Charli XCX is on Substack now! Charli gets vulnerable in the inaugural post she shared yesterday, revealing that she was getting a bit tired of Brat towards the end of it.
Writing about how people latched onto the album and the project shifted to belonging to the public, Charli said:
“When this moment happens I normally go searching elsewhere for fulfillment. But with brat, my latest baby, people seemed to care about her more than usual. So I stuck with her and watched her grow. It was fun, don’t get me wrong, I reached new highs and new lows and both were equally important. But by the end of the process I sort of felt like I was squeezing blood from a stone, trying to get every last drop of liquid life out of an idea I had already been sat with for years prior. I still love her, don’t get me wrong but I was itching to move on and was simultaneously frustrated that I was so depleted that I couldn’t. I was stuck, I was empty, I was barren, I was running on the spot in a different kind of way. I couldn’t really even listen to music without feeling depressed. Everything felt monotonous and boring, even if it wasn’t.”
She also said she’s more excited by her movie work at the moment, writing, “As some of you may know I’m currently feeling more inspired by film than I am by music. Film is where my creative brain seems to be gravitating. I’m enjoying acting, I’m enjoying writing, I’m enjoying watching and I’m above all enjoying discovering a new craft. Those things feel really enriching and instinctual to me at the moment but also music is a limb I will probably never fully be able to cut from my body despite trying quite hard to do so at points.”
After that, though, he shifted gears, instead carving out a career in more of a background role, as a songwriter. Over the past decade, he was at least partially responsible for a lot of songs you’ve probably heard of: Adele’s “When We Were Young” and Niall Horan’s “Slow Hands” are a couple examples, while he also all over projects like Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism, Dijon’s Baby, and Justin Bieber’s two Swag albums.
Now, with years of high-level songwriting under his belt, Jesso is giving his career as a primary artist another shot. Today (November 13), Jesso announced a new album, Shine (stylized as s h i n e. He also shared a video for “I Love You,” which arrives with a video featuring Dakota Johnson and Riley Keough.
Meanwhile, at the 2026 Grammys, Jesso is nominated for Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical. This comes after he won the award in 2023, the first time it was ever handed out.
Over nearly three decades with Gorillaz, Damon Albarn has had the opportunity to work with a bunch of music icons. One of the ones that got away, though, was David Bowie.
In a new Radio X interview, Albarn said, “I nearly made a record with Ray Davis and David Bowie back in the late ’90s. That didn’t happen.”
They also discussed getting in the studio with Dionne Warwick but that ultimately not going anywhere. Jamie Hewlett said, “She was in the studio on the piano with Damon saying, ‘I’m not sure about the name of this album Demon Days. Why have you called it Demon Days?’” Albarn added, “I think she just found some of the lyrics and sort of some of the ideas a bit problematic. But an amazing, amazing person nonetheless.”
Albarn also discussed some favorite collaborators, saying, “De La Soul, obviously. Probably very, very important to us just as friends and pre-Gorillaz as an inspiration, you know? They’re really, really important; important to just the history of music, really. People like Bobby Womack, who I went on to make a record with. Just sitting at the piano with Bobby Womack working out new songs, kind of an incredible experience, a voice.”
The United Society Of Believers In Christ’s Second Appearing, a Christian sect better known as the Shakers, has quite the story. Today, they exist as a historical relic, as a mere three members remain as of 2025. Their past, though, is cinematic enough to get the movie treatment in the upcoming The Testament Of Ann Lee.
The film focuses on Ann Lee, one of the religious movement’s founders, and the story of her vision for the church. Amanda Seyfried stars, as do Lewis Pullman, Tim Blake Nelson, and more.
Ahead of the movie’s release, keep reading for everything you need to know before it hits theaters.
Plot
An official description reads, “From award-winning writer-director Mona Fastvold comes the extraordinary true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers. Academy Award nominee Amanda Seyfried stars as the Shaker’s irrepressible leader, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers. The Testament Of Ann Lee captures the ecstasy and agony of her quest to build a utopia, featuring more than a dozen traditional Shaker hymns reimagined as rapturous movements with choreography by Celia Rowlson-Hall and original songs & score by Academy Award winner Daniel Blumberg.”
“Very recently, a third Shaker joined, and no one has joined [since 1978]. It’s quite extraordinary that a third joined, but no, I didn’t want to consult them because my interpretation of this story is probably quite different from theirs. I’ve taken creative liberties. I’ve merged characters. I’ve imagined things. My reason for telling the story is different probably from their reason to be part of this religion. I thought it was more respectful to let them have their relationship and me have mine.”
Cast
The movie stars Amanda Seyfried, Lewis Pullman, Thomasin McKenzie, Christopher Abbott, Tim Blake Nelson, Stacy Martin, Scott Handy, Matthew Beard, Viola Prettejohn, Jamie Bogyo, and David Cale.
Seyfried spoke with The Wrap about the challenges this role presented, saying:
“Getting over my own insecurities with playing somebody who had so much power and felt so strong-willed and someone so committed and someone so devoted. That’s it. That’s not me. But there’s so many qualities about her I could relate to.
