FEATURES
How Hatchie Reinvented Herself on Giving The World Away
Hatchie‘s debut album Keepsake was a beautifully dreamy, widescreen statement for the Australian artist, but throughout the album was a thick fog the enveloped the sweet surroundings. Now, for her glorious second album, Giving The World Away, out this Friday (April 22nd), the fog has cleared and revealed Hatchie in her truest form. Where Keepsake dabbled heavily in shoegaze and ’90s era dream pop, Giving The World Away doubles down hard, creating anthemic pop hooks out of homespun beats and powerful moments of crystalline rock. It’s a logical progression for Hatchie (born Harriette Pilbeam), but don’t think her carefully-calculated aesthetic takes away from the vulnerable truth of her lyrics—Hatchie is more open than ever before on Giving The World Away, and as she works to disma...
Better Call Saul Recap: A Season Premiere That Revs the Story Into Gear
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 1, “Wine and Roses.”] Case Summary When last we left our heroes (as far as heroes exist on Better Call Saul), Nacho was fleeing the scene of Lalo’s attempted assassination in Mexico — which Lalo had the bad manners and quick wit to avoid, meaning that as the season begins he’s still alive, on his own, and determined to bring those who tried to have him killed to his own sort of justice. Nacho, meanwhile, has only a tenuous lifeline to help in escaping Mexico himself, making his way on foot from Lalo’s compound to hide out in a seemingly deserted motel to wait for instructions; his fate is just one of many that Gus seems to hold in his hand at the moment, showing no inclination to rush into a move. Adverti...
Better Call Saul Recap: Nacho’s on the Move, and Kim’s Got Plans
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 2, “Carrot and Stick.” For our recap of Episode 1, click here.] Case Summary The title of Better Call Saul Season 6, Episode 2, refers to how Jimmy and Kim continue to develop their plan to sabotage Harold Hamlin’s career, this time bringing in the once-familiar faces of Betsy and Craig Kellerman. You might remember this vindictive pair from Season 1, when Jimmy McGill represented them as Craig faced charges over his illicit bookkeeping for Bernalillo County — since then, Craig’s done some time, and he and Betsy are attempting to rebuild with a new business preparing tax returns for people who don’t spend enough time looking over the fine print to make sure that they’re not being ripped off (something we’...
Barry Season 3 Review: Bill Hader’s Hollywood Hit-Man Gets Even Darker and More Complex
The Pitch: Coming back after one of the longer pandemic-era delays on record, the third season of Barry is all about consequences. The HBO dramedy has never strayed far from depicting the brutal repercussions of hit-man Barry’s (Bill Hader) decision to attempt transitioning out of the assassination-for-hire game for a new life as an actor. But the stakes feel even higher now, with reason for serious concern not just for the lives of every character in Barry’s circle, but their souls. That means yet more of the brilliantly nuanced character work nurtured by creators Hader and Alex Berg, but also yet more of the show’s unconventional action and fascinating directing choices. With the cast all returning at the top of their game, the only potential concern one might have about the new season o...
The Best, The Mess & The Rest: Coachella 2022 (Weekend 1)
This weekend, Coachella came back for the first time since Joe Biden was just the former VP and no one could’ve told you what COVID stood for. The biggest music festival on the planet returned for the first time since April 2019, headlined by Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and The Weeknd x Swedish House Mafia (after Kanye fell through). As per usual, it was the singular hub of music, American culture, capitalism and pretty much everything else for three days in the California desert. Full of surprise guests, the hottest trends, and both expected and unexpected hijinks of every variety, SPIN was out in full force throughout the festival’s first weekend, experiencing all of the highs and lows firsthand so you don’t have to. Here’s The Best, The Mess & The Rest of everything to do...
Cupchella: The Cup’s Coachella 2022 Experience
Attention good readers of SPIN and/or fans of Coachella, it is I, the handler of the world-famous The Cup. If you’re not familiar with my celebrity clientele, I urge you to read the exclusive interview that I allowed SPIN to conduct with The Cup last week. It is even moderated by The Cup’s original creator, Chris Farren. I am writing this intro on behalf of The Cup, who is entirely too exhausted to be bothered for such activities right now. After all, he has just completed his very first full weekend of Coachella (at a mere three months old, no less). The Cup attended parties, catered to some of his adoring fans (including several valuable influencers and important artists), formed both romantic and strategic alliances, and provided the finest coverage you will read anywhere...
