Today (March 28), Uchis shares the forthcoming project’s lead single, “Sunshine & Rain…” The raw record continues in Kali’s profoundly delicate songwriting and even gentler vocal production. While “Sunshine & Rain…” at its core is about romantic empathy during a relationships peaks and valleys, Uchis’ voice is a warm sensation felt only from a constant ray of light.
“I do nothing in the dark ’cause I believe in karma / When will I forgive my heart for always getting me in trouble / God knows I play my part and always understands me / So used to everyone misunderstanding / Wish I didn’t let my emotions run the way they ran me / Gave you my heart to hold, will I end up empty-handed / Riding through the storm brought me much-needed clarity,” she sings.
In the chorus, Kali delicately emphasizes the strength that comes along with understanding, singing, “Through sunshine and rain, as seasons change / We all need somebody that makes the Earth feel heavenly / Maybe I’ll be that somebody ’cause you’re that someone to me / Through sunshine and rain, as seasons change.”
“The album is about the complexities of life and finding ways to find joy in life despite the world,” she said. “Finding ways to appreciate every moment and not take life for granted. Treat every day special. It’s my most existential and honest work. It’s definitely the most beautiful body of work to me, and it’s going to be, for me, the most meaningful and impactful.”
But “Sunshine & Rain…” demonstrates that she’s found a way to channel those debilitating emotions into an evolved set of songs rather than banishing herself into void of bitterness.
Listen to “Sunshine & Rain…” above.
Sincerely is out 5/9 via UMG. Find more information here.
Among her many musical attributes, Lucy Dacus’ greatest quality might be her voice. It’s a uniquely expressive and timeless-sounding instrument. When she sings, she can emote in a way that feels both operatic and restrained, like Edith Piaf on SSRI’s. It’s what has enabled Dacus, at her best, to put over songs that lyrically sketch intimate scenes that read as relatable and lived-in on the page, but as music take on the scope of grand, life-changing melodrama. It can evoke the intensity of falling love for the first time, or experiencing the worst heartache in your life, or even both sensations simultaneously.
But when Dacus’ songs don’t quite hit the mark, that voice can also hem her in. Dacus does not typically shout or whisper — that voice pretty much sticks to the same smoldering frequency for every occasion. It’s up to the music surrounding that voice, therefore, to supply some dynamics. On some of her most loved songs, like “Night Shift” or “I Don’t Want To Be Funny Anymore,” Dacus’ melancholic vocals are complemented by loud guitars, like sweet jelly matched by gritty, crunchy peanut butter. But when the music veers into what I’ll call the “Triple A Radio Zone” — the folk-inflected soft rock that populates the public radio affiliate in your town — the effect can be like eating a heavy lunch or drinking a Bloody Mary for breakfast. That mellifluous purr will lull you into an untimely slumber.
Such is the case with Forever Is A Feeling, Dacus’ debut for Geffen Records and the first record from any of the Boygeniuses since their magical run of arena shows and Grammy Awards a few years back. There are advantages and disadvantages to being the earliest post-zeitgeist canary in the coal mine. Pluses include a considerable media push, with late-night talk show appearances and a glowing profile in The New Yorkerthat describes her supergroup as “a kind of generational loadstone, a flash of hope in an era defined by catastrophic backsliding.”
The potential downside, however, is that it’s awfully tough to follow up on the “headlining Madison Square Garden” chapter of your career. Expectations, naturally, are going to be sky-high, particularly when you’re the one putting out music first. And yet Dacus does not appear overly concerned with knocking her audience’s socks off. Forever Is A Feeling has a noticeably mellower pitch than her previous records. Dacus’ recent admission to a relationship with bandmate Julien Baker was, perhaps, inevitable given the homey and grateful love songs that populate the record. It’s possible Boygenius’ obsessive fan base would have heard a line like “If the Devil’s in the details / then God is in the gap in your teeth” (from “For Keeps”) and not immediately think of Baker. But it’s unlikely, just as they would have picked up on the part in “Modigliani” — named after the famous 20th century Italian painter and sculptor — where Dacus swoons, “I like watching you win over a new crowd / You can make ’em go wild, you can leave ’em spellbound / But you will never be famous to me.” To Dacus’ credit, these references don’t feel exploitative, but rather like extensions of the diaristic songs she has always written. Though she, unsurprisingly, also seems far more contented now.
