Category: Worldwide

Anti-masker conspiracy theorists and entitled people who barge into grocery stores without face coverings have been getting a lot of press recently. But, the good news is that they don’t reflect the views of most Americans.

A Gallup poll from earlier this month found that mask use among Americans is up significantly from where it was in April.

“The percentage of U.S. adults who say they have worn a mask in public in the past seven days rose from 51% in early April to the current 86% high point,” the study says. “Currently, 11% say they have not considered wearing a mask, and 3% say they are considering it.”

A big reason for the increase has been the dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases over the past six weeks. Hopefully, the change in masking behavior will help to lower the skyrocketing infection rate; because right now, it’s one of the only tools we have to fight back.

While rising rates and mask mandates have changed many people’s behavior, a city councilwoman in Osceola, Alabama, learned to become pro-mask the hard way.

“I’m on the city council in Osceola, we were going to be voting on mandatory masks and I was against it. I was like why should they be able to tell me what to do,” Sandra Brand said in a video for THV11.

But all of that changed after she came down with COVID-19 two weeks ago. Since, she has experienced difficulty breathing, a high fever, chills, and severe body aches.

At one point she thought she was going to die.

Arkansas woman changes mind on mask mandate after COVID-19 battle

www.youtube.com

“I knew I was going to die, and I knew I was going to do it alone,” she said from her hospital room. “This is my 15th day.”

One of the most difficult things about fighting for her life is having to do it without her friends and family by her side. “You didn’t have anyone there to hold your hand,” she said.

Things were looking grim for Brand until she allowed doctors to give her a dose of the trial drug Remdesivir. “I can breathe for the first time in over two weeks,” she said.

Now that she’s got her voice back she is using it to urge people to use masks for their own safety and the health of others. “If you can stop somebody from coming in this room and feeling the kind of pain and fear that I have felt, why would you want to be that selfish?” she asked.

Brand’s admission that she was wrong about masks and choosing to share her story with the world is commendable. Every person who sees her story and decides to mask up for the first time could wind up saving countless lives.

For those of us who’ve been doing the right thing by social distancing and wearing a mask, there may be a cheap thrill that comes with seeing an anti-masker becoming sick. But instead of saying “I told you so,” we should rally around those who change their minds and decide to become part of the solution.

The only way we’re going to get through this pandemic is when everyone decides to become part of the solution. The best way to do that is to make it socially acceptable for people to change their minds and throw on a mask.

A handful of doctors stood on the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States yesterday and repeatedly spewed misinformation about COVID-19, including the already debunked claim that hydroxychloroquine is a “cure” and the erroneous and dangerous idea that people shouldn’t wear masks to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Breitbart, a right-wing media company that routinely fails fact checks and doesn’t even try to hide its bias, shared live video of it. And before the video was removed from social media sites for pushing misinformation—which sites are doing to attempt to get people to stop believing YouTube quackery over renowned, respected professionals—tens of millions of people ate it up and shared it, including the president of the United States.

Put another way, 0.001% of the million or so doctors in the U.S.—none of whom are epidemiologists, virologists, or infectious disease experts—reached millions of gullible Americans with a false message, calling actual scientific research “disinformation” and claiming that they know better than the people who have spent their entire careers studying viruses and researching infectious disease because they are “America’s Frontline Doctors.”

No, they are not “America’s Frontline Doctors.” They are teeny tiny thimble-full of doctors, and none of them are experts on viral disease.

In fact, among the approximately dozen doctors in the group, two are opthamologists. That’s an eye doctor. When you want to know the best and safest way to build a bridge, do you look to structural engineers or electrical engineers? No brainer, right? Medical specialties exist for a reason. If you’re dealing with a novel virus, you look to the people who study novel viruses as their career.

Also among those doctors is a pediatrician and Christian minister, whose medical practice sits in the same Texas strip mall as her “Firepower Ministries” church. She says she’s treated hundreds of patients with hydroxychloroquine and that people don’t need to wear masks because we already have the “cure” for COVID-19. She has also said that gynecological issues like cysts, endometriosis, and infertility are caused people people having spirit sex with demons and witches in their dreams.

From her website, which appears to be down but can be viewed archived—and phew, it’s a doozy:

“Many women suffer from astral sex regularly. Astral sex is the ability to project one’s spirit man into the victim’s body and have intercourse with it. This practice is very common amongst Satanists. They leave their physical bodies in a dormant state while they project their spirits into the body of whoever they want to have sex with.”

