Category: Worldwide

“Great minds think alike,” as the oft-quoted saying goes, and when it comes to Halloween costumes, perhaps the two greatest minds are Heidi Klum and Janelle Monáe. Year after year, both entertainers go above and beyond with their Halloween costumes, and in 2024, they were on the exact same page: They both went as ET.

Monáe showed off their take on The Jennifer Hudson Show, and their blanket-wrapped version, a spitting image of the movie character, had blinking eyes in the costume head and a light-up finger and heart and everything.

Klum showed off her interpretation at her annual Halloween party yesterday, and it was similarly impressive. The New York Times notes the costume featured a “motorized headpiece with a movable mouth and eyes, controlled remotely by a member of Ms. Klum’s team.” They also noted that given the difficulty of getting in and out of the costume, Klum opted to wear an adult diaper. She said, “Maybe I never need to use the diaper, but at least that way I don’t have to think about it.”

Here is Klum’s ET (with a bonus Questlove appearance):

In a recent Hollywood Reporter interview, Monáe revealed they have “a fairy Halloween mother” who helps fund their costumes, saying, “My job is to make people believe in their imagination. That is a job, that is my purpose. Imagination inspires nations. It is important to the committee of imagineers that I go out and I do that good work. There’s a fund that is set aside to make people believe in art, and again, believe in performance art. What I’m doing is performance art, and it is drawing attention to the need for money in the arts, for more grants for schools. We must tap into the imaginations of our kids. These are the people that are going to be the innovators of the future. I’m so happy to have support of people that believe in performance art and believe in me as the person to get that message out.”

Ahead of his Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, Tyler The Creator performed in Boston on Halloween for a special “30 Minutes Of Chromakopia” concert. It’s exactly what it sounds like: 30 minutes of the former Odd Future member’s new album, Chromakopia. During the show, the “Sticky” rapper addressed certain Taylor Swift fans trying to “cancel” him over old lyrics after he (briefly) dethroned her on the global Spotify Top Artists chart.

“I got Swifties all mad at me with their racist ass,” he said. “Bringing up old lyrics, b*tch, go listen to ‘Tron Cat,’ I don’t give a f*ck. They gonna bring out the old me.”

You can watch the footage here.

Tyler has brought up Swift multiple times in his songs. On “Fish,” from 2011’s Goblin, he rapped, “B*tches running ’round down, p*ssy take a trip / Make her strip, got my d*ck harder than the unzip / Tyler swiftly slips his d*ck inside of Taylor Swift’s slit / Round trip in that p*ssy, here comes a ticket.” Earlier in the album, on “Nightmare,” he goes, “Love? I don’t get none, that’s why I’m so hostile to the kids that get some / My father called me to tell me he loved me / I’d have a better chance of gettin’ Taylor Swift to f*ck me.”

To see the dates for Tyler The Creator’s Chromakopia tour, head here.

November has officially begun, and this particular November is a big month for Shawn Mendes fans, as the singer is set to release his album Shawn on the 15th. As part of the ramp-up, he has shared a new song today (November 1), “Heart Of Gold.”

Mendes says of the song in a statement, “Grief is a really, really difficult thing to deal with and a huge part of what has helped me has been celebrating that person. I would just like to dedicate this song to anyone out there who has lost someone — some who has passed or someone who’s alive — whichever way. This is for them.”

Meanwhile, Mendes recently addressed his sexuality, saying, “Since I was really young, there’s been this thing about my sexuality, and people have been talking about it for so long. And I think it’s kind of silly, because I think sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing, and it’s so hard to just put into boxes. It always felt like such an intrusion on something very personal to me, something that I was figuring out in myself, something that I had yet to discover, and still have yet to discover. […] The real truth about my life and my sexuality is that, man, I’m just figuring it out like everyone.”

Watch the “Heart Of Gold” video above.

Shawn is out 11/15 via Island Records. Find more information here.

