Next month, Saturday Night Live viewers will be treated to a live performance from Arcade Fire. The timing is good since the “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” band is about to drop a new album, Pink Elephant. Today (April 25), the band shared the title track. Similarly to the track’s production, the “Pink Elephant” lyrics paint a story of emotional restriction.
“Take your mind off me a little while / In the darkest place I saw you smile / And the way it all changed / Makes me wanna cry, but / Take your mind off me, yeah,” sings Win Butler.
While the song may be new to some supporters, Arcade Fire premiered “Pink Elephant” during their performance at Willie Nelson’s 2025 Luck Festival.
As NME notes, Butler discussed the mechanics of making the record on Arcade Fire’s Circle Of Trust app.
“When you feel like you’re making a record, sometimes a song contains the universe, that you know other songs – even if they haven’t shown up yet – are gonna show up,” she said. “Cause they’re related to the universe of that song.”
He continued, “It’s like, if you’re in a desert, and you find a well. It’s the only well in that part of the desert. And you see one animal walk up – you know other animals are nearby, ’cause everyone’s coming to the same well. If you find that one exotic creature, other songs are gonna come to hang out in the same place.”
Listen to “Pink Elephant” above.
Pink Elephant is out 5/9 via Columbia. Find more information here.
Oasis fans have faced issues when it comes to ticket sales for the band’s long-awaited reunion tour. That’s not even taking scammers into account: As Far Out notes, bad actors have collectively swindled fans for around £2 million, or about $2.6 million. And, it seems, that’s just in the UK.
Per a report from Lloyds Banking Group, fans have lost an average of £436 (roughly $580) per scam, about £200 ($266) more than the bank sees with concert ticket scams. The bank found Oasis tickets have made up over half of all reported concert scams so far in 2025, and that one fan lost over £1,700 ($2,260) trying to get a ticket.
Liz Ziegler, the Fraud Prevention Director at Lloyds, said, “The fact that so many cases start with fake listings on social media, often in violation of the platforms’ own rules, underscores the importance of these companies taking stronger action to tackle scams.”
Meanwhile, Oasis is once again nominated for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and Liam Gallagher once again couldn’t care less. In February, he tweeted, “RNR hall of fame is for WANKERS.” A user replied, “What are you gonna do if you win,” and Gallagher responded, “Obv go and say it’s the best thing EVER.” In another tweet, he said, “I’m gonna go and pick up the award and say I’ll let you off this is a wonderful honour and id like to thank all of the GODS starting with MYSELF.”
It has never been easier to get into the world of mezcal. A few years back, when the artisanal mezcal market started to really pop off, all sorts of new brands emerged. Many of those brands were made from interesting varieties of wild agave and utilized traditional small batch production techniques.
This resulted in a lot of great bottles, which were so prohibitively expensive that it led many beginning drinkers toward tequila, since it was easier to find and generally much less expensive.
But since then, the mezcal market has exploded, and now we’re getting all sorts of great bottles for a much more affordable price. To help you find the best entry point — or, if you’re already a seasoned mezcal lover, point you in the direction of some great affordable bottles — we put eight bottles to the blind taste test.
Methodology:
To keep this list as affordable as possible, we decided on a below $50 price point. At this price, you’ll find some seriously delicious bottles that won’t break the bank but still contain some of the magic that the higher-end artisanal varieties provide.
Here is today’s tasting class:
Amaras Espadín Joven
Dos Hombres Espadìn
El Silencio Espadín
Illegal Mezcal Reposado
Madre Mezcal Espadín
Maguey Del Vida Puebla
Manojo Mezcal Joven
Rosaluna Joven
I sampled a pour of each at random in an unmarked glass, recorded my initial tasting notes, and ranked each accordingly. This roster was a mix of bottles we were familiar with and some new brands on the market. While there is an obvious hierarchy, a lot of our picks were neck and neck for this taste test, so if you come across one on sale, take the deal!
Let’s drink.
Part 1: The Mezcal Blind Taste Test
Taste 1:
Dane Rivera
Nose: Very vegetal on the nose with notes of green pepper and celery leaf joined by a touch of smoke.
Palate: Chili pepper spice hits the palate first, followed by a fresh leather flavor and a heavy spiced wood.
