If Coachella is the place to spot celebrities, Governors Ball is where music fans go to soak up the vibes. The atmosphere, the attitude, the gritty, vibrant, unmistakably New York energy that even hours-long storm delays can’t damper – that’s what sets the festival, which just celebrated its 15th year, apart from the rest of the summer circuit. Here, the mood and the music take the spotlight, and it’s the artists – rising indie hopefuls, punk rock icons, pop princesses, and weirdo-rap savants – that set the tone, urging fans to ignore the heat, the rain, and the mud in exchange for a once-in-a-lifetime experience that outlives the gram.
We caught up with a handful of the coolest acts to grace the Gov Ball stages this past weekend, capturing a bit of their magic with a backstage portrait session that gives fans a hint of what it takes to hype the “city that never sleeps” crowd. Whether it’s Conan Gray donning a Sailor Moon fit and staging a mini-musical for an awed crowd or Mannequin Pussy stoking a bit of anarchy with their rebellious strain of rock, the story starts here.
From hip-hop duo Joey Valence & Brae to English pop siblings Wasia Project, here are some exclusive looks at how Gov Ball’s most exciting artists embraced their “made it” moment.
Hozier was at Governors Ball this past weekend, but he wasn’t quite himself. As NME notes, he told the crowd he was feeling under the weather, and at times, that could be heard in his vocal performance. It turns out he’s not out of the woods yet and will be taking some time off to recover.
In a post shared on social media on June 9, Hozier explains:
“Due to illness my upcoming performances originally scheduled for Tuesday, June 10 at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ and Thursday, June 12 at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, MO are being rescheduled. The Camden show will now take place on July 15, and the Ridgedale show will take place on July 22.
All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new dates. Ticket holders will receive additional information via email.
I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.
My performance at Bonnaroo on June 15 will proceed as planned. Much love.”
Check out Hozier’s upcoming tour dates below.
Hozier’s 2025 Tour Dates
06/15 — Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo 2025
06/18 — Columbus, OH @ Historic Crew Stadium
06/20 — Milwaukee, WI @ American Family Insurance Amphitheater
06/23 — Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
06/24 — Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
06/30 — Casper, WY @ Ford Wyoming Center
07/02 — Billings, MT @ First Interstate Arena
07/04-05 — Missoula, MT @ Zootown Music Festival 2025
07/08 — London, Canada @ Rock the Park 2025
07/10 — Québec, Canada @ Festival d’été de Québec 2025
07/11 — Ottawa, Canada @ Ottawa Bluesfest 2025
07/13 — Canandaigua, NY @ CMAC Performing Arts Center
07/15 — Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
07/18 — Saint Paul, MN @ Minnesota Yacht Club Festival 2025
07/20 — Commerce City, CO @ Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
07/22 — Ridgedale, MO @ Thunder Ridge Nature’s Arena
07/24 — Tinley Park, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
07/25 — Tinley Park, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
07/27 — Fargo, ND @ Fargodome
08/01 — West Valley City, UT @ Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
08/02 — West Valley City, UT @ Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
08/07 — Stateline, NV @ Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic
08/08 — Stateline, NV @ Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic
08/10 — San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands 2025
08/12 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
08/14 — Seattle, WA @ T-Mobile Park
08/22 — Reading, United Kingdom @ Reading Festival 2025
08/23 — Leeds, United Kingdom @ Leeds Festival 2025
08/29 — Stradbally, Ireland @ Electric Picnic 2025
08/31 — München, Germany @ Superbloom Festival 2025
09/10 — Toronto, Canada @ Rogers Stadium
09/13 — Asbury Park, New Jersey @ Sea.Hear.Now 2025
09/14 — Cavendish, Canada @ Sommo Festival 2025
09/16 — Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
09/17 — Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
09/19 — Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
09/21 — St. Augustine, FL @ Sing Out Loud Festival 2025
09/23 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
09/27 — Dana Point, CA @ Ohana Festival 2025
09/28 — Bridgeport, CT @ Soundside Music Festival
10/03 — Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Music Festival 2025
10/05 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
10/07 — Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
10/10 — Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Music Festival 2025
10/14 — Mexico City, Mexico @ Palacio de los Deportes
Petey USA is a month out from the release of his new album, The Yips, his second release for Capitol Records. Before that, though, he has a new single, “Breathing The Same Air.”
