Steve Gunn first got his start in Kurt Vile’s backing band, The Violators, before pivoting to a solo career. Now, nearly fifteen years later, Gunn — named “indie guitar god” by Uproxx’s Steven Hyden — continues to intermittently release new music. Following up on his 2019 effort The Unseen In Between, Gunn has officially announced his upcoming sixth studio album, Other You.
Giving a taste of his upcoming effort’s wistful sound, Gunn shares two lead singles, “Other You” and “Reflection.” The former track is an atmospheric melody underscored by watery guitars while the latter is a more subdued ballad, focusing on Gunn’s introspective lyrics over cascading instrumentals.
In a statement alongside the album’s announcement, Gunn described how he arrived at the title, Other You:
“I came up with this title when we were recording vocals and Rob [Schnapf] was very into harmonies. There was a third part and I just couldn’t find the note. I couldn’t vocalize it. He went in and took my voice and put it into his computer program, then he could playback and ‘sing’ the note with my voice using the computer. And he said, ‘Sing to the other you.’ So I was singing along to myself singing a note I couldn’t sing.”
Listen to “Other You/Reflection” above and find Steve Gunn’s Other You album art, tracklist, and tour dates below.
07/22 — Brooklyn, NY @ The Bell House^
07/23 — Livingston Manor, NY @ Catskill Brewery^
07/24 — Burlington, VT @ Backside 405^
07/25 — Peaks Island, ME @ Lion’s Club^
07/26 — Keene, NH @ Nova Arts^
07/27 — Newport, RI @ Folk On^
07/29 — New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine^
12/02 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall #
12/03 — Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center #
12/04 — Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club #
12/05 — Lakeside, MI @ Lakeside Inn #
12/07 — Nashville, TN @ Third Man #
12/08 — Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West #
12/09 — Charlotte, NC @ Recover Brands #
12/10 — Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle Tavern #
12/11 — Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle #
12/12 — Baltimore, MD @ Creative Alliance #
12/14 — Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair #
12/15 — Holyoke, MA @ Gateway City Arts #
12/16 — Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s #
12/17 — Ardmore, PA @ Ardmore Music Hall #
12/18 — New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom #
^ with William Tyler
# with Jeff Parker
Other You is out 8/27 via Matador. Pre-order it here.
July is kind of a slow month for beer releases. Most breweries drop their summer brews in May/June for July sipping while August is the month for Oktoberfest lagers and pumpkin ales to make their debut. That’s not to say beers aren’t being released in July. It’s just that, in the beer world, we’re already looking down the barrel of fall beer releases in four short weeks.
This week, to hold onto those summer beer vibes as long as possible, we’re calling out eight purely summer craft drops that you should be able to get right now. This is all about the light, refreshing, fruity, and crushable beers that suit hot weather and backyard parties next to the pool or grill.
Hopefully, the eight beers we’re giving love to this month will pique your interest and inspire you to explore exciting breweries in your neck of the woods. These picks represent regional craft beer releases from breweries that we vouch for (with tasting notes from the brewers themselves if we didn’t get to taste the beer yet), along with some seasonally released bottles that we’ve been looking forward to trying again.
This annual favorite from Seattle’s Elysian is an easy win for any summer party. The light wheat beer is amped up with watermelon, salt, and funky yeast. There are some Huell Melon and Northern Brewer hops in the mix too. But it’s all that fresh melon and salt that’s the star of the show.
Tasting notes:
There’s a slight funk thanks to the salt and yeast with a slightly acidic edge that amps up the refreshing vibes. The end is effervescent and fruity with that salt offering a counterbalance and mild depth.
Bottom Line:
The low ABV makes this the perfect session beer. The light tartness and salted watermelon taste of the beer make this the perfect summer sipper.
SOUTHWEST DROP: Sierra Nevada Summer Break Session Hazy IPA
This hazy IPA from California’s now-iconic Sierra Nevada keeps things light in the body while going deep on the flavors. The beer is brewed with oats, barley, and wheat malts and then amped up Chinook, Simcoe, Comet, Mosaic, Amarillo, and Strisselspalt hops. Those hops bring a bold flavor profile that really leans into the tropical fruit elements and summery wheat beer vibes.
Tasting notes:
The hops are juicy from the jump on this nose and palate. There’s a clear sense of a very ripe mango that’s just been peeled. It’s almost… meaty in your mouth. That’s balanced with a more savory papaya edge that leads back towards a clear note of passion fruit — kind of like a Hurricane.
Bottom Line:
This hazy brew is a full-on fruity tropical cocktail with a very low ABV. It’s a match made in summer beer heaven.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN DROP: New Belgium Summer Bliss Tropical Wheat
This summer wheat ale is a mild sipper. The beer starts out with oats, barley, and wheat and it’s just touched with Nugget hops. The end result is a light sipper that’s all summer all the time.
Tasting notes:
You’re drawn in with this mix of lemonade with a nice fizz next to dashes of mango and pineapple. There’s a light fruit funk, kind of like overripe fruit salad with mangos, passion fruit, and limes fermenting under the hot summer sun. The end stays very light and delves right back into that fizzy lemonade.
Bottom Line:
This is a fruity, tart, and citrusy crusher. There’s really not much more to say than “give it a shot.”
If anyone knows how to make a summer wheat beer, it’s brewers who live in a place that’s summertime 365 days a year. Tampa’s Cigar City Fair Exchange Wheat Ale starts off with a malty base of wheat that mimics the German summer wheat beers in style. The beer in the can is a very bold Germanic wheat ale that’s twinged with American hop aesthetics.
Tasting notes:
This is pure banana on the nose with a nice dose of black pepper (very German) next to hints of honey sweetness. The taste lets those bananas get black and brings a slight banana bread vibe with more honey, a hint of walnut, and a touch of green hoppiness all the way in the background.
Bottom Line:
This is an easy sipper with a bold ABV that’ll catch up with you pretty quickly on a hot day.
MIDWEST DROP: Bell’s Lemon-Lime Flamingo Fruit Fight
This is a pretty classic American-style gose entry, which is an excellent choice for summer crushing sessions. The beer is a lacto-fermented gose-style beer with plenty of wheat, coriander, and salt in the mix. Bell’s then adds in both lemon and lime zest to really drive home the fruity and bright nature of the brew.
Tasting notes:
You get this mix of bright and light citrus oils and juice with a slight funkiness that’s more tart than sour. The beer has a balancing point thanks to the coriander and salt adding some depth.
Bottom Line:
In the end, this feels more like you’re drinking a slightly boozy lemon-lime-ade with a nice pinch of salt than a beer. And that’s fine when the weather hits triple digits.
