Category: News

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 a brand new album from My Morning Jacket, another epic track from Sufjan Stevens, and the sophomore LP from The Beths. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.

While you’re here, make sure to follow the official Indie Mixtape playlist wherever you listen to music.

My Morning Jacket — The Waterfall II

It’s been five years since Jim James started talking about The Waterfall II. The album was written and recorded in late 2013, but feels especially poignant today. “Much of the record is composed of bleary-eyed, pedal steel-laced ballads that dwell ruefully on loss and aspire gorgeously to a state of healing, creating an all-too-relatable vibe of heartsick restlessness driven by a desperate desire to believe that tomorrow will somehow be better,” writes Steven Hyden for Uproxx.

The Beths — Jump Rope Gazers

It’s official: The Beths have avoided the sophomore slump. With Jump Rope Gazers, the group have managed to even further fine-tune their already impressive knack for writing pop rock hooks, delivering some of their catchiest music to date. The ten-track effort reinforces The Beths as a band whose focus on songwriting will always pay off.

Julianna Barwick — Healing Is A Miracle

Julianna Barwick’s music feels more like a cinematic soundtrack to life than a traditional album. This is especially the case on Healing Is A Miracle, which fully envelops you into Barwick’s world through an array of otherworldly and ethereal, orchestral arrangements, supplemented by guest appearances from the likes of Mary Lattimore and Sigur Ros’ Jonsi.

100 Gecs — 1000 Gecs And The Tree Of Clues

The new album from 100 Gecs is essentially a deluxe, expanded version of their debut album. The 19-track effort features remixes and live tracks, making for the ultimate Gecs experience, featuring Charli XCX, Rico Nasty, Fall Out Boy, and more. Dive in an experience the madness.

Sufjan Stevens — “My Rajneesh”

“My Rajneesh” is an epic 10-minute track that appears as the B-side to Sufjan Stevens’ epic 17-minute track “America.” By the looks of it, it appears that Stevens’ upcoming solo album The Ascension is going to be his most expansive (and longest) to date. The track is cinematic in scope, featuring “multiple sections, which, like ‘America’ before it, is similar in style to the music Stevens made during the The Age Of Adz era,” writes Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx.

Nana Adjoa — “No Room”

Along with the announcement of her debut album Big Dreaming Ants, Nana Adjoa has shared the eclectic “No Room,” a funky track that checks off many genre boxes at once. A thumping bass guitar builds a foundation upon which finger-picked guitars float, allowing for Adjoa’s layered vocals to move about the sonic space. It’s a solid entry point for Adjoa, making the upcoming Big Dreaming Ants an anticipated release.

Anjimile — “Maker”

On their upcoming album, Anjimile takes a fresh approach to the tropes of folk music, and “Maker” is a great example of what you can expect from Giver Taker. What starts out as a very sparse number builds into a full-band affair wherein Anjimile is rooted in the depths of self-reflection, asking “Have you ever seen anything quite like this?”

Into It. Over It — “Living Up To Let You Down”

Four years since Standards, his last full-length release, Evan Weiss is back with new Into It. Over It music. It doesn’t take long for “Living Up To Let You Down” to remind us what made Into It. Over It’s unique and hook-driven approach to emo so invigorating in the early 2010’s. The intricacies of the percussion here, combined with the floating synth lines, make the track a welcome return for Weiss’s namesake project.

Lomelda — “Wonder”

It’s always a good day when there’s new Lomelda music. “Wonder” is the first taste Hannah Read’s new album called… Hannah, and takes on a more expansive feel than the previous work from Lomelda. “Wonder is about working hard,” Read said in a statement. “It is my most fun song to play. And I got to play drums on it, so it’s my favorite Lom song forever. May it motivate you to move and smash like it does me.”