Finish: You can really taste that barrel on the finish, with minimal smoke. This one goes down smooth.
Taste 2:
Dane Rivera
Nose: A mix of agave, salt water, and wet clay. Very natural.
Palate: I’m tasting bright and buttery popcorn tones with a sweet vanilla kiss, followed by zesty pepper and wet soil.
Finish: That vanilla reappears on a very short finish mixed with a touch of hit and smoke.
Taste 3:
Dane Rivera
Nose: A bit of cotton candy joined by toasted caramel notes and a crisp woody character.
Palate: Smokey as it hits your palate before those sweet caramel notes come in, followed by butter, and a subtle burn.
Finish: Very buttery on the finish, joined by notes of pine.
Taste 4:
Dane Rivera
Nose: A hint of green apple skin joined by acetone and milk chocolate.
Palate: Bright, crisp, and very fruity. I’m tasting peach, grapefruit, and caramelized agave.
Finish: A light smoke kiss with a stone fruit finish.
Taste 5:
Dane Rivera
Nose: A mix of tart green apple skin and banana peel, joined by a hint of bubble gum.
Palate: I’m getting a lot of charred fruit here, specifically mango, with a white pepper funk and some smokey mesquite tones.
Finish: This one ends a bit short and flat.
Taste 6:
Dane Rivera
Nose: Rich roasted agave notes on the nose joined by fresh jalapeño.
Palate: A nice layer of citrus and tropical fruits. I’m tasting mango, pineapple, and grapefruit.
Finish: Silky smooth with a long kiss of mesquite smoke.
Taste 7:
Dane Rivera
Nose: Bright and crisp with some soothing herbaceous notes.
Palate: Cilantro and celery on the palate with a touch of sea salted pear.
Finish: Surprisingly lacking in smoke. It’s smooth and crisp, rather than smoky and spicy.
Taste 8:
Da
Dane Rivera
For the price, it doesn’t offer enough flavor. We can imagine this one working well as a cocktail base though.
Dos Hombres is most known for being the brand by Breaking Bad costars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. I’m sorry to the boys, but this one fell flat to us in this blind taste test.
An unaged joven made from hand-harvested espadín agave, we found this mezcal to be too mellow and smoothed out.
The Bottom Line:
For the price, it doesn’t offer enough flavor. We can imagine this one working well as a cocktail base though.
This expression from Madre is made using a single varietal of agave, espadín, sourced from the foothills of Oaxaca Mexico and sports a tasty — but simple — earthy flavor with a sweet aftertaste.
While this one is missing depth, it serves as a great over-the-rocks sipper, which is a rarity for this price range.
The Bottom Line:
It didn’t take our tastebuds on a journey like a lot of the other bottles we tasted today, but the flavor was good. We’d flag this one as a good bottle for mezcal beginners.
Illegal’s reposado was the only aged mezcal in our tasting lineup today, so it was pretty easy to pick out. We tried not to let that affect where we ranked it. Generally, an aged mezcal is going to run you easily over $50, so picking this up at this price is a steal!
This repo has received Gold Medal recognition from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and was named the Best Reposado in 2023 by Esquire.
We wouldn’t go that far, but this one was pretty good, especially if you shy away from the smokey notes of mezcal.
The Bottom Line:
A nice middle ground between the smoky and spicy flavors of mezcal, and the more mellow bright notes of tequila. An ideal bottle for tequila drinkers looking to dip their toes in the mezcal waters.
We know bottle design isn’t anything, but it’s kind of amazing that you can get a mezcal that looks this nice and premium, but only costs $30. But that’s the mezcal market for you — a spirit that prioritizes aesthetics.
El Silencio’s mezcal hails from Oaxaca and is made from hand-picked 7-9 year old espadín agave that is slow-roasted, crushed, and double-distilled.
The Bottom Line:
Smokey, yet sweet, El Silencio’s espadín is a versatile bottle that is ideal for sipping, shooting, and mixing.
Manojo is significant, if not only because it’s hands down the most expensive mezcal in this lineup (it sits right under our price cut off). This brand comes from famed Mexican chef Enrique Olvera (head chef of CDMX’s Pujo and NYC’s Cosme) and is produced by the mezcalero power couple Joel Velasco and Felicitas Hernández.
