The messy history of pioneering New Jersey hip-hop trio Fugees has just gotten messier. In the wake of a string of canceled reunion tours and Pras Michel’s conviction for money laundering, Pras has filed a lawsuit against Lauryn Hill, accusing his bandmate of fraud. According to Billboard, Pras’ lawyers filed the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, alleging that Hill used his legal trouble and resultant expenses to get him to sign onto the reunion tour, which was eventually canceled due to “gross mismanagement” by Hill’s touring company.
Pras says that Hill lied about how much she would be paid in comparison to her bandmates, secretly taking 40 percent of revenue from the gross before paying the one-third split between the three Fugees. Meanwhile, that revenue was much less than expected due to “bloated” production costs and its abrupt, premature end — which Pras blames on Hill’s company taking too long to negotiate splits with Live Nation, the tour sponsor. He says she also told Live Nation Pras and Wyclef Jean had agreed to extend the tour in order to garner a $1 million advance, which she kept for herself. She also turned down $5 million from Coachella because No Doubt would have received higher booking, denying Pras the opportunity to pay off his legal fees.
As such, the lawsuit demands full accounting of the tour, and specifically alleges breach of contract on Hill’s part and fraud in both her inducing Michel to sign onto the tour and how she paid out from the revenue.
“Hill’s ploy to appear to be Michel’s supposed savior was actually a devious attempt to make a big score for herself by generating millions of dollars from a Fugees tour,” his lawyers write. “In the process, it did not matter to Hill if she took full advantage of Michel’s vulnerability – her friend and creative partner of over 30 years. In fact, she counted on exploiting that vulnerability to carry out her scheme.”
Two years after the release of their fourth studio album, Ghetto Gods, Earthgang has announced the release date for its follow-up. Perfect Fantasy will be out on October 29 via Dreamville and Interscope, and will be preceded by lead single, “Love You More” featuring T-Pain.
Although the Atlanta duo has put 24-plus months between full-length releases, they’ve remained busy over the past two years, dropping three EPs: EarthGang vs. The Algorithm: RIP Human Art , Robophobia, and Snakegang with EDM duo Snakehips. They also performed at Coachella in 2023, and were billed to open on Kid Cudi’s Insano Tour this summer, but the tour was canceled as a result of Kid Cudi’s broken foot from this year’s Coachella festival.
According to a press release, Perfect Fantasy will be “heavily inspired” by Japanese culture and continues the theme of the duo’s ongoing EarthGang VS. The Algorithm project. The group has been openly critical of the effects of AI on art and culture — especially music — as seen by the titles of their EPs, which are also part of the series. They previously addressed the impact that social media has had on parasocial engagement with celebrities in their 2023 single, “Die Today.”
Perfect Fantasy is due 10/29 via Dreamville/Interscope. You can find more info here.
Belinda has proven that she will always make her mark in Latin pop music. Following a lengthy hiatus from music, the Spanish-Mexican icon returned this year with a trilogy of hits that seamlessly blended pop with música Mexicana. While tapping into corridos tumbados, Belinda is also finding healing through her most personal songs yet.
“It’s an era about taking risks,” Belinda says. “I’m working harder than ever. I like that a lot of people are connecting with these songs. I love this era and I believe it’s a very important one for me.”
Though Belinda was born in Madrid, she grew up and first cultivated her career in Mexico City. After starring in children’s telenovelas, she launched her Latin pop career in 2003 with her self-titled debut album. In the decade that followed, Belinda scored multiple hits with songs that embraced pop-rock, electro-pop, and EDM. After her 2013 album, Catarsis, she largely focused on collaborations that put a pop twist on reggaeton and cumbia. Belinda’s hiatus finally ended last October when she signed with Warner. This past year, she has taken on the Mexican corrido with her pop-infused hits “Cactus” and “300 Noches.”
Like Shakira and Karol G before her, Belinda has opened up about her past relationships in her recent songs. She also hit back at her critics in the final song of the trilogy, the empowering “La Mala.” Though Belinda made headlines last week on a runway in Paris, she is taking the fall in stride as another moment of resilience in her 20-plus year career. Over Zoom, Belinda caught up with Uproxx about her musical comeback, her upcoming single with Kenia Os, and what to expect from her new album that’s due out next year.