NORTHEAST DROP: Dogfish Head Sun-Day-Feels Sour Ale
This sour ale has all the hallmarks of the summer beers on this list. Wheat base, mild hops, funky yeast, and lots of fruit. In this case, those ingredients are calibrated to mimic a champagne and fruit juice heavy brunch drink.
Tasting notes:
Peach is the most prominent up top with dry yeast and a touch of lemon juice also making appearances. That yeast really lays on the champagne vibes pretty thick as the peach sweetens and sour orange arrives. The sip ends up dry and light with a good dose of juicy sour citrus and sweet peach.
Bottom Line:
This was a one-off beer that became a yearly release. That’s usually a good indicator that this is a crowd-pleaser (which, spoiler alert, it is).
WILD CARD DROP: Deschutes Da Shootz! American Pilsner
This summer sipper from Oregon’s Deschutes is brewed to be savored right now. The beer’s base is a malt medley of Bohemian Pilsner, Pilsner, and Carapils malts. That’s then spiked with Tettnang, Lemondrop, and Azacca hops. The end result is a super sessionable brew that’s worthy of some cooler space this summer.
Tasting notes:
This is light but not thin. The beer has a dry maltiness at its base with a mild floral/citrus hoppiness offering a nice yet small bite. There’s a classic lager feel to the body of the beer in that the malts are there but more creamy/grainy than caramel-driven.
Bottom Line:
Get this super cold and then enjoy it during the hottest part of the day. It’s the perfect beer-break refresher.
INTERNATIONAL PICK OF THE MONTH: Czechvar Premium Lager (Budvar)
Called Budvar (or Budweiser) in the rest of the world, this Czech pale lager is a damn near perfect beer. The beer starts with Moravian barley cooked in local artesian water from the foothills around České Budějovice. It’s then hopped with Saaz hops. Is it “craft” beer? Maybe not. But’s made at a state-owned brewery that produces one-sixth the amount of beer that Boston Beer Company (Samual Adams) produces, and they’re definitely still called “craft” — so we’re keeping Budvar in. (It’s summer, the rules are loose!)
Tasting notes:
This is a classic lager from the first sip to the last. The beer has a nose of mild floral hops with a slight resinous bitterness next to dry-hay and grainy malts. The body is medium-heft with plenty of those flowery hops making their presence known as the malts hold onto the straw aspect but slightly sweeten towards caramel notes. The carbonation is dialed back but present, making this a very easy crusher.
Bottom Line:
Again, this is a stone-cold classic. I’ve had plenty of arguments in Prague pubs over this beer and whether all lagers should be measured against it (they should). You simply cannot go wrong stocking this in your fridge or cooler this summer.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
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.
Lucy Dacus – Home Video
On her third full-length album, Lucy Dacus dials up the precision and the intensity to deliver a staggering work that builds up on the foundation set on her first two albums, and build a skyscraper atop it. “This is the sort of songwriting that people like Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, Lucinda Williams, and Jason Isbell specialize in. Lucy Dacus is the latest to master it,” writes Steven Hyden for Uproxx.
Modest Mouse – The Golden Casket
It’s been six years since we last heard from Modest Mouse. The Golden Casket is what Isaac Brock called in a recent interview “a sound effects record,” comprised of an assembly of exotic sounds into a sonic collage. But the consistent Modest Mouse themes are still there, with the album revolving around “deep skepticism about how modern technology has turned against its human masters,” writes Steven Hyden for Uproxx.
Squirrel Flower – Planet (i)
Almost exactly 18 months after releasing her excellent debut album I Was Born Swimming, Squirrel Flower is back with another LP. Planet (i) is another invitation into Squirrel Flower’s world revolving around the next disaster, with press materials describing the album as “a love letter to disaster in every form imaginable.”
Faye Webster – I Know I’m Funny Haha
Faye Webster is truly a jack-of-all-trades, with talents ranging from photography and yo-yoing to extreme musical versatility. Her latest album I Know I’m Funny Haha “has everything from a twangy number about not getting her security deposit back from her landlord to a bedroom R&B jam about being in love with a baseball player,” writes Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx.
Beabadoobee – Our Extended Play
To follow up her nostalgia-inducing 2020 LP Fake It Flowers, Beabadoobee teamed up with The 1975’s Matty Healy and George Daniel for Our Extended Play. The four-track EP is chock full of shimmering guitars evocative of ’90s brit-pop and anchored by Bea’s infectious vocal melodies.
Ellis – Nothing Is Sacred Anymore EP
Ellis’ undeniable debut album Born Again was a rumination on the intersection of music and spirituality, as she explained in an interview with Uproxx. Now, she’s back with a new EP that further cements her place as one of the most promising new artists in indie rock.
Lightning Bug – A Color Of The Sky
Lightning Bug couldn’t have picked a better release date for their third album A Color Of The Sky. The band’s “blend of blissed-out shoegaze guitar tones and singer-songwriter Audrey Kang’s wistful indie-folk melodies sounds even better in late June,” writes Steven Hyden for Uproxx. If you’re looking for a perfect soundtrack to drive around with the windows rolled down, look no further.
Maple Glider – To Enjoy Is The Only Thing
A few months after releasing her debut single for Partisan Records, Australian songwriter Maple Glider (real name Tori Zietsch) has released a full-length album with the esteemed label. To Enjoy Is The Only Thing is an album built upon a feeling, which Zietsch describes as “walking past tinsel covered trees in mid-September, swimming along the Calanques in the south of France, car-bonnet frost, darkness at 4 pm, lightness until 10 pm, a muted feeling, the perpetual grey fog that swallows the Silver Coast, the colour red, this ugly green dress, red wine, red blood, red lips, red is the colour of the cardinal’s robe, Switzerland, my mother’s diaries, a coroner’s report, the sun on my face, the end of love…”
Hurry – Fake Ideas
What’s more to say about Philadelphia power pop outfit Hurry? They just make beautiful, entrancing music that’s perfect for a carefree summer day. Their latest LP Fake Ideas is no exception, delivering what is perhaps the band’s strongest collection to date.
Foxing – “If I Believed In Love”
Expanding of horizons is the Foxing way, and the St. Louis band’s widened scope is on full display in the latest preview of their forthcoming album Draw Down The Moon. “If I Believed In Love” is “carried by synth hits and a drum machine beat, which start the song out calmly before it explodes into a more exuberant second half,” writes Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx.
Petey – “Lean Into Life”
Petey is nothing short of a gem, whether you’re familiar with him from his wonderful music or his delightful, offbeat TikTok presence. After a string of short-form releases over the last few years, Petey is now ready to unleash his debut full-length, previewed by the title track “Lean Into Life.” The track is what Derrick Rossignol calls for Uproxx “a propulsive synth-driven number that comes across like LCD Soundsystem viewed through Petey’s idiosyncratic lens.”