The mezcal is produced in San Luis del Río from nine-year-old espadín agave that is cooked in an earthen oven, tahona crushed, fermented, and twice distilled through copper pot stills.
The Bottom Line:
It tastes great, and is supremely smooth. To our palate, this tastes like a mezcal that was designed to be a solid cocktail base. As such, you might not get as much out of sipping it as you’d hope for the price, but if you want a mezcal that elevates your cocktails rather than distracts, this is the ideal pick.
Rosaluna is going for a very specific type of mezcal drinker. The brand proudly totes itself as organic, gluten and carb-free (what mezcal isn’t?), plant-based (what mezcal isn’t?), and vegan (again, what mezcal isn’t?!).
Teasing aside, Rosaluna is serious stuff that is produced using a six-generation process that utilizes the hearts of over-ripened agave that is harvested after eight years, charred in an oak earthen put, tahona extracted, fermented in pine fats for eight days, and double distilled through copper pots.
The Bottom Line:
Balanced between fruity and smoky notes with a pleasing spicy finish.
Often cited as a “beginner’s mezcal,” the reason Del Maguey Vida’s single village joven mezcal, Puebla, is so inviting is because of its easy-to-drink flavor that balances smoky earthiness with a sweet fruity finish.
This mezcal is produced in Axocopan, Puebla from local agave that is slow roasted in an earthen oven, naturally fermented, and distilled in copper pots.
The Bottom Line:
Incredibly easy to drink. This light and fruity mezcal is heavy on the sweet tones and keeps its smokier notes gentle and palate-pleasing.
Amarás’ Espadín is a multi-gold medal-winning mezcal made from espadín agave sourced from the Oaxacan mountains harvested at peak maturity (about 8 years old). The agave is slow-roasted in a conical stone oven lit by oak, Egyptian milled, and fermented in pine vats before being distilled through a copper pot.
What stood out to us immediately was just how smoothly this expression travels across the palate, but it still contains those smoky and herbaceous notes we expect out of mezcal. While it was hard to rank some of the others on this list, this was an easy pick for our top spot. For the money, it tastes like it punches way above its weight, and that’s just what we’re looking for!
The Bottom Line:
Gentle and crisp, with a nice mix of herbaceous, smoky, and buttery notes. This one is very easy to drink, so be warned.
With his sixth studio album, Wild, set for release this summer, Russ has already shared “April 7” and the dates for his Into The W!ld tour.
Today, he continues the album’s rollout with the video for “Pent Up In A Penthouse.” The simple but striking video features the artist rapping in front of a blue background, with his face covered in grisly injuries. As he continues his performance, though, the injuries undo themselves, one by one, until he looks fresh as a daisy.
The effect parallels his lyrics, which recap his self-improvement and attitude toward his recent successes: “Scared of success once my pre-frontal cortex developed / Perfectly good opportunities feel like a setup / That sh*t be hobbling me, I cannot get a leg-up / Out in Tribeca, book me the penthouse ’cause all of this pressure is pent-up.”
Today (April 25) Flo Milli announced the birth of her son on Instagram. Alongside the bundle of joy’s arrival, Flo Milli released her new song outlining how she ended up on maternity leave.
On “Gripper” featuring T-Pain, Flo Milli details just how her lady purse’s hold has her fiancée stuck. “He eat it up in the backseat, I’m runnin’ like it’s a track meet / I know this boy wanna trap me, okay / He wanna give me a baby, I want him to give me Mercedes / You playin’ my face like poker, I’m pullin’ your card on the daily / If I see that ho, I’ma choke her, you tellin’ me, ‘Act like a lady,’” raps Flo Milli.
Confirming the song samples T-Pain’s 2005 classic “I’m N Luv (Wit A Stripper),” it was only right for him to make an appearance on the raunchy tune. T-Pain held nothing back matching the sexual nature of the record, singing: “Baby, I can see that thing grippin’ on me / I’m in the back, don’t know how to act, I got the best seat in the house / Feel like it ain’t one in ten, it’s gon’ be three / Didn’t your mama teach you not to snatch nothin / Now my soul gone, I’ma have to clean out your mouth / Look at that ass on her / Nothin’ I can say, it ain’t no way that I was gon’ last longer.”