Personal fulfillment, of course, is what one would wish for any person, even a singer-songwriter known for sometimes conveying extreme emotional distress. All the public can reasonably hope for from an artist are tunes that stick in your head and linger in your heart. In that department, Forever Is A Feeling is considerably less eternal that the album’s starry-eyed title. Produced mostly by Dacus with the assistance of the suddenly ubiquitous Blake Mills — he’s also on recent releases by Japanese Breakfast and Perfume Genius — Forever resides in a frustratingly mushy mid-tempo lane outfitted with twinkly string sections and gentle guitar strums and fluttery piano licks. The music, while well-crafted, is dully repetitive, particularly nondescript fare like “Talk” and “Come Out” that could have appeared on any of the countless Boygenius-inspired singer-songwriter releases from the past few years. That goes double for the light shuffle “Bullseye,” featuring a court-ordered cameo from Hozier, the current grand poobah of the Triple A Radio Zone.
It wasn’t always like this. At the risk of sounding like a broken record when it comes to criticizing new albums by indie stars, I couldn’t help but think back to Dacus’ 2016 debut, No Burden, which established her as an easy-to-root-for underdog. On that album, she was often compared to Courtney Barnett, the sly Australian singer-songwriter with a hankering for heavy, quasi-grunge guitars. And, lo and behold, No Burden songs like the heavy-riffing “Troublemaker Doppelgänger” practically sound like Queens Of The Stone Age relative to the rather tepid music Dacus is making now.
Artists evolve, surely, and I don’t expect or want anyone to simply reiterate by rote the sound of their earliest records. But something approaching the energy of “Troublemaker Doppelgänger” is sorely needed to liven up the sleepy Forever. The penultimate track, “Most Wanted Man,” comes closest — a country rocker with Big Star guitar chords, it sounds way looser than the rest of the record, with Dacus reminiscing about splurging for a $700 hotel room at the Ritz and “living the dream before we fully pass our prime.”
Forever otherwise is stuck in a rather boring musical rut. Which only makes some of the lyrical misfires stand out more egregiously. On Boygenius’ The Record, Dacus was dinged for an infamous lyric about Leonard Cohen and his “horny poetry,” which sounded more like an attempt to create a popular meme than a standout song. This habit, unfortunately, continues on Forever Is A Feeling, with my least favorite line coming from the otherwise solid single “Best Guess,” where Dacus repurposes an old Sunday School nursery rhyme with cringey results: “Here is the church / Here is the steeple / You were looking for saints / but you only found people.” I’m also not a fan of the part in “Ankles” where Dacus describes a sexual interlude thusly: “So bite me on the shoulder / pull my hair / and let me touch you where I want to- / there, there, there, there, there.” I’m sorry but this simply is too, too, too, too, too much information.
Dacus is a smart, perceptive artist, and she’s currently navigating the trickiest part of her career. If Forever Is A Feeling feels less than assured, it might be chalked up, charitably, as a valuable learning experience. Here is an example of what not to do. What’s next is bound to be better.
Happy Brighter Days Ahead day to those who celebrate: Today (March 28) brought the release of Ariana Grande’s new deluxe album, Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead. The midnight release was followed this morning by a new short film, written and directed by Grande alongside Christian Breslauer.
Grande previously said of the deluxe album, “It’s funny because I really thought that it was just a very concise body of work that it what it is, and I think, forever in my head, Eternal Sunshine is that album. But, with time, I’m like, ‘Oh, maybe there are some new ideas that could be included.’ But yeah, I’ve been writing a lot, and maybe there’s some more, but I would like to do a deluxe at some point.”
Check out the Brighter Days Ahead short film above.
Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead is out now via Republic Records. Find more information here.
