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Back in May Bleachers announced their new album, Stop Making This Hurt, would be coming out at the end of July. Jack Antonoff finally took a break from working with super stars like Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift and focused on his own music, kicking off the new album with the new single, “Stop Making This Hurt.” That track was somehow both upbeat, jazzy and incredibly sad, which set the tone well for the whole album. Yes, the album includes a track with Bruce Springsteen, and yes, there are plenty of other jazzy moments on the record, including a saxophone-spiked track called “How Dare You Want More.”

Another early single off the record is simply titled “91,” and that’s the one Antonoff and co. opted to perform during a recent late night appearance. This performance, too, had lots of saxophone moments (are you sensing a theme here?) and came during the middle of a brand new tour for the band. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live for the performance, Antonoff sat and sang while playing the piano, with not one but two saxophonists playing along with him. Part of the reason this new album is such a sad one is that Antonoff said he wrote it after his breakup with Lena Dunham. If that’s your vibe this weekend, check out the performance above to put some sadness back into your Friday night.

The Chicago Sky toppled the Phoenix Mercury, 86-50, in front of a sold-out crowd in the Windy City in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals to move within one win of the franchise’s first title. Chicago got an ultra-efficient 22 points from Kahleah Copper while holding Phoenix to sub-30 percent shooting to take a 2-1 series lead in a blowout.

It was the biggest Finals win in the history of the WNBA.

The first half was dominated by Chicago’s defense and Finals MVP front-runner Copper, the jitterbug wing who has been the Sky’s leading scorer in this series. Copper was relentless getting open, either streaking to the basket or for easy threes. After not taking a three in Game 2, Copper was aggressive from the jump on Friday night. The sixth-year guard, who made her first All-Star team this season, scored 20 points on 6-for-8 shooting in the first half alone.

Not only was Copper great on her own, but she was a beneficiary of the Sky’s tremendous defense. Phoenix scored just 24 points in the first half, shooting 23.5 percent from the field. The Mercury also turned the ball over 10 times and only got to the free-throw line four times.

Chicago squelched out everything the Mercury tried, and were ruthless turning those mistakes into easy buckets on the other end.

The result wasn’t much better to open the second half, though Phoenix was able to get into the bonus at the 6:57 mark of the third quarter. Still, the Sky built the lead to a whopping 24 midway through the period, totaling their biggest lead of the series.

With the Mercury on the ropes, Candace Parker stepped up yet again, covering a ton of ground on defense and playing aggressively on offense at all three levels and as a play-maker. Everything went right for Chicago, to the point they were probably wishing they had just executed a bit better on Wednesday and could be closing out the series in Game 3.

Early in the fourth quarter, the backups checked in, as both teams put in their second squads and awaited the final buzzer. When it sounded, the Sky looked up to a final score that gave them a 45-point lead through three games in the series, as sure a sign as any that they have been the better team in these Finals and may wrap up a championship at home on Sunday afternoon.

At the top of this year we tapped Tate McRae as a rising pop star to watch, and the dancer-turned-pop star hasn’t disappointed in the least. In 2020 she shared All The Things I Never Said and broke out in a big way, building on that in 2021 after releasing her new EP, Too Young To Be Sad. On that second project, the young artist really found her sound, and after its release this spring she continued her hot streak, collaborating with Troye Sivan and providing a song for the soundtrack of Amazon’s Panic series.

Then, of course, there’s her bouncy hit with Khalid, “Working,” which also garnered a video where Tate plays the cool babysitter. While this song shows a more playful side for the slowcore pop star, she’s returned to the heart of her first EP’s emotional center for a late night performance this week. As a musical guest on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Tate opted to go back to the beginning. She performed “That Way,” about a relationship that isn’t quite romance but is definitely more than friends, while sitting on a turquoise couch. Eventually, she stands and the end of the song standing in spotlight like a lounge singer. Check out the subdued performance above and keep an eye out for her new tour dates.

Following a pandemic-addled year when Danny Brown’s annual celebration of the many sounds of Detroit had to resort to a livestream, Bruiser Thanksgiving 8 is back for 2021, live and direct. Taking place at the Russell Industrial Complex just south of Hamtramck, the new venue is a massive spot that sports “millions of square feet” on it’s website.