How do you feel about returning to music and the songs that you released this year?
I feel very grateful. I feel very happy and lucky to do what I love to do. I’m working a lot. I’m trying to stay true to myself in terms of the music. I don’t want to allow myself to be stuck in the same place in terms of music, acting, and serving looks. I’m in a chapter of my career where I’m enjoying this journey and process so much.
In the song “Cactus,” you talk about music being a form of therapy for you. How would you describe the experience of finding healing through your new songs?
Obviously, it’s a great form of therapy for me because I always write my songs. I always let out what I want to say through the lyrics and music. I’m super connected with everything that I’m writing and with each song. Music is 100 percent my best form of therapy.
Where did the idea come from to mix Mexican corridos with pop in your songs?
I wanted for corridos to not only be seen as violent songs. I want to bring that style of music to another level that is more pop. I wanted to create a fusion of sounds. With that in mind, I made “Cactus,” “300 Noches,” and “La Mala,” which just came out. I wanted to fuse música Mexicana with styles of music that are super pop.
Natanael Cano is a pioneer of corridos tumbados. What was the experience like to work with him on “300 Noches”?
I loved it! I admire Nata so much. He’s a great artist. He was the first one to take corridos tumbados to another level. He was the first person I saw making corridos. It was a surprise that he wanted to do that song with me. It was like, “Wow! I can’t believe he loves ‘300 Noches.’” Now we’re on the Billboard charts together with that song.
How did you feel to reclaim your story and address your critics with the song “La Mala”?
I love that this song is trap mixed corridos. I feel like it’s very cool, different, and special. I like it because it’s an anthem for women. It doesn’t have to necessarily be based on something that’s real. Simply put, all us women sometimes like to dress up like a mala [bad girl] by putting on a sexy outfit and dancing and walking feeling fierce, powerful, and beautiful. When we’re feeling attacked, inferior, or unappreciated, we have the strength to keep going forward. The most important thing I learned is to never take everything personal. Before this song, I would always take everything personal. I was like, “It’s me! Oh my God! It’s me!” This song is for them to understand to not take anything personal, and they’ll be much happier. It’s one of my favorites from the album.
The Latinx Internet lit up when you were singing along to “La Mala” with Danna in a video on TikTok.
That was very cool! We’re friends and colleagues. We’ve seen each other a few times, but I respect her and I admire her. As a woman, I believe that we have to support each other.
What can you tell us about your upcoming single with Kenia Os?
My next single is super girly pop with Kenia Os. I believe she’s the first female Mexican artist that I’m doing a song with. This is the first time that I’m singing with a Mexicana colleague of mine. I love her so much. She’s a very hard-working girl. When there’s a will, there’s a way. It’s going to come out in October. We’re going to record the music video this week. I’m sure that it’s going to surprise people, and they’re going to love it.
Who do you want to collaborate with next?
For this album, I’m working with Mala Rodríguez. I’m also doing a song with Tito Doble P, who is another great artist in corridos tumbados. A lot of different collaborations are coming. I’m excited for everyone to hear all this music soon that I’m sure will surprise them.
What can we expect from the album that you’re working on?
I feel very happy and grateful with the result. I’m more involved in this album than ever before. I’m more connected. It’s an album that will surprise a lot of people. It has many different genres on it. It’s a very diverse album. You’re not going to hear only one genre on it because I don’t like to box myself into just one genre. I want to feel free. I want the freedom of writing about whatever I feel and whatever I want to sing about. I don’t want to feel like I’m trapped in a cage. I always like to have that freedom of expression artistically and creatively. This album makes me feel that freedom.
In addition to empowering women, your songs have always given your strength to your queer fans. Do you have a message for your fans in the LGBTQ+ community?
Of course! Love is free. I have a very large following from the LGBTQ+ community. I’m always going to support, respect, and love my LGBTQ+ fans. I’m going to do that always and forever.
After the fall during the L’Oréal Paris Fashion Show, how did you feel to get love and support from Anitta and Andie MacDowell?