Slow Pulp — “Idaho”

Many of the songs on Slow Pulp’s forthcoming debut LP Moveys were written on tour with Alex G, and you can tell on “Idaho.” The new single takes on a dreamy feel in its heavier intro and chorus, while the verses are more direct with a compressed acoustic guitar and unfiltered vocals. It’s a track about finding a paradigm shift that allows you to finally accept love, and unfolds in a dramatic and emotional way.

Baseball Game — “See You Tomorrow”

Previewing their self-titled debut EP, Baseball Game’s “See You Tomorrow” features an impressive vocoder arrangement that makes the track stand out, drawing similarities to experimental folk rockers Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens. The track is about “how much people’s presence adds to who we are and when those people are no longer around how much we change without them,” the band wrote in a statement. “This song takes place a couple months after losing someone and wondering what it would be like to see them again.”

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

Will Butler is best known for his work with Arcade Fire, but he has made some wonderful work solo as well; His Emma Stone-starring “Anna” video is particularly memorable. That single came from Butler’s second and most recent solo album, 2016’s Friday Night. Today, he announced that he is ready to follow that album up with another solo record: Generations is set for release on September 25 via Merge.

He also shared a video for the album’s lead single, “Surrender.” The jaunty tune is accompanied by a video that doubles as a behind-the-scenes clip and a vlog. After sharing footage of some of the song’s recording sessions, the remainder of the visual goes back and forth between B-roll Butler speaking to the camera (muted and subtitled, with the song playing over his words).

Butler begins, “Jesus Christ what a year. Just watching that pre-quarantine footage completely melts my brain. I can’t comprehend it. I’m in Brooklyn, finishing this video, about four months into some kind of lockdown, and a little over six weeks into the protests over the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and Elijah McClain, and— I don’t know, man.” He goes on to discuss the increasing number of prison inmates in the US and criticisms of this country’s law enforcement systems.

In a press statement, Butler said of the song:

“‘Surrender’ is masquerading as a love song, but it’s more about friendship. About the confusion that comes as people change–didn’t you use to have a different ideal? Didn’t we have the same ideal at some point? Which of us changed? How did the world change? Relationships that we sometimes wish we could let go of, but that are stuck within us forever.

It’s also about trying to break from the first-person view of the world. ‘What can I do? What difference can I make?’ It’s not about some singular effort–you have to give yourself over to another power. Give over to people who have gone before who’ve already built something–you don’t have to build something new! The world doesn’t always need a new idea, it doesn’t always need a new personality. What can you do with whatever power and money you’ve got? Surrender it over to something that’s already made. And then the song ends with an apology–I’m sorry I’ve been talking all night. Cause talking like that, man, not always useful.”

He also said of Generations more broadly, “My first record, Policy, was a book of short stories. Generations is more of a novel–despairing, funny, a little bit epic… A big chunk of this record is asking: What’s my place in American history? What’s my place in America’s present? Both in general–as a participant, as we all are, in the sh*t that’s going down–but, also extremely particularly: me as Will Butler, rich person, white person, Mormon, Yankee, parent, musician of some sort, I guess. What do I do? What can I do? The record asks that question over and over, even if it’s not much for answers.”

Watch the “Surrender” video above” and check out the Generations art and tracklist below.

1. Outta Here”
2. “Bethlehem”
3. “Close My Eyes ”
4. “I Don’t Know What I Don’t Know”
5. “Surrender”
6. “Hide It Away”
7. “Hard Times”
8. “Promised”
9. “Not Gonna Die”
10. “Fine”

Generations is out 9/25 via Merge. Pre-order it here.

Before the NBA landed on a 22-team format for its restart of the 2019-20 season in Orlando, much was made about the criteria for entry. For the Washington Wizards, it may seem to be a difficult sell as to why the franchise was included, especially when glancing at a 24-40 record that doubles as the worst mark of any team invited to the bubble environment. Still, Washington is within relative striking distance of the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference thanks to the play-in format that triggers a competition for the final spot if the ninth place team gets within four games of the 8-seed, and, by virtue of several teams landing behind the Wizards in the standings, Scott Brooks’ team got the call in pursuit of a playoff berth.

