After forming a band together at Tufts University in Boston, Crumb showcased their knack for atmospheric songwriting through two early EPs. The band eventually further explored their sound with their independently released debut album Jinx back in 2019. Lately, Crumb has been teasing another project through a handful of hypnotic singles, but they’ve now come forward to officially announce their sophomore album.
On Wednesday, Crumb unveiled details surrounding Ice Melt, their second full-length LP which is only a few weeks way from being released. About the album, vocalist Lila Ramani describes the project as a “return back down to earth,” saying that the music aims to examine “real substances and beings that live on this planet.”
While Ice Melt is another independent release from Crumb, it was conceptualized after the band’s founding members moved across the country to LA. It’s songs were written over the course of two years and recorded with producer Jonathan Rado, who is best known as a member of Foxygen.
Just ahead of the Ice Melt announcement, Crumb teased their upcoming album with a cryptic video shot from the perspective of a Pomeranian dog walking through the streets of LA.
A tweet thread by Travis Akers, a Navy Lieutenant with 17 years of service, is going viral because it shows just how sweet children can be and also points to an overlooked issue facing military families.
In the early morning of April 12, Akers tweeted a photo of himself and his seven-year-old son Tanner who he affectionately calls “Munchie.” Akers was moved because his son set his alarm clock so he could get up early enough to hand him a pocket full of Legos before work.
Tanner wanted to be sure his father had something to play with at the Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida. “This was my daily morning trip to base, departing my house at six am for work,” Akers told Upworthy.
My son was waiting for me very early this morning with a handful of random Legos. He told me that he set his alarm… https://t.co/SblKWXHbNX
Akers followed up the tweet with a photo of his son from seven years ago showing just how quickly they grow. “This picture just popped up in my Facebook memories – It’s him seven years ago today,” he wrote. “Don’t blink.”
via Travis Akers / Twitter
Akers made a ship out of the Legos his son gave him and it looks a lot like the vessel behind him, right? Akers told Upworthy that he named his new Lego ship the USS Munchie, after his son. he plans on keeping it on his desk at work.
via Travis Aklers / Twitter
The Lieutenant sent a photo to his wife for Tanner to see. Akers’ wife said the photo of the Lego ship put a “very big smile” on the child’s face and he was “surprised” he actually kept it on his desk.
The sweet gesture by brought a lot of joy to people on Twitter.
However, Tanner’s gesture was about more than just keeping his dad happy at work. Akers is preparing to depart for a one-year deployment in a month. “The reality is beginning to set in with him, so he has been wanting to spend a lot of extra time with me and has become very emotional and sentimental over the previous few weeks,” Akers said.
A study by Clinical Neuroscience on the impact that military deployment has on children says they often have problems with “sleeping, higher stress levels, and anxiety, declining grades, an increase in maladaptive child behaviors.”
Even though time away from the family is hard, Akers has some advice for families to make it easier for them to be apart.
“Technology has done so much for families who are separated during deployments and missions, especially with Facetime and Skype. I recommend parents try to call or Facetime with their children once a day if able,” he said.
“Also, do things that are special for your kids, such as recording videos of you reading their favorite books or singing their favorite songs. Write them actual letters, not just emails. The power of a real letter in the mail is astronomical,” Akers continued.
The Lieutenant hopes that his new Lego ship will help his son feel better about him being away.
“Something I will be doing on my upcoming deployment is taking the USS Munchie with me and sending him photos of it in various locations from where I will be deployed. Parents can do something similar with a stuffed animal or special toy,” Akers said.
Tanner’s beautiful gesture comes at a time when the Department of Defense is highlighting the sacrifices made by the children of those who serve our country. April is the Month of the Military Child.
“While people are quick to thank members of the military for their service, we often forget the sacrifices that families make, especially our children,” Akers said. “Remember them this month and what they are giving up so that their mom or dad can carry out the duties of protecting our country.”
Nick Cave often answers questions from his fans on his Red Hand Files website, and it turns out one of those questions inspired his newest single, “Grief.” That isn’t the title of a song, but rather a pair of songs that are available on a 7-inch vinyl release: “Letter To Cynthia” and “Song For Cynthia.” Neither song is streaming as of yet, but Cave has shared a one-minute preview of the single.
The tracks were inspired by a 2018 question from a fan named Cynthia and Cave explained, “My reply was the first time I was able to articulate my own contradictory feelings of grief. Letters like Cynthia’s have helped bring me and many other back to the world.”