That was a beautiful moment [with Andie MacDowell]. A story came out of that moment where I felt terrible. That runway was about love, sisterhood, and respect among women. It wasn’t a runway where you had to look serious or perfect. Sometimes when you want to control everything, something goes wrong. You realize that you can’t control everything and I’m a control freak. I want to control my work. I want to be perfect. I check every detail of my music, my lyrics, of a photo, of everything. At the end of the day, you can’t control everything. You have to let it go. There’s always going to be a new day, and you’ll have a new opportunity to be reborn and shine.
Now that you’re well acquainted with Anitta, would you like to make a Brazilian funk song with her in the future?
I would love that. I love Anitta! She’s the best!
What do you want to accomplish next?
I would love to open the doors for more women who want to make música Mexicana because before there weren’t any women in this genre. Now I’m fearlessly taking on this genre, creating fusions, and making it so that it’s not just for men. Us women can also sing corridos tumbados. I love that. I want to connect with people in a very deep, profound, and beautiful way. I want to be the best version of myself that I can be. I want to keep dreaming and growing as an artist and as a human being.
Belinda has proven that she will always make her mark in Latin pop music. Following a lengthy hiatus from music, the Spanish-Mexican icon returned this year with a trilogy of hits that seamlessly blended pop with música Mexicana. While tapping into corridos tumbados, Belinda is also finding healing through her most personal songs yet.
“It’s an era about taking risks,” Belinda says. “I’m working harder than ever. I like that a lot of people are connecting with these songs. I love this era and I believe it’s a very important one for me.”
Though Belinda was born in Madrid, she grew up and first cultivated her career in Mexico City. After starring in children’s telenovelas, she launched her Latin pop career in 2003 with her self-titled debut album. In the decade that followed, Belinda scored multiple hits with songs that embraced pop-rock, electro-pop, and EDM. After her 2013 album, Catarsis, she largely focused on collaborations that put a pop twist on reggaeton and cumbia. Belinda’s hiatus finally ended last October when she signed with Warner. This past year, she has taken on the Mexican corrido with her pop-infused hits “Cactus” and “300 Noches.”
Like Shakira and Karol G before her, Belinda has opened up about her past relationships in her recent songs. She also hit back at her critics in the final song of the trilogy, the empowering “La Mala.” Though Belinda made headlines last week on a runway in Paris, she is taking the fall in stride as another moment of resilience in her 20-plus year career. Over Zoom, Belinda caught up with Uproxx about her musical comeback, her upcoming single with Kenia Os, and what to expect from her new album that’s due out next year.
How do you feel about returning to music and the songs that you released this year?
I feel very grateful. I feel very happy and lucky to do what I love to do. I’m working a lot. I’m trying to stay true to myself in terms of the music. I don’t want to allow myself to be stuck in the same place in terms of music, acting, and serving looks. I’m in a chapter of my career where I’m enjoying this journey and process so much.
In the song “Cactus,” you talk about music being a form of therapy for you. How would you describe the experience of finding healing through your new songs?
Obviously, it’s a great form of therapy for me because I always write my songs. I always let out what I want to say through the lyrics and music. I’m super connected with everything that I’m writing and with each song. Music is 100 percent my best form of therapy.
Where did the idea come from to mix Mexican corridos with pop in your songs?
I wanted for corridos to not only be seen as violent songs. I want to bring that style of music to another level that is more pop. I wanted to create a fusion of sounds. With that in mind, I made “Cactus,” “300 Noches,” and “La Mala,” which just came out. I wanted to fuse música Mexicana with styles of music that are super pop.
Natanael Cano is a pioneer of corridos tumbados. What was the experience like to work with him on “300 Noches”?
I loved it! I admire Nata so much. He’s a great artist. He was the first one to take corridos tumbados to another level. He was the first person I saw making corridos. It was a surprise that he wanted to do that song with me. It was like, “Wow! I can’t believe he loves ‘300 Noches.’” Now we’re on the Billboard charts together with that song.
How did you feel to reclaim your story and address your critics with the song “La Mala”?