On the narrative track, Petey tells the story of a night out with a friend and having trouble communicating, singing, “And know that my only intention is to be there when you call me / Sometimes breathing the same air has gotta be enough.”
Petey previously said of the album, “The album’s about going through a period where just nothing’s clicking, so you go to a bar where everyone can collect themselves and get drunk. […] I don’t want to get into the toxic part of masculinity, but I also want to avoid the other side of it that weaponizes therapy-talk. I’m just singing about being there for your friends.”
Watch the “Breathing The Same Air” video above, and find Petey’s upcoming tour dates below.
Petey USA’s 2025 Tour Dates
07/09 — Chicago, IL @ Metro *
07/11 — Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg *
07/15 — West Hollywood, CA @ The Troubadour *
07/25 — Columbia, MD @ Chrysalis at Merriweather Park #
07/26 — Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony Summer Stage #
07/27 — LaFayette, NY @ Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards #
08/29 — Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
08/30 — Huntington, WV @ Joan C. Edwards Stadium ^
* The Yips album release show
# supporting Rainbow Kitten Surprise
^ supporting Zach Bryan
The Yips is out 7/11 via Capitol Records. Find more information here.
With a storied history dating back to 1888, and currently ten and soon to be twenty total grain recipes in its arsenal, the brand boasts an enviable breadth of flavors and an unparalleled legacy to its credit. With all of that to its name, Four Roses is perhaps most beloved for the way it’s able to deliver so many unique flavor experiences under its barrel proof single barrel series. The success of those offerings has since led to the brand releasing a tasting kit with 10 miniature bottles, one of each recipe currently in its repertoire, so that fans can experience them all without having to search high and low for their barrel strength equivalents (the bourbon in the tasting kit is notably proofed down to 52% ABV).
Aside from its 10 recipes, made up of five yeast strains and two mash bills, Four Roses is also notable for having some of Kentucky’s only single-story rickhouses. With barrels maturing on only six different tiers, there’s less, albeit still discernible, differentiation from one tier to the next. It might seem like a limiting factor, but Four Roses fans will tell you just how much the flavors can vary from recipe to recipe and tier to tier, with many of them staking their claim on a single set of variables and sticking to it in their purchasing habits.
The good thing is that for those who are less interested in the minutiae, and simply want the best bourbon available without having to think about it, Master Distiller Brent Elliott has taken out the guess work with award-winning blends like Four Roses Small Batch Select, and the brand’s premium offering, Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon. The former is a regular release that’s matured for 6-7 years, hits shelves at about $60, and combines a blend of six recipes — OBSV, OBSK, OBSF, OESV, OESK, and OESF. The latter is a highly allocated annual release with a blend that changes each year and is designed to showcase those diminutive rickhouses’ most outstanding barrels.
With that background out of the way, you may be asking yourself one final question: What’s the best bourbon Four Roses makes? I’ve tasted them all, and I’ve rounded up and ranked them all for you.
Here is every bottle of Four Roses Bourbon, ranked from good to great!
Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon blends four of the brand’s recipes: OBSK, OESK, OBSO, and OESO, to create one product. The whiskeys are aged for six to seven years before being blended, cut with soft Kentucky water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on Four Roses Small Batch bourbon opens with a nice, inviting wave of honey, torched orange peel, and apricots, before revealing a hint of black pepper spice. There are some slightly sour notes, with red berries featuring prominently in this regard, and some clove and nutmeg in the mix as well.
Palate: Once on the palate, this whiskey is all red berries (think ripe raspberries), and salted caramel. On a second sip, there’s a bit of red apple flavor to go with faint citrus tones, a splash of dilute honey, and youthful oak. Some sweetgrass notes, allspice, and sage start creeping in as it transitions to the finish.
