INTERVIEWS
Laufey Breaks Down Debut Album Everything I Know About Love Track by Track: Exclusive
Singer, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Laufey (pronounced Lay-Vay) has introduced a new generation to the world of classic jazz through her intimate songwriting. Today (August 26th), the LA-based artist shares her debut album, Everything I Know About Love. Laufey, who is known to draw from her classically trained background, weaves pieces of Tchaikovsky and Bach throughout the record, creating a captivating symphony for the modern age. Everything I Know About Love — which follows her 2021 EP Typical of Me — explores Laufey’s story of falling in love with a new city and letting go of the old faces of a past life. The contemporary jazz artist navigates her recent move to Los Angeles and the start of a new chapter, but doesn’t shy away from the challenges that come with moving ...
Domo Genesis Is in His Flower Season
Domo Genesis is driving through Los Angeles with a red fitted cap on his head, the blue sky blaring through his sunroof, and his phone positioned vertically so you can barely see anything else. While he’s barely in the frame, Domo is more focused on being heard over Zoom. For the first time in over a decade, he’s speaking with SPIN, the same publication that — on the cover of the December 2011 issue — labeled him and his Odd Future crewmates as the “changing face of hip-hop.” The collective launched the careers of groundbreaking artists in Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt. Hell, it even provided the latest star of Jackass in Jasper, the founders of the Internet in Syd and Matt Martians, and The Bear standout Lionel Boyce. Today, however, Domo — short for Dominique Marqui...
WHIPPED CREAM On Staying True to Herself: “Your Mind Manifests Your Reality”
When an artist puts their heart and soul into their work, they can’t help but make something beautiful. Since releasing her first single in 2014, Canadian DJ and producer WHIPPED CREAM has put everything into her craft, producing truly moving music. Inspired by heavy bass and hip-hop, she has successfully cultivated her own unique sound, which takes listeners on an emotional journey. Now, she’s diving into her art in a way she never has before: by recording her own voice. Her new track, “Angels,” is the first to feature her own recorded vocals. It’s a deeply personal song that only she could sing. Before the release of “Angels,” EDM.com sat down with WHIPPED CREAM at Monstercat‘s new production studio in Los Angeles, which functions as an offic...
Festivals, Hits and Mother Nature: Dom Dolla and the Puzzle Pieces of a Career-Defining Year
Performing at some of the world’s top music festivals for the first time is no small feat. Doing them all back-to-back in a matter of months is even more difficult. Dom Dolla is one of a few DJs to experience this ineffable journey, where he sprinkled in a few miracles along the way. The barnstorming house music artist and “Miracle Maker” producer most certainly has made an impression this year while enjoying some unique bucket list experiences, like DJing through a freak snowstorm that walloped his debut performance at Red Rocks. This kind of extraordinary occurrence has become commonplace for Dolla, whose career is amplifying at a breakneck rate as he achieves one milestone after another. We caught up with the breakout Aussie to dive deeper into the puzzle pie...
Behind the Boards with Butch Walker: Producer Talks Taylor Swift, Weezer, Green Day and More
Behind the Boards is a new series where we spotlight some of the biggest producers in the industry and dig into some of their favorite projects. For the inaugural edition, we sit down with alternative rock-whisperer Butch Walker to hear about his work with Taylor Swift, Weezer, Green Day, and more. Producer and singer-songwriter Butch Walker has been actively working in the music world for over three decades, and has seen firsthand the way the music industry has shifted across that time period. The Georgia-born Walker got his start in the late ’80s with a glam metal band called SouthGang — when that band dissolved, Walker formed the power pop trio Marvelous 3 in the mid ’90s before becoming an in-demand producer, helming pop rock records with SR-71, Bowling For Soup, and Avril Lavigne in t...
Ghost’s Tobias Forge Talks Arena Rock, Jack the Ripper, and the Band’s Next Album
Ghost are the rare band that formed in the past 15 years to graduate to arena headliners. In fact, the Swedish metal act is about to embark on its latest massive tour, playing North American arenas with support from Mastodon and Spiritbox. The outing kicks off Friday (August 26th) in San Diego, and runs through a September 23rd show in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with tickets available via Ticketmaster. The new run follows up an early 2022 US tour that saw Ghost co-headlining with Volbeat, and playing their first shows since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the concert industry. Heavy Consequence caught up with Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge (aka Papa Emeritus IV) to discuss the band’s return to the road, their latest album, IMPERA (released in March of this year), and whether the wheels are alrea...