Flo Milli first teased the tune when she announced her pregnancy. So, for it to arrive after she’s successfully delivered her child is rather poetic.
The Stagecoach 2025 lineup just got a little bigger. The country-focused music festival announced that Mumford & Sons will play the Palomino Stage on Friday, April 25 (today!). The group goes on at 6:55 pm PT, between sets from Whiskey Myers (5:40-6:25) and Lana Del Rey (8:10-9:10).
Mumford & Sons released a new album, Rushmere, last month, so Stagecoach attendees can expect the trio to mix in recent favorites like the title track and “Caroline” with familiar hits, including “I Will Wait,” “The Wolf,” and “Guiding Light.”
You can find the complete Stagecoach 2025 lineup (now including Mumford & Sons) below.
Stagecoach 2025 Lineup
49 Winchester
Abby Anderson
Abi Carter
Alana Springsteen
Alexandra Kay
Angel White
Anne Wilson
Annie Bosko
Ashley McBryde
Austin Snell
Avery Anna
Backstreet Boys
Blessing Offor
Brent Cobb
Brothers Osborne
Bryan Martin
Carly Pearce
Chayce Beckham
Colby Acuff
Conner Smith
Creed
Crystal Gayle
Dasha
Diplo’s Honkytonk
Drake Milligan
Drew Parker
Dylan Gossett
Dylan Scott
Flatland Cavalry
George Birge
Goo Goo Dolls
Jelly Roll
John Morgan
Kashus Culpepper
Koe Wetzel
Lana Del Rey
Lanie Gardner
Louie TheSinger
Luke Combs
Maddox Batson
Mae Estes
Midland
Mumford & Sons
Myles Kennedy
Nelly (25 Years of Country Grammar)
Nikki Lane
Niko Moon
Noeline Hofmann
Sammy Hagar
Scotty McCreery
Shaboozey
Sierra Ferrell
Sturgill Simpson
Tanner Usrey
The Bacon Brothers
The Castellows
The Wilder Blue
Tiera Kennedy
Tigerlily Gold
Tommy James & The Shondells
T-Pain
Tracy Lawrence
Treaty Oak Revival
Tucker Wetmore
Vincent Mason
Waylon Wyatt
Whiskey Myers
Zach Bryan
Both country cowboys use the triumphant track to battle their internal demons while encouraging others to do the same.
“On a lost and lonely highway paying for my sins / If heaven saw me out last Friday I’m lying in it / I’m getting used to getting sideways ’til I can’t see straight / Them angels know they don’t look my way / I’m way too gone to save / I’m digging my grave down 12 feet deep / Got none left so I’m on my knees begging / Somebody say a prayer for me,” sings Shaboozey.
On the track’s second verse, Jelly Roll shares his testimony. “In a dusty Silverado running low on gracе / Heading nowhere fast with my feet up on thе dash / Just hoping I see the day / I ain’t ashamed of the man in the mirror / And the man upstairs ain’t either / And I can finally set my life straight / And be the man my mama raised,” sings Jelly Roll.
Watch Shaboozey’s visualizer for “Amen” with Jelly Roll.
Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going: The Complete Edition is out now via American Dogwood / EMPIRE. Find more information here.
Zara Larsson has a new album coming out… later this year. There’s no date yet, but on Friday (April 25), the pop star shared the first single from her new era, “Pretty Ugly.”
The swaggering track — which was written by Larsson, MNEK, Helena Gao, and Margo Wildman, and produced by Margo XS and MNEK — sounds like a cheerleader chant made for the club. The Charlotte Rutherford-directed video matches the rowdy vibes. It begins with Larsson getting blasted backwards by a towering wall of speakers turned all the way up. From there, she shows off some impressive choreography with a group of female dancers, who begin fighting once it starts raining. Go ahead, “bless your eyes” with the chaos.
Watch the “Pretty Ugly” video above. Later this year, Larsson is joining Tate McRae on the road for the Miss Possessive Tour. You can see those dates below.