In terms of what I couldn’t relate to, the accent, the technical aspect of the accent. I had to let go of my own ear when I’m listening to my own singing because it didn’t need to sound good, it just needed to sound devoted. Just needed to sound true, which is a different way of singing. […] It was just a lot. Choreography is like math to me; I don’t get it. So I had to work extra hard on that. Everything was hard about it. Everything.”
In recent years, Robyn has popped up on new songs here and there, like that Jamie xx collaboration or Charli XCX’s “360” remix, both from last year. As far as her own new songs, though, there haven’t been any since the release of her 2018 album Honey.
She appears to be launching a new era, though, as today (November 12), she has shared a new one, “Dopamine,” a catchy dance-pop number that arrives alongside a video. In a statement, Robyn says of the song:
“Everyone has a phone where they see their heart rate, and we’re learning how to decode our emotions through the hormones and chemical substances in our bodies. It’s almost like we don’t even accept that we’re human anymore, like we’re trying to shoot ourselves out of it and explain every single thing — which I think is great, but that’s also why the world is shit, this idea that you can figure out and win life or something. The doubleness of Dopamine is having an emotion that is super real, super strong, intense, enjoyable or painful, and at the same time knowing that this is just a biological process in my body — and then not to choose religion or science. To just accept that they’re there together and to be able to go in between.”
A press release doesn’t indicate if a new album is coming, but it does note that the song follows a “recent run of public appearances that have created huge anticipation and speculation around new Robyn music.”
With winter coming just weeks away, who is better to help Cardi B bring in the snowy season than The Snowman? The Bronx bombshell’s Am I The Drama? standout “ErrTime” already includes one Atlanta trap star in Latto, and today, Cardi released a remix swapping in one of the godfathers of Atlanta trap, Jeezy.
The new version of the song (dubbed a “Snow Mix”) finds Jeezy opening the song with a brand-new verse before sprinkling his signature ad-libs all over the chorus. “Slow and smooth ass criminal, Teddy P, Easy E / Got that billionaire status, Robert Smith, Gary Vee / How you like it? Bad and bougie, Halle Berry, Cardi B / Drought seasons, know we cuttin’, red alert, Kid Capri.”
Jeezy broke his two-year hiatus since departing Def Jam in 2023 earlier this year with a Gangsta Grillz mixtape, Still Snowin’. The project was noted by fans for departing from Jeezy’s usual trap-style beats for soul samples, so his appearance on “ErrTime” will no doubt be welcomed for bringing him back to his roots.
The ultimate compliment an artist can pay to the Uproxx Sound Check challenge is “diabolical.” That’s how Wale describes it in our latest installment, as the recent Def Jam signee faces down one of our most wide-ranging sets of song choices yet.
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.
This time around, Wale — who has frequently talked about his inspirations in the past — has to choose between two of his biggest influences in Jay-Z and Black Thought, chooses a pre-game anthem between Camp Lo and Young Dro, and has to pick a favorite peer between Drake and J. Cole.
Watch Wale take on the Sound Check challenge above. New episodes of Sound Check drop every Wednesday at noon ET/9 a.m. PT on Uproxx’s YouTube.
UK noise rockers Mandy, Indiana had a critical hit with their 2023 debut album, I’ve Seen A Way. A new era is now loading: Today (November 12), the group announced a new album, Urgh, which will be their first release for their new label, Sacred Bones.
They also shared the punishing single “Magazine.” The group’s Valentine Caulfield says of the song:
“‘Magazine’ is the expression of the frustration and deep-seated violence I felt while attempting to recover from being raped. Just like most victims of sexual assault, I will never get justice, and just like most perpetrators, my attacker will never be punished. My therapist encouraged me to channel my anger into something productive, so here it is: my primal, screaming call for retribution. It is the only way I will ever get to say to my rapist: you hurt me, so I’m going to hurt you.”
A press release notes that much of the album was written “during an intense residency at an eerie studio house in the outskirts of Leeds and recorded across Berlin and Greater Manchester.”
Listen to “Magazine” above. Below, find the Urgh cover art and tracklist, along with the band’s upcoming tour dates.
Clipse may have released their fourth studio album Let God Sort Em Out four months ago, but they’re keeping the rollout going to ensure it stays top of mind of Grammy voters for Best Rap Album of 2025.
Their latest effort to that end is the video for “F.I.C.O.,” the tongue-twisting collaboration with Syracuse rapper Stove God Cooks. The visual strings together stark, black-and-white imagery in collage with clips of the duo rapping their aggressive bars from the backseats of cars and the backrooms of seemingly abandoned buildings — exactly the sorts of places their grisly crime narratives would unfold.
“I remember late nights, pissy hallways / Driving me psycho / The money wouldn’t come fast enough / We was back and forth, down streamline / Moving weight was like lipo,” snarls Pusha T. Malice echoes, “Used to call me Windex ‘cause this thing I spray gon’ make you change minds / I done seen Hercules run / We was powerlifting 2.2’s / Nah, we ain’t throw gang signs.” Meanwhile, Stove God Cooks cooks on the chorus, “My shooter turn you inside out / I heard the Feds turned the crib inside out / Drop the roof on you *, let the inside out / Fresh Prince jacket, boy, I cook ‘em till they inside out.”