Any time somebody is named the greatest of all time at something, debate will inevitably follow. Billie Eilish, though, is confident when it comes to her pick for the best female rapper of all time.
On a new episode of Complex’s GOAT Talk that was shared yesterday (March 27), Eilish declared, “Nicki Minaj is, like, obviously […] Nicki is GOAT, for sure.”
Some Eilish fans were annoyed with Minaj in 2023, as it was believed that Eilish was set to feature on Minaj’s then-upcoming album Pink Friday 2. But, Minaj ended up just sampling Eilish’s “When The Party’s Over” for “Are You Gone Already.” After the album dropped, Minaj shared flowers and a card she got from Eilish and Finneas, with the card reading, “Congratulations and thank you for letting us into your world!” Minaj captioned her post, “Thank you for making this moment so special for me.”
Elsewhere in the video, Eilish discussed some picks for her “GOAT song that feels like your life anthem,” mentioning Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” “G.U.Y.,” and “Alejandro.” She also revealed the best gift she’s ever received (her first car, a matte black Dodge Challenger, from her label), her best album to cry to (Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie & Lowell), and more.
Gorillaz have had some lengthy gaps between albums before: 2017’s Humanz came out over six years after 2010’s The Fall. But, they’ve been dropping projects at a good, consistent clip lately, most recently releasing Cracker Island in 2023. Now, it looks like they have a follow-up just about ready to go and set to launch in 2025.
In a recent interview with French publication Les Inrockuptibles, Damon Albarn said (as Billboard notes, translated from French), “I’m finishing a new Gorillaz album. One opera and one new Gorillaz album seems like enough for 2025! Unless someone accuses me of taking my foot off the gas!”
Furthermore, Gorillaz visual artist Jamie Hewlett reportedly told a Gorillaz fan account on Instagram, “Yes, the new album is coming out this year.” The same post also claims Albarn said on a French podcast that he’ll be finished the album in six weeks.
Meanwhile, aside from a new Gorillaz album in 2023, Albarn also returned to Blur to drop the album The Ballad Of Darren. But, Albarn may ultimately be ready to put Blur behind him for good, as he said while performing at Coachella with the band in 2024, “In the spirit of clarity and truth, this is probably our last gig.”
Steven and Ian kill some time at the start chatting about the return of Tobias Jesso Jr. and Steven’s recent list of the best 21st century indie-rock albums, which generated some buzz online. But they devote most of the episode discussing a full slate of new releases this week. First up is Lucy Dacus, who is back with a big new release on a major label. But is the album a major achievement? After that, they do quick hits on new albums from Destroyer, Deafheaven, and Perfume Genius. Have any of these veteran acts put out new work that matches their best? They report, you decide!
In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks up the new release from indie-emo band Palmyra and Steven stumps for country singer Charley Crockett.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 232 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.
Dua Lipa and Troye Sivan go synthwave in “Physical,” their boisterous new dance anthem. The collaboration borrows a very ’80s aesthetic, with New Wave-inspired drums and synth bass, as they implore the listener to “keep on dancin’.” It’s a perfect synthesis of what the two pop stars do best — and a welcome lane swerve after Lipa’s past fixation on glittery disco-pop — evoking memories of the aerobics-obsessed decade that gave us leg warmers and neon spandex. The song wouldn’t be out of place in the workout show from The Substance.
In hyping the upcoming collaboration, which was released to honor the fifth anniversary of Dua Lipa’s second studio album Future Nostalgia, the English star wrote, “Thank you for the memories that I have to last me a lifetime ~ keeping me dancing all around the world. Grateful beyond words and thanking my lucky stars every day for music and the power that it has over me and the ability it has had time and time again to connect us all no matter where we are on this floating rock!!!!” Although the track was previously leaked by a fan (with Lipa’s blessing), that hasn’t stopped fans from clamoring for a — ahem — “physical” release. Consider that wish officially granted.
You can listen to Dua Lipa’s “Physical” with Troye Sivan above.
