Media availability in the NBA has gone through a rather large change this season as gone are the locker room scrums after games and on-court scrums after practices and shootarounds. Players instead came to a designated room where they sat in at a table in front of a camera for Zoom availability, talking to reporters through the screen rather than crowded in front of them.
In the Finals, there are now select, vaccinated media in the room, but also still folks there virtually. As such the podium set-up remains and players come in and out, all sitting in the same spot to talk to the assembled press. It’s a pretty efficient set-up but comes with one pitfall for the players that might not have been considered for the post-practice availabilities: sweaty seats.
After games, players have typically showered and changed before they come talk to the media, so this isn’t an issue, but after practice they stroll in fresh off the court. That means, for some, they come in very sweaty and leave a, well, uncomfortable spot for the next person to come into. Jrue Holiday was on the wrong end of that when he arrived at the podium on Tuesday and put his hand down to ease himself onto the seat and immediately asked if someone had been there before him. Upon learning it was PJ Tucker, all he could say is “makes sense.”
I really do love that as soon as he found out it was Tucker he went from borderline concerned about how much sweat someone left behind to completely unsurprised. His explanation that he’ll be alright cause he’s about to go shower anyways is great, but him closing it with “no, he was workin, he was workin,” is the best part. Jrue’s not trying to sweat shame PJ, but it certainly startled him when he first touched that “extremely” wet chair. Maybe going forward we can start getting an extra chair to rotate in and out while the other gets wiped down.
Bebe Rexha released her new album Better Mistakes just a few months ago, but that hasn’t stopped new singles, videos, and collaborations from the prolific pop star. She’s also been part of the “Getting Better Together” campaign to advocate for mental health and shared about her own journey with mental illness. On her recent collaboration with Topic, the star got serious with the “Chain My Heart” lyrics and has now shared a video that gets pretty literal.
While decked out in a chain-link bodysuit, Bebe flexes and dances alongside plenty of similarly scantily clad dancers before Topic watches from the shadows. Bebe is clearly the star of the show here, but she’s working with slightly more electronic production than on her latest album, a hat tip to Topic’s production and perhaps more proof that veering into other genres — say, like metal? — isn’t a bad idea. Bebe’s voice is so versatile it works across any form of production, and she even manages to make a bodysuit of chains look comfortable.
Given her other recent collaborations, like “Break My Heart Myself” with Travis Barker, Bebe works great when she’s collaborating with another artist, so expect even more of that in the future.
Check out the “Chain My Heart” video above.
Bebe Rexha is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Since the release of their last album Heavy Lifter, a lot has changed in the lives of Hovvdy‘s two members. Both musicians recently got married, and one has since become a father. Now returning to make sense of the changes, Hovvdy announce their fourth studio album, True Love.
Alongside the album announcement, Hovvdy debut a video to the LP’s title track. Directed by Adam Alonzo and Zach Taylor, the “True Love” visual mirrors the song’s wistful nature. It shows the two musicians reliving some of their fond memories. They go fishing, ride some ATVs, play in a parachute tent, and toss around a baseball.
In a statement about the album’s title track, Hovvdy’s Charlie Martin said writing the song was particularly cathartic:
“For each Hovvdy record there’s always been a song that kinda shocks my system, kinda jolts me into a brand new and inspired place. This was definitely that song for me. I remember writing it and feeling a rush of excitement — crying a lot honestly. it feels so good to express love and appreciation when you really fucking mean it. but it’s hard to feel worthy of love, of something so rare, and all we can do is try to measure up — that’s what that last part is all about.”
Watch Hovvdy’s “True Love” video above and see their True Love album art and tracklist below.
Grand Jury
1. “Sometimes”
2. “True Love”
3. “Lake June”
4. “GSM”
5. “Around Again”
6. “Hope”
7. “Joy”
8. “One Bottle”
9. “Blindsided”
10. “Hue”
11. “Junior Day League”
12. “I Never Wanna Make You Sad”
True Love is out 10/1 via Grand Jury. Pre-order it here.
As Ted Lasso Season 2 gets ready to stream on Apple TV later this month, Jason Sudeikis is the center of a lengthy new profile for GQ where the former Saturday Night Live actor bares his soul on everything from finding success as the almost violently kind Coach Lasso to his headline-making split from fiancé Olivia Wilde.
