Indie Rock
Animal Collective Share New Song “Crucible” From The Inspection Soundtrack: Stream
Animal Collective provide the score for A24’s upcoming film The Inspection, and today, the Baltimore band have shared “Crucible,” the first look at the movie’s soundtrack. Listen to the song below. Elegance Bratton wrote and directed The Inspection about the life of Ellis French, a gay Black man who joined the Marines to support himself after being ostracized from his family. In “Crucible,” Animal Collective match this harrowing tale with a hypnotic, even empowering, mix of organs and group vocals. “This road is for us all, so let’s begin,” the group sing. “I wanted us to conjure the feeling of being strong but also showing vulnerability,” Animal Collective’s Avey Tare said of “Crucible.” “The desire to ask a community or a loved one to have your back and support you an...
Jeff Rosenstock and Laura Stevenson Unveil Neil Young Covers EP Younger Still: Stream
Jeff Rosenstock and Laura Stevenson have shared their latest Neil Young covers EP, Younger Still. Stream it below via Bandcamp. Back in 2019, the collaborators and friends started working on a new EP at Rosenstock’s Brooklyn apartment before he moved to Los Angeles. Then, the pandemic came, and work on the project was put on hold as the artists focused on their own endeavors. This summer, Stevenson made the trip to LA, and they recorded a completely different EP that became Younger Still. The four-track collection arrives ahead of Rosenstock and Stevenson’s joint tour kicking off later this month featuring stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and more. Anika Pyle and Gladie will rotate as openers; tickets are available now via Ticketmaster. Advertisement Related Video Besides the joint...
Bon Iver, Maggie Rogers, and Zach Bryan to Headline Hinterland Music Festival 2023
Hinterland Music Festival is cropping back up in St. Charles, Iowa from August 4th-6th, 2023, with a lineup led by Bon Iver, Maggie Rogers, and Zach Bryan. The eighth iteration of the rural festival outside Des Moines will be hosted once again at Avenue of the Saints Amphitheater and returns to a three-day event after this year’s fourth day expansion. The indie rock-heavy roster also includes artists like Angel Olsen, Houndmouth, Sylvan Esso, Orville Peck, Wallows, and The Regrettes. The lineup is rounded out by the likes of Noah Kahan, Faye Webster, Joy Oladokun, Skegss, Tomberlin, The Teskey Brothers, Wilderado, and more. Maggie Rogers’ upcoming 2023 tourmates Del Water Gap will also share the bill that Sunday, and a special “Hinterkids” stage boasts a performance by Koo Koo Kanga Roo. M...
Yves Tumor Questions a Higher Power on New Single “God Is a Circle”: Stream
Yves Tumor returns today with the hypnotic single “God Is a Circle,” their first new music of 2022. Along with its release comes the eerie music video directed by Jordan Hemingway. Though you can still hear traces of their usual experimental rock side, “God Is a Circle” sees Yves Tumor lean more into a heavier, punkier sound. Lyrically, the song seems to meditate on the woes of existing in a corporeal form: Is there something greater out there, and if so, how does it interact with us mere mortals? “Sometimes/ It feels like/ There’s places in my mind that I can’t go/ There’s people in my life I still don’t know, yeah/ Wander ’round I just feel like a ghost in a well,” Yves Tumor sings in the opening lines, his voice low and brooding over propulsive drums and sound effects that mimic the uns...
Samia Hopes You’re Not “Mad at Me” on New Song Featuring Papa Mbye: Stream
Samia is back with new Honey single “Mad at Me,” a synthpop song featuring Papa Mbye that goes out to all the people-pleasing girls with anxiety. Listen to the number below. Samia wrote “Mad at Me” alongside Rostam Batmanglij. In a statement, she explains, “The lyrics for ‘Mad At Me’ came from a poem I’d written about imagining what it’d be like to stop caring about what anyone was thinking. I was cosplaying a position that I haven’t experienced — which is of literally any confidence in my point of view.” In the music video, she and a group of friends “tried to embody that character — a bunch of girls having a good time in spite of it all. It is a big lie.” “Mad at Me” is the second single from Samia’s second album Honey, due out January 27th via Grand Jury. Caleb...
The Backseat Lovers Break Down New Album Waiting to Spill Track by Track: Exclusive
Track by Track is a recurring feature series in which artists share the story behind every song on their latest release. Today, Joshua Harmon and Jonas Swanson of The Backseat Lovers break down their new album, Waiting to Spill. The highs and lows during the three-year period The Backseat Lovers spent crafting their latest record, Waiting to Spill, are palpable from the jump. Out on Friday, October 28th, the album illustrates the impact of a meditative work between experimenting with DIY instruments and wrapping up tracks from earlier sessions. The indie rock ensemble embodies the idea of patience is a virtue, as their sophomore effort builds off 2019’s When We Were Friends at its own pace, leading to a rewarding album for both the collective and their listeners. Throughout Waiting to...
