, Gosling’s directorial debut Lost River, and she’s barely appeared on television (shout out to the random episode of Bluey where she voiced “Yoga Instructor”).

Mendes will consider ending her decade-long hiatus, but only for the right project.

“I have such a short list of what I will do, with four kids,” the actress said on Tuesday’s episode of The View. “I mean, if it was a fun project. But now I won’t do violence, I don’t want to do sexuality, the list is short.”

When cohost Sunny Hostin asked Mendes if she’d return for a “special project” that fit all of her requirements, Mendes responded: “I hope so.”

[Whoopi] Goldberg ended Tuesday’s chat with Mendes by offering her another gig, with the Oscar-winning icon inviting her to come back to The View as a cohost in the near future.

Don’t do it, Eva. If you’re going to return to the entertainment industry for anything, make it Fast X or Fast XI — or Hitch 2. I hear Will Smith isn’t busy.

(Via Variety)

Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan has come out swinging after learning that online trolls have been criticizing Leah Jeffries for being cast in the role of Annabeth Chase in the new Disney+ series based on the wildly popular books. Jeffries previously Instagrammed a screencap of Variety‘s exclusive article on the casting announcement.

Jeffries’ casting was announced last week following the announcement that The Adam Project star, Walker Scobell, will take over the Percy Jackson role, which was previously played by Logan Lerman in the films that failed to take off as a franchise.

Here’s how Variety described Annabeth:

Annabeth is a true daughter of the Greek goddess, Athena. She is a brilliant strategist with an active and curious mind. After having spent the last five years at Camp Half-Blood, she longs to test her mettle in the human world, of which she barely remembers. She trains Percy to survive the mythological world, and in turn, he helps her connect with her humanity.

In the Percy Jackson films, Annabeth was played by Alexandra Daddario. In the new series coming to Disney+, Riordan, who authored the beloved book series, has more creative control this time around, and he wrote a lengthy post on his official website defending Jeffries’ casting, which he says was his decision.

“If you have a problem with this casting, however, take it up with me,” Riordan writes. “You have no one else to blame. Whatever else you take from this post, we should be able to agree that bullying and harassing a child online is inexcusably wrong. As strong as Leah is, as much as we have discussed the potential for this kind of reaction and the intense pressure this role will bring, the negative comments she has received online are out of line. They need to stop. Now.”

Riordan also reiterated that he was “quite clear a year ago” when he first announced the series that “we would be following Disney’s company policy on nondiscrimination.” The author did not pull his punches about the negative reactions to Jeffries’ casting, which he said they prepared for behind the scenes.

“You are judging her appropriateness for this role solely and exclusively on how she looks. She is a Black girl playing someone who was described in the books as white,” Riordan writes. “Friends, that is racism.”

(Via Rick Riordan)

It’s the end of an era for an iconic line of Apple devices: Today, Apple announced they will no longer manufacture its only remaining model of iPod, as reported by Variety.

Although Apple had ceased the manufacturing of the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano back in 2017, the iPod Touch, which was first introduced in 2007, was announced to be discontinued today. The last of the iPod Touch models are available for purchase online.

When the original iPod was first introduced in October 2001, it was a different kind of audio file player — one that could play over 1,000 songs. Since its conception, various versions of the iPod have been manufactured, including the iPod Nano, a smaller version of the classic model which later evolved to play video, as well as the touchscreen multi-use iPod Touch, and the screenless iPod Shuffle.

U2 even had a red and black edition of the classic model, and commercials for the iPod popularized songs like Feist‘s “1,2,3,4” and Caesars’ “Jerk It Out.”

“Music has always been part of our core at Apple, and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users in the way iPod did impacted more than just the music industry — it also redefined how music is discovered, listened to and shared,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s SVP of worldwide marketing, in a statement.

Jack Harlow is having a hell of a run. Today, he capped off the successful release of his new album Come Home The Kids Miss You with a feisty Funk Flex freestyle addressing both his come-up and the criticism that came with it. Having already tapped the great Pharrell Williams to produce on his new album, Jack gets it in over one of Pharrell’s own hits: “Can I Have It Like That” from The Neptunes member’s 2006 solo debut album In My Mind.

Among the standout lines in the freestyle are references to Harlow’s upcoming film debut in the remake of White Men Can’t Jump and the complaints that he’s had too easy a ride in the last two years. “My success got some people’s stomachs turning,” he sneers. “Saying I’m just white and I got lucky, I ain’t earn it / Like I’m just a plant and all this sh*t was predetermined.” He attributes this to reminding his critics of “the kids that bullied them.” It’s a much more combative verse than we’re used to hearing from the normally affable jokester, but it looks like he’s starting to come into his confidence thanks to the enthusiastic reception to his latest.

You can watch Jack Harlow’s Funk Flex freestyle above.