Finish: The finish on this whiskey is fairly succinct, but it features a balanced, dialed-down display of the bourbon’s most prominent notes. That means reserved honey, apple chips, and allspice are the last partygoers on your palate.
Bottom Line:
Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon is a damn good pour that does a great job of exemplifying both the quality of the distillery’s base liquid, and the blending prowess of their team, led by Master Distiller Brent Elliott. While I tend to spring for the brand’s single-barrel expression, which sits just a few bucks above $40, when it comes to the budget-friendly options in their portfolio, this one delivers a smooth drinking experience.
Four Roses Bourbon, the oft-overlooked entry-level offering from Four Roses, features a blend of all ten recipes that the distillery is famous for. Little-known fact: Four Roses regularly utilizes slightly older bourbon in these blends, which is part of the reason they eschew an age statement. It’s also part of the reason that this remarkably consistent expression is so damn good.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on Four Roses Bourbon begins with a touch of honeysuckle, the floral aspect of rosewater, and stone fruits like white peach and Golden Delicious apples.
Palate: On the palate, this whiskey is surprisingly spry, as the lean mouthfeel allows notes of black tea, white peach, and honey to coast over your tongue. A touch of vanilla and black pepper spice can be found as each sip transitions from midpalate to the finish, which adds a bit of nuance to the generally light flavor profile.
Finish: On the finish is where the sweet notes make their final stamp, with honey and vanilla leading the way as this pour succinctly falls off the palate.
Bottom Line:
Four Roses Bourbon is one of the best easy-going bourbons that money can buy, and it’s one I regularly keep on hand for the hotter summer months. While it’s a fairly straightforward whiskey when enjoyed neat, follow this tip for summer sipping: pop it in the freezer and pour heartily when you need a refreshing drink that’s a tad bit stronger than water. It’s as smooth as silk, and that approachability puts it a hair above Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon for me.
Four Roses’ OBSF recipe is said to have “delicate rye and mint” with high-rye mashbill B combined with the herbal tones from yeast strain F. The OBSF recipe was one of the components in Four Roses’ award-winning 2017 Al Young 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Surprisingly vegetal with dark chocolate, allspice, and lavender showing up in a major way. Herbal tea and spearmint are definitely at the core of this recipe, but there are certainly some interesting accents, allspice chief among them, that help to elevate the nose of this whiskey.
Palate: Maple candy, honey, black pepper, and a surprising vegetal aspect reminiscent of radicchio come through. Talk about interesting. On another sip, the vegetal note identifies itself more overtly as mintiness, and the mouthfeel is warming without being overwhelming.
Finish: More minty flavors with a touch of clove, caramel, and barrel char begin to blossom on the finish. It has a medium length that works well with the overall flavor profile.
Bottom Line:
While the flavors in this OBSF expression aren’t as harmonious as I would like, several impressive notes work well on their own. OBSF is one of those recipes that distinctly knows what it is and does well to take you to its preferred destination from nose to palate and through the finish. It isn’t my favorite recipe, but it is consistent.
This bottle, a single-barrel version of Four Roses’ OBSV recipe (learn about all of their recipes here), is an absolutely classic bourbon. The brand describes the OBSV recipe as having a delicate, fruit-forward yeast and a high-rye mash bill.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nosing notes are resplendent with red berries as the aroma of raspberries and black cherries leap out of the glass, along with a touch of sage, singed mint, Brazil nuts, and blood oranges. This is one expressive and inviting nose.
Palate: On the palate, those flavors continue to develop as the blood orange fuses with black cherries, and they’re joined by black pepper spice, singed mint, sage, and even a bit of cedar at midpalate. The juxtaposition of citrus, sweetness, woodsiness, and baking spice might seem like a cacophony of flavors, but they all come together harmoniously.
Finish: The finish is where the baking spice slightly wins out over the fruit-forward notes as it lingers with medium length on the tongue, sizzling the tip and leaving bits of bright cherry and Valencia orange meat on the back end.
Bottom Line:
Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon is packed with flavor but still maintains an approachability and sweetness that will make it appealing to connoisseurs and novices alike. Furthermore, it has a berry-forward flavor profile that absolutely shines when enjoyed neat, but it still lands at a price point that makes it fair game for mixing in cocktails.
