Reggae legends Toots and the Maytals will return next month with their first proper album in over a decade, Got to Be Tough. After offering fans a peek at the record with the title track, the group is now sharing a new single titled “Warning Warning”. Much like “Got to Be Tough”, this new song continues to showcase leader and founder Frederick “Toots” Hibbert’s enduring commitment to social justice issues. On “Warning Warning”, Toots specifically calls on us to not only recognize the corrupt systems at play in 2020 — such as those upholding racism and white supremacy — but to also remember to stay focused on the fight against them, no matter how long it takes. “I’m giving you a warning/ Don’t take it for granted,” Toots advises on the song. “I want to ask everyone to keep their focus in th...
Later this month will see The Roots MC Black Thought release a new EP called Streams of Thought, Vol. 3. In anticipation, the hip-hop veteran has revealed the lead single, “Thought vs. Everybody”. The forthcoming effort follows Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 and Streams of Thought, Vol. 2, both of which hit shelves in 2018 and were produced by 9th Wonder and Salaam Remi, respectively. Production for Vol. 3 was handled by Sean C (Talib Kweli, JAY-Z), and the EP includes guest appearances from Pusha-T, Killer Mike, Swizz Beatz, Portugal. The Man, ScHoolboy Q, and The Last Artful, Dodgr. Black Thought’s first preview of the EP may not feature any of these prominent acts, but it isn’t any less thought-provoking (yes, pun intended). On “Thought vs. Everybody”, the 48-year-o...
Creed Bratton, the musician and actor made famous by The Office, has shared his new song “The Ride”. It’s off his eighth solo album, Slightly Altered, which hits shelves and streamers on July 17th. Within The Office, Bratton’s role was that of a spicy pepper, deployed sparingly but delivering potent flavor. But while he is best known for that iconic sitcom, he was first known as the lead singer and guitarist of The Grass Roots. Bratton fronted this American rock band from 1967 to 1969, and even had a pair of top ten Billboard hits. He spent the next three decades landing small film and television roles. But even before The Office made him a household name (literally — the character is named after him) Bratton had returned to his first love of music. Slightly Altere...
Los Angeles “tenderpunks” Illuminati Hotties will release a new mixtape on July 17th. It’s titled Free I.H.: This Is Not The One You’ve Been Waiting For and follows their acclaimed 2018 debut album, Kiss Yr Frenemies. This forthcoming effort was written after a major fallout with their indie label, Tiny Engines, which was allegedly involved in shady royalty payment practices. As a result, the new material sees lead songwriter Sarah Tudzin & co. working through the aggression and hurt that came with their ensuing contract-related legal battles. (Hence, the Free: I.H. title.) That assertive bite bares its teeth on the mixtape’s latest single, the lengthily and bluntly named “will i get cancelled if i write a song called, ‘if you were a man, you’d probably be cancelled’”. It’s ...
Advertisement, the buzzworthy rock band band out of Seattle, have shared their debut album American Advertisement. Stream it below via Bandcamp. American Advertisement was recorded and mixed by Trevor Spencer and mastered by Jack Shirley. Musically, it’s both nostalgic and of-the-moment; nostalgic for the delight in guitar-driven rock and roll, but with modern lyrical concerns that recall Seattle as it exists today. The new LP also sounds post-legal weed, chilled out and occasionally psychedelic, but there’s an anger, too; a social awareness shaped by the tech-bro invasion and having witnessed the slick gentrification and dull luxury condos crowding out the waterfronts. While the overall vibe is sunny, life-affirming fun, American Advertisement is interrupted by flashes of p...
Last month, rapper Tyla Yaweh released a track called “Tommy Lee”, featuring Post Malone. Now, the pair have teamed up with the Mötley Crüe drummer himself on a remix of the song. Tommy Lee initially spoke of his involvement prior to the release of the original track, which caused some confusion as to whether he appeared on that version. However, it was obvious upon first listen that Lee’s drumming wasn’t on the original song. Now, the remix comes along with a music video that features Lee and Yaweh performing the song in the Mötley Crüe drummer’s studio. Along with Lee’s drumming, Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 was called in to add guitar and bass, turning the laid-back hip-hop original into a heavy banger. “I was humbled that Tyla and Post chose to name a song after me,” says Lee in a press...
While some acts have spent quarantine looking back at the music they’ve played, Claudio Sanchez, known best for Coheed and Cambria, brought his solo project, the Prize Fighter Inferno, back to life. And today (July 10), he dropped a new video for “Stray Bullets.” Featuring Weerd Science, the video is mainly a series of digitally illustrated images with close-up shots of Sanchez and Weerd Science in what look like television screens framing their clips. Either way, the visualizer sucks you in and takes you to a different place — even for a few minutes. “I have had this project sitting around for a while, and the only time I ever really release stuff is when it doesn’t affect Coheed and Cambria,” Sanchez told SPIN in May. “I feel a sense of guilt when I’m like, ‘Oh, I wanna go do this thing ...
Massive Attack is back with Eutopia, their first music since 2016’s Ritual. The three-track record was inspired by Thomas More’s 16th-century text Utopia. Aside from the historical inspiration, Massive Attack brought on the talents of Algiers, Saul Williams, and Young Fathers as well as three political speakers — Christiana Figueres, who penned the UN Paris Climate Agreement; Guy Standing, who’s behind universal basic income theory; and Gabriel Zucman, the economics professor from UC Berkley behind the “wealth tax” policy in the U.S. Massive Attack talk about the new music in statement: “Lockdown exposed the best aspects and worst flaws of humanity. That period of uncertainty and anxiety forced us to meditate on the obvious need to change the damaging systems we live by. By working with th...
Synthpop heroes Future Islands are back with their first new song in three years. The track is called “For Sure” and it sees the Baltimore band teaming up with Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak, a pairing that sounds seamless in practice. A press release states this is Future Island’s first new music since releasing their 2017 album The Far Field. Technically, though, the band released a standalone single called “Calliope” back in 2018 for Adult Swim’s Singles Series. Regardless, “For Sure” marks a welcome return for the band, especially because there could potentially be more new music on the way. “For Sure” is a soaring number that feels like you’re being filled with hope — something we could certainly use a little more of this year. Armed with their usual blend of synthpop, nonstop drums, and big ...