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Mike Huguenor has been a constant presence in the DIY punk scene for the last several years, playing in Jeff Rosenstock’s band, Shinobu, Hard Girls, and more. Although he has released a string of solo music over the last few years, X’ed is his first proper release under his own name, and it was composed using nothing but guitars. You read that right: all of the instrumentals on X’ed were created using nothing more than two acoustic guitars and one electric guitar. Despite the limitations of its production, X’ed still manages to deliver a collection of impressive pop-rock tracks, making it one of the coolest and most unconventional albums of the year.

To celebrate the new album, Huguenor sat down to talk Chadwick Boseman, sleeping under a hammock, and the movie Zodiac in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Improvisatory all guitar pop.

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?

As the sound of the early days of revolution.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

Chicago.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

There are so many! But I will say PHAROAH Sanders, because once I started to really listen to him, the kind of music I wanted to make changed forever.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

If we’re being real, probably New Orleans.

What album do you know every word to?

Left And Leaving by The Weakerthans.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

The Ging Nang Boyz playing in Shinobu’s practice space

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

Full Goku outfit, so that everyone knows your power level is off the charts.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

Bree Newsome. If anyone is an American hero, it’s her.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

Probably “Castro Halloween” by Chuck Prophet. One of the great San Francisco melodies.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

Chadwick Boseman’s age 🙁

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Tacky Souvenirs of Pre-Revolutionary America by Culturcide.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

UNDER a hammock.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

I had just read Alain Badiou’s Being & Event and thought, you know what? I’m gonna get the Void Set tattooed on me as a reminder of the ever-present “not-yet-arrived-possibility.” Typical American.

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

These days? E-40, and that’s about it.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Once, a kid literally gave me the shirt off his back. I told him not to, but there was no stopping it. If it wasn’t the nicest, it was definitely the most ludicrously nice thing someone has done for me.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Accept yourself!

What’s the last show you went to?

I think Flipper with David Yow??

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

Zodiac. If I catch Zodiac on TV, I’m like, “there goes the next four hours.”

What would you cook if Obama were coming to your house for dinner?

I can make a pretty nice lemon butter swai filet…

X’ed is out now on Lauren Records. Listen here.

Eminem faced a scary situation earlier this year when a home invader entered his home late at night. At the time, it was reported the man, Matthew Hughes, wanted a meeting with the rapper. It looks like that fact holds up today, although it seems Hughes wasn’t looking for a friendly interaction.

Court reporter Nick Perreault wrote in a pair of tweets that a detective confirmed Hughes told Eminem he was there to kill him, and that Eminem initially thought the home invader was his nephew: “Court. Eminem news. ‘Mr. Mathers (Eminem) said Matthew Hughes told him he was there to kill him.’ Detective said that’s what Eminem told him after his home was broken into in April. Hughes pictured faces felony charges. Case now heads to Macomb County Circuit court September 28. Eminem was not in court today. Bond remains $50,000 cash surety for Mr. Hughes. Investigation showed a window was broken, Mathers security team responded. At first Mathers thought Hughes was his nephew, but it was dark & Mathers soon realized he did not know the man in his home.”

It was previously revealed that Hughes is a repeat offender, as the man was arrested in June 2019 for trespassing on two properties, one of which belonged to Eminem.

Jason Momoa‘s brand is being a buff, rugged mass of badass, hunky handsomeness, but while filming Dune, the actor finally felt an adjective he’d never felt before: Beautiful. And now that he’s had a taste, he’s never going back.

While sitting down with massive Dune fan Stephen Colbert and the rest of the cast to celebrate the premiere of the movie’s first trailer, Momoa gushed about the opportunity to star in the Denis Villeneuve film alongside actors like Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem. He also raved about working with Villeneuve, and how it set the bar for the rest of his career.

“Working with Denis and this level of actors, I learned so much every day,” Momoa told Colbert during the Variety panel. “I don’t ever want to go back to not being treated that [way]. I felt beautiful in this film. It’s a very hard thing to say, but I felt very beautiful.”

Momoa also revealed a little known fact about himself: He’s not a fan of running, and apparently, he had to do a lot of in his role as Duncan Idaho. But in true Momoa fashion, he masked his pain behind his rugged exterior.

“I’ve never run this much in my life,” Momoa said. “The sun was setting and so we had to get the shot. I had to run through this windstorm to Timothée, and I couldn’t see where I was going. I just didn’t want to fall on my face and I didn’t want to disappoint [Villeneuve]. But I’m not the best runner … and the amount of the chafing and the sweat that had built up, and I was like, I’m not gonna give up, I’m not gonna give up, but inside, I was crying like a little baby. There’s no way I want to be the black sheep in this thing, man.”

It looks like Momoa powered through and got the job… dune? Yup, that was awful. No excuse for that.