Steven and Ian open today’s episode with a quick Sportscast about the World Series and the Yankees fan who almost ripped Mookie Betts’ arm off (0:00). Bad fans is actually an overarching theme of the show — the guys start with the upcoming election, and whether we’re headed for a wave of anti-PC entertainment if Trump wins (5:20). Then they address this week’s music-critic controversy involving a bad review of the new Halsey album, and the predictable freakout from chronically online fans (17:35).

After that, they check in on the Fantasy Albums Draft and talk about the latest from Mount Eerie as well as Phil Elverum’s career with The Microphones (25:45). Then they do a “Scene Report” segment on recent concerts by Knocked Loose and Drive-By Truckers (34:16).

In the mailbag, the guys are asked about “time and place” bands, i.e. acts that were set up to make one perfect album and nothing else (42:30). Finally, in Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the emo band Ben Quad while Steven endorses Philly power band 2nd Grade (49:40).

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 213 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.

I can’t remember the last time that general audiences were as hyped for a new Snoop Dogg as they are for Missionary, Snoop’s long-awaited reunion with Dr. Dre and a spiritual sequel to his 1993 debut Doggystyle (if you couldn’t tell from the title). After announcing the release date a day ago and revealing the tracklist earlier today, Snoop and Dre unleashed the funky first single: “Gorgeous” featuring Jhené Aiko.

The song has a bit of a big-band funk feel, complete with brassy horn stabs and those classic, crispy Dr. Dre snares. Meanwhile, Snoop sounds refreshed and effervescent, neatly C-walking all over the glitzy production with his trademark player talk — or as he puts it, “I dealt with the cons and the pros / I mix Crip sh*t with the highs and the lows.” Aiko offers her honeyed vocals on the chorus, asking, “Don’t this sh*t look gorgeous?” It certainly sounds gorgeous.

The Doggfather and Dre recently gave an interview lamenting the lack of originality in today’s rap music — although to be fair, they are in their 50s, and there’s a lot of music out these days (so much, it’s hard for professional critics to keep track). However, to their credit, they offered a solution along with their complaints: “Be original,” Snoop advised. “Right now there’s so much copycatting, mimicking, sounding alike, and imitation. Find your production, your sound, find your ear for who you are, and be original even if it ain’t hitting. Stay you.”

You can check out “Gorgeous” with Jhené Aiko above.

Missionary is out 12/13 via Death Row/Aftermath/Interscope Records. Find more information here.

Saweetie may be known for being one of the biggest proponents of Halloween festivities, but it looks like she’s got her eye on another holiday tonight. Instead of frights and fears, she’s bringing Christmas cheer with a double single release consisting of “Big Santa” and “I Want You This Christmas.” To be honest, she deserves props for holding off so long; you just know her Filipino side was ready to put up that Christmas tree on September 1st.

“Big Santa” is her turnt-up, post-hyphy version of “Santa Baby,” listing off all the presents she wants her jolly fellow to bring down the chimney this year. While noting she’s already got Birkins, she suggests a trip to Aspen or, of course, some additions to her ever-growing diamond collection. She is the Icy Queen, after all.

Meanwhile, “I Want You This Christmas” is a more mellow affair, opening with a soulful sample and an airy beat, over which she proves that she’s just as good at giving as receiving (despite its title). She shows off her double-time flow and some of her vocals, promising her affection is “better than any gifts.”

2024 saw Saweetie pick up her output, sharing fan favorite singles like “Nani” and “Is It The Way.” She’s turning out to be very generous this year.

You can listen to “Big Santa” and “I Want You This Christmas” above.

When Future released his new album, Mixtape Pluto, fans were disappointed to learn that Travis Scott was not on “South Of France,” as was rumored ahead of the album’s release. Snippets of the album were floating around on social media before the project dropped, and though fans of the two rappers’ prior collaborations like “3500,” “Solitaires,” “Cinderella,” and “High Fashion” held out hope, Travis was not one of the voices that appeared on Mixtape Pluto — at least, not until now.