I love that this song is trap mixed corridos. I feel like it’s very cool, different, and special. I like it because it’s an anthem for women. It doesn’t have to necessarily be based on something that’s real. Simply put, all us women sometimes like to dress up like a mala [bad girl] by putting on a sexy outfit and dancing and walking feeling fierce, powerful, and beautiful. When we’re feeling attacked, inferior, or unappreciated, we have the strength to keep going forward. The most important thing I learned is to never take everything personal. Before this song, I would always take everything personal. I was like, “It’s me! Oh my God! It’s me!” This song is for them to understand to not take anything personal, and they’ll be much happier. It’s one of my favorites from the album.
The Latinx Internet lit up when you were singing along to “La Mala” with Danna in a video on TikTok.
That was very cool! We’re friends and colleagues. We’ve seen each other a few times, but I respect her and I admire her. As a woman, I believe that we have to support each other.
What can you tell us about your upcoming single with Kenia Os?
My next single is super girly pop with Kenia Os. I believe she’s the first female Mexican artist that I’m doing a song with. This is the first time that I’m singing with a Mexicana colleague of mine. I love her so much. She’s a very hard-working girl. When there’s a will, there’s a way. It’s going to come out in October. We’re going to record the music video this week. I’m sure that it’s going to surprise people, and they’re going to love it.
Who do you want to collaborate with next?
For this album, I’m working with Mala Rodríguez. I’m also doing a song with Tito Doble P, who is another great artist in corridos tumbados. A lot of different collaborations are coming. I’m excited for everyone to hear all this music soon that I’m sure will surprise them.
What can we expect from the album that you’re working on?
I feel very happy and grateful with the result. I’m more involved in this album than ever before. I’m more connected. It’s an album that will surprise a lot of people. It has many different genres on it. It’s a very diverse album. You’re not going to hear only one genre on it because I don’t like to box myself into just one genre. I want to feel free. I want the freedom of writing about whatever I feel and whatever I want to sing about. I don’t want to feel like I’m trapped in a cage. I always like to have that freedom of expression artistically and creatively. This album makes me feel that freedom.
In addition to empowering women, your songs have always given your strength to your queer fans. Do you have a message for your fans in the LGBTQ+ community?
Of course! Love is free. I have a very large following from the LGBTQ+ community. I’m always going to support, respect, and love my LGBTQ+ fans. I’m going to do that always and forever.
After the fall during the L’Oréal Paris Fashion Show, how did you feel to get love and support from Anitta and Andie MacDowell?
That was a beautiful moment [with Andie MacDowell]. A story came out of that moment where I felt terrible. That runway was about love, sisterhood, and respect among women. It wasn’t a runway where you had to look serious or perfect. Sometimes when you want to control everything, something goes wrong. You realize that you can’t control everything and I’m a control freak. I want to control my work. I want to be perfect. I check every detail of my music, my lyrics, of a photo, of everything. At the end of the day, you can’t control everything. You have to let it go. There’s always going to be a new day, and you’ll have a new opportunity to be reborn and shine.
Now that you’re well acquainted with Anitta, would you like to make a Brazilian funk song with her in the future?
I would love that. I love Anitta! She’s the best!
What do you want to accomplish next?
I would love to open the doors for more women who want to make música Mexicana because before there weren’t any women in this genre. Now I’m fearlessly taking on this genre, creating fusions, and making it so that it’s not just for men. Us women can also sing corridos tumbados. I love that. I want to connect with people in a very deep, profound, and beautiful way. I want to be the best version of myself that I can be. I want to keep dreaming and growing as an artist and as a human being.
Katie Crutchfield impressed once again in 2024 with her latest Waxahatchee album, Tigers Blood. She dropped the project back in March, and now she’s back with “Much Ado About Nothing,” her first new song since the album.
The track also comes with a slice-of-life video directed by Anna St. Louis, which offers a glimpse at what Crutchfield has been up to lately (performing, largely).
Crutchfield just finished a lengthy run of tour dates, which kicked off in April before wrapping up in September. She’s got some plans for 2025, too, as she’s part of a Big Ears Festival lineup that also features ANOHNI And The Johnsons, Jessica Pratt, Helado Negro, and more.