So let’s see, who should we be listening to?

Should we listen to the vast majority of actual frontline physicians, among the 600,000+ strong who wrote a joint letter to the Trump administration just 11 days ago? The ones who are asking for public health expertise to lead the way and for the Center for Disease Control—whose entire purpose is to control disease—to keep its rightful role in managing the data necessary for battling the pandemic? The ones who aren’t pushing a political stance or agenda, but simply asking that the world’s leading public health professionals and epidemiologists who have served under multiple presidents of different parties be allowed to do their jobs?

Or a dozen random doctors led by a pro-Trump physician, backed by the Tea Party Coalition, and pushed by a questionable far-right outlet? A group that includes no experts in infectious disease among them, but does boast a licensed physician who makes completely unscientific claims about spirit sex causing medical conditions? A group who poo-poos the majority opinion of scientists and researchers who, after multiple studies, have determined that hydroxychloroquine, not matter what it’s combined with, is not a cure and is in fact potentially harmful for COVID patients?

The choice is not hard, folks. As ER doctor Anand Swaminathan wrote on Twitter, “Hydroxychloroquine propaganda from America’s Frontline Doctors is complete nonsense. This is the message of hucksters, not doctors.”

The scariest thing about this is that people believe this stuff. They see a handful of doctors in white coats standing on the Supreme Court steps (um, why?), and because they say things that run counter to “mainstream” science and align with their conspiratorial views, they believe it.

Perhaps it has to be repeated a thousand times. When a tiny group of voices loudly go against the majority of scientists and medical professionals, that’s when you need to be extra skeptical and exercise those critical thinking muscles to their fullest.

Why would the famously apolitical Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the world’s leading infectious disease experts and most well-respected professionals in his field, toss away all of his life’s work under six different presidents in the final years of his career to be part of some kind of bizarro conspiracy to mislead the masses? Why would the vast majority of doctors do that (and rest assured, it would have to be the vast majority of doctors in on it if things really were not what mainstream science claims)? It doesn’t even makes sense on its face.

On the other hand, Donald Trump desperately wants to be reelected, and this pandemic and the mitigation measure that have to be taken to control it are seriously hurting his chances. And there are some people who are desperate enough to do or say anything to help keep him and/or the Republican party in power, including some doctors who will claim that everyone else is pushing “disinformation” and claim they’re the only ones brave enough to tell the truth. They’re a teeny tiny minority, but they’re loud. It’s an old trick. Don’t fall for it. Doctors can be quacks. Just because they’re wearing a white coat, that doesn’t make them credible.

The good news is that despite the amount of virtual oxygen videos like this take up, public opinion still backs up actual science. The vast majority of Americans are wearing masks in public, at least sometimes. And according to a poll by The Hill, most Americans support some kind of mask mandate.

I’m still maintaining hope that most people won’t fall for stuff like this video or the astral sex argument. I mean, wow. I knew 2020 was handing it to us by the shovelful, but the president pushing a doctor who pushes demon dream sex as medical issue was definitely not one I saw coming.

On the latest episode of T.I.‘s podcast, ExpediTIously, he and guest rapper Jeezy discuss reaching out to fellow trap music pioneer Gucci Mane to end their longstanding feud. T.I. posits that such a move would be the “best case scenario” for trap music, while Jeezy asserts that it would require a “mafia-style, backroom conversation” and compares their rivalry to that of businessmen who went to Harvard and Yale still coming together for the good of all.

Throughout the conversation, the pair carry a thread of mutual respect for the opposition despite what Jeezy calls “decades” of bad blood between them. T.I. even points out that Gucci would have to be included in his planned Trap Music Museum because to leave him out over their rivalry would amount to “hate.” The conversation prompted an intense debate among fans on Twitter as well, due to the contentious nature of Gucci and Jeezy’s beef through the years. However, the roots of their association are solid: A huge part of both men’s mainstream breakout was their single “So Icey,” at least giving them some common ground to start with.

