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Every month, Uproxx cultural critic Steven Hyden makes an unranked list of his favorite music-related items released during this period — songs, albums, books, films, you name it.

1. Johnny Blue Skies, Passage Du Desir

Sturgill Simpson’s first music under a different name is the closest he’s come to making a “classic” sounding Sturgill Simpson LP in quite some time. In true paradoxical Sturgill Simpson fashion, being someone else has given him permission to be more like himself. Frankly, it sounds like the record that his label would have killed for in 2019 rather than cage-rattling provocation that was Sound & Fury. The album-opening “Swamp Of Sadness” immediately sets the tone, nodding to A Sailor’s Guide To Earth lyrically (he sings about being “a drunken sailor lost and lonely”) and musically, with warm organ fills and a lightly choogling rhythm section playing off of Sturgill’s bluesy guitar licks. It’s an inviting and amiable sound that unmistakably evokes the record that garnered Sturgill’s first and only Album Of The Year Grammy nomination, before he was sent down an opposing path of contrarianism and rebellion.

2. Jack White, “No Name”

“No Name” — the album Jack White release for free via a 12-inch vinyl distributed at Third Man Records stores — isn’t exactly Jack White’s best solo record. (I still ride for Blunderbuss, his solo debut from 2012, a quasi-Blood On The Tracks about the end of The White Stripes and White’s conflicted emotions about his prodigal partner Meg White.) But it’s the record that people who still check out new Jack White albums in 2024 have been waiting for. And it might even by the album that brings estranged listeners back into the fold. Simply put: It’s Jack White in a room with his crackerjack band, playing extremely loud, on a collection of riff-y rock songs that sound like they were written five minutes before they were recorded. It’s raw, it’s direct, and — this is a compliment — it’s not all that thought out. But the adjective that most applies hasn’t appeared in a Jack White album review since possibly the mid-aughts: Great. “No Name” is actually pretty damn great.

3. Zach Bryan, “Oak Island”

I am a Zach Bryan fan. But my admiration for his talent and prodigious output comes with some serious reservations. His ability to zero in on precise specifics with his words typically isn’t matched by an ability to create equally arresting melodies. For all his flair as a lyrical stylist, his music can be monotonous and flat sounding. So, while Bryan impressively composes a lot of songs, a lot of those songs are hard to distinguish from one another. At some point, his albums always get bogged down in a series of downbeat, mid-tempo dirges in which Zach pines after long-lost girls that he had to leave but can’t ever forget. I wish his latest record, The Great American Bar Scene, had more songs like “Oak Island,” the best song on the record and one of the better tunes in Bryan’s entire catalog. It’s his purest Springsteen homage on an album filled with them, in whch the song’s main character gets tied up with “some boys out in Jersey” who have him on the wrong end of a shady deal.

4. Zach Top, Cold Beer & Country Music

Of all the country albums released by dudes named Zach so far in 2024, this one is my favorite. It actually dropped back in April, though Top received a wave of publicity this month after sitting in with Billy Strings at a festival in Montana. On his own, he favors a Fender Telecaster over an acoustic guitar, and he’s adept at ripping out twangy lines that recall the greats of golden-era Bakersfield country. In that respect, Cold Beer & Country Music reminds me of my favorite ’80s country records, like Dwight Yoakam’s Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc. Etc. or Steve Earle’s Guitar Town. Also: The man has an impressive mustache, which is a rarity these days.

5. Ben Seratan, Allora

I raved about the lead single from this album, “New Air,” when it came out back in April (https://uproxx.com/indie/steven-hydens-favorite-music-of-april-2024/ ) for how it condensed everything I love about Wilco’s A Ghost Is Born into one eight-minute track. I’m happy to report that the rest of the album also hits all of my aughts-era indie-loving pleasure centers. Similar to Friko’s Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here — one of 2024’s best indie rock records — Allora draws on the maximalism of that bygone era’s most sprawling masterworks, Seratan certainly doesn’t shy from extended instrumental passages in which long guitar solos take center stage. (My other favorite song from the other record is another eight-minute epic, “Free.”)