The sledding may be difficult, however, with Washington’s top two players, Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans, set to miss the on-court action, and the Wizards will be fighting an uphill battle. On top of the absences of Beal and Bertans, Thomas Bryant and Gary Payton II are not currently in Orlando after reported positive tests and Garrison Mathews did not travel for personal reasons, and whether those three eventually will join the team is unknown at this time.

ROSTER

Ish Smith
Shabazz Napier
Troy Brown
Rui Hachimura
Thomas Bryant (status uncertain)
Jerome Robinson
Gary Payton II (status uncertain)
Isaac Bonga
Garrison Mathews (status uncertain)
Jerian Grant
Ian Mahinmi
Moritz Wagner
Anzejs Pasecniks
Johnathan Williams
Admiral Schofield

SCHEDULE

Friday, July 31 – 4:00 pm ET – vs. Phoenix Suns
Sunday, Aug. 2 – 2:00 pm ET – vs. Brooklyn Nets
Monday, Aug. 3 – 4:00 pm ET – vs. Indiana Pacers
Wednesday, Aug. 5 – 4:00 pm ET – vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Friday, Aug. 7 – 8:00 pm ET – vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Sunday, Aug. 9 – 12:30 pm ET – vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday, Aug. 11 – 9:00 pm ET – vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Thursday, Aug. 13 – TBD – vs. Boston Celtics

STANDINGS

1. Milwaukee Bucks: 53-12
2. Toronto Raptors: 46-18 (6.5)
3. Boston Celtics: 43-21 (9.5)
4. Miami Heat: 41-24 (12.0)
5. Indiana Pacers: 39-26 (14.0)
6. Philadelphia 76ers: 39-26 (14.0)
7. Brooklyn Nets: 30-34 (22.5)
8. Orlando Magic: 30-35 (23.0)
9. Washington Wizards: 24-40 (28.5)

WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?

Even under ideal basketball circumstances with Beal and Bertans available, the Wizards would be unlikely to crash the eight-team party in the postseason. Washington only has to climb within four games to force a play-in tournament but, even if that takes place, the Wizards would need to win back-to-back games (at a neutral site) against a comparable opponent, further decreasing the likelihood. Still, there is a lot that can be accomplished, even if Washington plays only eight games.

More than anything, this should be a development scenario for the Wizards, who have a couple of young players to evaluate. It can be perilous to take too much from an eight-game sample but, much like a high-level Summer League experience, Washington can inform their future decision-making through this process. With their top two players out, bigger roles will be in store for the young Wizards, and getting experience in that role against quality NBA competition could be a very good thing — forcing a play-in series would be icing on the cake.

X-FACTOR

As noted above, this process should be development-focused, and the team’s best young prospect is Rui Hachimura. The 2019 lottery pick posted solid counting stats and quieted doubters during his rookie season, at least to some degree. At the same time, he struggled as a long-distance shooter (27 percent from three-point range) and Hachimura still faces questions about his ability to fit into a team context on both ends of the floor. Alongside him, 2018 first-round pick Troy Brown could flourish in this environment, and the 20-year-old showed real flashes during his second NBA season. Both will get ample opportunity in the bubble, and could boost their standing with the club with strong showings.

BIGGEST ON-COURT QUESTION

Every team in the bubble faces questions related to overall uncertainty, but that doubly applies to the Wizards. Washington was entering the process with a roster that produced a 24-40 record and, in removing the team’s top two pieces, the roster is a bit of a mess. A case could be made that the Wizards still have a deeper unit than the Brooklyn Nets as the teams battle for positioning but, in short, the Wizards have to prove they can defend. Washington was easily the worst defensive team in the NBA this season and, while Beal and Bertans didn’t necessarily help on that end of the floor, Brooks and his staff have a real challenge in coaxing quality defense out of this group — and to make matters worse, they don’t figure to replicate their offensive output without their leading scorers.

