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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 Miya Folick, Arlo Parks, Queens Of The Stone Age, Hot Mulligan, and more.

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Hot Mulligan — Why Would I Watch

It was clear when Hot Mulligan unleashed the fierce single “Shhhh! Golf Is On” that their new album Why Would I Watch would be a pop-punk masterpiece. The Lansing, Michigan group, despite their silly song titles, are more mature than most acts in the genre, focusing on an array of topics from the complexities of familial relationships to the intense grief of mortality.

Geese — “Mysterious Life”

“Bend me like the limbo, see my insides / This love is my only window, I will be the airbag,” Cameron Winter sings, opening the contemplative new Geese single “Mysterious Life.” The track is simultaneously a refreshing dose of the distinct weirdness of Geese, packed with playful riffs and catchy hooks.

Jean Dawson — ‘XCAPE’ PT. 1

Jean Dawson has a trilogy prepared. ‘XCAPE’ PT. 1 is a glitchy, disorienting glimpse into this world he’s building. “Youth+” is a post-punk collage of sound with Ian Curtis-like vocals; “Delusional World Champion” is even weirder. It’s an idiosyncratic anthem with an infectious beat and a perfect vibe for the summer.

Queens Of The Stone Age — “Emotional Sickness”

Queens Of The Stone Age are returning with a new album In Times New Roman… out in June. “Emotional Sickness” is the first taste, and it’s an unabashed rock anthem. Josh Homme’s lines are as visceral as ever: “Use once then destroy / Single servings of pain / A dose of emotion sickness / I just can’t shake / Then my fever broke.”

Local Natives — “NYE”

“NYE” is a wonderfully trippy new track from Local Natives. The distorted guitars and nostalgic vocals set the scene for the lyrics: “Tell me, tell me, tell me she said it’s all a blur / Catapult from the earth.” The song has the texture of a daydream and it comes from their new album, Time Will Wait For No One, arriving in July.

Arlo Parks, Phoebe Bridgers — “Pegasus”

My Soft Machine, the new album by Arlo Parks, arrives this summer. The singles have all been hypnotic, and “Pegasus” is another great preview of what’s to come. The Phoebe Bridgers collaboration glimmers and floats sweetly, and Parks’ vocals are as silky as ever, especially in harmony with the “Kyoto” singer.

Horse Jumper Of Love — “Singing By The Sink”

Horse Jumper Of Love are getting ready to share their new mini-LP Heartbreak Rules. The second single “Singing By The Sink” is as delicate and ruminative as the first. It serves as a collage of images, showcasing Dimitri Giannopoulos’s random observations: “The yuppie smokers / Only come out at night / While they’re walking their dogs / Images of luxury.”

Miya Folick — “Cockroach”

“Cockroach” is a sprawling Miya Folick track, a meditative sliver from her forthcoming record of the same title. The lead single “Get Out Of My House” bursted with relentless energy, whereas this new song delivers a softer side as she sings quietly: “Crush me, crush me.”

The Drums — “Plastic Envelope” & “Protect Him Always”

“Plastic Envelope” by The Drums reflects on a failed love: “I thought that I would die by your side / I thought that, baby, this was our life,” Jonny Pierce sings, disillusioned against soaring guitars and a contrastingly upbeat rhythm. It bleeds right into “Protect Him Always,” which is even more cinematic and compelling.

Beach Fossils — “Seconds”

The summer is the best time for new Beach Fossils. The breezy ambiance of their songs makes their music a sunlit oasis, and this single “Seconds” is no different. From their forthcoming LP Bunny, the song seems to stop time: “I get moving / When it’s over / I wish I could stay / All night,” Dustin Payseur sings.

Four months after his decision to leave the UFC, Francis Ngannou has signed with the PFL, the organization announced in a press release.

As predicted in January, Ngannou will take advantage of the PFL’s newly-formed Super Fight division, joining Jake Paul and Kayla Harrison as fighters who will earn at least 50 percent of the pay-per-view revenue in their MMA fights as part of the promotion, with bouts distributed by ESPN and the streaming service DAZN.

The former UFC heavyweight champion and the first African born heavyweight world champion in history has reportedly inked the most valuable MMA deal for a single fighter, with Ngannou serving in a leadership role on the PFL Global Advisory Board, representing fighters’ interests, and as an equity owner and chairman of PFL Africa, a pipeline for talent earning a pathway to the PFL Global season.

