music
The Strokes Tease New Song “Starting Again” in Maya Wiley Campaign Ad: Watch
Tuesday, June 22nd is New York City’s mayoral primary, and The Strokes are hoping to jam their way to a better world by teasing the new song “Starting Again” in an ad for progressive candidate Maya Wiley. Throughout the election, the New York rockers have been wildin’ out for Wiley, performing their first-ever unplugged set as a fundraiser on her behalf and following that with NYC’s first full-capacity indoor concert alongside fellow Wiley backers John Mulaney, Blood Orange, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Despite these famous fans, Wiley’s candidacy has struggled to gain traction, with recent polling putting her in fourth place behind Eric Adams, Andrew Yang, and Kathryn Garcia. However, NYC’s use of ranked-choice voting means that if she is the second- or third-choice candidate f...
Thrice to Embark on Fall 2021 US Tour with Touché Amoré
Thrice have announced a fall 2021 US headlining tour with fellow post-hardcore luminaries Touché Amoré. Self Defense Family will also provide support for the outing, which begins September 24th in Houston at the Warehouse. The tour moves across the South and up through the East Coast, then across the Midwest to the West Coast. The final date is October 30th at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. The first three shows — all in Texas — will feature additional support from Sparta frontman and former At the Drive-In member Jim Ward. Related Video “The sense of community and pure exhilaration of live music is something we’ve missed dearly over the past year and a half, so we’re beyond excited to get back on the road and play shows again,” Thrice drummer Riley Breckenridge said in a...
Lorde Details New Album Solar Power and 2022 World Tour
Enjoy your Disney alums who don’t know how to drive and your butyraceous K-pop overlords, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lorde. The Kiwi superstar has announced that her new album Solar Power arrives August 20th, and she’ll be promoting it on a massive 2022 world tour. Four long years have passed since Lorde’s stellar 2017 statement Melodrama, and over that time the demand for her particular brand of intimacy, authenticity, and ear worms has only grown. Earlier this month she teased the title track, which was our Song of the Week, as well as the accompanying artwork, which challenged the old expression “where the sun don’t shine.” Like its lead single, the album Solar Power was produced by Jack Antonoff. As the title implies, this 12-track LP will reflect...
Fieldy Announces Hiatus from Korn After Falling Back on “Bad Habits”
Founding Korn member Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu has announced a hiatus that will keep him from the nu-metal pioneers’ upcoming US tour. According to the musician, he needs time off in order to deal with “personal issues” that have led him to fall back on “bad habits.” The bassist revealed the news via his Instagram page on Monday, June 21st. Korn recently announced an extensive 2021 tour with Staind that kicks off in early August and runs through late September. They’ll be out in support of their latest album, The Nothing, which came out in October 2019. In an open letter to fans, Fieldy didn’t specify what the “bad habits” were, but stressed that he needed “some time off to heal.” His full message reads as follows: “To all Korn fans worldwide. The past 6 years I’ve been dealing with some pe...
Joni Mitchell Releases Digital EP Blue 50 (Demos and Outtakes): Stream
Joni Mitchell’s most iconic album of all time, Blue, turns 50 years old tomorrow. It’s getting a big retrospective rollout later this year to celebrate that anniversary, but Mitchell is honoring it a little early by sharing a new digital EP today. It’s called Blue 50 (Demos & Outtakes) and it includes a bunch of previously unreleased material. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. Blue 50 (Demos & Outtakes) spans five songs that nail the magic of Blue. It includes demos of “A Case of You” and “California” that sound comparatively stripped down, and an alternate version of “River” that uses French horns. There’s also an early take of “Urge for Going” which was originally supposed to appear on Blue but didn’t come out until a 1996 greatest hits compilation (notes Stereogum). Bi...
Sleigh Bells Tease New LP with 2021-2022 “Unannounced Album Tour” Announcement
Sleigh Bells will be hitting the road this fall to kick off a 2021-2022 tour. Cheekily titled “Unannounced Album Tour”, the announcement does indeed include a tease for “new music coming very soon.” The North American jaunt begins October 5th at Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, North Carolina. Stops in Nashville, Austin, and Los Angeles are included in the first leg, which concludes on October 28th in Seattle. LA indie rockers Kills Birds will serve as a supporting act for the fall leg. Sleigh Bells will then pick the tour back up at Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio on February 8th. The second leg includes dates in Chicago, Toronto, and Brooklyn before closing February 27th in Philadelphia. Related Video Pre-sales begin at Ticketmaster on Wednesday, June 23rd at 10:00 a.m. local time, with ...