Ekkstacy – “F*ck Everything” (ft. The Drums)
Several months after we showcased Ekkstacy’s single “I Want To Be By Your Side” in this exact column (you heard it here first), Spotify has also begun to champion the upstart artist. The streaming platform has slotted Ekkstacy’s latest track “F*ck Everything,” featuring contributions from The Drums, at the top of their Fresh Finds playlist, which is dedicated to highlighting independent artists. Things are starting to happen for Ekkstacy. Jump on the rocketship and hang on for the ride.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Lil Nas X has been a polarizing figure as of late, drawing a diverse set of reactions from both sides of every aisle with things like his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video or his “Satan shoes.” His latest controversial move was his BET Awards performance of “Montero,” which he ended by making out with one of his male dancers.
He’s already done some clapping back to critics of the performance, like one who accused him of misusing African culture. He replied to that, “y’all really like to pretend homosexuality didn’t exist in african culture.” Now that Nas has had some more time to marinate in the responses to the BET performance, though, he is charting his next steps. Although he’s more than likely joking, he has some plans that, if carried out, would be the most explicit performance in popular music history.
This afternoon, he tweeted, “since y’all still doing all this over a kiss imma just f*ck the n**** on stage next time.”
since y’all still doing all this over a kiss imma just fuck the nigga on stage next time
In less notable but still-interesting Lil Nas X Twitter news today, the rapper shared a trailer for his upcoming album Montero, which he says is “coming soon.” (Back in March, he said it would drop “this summer.”) The video serves as a rundown of his Montero album so far, featuring clips from his recent videos, so check that out below.
Rihanna has grown into such a mammoth empire that many forget that her dominance began with music, and her hits run deep. After hopping on the scene with 2005’s Music Of The Sun, she’s raked up 14 No. 1 singles, nine Grammy wins and is one of the best-selling artists of all time. Over the past 16 years, Rihanna has transformed into an icon not just within the music sector, but pop culture as a whole.
Whether she’s breaking multiple Billboard chart records, becoming the first Black women to oversee a luxury fashion brand under LVMH, acting alongside film greats like Steve Martin and Sandra Bullock, giving back to her community as a fierce philanthropist, founding a groundbreaking makeup and lingerie line that both created a snowball effect of inclusivity, or just wholeheartedly being her silly Pisces self on social media, it’s crystal clear that — as she stated on 2009’s prophetic “Hard” — Rihanna’s reign just won’t let up.
As a reminder of Rihanna’s massive, genre-bending and innovative discography, we present a ranking of our favorite songs.
50. “We Ride” (A Girl Like Me, 2006)
Rihanna is best known for her high-energy chart-toppers, but sometimes you’re just craving a laidback groove. That’s where “We Ride” comes into play. One of her more relaxed singles, the delicate guitar strings, and girly lyrics will remind millennials of their ‘00s puppy love encounters and writing hearts around their crushes’ names in high school textbooks.
49. “Te Amo” (Rated R, 2009)
Rihanna was becoming a bonafide sex symbol upon Rated R’s release and she lured just as many women under her spell as she did men. For “Te Amo,” the singer muses about an unrequited love she painfully yearns for from a female beau. The lyrical romance is heightened by a Latin-inspired melody as well as a passionate music video starring French supermodel (who was a former Victoria’s Secret angel) Laetitia Casta, who is just as breathtaking as Rihanna herself.
48. “Willing To Wait” (Music Of The Sun, 2005)
Rihanna has many inspirations, from Whitney Houston to Bob Marley. But “Willing To Wait” is all Janet Jackson. It is a modern take on the icon’s “Let’s Wait Awhile” from the 1986 classic Control, as Rihanna upholds her promise of abstinence while simultaneously teasing her longing to be intimate. And her vocals (around 17 years old at the time) are surprisingly mature for this being on her debut album.
47. “Kisses Don’t Lie” (A Girl Like Me, 2006)
Despite still being in her late teens at the time, Rihanna possessed the maturity of a conflicted lover on “Kisses Don’t Lie.” One of the more minimal tracks from her sophomore album, the then-budding singer toes the line between her island roots and a more decisive pop sound. The deep cut borrows from classic roots reggae, with the bass commanding center stage as the electric guitar’s flicks give the track a modern edge. All it’s missing is an ice-cold Red Stripe beer.
46. “Nothing Is Promised” with Mike Will Made-It (Ransom 2, 2017)
Women rappers have risen again as the genre’s dominant force over the past few years, and even the top R&B ladies joined the fun. Just like Beyoncé, Rihanna can out-rap a lot of your faves. On “Nothing Is Promised,” she adopts Future’s distinct warbled flow, who serves as the song’s co-writer. But rather than being his equal, Rih takes her previous collaborator’s words and shapes them into her own. She transforms into the cockiest ATL gangsta while assuring “Imma never put a n***a above this money”.
45. “No Love Allowed” (Unapologetic, 2012)
Rihanna stuffs pockets of her Caribbean heritage in all her albums, but this Unapologetic deep cut often gets overlooked. While most of her reggae or dancehall-inspired tracks are fused with other sounds, “No Love Allowed” keeps things rugged and true to the roots. It’s a bare-bones midtempo that finds the singer pushing her lilting Bajan accent to the forefront while looking back on one-sided love: “Hand inna di air as he waved me goodbye / He seh he care, but no tears in his eyes”.
44. “Rehab” (Good Girl Gone Bad, 2007)
Okay, let’s get the obvious out the way now: Justin Timberlake and Timbaland clearly tried to recreate the magic that’s “What Goes Around…Comes Around.” The pair just worked together on FutureSex/LoveSounds just a year prior, and extended the lovesick sound to Rihanna. But while the mournful melody remains nearly the same, it’s Rih’s vocal delivery that makes “Rehab” all her own. She sounds mentally and emotionally exhausted from her relationship’s toll. In the video, all Timberlake can do is play in the background and give Rih control to steer her side of the story.
43. “Get It Over With” (Unapologetic, 2012)
One of her most underrated tracks, “Get It Over With” is a downtempo clouded by weed smoke crafted by frequent collaborator and songwriter James Fauntleroy. As humans, it’s natural for us to keep the darkest corners of our emotions bottled inside. But here, in her most delicate tone, Rihanna assures the storm will only pass if “you just f*cking rain” and let it all out. It’s a shame the song is tossed at the very end of Unapologetic, leaving its presence a hidden gem only to be cherished by diehard fans.
42. “Woo” (ANTI, 2016)
Rihanna revisits the darkness found on Rated R with “Woo,” but rather than feeling mournful, she’s angry out of spite. Featuring credits from Travis Scott, The Weeknd, The-Dream, Hit-Boy, and Jeremih, Rihanna spits out furor atop a production that’s just as acidic as her words, which are directed at an ex-lover and his new fling: “Too bad she’s just eating off your dreams / Let me know when you’re ready to bleed.” Yikes.
