INTERVIEWS
Issa Rae, BJ The Chicago Kid, Victoria Monét and More on How Insecure “Truly Represents the Creatives” Through Music
Over the past five years, we’ve seen Issa Rae’s iconic Insecure character Issa Dee through it all. Between the break-ups, stalking potential baes on Instagram, and having to furnish a new home with no money to her name, Issa has been a voice of her millennial generation. Amid the ups and downs of adult life, Rae has portrayed a millennial in an all-too-relatable manner, alongside a killer soundtrack. Since the inception of her YouTube series Awkward Black Girl, Rae has aimed to make music “a character” in all of her projects. On HBO’s Insecure, which premieres its fifth and final season this Sunday (October 24th), we see Issa experience wins and losses, with many scenes tied to a specific song. Over the years, Rae, composer Raphael Saadiq and music supervisor Kier Lehman have used the show...
Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills Wants Halloween to Reverberate Between Your Eardrums
Sitting in a car to obscure the noise from a shoot for an upcoming music video while donning shades, a white shirt, and a pair of flame-emblazoned black shorts, Ice Nine Kills frontman Spencer Charnas is eager to talk about the start of his love of slashers, the catalyst that would eventually become the band’s experiment in marrying horror and rock. In a gentle voice, he wistfully recalls trips to the video store with his mother. He was always attracted to the covers in the horror movie aisle, leading him to beg his parents to see classic horror films like Halloween. “I think they thought my obsession would eventually grow out, and here we are 25 years later,” Charnas tells SPIN over Zoom. “I guess I never grew out of it.” Charnas seems calm and cool with a hint of playfulness as he patien...
Maxo Kream Speaks His Truth
Interviews are a bit of a tricky proposition for Maxo Kream. Sure, like any rapper ascending the pantheon of the music industry he knows they’re advantageous if not entirely necessary to promote his music. But, as he contends when we speak via phone one October afternoon a few weeks before he’s set to release his third album, Weight of the World, why bother interviewing him when you can simply listen to his music? After all, Maxo says, “When people be asking me questions about certain shit, I just be like, ‘Go jam my album. Cause I’m definitely going to reveal it all there.’ And that’s not me being an asshole,” he adds. “Cause if you jam my album, then you really feel me.” Yes, Maxo Kream — the Houston rapper, all booming, gruff vocals and menacing flow — is a true storyteller. And one who...
“When Everything Falls Into Place”: Purple Disco Machine Breaks Down His Brilliant Sophomore Album
House music is in Purple Disco Machine‘s blood. One listen through his new EXOTICA LP, which dropped in full today, is all it takes to know that the German electronic music superstar is in a league of his own. And after recently eclipsing the billon-stream milestone, it’s scary to think of the heights he’ll ascend to on the wings of his scintillating new album. Anthems galore, EXOTICA is a disco lover’s dream and a nostalgic rush of foot-tapping gaiety. Inspired by the sultry sounds of Prince and the gritty funk of Jamiroquai, among other legendary artists, Purple Disco Machine flexes his encyclopedic knowledge of dance music throughout the record’s 14 tracks. In celebration of his sophomore album, the house music virtuoso has broken it down tra...
Interview Tips for DJs From Veteran Music Journalist, Kat Bein
Whether you’re a new DJ on the scene or a veteran music producer, taking interviews about the music you make is weird. It’s uncomfortable and awkward. In fact, for most people, talking about yourself is. In interview settings, it’s not too challenging to see why sharing a homegrown song requires confidence, vulnerability, and even a little courage. Strangely though, not much in the way of written guidance exists out there for musicians, particularly in dance music. How then should they navigate these encounters? What are some ways interviews go wrong? We sat down with Kat Bein, a quirky and skilled music journalist with an exhaustive list of legends along her career path, to lay the groundwork for what we believe is a much-needed guide for DJs. Bein has chatted with Boys Noi...
BLACKSTARKIDS Get Real With Puppies Forever
There’s something to admire about the effervescent gleam that radiates from BLACKSTARKIDS. From the bravado they proudly carry on songs like “Britney Bitch” to an aesthetic consisting of neon clothes and flowing afros, the group’s inherent charisma stems from simply being their authentic selves. The trio—consisting of Ty, The Babe Gabe and Deiondre—manages to infuse diverse musical influences into the experimental sounds they create. Their latest album, Puppies Forever, shows off blistering confidence that has only soared since last year’s Whatever, Man. From the slick boasts and shy bars of “Fight Club” to the pop-punk glow of “I Hate Being in Love,” their latest offering is as infectious and shiny as they are. However, “ACAB”—which stands for “All Cops Are Bastards,” is the boldest and m...