6. Wand, Vertigo

This adventurous L.A. band has operated under the radar for more than a decade, probably because they mostly eschew easy pop accessibility. At a time when Tame Impala drifted from psychedelic rock to hooky Off The Wall homages that currently soundtrack trendy hotel lobbies, Wand has moved even deeper into the experimental ether. For Vertigo, Wand moved through 50 hours of studio jams to construct eight songs. The miracle of the record is that you can detect that improvisational ethos and also marvel at how well the tracks fall into place. Vertigo constantly knocks you off-balance, but it also operates on an unerring interior logic that always lands in exactly the right place.

7. American Aquarium, The Fear Of Standing Still

This long-running Americana act operates in the Jason Isbell/Drive-By Truckers zone, in which back-porch country-rock is paired with sensitive lyrics about southern identity and the meaning of masculinity. I have appreciated their output in the past, but their latest record hit a deeper nerve with me, perhaps because of the involvement of producer Shooter Jennings, who teases out a harder rocking side than previous releases have presented. At times, there’s almost a Gaslight Anthem vibe to the songs, which provides some extra crunch to all of the thoughtful introspection going down in the words.

8. The Red Clay Strays, Made By These Moments

If you haven’t already noticed the running theme of this column: A lot of the music I enjoyed this month could have appeared in an episode of Justified. And The Red Clay Strays are the most Justified-sounding band of the bunch. The influence of Chris Stapleton is obvious on the brawny vocals of frontman Brandon Coleman, though his old-world greaser guy looks are the opposite of Stapleton’s mountain man figure. On Made By These Moments, The Red Clay Strays stay on the southern rock side of Americana, with riff-y songs that often reach solo-heavy peaks, .38 Special style.

9. Charley Crockett, Visions Of Dallas

I’ve seen Crockett described as “country GBV” due to his prolific output. Visions Of Dallas is his second album of 2024, after $10 Cowboy released in spring, and his 13th LP overall since 2015. The downside of putting out so much music for any artist is that each record can blur into the next over time, and with Crockett, his retro revivalist tendencies don’t vary dramatically from one album to the next. But the man has a tremendous voice for this sort of throwback twang, and his taste in production and album covers is second to none. Plus, on Visions Of Dallas, he wrote a song based on Killers Of The Flower Moon called “Killers Of The Flower Moon” that runs down the story in a succinct three minutes and 14 seconds.

Uproxx is set to celebrate all the flavors of summer with an exclusive Sparkling Sessions event in Chicago this week, just ahead of Lollapalooza. Sponsored by Sparkling Ice, Tetto’s rooftop will come alive on Wednesday, July 31st for an evening full of sips and sounds all against the backdrop of the stunning Chicago skyline.

This exclusive event promises a vibrant atmosphere featuring custom Sparkling Ice cocktails, a variety of food stations, a 3D photo booth, cornhole, human-sized Jenga, custom food stations, paletas, and more. R&B star Justine Skye will perform an exclusive set for attendees. Los Angeles comedian and DJ Zack Fox will also be throwing down beats for a DJ set.

While the event is free and open to the public, an RSVP is required for entry. To attend, you must be approved on Partiful, after which entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis until the venue reaches capacity. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to celebrate summer in style – RSVP for free here.

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 from Katie Gavin, Porter Robinson, Origami Angel, 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.

Sinai Vessel – I Sing

“Ten years eating shit / And going back for seconds,” Caleb Cordes sings at the beginning of “Country Mile,” a standout from Sinai Vessel’s new album. I Sing, the new album in question, is full of lines like these that practically jump off the (Genius) page. Surrounded by gorgeous acoustic guitars, tasteful pedal steel, and masterful production from frequent collaborator Bennett Littlejohn, Cordes’ tales of happiness and hardship come to life.

Hinds – “Superstar”

Long live Hinds! Viva La Hinds comes out soon in early September, and Hinds have given us excellent single after excellent single. It’s a streak that continues with “Superstar,” one of the Spanish indie rock duo’s best tunes yet; it’s perfect for a blissful drive in the summertime. Despite recently losing their rhythm section, Hinds’ Carlotta Cosials and Ana Garcia Perrote haven’t lost any of their verve.