Lizzo Pulls Double Duty on SNL: The Five Standout Moments
Pulling double duty as host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live is both an honor and a curse—often more endurance test than a purely joyful performance. For every Justin Timberlake episode that audiences seem to love (sometimes inexplicably, to be honest), or Miley Cyrus episode that seems to cement the artist’s place in the SNL inner circle, there’s a Halsey episode that feels lucky to escape with a few stray highlights. Singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, actress, and flautist Lizzo seems like an inspired choice for this sometimes-thankless task; though she’s known mainly for music, she has the kind of poise and confidence that translates well to live comedy. Throughout her episode of SNL, she hit her marks with clarity and energy—though the episode itself seemed stuck in Timberla...
DeSci: Can crypto improve scientific research?
An insider account of the DeSci origins story — a new movement of citizen scientists, open-access scientific research and crowd-sourced peer-review funded by crypto that’s gathering pace in 2022. # At ETHDenver in February, decentralized science became a thing. It was like the good old days of crypto: Like-minded spirits met and then crashed at each other’s rented places. Ideologies and open research were respectfully debated. DeSci panels were well attended with renewed energy for figuring out hard problems. Heated discussions were had. Many committed themselves to decentralized science, whatever that would mean. DeSci is, of course, very new and untested. This could well be the first insider account of the DeSci origin story. Think Peter Parker citizen scientists funded by crypto.&...
The Killers Kick Off “Imploding the Mirage Tour” with Raucous Hometown Gig in Vegas: Recap + Photos
It has been said there is nothing quite like a Killers show in Las Vegas, and that statement will echo three times over to sold-out crowds April 15th, 16th and 17th as the city’s unofficial “house band” launches the “Imploding The Mirage Tour” at The Chelsea in The Cosmopolitan. For Friday’s opening night, The Killers showed up with everything which has endeared them to their hometown crowd for more than two decades—a jumping, pumping, sing-along dance party for 3,200 brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends. Frontman Brandon Flowers, backed by drummer Ronnie Vannucci, Jr., and guitarist Dave Keuning delivered a 90-minute, soulful, thunderous, biographical musical journey, performing songs from six of the band’s seven studio albums. (Absent from the setlist, Wonderful Wonderful). Roundi...
5 Things to Know About The Mysterious UK Collective SAULT
This article originally ran in July 2021, but we’re updating it because A) they’ve got another surprise project out today, April 15th, and B) we still don’t know who the heck they are. SAULT operates under a shroud of mystery. Since emerging in 2019 with singles “Don’t Waste My Time” and “We Are the Sun,” the UK collective has delivered four albums via independent record label Forever Living Originals under total anonymity. Their latest studio effort, AIR, dropped on April 15th, and features highlights “Reality,” “Air” and “Solar.” You can stream it below, or grab the full project through a Bandcamp Name Your Price download. Advertisement Related Video After a few years of building momentum by releasing their music at the drop of a hat with virtually no promotion, their 2021 project Nine s...
Song of the Week: Phoebe Bridgers Returns With “Sidelines”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Phoebe Bridgers more than delivers on her first solo release of 2022. For an artist whose discography is packed with piercingly sad lyrics, there is perhaps no line as nihilistic in Phoebe Bridgers‘ catalogue as the closer to her latest, “Sidelines”: “I used to think you could hear the ocean in a seashell/ What a childish thing.” Written for the upcoming Hulu adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Conversations with Friends, “Sidelines” is another slow, sad yee-haw from the indie singer-songwriter, the type for whi...
Rap Song of the Week: A$AP Rocky Channels “Frankenstein” on Swedish House Mafia Collab
Rap Song of the Week handpicks all the new hip-hop tracks you need to hear every Friday. Check out the full playlist here. Today, A$AP Rocky’s Swedish House Mafia collab “Frankenstein” has finally been officially released. At this point, it’s possible even A$AP Rocky doesn’t know if he’ll ever drop a follow-up to 2018’s Testing. Between older material like “Lost and Found Freestyle 2019” with Tyler, the Creator and features on songs by $not, Nigo, and Fivio Foreign, however, he’s kept fans fed this year. This week brings another new release with his long-awaited Swedish House Mafia collaboration “Frankenstein,” which appears on the dance supergroup’s new album Paradise Again. As A$AP Mob diehards might remember, “Frankenstein” has actually been floating around since the late Virg...
