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Mike Hadreas, better known as Perfume Genius, will return with his sixth album, Ugly Season, this June. Ahead of the album’s release, Hadreas has already shared the haunting “Eye In The Wall” and the plucky, harpsichord-ridden “Pop Song,” both of which came out in 2019. These tracks were first shared as part of Hadreas’ immersive dance piece, The Sun Still Burns Here choreographed by Kate Wallich.

The Sun Still Burns Here was commissioned by the Seattle Theatre Group and Mass MoCA and performed in residencies in Seattle, Minneapolis, New York City, and Boston. The songs of Ugly Season were written as accompaniment for The Sun Still Burns Here.

In addition to the 10 songs of The Sun Still Burns Here finally becoming available for the public, Ugly Season will be accompanied by a short film directed by Jacolby Satterwhite. Satterwhite, known for his visual projects seen at MoMa, The Smithsonian, The Whitney, and the Studio Museum of Harlem, previously directed the accompanying short film for Solange’s When I Get Home.

“This project is the genesis of a whole new direction that I’m taking, one that I’ve been thinking about within this endemic culture, since 2020,” said Satterwhite in a statement. “Mike and I are both writing scripts. My visual narrative serendipitously mirrors the lyrical direction in his music; it’s a rare, like-minded bond. It’s a creation myth. How do you architecturally mold and render an idealized version of utopia? It’s about making something that you desire so beyond your scope that it’s hard to grapple into a concrete form.”

You can view the tracklist for Ugly Season below.

1. “Just A Room”
2. “Here”
3. “Teeth”
4. “Pop Song”
5. “Scherzo”
6. “Ugly Season”
7. “Eye In The Wall”
8. “Photograph”
9. “Hellbent”
10. “Cenote”

Ugly Season out 6/17 via Matador. Pre-save it here.

If you’re not a regular Fox News watcher, flipping to the channel for even just a few minutes can be a confusing experience that elicits many important questions: Are these people reporting facts, or editorializing? Does anyone fact check what the anchors are saying? Why is Tucker Carlson guffawing like a madman at everything Kid Rock says? Why is Kid Rock there at all? Did Kid Rock just say that Donald Trump asked his advice on what to do about North Korea?

It’s easy to become overwhelmed, and even slightly alarmed. Which is why we need Desi Lydic in our lives. The Daily Show correspondent is fluent in Fox News, and regularly makes a point of helping out the rest of us by “Foxsplaining” the network’s most pressing conspiracy theories. Right now, the one thing on her mind is the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. As Lydic explains, after watching 687 hours of Fox News, here’s what the network is telling us:

“Credenza Brown Jackson is part of the radical, far left, Green New Deal geek squad of vaccine mandaters. KBJ was a public defender who represented some seriously questionable characters: Murderers, terrorists. Why hasn’t she once represented someone not charged with a crime? Seriously—show me in the U.S. Legal Code where it says criminals have the right to an attorney! I’ll wait…”

Running with Carlson’s repeated demands to see Jackson’s LSAT scores—which Lydic notes previous nominees have done “zero percent of the time”—The Daily News correspondent wants to take it even further. “I want to see Ketanji LSATs, her MCATs, her STD tests, her AOL screen name, and her high scores in Tetris,” Lydic says.

The biggest question, of course (besides “Are babies racist?”), is whether Jackson is “soft on child pornographers,” according to Lydic. After all, “sex offenders deserve the harshest punishment possible,” she says. “Unless they used to host a Fox News show—in which case it’s cancel culture.”

You can watch Lydic’s full rundown above.

Alexander Skarsgård may have had more fun filming Succession than The Northman, but his co-star feels differently. Granted, Alexander also had to prep for the shoot by getting more ripped than he did for Tarzan, but he did speak to the physically grueling nature of the shoot, given that the Northern Ireland elements were not kind. Anya Taylor-Joy, on the other hand, freaking loved it. She frequently stood barefoot in ice-cold water and nasty mud, and that was her jam.

Taylor-Joy revealed this to British Vogue while raving about how reteaming with her VVitch director, Robert Eggers, was a dream. This time, though, it was viking-land, and she got especially dirty. “I looked insane. So infuriatingly joyful,” exclaimed Anya of the mud scenes. The publication makes note of how she carted all her stuff around in plastic shopping bags on the set. She added that she feels so much more at home in the muck than while all dolled up for Hollywood.