(Via Variety)

Ever since the pandemic shut down the live music industry, livestreams have taken the place of concerts as the new normal. Rolling Loud, hip-hop’s biggest festival, was set to take place in cities across the US and boast setlists with artists like ASAP Rocky, Travis Scott, and Post Malone. Since Rolling Loud had to cancel every one of this years’ festivals, the organization partnered with the streaming platform Twitch for a completely digital event to take the festival’s place.

Rolling Loud’s Loud Stream event unveiled its full lineup Wednesday. Fans will be able to catch performances by Swae Lee, NLE Choppa, Lil Keed, Smokepurpp, Tay Money, Lil Skies, and many more. Streaming on Twitch September 12 and 13, fans will be able to tune into the event free of charge.

Matt Zingler, Co-Founder/Co-CEO of Rolling Loud, addressed the Twitch partnership in a statement: “Partnering with Twitch, we also saw the opportunity to further connect fans with the Rolling Loud brand beyond our flagship live events… We’ve always had our eyes on content creation; it felt like the natural next step for the brand, but it wasn’t until the pandemic hit that we had the bandwidth to execute these ideas to the fullest. Twitch gave us the creative control to produce unique shows that hold true to our ‘ahead-of-the-curve’ mentality and play to Twitch’s strengths as the leading live stream platform out there.”

See Rolling Loud’s full digital lineup above.

Rolling Loud Loud Stream kicks off 9/12 on Twitch. Watch it here.

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

If everyone had taken after quarantine king Teddy Perkins and stayed inside in March, seasons three and four of Atlanta might have come out in January 2021 and fall 2021, as was originally intended. That’s no longer the case.

FX head John Landgraf confirmed on Wednesday that the pandemic has shut down production on the Donald Glover-created surreal comedy (one of our favorites of the 2010s). The seasons were going to be shot back-to-back in Atlanta, Georgia, obviously, as well as Europe; out of precaution for the cast and crew’s health, and because shooting availabilities have shifted, Atlanta won’t begin filming again until early 2021.

“The ‘availability’ of the seasons were being pushed back, in part because of when the show could resume production safely, as well as due to the scheduling of the cast to resume working on the longer stretch of production that is two seasons at once,” Variety reports. “Landgraf shared that cast and crew safety was the ‘number one priority’ and that includes not only new practices and procedures, such as testing, social distancing and contract tracing, but also simply giving them access to doctors and epidemiologists.”

There is some good news, though: Landgraf revealed that seasons three and four have already been written. “One of the things that’s been kind of an unexpected boon from COVID-19 is that writers have had a lot of time to write,” he said. “Donald Glover and his intrepid team of partners have written everything for seasons three and four.”

The wait for more Darius shenanigans is worth it.

(Via Variety)

Drinking wine out of a can a decade or more ago would have sounded like pure blasphemy (unless you lived in Europe where the stuff has been sold in cans for a very long time). Today, it’s not only encouraged but has its own set of charms. But like any new/ emerging vertical for beer, wine, and spirits, the market is beginning to get saturated. That’s where we come in.

First, a little more context — single serving or half-bottle cans are the perfect backyard BBQ accompaniment and also make for an easy way to split a bottle of wine with someone. Each can is usually exactly one-half bottle. Keep in mind, a can of wine is not equal to a can of beer when we’re talking ABVs (in most cases). Wine has two to three times the alcohol of your average beer. That’s 12 to 14 percent ABV compared to four to six percent ABV for beer. Just be aware of how many cans you’re downing and balance your intake accordingly.

The eight cans below are all wines that are easily available at most liquor stores and online for delivery. This list is by no means comprehensive. There some niche brands out there that are hard to get unless you’re in the region where they’re produced, so we left those off this list. We also left off the spritzers and fruited wines from this list. In the end, these are straight up classic canned wines that taste good, aren’t too expensive, and are accessible to the neophyte wine drinker.

Nomadica Sparkling Rosé

ABV: 12%
Region: Monterey County, CA
Average Price per Can: $6

The Wine:

This wine is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir grapes. The juice spent a year in stainless steel tanks resting. The point of the wine is to have a crisp edge next to the depth of a hefty grape and this one hits that mark.

Tasting Notes:

The bubbles are sharp but not overly fizzy. You really get a sense of the fruit with a lean into tart red juices and a very mild hint of sweetness. The sip is light with a fleeting sense of mineral water and grassy notes, making this one very easy-drinking and refreshing.

Underwood Pinot Noir

ABV: 13%
Region: Oregon
Average Price per Can: $7

The Wine:

This Oregon wine pulls its Pinot berries from all over the state, giving it a real sense of Oregon in a can. The wine is simply designed to be a table wine that you can take anywhere with you. It’s a great outdoors wine, especially when you’re camping out and left the corkscrew back at home.