“South Of France (Remix)” is out now, and it should live up to all those fans’ expectations. The two rappers trade bars in a back-and-forth sequence during Travis’ verse, which features glitchy effects and references to Cannes Film Festival — which takes place, of course, in the titular region along the Mediterranean Sea. “South of France, a movie out in Cannes,” he hums. “Thinkin’ ’bout nights in the Mo’, I need some more again.”

While Future is coming off an epic 2024 run that saw him release three full-length projects (and accidentally kickstart the culture-spanning beef that dominated headlines for the first half of the year), Travis Scott was honored at the BET Awards, and announced he’s “back in album mode” after Utopia topped charts last year. Meanwhile, with Travis’ appearance officially getting a release, perhaps that means the scrapped Gunna verse will also see its day in the sun — especially since it seems Young Thug is still cool with his musical charge.

You can listen to Future and Travis Scott’s “South Of France (Remix)” above.

Lil Uzi Vert announced that they are preparing to release Eternal Atake 2, the follow-up to their fan-favorite 2020 album Eternal Atake, a week ago, and tonight, they’ve released the album alongside the official single, “Chill Bae.” In the video, Uzi awakes in a white bed, surrounded by purple-skinned women. Discovering that he’s a prisoner on an alien planet, he’s forced to participate in experiments and perform for the entertainment of a stadium full of these purple women. Eventually, he manages to escape in a flying saucer, but eventually returns to his adoring fans.

The new album features a return to the rapid-fire rapping from the first Eternal Atake album, (and its deluxe version, Luv Vs. The World 2), and a pivot away from the more experimental material on Uzi’s most recent project Pink Tape. Before dropping the album, Uzi shared a teaser clip, “Uzi The Earthling! (TV Show Theme),” a 30-second track modeled after a retro TV theme song and presaging the sci-fi aesthetics for the album’s theming — a continuation of the Alien abduction theme from the first album.

You can watch the video for Lil Uzi Vert’s “Chill Bae” above.

Eternal Atake 2 is out now via Generation Now and Atlantic Records. You can find more info here.

Hallow-who? While most of the country is trick-or-treating in their costumes tonight, Ava Max has already taken down the pumpkins and ghosts for tinsel and holly. The rising pop singer gets an early jump on the holiday season with a festive new single, “1 Wish.” Trading in the hardcore synths and danceable beats of her usual work, Max goes all-in on holiday spirit, with jingle bells, doo-wop keys, and sweeping strings as she sings about all the happiness Christmas should bring. You can almost smell the chestnuts roasting on the open fire.

“1 Wish” follows 2024 singles like “My Oh My” and “Spot A Fake,” which both leaned more heavily on synthpop production techniques.

In late 2023, Max promised, “New music is being made and some is already done [shushing emoji] new chapter awaits… Cookin in the studio [chef emoji] won’t be MIA for long.” While it remains to be seen if that meant that Max had a new album in the works — indeed, a Christmas album — along with “1 Wish,’ the promise is certain to keep fans on their toes — and on the lookout for a project that goes well with mistletoe and eggnog.

You can listen to Ava Max’s festive new single “1 Wish” above.

Earlier this month, Ethel Cain announced her new album, Perverts, the follow-up to Preacher’s Daughter, coming January 8, 2025. Tonight, she releases the lead single, “Punish,” along with its music video. The indie singer wrote the song as she wondered “how deep shame can run, and how unforgivable an act could be that I may still justify it in some bent way to make carrying it more bearable. Would I tell myself it’s not my fault and I couldn’t help myself? Would anyone truly believe that? Would I?”

Cain has become one of indie music’s most coveted voices in the past two years, with Preacher’s Daughter earning widespread acclaim from music critics and earning her a cult following of fans. In 2023, she promised its follow-up would contain “10- to 20-minute songs just drenched in reverb, so slow, and super repetitive,” inspired by her “affinity for slowcore and ambient music.”

In recent months, though, she’s expanded her sound and tested out homages to some of her musical influences. In September, she paid homage to American Football with a cover of their song “For Sure,” saying, “Their sonic storytelling has inspired me in more ways than I can count over the years, so being asked to contribute to this covers edition was truly an honor.”

You can watch the “Punish” video above.