Back in late 2017, Apple faced one of the biggest controversies the company has ever experienced when users discovered that the company was throttling the performance capabilities of their older devices with aging batteries to better preserve battery life, a move that many iPhone owners felt forced them to upgrade to Apple’s latest devices. The controversy was so heavy that Apple not only apologized, but also offered to replace aging batteries for a massively discounted price, but that didn’t stop some from seeking legal action against the company by way of a class-action suit.

Now that legal action is finally bearing fruit, Apple has agreed to pay $500 million USD for purposely slowing down the processors of their older devices, which, according to the settlement, equals out to approximately $25 per device.

To qualify for the settlement you must have had either an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and/or an iPhone SE that ran iOS 10.2.1 or later before December 21st, 2017, or An iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus that ran iOS11.2 or later before December 21st, 2017.

To make your claim, a website has been created that allows users to enter the Serial Numbers of the serial number of their affected devices. In the event you don’t remember your serial number or if you don’t have the phone anymore, you can also look up your device using your previous Apple ID. The deadline to submit a claim is October 6th, 2020. The judge will sign off on the settlement after a final hearing on December 4th, after which the payouts will be distributed.

To make your claim, visit the settlement page here.

It’s been three years since Joey Badass last released a solo project, 2017’s All-Amerikkkan Badass. Since then, he — like the rest of the world — has gone through plenty of changes. He became a father, an icon of revolution, and a relatively successful actor with roles on Hulu’s Wu-Tang show and Freeform’s Grown-ish, and secured his first No. 1 plaque for cowriting on Post Malone’s “Rockstar.” He also participated in the first-ever Beast Coast crew compilation Escape From New York. However, it’s been quiet for him on the solo musical front — until now.

Earlier this week, Joey began to tease the release of new music, while today, he revealed just what it is he’s been working on. It’ll be a three-song EP called The Light Pack and he’s aiming for a July 17 release. The three songs are each geared toward a different aspect of “self” — Mind, Body, and Soul — and seem to have a more spiritualistic bent compared to the fiery political rhetoric of All-Amerikkkan Badass. While some fans in the comments of the Instagram post seem disappointed that only three new songs are immediately forthcoming, many are more excited to see his return to form and what his next musical evolution brings. Meanwhile, knowing Joey, there’s probably more right around the corner, so stay tuned.

The Light Pack is due 7/17 via Columbia Records.

Rising star Gabriel Garzón-Montano, who Drake once sampled (on 2015’s “Jungle“), is gearing up to make his return to music with the follow-up to his critically-hailed 2017 debut album Jardín. The New York-based artist, who is of Columbian and French descent, announced the title and release date of his next album, Agüita, with an adventurous video for the album’s title track, which he previewed earlier this year in a lively session for COLORS.

The video for “Agüita,” shot on-location in Medellin and Pereira, Colombia, uses stunning shots of Garzón-Montano in vibrant locations to bring the song’s thumping, Reggaeton-inspired production to vivid life. He’s joined by a fleet of dancers, who give a further jolt of electricity to the pulsatic instrumental and dyamic visuals.

Of the genre-bending music he’s been creating since Jardín, Garzón-Montano said via press release, “The idea of genre uses fear of failure as a baseline. Genre puts the music in a box. This album is anti-genre. Anti-fear. Anti-box.”

Watch Gabriel Garzón-Montano’s “Agüita” video above and check out the tracklist below.

01. “Tombs”
02. “With a Smile”
03. “Muñeca”
04. “Fields”
05. “Mira My Look”
06. “Moonless”
07. “Someone”
08. “Bloom”
09. “Agüita”
10. “Blue Dot”

Agüita, the album, is due 10/2 on Jagjaguwar/Stones Throw.

This week’s best new pop music saw so many releases that it was almost difficult to choose just ten to award Uproxx’s best new pop stamp of approval. Katy Perry returned with a joyful single off her upcoming record, James Blake releases his second song of the year, and Dominic Fike unveiled more details surrounding his highly-anticipated debut record.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop music. Listen up.