41. “Sell Me Candy” (Good Girl Gone Bad, 2007)
We’ve all experienced a summer love, where a girl or guy’s allure was too contagious for you to shake off. “Sell Me Candy” summates that sticky-sweet feeling, from Rihanna’s girly tone to Timbaland, Makeba Riddick, and The-Dream’s blissful hodge-podge of hip-hop, pop, R&B, and electronic melodies. The singer assuring that “The shawty that you’re rocking is nothing like me / You’re selling me a fantasy that I wanna explore” will induce a tingling sensation.
40. “Birthday Cake” (Talk That Talk, 2011)
Man, that Rihanna is such a tease! When the original “Birthday Cake” appeared on Talk That Talk, fans were clamoring for her to release a full version. And she obliged with a controversial surprise: the minute-long interlude was transformed into a full-fledged sweet tooth’s paradise with her former flame Chris Brown (the pair briefly reunited following Talk That Talk’s release) as the guest star. But the negative press surrounding the remix didn’t faze Rihanna, as she continued to taunt and flaunt with lyrics like “It’s not even my birthday but he wanna lick the icing off.”
39. “Wait Your Turn” (Rated R, 2009)
Following the frightening domestic violence incident, Rihanna emerged as a cockier, sexier, and more vulnerable woman on Rated R. And the swagged-out, dubstep-riddled “Wait Your Turn” was her call to arms. The opening lyrics were all the proof you needed that the baddest Bajan bitch was back: “I pitch with a grenade, swing away if you’re feeling brave / There’s so much power in my name / If you pop off and you say it stadium gon’ do the wave.”
38. “Skin” (Loud, 2010)
Rihanna’s Loud album is mainly comprised of club-ready dance jams, but she slows things all the way down on “Skin.” Here, she lures listeners into the bedroom as she gives instructions on just how she likes to be pleased. Rihanna takes as much control between the sheets as she does in the boardroom, as she moans, heavily breathes, and purrs atop an electric guitar climax. The millennial pop star reveling as a dominatrix surely made Madonna and Janet Jackson proud.
Rihanna unleashed the remains of her pent-up aggression on the growling “Rockstar 101,” where she convinces the world that she’s no longer the Pop Star Next Door. No, she wants to be a black guitar-wielding rockstar and called upon the guitar icon himself — Slash of Guns N’ Roses — for a stamp of approval. Many didn’t take Rihanna seriously upon the song’s release over a decade ago, but now the multi-hyphenate doesn’t have to prove how much of a badass she is.
36. “Cockiness (Love It)” (Talk That Talk, 2011)
Only Rihanna can make cunnilingus sound gangsta. On this Talk This Talk single, the singer is boldly talking that talk. Atop Bangladesh’s frenetic production, Rihanna goes full dominatrix as she explicitly details how she wants her sex slave to perform: “Suck my cockiness, lick my persuasion.” But the track doesn’t take itself too seriously, as Rih flips between cheeky taunts, an entire ‘90s dancehall queen verse, and a coquettish chorus. ASAP Rocky later hopped on the official remix, foreshadowing the pair’s magnetic energy that has now blossomed into Hollywood’s hottest relationship.
35. “Half Of Me” (Unapologetic, 2012)
At this point in her career, Rihanna’s every move was picked apart by critics and so-called fans alike. She addressed the building pressure on “Half Of Me,” calling upon British singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé to help let the emotional curtains fall. She urges that there’s two sides to every story. Emotions rise as the song continues, with Rihanna hoping that naysayers don’t assume they know who she really is based on what they see in the media: “I guess the kind of songs that I’ve been singing make it seem as if I’m always winning / But you saw me on a television.”
34. “Hate That I Love You” featuring Ne-Yo (Good Girl Gone Bad, 2007)
Ne-Yo was the songwriter du jour of the late ‘00s, with his dreamy POV on romance taking over charts and radio. He often bestowed his magic on Rihanna, and “Hate That I Love You” is one of their better outcomes, which borrows the catchiness found on Ne-Yo’s “So Sick” and “Sexy Love.” It’s a soothing, breezy midtempo R&B that finds the pair being confounded by love’s unwavering grip. When a relationship is just too good to be true, bittersweet emotions often arise. But rather than it becoming hostile, Rihanna and Ne-Yo make it oh-so-innocent.
33. “Phresh Out The Runway” (Unapologetic, 2012)
David Guetta trades EDM for trap on “Phresh Out The Runway,” as the artist joins The-Dream to produce one of the noisest tunes in Rihanna’s discography. The singer’s swagger is on a hundred, thousand, trillion as she boasts about her ever-growing wealth and exclusive access to expensive goodies — from Givenchy heels to Bvlgari jewelry. The song is forever linked to her unforgettable appearance at the 2012 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, where she strutted on the catwalk fiercer than the models themselves.
32. “Close To You” (ANTI, 2016)
“Nothing but a tear, that’s all for breakfast / Watching you pretend you’re unaffected,” Rihanna murmurs in the opening lines of one of her most heartbreaking ballads. Similar to 2012’s “Stay,” “Close To You” is a gripping piano-led reading of the singer’s diary, as she hesitates to let go of a relationship that has long withered away. She brings her raw emotions to the forefront, making it the perfect closer for an album that was all about the twists and turns of love.
31. “Take A Bow” (Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded, 2008)
Every female pop singer needs a “kick ‘em to the curb” anthem for the ladies, and “Take A Bow” encapsulates just how fed up we were at one point. It literally borrows the formula of Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” that was released two years prior, both sharing the same credits of Ne-Yo and Stargate. But the unfazed sarcasm and bluntness — “You look so dumb right now” — are all Rihanna.
30. “Desperado” (ANTI, 2016)
Rihanna goes on the run with her lover on “Desperado,” one of the edgiest songs to date. She grapples with remaining a lone wolf or following love through the rockiest trenches, and that tension is heightened by the chilling synths and the rumbling interpolation of Banks’ 2013 “Waiting Game” single. Rihanna’s smoky tone and clipped syllables are more sinister spaghetti Western antihero than a famed pop star, and it’s a shame that Quentin Tarantino didn’t get hold of it for a short film.
29. “What Now” (Unapologetic, 2012)
“What Now” begins deviously unassuming, with Rihanna tapping into her inner lost child as she tries to find answers in her life. But once the chorus hits, she can no longer conceal her impatience with impassioned belting. The melodic contrast feels like an emotional purge, with the singer pounding the walls that slowly enclose on her as the drums come crashing down.