Speaking of headlines, Sudeikis also took some time to explain his hoodie-wearing acceptance speech at the Golden Globes earlier in the year. Thanks to his noticeably disheveled appearance, and Don Cheadle signaling him to wrap things up, Sudeikis instantly went viral, but he wants to set the record straight that he wasn’t baked or sitting around lamenting his love life. He just felt stupid wearing a suit while in room all by himself. (Sudeikis had Zoomed in from London where he was filming the second season of Ted Lasso.) Via GQ:
“I wore that hoodie because I didn’t wanna f*cking wear the f*cking top half of a Tom Ford suit,” he said. “I love Tom Ford suits. But it felt weird as shit.”
The rest of this story you know: Sudeikis ended up winning best actor for Ted Lasso and gave a dazed acceptance speech while wearing the hoodie, and this in turn sparked glee and speculation about his mental and physical states. For the record, “I was neither high nor heartbroken,” Sudeikis said. It was just late at night and he didn’t want to wear a suit. “So yeah, off it came and it was like, ‘This is how I feel. I believe in moving forward.’ ”
If Sudeikis isn’t in the mood for awards show, there’s some bad (but good) news on that front. On Tuesday, Ted Lasso scored 20 Emmy nominations shattering a previous record held by Glee. Naturally, Sudeikis is among those nominations for Best Lead Actor.
Nostalgia is a powerful thing. It can drive someone to spend an entire weekend re-watching an old cartoon they haven’t seen since they were a kid, or play through an old game they used to love on an old console. There is a significant portion of people that enjoy the opportunity to embrace nostalgia no matter how small.
This is a large part of why a trailer dropped today for a new Nickelodeon game. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a Super Smash Bros. style fighting game where players will be able to take their favorite Nickelodeon characters and put them in battles to see who comes out victorious. Where the nostalgia comes in is the roster, because the trailer features a plethora of 90’s Nickelodeon cartoon characters including Spongebob, Nigel Thornberry, and Reptar the dinosaur. It will also feature two of the Ninja Turtles, Michaelangelo and Leonardo.
The trailer for this game looks extremely bizarre. There’s an art style to it that initially comes off as unappealing, but when the characters are actually put into some of the stages they look like they fit right in. All of the stages are, unsurprisingly, Nickelodeon-themed and like Smash Bros. will be based on characters in the game. It’s going to be weird watching Reptar beat up Leonardo in Jellyfish fields, but also is that any weirder than Link fighting Donkey Kong in Delfino Plaza?
It will be interesting to see just how deep into copying Smash Bros. this game goes. There’s a lot of technical intricacies to the Super Smash Bros. games that make them unique it’s why they have such a super competitive esports scene. If Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl manages to capture even some of that same spirit then it could end up being a fun time! However, if it comes off as nothing more than a cheap cash grab clone then it will fail. It needs to do something unique beyond just being a Smash Bros. clone. We’ll just have to wait and see until we get some more info in the future.
Don’t blink now, but the Persona series is officially 25 years old this year. The first game came out in 1996 as a spin-off to the Shin Megami Tensei series, but the popularity of the Persona games eventually allowed the spin-off to become its own franchise. Now that it has there are plenty of Persona fans eagerly anticipating the next game in the franchise.
They may be getting some news on that soon! Atlus, the developers of Persona, recently teased a big year for the 25th anniversary. Their website features a timeline count down that will begin September 2021 and end Autumn of 2022. That’s a full year’s worth of Persona content and there is speculation that among that could be a new teaser for Persona 6.
Until now, Atlus has remained very quiet about the future of the Persona series. Since Persona 5 they released a spin-off with Persona 5 Strikers and the expansion Persona 5 Royal. These helped build out that universe and give more stories to the characters that many people fell in love with. However, now that those games have been released, it appears that they will be turning their development time towards Persona 6. An official online recruitment page stated as much. Via Game Informer.
“Thanks to a large amount of support we received for Persona 5, we have gotten a sense of accomplishment,” said Hiraoka. “But we can’t stop there. When we created Persona 4, there was the pressure that it had to exceed Persona 3. Now, we will have to create a 6 which exceeds 5. However, exceeding 5 will be difficult with the current staff. I would like to surpass this tall hurdle with everyone who joins us in this recruitment. The workplace is perfect for those who want a creative challenge when it comes to bringing games to the world.”
So we know that Persona 6 exists and is currently in some form of development, but how deep into development that is could be anyone’s guess. They might still be in the planning phases or they could be recruiting people to actually start building the game. What has fans excited though is that, with a full year of Persona content on the way to celebrate the game’s 25th anniversary, wouldn’t it be cool if we got a teaser of some kind? It doesn’t have to be much. Just something acknowledging the game existing would be great. It would also line up with how they’ve handled game announcements before. Persona 5 was first shown to us in 2014 and that was just an image with an intended release date.
