Indie Rock
The Antlers Unveil New Single “It Is What It Is”: Stream
Last month, The Antlers returned with their first single in six years, “Wheels Roll Home”. Proving their comeback isn’t just a one-time affair, the indie rockers have shared another new song, “It Is What It Is”. While the preceding offering saw The Antlers overjoyed at the thought of reuniting with an old friend, today’s single is a more sobering listen. On it, frontman and lead songwriter Peter Silberman is forced to come to terms with an unexpected, and oftentimes less-than-ideal, reality. “‘It Is What It Is’ is a song about hindsight. It considers what might have changed had you handled things differently back then, and the reluctant acceptance that it’s too late for all that now,” he explained in a statement. “It’s the inevitability of changing seasons, transitions that feel like loss ...
Phoebe Bridgers Announces New Copycat Killer EP
Phoebe Bridgers has announced a new EP called Copycat Killer. Featuring four fresh takes on tracks from Bridgers’ latest album, Punisher, the EP will be available on November 20th. Punisher landed in June with all the force of a lightning strike. A quiet, searching effort, it’s one of those rare records that even the most cautious of critics would feel comfortable labelling an instant classic. Now, Bridgers has re-worked four standout songs: “Kyoto”, “Savior Complex”, “Chinese Satellite”, and “Punisher”. To do so, she’s enlisted the help of Rob Moose, co-founder of yMusic and occasional member of Bon Iver. Moose’s stirring string arrangements have added razzle-dazzle to songs by everyone from Sufjan Stevens to Taylor Swift. On paper, this partnership sounds just about perfect. Co...
The War on Drugs Share Warren Zevon Cover, Announce New Podcast: Stream
The War on Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel will launch his very own imprint, Super High Quality Records, with the release of a new live album, LIVE DRUGS, on November 20th. That same day, the band will also unveil the first episode of Super High Quality Podcast, a new series detailing the creation of the LP. Today, the band has shared latest single from the record, a cover of Warren Zevon’s “Accidentally Like a Martyr”, as well as a teaser for the upcoming podcast. The four-episode Super High Quality Podcast is hosted by The War on Drugs’ guitar tech and confidant Dominic East. Throughout the weekly series, he’ll listen in as the group describes the process behind creating LIVE DRUGS, from revealing stories about the performances featured on the album to how they made sequenc...
Frightened Rabbit Announce 10th Anniversary Reissue of The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Next month, Frightened Rabbit will reissue The Winter of Mixed Drinks in honor of its 10th anniversary. The vinyl-only release will consist of a 12-inch containing the group’s original third album and a 7-inch featuring two live versions of songs from the LP. The first, “The Wrestle”, was taken from a 2010 concert at Cleveland’s Grog Shop. Meanwhile, “Things” was recorded at The Roundhouse in London in 2016. In a statement on Twitter, the Scottish indie rockers said, “The Winter of Mixed Drinks, now 10 years old, is a cocktail of emotions for us,” adding, “Perhaps through it we will all find a little lightness to help us through one of the darkest winters.” Speaking about the included 7-inch, Frightened Rabbit said they chose the two live recordings to “reflect the time we are all in ...
Wilco Unveil Massive Summerteeth Deluxe Reissue: Stream
Wilco have unveiled the new deluxe reissue of their 1999 album Summerteeth. Stream it below via Spotify. This version, which comes packaged as a four-disc set, features a Bob Ludwig remaster of the original album, as well as loads of demos, outtakes, and live recordings. There are previously unreleased demos of songs like “Tried and True”, “I’m Always in Love”, and “She’s a Jar”, as well as alternate versions of tracks like “My Darling”, “Every Little Thing”, “Viking Dan”, and countless others. On top of all that, the band included a live recording of a 1999 concert at The Boulder Theatre in Boulder, Colorado, featuring songs like “Candyfloss”, “Hotel Arizona”, “She’s A Jar”, and more. And if you want even more, a limited edition vinyl reissue also includes a 10-song performance from ...
St. Vincent Covers Nine Inch Nails’ “Piggy” with Dave Grohl on Drums: Stream
St. Vincent (David Brendan Hall), Nine Inch Nails (Lior Philips), Dave Grohl (Wiki) In just a few days, Nine Inch Nails will be formally enshrined in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. To celebrate the band’s illustrious career, St. Vincent has teamed up with Amazon Music to release a new cover of “Piggy” that features Dave Grohl on drums. This is part of a whole series of covers curated by Amazon and honoring the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2020. They’ve also got Real Estate taking on The Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes”, The Kills reworking T. Rex’s “Cosmic Dancer”, Eyelids powering through Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence”, and Jehnny Beth of Savages stepping into Nine Inch Nails classic cut “Closer”. As for St. Vincent, she’s an incurable music nerd, and her ...