28. “Cold Case Love” (Rated R, 2009)
Co-written by Justin Timberlake and James Fauntleroy, “Cold Case Love” plays out more like an intense short drama than the penultimate track from Rated R. She compares her tumultuous relationship to a crime scene, as the instrumentation gently builds from ghastly organs and piano to bombastic violins, heart-pounding drums, and a wailing electric guitar. When Rihanna broods, “Release me now ’cause I did my time of this cold case love,” you can almost hear the tears flowing in the studio. Rihanna’s willingness to display her unguarded self during the worst time in her life is what makes her an artist.
27. “Break It Off” featuring Sean Paul (A Girl Like Me, 2006)
The idea of “Break It Off” is pretty straightforward. Built on Jamaican producer Don Corleone’s “High Altitude” riddim, its main purpose is to usher you on the dance floor, which is what Rihanna quickly mastered on her sophomore album. And for an extra dose of booty-shaking energy, she added Sean Paul to the mix. The result is a lively dancehall jam that’ll make you sweat until the club lights turn on. Now, let’s hope that Rihanna’s new album delivers authentic dancehall features just like this.
26. “Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary” (Unapologetic, 2012)
A majority of Unapologetic displays Rihanna’s growing “zero f*cks given” attitude, but songs like these showcase a much somber artist. One of her longest ballads, it is an autobiographical tale about her previous crash-and-burn relationship. On “Love Without Tragedy,” she reflects on how they were the dream couple that unexpectedly came tumbling down: “You used to be this boy I loved and I used to be this girl of your dreams / Who knew the course of this one drive injured us fatally?” The intense electronic melody soon mellows out into a twinkling synth for “Mother Mary,” which finds Rihanna on her knees begging for some insight. At this point in her life, she was seemingly searching for a direction that’ll lead her on a path of righteousness. Looking back, it seems like she’s now found the answers.
25. “SOS” (A Girl Like Me, 2006)
After easing into music with previous singles “Pon de Replay” and “If It’s Loving That You Want” from her debut album, Rihanna busted down pop’s doors with the explosive “SOS.” Sampling Soft Cell’s 1981 classic “Tainted Love,” the singer is head over heels in lust as the stomping beat amplifies her passion. “SOS” may not have been Rihanna’s first single, but once it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks, it became her grand entrance into pop stardom.
24. “Wild Thoughts” with DJ Khaled & Bryson Tiller (Grateful, 2017)
Rihanna has long delivered sultry bops, but “Wild Thoughts” showcased just how grown and sexy she’d become. Constructed around a sample of Santana’s 1999 “Maria Maria” chart-topper, it has “summertime” written all over it. The instantly recognizable guitar melody along with Rihanna’s low, velvety vocals make an intoxicating combination. Her presence is so alluring that you nearly forget that Bryson Tiller also appears on the track.
23. “Same Ol’ Mistakes” (ANTI, 2016)
Leave it to Rihanna to cover your song better than yourself. Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker previously described “New Person, Same Old Mistakes,” 2015’s Currents closer, as “the final battle between optimism and pessimism.” And Rihanna’s version brings that mental tug o’ war to soaring heights. It’s a carbon copy of the original, but she transforms it into even more of a psychedelic trance. Tossing in a karaoke session on an album is a bold choice for any pop star, but that was the entire definition of ANTI. Rihanna wanted us to expect the unexpected, and we remain mesmerized.
22. “G4L” (Rated R, 2009)
For every vulnerable track on Rated R, there was a cold-shouldered one not too far behind. “G4L,” standing for “Gangster For Life,” finds the singer becoming a Bajan made man as she promises to protect her family — and her fans — by any means necessary. “We’re an army / Better yet, a navy / Better yet, crazy” she claims with her gun cocked in the air, officially giving a name to her fanbase. It is a grimy #Navy anthem that dabbles in dubstep (courtesy of British electronic masterminds Chase & Status) and haunting drum beats that sound just as menacing as Rihanna herself.
21. “Fire Bomb” (Rated R, 2009)
When placed in the context of Rated R‘s autobiographical theme, the meaning of “Fire Bomb” is all the more heartbreaking. Rihanna wants her ex to burn just how he burned her, but her need for revenge is more desperate than evil. “I just wanna set you on fire so I won’t have to burn alone,” she utters atop a production that sounds like a speeding car just seconds away from crashing. You just hope she jumps out before it’s too late.
20. “Watch n’ Learn” (Talk That Talk, 2011)
Ask any longtime Rihanna fan what their favorite deep cut is, and the majority of them will point to “Watch n’ Learn.” She goes full dancehall queen here, celebrating the physicalities of sex while giving her a man a lesson in pleasure. And she clearly wants to cover all bases, going from the bed to the floor to the couch. Its irresistible melody and raunchy lyrical winks (“Imma do it ‘till you can’t take no more / Till my lipstick ain’t up on my face no more”) will have you calling your boo for a quickie. Or your sidepiece — we won’t tell.
19. “Pon de Replay” (Music Of The Sun, 2005)
The song that started it all. “Pon de Replay,” Rihanna’s debut single, introduced the world to what would soon become her signature charm. The club anthem stays true to her Bajan roots with the dancehall-pop fusion melody (which she hasn’t left behind to this day) as well as catchy pop sensibilities (“You want to groove? Imma show you how to move”). Sure, it sounds a bit dated now. But once that thumping bassline kicks in, you won’t be able to fight the urge to rush to the DJ and demand that they turn the music UP!
18. “S&M” (Loud, 2010)
Rihanna is often the dominatrix in her music, but on “S&M,” she switches roles to be the ultimate masochist. On the bouncy electro-pop single, she goes from good girl gone bad to a fetish-loving hedonist: “Sticks and stones may break my bones / But chains and whips excite me.” Pop predecessors like Madonna and Janet Jackson have dabbled in BDSM, but here Rihanna makes the kinkiness adorably playful. And in the risqué video that got banned in 11 countries, she brilliantly flips the bondage theme to target reporters (she walks Perez Hilton on a dog leash) who get off on criticizing her every move.
17. “Diamonds” (Unapologetic, 2012)
Rihanna is a sonic chameleon, adapting to any sound thrown at her in the recording studio. For “Diamonds,” she puts on her best Sia impression as her vocals soar above the power ballad’s synths. It’s her voice that actually saves the song, as her near-tangible passion overcomes the cliched lyrics. Still, the song is home to one of her more definitive statements: “I choose to be happy.” But her delivery feels like she’s trying to convince herself of such, making “Diamonds” all the more beautifully tragic.
16. “Hard” featuring Jeezy (Rated R, 2009)
Cocky Rihanna is the best Rihanna, and she was surely feeling herself on this Rated R single and seemed to be hard bent on proving she was much more “brilliant, resilient” than the domestic violence incident implied. The singer faced adversity head-on while simultaneously thanking her fans and shutting down bloggers talking trash in the process: “They can say whatever, I’ma do whatever / No pain is forever.” Jeezy makes an appearance towards the end, giving the rap-driven “Hard” even more of an edge. In the army-themed music video, Rihanna officially established herself as pop’s commander-in-chief.