Listen to the preview of “Grief” above and read Cynthia’s question and Cave’s response below.
“I have experienced the death of my father, my sister, and my first love in the past few years and feel that I have some communication with them, mostly through dreams. They are helping me. Are you and Susie feeling that your son Arthur is with you and communicating in some way?
Dear Cynthia,
This is a very beautiful question and I am grateful that you have asked it. It seems to me, that if we love, we grieve. That’s the deal. That’s the pact. Grief and love are forever intertwined. Grief is the terrible reminder of the depths of our love and, like love, grief is non-negotiable. There is a vastness to grief that overwhelms our minuscule selves. We are tiny, trembling clusters of atoms subsumed within grief’s awesome presence. It occupies the core of our being and extends through our fingers to the limits of the universe. Within that whirling gyre all manner of madnesses exist; ghosts and spirits and dream visitations, and everything else that we, in our anguish, will into existence. These are precious gifts that are as valid and as real as we need them to be. They are the spirit guides that lead us out of the darkness.
I feel the presence of my son, all around, but he may not be there. I hear him talk to me, parent me, guide me, though he may not be there. He visits Susie in her sleep regularly, speaks to her, comforts her, but he may not be there. Dread grief trails bright phantoms in its wake. These spirits are ideas, essentially. They are our stunned imaginations reawakening after the calamity. Like ideas, these spirits speak of possibility. Follow your ideas, because on the other side of the idea is change and growth and redemption. Create your spirits. Call to them. Will them alive. Speak to them. It is their impossible and ghostly hands that draw us back to the world from which we were jettisoned; better now and unimaginably changed.
Jayson Tatum has been blunt about the way COVID-19 impacted his body. The Boston Celtics star missed five games back in January after contracting the novel coronavirus, and while he’s made his way back onto the floor and certainly isn’t playing poorly, he’s had his ups and downs over the last few months.
Still, Tatum is optimistic that getting back to full health is just around the corner, although he’s being helped by an injaler. Tatum met with the media on Tuesday night after Boston’s 116-115 win over the Portland Trail Blazers and walked through how he feels three months after contracting COVID.
“Close,” Tatum said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “Very close. It’s a process. It takes a long time. I take an inhaler before the game since I’ve tested positive. This has kind of helped with that and opened up my lungs, and, you know, I never took an inhaler before. So that’s something different. I for sure feel better now than I did a month ago.”
Tatum has been playing some of his best basketball of the year for the suddenly scorching Celtics, averaging 29.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from three over the last seven games. Boston has won four in a row and six of its last seven, and in Tuesday night’s win, Tatum hit a triple in the game’s waning moments to seal things.
Curb Your Enthusiasm star Jeff Garlin seems pretty confident that the show’s eleventh season will be returning in the Fall. While talking to The Ringer‘s “10 Questions with Kyle Brandt” podcast, Garlin revealed that the HBO series only has a few weeks of filming left, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, all ten episodes will start showing up later in the year. However, while Garlin wouldn’t get into any plot details out of respect to creator Larry David, he did make it clear that the new season will be COVID-free with one exception.
“I want to say that except for the first episode, we don’t do any COVID stuff. The first episode it touches on, there’s a couple of things. But it’s a post-COVID world in Curb,” Garlin told Brandt. He also laid out why he was happy with that decision after watching South Park, in his opinion, stumble with its take on the pandemic. “South Park had the first COVID issue they did — so well written, so well done. I didn’t laugh once. People don’t want to watch COVID stories. We’ve got our own COVID stories. Get them away from me.”
Of course, Garlin made it clear that David is the creative force behind Curb, and ultimately, the show’s direction lies with him. “Everything is based on what Larry wants to write, and then he writes it,” Garlin explained. “I would’ve, yes, probably disagreed with him if he had a lot of COVID stuff. And we have so much respect… I’m not gonna say listened, but he would’ve taken that seriously.”
Fortunately, it sounds like Garlin and David were of the same mind with on the “COVID stuff” for when Curb (hopefully) comes back in the Fall.
When Waxahatchee released her stunning album Saint Cloud in late March of 2020, there was no way of knowing she would have to put her tour on hold indefinitely. But now, shortly after the one-year anniversary of the album, Waxahatchee has officially rescheduled her North American tour and unveiled its dates.