Meanwhile, another of Jeezy’s rivalries came up in the course of the conversation as well. Jeezy reveals that his plans to sign a burgeoning Nipsey Hussle were scuttled by then Atlantic Records head Lyor Cohen, who Jeezy says nixed Jeezy and Nip’s discussions due to the simmering enmity between Jeezy and Rick Ross, who was also interested in signing Nipsey. “‘I can’t let you sign Nipsey to the label because you and Ross are not seeing eye-to-eye,’” Jeezy quotes, calling it an example of how petty beef can wreck business dealings. Incidentally, Nipsey signed to Atlantic directly ahead of his debut album Victory Lap, denying Ross the same opportunity.

Watch both snippets above and the full episode below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The United States Postal Service has dutifully delivered mail to Americans from deep in the heart of Manhattan to deep in the heart of the rural Midwest for nearly five decades as an official entity and centuries longer than that as a service. Even as electronic communications has taken the place of handwritten letters, most of us still rely on the regularity of mail delivery as part of our daily routine.

Even this 11-year-old knows she can count on USPS delivery, as evidenced by the tic-tac-toe game she started with her delivery person. She taped the “board” to the inside of the lid and takes turns with the mail carrier each time the mail gets delivered.

“My 11 y/o daughter had insisted on checking the mail the last couple of days,” wrote BallCoach79. “Today, I checked it. This is what I found.”

The image is sweet. But it’s also an opportunity to talk about the dire situation the USPS is currently facing—one that could drastically impact the integrity of our upcoming election.

With the coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of slowing down in the U.S., and with far too many Americans refusing to take the necessary steps to mitigating it, our fall is not looking too promising. The pandemic lull that was expected during the summer months hasn’t happened, and there was already a second wave predicted as we move into the autumn months. It’s quite likely that Election Day on November 3rd will coincide with an extremely dangerous time to go to the polls in person, which means millions of Americans will want to or need to vote by mail.

Despite the fearmongering from certain factions, including the president, voting by mail can be done safely and securely. Several states have voted entirely by mail for many years without any major issues. In fact, Washington state which has allowed all voters to vote by mail since 2005, and the state is ranked second in the nation for electoral integrity.

But voting by mail will only work if our mail system works. And right now, USPS is being effectively destroyed not only by the decreased business mail due to the pandemic, but also by a uniquely weighty congressional mandate to prefund all of its employee pensions, ongoing budget deficits, and demonizing attacks by the president of the United States.

The postal service is something we all take for granted. Because it’s always been reliable, we assume it will just always be there. But it’s in real danger of running out of money and having to shut down, which would be devastating to our elections, not to mention the other personal and business disruptions it would cause.

We can all help. Here’s how:

1. Sign a petition to send to Congress and the U.S. Treasury here.

2. You can also sign a petition by texting USPS to 50409.

2. Help the USPS directly by buying stamps here. (Sales of postage and products is 100% how the USPS is funded. Despite being overseen by the government, no taxpayer funds go to funding it.)

3. No, you can’t donate directly to the USPS. Seriously, commit to writing some old-fashioned letters to your loved ones and buy stamps. (Bonus: Buying a bunch of “Forever” stamps now will save you money down the road, since they never expire. And there are tons of cool designs to choose from.)

Also, make sure your order a mail-in ballot now if your state requires you to do that, and send it in at least two full weeks before election day.

Let’s all show the USPS some love, both by being kind to our individual mail carriers and by supporting the work they do. The best support we can give is making sure this long-standing institution survives these tough times.

Everybody loves wings. They’re the great culinary equalizer, enjoyed by both common folk and our favorite celebrities. Appreciated by even the most renowned chefs, and flexible enough that even if you’re not a fan of buffalo sauce, there is probably a dry rub out there that you can swear by. Even when compared to equally popular foods such as burgers, burritos, or pizza, there is just something about the chicken wing that speaks to a widespread audience.

Alas, the pandemic hasn’t been great for chicken wings. No longer is it safe for us to congregate in bars, order way too many wings, and yell at the TV about sports. But just because the bars are closed, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy wings in our households. And with National Chicken Wing Day falling on July 29th, we can scoop up some wings on the cheap tomorrow.

Let’s dive into the deals.

Applebee’s — Finally, a reason to go to Applebee’s! The restaurant chain is offering a BOGO deal on wings for To Go and Delivery orders on July 29th. Checkout using the code WINGDAY to receive the deal, which isn’t valid through third-party delivery services.

BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse — This one isn’t technically a National Wing Day deal, but we’re going to go ahead and count it. Receive a free appetizer when you spend $25 for takeout or delivery by using the code FREEAPP at checkout. What should you order? Boneless wings of course!

Buffalo Wild Wings — B Dubs is offering an order of 6 free wings with the purchase of any size order of boneless or traditional wings. To grab the deal you must order through the phone, old fashion style.

Hurricane Grill & Wings — Hurricane is offering 20 bone-in wings and an order of fries for just $18.99. That’s less than a dollar per wing, plus fries!

Pasqually’s Pizza & Wings — Pasqually’s, which if you aren’t aware, is just rebranded Chuck E. Cheese, is giving away a free order of wings when customers make a purchase of $15. No promo code is needed, and customers may choose between Spicy Korean BBQ, Homestyle BBQ, Spicy Buffalo, Lemon Pepper, Or Chili Lime.

Orders must be placed through GrubHub, Uber Eats, and Door Dash.

The Wing Showdown From Uber Eats and Off The Menu — This is a bit of a weird one as its not tied to any specific wing chain. Beginning July 29th, Off The Menu and Uber Eats will kick off the Wing Showdown, where celebrities including Anthony Anderson, Haylie Duff, Jessie James Decker, Jo Koy, Phil Heath, Shaquille O’Neal, Snoop Dogg, Tyler Cameron, Tyra Banks, and Zach Posen will face-off in a crowd voted competition to see who has the best wing recipe.

Wing fans can then order the exclusive celebrity recipes from local restaurants in NYC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Denver, Toronto, and Vancouver via Uber Eats and cast their vote at The Wing Showdown website. Visit The Wing Showdown to watch the exclusive celebrity recipes.

Wingstop — Receive 5 free wings when you order any wing purchase through the Wingstop website or app when using the checkout code 5FreeWings.

This may be fairly controversial to say, but Nike Japan’s upcoming release of the Nike Adapt BB 2.0 in the Back to the Future II inspired MAG colorway is every bit an improvement on the original. Don’t get me wrong, the original Nike MAG — designed by Tinker Hatfield for Back To The Future II and rocked by my personal style icon Marty McFly — is a work of sneaker art and a fixture in the history of forward-thinking sneaker design. But let’s be real about it, the Nike MAG is a shoe made for the silver screen, not reality, and though Nike has released commercial versions of the design on two occasions, both were for charity and even those pairs the company acknowledges, are produced for display.

Nike Basketball’s Adapt 2.0 in the MAG makeup though? Those are real, designed with performance in mind, less clunky in design, and yes, they self-lace! Dropping exclusively via Nike Japan, the Nike BB Adapt 2.0 MAG borrows the Nike MAG’s distinct wolf grey upper, white accents, and splatter blue midsole, and combines it with Nike Adapt’s app-controlled self-lacing system, textured swoosh detailing, and sheathed upper for a futuristic performance-based sneaker that delivers on the concept that the original Nike MAG could only dream about.

The only thing missing here from the original Nike MAG, aside from the Hatfield-designed hi-top silhouette, is the sneaker’s ability to light up, which the Adapt MAG remedies by adding a series of red, orange, yellow, and green dot details in the forefoot that extend into the sneaker’s blue translucent outsole. This emphasis on practicality and wearability is why we’re digging it over the OG, as cool as that design is.

The Nike Adapt BB 2.0 MAG is set to drop on August 9th exclusively through Nike Japan for a retail price of $400. Get a full look at the shoe from every angle below.

Ever since its launch in the middle of a pandemic, Quibi has been having a rough go of it. However, the bite-size streaming service just scored a much needed break by surprising industry watchers with 10 Emmy nominations. To put those numbers in context, that’s around the same amount of nominations for traditional broadcast channels like Comedy Central and BBC America.

Quibi made a name for itself by cutting huge checks to land big name actors for its unusual programming approach, and that decision has seemingly paid off when it comes to award season. According to Variety, the streaming service dominated the less crowded (and, yes, less prestigious) short-form categories with nominations for its reboot of Reno 911, Anna Kendrick‘s Dummy, Laurence Fishburne’s #FreeRayshawn, Kaitlin Olson‘s Flipped, and Liam Hemsworth and Christoph Waltz’s Most Dangerous Game.