15. “Bitch Better Have My Money” (non-album single, 2015)
Beyoncé said it best: “Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper.” But a year prior to the release of “Formation,” Rihanna was anything but gracious. The explicit title makes it very clear: don’t ever try to cross Rihanna when it comes to her coins. Presented as a club anthem, “Bitch” has a deeper message where she’s allegedly addressing a former accountant who almost made her go bankrupt twice. With credits from Bibi Bourelly, Travis Scott, and Kanye West, it’s Rih’s best thug-nasty trap tune. She’s the ultimate sh*t talker here, spitting braggadocio lyrics from “Ballin’ bigger than LeBron” to “Turn up to Rihanna while the whole club f**kin’ wasted / Every time I drop by, I am the only thing y’all playin’.” The torturous self-directed video takes it to a cinematic level, stuffed with cult film references (Carrie, Natural Born Killers, Thelma & Louise, Pulp Fiction) and Hollywood guest stars (Eric Roberts and Mads Mikkelsen) that provide the ultimate shock value.
It’s a rare moment when Rihanna removes her pristine pop star armor, and for “Stay” she strips all the way down — literally. With only a stark piano to prop her up, the singer’s distinct tone is void of unnecessary histrionics as she allows it to crack, wail, and whisper. She’s completely unashamed in her honesty, pleading for her lover (based on the single’s cover art, was Brown at the time) to stick by her side. Then-newcomer Mikky Ekko is the perfect partner here, with his falsetto elevating the ballad’s tenderness.
13. “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris (Talk That Talk, 2011)
By 2011, Rihanna had already poured a great deal of her heart out through her music. But upon the release of “We Found Love,” that vulnerability catapulted her career to new heights. She somehow managed to transform painful memories into a world-shaking, utterly inescapable (it’s her longest-running No. 1 at 10 nonconsecutive weeks) four-on-the-floor dance-pop smash. The formula is almost stupidly simple: have a repetitive chorus (something she’d later repeat with fellow chart-topper “Diamonds” a year later), call upon Calvin Harris for sonic euphoria, and create a music video that becomes iconic due to its controversy. The Melina Matsuoka-directed video is actually stronger than the song itself, showing Rihanna and her beau hopelessly going through the motions of a toxic relationship that mimicked her past.
12. “Pour It Up” (Unapologetic, 2012)
It was only a matter of time until Rihanna delivered a strip club anthem, and who better to call on than Mike Will Made-It? The Atlanta hitmaker, who was fresh off producing Juicy J’s “Bandz A Make Her Dance,” teamed with the singer. “Pour It Up” has quite an eerie and cold production that feels like it’s made to play at seedy basement parties despite its mainstream gloss from ruling hip-hop/R&B radio. In the music video, Rihanna sits comfortably in two roles in the music video, playing the boss and the dancer, as she tosses dollar bills just as rapidly as she does shaking her ass.
11. “Don’t Stop The Music” (Good Girl Gone Bad, 2007)
Rihanna does club anthems incredibly well, and “Don’t Stop The Music” is a Eurodance thrill. “I gotta get my body moving, shake the stress away,” she muses with a hunger to let loose. She invites partygoers to thrust, fist bump, and shimmy until the sun comes up. But don’t accept if you can’t keep up, because it’ll have your heart racing and dripping in sweat for all four minutes. By the time the stellar sample of Michael Jackson’s 1982 classic “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” (whose iconic “Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa” borrows from Cameroonian jazz artist Manu Dibango) kicks in towards the end, you have to catch your breath before returning to the dance floor.
Rihanna and Future’s team-ups throughout the years are quite underrated, and this Unapologetic single is their strongest offering. The Atlanta rapper’s signature warbled drawl is offset by the singer’s honeyed and downright sexy tone as she yearns to be drowned in affection. But being the confident woman she is, she also reminds her lover that she’s a trophy (“Why window shop when you own this?”). Act fast though, before she moves on to her next suitor.
9. “Only Girl (In The World)” (Loud, 2010)
For being the lead single to Rihanna’s Loud era, it surely delivered on its title. “Only Girl (In the World)” is an exuberant track that cut through the Guetta effect that was overthrowing pop music at the time and continued her No. 1 winning streak in 2010 (the others being “Rude Boy,” “What’s My Name,” “S&M” and “Love The Way You Lie” with Eminem). It was fun hearing Rihanna so vibrant and girly, a 180-spin from the bleakness that consumed Rated R. This time around, she was blossoming as the reigning queen of festival EDM.
8. “Needed Me” (ANTI, 2016)
“Didn’t they tell you I’m a savage? / Fuck a white horse and a carriage / Bet you never could imagine,” Rihanna stresses through gritted teeth. “Needed Me” is produced by DJ Mustard, who takes a break from his trap stompers to deliver haunting, loosely wounded trip-hop. Overflowing with dozens of “bad bitch” Instagram captions, Rihanna gave women everywhere a confidence booster while shattering men’s egos in the process. If you needed yet another reason to leave that f*ckboy behind, give this song a few plays as you transcend into a self-empowered woman who can throw away immature men as quickly as she changes her Fenty Beauty lip gloss.
7. “Rude Boy” (Rated R, 2009)
“Rude Boy” sticks out like a neon thumb on Rated R, briefly escaping to a fantasy island far away from the emotional rollercoaster the singer was going through at the time. It’s a delicious summer banger, with Rihanna being a total flirt on the dancefloor and in the bedroom (“Come here rude boy, boy, is you big enough?”). It’s one of her catchiest dancehall and ragga-driven tunes to date, with the music video capturing both genre’s vibrancy. Rihanna allegedly had to fight for “Rude Boy” to become a single, and we’re so glad she did. Her innate ear for hits led the song to become the sole No. 1 from Rated R.
“Umbrella” was Rihanna’s reintroduction to the world that brushed off any thought that she would get stuck as a flimsy girl next door. Jay-Z may have crowned her “Little Miss Sunshine,” but she reemerged with a newfound edge. From the buzzy “ella, ella, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh-eh” refrain to the triumphant hi-hats and that persuasive voice that assures that everything is going to be alright, “Umbrella” had all the elements to become iconic. And it was just that, scoring her first Grammy win and topping multiple charts worldwide. Multiple countries even blamed the song for causing torrential downpours. What other pop heavyweight has the power to control the weather?