Scheduled for Wednesday, November 24, the concert is curated entirely by Brown and features diverse artists from the vibrant Detroit creative scene and other up and coming acts from beyond. While this year’s lineup hasn’t been announced yet, previous editions of the event have featured artists like Joey Bada$$, Sada Baby, Lil B, ZelooperZ, TEKLIFE, JLin, JPEGMAFIA, Portage Garage Sounds, Valee and others.

A statement from the event said that “Bruiser Thanksgiving is, at its core, a celebration of multidisciplinary musicians from different generations for the fans that love them thoughtfully assembled in one space. The festival highlights the city of Detroit and the Detroit community as a creative and cultural hotspot.”

In keeping with that mindset, Bruiser Thanksgiving once again has a fundraising component to benefit InsideOut Detroit, which has helped over 65,000 young Detroiters build skills through creative writing. Always a man of the people, tickets to the Warp Records-signed left-of-center rapper’s Bruiser Thanksgiving are a very reasonably priced: $20 early bird and $25 general admission. Those are on sale no right here.

Grimes had some time on her hands today. The artist and producer, most recently in the news for her breakup with partner Elon Musk, found another way to let the world know she’s single again. “Why be Microsoft when u can be Macrohard?” she wrote in a Tweet this evening, along with photos that reveal her chest and butt. But the photos are still very Grimes, with an abstract silver backdrop and what appears to be a hairnet on her head, along with plenty of face makeup and body chains.

While Instagram has been decidedly anti-nipple in recent years, Twitter seems to have no problem with the musician baring it all. This isn’t the first time in recent memory Grimes has put herself out there in an otherworldly costume. But in that incident, she gained more attention for what she was reading than what she was wearing (although that was weird too). Even Grimes had to admit, in the end, that she didn’t just happen to be out and about reading Karl Marx, and that the photos were staged. But it’s all “Love” for the producer, who continues to respond to the bad press she gets with a certain amount of ambivalence.

Diana Taurasi is active for Game 3 of the WNBA Finals after making contact with the officials during a tense moment of Game 2, as the league decided to fine her $2,500 rather than suspend her as the league’s rule book technically states she should be.

Asked about the fine pregame, Taurasi was nonchalant.

“When Twitter speaks, the league has to make decisions, right?” Taurasi said, with her usual dose of sarcasm.

During a dust-up between Phoenix Mercury forward Sophie Cunningham and Chicago Sky wing Kahleah Copper, a referee sprung into action and stood atop the two players. Taurasi, likely seeking to clear the area and avoid further issue for her teammate, grabbed ahold of a referee and moved her to the side.

But rather than enforce the rule to the letter of the law, the WNBA determined that Taurasi would instead be fined.

“I’m used to giving donations,” Taurasi said. “I felt like it’s been a while. It’s for a good cause.”

Always the trash talker and carrying a legendary reputation for confrontation with officials, Taurasi is no stranger to controversy. However, she made quite the wave with her decision on Wednesday to touch the referee, and though she joked before Game 3 about Twitter having sway, Taurasi actually got off much lighter than the internet seemed to want.

Once again, everyone’s favorite Hannah Montana star is just bein’ Miley. The TV star/pop star/rock star has been through the wringer over the past few years, trying to figure out who she is and if that involves hip-hop or not. Luckily, her most recent album, Plastic Hearts, seems to have firmly cemented a new identity and path for the ever-changing musician, and Miley is in a good place as an artist for the moment. So, it makes sense that she’d re-open her once iconic fan site MileyWorld to fans once more, and kick off the site’s relaunch with a special gift for fans.

For all those who couldn’t make it out to her performance at Austin City Limits last weekend, well the live and uncut video is now available. The trick is that it’s only available on her fan site — which was originally established all the way back in 2007 — so fans need to head to mileyworld.com in order to watch. Just add your email for exclusives like the live performance. Meanwhile, Cyrus has new management and a new label — she signed with Columbia Records back in March — and is gearing up to release more new music. Will it be another rock album? My money is that it will be.

I don’t know about you, but every time I hear “Havana,” my mind takes me to Camila Cabello’s unforgettable opening performance at the 2019 Grammys with Ricky Martin, J. Balvin, Arturo Sandoval, and Young Thug. It’s the ultimate performance of the grandiose Cuban banger and it was a fitting choice to open Cabello’s NPR Tiny Desk (Home) dispatch from Miami that dropped today.