The deal follows Ngannou’s commitment to fighter equity and feeds his desire for a boxing match, which his contract allows for, per the NY Times.

“I am very excited for this game changing partnership with the Professional Fighters League to continue my MMA fighting career in the PFL’s PPV Super Fight Division,” said Ngannou, per the release. “I believe in the PFL’s “fighter first” culture and global vision including developing the sport in Africa. With that, I am also proud to announce that I will serve as Chairman of PFL Africa which will be the leading MMA organization on the continent providing great African fighters the opportunity to compete on a global platform.”

Ngannou is expected to make his PFL debut in 2024, with the expectation that he will participate in a crossover boxing match later this year.

He finished his UFC career with six consecutive victories, including a knockout of Stipe Miocic to claim the heavyweight crown.

Abel Tesfaye said that he plans to kill off his musical persona, The Weeknd, to venture into other creative realms. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to graciously bow out on top after becoming the first artist to cross 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify. However, despite the milestones he’s reached, there are still some accomplishments that even shocked him.

During an interview with Vanity Fair, the musician confessed that he was undoubtedly surprised by the success of one of his biggest songs. “I thought ‘Blinding Lights’ was gonna be a flop,” Tesfaye said.

Co-produced by Max Martin and Oscar Holter, “Blinding Lights” was the second single released off The Weeknd’s After Hours album. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the song is now certified diamond after selling 10 million copies.

With an unpredictable boost from TikTok, the entertainer is excited to see how the younger demographic has latched onto his work and the music he was inspired by.

“It’s a new generation of angsty teens discovering all the dark music like when I was 14,” he said. “Kurt Cobain, Wu-Tang, and all these songs that, as a kid, I probably shouldn’t be listening to, and 50 Cent. This f*cking dark and amazing escape.”

Only time will tell if The Weeknd truly retires from music.

Last week, Tucker Carlson made the surprise announcement that he will launch a new show on Twitter, which was entirely unexpected given the state of the platform since Elon Musk took over as CEO. Nevertheless, Carlson is aggressively making moves to launch a new version of his program on the social media site, but that’s one major hurdle in his way: Tucker is technically still a Fox News employee.

According to a new report, which floats the narrative that Carlson was pulled off the air because of an undisclosed verbal agreement with Dominion Voting Systems that clinched the settlement with Fox (Dominion denies such an agreement was made), Carlson wants to “quickly” get his now show on Twitter and has already brought in his Tucker Carlson Tonight senior producer Justin Wells. Filming is taking place inside Carlson’s home in Maine where he reportedly has a full studio.

As for dealing with Fox News, Carlson has retained some heavy-hitting legal counsel to get out of his employment contract.

Via Variety:

After learning that he was being sidelined on April 24, Carlson hired high-powered Hollywood attorney Bryan Freedman for the contract dispute. Freedman — whose other media clients include Don Lemon (ousted by CNN on the same day as the Carlson-Fox split), Megyn Kelly, Chris Cuomo and Tiffany Cross — is well known as the lawyer you retain when you are ready to go to war with a media giant. As such, Freedman sent a letter to Fox on May 9 saying Fox employees, including “Rupert Murdoch himself,” broke promises to Carlson “intentionally and with reckless disregard for the truth.” (A source says Fox has not yet responded to the letter.)

As Variety notes, Freedman is the same attorney who secured a $69 million pay out for Megyn Kelly after she was fired from NBC News. He also issued a notable warning to Fox News while speaking to Axios: “The idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous.”

(Via Variety)

Rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert was famously triggered when SNL parodied her gun-filled family Christmas photo. She, however, appeared to see humor in a t-shirt that referred to a gun as a “cordless hole puncher.” That didn’t go over well when mass shootings happen nearly every day in the U.S.

Still, Boebert persists. She previously tried to have the AR-15 named as the “national gun,” and now, she has introduced a new bill into Congress. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. Boebert appears to have first introduced this bill last summer, and now, it’s back with even worse timing.

This is a fairly short bill, too. Boebert did recently propose much more time for lawmakers to read bills, but this one won’t swallow too much time. The bill can be viewed here, and it’s not the shortest bill in congressional history. That title may go to this 2017 doozy, which simply read, “The Environmental Protection Agency shall terminate on December 31, 2018.”