Take a close look at Four Roses’ OESK recipe, high in corn with the “slight spice” yeast strain, because it is a sight to see. Want some proof? 12 of the last 14 Limited Edition Small Batch expressions have featured OESK in the blend.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Clove and nutmeg lead the way with this alluring nose while toffee can be found at the periphery flittering through the air. One word that comes to mind? Versatile. This OESK plays a lot of the traditional “bourbon aroma” hits and accents them with a slightly herbal tone and some gentle oak.
Palate: Mellow baking spices come tumbling over the tongue at first with a lot of red apple, and candied ginger flowing soon thereafter. The mouthfeel on this OESK recipe is a bit quotidian, but the punch of flavor that it packs with each sip is formidable, and the freshness of the fruit notes in particular is worth savoring.
Finish: Features like white pepper, fresh Granny Smith apples, rich vanilla, and clove can be found on the finish of OESK. The baking spice is truly what punches through the most, leaving a slight tingling sensation behind.
Bottom Line:
Sure, all ten Four Roses recipes display some of the brand’s core elements, but OESK is definitely one of the more middle-of-the-road expressions, and that’s meant in a good way. OESK is a winner in that it displays many of the hallmark mellow spices that Four Roses is known for, as well as more classic bourbon notes like caramel, oak, and chocolate.
Four Roses’ high corn mashbill meets their rich fruit yeast for this recipe. OESO is a component in Four Roses Bourbon and Small Batch bourbon but it also made an appearance in the Jim Rutledge 40th Anniversary Limited Edition Single Barrel back in 2007.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Floral notes kick things off with rye spice and peanut brittle floating in soon after. As some slight smoke introduces itself there’s also a touch of dark chocolate which draws you in for deeper inhalation. Once you take that deep breath, more aromas like herbal tea and even some slight paprika will be there to greet you with open arms.
Palate: Herbal tea and black pepper blast off on the palate with a lot of sweet, bright maraschino cherry flavors and a touch of honey. This is one for the sweet-toothers but the herbal tea notes are joined by a touch of menthol at midpalate which is a refreshing break in the middle of all those sugary notes.
Finish: A few dashes of black pepper, cinnamon, apple chips, and gentle tannic tones form a ring around the sweet notes from the palate. With only a moderate length, it’s impressive that these new notes, and the addition of fresh clove, really put a bow on every sip, providing the perfect climax to OESO’s nuanced flavor profile.
Bottom Line:
OESO’s bright cherry notes really send this pour into the stratosphere but on your journey to outer space, it offers plenty of stars to see along the way. Peanut brittle, herbal tea, and menthol notes all make stunning appearances and the restrained finish allows the perfect amount of time for all of those disparate parts to pull themselves together and reach their full potential.
Four Roses Small Batch Select uses six of the brand’s ten recipes (OBSV, OBSK, OBSF, OESV, OESK, and OESF) for a unique blend concocted by Master Distiller Brent Elliott and ages the liquid for six to seven years before batching, lightly proofing, and bottling it all up.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, Four Roses Small Batch Select offers cola nut, bright red cherries, black pepper, nutmeg, and clove with some oak and caramel tones following behind those initial top notes. It’s robust and inviting, with a lovely baking spice presence that displays a ton of balance.
Palate: Four Roses Small Batch Select hits the palate with a full-bodied richness that coats your tongue and sends you mining your taste buds to discover the flavor of jammy cherries, nutmeg, black pepper, and honeyed black tea. The texture would count as its defining quality if it weren’t for the impressive balance of the flavors ever-so-slightly outperforming the viscous mouthfeel.
Finish: The lingering finish is where you’ll find vanilla extract, raspberries, brown sugar, and a light mint note, which reminds you that this is a robust Four Roses bourbon.
Bottom Line:
Four Roses Small Batch Select is such a great option to buy in this price range. Because it tends to get overlooked when folks are shopping for bottles under $50 and passed over for pricier bottles when they’re feeling spendier, it’s possible you’ve overlooked one of the very best bourbons in Four Roses’ entire lineup. That needs to change today.