The Emmy nominations arrive after a series of struggles for Quibi. The streaming app recently made headlines after it was reported that over 90% of its early users bailed on the platform once their free trial ended. The fledgling service also received criticism from its employees after it executed a number of cost-saving measures while continuing to give out huge paydays to stars like Reese Witherspoon for voice work. That practice is presumably still ongoing given the announcement of a brand new animated series starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, and you know those two don’t come cheap.

But with Quibi landing Emmy noms for its short-form projects, that could draw even more stars to the platform and boost its content offerings. With a combination of award-winning series and A-list actors continuing to jump aboard, the struggling service still have a chance at greener pastures ahead after a rocky first couple of months.

(Via Variety)

If nothing below suits your sensibilities, check out our guide to What You Should Watch On Streaming Right Now.

Last Chance U: Season 5 (Netflix series) — The intense, critically-acclaimed, Emmy-nominated series returns to Netflix with a new setting to explore the junior college football program at Oakland, CA’s Laney College. The Laney Eagles experience a difficult followup to last season while powerhouse head coach John Beam must push his team through numerous stressful setbacks, both on (involving injuries) and off (involving personal demons) the field.

Maxxx: Season 1 (All3Media International series on Hulu) — O-T Fagbenle stars as Maxxx, a former boyband star who’s now a tabloid target in the worst ways. He’s attempting a comeback while struggling with insecurity and the need for validation, along with juggling encounters with drug dealers and trying to get his supermodel ex back. The show, which also stars Christopher Meloni, Jourdan Dunn, Helen Monks, Pippa Bennett-Warner, and Alan Asaad, is currently airing in the U.K. but is dropping the entire first season on Hulu.

Stargirl (CW, 8:00 p.m.) — Courtney’s receiving an unwelcome blast from her past; her life is turned upside down while Pat’s digging up new information about the Injustice Society.

Tell Me A Story (CW, 9:00 p.m.) — Present-day New York City is the setting for the clashing of classic fairytales, mainly revolving this week with a subversive story about love and loss, murder and vengeance.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Author Ibram X. Kendi, Patton Oswalt

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Michael Che, Angel Olsen

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Cameron Diaz, Jason Aldean

The 2020 Emmy nominations rolled out today, and boy, were they something. Right away, Rhea Seehorn fans grew furious that she was somehow left on the side of the road again, and it’s very strange to not see Larry David receive more nods for being a lovable curmudgeon on HBO, but perhaps he’s topped out with a lifetime total of 27 Emmy nominations and 2 wins. We could also talk about numbers mattering, which is good news on the HBO front, with Watchmen and Succession scoring 26 and 18 nominations, respectively, and Disney+ scooping up 15 nods for The Mandalorian, although sorry, Baby Yoda, you are somehow not eligible for acting awards.

That’s not as satisfying, though, as talking about the real winners and losers, which is a fine tradition here. Please do not consider this to be a complete list of wronged-and-righted parties (for example, I cannot even begin to understand why Desus and Mero got the shaft, which shouldn’t have happened), but let’s get this ball rolling, shall we?

WINNER: Great Netflix shows that no one expected to be great

When it comes to Ozark, I kind-of get why people don’t want to give this show a shot at first. The bizarre insistence upon a blue filter goes a long way, for example, or the fact that it arguably fine-tunes the Walt-Jesse dynamic from Breaking Bad — yes, that might grind some gears. Yet all of those concerns don’t matter once you surrender to the setting and watch Jason Bateman lose his sh*t in consistently captivating ways. The acting nominations here were all well deserved, as was the Outstanding Drama series nod, especially with that cliffhanger. I do look forward to one day seeing Julia Garner win her 15th Emmy in, like, 2045, but let’s also shout out Dead To Me. That little Netflix series also been recognized once again despite (probably) being intended as a trash-comfort watch. Yet it works surprisingly well to stir up a wide range of emotions and affirm humanity in the process. Also, recognition for Linda Cardellini will never get old. Now she can forget that Capone came out this year.