Zara Larsson’s 2025 Tour Dates: Tate McRae’s Miss Possessive Tour
08/04 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena *
08/05 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena *
08/07 — Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place *
08/09 — Winnipeg, MB @ Canada Life Centre *
08/13 — Saint Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center *
08/15 — Chicago, IL @ United Center *
08/16 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena *
08/19 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena *
08/22 — Ottawa, ON @ Canadian Tire Centre *
08/24 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
08/26 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden *
08/27 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden *
08/29 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Arena *
08/31 — Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena *
09/03 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
09/04 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
09/06 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center *
09/09 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena *
09/11 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena *
09/13 — Orlando, FL @ Kia Center *
09/14 — Orlando, FL @ Kia Center *
09/16 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center *
09/18 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center *
09/20 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena *
09/24 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center *
09/26 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum *
09/27 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum *
Considering spring has not yet reached its peak, talks about the summer seem premature. Still, Ayra Starr has officially entered her bid for the song of the forthcoming season.
After teasing parts of the tune online, today (April 25), Starr’s new song “Gimme Dat” featuring Wizkid finally dropped, and it was far exceeds all musical expectations you might have had. Starr’s previous record “All The Love” an anthem for unlocking your self-worth. But “Gimme Dat” is the soundtrack when two people with that track blissful find one another.
“Gimme dat love, gimme peace of mind / Oshare cure me with your rizz line / I want that peace of mind weh dey come with awoof / Baby na one man race we dey run / So make you no come waste time / Oh no, no pressure / Make you gimme dat love / If you give me I no go let go /
Give make I cure my sanko,” sings Starr.
Wizkid carries that vibe over onto his verse, singing: “God damn, Arabirin, God damn / Get the way your body make me feel excited / Loving you dey put me on a different mindset / Girl na only you dey make me stick to one girl / God damn, Ele iju ege, God damn / Picture perfect / No dey mind dem / Keep it private / Fi okan bale / If you need me, baby, I’ll be right there.”
Producers vybeO and Mikababeatz matched the duo’s hopeless romantic energies creating a festively dreamy energy wrapped perfect for any summer night. Weaved in with samples of Wyclef Jean’s song “911” featuring Mary J Blige and “Diallo,” “Gimme Dat” is a multicultural, multi-generational guaranteed vibe.
With Ayra Starr appearing on Wizkid’s “2 Sugar” and him not returning the professional favor on “Gimme Dat,” they are slowly becoming the most dynamic duo in world music.
Lyn Lapid grew up in a small town in Maryland before moving to Los Angeles. It’s a familiar story, but one that the 22-year-old artist tells in unfamiliar and strikingly honest ways on her debut album, Buzzkill. On Friday (April 25), Lapid released not only the album itself, but also a music video for the title track.
“Moving to the West Coast was a struggle,” Lapid said in a statement. “It was the first time I was in a new place by myself, and I didn’t know anyone outside of my roommates. I’d go to parties because I thought it was better than being alone. It was an attempt to find community, but it just became a cycle of meaningless interactions. Every time I went out with my friends, I felt like a ‘buzzkill’ because it seemed like I had always brought the mood down.”
She continued, “However, it only seemed that way because I was with the wrong people. I needed to accept that I shouldn’t have to force myself to settle for surface-level friendships and relationships. It opened an opportunity to find new and truly meaningful connections and friendships.”
You can listen to “Buzzkill” above and check out Lyn Lapid’s tour dates below.
Lyn Lapid’s 2025 Tour Dates: Buzzkill Tour
05/20 — Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory – Orange County
05/21 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
05/24 — Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile – Showroom
05/25 — Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club
05/28 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex – Grand Room
05/30 — Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
06/01 — Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
06/03 — Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
06/05 — Toronto, ON @ The Axis Club
06/07 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club – Music Hall
06/08 — Philadelphia, PA @ Brooklyn Bowl
06/10 — New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
06/11 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
06/13 — Charlotte, NC @ Amos’ Southend
06/14 — Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage – The Loft
06/16 — Orlando, FL @ The Social
06/19 — Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live – The Ballroom
06/21 — Austin, TX @ Antone’s Nightclub
06/22 — Dallas, TX @ Trees
06/25 — Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
06/26 — San Diego, CA @ The Observatory – North Park
06/28 — Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
Buzzkill is out now via Mercury Records. Find more information here.
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