Of course, that game ended up being delayed multiple times throughout development. We’ll just have to wait and see what they want to show us throughout this anniversary and maybe we’ll get a teaser out of it if we’re lucky.
Back at the start of the pandemic, social distancing, and the shutdown of the live music industry, artists kept themselves busy and their fans engaged in various ways. Livestream concerts was a big one, but Idles’ Joe Talbot went a different route by launching his own talk show, Balley TV. The most recent episode dropped in August 2020, but now Balley TV is making a return via a new special, “In Defense Of The Arts.”
Idles is teaming up with Vans for the special, which was filmed in the Old Vic Tunnels at House Of Vans London. The special runs for nearly an hour and will feature interviews and performances from Deep Tan, Nuha Ruby Ra, and Katy J Pearons, as well as Idles and Slowthai linking up for a new version of Ultra Mono highlight “Model Village.”
A studio version of the song will drop on the same day and Talbot says of it, “We are fortunate to announce our forces have joined with the enigmatic and vibrant soul that is Slowthai. Go dig.”
The Idles and Slowthai connection will continue later this year when Idles will perform at Slowthai’s Happyland festival. Idles also have a new documentary, Don’t Go Gentle, on the way.
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.
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Half Waif – Mythopoetics
On her fifth full-length album under the name Half Waif, Nandi Rose channels her unique brand of dark pop to break the familial patterns that were handed down to her. Mythopoetics turns the pain of breaking tradition into something truly beautiful, a feat that Rose has managed to pull off effortlessly throughout her growing catalogue.
Koreless – Agor
It’s been ten years since Welsh producer Lewis Roberts dropped his debut single under the Koreless moniker, though Roberts has been filling his time with collaboration work alongside artists like FKA Twigs and Rita Ora. Agor doesn’t sound like any of his recent more pop-oriented work. Instead, it takes on a fully experimental approach that illustrates just how far Roberts is willing to go to perfect his craft.
The Goon Sax – Mirror II
Australian indie-pop outfit The Goon Sax have been around for the better part of the last five years, but Mirror II really sees the trio come into their own for something addicting. Melodic, and clever, the LP is what Steven Hyden described as “infectious and introspective” in a recent issue of the Indie Mixtape newsletter.
Museum Of Love – Life Of Mammals
For the first time in nearly a decade, LCD Soundsystem offshoot project Museum Of Love are back with a brand new album. Life Of Mammals allows core members Pat Mahoney and Dennis McNany to find ways to incorporate their affinity for visual art into their music, with a James Murphy mix that gives the songs an absolutely massive sound.
Courtney Barnett – “Rae Street”
It’s always good news with Courtney Barnett announces a new project. “Rae Street” is the first original music from the Australian singer-songwriter after a year of releasing covers, and reminds us exactly what made Barnett so special when she stormed onto the scene in the mid-2010s. The single is the first taste of Barnett’s forthcoming LP Things Take Time, Take Time, which is due out in November.
Deafheaven – “The Gnashing”
With the lead single for their new album Infinite Granite, Deafheaven signaled a sonic shift away from their black metal roots. “The Gnashing” continues down the path, a track that, as Derrick Rossignol describes for Uproxx “continues the band’s tradition of their epic guitar-based sound, [while] seeming [to confirm] that Clarke’s less hardcore vocals are here to stay.”
Strand Of Oaks – “Galacticana”
Timothy Showalter’s forthcoming eighth album under the name Strand Of Oaks was “created with so much love and my greatest hope is that it connects with people and provides a momentary space for reflection, joy, catharsis, and whatever else someone might be looking for in their life,” he explained in a statement. Lead single “Galacticana” is a contemplative new track that will certainly get you in the headspace for reflection and joy.
Angel Olsen – “Gloria” (Laura Branigan cover)
After the acclaim of her 2020 effort Whole New Mess, Angel OIsen is looking to the past for an EP of ’80s covers. Aisles is previewed by “Gloria,” a synthy, modernized rendition of Laura Branigan’s track originally composed in Italian by Umberto Tozzi. “I just wanted to have a little fun and be a little more spontaneous, and I think I needed to remember that I could!” Olsen wrote in a statement.
Amyl And The Sniffers – “Guided By Angels”
There isn’t a lot of snotty punk rock to go around these days. Australian rockers Amyl And The Sniffers are here to change that with their forthcoming sophomore LP Comfort To Me. The album is preceded by “Guided By Angels,” a snarling affair that stems from the quartet’s time quarantining in a three-bedroom home after two years on the road.