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

Mia Khalifa was on PornHub for all of two months before she became the website’s “No. 1 ranked performer.” The exposure (and a video where she wore a hijab) led to death threats, and less than a year after filming her first video, she left the pornography industry to attempt a less-notorious life. But “attempts to take cover in conventional jobs like bookkeeper and paralegal were doomed,” Bustle‘s Charlotte Shane wrote in a profile. “Though she cut and dyed her long, dark hair, co-workers and clients alike made it clear that they’d seen her on their screens. She says their behavior was so disruptive that one employer, a construction firm, stopped letting customers into the office.”

Khalifa eventually found a home on social media, where she could control her own content. She has 28 million followers on Instagram and 32 million on TikTok (putting her in the top 50 most-followed accounts), although she prefers one over the other.

“My Instagram is maybe 25 percent women, but TikTok is in the mid-40s,” Khalifa said. “That’s why it’s such a safe and fun platform for me. There are videos where my entire comments section is just women, and I can sit in there and go back and forth with them.“

Her TikTok followers also inspired her to start an OnlyFans.

“I had written it off for so long because I was insecure,” she says, about its affiliation with X-rated content. But once there, she found that the platform helped her understand the “difference between ethical and unethical ways to consume porn,” as she put it.

Khalifa, who was in a season two episode of Ramy, will soon appear on Showtime’s Ziwe, where she’ll discuss “the anomaly of empowerment” with host Ziwe and fellow guest Emily Ratajkowski. You can read the Bustle profile here.

(Via Bustle)

The breakout star of Hubie Halloween, Adam Sandler, is finally releasing his passion project, a movie about basketball (not that one) called Hustle. Sandler stars as basketball scout Stanley Sugarman who brings an underdog player from Spain to Philly to play for the 76ers.

In the trailer, Sandler proudly exclaims, “You come to Philly, your whole world is gonna change overnight.” Hopefully, he gets the true Philadelphia experience (eating a cheesesteak and getting a parking ticket). This is how he wins!

The movie also stars Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, and Robert Duvall, as well as actual NBA players Anthony Edwards, Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, Matisse Thybulle, and Tyrese Maxey. As per the official Netflix description:

After discovering a once-in-a-lifetime player with a rocky past abroad, a down on his luck basketball scout (Adam Sandler) takes it upon himself to bring the phenom to the States without his team’s approval. Against the odds, they have one final shot to prove they have what it takes to make it in the NBA.

Those who live in South Philly will be delighted to know that the movie that caused the world-famous Melrose Diner to be closed for several days while they filmed in the parking lot is finally hitting Netflix on June 8th. Check out the trailer above.

David Cronenberg’s Crimes Of The Future is gearing up to be the most Cronenberg-esque movie of all time, and he knows it! The director is known for his mix of body horror and social commentary, all with some messed-up practical effects thrown in there. Crimes Of The Future is no exception, and with the tagline “surgery is the new sex,” what can we expect?

The director knows that his outlandish concepts don’t land with all viewers, and he expects a number of walkouts when the film premieres at Cannes Film Festival later this month. Cronenberg told Deadline that he is looking forward to the feedback–whether it’s good or bad.

“I do expect walkouts in Cannes, and that’s a very special thing. There are some very strong scenes,” Cronenberg told the site. “I mean, I’m sure that we will have walkouts within the first five minutes of the movie. I’m sure of that.” This is to be expected from a trailer that shows a man with his eyes sewn shut and ears on his forehead.

Obviously, Cronenberg doesn’t seem to mind freaking out his fans–he’s been doing it for decades. “Some people who have seen the film have said that they think the last 20 minutes will be very hard on people and that there’ll be a lot of walkouts. Some guy said that he almost had a panic attack,” he added. “People always walk out, and the seats notoriously clack as you get up, because the seats fold back and hit the back of the seat. So, you hear clack, clack, clack.”

Crimes Of The Future stars Viggo Mortensen and Léa Seydoux as “surgical performance artists” who alter their bodies in, uh, slightly disturbing ways. Kristen Stewart stars as a government agent who is investigating the “performances.”

“They might be revulsed to the point that they want to leave, but that’s not the same as being outraged” Cronenberg adds. “However, I have no idea really what’s going to happen. I guess that is the description of this movie: It’s going to either attract or repel people.” That can be said about most Cronenberg movies. Crimes Of The Future is expected to be released in the US in June.

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 by Arcade Fire, Sharon Van Etten, Tim Heidecker, Beach Bunny, 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.

Arcade Fire — We

With their latest album We, Arcade Fire delivered a return to form by creating danceable music with a message. The succinct 10-track effort comments on the idea of impending doom while shifting between freeing, full-band ballads like “Apocalypse I, II” which call back to their early catalog, and shimmering, synth-forward tunes like the Peter Gabriel-featuring number “Unconditional II (Race And Religion).”