“My first four records are riddled with clues that I was someone who was really struggling with substance issues. When I made Saint Cloud, I was a year sober, and that’s palpable in that record, even if it’s not on-the-nose talking about sobriety. With Tigers Blood, I’ve settled into that part of my life more now, and that’s probably the big through-line between the two records, how being a sober adult is affecting me five years in as opposed to one year in.”
Diddy has applied for bond for a third time, this time with a new legal team. According to TMZ, the music mogul filed his third bid for freedom before trial after adding two new attorneys to his defense. They are Anthony Ricco and Alexandra Shapiro. Ricco was awarded Attorney of the Year by the Metropolitan Black Bar Association in 2008, while Shapiro is an experienced case attorney who served as a law clerk for the US Court Of Appeals.
Diddy was previously denied bail twice; in the first instance, US Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky denied his request over concerns about Diddy’s anger issues and alleged substance abuse, telling him, “Your lawyer asked us to trust you — [I don’t think] you can trust yourself… Your lawyer can’t control you.” His appeal was denied by Andrew L. Carter, due to Diddy’s potential for trying to exert influence over potential witnesses. Carter cited evidence from the prosecution that he’d already contacted witnesses during the investigation into his activities, despite promising a long list of restrictions on his travel and visitation rights.
The music mogul was charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution after a months-long investigation into decades of the supposed illegal activities.
He just seems to have a definite idea of what he wants the Coldplay career arc to be, and it’s not in the vein of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds pumping out their 18th album, or Neil Young his 45th, or Willie Nelson his 153rd. No shade to those guys, as there’s nothing wrong with their approaches: Get that bread for as long as you still can and want to. But, Martin doesn’t see that version of the Coldplay story coming to pass.
I’m not just making stuff up, stirring the pot for clicks as Coldplay gears up to release their 10th album, Moon Music, in a few days (your click is appreciated, though): This is all coming straight from Martin’s mouth.
In 2021, he declared, “Our last proper record will come out in 2025, and after that, I think we will only tour. Maybe we’ll do some collaborative things, but the Coldplay catalog, as it were, finishes then.”
He tweaked his position in 2022, saying, “We’re going to make 12 albums, because it’s a lot to pour everything into making them. I love it and it’s amazing, but it’s very intense, too. I feel like because I know that challenge is finite, making this music doesn’t feel difficult. It feels like, ‘This is what we’re supposed to be doing.’”
That’s the plan he’s sticking to. In a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe shared on September 30, Martin reiterated, “We are only going to do 12 proper albums and that’s real.” He added:
“It’s really important that we have that limit. First of all, there’s only […] eight Harry Potters, or seven Harry Potters. There’s only 12-and-a-half Beatles albums. There’s about the same Bob Marley, so all of our heroes. And also having that limit means that the quality control is so high right now, and for a song to make it, it’s almost impossible, which is great. And so where we could be kind of coasting, we’re trying to improve.”
Coldplay having a clear finish line in front of them radically changes the band’s mindset and operation, as Martin indicated. Maybe it should change how we look at their output, too.
I was a Coldplay enthusiast, as many were, during the A Rush Of Blood To The Head and X&Y eras. But, as their sound and my personal tastes have changed over the years, I haven’t been feverishly consuming what Martin and company have been making. That’s not to say Coldplay is bad now — so many people still love what they’re doing. It just looks like my personal path has crossed with Coldplay’s trajectory for the last time. I’ve X’d my last Y, I’ve fixed my last you, I’ve clocked my last… “Clocks.”
Why is that so? Maybe it’s because once Coldplay fell out of my sphere, I envisioned an endless stream of albums that eventually reach the stage many legacy artists do with their output: LPs that sound like hollow, AI-generated versions of previous work, released primarily so the band can say they have new music when they go on yet another greatest hits tour. Especially since I’m not particularly invested in what Coldplay is doing now, why bother going down with the ship?