Katie Gavin – “Aftertaste”

As the frontwoman of indie-pop trio Muna, Katie Gavin knows how to command a room. Her stage presence perfectly complements the band’s sophisticated synth-pop, an adept skill she has translated into making relatively quiet, introspective music under her own name. Gavin’s debut solo album, What A Relief, sees her adapt her predilection for memorable songwriting to a more intimate setting. Adorned with acoustic guitars and arrangements that evoke everyone from Sheryl Crow to the Indigo Girls, it marks a new path for Gavin. Despite the mellow milieu of her new endeavor, she hasn’t lost any of that commanding presence.

Porter Robinson – Smile! 😀

Bright, maximalist, and shameless, Porter Robinson’s third studio album lives up to its emoticon-anointed name. Semi-ironic Taylor Swift self-comparison? Check. Allusion to the infamous Pitchfork review of Jet’s Shine On? Why not! A song titled after a luxury fashion brand in which the producer does his best Bladee impression? Sure! It all might seem absurd, but the absurdity is kinda the point. It’s fun and self-aware, distinguishing itself as a new addition to Robinson’s proverbial Eras Tour. After all, bitch, he’s Taylor Swift.

Origami Angel – “Dirty Mirror Selfie”

Ryland Heagy and Pat Doherty are on a roll. As Origami Angel, the Washington D.C. emo duo pair lyrics about Pokémon with some of the sickest shredding you’ll ever hear. As evidenced by records like 2019’s Somewhere City and 2021’s double LP Gami Gang, the two musicians have their style down to a science. But there’s still room for fun surprises. Feeling Not Found, the third proper Origami Angel album, abounds with halftime screamo breakdowns, math-rock noodling, and pristine pop-punk hooks. Sometimes, like in the case of “Dirty Mirror Selfie,” all three of those appear in a single song. If Somewhere City is Charmander and Gami Gang is Charmeleon, then Feeling Not Found is Charizard.

Alex Izenberg – Alex Izenberg & The Exiles

On previous albums, Alex Izenberg’s ’70s-inspired indie-folk relished in sparse textures. For Alex Izenberg & The Exiles, however, the Los Angeles songwriter has transposed that dreamy languor into something bigger and more concrete by way of a full backing band. Legendary PNW indie producer Phil Ek presides over the boards, and Ek and the band give Izenberg’s music a bit more heft without losing the somnambulant quality so central to his work. The end product resembles something like sleepwalking and lucid dreaming at the same time.

Enumclaw – “Not Just Yet”

“Not Just Yet” is a loving, heartbreaking tribute to family. Uncle Mike, a relative of Enumclaw’s Aramis Johnson and Eli Edwards, was recently diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, and frontman Johnson marvels at the cruelty of time and the tenuousness of memory. “How could he forget me when he taught me everything,” he sings in the second verse. For all of its fuzzed-out guitars and noisy ambiance, “Not Just Yet” teems with heartfelt tenderness.

Spirit Of The Beehive – “I’ve Been Evil”

This past week, the wildly influential noise-pop trio Spirit Of The Beehive shared two new singles from their forthcoming fifth album, You’ll Have To Lose Something. But really, they work in tandem. “Something’s Ending” sets the stage for the more conventionally structured yet no less captivating “I’ve Been Evil.” It perfectly encapsulates what makes the Philly group’s artful, zany strain of indie rock so appealing.

Touché Amoré – “Nobody’s”

Touché Amoré is a band that thrives on intensity. For five albums, the Los Angeles post-hardcore staples have honed a fiery ferocity that’s as loud as it is melodic. They continue that pattern on LP6, Spiral In A Straight Line, if the opening track and lead single “Nobody’s” is any indication. Jeremy Bolm’s larynx-shredding vocals, lying somewhere between screaming and singing, is the main through line, as the rest of the band chugs forward with stacked riffs and kinetic drumming. For a song that Bolm describes as “about forward movement,” that much is conveyed in the instrumentals alone. Once again, Touché Amoré blaze ahead.

Peel Dream Magazine – “Wish You Well”

Following dalliances with shoegaze and kosmische, Joe Stevens has pivoted to woodwinds and glockenspiel. Steeped in the baroque-pop inclinations of Sufjan Stevens’ state albums, the other Stevens’ new work as Peel Dream Magazine marks another exciting turn from an artist always in motion. Rose Main Reading Room turns Stevens’ music into a delirious maze with surprises at every corner. Take the swirling, orchestral flourishes and the Byzantine drum patterns all over “Wish You Well.” Here, Peel Dream Magazine has never sounded dreamier.