LOSER: Reese Witherspoon is doing fine, but not fantastic

Let’s make one thing clear: Reese is doing just fine. In fact, she’s likely doing wonderful. However, her prestige TV turns have gone unrewarded for this year’s ceremony. Whereas Jennifer Aniston received a nod for Apple TV’s The Morning Show, Reese didn’t walk away with the same honor for her performance as an unruly spitfire of a co-host. Her Hulu and HBO roles, in Little Fires Everywhere and Big Little Lies, also went unrecognized. I can only guess that there simply wasn’t enough room for all the BLL ladies, and although her ruffling of Adam Scott was convincing enough, neither she nor Nicole Kidman could beat out Laura Dern and Meryl Streep’s extremely unhinged turns on the show. Still, Reese will not walk away from 2020 empty-handed. Quibi paid her $6 million to narrate a wildlife series, and you gotta respect that hustle.

WINNER: Nerds

Yes, I did suggest that numbers don’t matter, but c’mon. Not only did The Mandalorian receive 15 nods, but Watchmen scored 26. The best part about Damon Lindelof’s show gathering so many decorations, though, is that no one even asked for a Watchmen TV series to be made. Alan Moore’s graphic novel was always considered to be unfilmable (and Zack Snyder made the case there), but Lindelof did it anyway. He recontextualized the whole story against the backdrop of a long-buried U.S. atrocity and hid Doctor Manhattan in the body of a Black man. He put the damn squid in there, included Jeremy Irons’ fart face, made Regina King walk on water (or not), and inserted a Lube Man. Watchmen could win no Emmys at all, and it’d still be the winner for all those things.

LOSER: The Better Call Saul cast, mostly

This one is a puzzler. The Emmys nominated Bob Odenkirk in 2019, 2017, 2016, and 2015, but he somehow came up short this year for his lead role in AMC’s Breaking Bad spinoff that landed on the top of our best shows of the year (so far) list. Even if one considers that his category was stacked — and let’s be honest here, it wasn’t airtight because Steve Carell‘s The Morning Show role felt more like a supporting role than a lead — it’s hard to ignore how the Emmy’s almost entirely shut out the Saul actors. And really, how does one justify continuing to leave Rhea Seehorn on the side of the road with an arc like the one she had this season? With those finger guns… and everything? It just doesn’t make sense, but I guess at least Gus Fring is getting his due.

WINNER: Unconventional Characters That Feel New To TV

Zendaya could become the youngest winner of the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series award for her turn in the provocative Euphoria. The drug-fueled series about teens isn’t an easy watch by any stretch, but it’s a relevant one, and Zendaya’s finally receiving the dramatic material that her talents deserve. On the Ramy side of things, it’s nice to see more affirmation that this is the best show that you’re not currently watching. It’s a little disheartening to not see the show’s actresses gain recognition while their characters are finally coming to the forefront, but it’s hard to argue with the possibility of creator Ramy Youssef adding an Emmy to his Globe win for this dramedy about Muslim-Americans. Also, Mahershala Ali getting a nod for his Hot Sheikh means that at least something’s right in our current universe (after that Green Book mess).

WINNER: Limited Series That Start With Un-

Young women challenging institutions are where it’s at this year. Even though Watchmen will (and should) walk away with the Outstanding Limited Series category, I’m thrilled to see two insurgent-feeling shows, Unbelievable and Unorthodox, make the shortlist. Kaitlyn Dever should have also been nominated in the acting department for her turn as a rape survivor who was treated like a criminal, due to being an “imperfect victim,” but the show as a whole deserved the nod that it received for being taking such a feminist approach to crime-drama storytelling. And I’m pumped to see Unorthodox‘s Shira Hass pop up with an Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series nod (she’s up against Regina King and Cate Blanchett), as well as seeing recognition for the stunning miniseries’ exploration of a young woman’s flight from Hasidic Judaism.

LOSER: Al Pacino, maybe for the first time in his life

Pacino’s first regular TV role in Amazon Prime’s Hunters was a highly anticipated one, but sadly, the show (despite plenty of enticing ingredients like Jordan Peele producing and, you know, the killing of Nazis), didn’t hit the mark. Honestly, yeah, it was messy, and Pacino’s accent work managed to be one of the weirdest parts of a very weird show. It’s not worth too many words to rehash what happened there, for it’s enough to say that Pacino’s already won two TV-movie Emmys for You Don’t Know Jack and Angels In America. He’s also notched an Oscar win (in 1993 for Scent of a Woman) and eight Oscar nominations (including in 2020 for The Irishman). He doesn’t necessarily need to win at TV shows, too!

You can see the full list the Emmy nominations 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 Samia, the dance-ready new album from Jessy Lanza, and a pair of charming b-sides from Andy Shauf.

