Indie pop
In Photos: Artist of the Month Remi Wolf’s Sold-Out Show at Music Hall of Williamsburg
After blowing up during the pandemic, Remi Wolf arrived in Brooklyn last week to deliver her sold-out headlining show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Even though this is only her first official tour, it’s likely the last chance fans will get to see her in a venue this size; before the gig even started, her next New York concert at the much larger Webster Hall in February was already sold out. Consequence was on hand at the MHOW to catch up with the funky soul pop artist for our latest Artist of the Month spotlight. Of course, we stuck around to catch the show itself, and you can check out our fully photo gallery below — including exclusive behind-the-scenes shots and portraits. Also, read our review of Remi Wolf’s debut album, Juno, and snag tickets to all her upcoming tour dates via T...
Oberhofer Shares “SUNSHiiNE” Featuring Shamir and The Strokes’ Nick Valensi: Stream
After a nearly six-year hiatus, Brad Oberhofer is back and releasing music. His new album Smothered is due out November 12th, and he’s now shared the latest single, “SUNSHiiNE,” featuring Shamir and The Strokes’ Nick Valensi. Here, the sunshine is more metaphorical than literal. “I was walking in the rain today,” Oberhofer begins, “I wasn’t feeling great/ Pulled out my phone and saw a message from you/ It was a smiley face.” Throughout, the synths sparkle like the rainbow after a storm, as Oberhofer sings to the light of his life: “When I met you/ My heart skipped a beat/ When I’m with you/ I feel so complete/ My sunshine.” Nick Valensi adds a fuzzy guitar solo that slowly searches its way upwards, and Shamir adds a distorted spoken-word section about how “life is the g...
CHVRCHES’ Lauren Mayberry on Lost Boys, John Carpenter, and The Cure’s Robert Smith
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Lauren Mayberry catches up with Kyle Meredith to talk about Screen Violence, the new CHVRCHES album that finds the synthpop band using horror movies as a parallel to what was happening in their lives over the past few years. The Scottish artist discusses the darker side of fame that comes from the Internet, explains the “kill your idols” lyric on “Good Girls,” and working with The Cure’s Robert Smith and director/musician John Carpenter. Advertisement Related Video Mayberry also details their latest release, a cover of the Lost Boys soundtrack classic “Cry Little Sister” that was recently released as part of the ...
Soccer Mommy and Kero Kero Bonito Team Up on “rom com 2021”: Stream
Kero Kero Bonito have added their touch to Soccer Mommy’s recent one-off single “rom com 2004.” The resulting track, “rom com 2021,” was premiered as part of Adult Swim Singles. Take a listen below Whereas “rom com 2004″ intersperses splashes of hyperpop with Soccer Mommy mastermind Sophie Allison’s sweet vocals, Kero Kero’s version smooths out the track after a glitchy opening 30 seconds. In addition to gliding synths, the British alt-pop group contributes new verses from their singer Sarah Perry. “We were very excited to be invited to work on ‘rom com 2021,’” shared Kero Kero Bonito in a statement. “Our contributions were inspired by Bridget Jones’ Diary, late summer, and UK Garage vocal manipulation.” Advertisement Related Video Soccer Mommy is in the midst of a long-delayed headl...
Phantogram’s Sarah Barthel on Coping with Traumatic Loss
Listen via: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Stitcher | Google | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Musician Sarah Barthel of Phantogram joins Dr. Mike Friedman on the Going There podcast to share her struggle with devastating and traumatic loss in her life. Advertisement Related Video The Phantogram singer has been a fantastic mental health advocate over the years, and has been very forthcoming and outspoken about how she not only lost her sister, Becky, when she committed suicide, but also had previously lost her father to cancer, and coped with her mother and other friends having the disease. What the “You Don’t Get High Anymore” artist describes is years of different devastating losses one on top of another a...
Glass Animals Share New Song “I Don’t Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance)”: Stream
Glass Animals have been flirting with pure pop for a while now, and they achieved their first taste of mainstream success with the 2020 global hit “Heat Waves,” which surpassed a billion global streams. As the UK band’s follow-up, they have now shared a new blockbuster hopeful, “I Don’t Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance).” Over a flirty bass line and upbeat synths, frontman Dave Bayley works through a bait shop’s worth of hooks, including a chorus, a couple of pre-choruses, a verse or two, and a bridge. “Don’t wanna talk, baby, I just wanna dance,” he sings with the help of a robotic distortion. “I don’t wanna talk, no more living in the past/ Baby, don’t wanna talk, baby, I just wanna dance/ And I’m not gonna stop ’til I forget what we had.” In a statement, Bayley attempted to sell the...