“This is Tiny Desk but I got a big band!” Cabello said as she got going and boy did she. Over 24 players joined the pop singer throughout the tightly-packed beachside locale. She admitted that if she sounded a bit nasally when speaking, it was because of a “tiny sinus infection.” but it wasn’t noticeable in her vocal delivery in the least bit. She totally demolished the five songs that also included “Real Friends” (from her debut album Camila), “Señorita” (with no Shawn Mendes, but with a larger than life trombone by Mayerlin Carrero), “Don’t Go Yet,” and a brand new song from her upcoming album Familia, “La Buena Vida,” which closed out the set.

She professed her love for Tiny Desk throughout and definitely pulled out every stop for this performance. “La Buena Vida” was easily the highlight here as Cabello was joined by a full-on mariachi band. She flashed her incredible range rising with the mariachi horns and violins.

The release date for Familia has not been set yet, but you can watch Cabello’s full Tiny Desk Concert above.

Squid Game is still one of the most talked-about shows in Netflix’s history (behind the controversial Chappelle special The Closer this week as the toxic fallout continues to settle across social media). Ever the opportunist, meme-making rapper Soulja Boy couldn’t help but capitalize on the show’s popularity, sampling its eerie theme music for a new single that turns its harrowing children’s game theme into fodder for another of Soulja’s call-and-response dance hooks. As he chants, “Red light, green light,” the haunting choral vocals offer a spine-tingling counterpoint to the hip-rocking 808s.

Soulja’s never one to miss an opportunity for a viral moment, as he recently spent a week trolling Kanye West after being left off the rapper’s new album Donda. In addition to bringing up Kim Kardashian-West, Kanye’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Soulja Boy also demanded an apology on behalf of Taylor Swift, which suggests that he might not be experiencing time the same way the rest of us do. Soulja’s also no stranger to controversy himself; in July, Soulja was ordered to stay away from a former assistant who sued him in January claiming sexual assault, sexual battery, and false imprisonment during her time working for him. Meanwhile, in a separate lawsuit, Soulja Boy was accused by an ex-girlfriend of domestic abuse and sexual battery as well.

While Squid Game might be Netflix’s most popular series of all time, it looks like it might have taken awhile for the U.S. to get their iconic calling cards summoning them to watch the spectacle. According to the U.S. Nielsen streaming chart (via Indie Wire), during the week of September 13 to September 19 — the week Squid Game premiered — the series’ was not one of the top ten most watched programs in the United States. Instead, a familiar and devilishly sly show stole the show with a whopping 1,5888 million minute viewed: Lucifer. Oh and here’s the complete list, just in case you gotta see this for yourself:

1. Lucifer (Netflix) – 1,588 million minutes

2. Clickbait (Netflix) – 732 million minutes

3. Sex Education (Netflix) – 595 million minutes

4. The Circle (Netflix) – 444 million minutes

5. Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) – 311 million minutes

6. Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu) – 297 million minutes

7. Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (Netflix) – 268 million minutes

8. What If…? (Disney+) – 243 million minutes

9. LulaRich (Amazon Prime Video) – 242 million minutes

10. Money Heist (Netflix) – 224 million minutes

While just how much Netflix accounts for the Nielsen top 10 is pretty staggering, Lucifer‘s place at the top of this list actually makes a whole lot of sense considering how the show’s been dragged to hell and back (pun absolutely intended). Based on the DC Comics character created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg in the series The Sandman, Lucifer began airing on Fox to high-viewership but mixed reviews until it was ultimately canceled following its third season. Shortly after news of its cancellation got out, Netflix announced it would be picking up the series for its fourth season, much to the delight of the show’s loyal fans. In 2019, Netflix announced the show would get a fifth and final season, however, prior to the fifth season airing, Netflix reversed the decision, giving the show a sixth and final season.

All this considered, it makes sense folks tuned in to watch the season that was never intended to exist. Must still, perhaps the most interesting thing on this list is the absence of Netflix’s hit show Squid Game. While Squid Game is now a global phenomenon and Netflix’s most popular original series, it appears its initial reception in the U.S. was not nearly as record-shattering as it would ultimately go on to be. While the show did rack up 206 million minutes of viewing, it ultimately fell short of landing a spot on the top of the Nielsen US streaming chart.

But hey, don’t feel too bad for Squid Game. In addition to crashing websites, generating a ton of Emmy buzz, and a spawning real-life version of show’s dark competition, it also might be getting a second season, and if so there’s no doubt in our minds the grim and gruesome show will give even the almighty Lucifer a run for his money.