While we’re at it, make sure you sign up for Indiecast, our new weekly podcast featuring Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen, bringing you all the best new indie music and conversations.

Jessy Lanza — All The Time

We’ve been awaiting Jessy Lanza’s new album since she released “Face” back in April. The single set the stage well for the full-length, a collection of numbers that will surely get you up out of your chair to dance along. With the world on fire around us, All The Time gives us 38 minutes of reprieve to let loose.

Katie Dey — mydata

Katie Dey’s latest LP is experimental as ever, but also follows a narrative thread. mydata explores a long-distance relationship and the ways that communication is both fostered and fettered by the accessibility of the internet. It’s glitchy, but cinematic, making for one of the most interesting listens in recent memory.

Skullcrusher — Skullcrusher

After forcing her way onto our radar with a series of singles, Skullcrusher’s debut self-titled release for Secretly Canadian lives up to the promise. Delivered with restraint, the four tracks expand upon the world that welcomed us into the singles, one that you won’t be eager to retreat from.

Taking Meds — The Meds You Deserve

If you’re looking for something a bit heavier, let me introduce you to Taking Meds. The Brooklyn-based band shares members with defunct post-hardcore group Such Gold, and you can hear it in the heavily down-tuned guitars that comprise the new EP The Meds You Deserve. But where Such Gold’s songs took on a more aggressive vocal approach, Taking Meds put more of an emphasis on big rock hooks and melodies. Case in point: the vocal melody of opening track “Sucks To Be Me” is almost reminiscent of “Kids In America,” at points.

Andy Shauf — “Judy/Jeremy’s Wedding”

Andy Shauf has said that he initially wrote 50 songs for his most recent effort The Neon Skyline, which was released earlier this year and details one crazy night at a local dive bar. That 50 was eventually whittled down to merely 11, but now Shauf has started rolling out some of the cuts that didn’t make the album. “Judy” and “Jeremy’s Wedding” both “emanate Shauf’s soft-rock sound,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx, but he decided that they didn’t flow well with the remainder of the narrative of The Neon Skyline and ultimately decided to exclude them from the album.

The Avalanches — “Wherever You Go”

Since The Avalanches took a 16-year break between their first and second albums, they have been very productive in the way of new music. We’ve already received a handful of songs so far in 2020, including collaborations with Blood Orange, Rivers Cuomo, and more. “Wherever You Go” is another collaboration, this time featuring Jamie xx, Neneh Cherry, and Calypso, and showcases the staying power of the Australian duo’s renewed creative power.

Sylvan Esso — “Ferris Wheel”

Sylvan Esso’s first album in three years, Free Love, is set for release in September, and “Ferris Wheel” is a promising first taste of what’s to come. The minimalist electronic number is about “discovering your power and awkwardly figuring out how to wield it,” the band wrote in a statement.

Fenne Lily — “Berlin”

With the release of her new album, Breach, coming up quick, Fenne Lily has shared a second preview with “Berlin.” The single is what Derrick Rossignol calls for Uproxx “a mid-tempo, shoegaze-borrowing track that comes from a withdrawn place,” and certainly sets the stage nicely for what can be expected from the remainder of Breach.

Samia — “Big Wheel”

Samia is prepping her debut album The Baby after spending 2019 workshopping new music with indie artists like Hippo Campus. “Big Wheel” is the latest in a long line of singles, a floating number with mellotron lines that’s “about avoiding conflict at any cost,” Samia wrote in a statement. “It’s a passive confession of harbored resentments buried in a laundry list of gratitude.”

Elvis Perkins — “The Half Life”

“The Half Life” heralds Elvis Perkins’ new album Creation Myths with a country twang and intimate lyrical storytelling. Perhaps this knack for storytelling is informed by Perkins’ work as a film composer, though his solo work takes on an additional dimension by adding an imaginative visual component. It’s a cool exercise, one that Perkins welcomes you to conduct through his music.

Joe Wong — “Day After Day”

Another film composer, Joe Wong’s new track “Day After Day” was inspired by Marianne Faithful and features cinematic instrumentation beneath Wong’s entrancing baritone vocal. Wong’s new album Nite Creatures is set for release in September and features collabroations with the likes of Ex Hex’s Mary Timony, The War On Drugs’ Jon Natchez, The Flaming Lips’ Steven Drozd, and more.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.