Four Roses Single Barrel, offered at Barrel Proof, is one of the single-barrel bourbon world’s best offerings. Not only does Four Roses make all ten of its recipes available in the single-barrel program, but by offering them at an undiluted strength, it showcases their distillate in its purest form every time. This particular single barrel is a nine-year and ten-month version of the OESV recipe.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Juicy orange rinds, bright red cherries, and sweet brown sugar aromas come flying out of the glass with this delicious bourbon freshly poured. There’s also a touch of sage, vanilla frosting, and tobacco leaf to be found.
Palate: Brown sugar and red currants are the most immediately available flavors to download once you take a first sip of this single-barrel bourbon. The dense oak introduces some clove and mellow black pepper baking spice notes, as well as grips the palate and pushes towards the finish.
Finish: The finish is mellow and lingering, with figs and cherries fusing with juicy orange notes and barrel char before pulsing off your palate.
Bottom Line:
No matter the recipe, Four Roses Single Barrel Barrel Proof Bourbon is an exemplar of the single-barrel format, though we do have our favorites. There’s a case to be made that this is Four Roses bourbon in its purest form, and if that’s a notion you subscribe to, then you definitely would agree that this is one of the best bourbons available today.
1. Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon 2024
Four Roses’ highly anticipated Limited Edition Small Batch for 2024 has finally been announced, and we were able to get a first taste of it. For this year’s release, Master Distiller Brent Elliott opted to blend three of Four Roses’ ten bourbon recipes with a 12-year-old OBSV, 15-year-old OESK, 16-year-old OESF, and more OBSV, this time at 20 years old, to create the final product.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is initially floral with ripe apples, butterscotch, and butter pecan ice cream. Faint bits of dark chocolate, star anise, and tobacco leaf help to round out the beautiful bouquet of aromas.
Palate: The butterscotch and apple note really pops on the palate off the bat. The whiskey is well-rounded with a mellow black pepper baking spice tone to go with a more pronounced helping of cinnamon bark, pecans, and brown sugar. The range of flavors reminds me a lot of fried apple pie with a splash of citrus zest. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied and enhances the depth of the flavors without becoming an attraction unto itself.
Finish: The finish has a mature oak backbone with the additional flavor of caramel chews and Fuji apple skin. It’s medium-length, but that brevity really works, urging your focus on the next sip rather than your last.
Bottom Line:
If you want evidence that 2024 was the best year for bourbon releases in recent memory, look no further than this bottle here. Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch is annually considered one of the stars of the fall-release schedule and its consistently high quality is indicative of why. In another year, this could’ve easily been the best or, at worst, second-best bourbon of the year, which goes to show how thin the margin was between each of the expressions on 2024’s “Best Bourbons Of The Year” list.
When it comes to the best bottle of Four Roses in all of the land, there’s no topping this annual delight.
Relationships have gotten more complicated than ever in modern times. Kehlani‘s new single, “Folded,” reflects one of the ways that’s taken place, demanding commitment from a wishy-washy lover — one way or another. Although she invites them to “come pick up your clothes,” which she’s folded up for them, she also needs them to leave the door open and depart as soon as possible, before she’s the one who “folds” and falls for their temptation again.
The Oakland singer released two projects in 2024, her fourth studio album, Crash and the mixtape While We Wait 2. The former was nominated for Best Progressive R&B Album at the 67th Grammy Awards. In a recent interview, Kehlani downplayed the effect of the nomination, saying, “I wanna say — and this is in the most respectful and grateful way — that it hasn’t changed anything. These things shouldn’t shape your perception of your art as an artist. They should just confirm that you’re getting better at telling your story.”
“Folded” is the singer’s first new single since releasing While We Wait 2, but she has attracted plenty of headlines for her stances on current events lately. Perhaps the release of the single is her way of reclaiming the narrative to get folks to talk about her music rather than any manufactured controversies.