Sharon Van Etten — We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong

Sharon Van Etten didn’t release any singles ahead of her album We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong, but the monumental effort was worth the wait. Departing from her rocking 2019 album Remind Me Tomorrow, Van Etten’s latest effort is far less guitar-driven and revolves around themes of coexistence and care.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever — Endless Rooms

Following their 2018 album Hope Downs, Australian band Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever delivers the slow-burning project Endless Rooms, balancing euphoria and despair throughout 12 laid-back tracks. Featuring the band’s signature jaunty guitars and washed-out tones, Endless Rooms is the band’s first self-produced effort and, in their own words, is their version of an “anti-concept album.”

Warpaint — Radiate Like This

Nearly 12 years since Warpaint first debuted, the band return from their busy lives and side projects (which include producing an album for Courtney Barnett and playing with Kurt Vile) to share their fourth LP, Radiate Like This. Brimming with confidence, the dynamic release displays the band’s tangible chemistry, flowing effortlessly between swirling melodies and danceable tunes.

Sunflower Bean — Headful Of Sugar

NYC trio Sunflower Bean remain upbeat while navigating the torment and ecstasy of modernity on their third LP Headful Of Sugar. Filled with both cathartic ballads and cutting commentaries on society, the album is a response to realizing nothing in this life is promised. “Why not make what you want to make on your own terms?” vocalist Julia Cumming said about the album. “Why not make a record that makes you want to dance? Why not make a record that makes you want to scream?”

Beach Bunny — “Karaoke”

After winning over hearts with their earnest power-pop, Chicago-based group Beach Bunny previewed their upcoming sophomore album Emotional Creature with the catchy, sun-soaked single “Karaoke.” Actor Bob Odenkirk makes a cameo in the song’s video after meeting Beach Bunny in 2019 and calling them his “fav new Chicago band.”

Tim Heidecker — “Punch In The Gut”

Following his 2020 album Fear Of Death, comedian-turned-musician Tim Heidecker drops the twangy tune “Punch In The Gut” to herald his forthcoming album High School. Produced by Mac DeMarco, the song is a rollicking chronicle of youth. “This one started while thinking about how Warren Zevon might approach a high school parking lot, high noon style showdown,” Heidecker said about the track. “But as I worked it, I recalled an incident where a friend of mine was visiting my school and was falsely accused of stealing. He was Black and it felt like profiling to me. There’s a lot of him in the song ‘Buddy’ too.”

Charlie Hickey — “Gold Line”

Ahead of his debut album Nervous At Night, out via Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory record label, Charlie Hickey showcased his relatable songwriting with the shimmering ballad “Gold Line.” The single is a fitting start to Mental Health Awareness Month as it gives insight into how Hickey copes with OCD and anxiety. “This is a song about being overtaken by a feeling that you know is bigger than you,” Hickey said about the track. “It’s scary, but also really exciting and joyous.”

Hovvdy — “Hide”

Prolific duo Hovvdy are just on the heels of last year’s album True Love and already looking toward their next project. Releasing the compelling track “Hide” this week, Hovvdy share details for their upcoming EP Billboard For My Feelings, which is out later this month. Featuring relaxed chords and mellow vocals, “Hide” points to what is expected to be another laid-back and contemplative effort.

Florist — “Spring In Hours”

Four-piece band Florist are gearing up for their anticipated debut album Spring In Hours with a handful of singles, the latest being the project’s title track. It’s a gentle and tender love song that celebrates “cycles, seasons, growth, bugs, flowers, friendship, all the atoms in the universe, the chaos that created us, and the void which everything returns to,” according to vocalist Emily Sprague.

Porridge Radio — “End Of Last Year”

After quickly proving themselves ones to watch with their first two albums and a few recent propulsive singles, Porridge Radio take things in a softer direction with “End Of Last Year.” The glowing song is injected with real emotion born out of a painful period for the band. “‘End Of Last Year’ is a love song for my bandmates and for myself,” vocalist Dana Margolin said. “It’s about not trusting my intuition, not trusting my body to heal itself, not trusting the people closest to me, but it is also an ode to all those people, and to difficult platonic love.”

The tragedy of Travis Scott’s Astroworld still remains largely unresolved. While the rapper has made problematic attempts to redeem himself and has already started taking the stage again, today, Rolling Stone reported that there are, in total, almost 5,000 claims of injuries from the festival, according to a new court filing.

Attorneys reported 732 claims of injuries requiring extensive medical treatment. There were also 1,649 claims of injuries requiring less extensive treatment, and 2,540 claims for injuries with severity still under review. This adds up to a total of over 4,900 claims for deaths and injuries. The difference between extensive medical treatment and less extensive treatment is unclear.

A documentary about the Astroworld tragedy recently came out, titled Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy. That filmmaker, named Charlie Minn, did an interview with Page Six claiming Scott is a “criminal” and because of the presence of an ambulance and Scott stopping when he saw people passed out, the rapper should’ve known people had died.

Scott’s team has since fired back, calling the documentary a “propaganda piece” and is a “farce financed by and containing content from members of the plaintiff’s legal teams, who, weeks after a tragedy, sought to exploit and benefit financially from it, with the clear goals of making money and swaying future juries and public opinion.”