After winning an Oscar, you can do anything (well, almost anything). So, at some point, we can assume that Robert Downey Jr. was on the hunt for another project when Marvel scooped him up before he could even consider another Doctor Dolittle installment. And they were prepared to offer him a lot of money to return to the MCU, of course, as a different doctor.

Variety reports that Marvel shelved out $80 million for Anthony and Joe Russo to return to the MCU for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. This comes after they cost Amazon nearly $200 million for Citadel reshoots. They needed to make that money back somehow!

That’s not all: the source also claims that Downey Jr. was offered “significantly more” for his appearance as Doctor Doom in the two upcoming flicks. For comparison, he reportedly racked up a measly $75 million each for Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. For his Oscar-winning role in Oppenheimer, one of the biggest films of 2023, he was given an estimated $4 million.

The move is quite perplexing, but makes more sense if you consider the fact that RDJ seems to like having fun and making money. According to Variety, he was only willing to return if the Russos returned, which they obviously did as a “break in case of emergency” move.

For all of his Iron Man appearances in the MCU, Downey Jr. reportedly made close to $500 million and $600 million. With that money, he could very well make three more Dolittle sequels, assuming the animals are up for it.

Filming for the next Avengers movie is slated to start next fall.

(Via Variety)

Earlier this month, Schoolboy Q had a show in Toronto canceled by its promoter, prompting the South Central rapper to lay the blame on Drake and his recent feud with Q’s former TDE labelmate Kendrick Lamar. Now, Inglewood singer SiR, who is on his Life Is Good tour, was also forced to cancel a show in Drake’s hometown. With the second TDE artist in as many weeks having a concert canceled (and the third from LA), fans — and the performers themselves — are surer than ever that Ontario’s capital city has a TDE ban in place for the foreseeable future.

While there’s no evidence that Drake has actually tampered with TDE’s tours, history — both recent and established — has shown him to be pretty petty, if we’re judging by his musical output to date. He certainly has reason for any potential retaliation; after exchanging a handful of diss tracks with Kendrick (who’s no longer even ON TDE), Kendrick’s song “Not Like Us” became a national phenomenon. Not only did the Compton rapper play the song five times back-to-back at his Ken & Friends Pop Out concert (with his former Top Dawn family on stage), but the song generated a fan made video game and even prompted the LA library to retire one of its mascots.

So, while Drake appears to be taking “Not Like Us” in stride, it does seem like there’s a non-zero chance he’s found a way to get the last laugh, after all.

How does a television show continue without it star? Well, hiring James Spader to play a character named Robert California is one way. But it appears Yellowstone is going in a different direction.

As you are probably aware, especially if you’re a dad above the age of 50, Kevin Costner is not returning for the final season of Paramount Network mega-hit Yellowstone. Why? Well, it’s messy. Fans of the Taylor Sheridan-created series have wondered how the final six episodes will go without the Horizon: An American Saga star / financier. A new teaser (with old clips) offered a possible direction, with the focus shifting from Costner’s character to the conflict between Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie (Wes Bentley).

You can watch the teaser below.

Earlier this year, Reilly revealed her dream ending for Beth. “Peace, I think,” she told TVLine. “As possible as it is for any of us. Peace requires some digging and some surrender and letting go of old pains and hurts. I certainly believe that she can find that. Whether or not that’s possible, I don’t know. She’s such a warrior, isn’t she? Her reason to be is to protect. Her reason to be is to fight. But I’d like to see that for her.”

Would she settle for peace between Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan?

Yellowstone returns to Paramount Network on November 10.

Big Sean has a new album, Better Me Than You, coming out soon, and this week he announced that he also has new representation to go along with it, leaving his old management company after 10 years. Sean was previously managed by Roc Nation, but from now on he’ll be represented by S10 Entertainment’s Brandon Silverstein, according to Billboard. The rapper told the trade, “Brandon shares the vision, understands where I’m headed, and I’m incredibly excited to work with him and the S10 team.”