Joshua Ray Walker Writes Songs Fit for Country Classics
Concept albums are a thing of the past in country music. High-minded conceits like Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West and Willie Nelson Red Headed Stranger were much en vogue in the 1960s and ‘70s. Today, an album like Sturgill Simpson’s The Ballad of Dood and Juanita are the exception, not the rule. Yet that’s exactly how Texas singer-songwriter Joshua Ray Walker came out of the gate. His third long-player, See You Next Time, completes a trilogy beginning with his 2019 debut Wish You Were Here that marks him as one of country’s most exciting storytellers. “I didn’t want to have that stigma of a concept album on my first releases,” Walker, sporting a cowboy hat, vest, and short-sleeve button-up, admits over Zoom backstage from the State Fair of Texas. The idea, revolving around...
Old Dominion Connect Through Time, Tequila & Therapy
Old Dominion lead vocalist Matthew Ramsey calls from Los Angeles, where his band just played on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote Time, Tequila & Therapy, their fourth studio album. Although they’re one of the more successful acts to emerge from Nashville in the past decade and achieved multi-platinum sales for their previous three albums, Ramsey admits they still aren’t quite comfortable with their status in the country world. “I still feel like someone who doesn’t belong at the party — I feel like I’ve snuck in,” Ramsey says. “I think we all feel like that as a band, sometimes. We’re just waiting for somebody to tap us on the shoulder and say, ‘Guys, how did you get in? You’re not supposed to be here.’ When that happens, we’ll be like, ‘Oh, you’re right — sorry,’ and we’ll leave.” This s...
How UPSAHL Ended Up Writing for Dua Lipa and Became ‘Lady Jesus’
For Taylor Upsahl, pursuing anything other than music wasn’t an option. “We had a band room instead of a living room in our house,” she recalls over Zoom on a break from the studio in Los Angeles. Growing up with a dad who performed in punk bands, that was life for the singer known simply as UPSAHL. “There was never really a moment where I was like, ‘Oh, I want to do music.’ There was never another option for me.” After graduating from high school, the Phoenix native relocated to Los Angeles, where she spent all her time in sessions. It wasn’t long before she landed her first record deal. In 2018, she became the first artist to sign to the reopened Arista Records. What followed were two EPs — 2019’s Hindsight 20/20 and 2020’s Young Life Crisis — as well as a handful of singles. It took her...
Apparently Billie Eilish Loves Dubstep—And Skrillex
Have you ever wondered what a dubstep song from Billie Eilish would sound like? Neither have we. But it’s now top-of-mind thanks to a new interview with The New Yorker, who chatted with Eilish and her brother FINNEAS, a prolific music producer and the mastermind behind the vast majority of her recordings. The Grammy-winning siblings recently took the virtual stage at the The New Yorker Festival, which featured discussions and performances by some of the most prominent names in music, literature, politics, film, art, and pop culture. And of all the things to analyze at such a prestigious summit, Eilish and FINNEAS chose dubstep. Eilish is apparently a fan of Skrillex and his old-school sound, which longtime diehards have been clamoring for as he continues to produce pop-ori...
Elderbrook Sets a Dance Floor-Focused Tone With Innerlight EP
At 7 pm, when the majestic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the legendary venue in Morrison, Colorado is glowing with the remaining light of day, the noticeably young audience for the triple-bill of Louis the Child, What So Not and Elderbrook is already throwing up in the aisles. Elderbrook, born Alex Kotz, is aware of the heightened energy of the waiting crowd, but it doesn’t interfere in his relaxed Zen state. He is sequestered in his cozy dressing room, which is outfitted like a high-end boutique hotel. There are quality snacks, designer bottled water and a chic bathroom. He shows off a brand-new tattoo on his inner wrist. It’s an acronym: WWPBD, which stands for “What Would Pooh Bear Do.” The tattoo is a reference to the wisdom of A.A. Milne’s beloved character. It’s a reminder for Kotz to ask ...
Alice Cooper on His New Audio Memoir, the Legacy of “School’s Out,” and Who Should Play Him in a Movie
When Audible announced its ongoing “Words + Music” audio program — in which some of rock’s biggest names combine storytelling with music — it made perfect sense that legendary shock rocker Alice Cooper participate in the series. As evidenced by his newly-released entry, Who I Really Am: The Diary of a Hollywood Vampire, Alice tells great story after great story. Throughout the audio memoir, he is comparable to a “rock ‘n’ roll Forrest Gump” — recounting experiences in which he crossed paths with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Syd Barrett, Frank Zappa, John Lennon, and Keith Moon, among others. Additionally, you’ll hear new acoustic versions of “School’s Out,” “Is It My Body” (a tune from which a line was plucked from for the title of his Audible release), “Poison,” and other classics. Advertis...