Katy Perry — “Smile”

With a big-name artist like Katy Perry releasing the brand-new single “Smile,” its sure to make Uproxx’s best new pop list. The singer is an ode to remembering life’s joys and Perry said she drew from past experiences for inspiration on the single: “I wrote this song when I was coming through one of the darkest periods of my life. When I listen to it now, it’s a great reminder that I made it through. It’s three minutes of energizing hopefulness.”

James Blake — “Are You Even Real?”

James Blake shares his second single of the year with the sublime number “Are You Even Real?” With the track, Blake continues expanding on his experimental electro-pop sound. Beginning slow, Blake evokes a dreamlike state with cascading keys and enveloping harmonies before a leisurely beat compliments the singer’s crooning vocals.

Dominic Fike — “Politics & Violence”

With “Politics & Violence,” Dominic Fike unveiled his debut album’s tracklist and release date. Staying true to his signature style, Fike opens the track with emotive strings and gently croons the chorus before delivering his sultry lyrics over a pounding beat.

Blackbear — “Queen Of Broken Hearts”

Following a collaboration with Ellie Goulding, Blackbear returns with a new single and the announcement of his forthcoming record, Everything Means Nothings. “‘Queen Of Broken Hearts’ is a song that recognizes social media as an evil villain — while looking introspectively at the bright light on my cell phone and the validation addiction,” Blackbear said in a statement. “As well as bringing my other bad habits in relationships & character defects into the light, I am social media and I will break your heart.”

Kaytranada — “Look Easy” Feat. Lucky Daye

Back in March, Kaytranada shared a handful of untitled tracks for an exclusive online DJ set. The songs were the first new music the Canadian producer shared but now Kaytranda is back with an official release. Tapping Lucky Daye, “Look Easy” is a breezy, feel-good track designed to uplift during these trying times.

Faouzia — “How It All Works”

After scoring a high-profile feature on the star-studded soundtrack to SCOOB!, Faouzia offers another glimpse of her intimate songwriting. “’How It All Works Out’ is one of my favourite songs that I’ve ever written,” Faouzia said in a statement. “I wrote this song on my first trip to Sweden and it holds a really special place in my heart. With everything going on in the world right now, I expect this song to have a different meaning for everyone.”

Bazzi — “I Don’t Think I’m Okay”

After his latest heartfelt single, Bazzi takes an introspective turn with “I Don’t Think I’m Okay.” Speaking about struggling with mental health, Bazzi said: “I made this song 8 months ago in a cabin in Big Bear, California. At the time I was going through the lowest yet most introspective time of my life. To be honest, I’m still feeling all the pain I felt back then. I’m still trying to defeat the same addictions & still battling the same demons… I’m not just trying to learn to direct that energy to different places, instead of allowing it to paralyze me emotionally.”

Deryk — “Call You Out”

New Zealand-based songwriter Deryk makes her musical debut with the earworm “Call You Out.” On the song, Deryk says, “‘Call You Out’ is about the feeling you get when you’ve missed an opportunity to say something you felt you should have said or could have been said if you’d been quick enough. […] There’s a shame and frustration that comes with not standing up for yourself or somebody else when you could have but you just froze, lost for words. You end up brewing for a few days, plotting, questioning whether to call them out, and that exact fury is what inspired the song.”

James Bay — “Chew On My Heart”

Three-time Grammy-nominated singer James Bay makes a splash with his first new single of the year. In a statement, Bay spoke the positive nature of the track: “‘Chew On My Heart’ is a great example of releasing something positive about myself publicly for the first time. It’s an outpouring of love, and that’s a huge theme across this new music. When I come home from tour, I burst through the door and throw my arms around my girl, and she’ll just say, ‘Okay, relax, cool.’ It’s cheesy, but I wrote it from that perspective. It’s the opposite of being guarded.”