Taylor Swift Joins Bon Iver to Play “exile” Live in London: Watch
Taylor Swift joined Bon Iver on October 26th in London for one of the first live performances of the folklore cut, “exile.” Bon Iver have been touring Ireland and the UK for the last 10 days, with Wednesday serving as the second night of a back-to-back at the old Wembley Arena. Fan footage captured the new surprise duet, including fans’ shocked recognition at the sight of Swift, and Justin Vernon’s improbable bass joining her sultry soprano. The National’s Aaron Dessner, who produced the track, also joined in on the performance. According to Setlist.fm, this is only the second time “exile” has been played live, following a November 2020 set where Justin Vernon guested at Swift’s concert in New York. Check out clips from the new live rendition of “exile” below. Adve...
MGMT Plot Release of Live Album 11-11-11, 11 Years Later
On November 11th, 2011, MGMT performed an original 45-minute piece at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York to mark the opening of an exhibit celebrating the artist Maurizio Cattelan. Now, the band will finally release that performance as a live album, appropriately titled 11-11-11. The project, of course, arrives on 11-11-22. MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser were commissioned to write music in response to the 2011 Cattelan display, which suspended 130 pieces of art from varying heights. “We’re creating a musical experience that works for the building and for the construction and presentation of the Cattelan exhibit,” the duo said at the time. “It’s an art exhibit done in a completely original way, so it deserves music which is completely original.” After debu...
When We Were Young 2022 Photo Gallery: See Portraits of Pierce The Veil, Nessa Barrett, Atreyu, and More
After a cancelled first day, the inaugural When We Were Young festival reemerged on Sunday, October 23rd with a stacked kickoff. Check out exclusive portraits of artists like Pierce The Veil, Nessa Barrett, Atreyu, and more below. The festival tapped into a certain sense of angsty nostalgia, featuring acts like My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Avril Lavigne, Bright Eyes, Jimmy Eat World, and so many more. Select newcomers in the space were present as well, like The Linda Lindas and Mom Jeans, rounding out the pop-punk, emo, and indie lineup. For a full recap of the day, head over to our review of everything that went down. You can also check out action shots of standout sets at our full When We Were Young 2022 photo gallery. Advertisement Related Video In between the madness, photographer Kr...
Rick Rubin Picks His Desert Island Discs
What items would you bring with you to a deserted island? It’s a classic question, and now we have Rick Rubin’s answer: the super-producer appeared on a new episode of the BBC show Desert Island Discs, and he chose tracks by The Beatles, LCD Soundsystem, Simon & Garfunkel, and more to tide him over in complete isolation. For track number one, Rubin pointed to The Beatles’ “Across the Universe,” which he said not only taught him the basics of songwriting, but inspired him to learn how to meditate. “From three years old to seven years old, The Beatles was everywhere, and everywhere in my home,” he recalled. “And it somehow imprinted what a great song is, in a very deep level, before I knew that I was looking for what that was.” Skipping ahead a few decades, Rubin chose LCD Soundsystem’s ...
Quasi Announce New Album Breaking the Balls of History, Share “Queen of Ears”: Stream
After six years away, Quasi are returning soon with their perfectly-titled new album Breaking the Balls of History, which they’re teasing today with the new single “Queen of Ears.” Their debut for Sub Pop is slated for release on February 10th, 2023, and they’ll also celebrate the occasion with a North American tour. Quasi’s Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss co-produced Breaking the Balls of History alongside longtime punk go-to John Goodmanson (Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, Unwound, Treepeople, Team Dresch). They figured their 2013 record Mole City would be their last and were content to move on — that is, until Weiss broke both legs and her collarbone in a 2019 car crash, just months before that pesky pandemic began. So along came Breaking the Balls of History, an a...
Unknown Mortal Orchestra Announce 2023 Tour Dates, Share “I Killed Captain Cook”: Stream
Unknown Mortal Orchestra return today with the new single “I Killed Captain Cook” and its accompanying music video. Additionally, the psych-rock project led by Ruban Nielson has unveiled North American and UK tour dates for 2023, their first outing in four years. When he was a child, Nielson’s mother would tell him the story of Captain James Cook, the English explorer known for colonizing Polynesia and attempting to kidnap Hawaiian chief Kalaniʻōpuʻu before ultimately meeting his demise in Hawaii. The aptly-titled “I Killed Captain Cook” is told from the perspective of the Hawaiian who rightfully killed Cook in defense of their homeland: “One of the many lies that they told/ Was that they were divine and fair/ With Cook’s blood on my hand/ The spell was broken there,” goes the final v...