Well, Martin isn’t letting the ship sink: He’s docking it before it starts taking on water. Coldplay’s not rambling on until nobody’s paying attention anymore: They’re telling a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Suddenly, Coldplay’s career arc is contextualized and given a firmer narrative structure. They established themselves with Parachutes. They made aesthetic pivots on the way to global success with A Rush Of Blood To The Head, X&Y, and Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends. Finally, they’ve found consistent comfort with Mylo Xyloto, Ghost Stories, A Head Full Of Dreams, Everyday Life, and Music Of The Spheres, while Moon Music‘s role in this story remains to be seen.
Coldplay stans might take exception with that outline: I, by my own admission, haven’t really been paying attention to that big run of albums I lumped together at the end. The point, though, is that the band isn’t going to Walking Dead themselves from reverence to irrelevance: They have a clear, stated plan to end things on their terms, before overstaying their welcome.
My position is this: A band I once loved is treating their legacy and overarching body of work with care. Armed with a new perspective on an old favorite, maybe it wouldn’t hurt if I started caring, too. Maybe I haven’t mylo’d my last xyloto, ghosted my last story, or mooned my last music.
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.
While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.
Origami Angel – Feeling Not Found
Origami Angel taps into their feelings on Feeling Not Found. The D.C. emo duo, consisting of vocalist-guitarist Ryland Heagy and drummer Pat Doherty, explores everything from the alienation that social media causes, to grieving the death of a beloved family member, to getting lost in a waterfall of information overload as obstinate as the Pokémon HM of the same name. As always, their instrumental prowess remains on full display, with Heagy’s tap-shredding and Doherty’s adroit drumming finding a perfect unity. On their third studio album, Origami Angel evolves their punchy pop-punk once again.
Trace Mountains – Into The Burning Blue
The term “heartland rock” often summons images of endless roadside sprawl paired with dreamy instrumentals and introspective lyrics. Even if you’re not located in, say, the actual heartland, it’s more so an amalgamation of sonic identities than it is a geographic prerequisite. Currently based in New York, LVL UP’s Dave Benton is trying out the heartland rock thing on his new album as Trace Mountains, the Craig Hendrix-assisted Into The Burning Blue. And he pulls it off incredibly well. From the seven-minute opening track “In A Dream” to the War On Drugs-meets-Wild Pink cut “Hard To Accept,” Trace Mountains’ latest record is more than just an experiment with a new style; it’s a total success.
Blood Incantation – “The Stargate”
Absolute Elsewhere, the forthcoming album from Colorado death-metalheads Blood Incantation, is composed of two songs. Then again, both of those songs are about 20 minutes long. In other words, you can listen to half of the new Blood Incantation album – due this Friday – right now in the form of “The Stargate.” Across three discrete movements or, in the parlance of the record, “tablets,” “The Stargate” indulges all the go-to inclinations of a Blood Incantation track: fiery shredding, blast beats, and straight-up demonic vocals.
Fantasy Of A Broken Heart – Feats Of Engineering
As touring members of Water From Your Eyes and This Is Lorelei, Al Nardo and Bailey Wallowitz are accustomed to playing music written by other people. But now they’re here with an album of their own. Feats of Engineering, the debut LP from their project Fantasy Of A Broken Heart, is a feat of incredible songwriting. Nardo and Wallowitz possess a chameleonic ability to rapidly shift from one style to the next without the end result feeling disjointed. In the span of 11 songs (or even a single song), they trail through prog, art-rock, dream-pop, and more.
Chat Pile – “Funny Man”
According to pseudonymic frontman Raygun Busch, the latest Chat Pile single “concerns illusion vs. reality in regards to America and war,” as noted in press materials. The Oklahoma City noise metal group specializes in a battering onslaught of grit and sludge, and Stin’s gnarly basslines and Cap’n Ron’s aggressive drumming convey the seething contempt Busch demonstrates in the chorus. “Outside there’s no mercy,” he bellows, marveling at the cruelty of the American war apparatus.
Liquid Mike – “Crop Circles”
Marquette, Michigan’s greatest export is back. Liquid Mike, still fresh off this year’s early highlight Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot, returns with the power-pop-punk one-off single “Crop Circles.” Vocalist Mike Maple’s timbre conjures Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, a clean, melodic, and emotional through-line that connects Maple immediately to his subjects. Such is the case with “Crop Circles,” a rumination on being a working-class person in the Midwest, a topic Maple himself is familiar with having recently quit his job as a postal worker. If we’re so fortunate, then hopefully that means he has more time to make another Liquid Mike album.
