For many musicians, the time spent in quarantine is an opportunity to create new music. Take Charli XCX for example: The pop singer is recording an entire album from home with the help of fans. But other musicians, like Angel Olsen, are similarly trying out new tunes. Angel Olsen recently hosted the livestream concert Angel Olsen: Still At Home to benefit her touring crew and MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund. During the livestream, Olsen debuted two brand new songs.

The singer performed a full 18-song set live from her living room. With only a guitar, a piano, and her resounding vocals, Olsen pulled from her wide catalog for an array of hauntingly beautiful tunes. Along with playing her hits like “All Mirrors,” the singer performed a cover of Roxy Music’s “More Than This” and one of Bruce Springsteen’s classics. But fans who purchased admission to the livestream were in for an exclusive treat: Olsen debuted two new untitled ballads during the performance.

One of the new tracks was accompanied by warm piano chords. “You can take everything / I’m not looking back,” Olsen crooned. For her second new song, the singer opted for an acoustic guitar. “I don’t have an ending yet,” she said as she abruptly finished the preview.

Watch Angel Olsen perform two new songs as well as a rendition of her All Mirrors title track above.

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

In a surprising move, Quibi is already accelerating its plans to make the streaming app available on TVs less than a week after launch. As one might suspect, the current health crisis isn’t exactly conducive to the brand’s “on the go” watching. Although, CEO Mega Whitman does her best to counter that line of thinking in a new interview with CNBC. “It turns out people have in-between moments at home,” Whitman said. “We don’t actually think it hurt us.”

Nevertheless, Quibi is making moves to get its bite-size content in front of as many as viewers as possible even if that includes pulling back on its initial pitch of being a mobile-only platform, which was apparently the plan all along:

With so many potential customers for Quibi working from home as stay-at-home orders sweep the U.S., Whitman said the company is accelerating its plans to enable the app to cast to TVs. While the feature wasn’t planned to be part of the launch, Whitman said it was always in the cards for later on.

Of course, the major question is if a TV-cast feature will entice new users to plunk down on yet another streaming service, specifically one that’s built around short bursts of content to view in line at the DMV or waiting for your coffee at Starbucks. Quibi could also be looking at a scenario where it launches its TV feature just as social-distancing measures are being lifted.

Despite some doubts around whether or not it was even a real thing, Quibi officially launched last week with a 90-day trial of its streaming service for mobile users. In that first week alone, the app was downloaded 1.7 million times and 80% of viewers were reportedly watching full episodes without tuning out, according to Whitman. Of course, the whole point of Quibi is that episodes are 5-10 minutes long, so that metric is relative, but it does show that the curious content app is finding an audience.

(Via CNBC)

Playboi Carti was recently arrested on drug charges in his native Atlanta after being pulled over by deputies over expired tags on his car. Now, those deputies are accusing the rapper of using some pretty vulgar language during his arrest, according to TMZ. According to a police report, Carti was fed up before he was even placed under arrest, telling the officer who pulled him over he “had a hot wife” and telling him he’d “f*ck” his daughter.

Carti was also reported as saying he didn’t care about the expensive sports car and that he’d just buy a new one anyway. Allegedly, he told the officers to take him jail, because he “didn’t even care anymore.” A press release shared by Sheriff Victor Hill of the Clayton County Sheriff’s Department advised that the rapper’s car contained 12 bags of weed, the drugs codeine, oxycodone, and xanax, and three guns. Carti was booked on charges of failing to display an updated license plate decal, improperly passing an emergency vehicle, and possession of marijuana before being released on bond.

The Die Lit rapper likely had plenty of reason to feel grumpy — after all, we’ve all got the quarantine blues — but also apparently has at least one thing to look forward to. During a recent livestream, Drake previewed a track that will apparently feature Carti, which will likely give the younger rapper the lift he needs to take his upcoming album, Whole Lotta Red, to mainstream levels of success.

Check out the original TMZ story here.

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After previously announcing that it would suspend Kyle Larson indefinitely without pay, Chip Ganassi Racing has opted to “end its relationship” with Larson altogether. Larson had come under serious fire in recent days following his actions during an iRacing event on Sunday afternoon — while testing the audio on his stream, Larson used a racist slur. The video of the incident is accessible here, but of course, viewer discretion is advised.

The fallout was swift, as multiple sponsors — such as Credit One Bank and McDonald’s — dropped the former Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year. NASCAR, citing its commitment to “diversity and inclusion,” suspended Larson indefinitely, as did his team, which called his actions “offensive and indefensible.”

Now, Chip Ganassi Racing has taken things a step further, releasing a statement on Tuesday morning that announced it is severing ties with the 27-year-old California native.

“After much consideration, Chip Ganassi Racing has determined that it will end its relationship with driver Kyle Larson,” Ganassi said in a statement. “As we said before, the comments that Kyle made were both offensive and unacceptable especially given the values of our organization. As we continued to evaluate the situation with all the relevant parties, it became obvious that this was the only appropriate course of action to take.”

Larson had been a member of the team since 2013. NASCAR, on its official website, indicated that for Larson to potentially get reinstated, he would need to go through sensitivity training. In addition to losing his team on Tuesday, Chevrolet announced that it was also terminating its partnership with Larson.

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 very best of the indie releases from the past seven days. This week we got the anticipated new album from The Strokes, the announcement of a new record from Phoebe Bridgers, and the return of The Beths.