Holiday media is starting to roll out as we approach the middle of November. For instance, director Michael Showalter’s Christmas movie Oh. What. Fun. is set to hit Amazon’s Prime Video on December 3. It turns out that the soundtrack, which will be available the same day as the film, is pretty stacked, with covers of holiday classics from Fleet Foxes, St. Vincent, Jeff Tweedy, and many more.
A bunch of the artists on the soundtrack shared statements. Here’s Sharon Van Etten (whose rendition of The Pretenders’ “2000 Miles” with her band The Attachment Theory is out now):
“I connected deeply with the underlying narrative from the mother’s perspective in this film. As a mother myself, I resonated with the constant seeking of perfection and the expectations that holidays inherently bring. It reignited the compassion I hold for my mother and mothers everywhere who aspire to provide a place for their families to feel loved, appreciated, needed and relevant. […] Oh. What. Fun. is a story of a mom finding herself again and reestablishing her connection with her family and what’s at the heart of it all. I am usually very wary of doing covers, especially a ‘holiday’ song — but I connected with the depth of the lyrics and how our feelings around the holidays can be complicated. I tried to honor Chrissie Hynde’s version by collaborating with my band, The Attachment Theory. I hope if The Pretenders hear it, they feel our appreciation and love for Chrissie, the band and this song.”
Jeff Tweedy:
“The Band pulled off the impossible. They wrote a Christmas song that’s joyful and appropriate for the occasion while being strange, emotional, and poetic. Who else would call baby Jesus ‘the little stranger?’ To me, this song gets at what this season is about, at its best: the light. ‘Mary carried the light.’ How are we making ourselves a light to each other? How do I bring light into my life? I start with a song like this.”
St. Vincent:
“My favorite Christmas songs have an underlying sense of melancholy mixed in with the warmth of their familiarity. Sung by a person who is presumably alone, ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ is a prime example: ’Next year all our troubles will be out of sight’… the holiday season and its festivities are a temporary refuge, a reprieve after a sh*tty year. Hopefully the year to come will be better.”
The Bird And The Bee’s Inara George:
“Greg and I were so delighted to be asked to be a part of this movie. It’s always flattering when someone chooses our music to be in their film, but it feels extra special to have been brought in on the early stages of the filming process. We’re excited!”
Empress Of’s Lorely Rodriguez:
“Was a blast making this cover of a classic for Oh. What. Fun.! This movie is such a good time and moms deserve the spotlight every Christmas!”
And lastly, Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes:
“‘Angel in the Snow’ has always been one of my favorite songs by Elliott, one I’d always listen to around the holidays, so it was a huge joy to make this for such a sweet film. It wasn’t even my idea! Took me back to handing out ‘RIP Elliott’ flyers at my high school graduation in 2004. Elliott Smith forever.”
The movie stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Danielle Brooks, Dominic Sessa, Denis Leary, Havana Rose Liu, Maude Apatow, Devery Jacobs, Jason Schwartzman, Eva Longoria, Joan Chen, and Rose Abdoo. An official description reads:
“Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the glue that holds her chaotic, lovable family together every holiday season. From perfectly frosted cookies to meticulously wrapped gifts, no one decks the halls quite like Claire. But this year, as her grown kids and distracted husband get swept up in their own seasonal dramas, they make one crucial mistake: they forget their mom. By the time they realize she’s missing, Claire’s already set off on a festive adventure of her own – one that doesn’t involve cooking, cleaning, or coordinating anyone else’s chaos. As her family scrambles to find her and salvage their Christmas, Claire rediscovers what the holidays mean when you’re finally free to put yourself first. [..] A wink to every overworked holiday host, the film celebrates family, freedom, and the unexpected magic of a Christmas gone off-script.”
Listen to Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory’s “2000 Miles” cover above. Below, find the Oh. What. Fun. (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) cover art and tracklist.
Oh. What. Fun. (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Album Cover Artwork
1. Gwen Stefani — “Shake The Snow Globe”
2. The Bird And The Bee — “The Things We Do For Love”
3. St. Vincent — “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
4. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory — “2000 Miles”
5. Fleet Foxes — “Angel In The Snow”
6. Uwade — “Step Into Christmas”
7. The Wang Family — “Silent Night”
8. Gwen Stefani — “Hot Cocoa”
9. Weyes Blood — “Snowqueen Of Texas”
10. Andy Shauf & Madi Diaz — “Christmas Eve Can Kill You”
11. The Bird And The Bee — “It’s My Life”
12. Jeff Tweedy — “Christmas Must Be Tonight”
13. Lorely Rodriguez (Empress Of) — “Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy”
14. The Wang Family — “I Heard The Bells Of Christmas Day”
15. Dominic Sessa — “The 12 Days Of Christmas”
Oh. What. Fun. (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is out 12/3 via Sony Music Masterworks. Find more information here.
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