Indigo De Souza Releases New Album Any Shape You Take: Stream
North Carolina artist Indigo De Souza has just released her new indie pop album Any Shape You Take. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. Any Shape You Take is a lyrical exploration of change and the dramatic role it plays in the human experience. A musician since childhood, De Souza co-produced the album with Brad Cook, who’s also worked with Bon Iver and Waxahatchee in the past. It was recorded at Betty’s, the Chapel Hill studio of fellow North Carolinians Sylvan Esso. Since announcing the record would come out on Saddle Creek, De Souza has shared a handful of songs from Any Shape You Take these past few months. Lead single “Kill Me” saw her revisiting a 2018 video she filmed of herself discussing what it’s like to live with mental illness. Meanwhile, “Hold U” is a tender take on f...
Caroline Polachek Announces 2021 Tour Dates
Caroline Polachek is headed on the road for a 2021 tour across North America. The 22-date trek will take place from November through December. The “Heart is Unbreaking Tour” will feature emerging French producer and songwriter Oklou as an opening act. Kicking off November 16th at The Van Buren in Phoenix, Arizona, the jaunt will make subsequent stops in Austin, Texas; New York City, New York; and Washington, DC. It will wrap up on December 18th at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, California. This summer, Polachek will make appearances at Governors Ball and Outside Lands. Ahead of the tour, she will play previously announced dates in Los Angeles and London. Advertisement Related Video Tickets for the new shows are available to the general public on July 30th at 10:00 a.m. local ti...
Arlo Parks Tests Positive for COVID-19
Arlo Parks has tested positive for COVID-19. The UK singer-songwriter and former Artist of the Month said she found out this morning and has been quarantining at home ever since. Parks took to Twitter this morning to break the news, allegedly right after she got her results. “Despite being as careful as possible, I’m writing to let you know that I tested positive for COVID-19 this morning,” she wrote. “As recommended, I’m now stuck in isolation, sniffling in bed, feeling very upset to have let all you angels down.” “This weekend had three shows in store: a Norwich outstore show, Latitude, and Standon Calling — I had butterflies in my tummy weeks in advance just picturing what it would be like to see your faces again,” she continued. “I’m so sorry to everybody who was looking forward to see...
Clairo Releases New Album Sling: Stream
The new album from singer-songwriter Clairo is here. Titled Sling, the 22-year-old singer-songwriter’s sophomore album was co-produced alongside in-demand studio wiz Jack Antonoff. The album sees Clairo build on the vulnerable, hushed indie-pop of her 2019 debut, Immunity. Press materials for Sling describe the record as an “exploration of mental health, unmet expectations, and the struggle to treat ourselves with gentleness and love,” with a lot of the subject matter inspired by Clairo’s newly-adopted dog, Joanie. “When I got Joanie, I started changing my routines and habits to healthier ones, to try to create an environment where she felt comfortable and happy,” Clairo said in a statement. “It made me realize I hadn’t been doing that for myself, and that I need to look at myself with the...
Caroline Polachek Returns with New Song “Bunny Is a Rider”: Stream
Caroline Polachek is back with “Bunny Is a Rider,” her first new material since 2019. Stream the track below. The former Chairlift singer co-produced “Bunny Is a Rider” with her frequent collaborator Danny L Harle, who played the slinky bassline. The breezy summer jam is about being unavailable, with lyrics like “Bunny is a rider/ Satellite can’t find her/ No sympathy, mm/ Ain’t nothing for free.” In a statement, Polachek described the concept of the song. “Bunny is slippery, impossible to get ahold of,” she explained. “Maybe it’s a fantasy, maybe it’s a bad attitude. But anyone can be bunny, at least for three minutes and seventeen seconds.” Advertisement Related Video After releasing her debut solo album, Pang, in October 2019, Polachek shared a handful of remixes including an extended v...
AJR on the Vulnerability of 8th Grade, Will Smith’s “Bang” Freestyle, and Working with Rivers Cuomo
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS AJR sit down with Kyle Meredith to tell us about OK Orchestra, their new album that finds the brothers looking back to their formative years in 8th grade and drawing the parallels to the present day obstacles. Jack and Ryan Met then take us through the political moments of the LP and performing in an era where it’s less taboo for an artist to take a stance and speak out. They also share insights on their penchant for writing songs that sound like samples from the ’30s and ’40s. Elsewhere during the talk, they discuss working with Rivers Cuomo and the comparisons of this record and Weezer’s OK Human, as well as what it was like to wake up to see Will...