It’s been less than a year since Sabrina Carpenter released her latest album, Short N’ Sweet, which came out in August 2024. But, it has seemed recently that the gears of a new era are already turning. She released a new single, “Manchild,” last week, and it looks like it might debut at No. 1. Now, we know we definitely are in a new era: Today (June 11), she announced Man’s Best Friend, a new album set for release on August 29.
On social media, Carpenter shared the cover art, a relatively lo-fi photo of herself in a black dress, on her hands and knees, as a figure standing above her holds a handful of her hair.
There’s no announced tracklist yet, but a press release confirms “Manchild” will be on the album.
Carpenter hinted at the new project in a February interview with Vogue, saying, “I start every year, just trying to go away and write. Because I feel like I have a lot to say at the end of a year. I’m just kind of tucked away right now. It’s half writing and half relaxation, if that’s something I can even accomplish.”
Check out the Man’s Best Friend cover art below.
Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend Album Cover Artwork
Island Records
Man’s Best Friend is out 8/29 via Island Records. Find more information here.
Sound Check returns with another new episode this week, this time putting Ab-Soul to the test. The West Coast rapper recorded this one ahead of the Red Bull Spiral Freestyle that set the rap internet abuzz, earning some of the attention he insisted his last mixtape, Soul Burger, should have gotten. As usual, host Jeremy Hecht puts some tough choices in front of Soulo, making him choose between songs from Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and Nas, Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix, Eminem and Lupe Fiasco, and even Erykah Badu and Duke Ellington.
Here’s how it works: Jeremy plays two songs for the guest artist, who has to choose one and explain their choice, giving Jeremy a chance to learn their musical taste. Jeremy then has to guess the artist’s life anthem, the song they’d take to a desert island, which the guest wrote down earlier on a piece of paper. Our production team has also given him a decoy song, and Jeremy has to guess which is correct based on what he’s learned in the previous rounds.
Watch Ab-Soul take on the Sound Check challenge above. New episodes of Sound Check drop every Wednesday at noon ET / 9 PM PT on Uproxx’s YouTube.
My favorite song of the year so far is about starting anew. It’s by the 32-year-old singer-songwriter Alex G, and it has a beautiful chord progression arranged with lustrous acoustic guitars, mandolin licks, and a warm-sounding accordion. “When the light came / big and bright / I began another life,” he sings. Actually, he might be talking about death. Either way, the combination of mystery and melody has kept “Afterlife” in constant rotation for the past two weeks.
The song certainly signals a new chapter for the Philadelphia native. It’s the first single from Headlights, his forthcoming debut (due July 18) with RCA, the label poised to turn one of the most popular and influential indie artists of the past 15 years into a full-on mainstream proposition. And “Afterlife” suggests that Alex G is more than ready to level up — in a catalog already loaded with idiosyncratic earworms, “Afterlife” is possibly the most immediately endearing song he’s ever written.
It could be argued that Alex G already is a rock star. His 9.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify outpaces many acts you might assume are more popular. (It’s about as many listeners as Turnstile, Boygenius, and The National have combined.) And his influence is now pervasive enough that Alex G-like artists have already established big careers. A prominent example is Mk.gee, whose 2024 breakout hit Two Star & The Dream Police has a lo-fi dreaminess that feels indebted to Alex G’s early Bandcamp releases. (He also, clearly, favors the seventh letter of the alphabet.) While it might have seemed a little strange at first to imagine such a quintessentially independent artist sharing a label with Britney Spears, Doja Cat, and Sleep Token, Alex G’s musical footprint justifies it.
In the indie world, Alex G became a leading figure in part because of his ability to pull from many different styles of music and integrate them in ways that feel natural and singular. You can see that talent on display in the video for “Afterlife,” which combines down-home visuals filmed at a community square dance in Texas with music reminiscent of British and Celtic folk. (I would bet that he recently had a “Pogues and Led Zeppelin III” phase.) Though in true Alex G fashion, you only see flashes of the actual artist lurking in the background. It speaks to his penchant for obfuscation, both in his music (where he frequently modulates his voice into wildly twisted tones) and public persona (totally nondescript, possibly on purpose).