Bringing Saint Cloud on the road, Waxahatchee’s tour kicks off in September in Louisville and concludes a month later in Boston. Much of the album puts her sobriety at the forefront of the music, a decision which Waxahatchee discussed with Uproxx ahead of the LP’s release:
“I just was getting so tired and jaded about music in general. Not only the creative aspect of it, but the career of it and the scene and all of it. Every aspect of it was feeling tiring and dumb to me for a minute there. So I had to totally hang up the identity as a musician. There were things that I was thinking about and considering, like why do I do this? Why have I always been playing music? Why have I always been writing songs? Should I write a book? I was really back at the drawing board and needed to do a long, hard reflection on why I make music. After I did that for a while and really let myself forget what it felt like to even be a musician, I started writing this record. It’s given me faith in it again. I’m being reborn as this whole new thing.”
Check out Waxahatchee’s Saint Cloud 2021 tour dates below.
09/02 — Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall
09/03 — Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
09/04 — Columbus, OH @ Skully’s Music-Diner
09/05 — Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre
09/07 — Detroit, MI @ The Majestic Theatre
09/09 — Maquoketa, IA @ Codfish Hollow Barn
09/10 — Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
09/12 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
09/16 — Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
09/17 — Tacoma, WA @ Spanish Ballroom
09/18 — Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
09/19 — Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
09/21 — Sonoma, CA @ Gundlach Bundschu Winery
09/22 — San Francisco, CA @ The Castro Theatre
09/24 — Los Angeles, CA @ First Congregational Church of Los Angeles
09/25 — Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet’s
09/27 — Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress (Outside)
09/29 — Austin, TX @ Scholz Garten
09/30 — Austin, TX @ Scholz Garten
10/01 — Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
10/05 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
10/07 — Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom
10/08 — Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre
10/09 — Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall
10/11 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall
10/12 — Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
10/13 — Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
10/15 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
10/16 — Boston, MA @ Royale
Netflix Lady Whistledown recently announced that Bridgerton would bring at least four full seasons of Regency corset-drama to life. That’s happening even without resident smolderer Regé-Jean Page returning as the Duke of Hastings, and yep, it sure looks like fans will have to find a new obsession. There are plenty of eligible bachelors on the show, after all, and that might be one reason why the uproar to his departure may have been unanticipated.
Officially, though, executive producer Shonda Rhimes told Vanity Fair that, yes, she was very “shocked” by the fan response to the show, but for a different reason: because the Duke had only been around for one season, and it wasn’t like he had fallen down an elevator shaft or something (could you imagine that happening, though? it’d be so out-of-place in the era and, imo, great). Here’s how Rhimes explained her reaction:
“I was really shocked, because usually that happens when I’ve killed off somebody that’s been around for a while. Like, we didn’t kill him, he’s still alive! [Regé-Jean] is a powerful, amazing actor and that meant we did our job — every season, our job is finding the right people and putting together this incredible, world-shifting romance. I don’t know that I expected this much of an explosion, given that every book [in the Bridgerton series] is a different romance. What would be the ever-after of this combo? I mean, really: What would Regé-Jean do, you know what I mean? We gave them their happily ever after! And now we have this next couple coming. And so yeah, I was like, whoa!
Rhimes also confirmed Page’s publicly issued stance that he’d only signed on for a one-and-done season, and the creator clarified that he was invited for some Season 2 cameos, but no dice. She added, “[H]he’s a busy man!” Previously, Page confirmed his departure on Instagram while describing his time on the show as “he ride of a life time.” He added, “It’s been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to be your Duke… it’s all been beyond anything I could have imagined.” In the next few years, expect to see him onscreen in The Gray Man and Dungeons & Dragons.
Meanwhile, the upcoming season of Bridgertonwill focus on the love life of Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), which goes along with the plan of Julia Quinn’s second series book, The Viscount Who Loved Me. John Oliver will undoubtedly be waiting to see if the next leading man does the “jizzing in blankets” thing, too.
Freddie Gibbs has been around the block in the music industry before blowing up on a greater level last year but that doesn’t mean he’s gotten used to the trappings of fame. While hanging out with Diddy at his home, Gibbs was amused at some of the house’s amenities. Posting a video to Twitter, Gibbs expressed his amazement that, among other things, the man formerly known as Puff Daddy has a full-fledged restaurant in his house.
While recording a selfie video, Gibbs gains Diddy’s attention, calling him a “fly-ass young n****” and prompting Diddy to show off a bottle of his Ciroc vodka and begin singing along to the Marvin Gaye song playing over the P.A. (It’s “I Want You,” by the way).