Warner Announces Vinyl Soundtrack Series with The Dark Knight, Space Jam, Goodfellas
The summer blockbuster is back and it’s headed for your record player. Warner Music Group has just announced a vinyl soundtrack series that will see the company reissuing some of its most popular compilations, including the soundtracks to the original Space Jam, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, and Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. “The soundtrack series is a potent reminder of how integral music is to storytelling in films,” the company said in a press release. “Whether it’s an entire score by Alice Cooper in Welcome to My Nightmare or The Rolling Stones’ ‘Monkey Man’ blasting during the frenetic helicopter scene in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, certain songs are forever linked to specific movie moments.” WMG’s new series will showcase i...
Just Like Heaven Festival Returning in 2022 with Interpol, Modest Mouse, M.I.A., The Shins
Just Like Heaven is returning in 2022 with another lineup built out of a mid-2000s playlist fever dream. Produced by Goldenvoice, the same folks behind Coachella, the second Just Like Heaven festival is set to take place May 21st, 2022 at Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The inaugural festival went down in 2019 with a lineup seemingly designed for Millennial indie heads, and the 2022 bill is no different. Interpol, Modest Mouse, The Shins, and M.I.A. top the bill, which is fleshed out by the likes of Bloc Party (with Kele Okereke also putting on a DJ set), Franz Ferdinand, Chromeo, Santigold, Cut Copy, Peaches, and Wolf Parade performing their classic Apologies to the Queen Mary. Rounding out Just Like Heaven will be !!!, The Raveonettes, The Go! Team, The Cribs, Yelle, Islands...
Helado Negro Announces New Album Far In, Shares “Gemini and Leo”: Stream
Helado Negro has announced the new album Far In. As a preview of the October 22nd release, the artist born Roberto Carlos Lange has shared the disco-tinged single “Gemini and Leo”. The follow-up to 2019’s This Is How You Smile, Far In will be Lange’s debut album on 4AD. The 15-track effort features guest vocals by Kacy Hill, Buscabulla, and Benamin, though that’s not the only talent on display. “Gemini and Leo” boasts a bass line courtesy of Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak, Flock of Dimes), and backing vocals from Zenizen’s Opal Hoyt. The upbeat drums keep the shimmering production humming along, and it’s easy to find yourself wanting to imitate the titular protagonists. “Gemini and Leo,” Lange sings, “Dancing on the floor all night.” The song comes with an animated music video di...
The 10 Greatest Queer Anthems Of The 21st Century
What makes a queer anthem? That’s the question MTV News recently posed to four musicians: rapper and activist Mykki Blanco; Mxmtoon, the ukulele-playing bedroom-pop artist; Southern-born singer-songwriter Katie Pruitt; and gospel-influenced pop star Vincint. The quartet met on a recent Zoom call to talk about what they believed to be the 10 greatest LGBTQ+ anthems of the 21st century so far, and prior to the conversation, the artists were asked to prepare their picks for what they considered the most club-immaculate or culturally impactful songs of the last two decades. These tracks could be by any artist and only needed to be released after the year 2000 with the intention of using them to craft a comprehensive playlist showcasing the music that defines the commun...
How A Song Becomes A Queer Anthem, According To LGBTQ+ Artists
By Rob LeDonne On its surface, Big Freedia’s “Chasing Rainbows” sounds like any other pop anthem. With a hummable melody, sparkling production, and earworm chorus featuring fellow star Kesha, the track has the ability to explode out of speakers on musicality alone. But zero in on the confection’s personal lyrics and you’ll discover they center on topics of sexuality, equality, and spirituality. The song is a deep rumination and vulnerable insight into the singer’s world and personality. “It’s really about growing up as a gay boy and some of the things I had to face,” Big Freedia tells MTV News of the track, which was featured on her 2020 EP Louder. “It’s me being myself and being loud and proud. It’s my story for people to relate and connect with; chasing your dreams and chasing your ...
Lorde Is Back And Bringing Midsommar Vibes In Her Latest Album Teaser
Four years after her critically acclaimed album Melodrama, Lorde finally returned earlier this month to bring hippie, summer vibes courtesy her new single “Solar Power” — as well as more anticipation for her fans. On Sunday (June 20), the 24-year-old New Zealand singer dropped a mysterious clip on her website to tease her upcoming new and third album Solar Power. The 20-second clip depicts Lorde dressed in a beige outfit, calmly sitting and meditating behind an arrangement of plants and branches on a beach. A tent and a campsite are in the background, along with two individuals working together. The sounds accompanying the video are the wind and nature. Towards the end of the clip, the camera is focused closer to Lorde, who suddenly opens her eyes with an intense stare. Although no textual...