Meanwhile, Silverstein said, “Big Sean is an incredible talent who, even after topping charts, breaking records, winning awards and headlining across the world, is just getting started. I can’t wait for fans to hear the new music.”

That new music is due in early August, but some fans were able to hear it early after it was allegedly leaked online by a Kanye West fan who was angry about Sean’s recent freestyle for the On The Radar Radio show. While some fans think that the music was leaked by Kanye himself, Sean dismissed that theory as “bullsh*t.” He appears to be taking everything in stride and forging ahead with the new album, as well as features on songs from DJ Premier (“Ya Don’t Stop“) and Eminem (“Tobey“).

Better Me Than You is out 8/9 via FF to Def Entertainment. Find more information here.

Usher has had a massive past year that saw him perform the Super Bowl Halftime Show, release his new album Coming Home, and so much more. Usher’s not stopping, either, as he just announced Usher: Rendezvous In Paris, a new concert film.

The film, directed by Anthony Mandler, is currently set for a limited run from September 12 to 15, screening in 2,000 theaters worldwide, with about 1,000 of those in the US. Global screening details and ticketing information will be available on the movie’s website starting on August 6 at 9 a.m. ET.

Per a press release, the film “incorporates the essence of his landmark cultural phenomenon Vegas residencies into a seductive French touch confession” and features the songs “Yeah!,” “My Boo,” “Love In This Club,” and others “performed with never-before-seen costumes and state-of-the-art lighting and special effects.” The film also promises to give “audiences a glimpse inside life beyond the stage — creating a global moment that moviegoers won’t want to miss.”

Usher says in a statement, “Paris was a special experience for me as an entertainer and for my fans. I hope those who weren’t able to make it in person get to experience how special it was. As for those of you who were, I hope you experience the show and see what it takes to get there through a different lens.”

If you were between the ages of 7 and 12 in 2009, “Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana,” a three-part crossover event involving Disney Channel’s Wizards Of Waverly Place, The Suite Life On Deck, and Hannah Montana, was a big deal. But curiously, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, arguably the network’s two biggest stars, didn’t share a scene together. Now we know why.

On a recent episode of the Wizards Of Waverly Pod re-watch podcast, Wizards Of Waverly Place star Jennifer Stone and co-host David DeLuise revealed that some “high school nonsense” involving Nick Jonas from the Jonas Brothers kept the two apart. “They intermittently got along,” she said about Cyrus and Gomez. “I mean, come on. It was, like, high school. Like, they both dated Nick… I think Miley dated him first and then Selena dated him, and then it was it was just messy high school nonsense.”

Stone added, “They’re fine now. They’re all good now. But, yeah, it was high school just BS.” It was “So High School” of them.

Back in 2016, Gomez addressed rumors of bitterness between her and Cyrus with W Magazine. “We never feuded,” she said. “We both liked the same guy when we were 16. It was just a Hilary Duff–Lindsay Lohan thing: ‘Oh, my God, we like the same boy!’ We are now completely settled in our own lives.”

You can listen to the podcast below.

So far, Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has established strong ties with the music world. Harris channeled the power of Charli XCX’s Brat, she got a musical nod of approval from Beyoncé, and now, Megan Thee Stallion has made it clear where she stands on the 2024 election by throwing her support behind Harris.

Last night (July 29), Meg shared a promotional image on Instagram, for a Harris-supporting appearance, and it lists a time of 7:30 p.m. ET and a location of Atlanta. Rolling Stone also confirmed the news, with a “source” saying that Meg is planning a “special performance” for Harris’ Atlanta rally today, July 30.

How To Watch Megan Thee Stallion’s Performance At Kamala Harris’ Atlanta Rally

As for how to watch Megan’s performance, FOX 5 Atlanta notes they plan to “stream Harris’ speech on Facebook, YouTube and the FOX Local App.” Based on the phrasing, it’s not clear if their stream will include Meg’s time on stage. Either way, video will surely surface on social media shortly after it happens.

As ABC News notes, this will be Harris’ first trip to Georgia since Joe Biden bowed out of the 2024 presidential race. Dan Kanninen, the Harris campaign’s battleground states director, said, “The vice president is energizing and mobilizing our base. Having a candidate who can mobilize our key Biden-Harris coalition, talking about the issues that resonate with Georgians […] make that state in play.”