Gorillaz Share Video for “The Valley of the Pagans” Featuring Beck: Watch
Last month, Gorillaz unveiled the audio portion of the first season of their audiovisual project, Song Machine. But some visuals are still coming down the pipeline, and that includes the newly-released music video for “The Valley of the Pagans” featuring Beck. Gorillaz love to combine live-action and animated footage, but “The Valley of the Pagans” is more animated than most. It shows 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel cruising around a CGI Los Angeles while driving a low-rider called a Pagan. The song blasts out of the speakers, and when it comes time for Beck to chime in, he appears on something called a Fruit phone. Honestly, it looks like it was recorded over FaceTime in about the time it takes to listen to the song, but the device (plot and cellular) works; th...
Arcade Fire Debut New Song “Generation A” on Colbert’s Election Night Special: Watch
Arcade Fire on Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020: Democracy’s Last Stand: Building Back America Great Again Better 2020 Arcade Fire debuted a brand new song called “Generation A” as part of their appearance on Stephen Colbert’s election night special on Showtime. In introducing the performance, Colbert described the song as “inspired by the current climate of the country with a hopeful message to the youths.” Musically, “Generation A” hears Arcade Fire continue to embrace the wilder synth sounds heard on their previous two records, albeit with a driving thud of bass that gives the song a punk oomph. “They say wait until you’re ready,” sings frontman Win Butler. “Wait until your number’s called/ They say wait, all we need is love/ But darling, California’s burning, New ...
Local Natives on Obsessing Over At the Drive-In
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Radio Public | Stitcher This Must Be the Gig is joined by Local Natives. As two of the founding members of the Southern California band, Taylor Rice and Ryan Hahn first came together when they were just high schoolers. Not long later, Local Natives’ debut record Gorilla Manor solidified their radiant credentials. Over a decade later, the five-piece have now released four studio albums and spread their sunshine and wonder at festivals and sold-out shows around the world. Most recently, the band put out the four-track Sour Lemon EP, collaborated with Sharon Van Etten, and put together an incredible live-streamed concert for eager fans. In this week’s episode, host Lior Phillips sp...
Smut Announce Power Fantasy EP, Share “Fan Age”: Stream
Rising rockers Smut have announced the new Power Fantasy EP. In anticipation of the November 20th release date, the band has shared the new single “Fan Age”. Smut is a quartet made up of Bell Cenower, Andrew Min, Sam Ruschman, and vocalist Tay Roebuck. They got their start in Cincinnati but are now based out of Chicago, and they first gained buzz with the 2017 shoegaze EP End of Sam-Soon. The new three-track Power Fantasy finds Smut branching out into a slightly poppier sound, taking influences from hip-hop and trip-hop along the way. According to a statement, the title track deals with the euphoria and disappointment of trying to change the world by yourself, while “Perfect Dark” is inspired by the beloved Nintendo 64 first-person shooter. As for the lead single, “Fan ...
Superchunk Share Halloween Single “There’s a Ghost”, Cover Sisters of Mercy: Stream
Superchunk have returned with “There’s a Ghost”, their first new music in two years. As an extra Halloween treat, the single is paired with a cover of The Sisters of Mercy’s “Alice”. The band’s first original song since 2018’s “Our Work Is Done” and that same year’s What a Time to Be Alive, “There’s a Ghost” is a bopping punk track built on mirrored acoustic and crunchy electric guitar riffs. It taps into the paranoia of 2020 perfectly, as frontman Mac McCaughan wrestles with being trapped inside alone for far too long. “Now its the end of the season and the last of our supplies/So check your fingernails/ Burning through the calendars and E strings/ Oh yeah, we’re breaking all the scales,” he sings. “I didn’t write a song for probably the first six months of the lockdown,” said McCaughan i...
Perfume Genius Performs “Jason”, “Nothing at All” from Joshua Tree on Kimmel: Watch
Half a year may feel like a lifetime ago, but in that time, Perfume Genius’ Set My Heart on Fire Immediately has remained easily one of the best efforts of 2020. On Thursday night, Mike Hadreas’ project reminded us of this with a performance of “Jason” and “Nothing at All” on Kimmel. Hadreas and his band set up remotely at Joshua Tree for the performance, caked in dirt like they’d actually dragged their gear all the way from Los Angeles. But though the appearance was soiled, the magic hour “Jason” performance was as delicate and gorgeous as you’d expect from Perfume Genius. The band also played “Nothing at All” for an online exclusive, with the more dynamic song allowing Handreas to let himself go in energetic fashion. Watch both clips below. Editors’ Picks Perfume Genius recently an...