The Cure – “Alone”
“Alone,” the first new Cure song in 16 years, sounds like it has transcended time. There’s a three-plus-minute instrumental intro that recalls the somber sprawl of their 1989 masterpiece Disintegration; there are synths as sulfurous as rainfall; there are guitars that meet the middle point between melody and modulation; and, of course, as there always has been, there’s Robert Smith’s unmistakable voice, rising above the instrumental fog, silhouetted like a distant figure you’ve just noticed has been lurking there the whole time. “This is the end of every song that we sing,” goes the opening lyric, simultaneously alluding to English poet Ernest Dowson and Smith’s own band. “Where did it go,” he sings in the outro. Even as he marvels at the years that have passed him by, he’s still here. And so is the Cure.
Sasami – “Slugger”
The new song from Sasami hits like a 90-mph fastball. “Slugger,” with its poppy panache, marks a distinct, novel sound for Sasami. For 2019’s eponymous record and 2022’s nu-metal-inspired Squeeze, she leaned into an indie-rock styling on the former only to completely subvert it with heavy guitars and piercing screams on the latter. “Slugger,” however, rescinds Sasami’s indie-rock origins in a completely different way: trading them in for an album of hook-heavy, pop-forward bops. After defying expectations on the metal-adjacent Squeeze, she has gone in the wholly opposite direction on her new single. If “Slugger” proves anything, then it’s that Sasami will never allow herself to be defined by someone else. She’s doing this for her own fulfillment.
Wild Pink – “Dulling The Horns”
In just a couple of days, Wild Pink will release their excellent new album, Dulling The Horns. Meanwhile, you can pass the time listening to its also-excellent title track. Ringleader John Ross describes the tune as “a song about moving on” in a press release, and it’s one of the final tracks he wrote for Dulling The Horns. “How can there be / Really nothing in between / That big-ass moon and me,” Ross asks in the song’s denouement. In that great, liminal expanse, Wild Pink is a comfort in contemplating the unknown.
Two Shell – “Everybody Worldwide”
A few months ago, the ever-elusive, eternally enigmatic electronic duo Two Shell leaked their debut album by littering the Boiler Room floor with USB drives. The London producers have always enjoyed messing with their fanbase (and journalists), occasionally to the point where it might read as overly gimmicky. But, fortunately, the music is as fun, free-spirited, and fascinating as it has been since their 2019 EP, Access. “Everybody Worldwide,” the lead single of their forthcoming self-titled LP, proves as much. Its four-on-the-floor kick drum, syncopated synths, and playful starts and stops show that Two Shell are more than just pranksters. They’re making some of the best dance music of the modern age.
Check that out and more in Uproxx’s Best New Pop Music roundup below.
Lady Gaga — “Happy Mistake”
We’ve been down the “Lady Gaga Releases Companion Music For A Blockbuster Film” before. It delivered during her A Star Is Born coronation, and it’s even better with Harlequin. The acoustic ballad “Happy Mistake,” co-written by BloodPop and Gaga, showcases Gaga’s powerhouse vocals. If you’d told me it was on LG7 instead, I’d believe you. “It was all in the image of the character, but also kind of at the very core of her soul, which is really just me,” Gaga told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “Every character I play, it just has me as the gravity. I am wrestling, on that record, with a lot of feelings about so much that I’ve been through as an artist, everything I went through growing up in the public eye, and the industry since I was a teenager.”
The Weeknd & Playboi Carti — “Timeless”
Hurry Up Tomorrow, The Weeknd’s forthcoming LP, will serve as the final installment of his After Hours/Dawn FM trilogy. The Weeknd has spoken in the past about his plan “to kill The Weeknd” at some point, and if that’s still the plan, he can rest soundly because, as he sings in the second single from Hurry Up Tomorrow, “It don’t matter what they say, I’m timeless.”