While we’re at it, if you want more music recommendations curated by Steven Hyden delivered directly to your inbox every week, sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter.

The Strokes — The New Abnormal

On their first full-length album since 2013’s disappointing-but-then-reappraised Comedown Machine, The Strokes deliver some truly strange and ’80s-inspired synth-pop numbers, and a few undeniable bangers. While the band’s previous two LPs were criticized for documenting a band at their point of least engaged, Steven Hyden writes for Uproxx that The New Abnormal seems to have been “consciously constructed to be another ‘disappointing Strokes album’ that will sound better in about three years.” Now that’s a different, borderline genius type of forward-thinking.

Trace Mountains — Lost In The Country

After the disbandment of beloved New York indie rock outfit LVL UP in 2018, guitarist and vocalist Dave Benton didn’t take long to pivot to his solo sporadic project Trace Mountains. Lost In The Country is the debut full-length from the newly full-time project, and showcases Benton’s knack for catchy songwriting. Where Benton is usually writing about himself in his songs, the ten tracks on Lost In The Country see Benton turning the focus even more inward than on past projects.

Laura Marling — Song For Our Daughter

Song For Our Daughter marks Laura Marling’s fourth release since 2013, and seventh overall. Only thirty years old, Marling is still exceptionally reflective, perhaps aided by her pursuit of a master’s degree in psychoanalysis. Her newfound knowledge comes through in her music, and transforms Daughter into what Steven Hyden calls for Uproxx “a song cycle addressed to the child that she might have one day, in which the prospective mother unloads wisdom and warnings.”

Hamilton Leithauser — The Loves Of Your Life

You might know Hamilton Leithauser from his work with The Walkmen. The Loves Of Your Life is his second solo album, and each song was written about a specific person. In this way, the record works similarly to a photo album, documents of people, places, and things that you wanted to capture. It is chock-full of beautiful vocal melodies and harmonies that sound like they are soaked with love. Among the guest backing vocalists on the record are Leithauser’s wife Anna Stumpf, their daughters Georgiana and Frederika, and Lacrisha Brown, the girls’ former preschool teacher. More than an album, The Loves Of Your Life is a document of a tight-knit community.

Phoebe Bridgers — “Kyoto”

Phoebe Bridgers has been so busy collaborating with other artists recently — Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, Conor Oberst, and The 1975, to name only a small handful — that it would be easy to forget that nearly three years have elapsed since Stranger In The Alps landed in our laps, the best indie album of the 2010s. Finally, Bridgers has announced her sophomore solo LP, Punisher. “Kyoto” features a soaring chorus and orchestral arrangements courtesy of Bright Eyes’ Nathaniel Walcott. “This is Bridgers’ first solo album in a few years, but she’s not going about it alone,” writes Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx.

The Beths — “Dying To Believe”

The Beths’ debut album Future Me Hates Me was one of our favorite indie albums of 2018, and we can barely contain our excitement for its follow-up. “Dying To Believe” is a very promising entry to The Beths’ catalogue, a beautifully-arranged power pop number wherein “vocalist Elizabeth Stokes reckons with the distance that inevitably comes between friends as life passes by,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.

Varsity — “Runaway”

On their new album Fine Forever, Varsity decided to take some risks sonically. “Runaway” previews this approach, anchored by a driving bass line that lends itself to a dance-ready number with big guitars and shimmering guitars. Singer/keyboardist Stef Smith’s vocals really shine here, doused in reverb and complimented by a luscious saxophone solo.

2nd Grade – “Velodrome / My Bike”

You might be inclined to call 2nd Grade a Philadelphia supergroup, featuring members of Free Cake For Every Creature, Remember Sports, and Friendship. “Velodrome / My Bike” are technically two tracks, but they work together nicely, with the former flowing seamlessly into the latter. On the tracks, the band are “as honest as they are sarcastic,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx. It’s this unique balance that makes 2nd Grade a band to keep an eye on in 2020.

Washed Out — “Too Late”

Although Washed Out has not announced a new album, “Too Late” marks Ernest Greene’s first new release since a handful of standalone singles in 2018. It’s a breezy, fun track that acts as a nice, temporary respite from the world around us. Maybe one day we’ll be able to listen to it on the beach, where it belongs.

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

Amid the fun reveals from Drake and the controversy over Lizzo’s twerking, the main goal of Diddy’s Team Love Dance-A-Thon was to raise money for coronavirus relief — and it turned out to be a resounding success in that respect, as well. The Team Love website is keeping a running tally of the total funds raised, and as of this writing, has totaled $3,731,345.00 since Sunday.

That money will be donated to Direct Relief, a nonprofit humanitarian aid organization that gets medicine and supplies to communities affected by poverty or emergencies worldwide. In the case of the Team Love funds, it will all go toward Direct Relief’s emergency response to COVID-19, supporting “healthcare organizations and professionals who care for medically underserved communities.”

Diddy is one of dozens of celebrities who either raised funds or directly donated to coronavirus relief efforts, which have included Jay-Z and Rihanna, Future, Kanye West, Lizzo, and Cardi B. During the Dance-A-Thon, Diddy and his sons played music, interviewed guests, and invited their friends and family to show off their best moves in the name of charity — and fighting off the quarantine blues.

Visit TeamLove.com for more information or to donate.

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