When the occasion demands it, he can present as a conventional “sensitive guy” singer-songwriter, like his 2022 performance of “Miracles” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. If this were your introduction to Alex G, you would assume he was just another good-looking dude with a guitar who sings nice ditties about wanting to start a family. “Blessing” (another song from his most recent LP, God Save The Animals) represents the subversive flipside of that equation — it’s a surly pseudo-nu metal number with a loping, sinister groove that Alex unironically claimed was inspired by Audioslave’s hit power ballad “Like A Stone.” (It honestly does sound a lot like that song.)
These tracks, along with “Afterlife,” demonstrate how Alex G freely mixes tradition with novelty, and old-fashioned songwriting with of-the-moment production flavors. His music might have the shape of singer-songwriter music, but it’s not constructed like how that music is normally put together. And it feels that way when you listen to it. “As far as production, I’d imagine I have a lot in common with electronic or pop producers,” he once told Pitchfork. “I’m not trying to get something organic, I’m going in and chopping stuff up, manipulating things after the fact. I don’t care about the process. I just want the product to sound exactly how I want it.”
That approach puts Alex G solidly in line with the current musical climate. (Putting out a cowboy-themed video in the midst of an Americana gold rush is solid marketing as well.) But can Alex G really be a crossover indie-rock megastar on the level of Mitski or Phoebe Bridgers, who moved into the realm of TikTok virality and arena tours in the early 2020s? Or is he destined to remain a very successful cult hero?
Two interesting wrinkles make me lean toward the latter scenario. The first is the progressive strangeness of Alex G’s albums, which have grown grander and more polished as he’s aged while somehow being a little less accessible. God Save The Animals and 2019’s House Of Sugar are his two most ambitious and (in my view) best records, but they are filled with jarring shifts in sound and mood. (Like “No Bitterness,” which starts off as low-key stoner rock before exploding into an ecstatic hyperpop breakdown.) By comparison, early efforts like 2012’s Trick — which, judging by streaming numbers, remains his most popular record — sound a lot more straightforward and (for lack of a better word) normal.
The two most popular songs from Trick, the slyly sexual sorta-rocker “Sarah” and the achingly sweet love song “Mary,” were products of Alex G’s “’90s indie scholarship” era, when he was overtly influenced by bands like Built To Spill and Modest Mouse. I first started listening to him upon the release of 2015’s Beach Music, which includes some of his most obvious Elliott Smith’s homages. (He even recreated those distinctive “fingers moving on the fret” guitar sounds you might remember from Either/Or.)
I saw Alex G for the first (and for now only) time the following year, when I was randomly in Orlando and saw him play in a bar with the New York-based synth-pop project Porches. I remember him wearing a trucker hat and a baggy shirt, and virtually nothing else about the show. As a stage presence, he was distinctly unmemorable. He looked like someone who had wandered from the audience and stayed at the microphone because security couldn’t be bothered to escort him away. The tunes were uniformly good, but the band was as noncommittal about performing them as their reluctant, nonchalant frontman.
This brings me to the second wrinkle: I’m not sure that Alex G has a personality. I don’t mean he has a bad personality. I’m saying he might not have a personality. I have interviewed him twice, once for a print article and once for my old podcast. And it was a challenging experience both times, not because he was rude but because he had nothing to say. Not a single thing. Nada. Goose egg. Asking Alex G to talk about songwriting is like inquiring with a typical 14-year-old about their day at school. The podcast interview was especially hard, since that format is designed to be a virtual hangout for the audience. People want to hear fun, compelling banter. And Alex simply was not a fun, compelling hang. He was a reluctant, nonchalant interview subject.
I don’t think I’m alone on this. When you read Alex G profiles, you can feel the writers straining to come up with any semblance of color. Like on the press cycle for God Save The Animals, where there were at leasttwo articles from major outlets that opened with strikingly similar anecdotes involving dogs and Dunkin Donuts iced coffee. (Spoiler alert: Alex G is really into dogs and Dunkin Donuts iced coffee.)