5. “Love On The Brain” (ANTI, 2016)
Rihanna has never been shy to experiment with various genres, but no one could’ve predicted the day when she mastered ‘50s doo-wop. On “Love On The Brain,” she free falls into an addicting, undying, and slightly unhinged romance. She flows effortlessly between a controlled falsetto to a full-bodied, whisky-swigging growl, taking influence from Amy Winehouse, Etta James, and Sam Cooke to deliver her vocal best. Rihanna completely lets herself go and allows the music to take control of every inch of her emotions, not caring if her voice happens to crack. Flaws add to the song’s charm, just how ‘50s girl groups and jazz club singers did in the good ol’ days. Those imperfections they dare to show are more significant than the song itself, stripping a once-untouchable artist to their most human form.
4. “Work” featuring Drake (ANTI, 2016)
In the 2010s, tropical house quickly trickled into mainstream pop, from Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” to Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You.” Somehow Rihanna’s “Work” got caught in the mix. Critics forgot just how rooted the singer is to her Caribbean background, yet the song was initially whitewashed. Many branded as it tropical house rather than dancehall, and called Rihanna’s lyrics “gibberish” instead of taking the time to understand the Jamaican dialect patois. It wasn’t as if dancehall was a foreign concept in popular music, from Shabba Ranks in the ‘90s to Sean Paul and Shaggy in the ‘00s. Even Rihanna made her debut riding on a dancehall riddim, and continued praising the genre right up until “Work.” She even called upon the Jamaica-obsessed Drake — who would drop dancehall and Afrobeats-inspired tracks like “One Dance,” “Controlla,” and the Rihanna-assisted “Too Good” on Views just a few months later — and co-writer/future OVO collaborator PartyNextDoor to help bring the song to life. The end result is a hypnotizing slow burn that had women everywhere giving their ex-flames one last whine on the dance floor, just as Rihanna did with Drake in the bashment-style video.
3. “Man Down” (Loud, 2010)
Bob Marley is one of Rihanna’s biggest inspirations, and she did his Wailers 1973 “I Shot The Sheriff” classic justice on “Man Down.” It’s a grim tale of self-defense, with the singer letting her heavy Bajan accent fly, drilling in the authenticity of the ragga-inspired single. The controversial video heightens the cinematic storytelling where Rihanna takes vengeance on an aggressive club-goer who sexually assaulted her, pulling out her trusty Peggy Sue in broad daylight. She frantically runs away as a fugitive, while expressing tearful remorse to her mother. The song grows more confessional, with the sirens wailing as Rih’s accent grows thicker and guttural (“Why did I pull di trigger, pull di trigger, pull di trigger–BOOM”). The singer would utilize guns in later videos, but its use in “Man Down” is her most haunting.
2. “Kiss It Better” (ANTI, 2016)
“Man f**k your pride!” Rihanna yelps on “Kiss it Better,” forcing you to take down all emotional guards. The woozy ‘80s power ballad explores destructive love that is nearly slipping through her fingers — and she won’t let go even if it feels like crack. She pleads for reconciliation in hopes that sex will be the broken relationship’s cure. It’s a stunning Prince tribute (that dreamy electric guitar) with a splash of TLC’s 1994 “Red Light Special” (the sensuous vocals), but the intimacy is all Rihanna. In an ironic twist, Rihanna’s the singer’s wish for sunshine on “Kiss It Better” was answered: the ANTI single was later given new life after producer/DJ Amorphous paired it with Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much” in a jovial mash-up, which was then sampled on Fat Joe’s 2021 single “Sunshine (The Light).”
1. “What’s My Name?” featuring Drake (Loud, 2010)
The beauty of Rihanna’s music is that it taps into the better memories of nostalgic love, recalling when you gazed upon your first middle school crush in the hallway, stumbled in too-high heels at your senior prom or awkwardly having your first kiss after gym practice. “What’s My Name” is the embodiment of that blissful naiveté. Despite being released at the start of winter, the tune is best paired with short-shorts and rum punch, with the wind running through your hair as the sun kisses your tanned skin. In their first of many collaborations, Rihanna provides the flirty come-ons that have Drake whipped to the point where he’s spitting goofy lyrics (“The square root of 69 is eight something, right?”). “What’s My Name” has everything we’ve come to love about Rihanna: her admirable charm, her “are they/aren’t they” guest features teasing her love life, the masterful dancehall-meets-pop fusion, the ease of scoring No. 1 hits with a toss of her hair (then colored a fire-engine red), the “Oh na-na!” catchiness, and her all-around infectious sincerity. And she still has us saying her name over a decade later.
The Indiana Fever waived 2020 No. 3 pick Lauren Cox on Sunday in an unexpected move for the league’s worst team. The 23-year-old has played just 25 games in her WNBA career after a standout tenure at Baylor University. The Fever sit last place in the WNBA’s standings with a 1-15 record.
Cox has struggled since joining the league, averaging just 2.6 points per game on 38.7 percent shooting with 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists a night. She played 14 of her 25 games her rookie year after contracting COVID-19 and joining the team late. This season, she’s hardly played at all. In 8.6 minutes per night, she averaged just 1.4 points on 31.6 percent shooting with a pair of rebounds per game.
The Fever’s decision to cut such a high draft pick so soon is an admission of something, whether it be a failure of talent evaluation or development. Cox was selected after Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally but ahead of Atlanta Dream star Chennedy Carter.
But giving up on a college star so soon is shocking, and it’s really tough to say why this decision was made. Still, it’s noteworthy that the Fever are still prioritizing veteran play over development despite their awful start to the season.
Kysre Gondrezick, the Fever’s surprise No. 4 pick in the most recent Draft, is playing just 10.2 minutes per game off the bench and scoring 2.3 points on 28.9 percent shooting. Teaira McCowan, the 6’7 center and No. 3 pick in 2019, comes off the bench for 25 minutes per night. She’s averaging 10.5 points per game on 51.9 percent shooting with 8.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Victoria Vivians, the 2018 No. 8 pick, plays just 15.1 minutes per game.
None of what Indiana is doing is working. They’re being out-scored by a ghastly 17.5 points per 100 possessions. If that stands, it’d be the second-worst scoring deficit in the league’s 25-year history. They have the league’s worst offensive and defensive rating this season by a healthy margin.
That’s why it’s all the more perplexing for the Fever to give up on a top Draft selection so abruptly. The rest of the summer is as good a time as any for Indiana to give big minutes to its younger players. Regardless of how they choose to divvy up play-time in the final months of the season, it appears they’ll be looking at the draft lottery to change the direction of the franchise — again.
Ted Cruz can’t stop self-owning without even seeming to care about the consequences. From standing in a crumbling Israeli home to lurking in the bushes at the U.S.-Mexico border, Cruz must know that he whatever he says only reminds people of the senator’s sunny Cancun trip during a devastating Texas ice storm. The jokes will always flow about that ill-advised vacation, no matter what, and Cruz’s furious reaction to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is no exception.