A Great Big Pile Of Leaves – “Beat Up Shoes”
Eight years after their last release, emo idols A Great Big Pile Of Leaves are back with a brand new full-length album. The twinkly, math rock-inspired “Beat Up Shoes” is the first taste of Pono, which may or may not be named after Neil Young’s short-lived high fidelity MP3 player.
Kississippi – “Moonover”
I’ve written in the past about how exciting it is to see an artist emerge from the DIY basement scene with a vision that could catapult them into the pop stratosphere. Kississippi’s forthcoming album Mood Ring is a full-blown pop project, reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s Red or 1989. “Moonover” is one of the most propulsive tracks on the record, and it won’t take long to understand why I’ve been raving about it since the project was announced.
Yasmin Nur – “My Favorite T-Shirt”
Hailing from Wichita, Kansas, Yasmin Nur’s new track tries to find the balance between yearning for acceptance and being comfortable in your own skin. “My Favorite T-Shirt” spends its first few seconds building to a cathartic explosion of a full-band onslaught with distorted guitars and melodic pop punk-infused vocals.
Career Woman – “The Little Dipper”
I’ve had my eye on Career Woman since the release of “Balcony” earlier this year. “The Little Dipper” is a more contemplative affair than its predecessor, existing as almost a diary entry from 17-year-old songwriter Melody Caudill that illustrates the first few months of quarantine in Los Angeles. With just an acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies delivering hefty emotional weight, “The Little Dipper” is reminiscent of early Phoebe Bridgers in the best way.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Spotify and Electric Lady Studios have announced a new series of EPs titled Live At Electric Lady, with the first release featuring Jon Batiste, coming on July 29. Additional recordings will feature Patti Smith, Japanese Breakfast, Dominic Fike, Faye Webster, Bleachers, Remi Wolf, and Natalie Bergman, “with more surprises to come,” according to a press release.
As for Batiste, the Oscar-winning Colbert musical director recorded his EP with fellow jazz musicians Kenny Garrett, Ron Carter, Gary Bartz, and Joe Saylor. Meanwhile, according to the release, each artist spent their sessions playing their own music, plus “cover songs of artists connected to the studio’s history.”
Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner had some nice words about her experience recording at Electric Lady, which is famously situated in New York City’s West Village and has hosted sessions by iconic musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, The Clash, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and more. “It was an absolute dream to get to record at Electric Lady. The rooms are filled with good, ancient vibes and the engineers there are unparalleled, so it’s no wonder it’s such an iconic studio that holds a place in so many legends’ hearts,” said Zauner. Faye Webster, who recently released the critically lauded LP I Know I’m Funny Haha, also had good things to say: “I’m so excited and honored to be a part of this. For my first time in Electric Lady, to be a part of this series with so many people I love, is something I’ll never forget. I’m going to be processing this for a while.”
Look out for Jon Batiste’s Live At Electric Lady EP on 5/21.
Coi Leray, DDG, Lakeyah, and Morray kick off the 2021 XXL Freshman Cyphers for this year’s class, each bringing their own unique style to a beat produced by algorithm master Nick Mira. DDG opens proceedings with a typical West Coast/Michigan swing flow, then cedes the floor to Lakeyah, who undoubtedly delivers the best straight-up rap verse, hunting for the sort of credit that only comes from being an expert technician. Morray splits the balance between his signature crooning and some off-the-dome rhymes bigging up his cohorts.
That leaves Coi Leray, who is quite possibly the most controversial addition to this year’s list. Despite having three years of tried-and-true material including a handful of viral hits to her name, it was her song “No More Parties” that first exposed her to the wider mainstream audience, drawing comparisons to both Dej Loaf and Playboi Carti in the process. It’s also, oddly enough, the song least like the bulk of her output, so it seemed going in that the Cypher would be her chance to lay skeptics’ doubts to rest.
She absolutely does not do that, instead opting for a choppy, Carti-esque delivery on a relatively short verse that does little to allay the concerns about her placement before giving up and resorting to her trademark twerking. It’s an unusual choice for a rapper who is under fire and facing a make-or-break moment with all eyes on her. While it’s pioneering, to be sure (Megan Thee Stallion once pointed out that a female rapper would face a ton of criticism for rapping like Playboi Carti, and for all intents, it appears she was correct), and a boundary has been broken to allow women to branch out more stylistically, I can see Coi taking a lot more fire now — with this verse undermining much of the evidence that supporters could use to defend her.
It’ll be interesting to see how this Cypher will be received on social media as well as how it affects future installments and the ongoing debate about whether the Freshman Class even needs a Cypher anymore.
Watch the 2021 XXL Freshman Cypher above.
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