It’s possible this is all by design. In his songs, Alex G combines heartfelt autobiography with dark fiction in ways that deliberately muddy the distinction between “true” identity and contrived invention. A child of the internet, Alex G has always understood that you are what you create for others to consume. And that might include not creating a “relatable” or “personal” avatar for yourself. Famously averse to social media, he has spurned the cult of personality that’s been the grist for stardom, pop and indie, in the 21st century. He has, instead, forged a fanatical following for his actual music. So, why not be deliberately boring in interviews so that the focus stays on the work?
If that’s the case, I wonder if that strategy can be effective when you’re on a major label. It goes against the grain of how parasocial relationships sustain careers now. But I hope it works. What I know for certain is that “Afterlife” is a fantastic song. And if the new album has more bangers of that magnitude, I will be more than fine with Alex G’s lack of quotability.
Headlights is out 7/18 via RCA Records. Find more information here.
Lil Wayne has updated his new album, Tha Carter VI, with a verse from longtime friend and collaborator Nicki Minaj. The Young Money veterans reunite for the first time since 2023 on “Banned From NO (Remix),” which was added to the tracklist today after fans noted Nicki’s absence on the original release. In her verse, Nicki name-checks NBA teams, shouts out her hometown, Jamaica, Queens, and even throws in one of Wayne’s favorite bar flips: “The ‘F’ is for ‘phenomenal.’” She also throws more shade at the NFL for not booking Wayne for the Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans.
You can check out Lil Wayne’s “Banned From NO (Remix)” featuring Nicki Minaj above.
Tha Carter VI is out now via Young Money Records and Republic Records. You can find more info here.
06/06 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
07/30 — Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live *@
08/01 — Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach *@#
08/02 — Atlantic City, NJ @ Boardwalk Hall *@
08/03 — Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center *@
08/05 — Hartford, CT @ Xfinity Theatre *@
08/06 — Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center *@
08/08 — Syracuse, NY @ Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview *@
08/09 — Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater *@
08/11 — Toronto, Ontario @ Budweiser Stage *@
08/14 — Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center *@
08/16 — Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center *@
08/17 — Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center *@
08/20 — Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center *@
08/22 — Milwaukee, WI @ American Family Insurance Amphitheater *@
08/23 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena *@
08/24 — Tinley Park, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre *@
08/26 — Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center *@
08/29 — Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre *@
09/01 — Ridgefield, WA @ Cascades Amphitheater *@
09/03 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena *@
09/05 — Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre *@
09/06 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center *@
09/10 — Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre *@
09/12 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena *@
09/14 — Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater *@
09/16 — Del Valle, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater *@
09/17 — Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion *@
09/18 — The Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion *@#
09/22 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center %
09/24 — Huntsville, AL @ The Orion Amphitheater *@
09/25 — Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion *@
09/29 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena *@#
10/01 — Orlando, FL @ Kia Center *@#
10/02 — West Palm Beach, FL @ iThink Financial Amphitheatre *@#
* with Tyga
@ with Belly Gang Kushington
# with NoCap
% with Hot Boys
Alex Warren and Sabrina Carpenter are both on fire, and at the moment, their paths are colliding. Warren’s single “Ordinary” is currently No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Meanwhile, Carpenter’s new song “Manchild” is proving to be a hit, too.
It looks like it’s going to be an extremely close race for the top spot on the next chart, but Warren doesn’t seem to be sweating it. In fact, on June 9, he actually shared “Manchild” on his Instagram Story, which sparked some social media backlash from his fans.
“Wait why is everyone so mean on here… music is music. I’m so blessed to be on the chart and I’m also so happy for all the wins in music. Manchild is such a great record and I’m so honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as Sabrina. Ordinary means so much to me and so many people and it’s totally ok if it doesn’t to you. I’m just happy to be here:)”
One user responded, “Can we normalize not harassing artists for no reason at all?! Everyone works hard for their records.” Another wrote, “Just cuz yall didn’t hear his song doesn’t mean others didn’t. Stop pretending like ur fave is gonna murder u for liking other songs. Enjoy life and the variations of music there is instead of being a hate filled loser fr damn. Some of yall r Embarassing.”
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