Freddie, who’s become one of hip-hop’s most celebrated artists over the past year thanks to his joint album with Alchemist, Alfredo, and its Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album, may be experiencing a new level of success, but clearly, he’s still humble enough to crack jokes at his own expense and use fake Instagrams to mock his rivals. His humility is one of the things that makes him so easy to root for — and his amazement at Diddy’s extravagance might just be the most relatable things he’s shared yet.
Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Australian songwriter Tori Zietsch is gearing up to release her debut album under the Maple Glider moniker in a few short months. To Enjoy Is The Only Thing finds Zietsch armed with little more than an intimate, ethereal voice and understated instrumentation, but the low-key vibe of the music gives the raw power of her songwriting full space to shine. We’ve only heard a handful of tracks from the LP so far, but it’s already shaping up to be one of the most exciting debuts of 2021.
To celebrate the forthcoming album, Zietsch sat down to talk getting tattoos with friends, hating Bacardi, and more in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
YouTube
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
In a thick country twang.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?
Home in Naarm/Melbourne because I get to smoosh my friends faces after.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
If I didn’t have such a beautiful community of people around me it would be much harder to pursue a music career. I’d still be writing sappy songs, you’d probably just never have heard them.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life?
I love food sooo much. I’ve had so many best meals. Sometimes the best meals are just snacks you eat in a bubble bath. It feels kind of cheeky but so great. In Portugal I’d eat a juicy peach for breakfast each morning and I was so damn happy. And campfire meals! Don’t get me started. I remember one time camping in France and we ate chestnuts and camembert and fish that had been smoked on the fire. Just wow. The other week my partner and I went for a walk and we ended up spending most of the time picking blackberries and then made blackberry and apple pie and it was so good. Also when you’re with a friend and you decide to be fancy and eat oysters and drink sparkling wine and you feel like the moment will never end and maybe you’re just fancy forever now and then the bubbles start to wear off and you’re like “where are the hot chips at?”
What album do you know every word to?
Haha. No album. I’m the worst. I might think I know all the lyrics to some of my favourite albums but even then most of the time I’m probably just making weird sounds that feel like words but aren’t.
What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?
I’ll tell you the best concert I never attended was Julia Holter in Brighton. I went for a nap a couple of hours before the show’s start and didn’t wake until 11pm. I’m still upset about it.
What is the best outfit for performing and why?
The more fabulous the better. I can be pretty tacky. My favourite are my purple glitter platform boots with stars on them. I bought them at a vintage shop when I lived in the UK and they are completely ridiculous but also amazing.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
Living room floor of an after-party I really didn’t want to be at haha.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
I have 3 different matching BFF tattoos. One is a lil love heart on my ankle and is my first ever tattoo that I got with one of my best friends in her ex’s tattoo shop during a night out. My most recent matching tattoo is a ‘Fang it’ tattoo on my arm that Madison Griffiths (Naarm-based writer/artist) stick and poked for my good friend and I on her bedroom floor and it was the best.
What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?
Diana Ross, Adrianne Lenker, Cher.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Mum went through childbirth for me so that probably tops it
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Bacardi is disgusting, put that down.
What’s the last show you went to?
My friend Amarina Waters played at a bar near my house called Some Velvet Morning and she made me cry twice and it was very beautiful.
What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?
Look I don’t have free to air TV and this isn’t a movie but how good is PEN15?
To Enjoy Is The Only Thing is out June 25 via Partisan Records. Pre-order here.
Following the breakout success of her 2018 sophomore album Historian, along with her subsequent Boygenius project with Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker, fans have been waiting for a new album from Lucy Dacus. Thankfully, Dacus announced her third studio album Home Video this week, and she celebrated with a performance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
Backed by a full band for the performance, Dacus brought her reflective ballad “Hot & Heavy” to a grand, empty theater. In a statement alongside the single, Dacus said that it was inspired by the realization that she’s grown into a different person:
“I thought I was writing ‘Hot & Heavy’ about an old friend, but I realized along the way that it was just about me outgrowing past versions of myself. So much of life is submitting to change and saying goodbye even if you don’t want to. Now whenever I go to places that used to be significant to me, it feels like trespassing the past. I know that the teen version of me wouldn’t approve of me now, and that’s embarrassing and a little bit heartbreaking, even if I know intellectually that I like my life and who I am.”
Watch Dacus perform “Hot & Heavy” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert above.
Home Video is out 6/25 via Matador. Pre-order it here.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
via Travis Akers / Twitter
via Travis Aklers / Twitter
(@FreddieGibbs) 