Cruz is rather sore over Psaki’s confrontation with Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, who quizzed Psaki over Biden advisor Cedric Richmond’s accusation that Republicans were the true defunders of police because they didn’t vote for the American Rescue Plan. “How is that an argument to be made,” Doocy asked. “When the president never mentioned needing money for police to stop a crime wave when he was selling the American Rescue Plan?”
In response, Psaki shut the complaint down by insisting that Biden did “mention” that the American Rescue Plan included state and local funding, which “could help ensure local cops were kept on the beat in communities across the country.” She then added, “As you know, didn’t receive a single Republican vote,” she added. “That funding has been used to keep cops on the beat.”
In response, Cruz described this as “[b]razen gaslighting.”
Naturally, Cruz critics found this to be quite rich. They pushed back while telling Ted that he not only gaslit the American public over his Cancun vacation but also about the January 6 insurrection, which he (arguably) helped to incite.
Gaslighting is pretending you just had to go to Cancun when there was a major state of emergency, then pretending you were always coming right back.
— Nancy Farmer #President Biden #VPHarris (@NCfarmer321) June 29, 2021
Don’t knock gaslighting Ted. As a Texan it might be the only light you will have this winter.
— Stephen *Wear a Mask* Murphy (@stevemur67) June 28, 2021
Ted CruzChev, modern day Insurrection Supporter & known liar, cries foul. Ted enabled an attempted coup against The United States and should never be allowed to live it down. https://t.co/T7B1EJF8Rl
— It’s the Constitution, Stupid! (@m_hostage) June 29, 2021
The first batch of Black Widow reviews are in, and after a two-year long break, critics are ready to dive back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe even if the overdue Scarlett Johansson solo film feels more like a Jason Bourne or James Bond movie than another MCU entry. If the film is truly meant to mark Johansson’s final ride as Natasha Romanoff, she’s going out with a bang, and the consensus is that the baton has been safely passed to Florence Pugh‘s Yelena Belova, who is now primed to be an ass-kicking presence in the ever-expanding Marvel universe.
On top of noting Black Widow‘s mastery of the spy genre, critics also enjoyed that the film is a throwback to Marvel’s Phase 1 set of standalone movies. Well, as standalone as you can get in the MCU because at the end of the day, Black Widow is bridging the gap between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War even if it does a good job of not burdening the audience with that baggage.
It’s almost possible to forget Black Widow is a Marvel movie at all, and that’s a good thing. It’s the palate cleanser the franchise needed after the intense cross-pollination of the Phase Three films and Disney+ shows: a self-contained, back-to-basics adventure that works just as well for newbies and casual viewers as it does for longtime fans. With Black Widow, we finally get a deeper understanding of a fan-favorite character who’s been popping up in supporting roles for a decade. We also get a pretty solid action thriller about a weird little family of Russian spies.
Johansson is again a great presence in the role, showing expert action and acting chops throughout, while Pugh is clearly ready to lead her own franchise after this MCU debut.
The movie’s vibe isn’t like your average MCU entry at all, really. What it reminded me of are the many James Bond films where 007 goes rogue and cavorts around world cities seeking his revenge du jour.
Black Widow just might be the most self-contained MCU movie since way back in Phase 1. And, look, being a self-contained movie and being a movie that doesn’t move the greater story forward aren’t necessarily bad things. It’s just, at this point, unusual.
The stakes couldn’t be clearer, and for the first two-thirds, Black Widow has a focus that’s refreshing in the MCU, allowing it a sense of style and fun that’s genuinely enjoyable once you get over the strangeness of the film’s place in MCU continuity.
“Black Widow” nicely takes a few pages from the playbook of fellow spy-friendly effort “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” in terms of blockbuster-ready action sequences. The new film also pays off lines and tales mentioned before by Black Widow in the various “Avengers” films to paint a clearer picture about why she worked so hard to make up for past sins and “the red in her ledger.”
Overall, “Black Widow” amounts to a satisfying addition to “The Bourne Identity” franchise. Of course, it’s actually a solid beginning to the latest cycle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the appeal of the MCU has always stemmed from the way it plays off existing formulas with dollops of spruced-up action strewn throughout, and the 24th entry hits all of those beats with style to spare.
Black Widow arrives in theaters and Disney+ with Premier Access on July 9.
In the summer of 2008, Lil Wayne’s then-new single “A Milli” was practically inescapable, as it played nonstop in radio and music video rotations and numerous rappers including the likes of Jay-Z, Fabolous, Jadakiss, Lil Mama, LL Cool J, and more took on freestyled iterations of it that proliferated on blogs like to the point it was hard to find anyone who didn’t have a version of it somewhere in their catalog. It’s safe to say it was the biggest hit of Lil Wayne’s career — in terms of impact, if not numerically — and has left a lasting impression on the rap landscape ever since.
Yesterday, Lil Wayne got to celebrate the track reaching a milestone that may be somewhat ironic in context, posting a photo to Instagram declaiming the track reaching a billion streams on Spotify. “A Billi A Billi A Billi,” he wrote in the caption, evoking the song’s original hook. “Shoutout @spotify and @rapcaviar. And most importantly shoutout every last one of y’all that listened, streamed, and still bump it till this day!”
2020 was supposed to mark the debut of Primavera Sound Los Angeles, an LA-based offshoot of the popular Spanish festival. However, for reasons that don’t need explaining, the event was pushed back to September 2021. It turns out the wait for Primavera Sound LA will again been lengthened, as organizers have announced that the festival has again been delayed, this time to September 16 to 18, 2022.
Yes, that’s three days, meaning the festival (set to be hosted at Los Angeles State Historic Park) has expanded from its previously planned two-day setup.
LA, we’re expanding our new festival to 3 days next year to bring you the full Primavera Sound experience. See you in 2022
— Primavera Sound L.A. (@Primavera_LA_) June 29, 2021
In a statement, organizers said, “Despite the fact that the festival’s first encounter with its fans in the United States will have to wait yet another year, this announcement makes us even more excited and eager than ever to make our debut in America. […] We are working with renewed energy to bring the full Primavera Sound experience to Los Angeles. Until then, take care and see you in 2022.”
Fans who have tickets for the 2021 event can either use them for admission to the 2022 festival or request a refund (by July 29, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. PT).
Meanwhile, the original Primavera Sound festival recently announced a massive 2022 lineup that features Lorde, Tame Impala, Beck, The National, The Strokes, Gorillaz, Tyler The Creator, Disclosure, Interpol, Jamie xx, Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, 100 Gecs, Brockhampton, Big Thief, Brittany Howard, Clairo, Run The Jewels, and Slowthai.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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(@LilNasX) 
(@stevemur67) 
LA, we’re expanding our new festival to 3 days next year to bring you the full Primavera Sound experience. See you in 2022