That bill did not succeed, obviously. Boebert is undoubtedly hoping to have more luck with the Shall Not Be Infringed Act. The whole purpose of the bill is to repeal the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was extensive in comparison, but many people would agree that it didn’t go far enough, given our current state of, you know, mass shootings. Here is the Boebert bill:

This bill repeals the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law on June 25, 2022. The act makes various changes to federal firearms laws, including to expand background check requirements, broaden the scope of existing restrictions, and establish new criminal offenses. The act also reauthorizes, funds, and supports various programs, grants, and activities to promote access to behavioral and mental health services, enhance school safety and security initiatives, and address gun violence in communities.

Effective as of the date of enactment of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (Public Law 117–159), such Act is repealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Act are restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted.

So essentially, the bill wants to remove the tiniest bit of bipartisan cooperation that has passed on gun laws in recent years. The bill also appears to suggest beefing up security at schools because the right-wing wants to counter guns with more guns, I guess? The whole subject is so fraught, but we’ll see how far Boebert’s bill goes with this second introduction.

(Via Congress.gov)

The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) did a new interview with Vanity Fair, ahead of his upcoming HBO show, The Idol, premiering at Cannes this week. However, the series, which Tesfaye stars in, has encountered some controversy along the way.

A few months ago, Rolling Stone came out with an article that alleged it had gone “wildly, disgustingly off the rails.” Sources also claimed that there were tons of rewrites and reshoots from showrunner Sam Levinson (Euphoria) that turned it into “twisted torture porn.”

“It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show, and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better,” one source claimed.

Just a few hours after the piece gained traction, Tesfaye pushed back on social media, using a clip from The Idol where his character calls the publication irrelevant. During his Coachella appearance at Metro Boomin’s set, he skipped over the Rolling Stone lyric of “Heartless.” Now, he’s continuing to make his thoughts clear.

“I thought the article was ridiculous,” Tesfaye said in the Vanity Fair interview. “I wanted to give a ridiculous response to it.”

“I actually really loved working with Amy [Seimetz],” he added, touching upon a claim about tensions with Seimetz, who departed the show during the early production process, “and I’m sure she’s reading all this being like, ‘Why am I being thrown into this?’”

Tesfaye’s The Idol is set to begin airing on Max starting June 4.

What happens when LaKeith Stanfield, Owen Wilson, and Danny DeVito walk into a bar, er, a creepy old house? You get the trailer for Haunted Mansion. Inspired by the Disney Parks attraction of the same name (it’s a top-five ride, and I’ll hear nothing to the contrary), the Justin Simien-directed film is about “a woman and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters,” according to the synopsis.

“I think they found the sweet spot of scary, funny, and adventure,” Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays floating head Madame Leota, told Entertainment Weekly about Haunted Mansion. “You know, it’s cooking. I barely cook, I attempt cooking all the time, and it’s all ingredients, and then the mix and the time, and it’s always hard to know, are you going to make something yummy? And from what I’m seeing, and what I’ve heard, Justin has made something yummy.”

Haunted Mansion is darker than the typical Disney fare, “but not scary like a monster movie,” the Oscar winner added. “It’s scary like a Disney ride, and funny. If you go on that ride, there’s a lot of humor as well as the scary, ghost-y stuff.” The movie doesn’t have the biggest scare of the ride, however: a 45 minute wait.

Haunted Mansion opens in theaters on July 28.

The Memphis Grizzlies aren’t currently in the NBA Playoffs this postseason, but Ja Morant is still one of the league’s most talked-about players at the moment: Over the weekend, he appeared to flash a gun on Instagram Live, and of course, this comes not long after a similar incident in March that ultimately led to a suspension from the team and time spent in a counseling program. This new video could lead to another suspension for Morant, but while the situation progresses, the memes are flowing.

One tweet that gained traction (with 3.5 million views since it was posted on May 14) reads, “ja morant every month,” and it features a photo of young GloRilla (a Memphis native, by the way) smiling as she proudly holds a large gun. GloRilla shared the post yesterday and added, “I was a menace in high school I’m so embarrassed [crying laughing emojis].”