Tasting Notes:

The dark berries are the star of the show. The sip has an echo of Cherry Coke with a hint of pipe tobacco next to the fruit. There’s a wisp of minerals in the background with a velvet mouthfeel that invites you back for more.

BABE Grigio with Bubbles

ABV: 12%
Region: California
Average Price per Can: $3.25

The Wine:

This very branded wine is probably the most quaffable one on the list. This fizzy white is made quickly and accessibly to be drunk and enjoyed. The smaller format of the cans also means that you need three of these to equal one bottle of wine.

Tasting Notes:

While this wine is on the thinner side, its bubbles pop with a nice dry fizz. There are hints of sweet melons next to plenty of lemony citrus. The sip has a very slight minerality that leads towards the echo of an apple orchard near the end.

Hogwash California Rosé

ABV: 12%
Region: Napa, CA
Average Price per Can: $6.25

The Wine:

This is a winemaker who only makes rosé. That makes this California wine very dialed in and probably the most sippable on the list if you’re a rosé fan. The cans again are smaller, meaning you’ll need three to make a full bottle of wine.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear sense of sandy peaches next to blooming wildflowers on a late summer day. A distant note of seaside brine cuts through the sweeter fruit and helps the orange and lemon citrus shine. The end is slightly honeyed with plenty of that zest to keep it light. All of this makes it the perfect sipper year-round.

Tiamo Organic Rose

ABV: 12%
Region: Abruzzo, Italy
Average Price: $5.49

The Wine:

This wine hails from the coastal regions of Abruzzo. The wine is made from 100 percent Montepulciano grapes from the village of Chieti and feels like Italy in a can, in a good way.

Tasting Notes:

Wildflowers and ripe, red strawberries dominate the nose. The palate leans into orchards full of stone fruit and pears with a grassy underbelly. The sip ends lightly with a bright crispness supported by all the fruit and florals.

Crafters Union Red Blend

ABV: 13.6%
Region: California
Average Price per Can: $6

The Wine:

This blend of California wines is what you want from wine in a can. It’s not overly done but has enough body to make it worthwhile as a sipper. It’s also very easy to drink, even with the higher ABVs.

Tasting Notes:

Sweet and tart red berries mix on the nose. The taste edges into vanilla territory with a light sense of jam laced with cinnamon. There’s a wisp of dark cacao powder underneath all the berries that offers a nice change of pace.

Dark Horse Pinot Grigio

ABV: 13.4%
Region: California
Average Price per Can: $6

The Wine:

This California wine is a blend of Pinot Grigio, Viognier, and Riesling grapes that’s then blended with an unoaked Chardonnay. The end result is a crushable everyday wine that’s pointedly crisp. The stainless steel aging adds to that lightness without sacrificing the flavors of the grapes involved.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a note of earthiness underneath all the crisp apples, pears, and berries. The sip leans into the fruit while staying light and almost airy. At the end, there’s a very mild sense of butter, adding a nice texture to the wine.

House Wine Rosé

ABV: 12%
Region: California
Average Price per Can: $6

The Wine:

This is probably the most awarded and easily purchasable can of wine on this list. It’s also amongst the best, simply for its drinkability. This can is so popular that House Wine now has 15 different canned wines to choose from with standards like Pinto Noir and new concoctions like the very refreshing Paloma Wine spritz.

Tasting Notes:

Notes of bright florals mingle with ripe berries on the nose. The berries lean towards slightly sweet/slightly tart strawberries with an edge of dried straw. Citrus arrives late to cut through the fruit and bring about a dry and very thirst-quenching end.

On Tuesday, Xbox confirmed the upcoming release of the Xbox Series S, a smaller, digital-only console that will have a much more affordable $299 price point. The smaller console will provide the same gameplay experience as the Series X, but just have less storage (512 GB) and not be capable of playing games off of discs.

While we still await official word on the pricing and release date of the Series X, Xbox made another major announcement on Wednesday with the news that their Xbox All Access program will be expanding and allow gamers to get the Series S or Series X, along with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, for a monthly rate with no money required up front. There will be a 24-month agreement (two years, for those bad at math) required but rather than having to pay $299 or (the rumored) $499 for the console, you can pay $24.99 a month for the Series S or $29.99 a month for the Series X.

The Game Pass Ultimate subscription provides a library of over 100 games for Xbox, PC, and Android mobile devices, and also provides Xbox Game Studio releases the day they come out, such as Halo Infinite, as well as an EA Play membership included starting this holiday season. Those with current Xbox All Access subscriptions can upgrade that to get the next-gen console and pre-order the Series S and Series X through All Access beginning today.