“When I first started doing red carpets, I couldn’t handle the notion of being pretty,” she added. “I am a scummy, mud-caked ferret and striving for anything different felt disingenuous and scary.” It seems like she’s pulling off both ends of the spectrum, though, and now, she’s even a face of Dior. And she can beat all the boys while making chess seem exciting, too. Mud chess could be a new sport, though? Too far.

(Via British Vogue)

Don’t make Tyler The Creator wait for you because he’s both punctual and impatient — two things that don’t go together well when he shows up and you’re still getting ready. That’s the premise of his new song and video, “Come On, Let’s Go,” from Japanese DJ and fashion designer Nigo’s upcoming album, I Know Nigo.

The self-directed video literalizes the concept, depicting a fresh-to-death Tyler parked outside his date’s house rapping into his phone before he completely loses patience and goes to break in via a conveniently-placed ladder to the roof. Tyler’s longtime hero (and frequent Nigo collaborator) Pharrell pops up for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo, as well.

Nigo’s album, which is slated for release tomorrow, features guest appearances from many of the designer’s favorite rappers, all of whom also share a love for fashion and dressing up. So far, he’s previously released tracks from ASAP Rocky (“Arya“), Kid Cudi (“Want It Bad“), Pusha T (“Hear Me Clearly“), and Lil Uzi Vert (“Heavy“), all well-known fashionistas in their own rights. Of course, the album also features multiple appearances from Pharrell, as well as Nigo’s own musical group Teriyaki Boyz, who are still best-known for their Fast & Furious franchise soundtrack contribution, “Tokyo Drift.”

Watch Tyler The Creator’s “Come On, Let’s Go” video above.

I Know Nigo is out on 3/25 via Republic.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

This week is led by the ladies as Normani makes her return with her long-awaited single, “Fair.” It’s a tender track that falls on the opposite side of the spectrum from her last release, “Wild Side” with Cardi B. Elsewhere, Syd returns with “Could You Break A Heart” alongside Lucky Daye and an album announcement while Joyce Wrice and Kaytranada groove and glide on their new collaboration, “Iced Tea.”

Normani — “Fair”

Normani closed out 2021 by showing off her “Wild Side” with Cardi B. In 2022, Normani took a lot less time to make her impact as she returns with “Fair.” It’s a tender single that captures her struggle with accepting that a past relationship is now over.

Syd — “Could You Break A Heart” Feat. Lucky Daye

More than four years after she released her debut solo album Fin, Syd is gearing up to release her sophomore album soon. The Internet’s lead vocalist revealed that Broken Hearts Club will arrive on April 8 and to celebrate the announcement, she released its latest single: “Could You Break A Heart” with Lucky Daye.

Joyce Wrice & Kaytranada — “Iced Tea”

Joyce Wrice and Kaytranada first worked together last year as they joined forces for “Kaytra’s Interlude” from Wrice’s stellar debut album, Overgrown. Now they’re at it once again with their latest drop, “Iced Tea.” It arrives as Wrice is on tour with Lucky Daye and months after Kaytranada dropped his Intimidated EP.

Capella Grey & Nija — “Confujawn”

Two notable young acts on the come up in R&B are Capella Grey and Nija. The respective New York and New Jersey natives have had spotlight moments for themselves lately, which they’ve combined for “Confujawn” (pronounced like “confusion”), which is quite the infectious and flirtatious track.

Tiana Major9 — Fool Me Once

Two years after she released her At Sixes And At Sevens project, British singer Tiana Major9 is back in action with her latest effort Fool Me Once. It’s a four-song EP highlighted by “2 Seater” with Smino and the stellar “On God!” The project arrives as she tours with Jazmine Sullivan on her Heaux Tales Tour.

Mahalia — “Whatever Simon Says”

It’d be safe to say that British singer Mahalia likely has a project on the way, following up her 2019 debut album Love & Compromise. After steadily released singles over the past couple of years, her latest is “Whatever Simon Says.” On it, Mahalia makes it clear that she doesn’t act like the rest of the girls in the world — so as a man, if you’re looking for something similar, she is not the one.

Ravyn Lenae — “Light Me Up”

Ravyn Lenae left us high and dry without music for the better part of four years but thankfully she’s back in action this year. For her second release of 2022, Lenae arrives with “Light Me Up.” It’s truly a mystical track that aided by production from Steve Lacy as it’s a tasteful follow-up to her previous single, “Skin Tight.”