Christina Aguilera Feat. Sabrina Carpenter — “What A Girl Wants”
Sabrina Carpenter was three months old when Christina Aguilera released her self-titled debut studio album in August 1999. Aguilera celebrated the LP’s 25th birthday by asking a fully grown and actively blossoming Carpenter to sing “What A Girl Wants” with her. Now, a full-blown Aguilera-Carpenter collaborative album should be mandated in the pop bylaws.
Rosalía Feat. Ralphie Choo — “Omega”
Speaking of celebration, Rosalía commemorated her 32nd birthday by gifting everyone else “Omega” featuring Ralphie Choo. The ballad’s accompanying video was directed by Stillz and captures Rosalía and Choo literally releasing their inhibitions on a rollercoaster. However, the song’s sentiment is more about the sensation found once getting off of life’s metaphorical rollercoaster. “Omega is the end,” Rosalía said in a statement, as per Rolling Stone. “It’s the celebration of having found what you wanted and the security with which one decides to stay. Omega is firmness with the one you love that makes you not want to be anywhere else but there.”
Jon Bellion — “Kid Again”
Jon Bellion’s fingerprints never left pop music. He’s served as the primary producer or songwriter on some of the biggest songs of the past few years, but he hasn’t released solo music since his November 2018 album, Glory Sound Prep. That just changed with “Kid Again,” a triumphant reclamation of his distinct voice now that he’s freed from a restrictive contract. “I am a kid again,” he sings. “I can do anything.” History shows that Bellion can do things other creatives can’t dream of. His next album figures to remind music lovers from whom all of their favorite lyrics and unique beats came.
Kylie Minogue — “Lights Camera Action”
In April, Time named Kylie Minogue among its “100 Most Influential People” of 2024. The Australian pop icon is bolstering her case with Tension II, her upcoming album due out on October 18. “Lights Camera Action” is the latest single, which Minogue said has a “similar kind of hypnotic quality” as “Padam Padam” while speaking with NME. She’s not wrong.
Rauw Alejandro & Mr. NaisGai — “Pasaporte”
Rauw Alejandro’s music videos usually elicit the Martin Scorsese “Absolute Cinema” meme. He tapped Adrien Brody to co-star in “Déjame Entrar,” and “Pasaporte” featuring Mr. NaisGai finds Alejandro bailing on playing a video game to globetrot in luxury. “We just have to enjoy today,” he sings. The Puerto Rican star indulges his every whim throughout the five-minute visual, but perhaps the most exciting frame is saved for the end when he writes “COSA NUESTRA NOV. 15” on a poster. Yes, Cosa Nuestra, his fifth LP, is due out on November 15.
Will Swinton — “Flames”
Fittingly and perhaps not-so-coincidentally, Will Swinton’s “Flames” is meant to be blasted at a bonfire. Swinton’s gravelly, warm voice underscores the acoustic-based song’s heart-wrenching sentiments like “Held you in the darkest nights / You held me together in the cold / But the morning brings a different light / Shows you things you never really know.” The hook is a particularly cruel twist to the heart: “And when you left / I kept the pain / Now I only feel alive inside the flame.” The New Zealand breakout will support BabyJake on his Beautiful Blue Collar Boy Tour across North America, beginning on October 14.
Alex Sampson — “Beautiful (In A Dream)”
Alex Sampson came in clutch for cuffing season. “We could be beautiful / Like autumn and the leaves,” the Canadian pop singer-songwriter sings in “Beautiful (In A Dream)” from his freshly released Hopeless Romantic EP. The lilting, gradually upbeat song embodies the project’s title and showcases Sampson’s potential to invade timelines everywhere.
JADE — “Midnight Cowboy”
Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall ensures you know she’s just JADE in her solo career with “Midnight Cowboy,” as she confidently croons, “I’m a real wild b*tch, yeah, I’m mental / I’m the ride of your life, not a rental / I’m the editor, call me Mr Enninful.” The sultry single was co-written by RAYE, and Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who, Sex Education) voices the intro. “Midnight Cowboy” follows “Angel Of My Dreams,” her debut solo single from July. JADE’s impressive stretch will continue with “Fantasy” on October 18.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