Zachary Knowles — “City”

Budding artist Zachary Knowles dives into his feelings on “City.” A reflection of the difficulties of a long-distance relationship, “City” marks a strong effort from the artist, who is the latest signee of the Fader label.

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

People have handled their newfound pandemic lifestyles in various ways. For Karen O, her creative outlet has been painting, and it’s been for a good cause, too. The Year Yeah Yeahs leader has teamed up with Napa Valley winery Ashes & Diamonds for a limited edition collaboration, which will benefit charity.

Karen O and the winery have linked up to create 18 “uniquely individual, hand-painted magnum Rosé bottles,” which are being sold starting today for $250 each. All proceeds will go to The Okra Project, which provides “home-cooked, culturally specific meals, monetary grocery assistance, and food education” to Black Trans people.

Karen O said aside from supporting a worthy cause, this collaboration also gave her an opportunity to be creative, as she hasn’t felt musically inspired during the pandemic:

“I had been yearning to just sit at my desk and paint and draw for years. The part of my brain that I use to make music shut off when the pandemic hit, so this quiet project of falling into a Kenneth Anger-esque fairytale was a nice place to go when I couldn’t go anywhere. Where I could lean my head on the shoulder of Lou Reed’s muse Rachel as the underworld closed in around us, where nymphs have tangled tresses and swim with stilettos, where I could wash and be clean in the smoke and the rain. I’m grateful for the opportunity to support The Okra Project who provide meals and resources to the Black Trans community and thankful for Ashes & Diamonds and The Okra Project and the work they are doing. This little project fed the soul in these troubled times.”

The bottles are currently on sale here.

Right now, Millenials on Twitter are reminiscing about the days of MySpace which means somewhere, millions of Zoomers are making fun of them for being old. With 55.6K tweets, the social media platform is one of the morning’s top trends as people remember a day when the world’s most popular social media platform wasn’t aiding in the erosion of American democracy, and we all, for better or worse, knew a little bit of HTML.

Twitter users are even noting the differences between Myspace co-founder (and everyone’s first friend) Thomas Anderson (aka Tom) and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. Tom, it appears, has lived a pretty chill life since stepping away from Myspace. According to Business Insider, Tom sold Myspace in 2005 for $580 million dollars and is currently enjoying a life traveling the world and posting wildly vivid photos on his Instagram page, which undoubtedly makes him the coolest person who was ever in your Top 8.

While everyone on Twitter is busy remembering everything that made Myspace great, let’s not forget how much of a mess some people’s pages were (we weren’t all great at coding), how annoying hidden music players were, and just how friendship ruining the Top 8 could actually be. It’s likely that the things that we remember most fondly about the days of Myspace aren’t actually any of the platform’s features, but rather the fact that parents were too out of touch to use it when we were all blissfully unaware teenagers or preteens. If Myspace were around today, just think of how insane those bulletins would be!

That Myspace Music was fire though.

Trevor Daniel got a big-time assist from Selena Gomez last month when she joined him on a new version of his song “Past Life.” Now the two have linked up again, this time on a video for the track.

The clip begins with a recording of the two singing the song on a joint Instagram Live broadcast. From there, the shots expand beyond the phone and into macro shots of Gomez and Daniels’ faces. Their heads then transform into expansive nature landscapes, with geologic features like ears and eyelashes looking giant in the background.

The pair sings on the chorus, “Last night was the last night of my past life / Got me here like you could never figure me out / Last night was the last time, was the last time / I never let you figure me out.”

Gomez previously said of hearing the original version of the song, “When I heard the song the first time, I loved the fact that it was kind of like a story about all the things that we tend to hold onto and the patterns that we have. And I’m very, very vocal about my personal experiences, making decisions that aren’t necessarily healthy for me.”

This is the latest output in her busy 2020. She began the year by releasing Rare, which was her first album in over four years. She also dropped a deluxe edition of the album, produced a rom-com, and worked on her own cooking show.

Watch the “Past Life” video above.