Elaine — “Shine”

South African singer Elaine is certainly someone to keep an eye on in the coming months. She impressed in 2019 with the release of her debut project Elements, and now she’s back with her latest record, “Shine.” The new release blends R&B and pop for a refreshing track dedicated to the love she has for the natural and most beautiful aspects of a special someone in her life.

Thuy — “Inhibitions” Feat. P-Lo

Thuy ended her streak of singles late last year with the release of her nine-track I Hope U See This project. A few months later, she returns with “Inhibitions” alongside Oakland rapper P-Lo. In the new song, both artists reveal how their partners lower their inhibitions, to positive results.

Devvon Terrell — Boys Don’t Cry

Less than two years removed from his last project, 2020’s Vol 2: Deja Vu, singer Devvon Terrell is back with his latest body of work. Boys Don’t Cry sharply captures the ups and downs in love, anchored by the singer’s pristine voice. Highlights on the project are “Let It Go,” “Sneaky Link,” and “Ifwu.”

Gemaine & Charlie Heat — “Conditional Love”

Singer Gemaine and producer Charlie Heat continue the rollout for the upcoming project New Jack City with their latest single “Conditional Love.” The island-influenced track sees Gemaine contemplate the commitment of his lover as he knows their love is more transactional than genuine.

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

Tomorrow, The Killers are releasing a deluxe edition of their 2021 album Pressure Machine. Today, they’ve offered something to accompany that: A concert film/documentary called Notes From A Quiet Town. The 33-minute video features the band visiting Brandon Flowers’ childhood home of Nephi, Utah and performing “Cody,” “Terrible Thing,” and “Quiet Town” on a simple stage in somebody’s yard. The film premiered on Facebook on March 21 but is now available on YouTube.

Flowers previously told NME about his and the album’s relationship with Nephi:

“Mentally, I started to go to this place where I grew up and write songs about it. It was as if there was a chamber of memories somewhere that was just waiting for me to unlock it. It was incredible. Once I finally opened that door, the songs that came out and the memories were pretty vivid and emotional. It became pretty obvious to me what this record was going to be.

I have a lot of nice and tender memories of Nephi. It’s no secret that I didn’t have a lot of struggle in my upbringing. My parents stayed together; they loved me and nurtured me. What I found was that the memories attached to sorrow, sadness and shock were really emotional for me. I was still walking around with them.”

Watch Notes From A Quiet Town above.

Jimmy Kimmel had some harsh words for the many Republican senators who’ve been treating the Supreme Court confirmation hearing of Ketanji Brown Jackson as if it’s some sort of audition for the world’s worst soap opera. The shameless, seemingly performative, and often idiotic lines of questioning from the likes of Lindsey Graham (who has now stormed out of the hearings TWICE), Josh Hawley, and Marsha Blackburn would almost be laughable if they weren’t so racist, sexist, and/or hypocritical. Kimmel had something to say about all of these GOP knuckleheads on Wednesday night, but saved some of his most exasperated outrage for frequent adversary Ted Cruz.

Cruz, who somehow managed to ask Jackson whether babies were “racist” with a straight face, made a total ass out of himself yet again when he unwisely decided to follow up on Blackburn’s question about whether Jackson could provide a definition of “woman” for the assembled senators. Which Kimmel half-expected.

“Of course, Cancun Cruz had to get in on the action,” Kimmel said. “He loves talking at these things, and he really wants to know what a woman is, too.” After sharing a clip in which Cruz tells Jackson that he thinks she’s “the only Supreme Court nominee in history who has been unable to answer the question: What is a woman?,’” Kimmel people out that “she’s also the only one in history who has been asked that disgusting question.”

But Cruz wasn’t done yet: He went on to wonder “If I decide right now that I’m a woman, ummm, then, apparently I’m a woman. Does that mean that I would have Article 3 standing to challenge a gender-based restriction?”

Kimmel had an answer: “No, it means you’d be the world’s ugliest woman. What a slug of a human being… This poor lady had to sit there and listen to this pontificating from a man who wipes from back to front.”

You can watch the full clip above.

Fox News is getting desperate. While several of their anchors have concocted elaborate theories about why Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson should not be trusted, no one headline seems to be catching on in the way the network hoped it would. So on Wednesday night, Laura Ingraham decided to go big or go home and spontaneously declare that a president with a falling approval rating cannot nominate a person to the Supreme Court.