It’s clear that Xbox is looking to swoop in and claim the more casual gamer market with this next-generation release. PlayStation has incredible brand loyalty due to its exclusive titles, but the higher price tag can leave casual gamers behind. Xbox seems to have recognized this and rather than try to compete with Sony to get more exclusive titles, they’re simply making their new system far more accessible to a broader market. From a cheaper, smaller console for those of us that only play a few titles a year and aren’t looking to fork over big money on a console, to this new monthly subscription service that comes with that new console without the upfront cost of hundreds of dollars, Xbox is making some shrewd moves to cultivate a larger marketplace for its system and go down a different path than PlayStation.

Gorillaz have racked up a roster of big names for their Song Machine series so far, and for the latest installment, they’ve called on a legend: The Cure leader Robert Smith joins Damon Albarn and company on “Strange Timez.” The song has an uneasy and alternative energy, which makes the video’s lunar setting all the more appropriate.

The new song kicks off the Song Machine: Season One — Strange Timez tracklist, which was also unveiled today. Artists who appear on songs that haven’t been released yet include Elton John, 6lack, St. Vincent, Beck, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Jpegmafia, and Earthgang, among others.

Listen to “Strange Timez” above and find the Song Machine: Season One — Strange Timez tracklist below.

1. “Strange Timez” Feat. Robert Smith
2. “The Valley Of The Pagans” Feat. Beck
3. “The Lost Chord” Feat. Leee John
4. “Pac-Man” Feat. Schoolboy Q
5. “Chalk Tablet Towers” Feat. St. Vincent
6. “The Pink Phantom” Feat. Elton John & 6lack
7. “Aries” Feat. Peter Hook and Georgia
8. “Friday 13th” Feat. Octavian
9. “Dead Butterflies” Feat. Kano & Rosani Arias
10. “Désolé [Extended Version]” Feat. Fatoumata Diawara
11. “Momentary Bliss” Feat. Slowthai and Slaves
12. “Opium” Feat. Earthgang
13. “Simplicity” Feat. Joan As Police Woman
14. “Severed Head” Feat. Goldlink and Unknown Mortal Orchestra
15. “With Love to An Ex” Feat. Moonchild Sanelly
16. “MLS” Feat. Jpegmafia and Chai
17. “How Far?” Feat. Tony Allen and Skepta

Song Machine: Season One — Strange Timez is out 10/23 via Parlophone.

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

Mxmtoon has had an incredibly prolific year. The singer shared her sunny EP Dawn in the spring and announced its follow-up Dusk shortly thereafter. The singer even recently broke ground on her own podcast, 365 Days With Mxmtoon. On top of that, Mxmtoon had the opportunity to collaborate with beloved pop star Carly Rae Jepsen for the tender single “OK On Your Own.”

Armed with a ukulele, Mxmtoon opens with soulful reflections on “OK On Your Own” before a buoyant beat drops. Jepsen’s vocals arrive later, adding dimension to Mxmtoon’s cool-toned delivery.

In a statement about the single, Mxmtoon gushed over the opportunity to work with Jepsen:

“I was beyond excited to work on this track and have it be graced by Carly Rae Jepsen, someone who stands for empowerment and knows the themes of love and loneliness all too well. my hope for the song is that ‘ok on your own’ can let people know that vulnerability is never something to be afraid of, and admitting you need time for yourself and support from a friend is sometimes a necessary step. […] sometimes relationships aren’t meant to work. it’s a bitter reality that many of us come to terms with at one point or another, but we all have to realize our own self worth before letting certain people into our lives! ‘ok on your own’ is your reminder that stepping away from a relationship isn’t a sign of weakness, but rather one of strength!”

Listen to Mxmtoon and Jepsen’s “OK On Your Own” above.

Dusk is out 10/1 via AWAL. Pre-order it here.

Arcade Fire’s iconic record The Suburbs was released just about ten years ago. Fans have been anxious for more music from the group after vocalist Win Butler teased a few unreleased songs on Instagram. But as the pandemic lockdown continues in many places, it seems that production on new music has come to a halt. To suffice, Butler and Regine Chassagne got together to commemorate a decade of The Suburbs with a stripped-down version of the album’s title track.

Armed with just two guitars, Butler and Chassagne still manage to make their harmonies full. “So can you understand / That I want a daughter while I’m still young? / I want to hold her hand / And show her some beauty before this damage is done,” Butler sings.

Before sharing the acoustic song, Butler’s brother and fellow Arcade Fire member Will Butler shared a few singles off his upcoming solo project, Generations, which will debut at the end of September. In an interview with NME about his record, Will discussed the status of Arcade Fire’s next album, saying he doesn’t expect to be able to continue writing music with the group until after the pandemic: “It takes more logistics to get together. It always took a certain amount of logistics, but right now it’s insurmountable.”

Revisit Uproxx’s The Best Arcade Fire Songs, Ranked here.

The Suburbs is out now via Sony. Get it here.