Over the past few weeks, Lil Nas X dropped a string of new singles at an alarming rate. After kicking things off in November with “Light Again” and “Need Dat Boy,” he went into overdrive earlier this month, dropping “Big Dummy,” “Swish,” “Right There,” and “Hotbox” in one week. After capping off the stream with the release of “Lean On My Body” last week, Nas has collected all eight tracks in one place: his new EP, Days Before Dreamboy.
The title appears to have two references in it. One is, of course, the name of his upcoming second studio album, Dreamboy, on which it was assumed all the above tracks would eventually appear. Now, we have no idea whether or not any of them will be on the album, or what the album will sound like. The other reference appears to be to Travis Scott’s 2014 mixtape Days Before Rodeo, which preceded the Houston artist’s 2015 album Rodeo. The point of that project was to promote the then-upcoming debut album, which it did with a slew of songs that were eventually cut from the final tracklisting. Days Before Rodeo was reissued to streaming last year, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
It looks like Lil Nas X is taking a different tack, putting out Days Before Dreamboy to streaming as an EP after previously releasing all its songs individually. We’ll have to see how this affects the eventual release of Dreamboy, the album, which is expected to drop sometime this year.
With her debut album Why Not More? just a month away from release, Coco Jones releases a romantic new single. “You” finds her waxing poetic about her paramour, and luxuriating in the feeling of falling in love. “I wanna be living with you, we go together,” she croons. “Like brand-new shoes in perfect weather / Lil’ mama fine and he a dime piece / Gotta be from Heaven, looking like my blessing.”
“You” is the fourth single from Why Not More?, following the 2024 releases of “Here We Go (Uh Oh)” and its Leon Thomas-featuring remix and “Most Beautiful Design” featuring London on da Track and Future, as well as the February release of “Taste,” which doubled as the album announcement. Coco also announced the dates for the album promo tour, which kicks off in May.
You can listen to Coco Jones’ new single “You” above.
Coco Jones Why Not More? Tour Dates
05/06 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
05/07 – Washington, DC @ Echostage
05/09 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
05/10 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
05/12 – New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
05/13 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
05/14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
05/16 – Toronto, ON @ HISTORY
05/18 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
05/19 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
05/21 – Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre
05/22 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
05/23 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore Minneapolis
05/25 – Denver, CO @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece
05/28 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
05/30 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
05/31 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
06/02 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
06/04 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
06/06 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo
06/07 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
06/10 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
06/11 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
06/13 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
06/14 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
06/15 – San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre
06/17 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
06/18 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre
06/20 – Birmingham, AL @ Iron City
06/21 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
06/24 – Richmond, VA @ The National
06/25 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
06/26 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
UK/European Dates
9/10 — Cologne, DE @ Live Music Hall
9/11 — Berlin, DE @ Huxley’s Neue Welt
9/12 — Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
9/14 — Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
9/17 — Paris, FR @ Élysée Montmartre
9/19 — London, UK @ Roundhouse
Why Not More? is due on 4/25 via Def Jam Recordings. You can find more info here.
Just about a month ago (give or take a day), Little Simz announced the forthcoming release of her sixth studio album Lotus with the single “Flood.” Today, the British rapper released the second single, the dreamily soulful “Free.”
Like plenty of Simz’s songs to date, the track’s an introspective look at the term “love,” with Simz taking on multiple meanings of the word past just the usual romantic context it’s most often used in. “I think that love is forgiving yourself,” she muses. “I think that love is offering your immediate help / I think that love is everything that we need in this world / I think the key is being honest and being yourself.”
Lotus arrives as Simz’s public profile is at its peak following collaborations with Coldplay and Sampha, as well as the three-year build from her last album, No Thank You.
Unfortunately, she’s also in the middle of a legal battle with former producer Inflo, whom she recently sued for $2.2 million (or £1.7 million) which he borrowed from her and never paid back. Maybe this explains the cancellation of her 2022 North American tour.
Listen to Little Simz’s new single “Free” up top.
Lotus is due on 5/9 via AWAL Recordings. You can find more info here.
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