As Raw Story reports, Ingraham decided to take any and all senators who vote to confirm Jackson’s nomination to task by chastising specifically anyone who votes to approve the nomination, not anyone who votes against it, which seems to indicate a basic flaw in her logic:

“Rushing to approve a Supreme Court nominee of a president, with what, an approval rating that always seems to be hitting new lows? That, my friends, is a violation of the basic, sacred duty that each and every senator, himself or herself, has agreed to.

That means every word of the oath that they took to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. That is an oath just as sacred as the oath that the nominees have to swear to as well.”

Approval rating polls are, of course, notoriously finicky. It’s true that Biden’s numbers are shrinking amidst the Russia Ukraine War and the high inflation costs that are causing in the U.S.; The Hill reports that a recent Reuters-Ipsos poll has him at a 40 percent approval rating, an all-time low for that particular poll. While that might be a low for Joe, it’s the exact same number Donald Trump was at when Neil Gorsuch was appointed to the Supreme Court in February 2017, according to Gallup. Yet we didn’t hear a peep from Ingraham about what, in her opinion, should have also seemed to be a senatorial dereliction of duty at that time.

It’s also worth noting that when Barack Obama’s plans to nominate Merrick Garland to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court were disrupted in 2016, the 44th POTUS held a 50 percent approval rating. Yet again, we heard nothing from Ingraham on the matter.

While Jackson’s path to confirmation appears to be clear, Fox News can always try and get Tucker Carlson to demand the judge’s LSAT scores—again.

(Via Raw Story)

If you’re tired of hearing “Dance Monkey,” don’t feel bad — so is the song’s original artist. In an appearance on the Australian radio show, Smallzy’s Surgery on Nova, Tones And I admitted that she’s not always the biggest fan of her quadruple-Platinum hit.

When talking about songwriting sessions in LA, Tones said that other songwriters have often tried to get her to create songs similar to “Dance Monkey.”

“They do this thing where they put you in a room with a different person every day,” Tones said. “I was in the room with men every day, which is fine, but there [were] a few of them that had all worked together heaps before and so they just kind of start going off on a tangent. And, usually, it was directed at ‘Dance Monkey’ like, ‘OK, this girl had a hit with this kind of song, like, let’s go there.’”

While the song has over 2.5 billion streams on Spotify (the third most of all time), Tones admitted she didn’t want to create music similar to “Dance Monkey” anymore.

“I wrote that song on my own, not trying to do a single thing, and it happened,” Tones said, “But I don’t want to chase that song. I loathe that song a lot of the time. A lot of times I don’t want to sing it. I’m not gonna write another song like it. I just want to tell people how I’m feeling.”

Last week, Tones released a new single and video for “Eyes Don’t Lie.” In the video, Tones is seen navigating her way through a desert by herself.

“‘Eyes Don’t Lie’ is written about a large loss of someone / something,” Tones said of the song in a statement. “The music video reflects being alone, but not lonely. Escaping something that hurt and happy to be wherever else, even though it’s over.”

Tones And I is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

To the surprise of no one, Ketanji Brown Jackson‘s Supreme Court confirmation hearing has been an absolute circus thanks to Republicans peppering her with “gotcha” questions and/or storming out of the room in fits of tantrum. Naturally, one of the biggest clowns has been Ted Cruz.

After making a staggering ass of himself earlier in the week by asking Jackson if she thinks babies are racist — you really can’t make this stuff up — the Texas senator decided to switch courses by asking Jackson to define what a woman is. He followed up that question by suggesting “modern left sensibilities” on gender would presumably mean he can also change his race. Via Newsweek:

“If I can change my gender, if I can be a woman and an hour later decide I’m not a woman anymore I guess I would lose article 3 standing? Tell me whether that same law applies to other protected characteristics?”

“For example, I’m a Hispanic man, could I decide if I was an Asian man. Would I have the ability to be an Asian man and challenge Harvard’s discrimination because I made that decision?”

In a recurring theme for his political career, Cruz was dragged on Twitter, and The Daily Show made sure to get in on the act by tweeting, “Imagine going to a job interview and the person interviewing you asks if he can be Asian.”

However, Cruz’s penchant for getting roasted on social media took a weird turn as he all but confirmed that he relishes in the attention. During Wednesday’s hearing, Cruz was caught checking his mentions on the Senate floor, which would suggest the GOP senator loves being dunked on by strangers. Sounds about right.

(Via The Daily Show on Twitter)