Life is Beautiful Organizers Take Us Inside 2022’s Global Lineup
When done right, a city festival offers a unique experience that speaks to the heart of its urban surroundings. In the case of Life is Beautiful, much of this exists solely in its location within Las Vegas — rather than add to the glitz and fanfare of the Las Vegas strip, the festival takes place just a few miles north in downtown Vegas, sectioning off the famous Fremont Street and over 18 square blocks of Vegas’ classic, original townsite. “I don’t think any festival in the country takes over 18 square city blocks,” says Allen Scott from Another Planet Entertainment, the company that assists in booking Life is Beautiful each year. He’s joined by Craig Nyman, the head of music and programming for Life is Beautiful Festival, who is similarly proud of the way the festival has transformed alo...
For Love or Money: Bas & Rexx Life Raj on the Creative Battles Today’s Artists Face
Artists are constantly fighting the internal battle between carrying out their creative vision and sacrificing integrity for commercial success. Bas and Rexx Life Raj are a pair of respected rhymers who have dipped their toes into hip-hop’s mainstream, but have been reluctant to fully immerse themselves into that world. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Bas struggled with the aforementioned mental battle in February when he tweeted about having an 11-track album authentic to himself and the world he wanted to create with his next body of work — but was grappling with the idea of releasing another more palatable version to the mainstream, one that boasted A-list features and a streaming-friendly 17-song tracklist. “There’s certain algo...
How Making Panorama Helped Hayley Kiyoko Heal
The first time Hayley Kiyoko performed on a two-foot-wide stage, she was playing at a mall in Oregon for five people. It was around 2013 and she was promoting one of her earliest records, A Belle to Remember. The night before Kiyoko speaks with SPIN, however, was notably the first time since then that she had played a gig on a stage that small—and it happened to be her most memorable one yet—the first-ever Pride performance at Vice President Kamala Harris’s residence where rainbow balloons, streamers and lights adorned the home. “It was just a casual pool party at the vice president’s residence,” the singer quips over Zoom, tucking a strand of her light blonde bob behind her ears. Kiyoko has come a long way from that mall gig in Oregon. Since the release of Kiyoko’s 2018 debut album, Expec...
Pussy Riot’s Provocative Pop
Pussy Riot has come with a full agenda to Los Angeles’ El Rey Theater, ready to bounce and rage to a soundtrack of sultry pop hooks and noisy, glitchy electronics. And yet nothing onstage is more essential to the night’s purpose than the confrontational words and graphics flashing on the big screen behind them. “Vasectomy prevents abortion.” “My body does not need advice from a priest.” “Matriarchy Now.” “Slut.” “I hate when you talk, I hate when you look at me/I want to hatefuck you,” leader Nadya Tolokonnikova sings in a taunting, breathless voice on the song “Hatefuck,” a pair of women in knitted Balaclava masks dancing beside her. The song is the most hard-hitting of the seven tracks on Pussy Riot’s debut mixtape, Matriarchy Now, a collection executive produced by the Swedish art-pop d...
Marcus King Rocks Through the Pain on Dan Auerbach-Produced Young Blood
Marcus King is all of 26 years old, but he plays rock’n’roll as if he was genetically engineered in a laboratory from bits of Duane Allman, Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons and Stevie Ray Vaughan. King’s music feels timeless, especially when he’s laying waste to concert stages with his longtime mates in the Marcus King Band. A different side of King emerges on his solo albums, the newest of which, Young Blood, arrives Friday (Aug. 26) as the first in a new deal with Rick Rubin’s American Records/Republic. The project re-teams King with the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, who previously produced King’s 2020 solo album El Dorado. Both that album and Young Blood were recorded at Auerbach’s Easy Eye studio in Nashville. This time around, King is backed only by bassist and longtime Auerbach collaborator Nic...
Eyedress Shares Origins of ’80s-Inspired “DREAM DEALER” Video: Exclusive
Origins is a recurring new music series giving artists the opportunity to share exclusive insights into their latest release. Today, LA-based bedroom pop artist Eyedress shares the origins of the video for his new track, “DREAM DEALER.” Rising bedroom pop artist Eyedress is gearing up to release his highly-anticipated new album Full Time Lover on Friday (August 26th), and a few weeks ago, he shared a new single, “DREAM DEALER,” from the LP. “DREAM DEALER” features The Neptunes member Chad Hugo, but Eyedress maintains his inimitable hazy style of pop throughout — though his earlier recordings possess an appropriately lo-fi aesthetic, “DREAM DEALER” and Full Time Lover‘s earlier singles feature Eyedress at his most refined and specific. Today (August 22nd), “DREAM DEALER” receives an ’80s in...