While GloRilla didn’t address the Morant situation directly, other rappers have. Snoop Dogg, for example, came through with a gallery of memes comedically addressing things like Morant’s agent’s reaction to the video. Fat Joe also came through with a more serious take on the situation, encouraging Morant to reconsider his actions and the people he chooses to associate with.

Post Malone has seemingly been gearing up for a new album, given that he released the single “Chemical” in April. Now, he’s made an announcement: His next album is called Austin and it’s set to drop on July 28.

Malone revealed the news in an informal Instagram video shared yesterday (May 15), also noting that a new song called “Mourning” is coming out this week. Of the album, he said, “It’s been some of the funnest music, some of the most challenging and rewarding music, for me at least. You know, trying to really push myself and really do some cool stuff. I played guitar on every song on the record and it was a really, really fun experience, and I’m super, super excited to share it with you.”

Watch the video above and find a transcript of it below.

“Hey guys, what’s going on? It’s Posty. I wanted to say that I love you guys so very f*ckin’ much. I’m here on tour in Europe right now, and I wanted to tell you guys that I have an album coming out this summer, on July 28th. It’s called Austin, like my name. That is my name. It’s been some of the funnest music, some of the most challenging and rewarding music, for me at least. You know, trying to really push myself and really do some cool stuff. I played guitar on every song on the record and it was a really, really fun experience, and I’m super, super excited to share it with you.

‘Chemical’ is out and that song is on the record, and then on Friday, I have another song called ‘Mourning,’ with a ‘u’… like that. But I’m super excited to get that out for you guys. We just shot a music video in Scotland; it’s absolutely stunning up there. There’s a big-ass ice cube in it, which I thought was pretty badass.

But I’m super excited for you guys to hear it and I love you guys so very much. You know, I hope you guys just keep f*ckin’ being amazing and keep spreading love and just keep being yourself and I f*ckin’ love y’all, man. Have a great f*ckin’ night, have a great f*ckin’ week, and hug your fam, and just keep spreading love. Love you guys!”

Blink-182 is in the midst of a massive comeback. But, the band’s revered drummer Travis Barker’s daughter Alabama’s career is just getting started. However, instead of following in her famous father’s rockstar footprints, the internet personality has lasered in on rap music. The nepo baby debate was stale, but the aspiring musician’s new snippet shared to TikTok might’ve just breathed new life into it.

In the 40-second clip, Alabama dropped a sample of what she’s been cooking up, rapping a whole verse and part of the forthcoming song’s chorus.

Opening with the first verse, Alabama raps, “When we ain’t together when I’m with him, he know that I’m the realest / Ain’t got no opposition all these b*tches in they feelings / But listen who the f*ck y’all talkin’ to / I’m Alabama get to know me I might spazz on you / I’m walking in its twenty b*tches starring yeah I’m cool / I know I smell so good it’s Baccarat and Van Cleef perfume / Treat me like ya momma /Drip me out in some designer / Ice me out like boy I’m wildin’ / You know the type of energy / Don’t treat me like its ten of me / You better not be texting treat your exes like they enemies.”

Before the video ends, Alabama shares a few seconds of the track’s melodic chorus, rapping, “Just pick up when I’m calling / you know my body / Don’t switch up when you got it / You know you got me / I’m out here riding shotty you right beside me / you feeling all up on me / He blow exotic.”

Several users drew comparisons to other social media figures turned musicians, including Matty B and an early Justin Bieber.

Another user commented, “Not feeling it,” to which Alabama replied, “Sounds personal.”

Others called Alabama out for cultural appropriation. Some chimed in to share that her father, Travis Barker, has publicly talked about his love for rap music. Barker even collaborated with a few rappers, including Lil Wayne, Trippie Redd, Paul Wall, The Game, and Run the Jewels. This isn’t Alabama’s first time sharing her music online. In April, she uploaded a teaser of her song, “Diamond In The Rough.”

But it wasn’t all negative. Several users shared words of encouragement with the teenager. “She’s still young. This is her creative phase. I hope she has fun and watches her boundaries and limits,” posted one user.

To clap back at the naysayers, Alabama recorded another video using a song clip of Nicki Minaj dunking on users that claim to hate her but watch everything she does online.

Alabama hasn’t released the track’s name or if it will ever be released publicly. But she’s made it clear that she isn’t going to stop because she does enjoy making music.

Blink-182 is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.