NEWS
Martin Garrix and U2 Collaborate on Official UEFA Euro 2020 Anthem
In 2019 before our current madness became reality, Martin Garrix was revealed as an official UEFA Euro artist. The Dutch EDM icon went on to attend the 2020 draw ceremony in Bucharest in December in preparation for opening day in Rome on June 12th, 2020. We all know the end of that story. Now, as the music scene slowly inches towards a semblance of normalcy, Garrix is releasing his long-awaited UEFA anthem. In a teaser this week he revealed to fans that the theme would arrive on his birthday, May 14th. We’ve now come to learn that joining him on the track will be none other than legendary U2 artists Bono and The Edge. The Sun reports that Garrix invited the rock icons to join him on the track after composing the music for the new single titled “We Are...
Rumors Swirl of New Skrillex and Kid Cudi Collaboration
As Skrillex continues to subtly hint at the long-awaited release of original music, word of an unreleased collaboration with Kid Cudi has dominated the EDM and hip-hop rumor mills. It started when Skrillex, who hasn’t released a solo album since 2014’s debut Recess, purged his Instagram of all content for a second time. He also conspicuously changed his account’s profile picture to one affixed with a caption that reads, “You can now add music here.” Skrillex (via Instagram) The Instagram wipe doesn’t point to Cudi whatsoever, but that soon changed after Proximity poured gasoline on the rumors yesterday, May 4th, after the EDM channel tweeted about the unreleased track and sparked widespread speculation that it will be released this Friday....
Ashley Morgan Smithline Details ‘Terrifying’ Sexual Abuse by Marilyn Manson
Model Ashley Morgan Smithline was one of the first women to accuse Marilyn Manson of sexual abuse when accusations first surfaced publicly on Feb. 1. In a new interview with People, Smithline detailed the harrowing nature of the abuse. Calling Manson the “most terrifying monster in the world,” Smithline said that during their two-year relationship from 2010-2012, the shock rocker allegedly “bit her, whipped her, cut her with a swastika-emblazoned knife and shoved his fist in her mouth during sex.” Smithline, who is of Jewish descent, said that whenever she’d travel, Manson would make her look for Nazi memorabilia to bring back to him. “He kind of made it like this is just like a joke between us,” she told People. “I think at that point, I was already coerced enough that I felt he woul...
Los Lobos Share Beach Boys, Thee Midniters Covers Ahead of Native Sons LP
Veteran Los Angeles-based rockers Los Lobos shared a pair of covers — “Love Special Delivery” originally by Thee Midniters and the Beach Boys’ “Sail On Sailor” — ahead of their 13-song Native Sons album. Produced by the band, the album also contains one new song, which happens to be the title track. Los Lobos take on favorites and deep cuts by other Los Angeles luminaries, including War, Buffalo Springfield, Jackson Browne, the Blasters and more. The record is described as “a kaleidoscopic selection of tribute songs from their homeland, ultimately creating a crucial snapshot of L.A.’s musical heritage,” and will arrive July 30 via New West Records. East L.A. garage band Thee Midniters were one of the first Chicano rock groups to score a major hit in the U.S., and Los Lobos’ David...
Death Cab for Cutie to Release Live At The Showbox Benefit Album
Death Cab for Cutie will release a new live album, Live At The Showbox, for just 24 hours as a Bandcamp Friday exclusive on May 7. A portion of the proceeds will benefit NIVA, the National Independent Venue Association. The 17-song set will have an official release later this year. Live At The Showbox was recorded just before the COVID lockdown over a sold-out three-night-stand from Feb. 24-26, 2020, at The Showbox in Seattle. Songs on the live set include “Company Calls,” “I Will Follow You Into The Dark,” “I Will Possess Your Heart,” “Tiny Vessels,” “We Looked Like Giants,” “Black Sun” and more. Death Cab shared a statement about the Showbox set: Like so many other artists, we expected to play a lot of shows in 2020. To gear up for the year ahead, we decid...
Modest Mouse Share ‘We Are Between’ Single After Six-Year Hiatus Between LPs
Following a six-year hiatus, Modest Mouse is back with “We Are Between,” the first cut from the upcoming LP The Golden Casket, due out June 25 via Epic Records. The Golden Casket, Modest Mouse’s first album since 2015’s Strangers to Ourselves, was produced by Dave Sardy and Jacknife Lee and recorded in Los Angeles and at the band’s Portland, Oregon, studio. The songs see singer Isaac Brock exploring themes ranging from “the degradation of our psychic landscapes and invisible technology, to fatherhood,” according to the press materials, which also call the dozen songs as “amorphous organisms, undergoing dramatic mutations and mood swings that speak to the chronic tug-of-war between hope and despair that plays out in Brock’s head.” Check out the tune below. [embedded content] In 20...
Liars Announce New Album The Apple Drop, Share “Sekwar”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-05T13:00:41+00:00“>May 5, 2021 | 9:00am ET Electronic punk outfit Liars has announced its new album The Apple Drop. It’s out August 6th on Mute, and you can catch a preview with lead single “Sekwar”. When last we heard from Liars, Aaron Hemphill had amicably departed the band and Liars was the sole project of Angus Andrew. He put out 2017’s TCFC and 2018’s Titles with the Word Fountain with little outside assistance, but now Andrew has returned in a collaborative mood. The Apple Drop was made with avant-garde jazz drummer Laurence Pike, multi-instrumentalist Cameron Deyell, and lyricist Mary Pearson Andrew. “For the first time I embraced collaboratio...
Matthew Dear Shares New Single “Hikers Y”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-05T14:00:38+00:00“>May 5, 2021 | 10:00am ET Electronic producer and DJ Matthew Dear has released a new single from his upcoming album, Preachers Sigh and Potion: Lost Album. It’s called “Hikers Y” and it’s available to stream below. “Hikers Y” is a tongue-in-cheek minimalist track that’s on par with Dear’s early work. It begins with a simple electronic drum beat before a slinky bass line fades into view and Dear starts bemoaning his inadequate social skills. “I’m through with all the conversations,” he sings with a lilt as if exhausted. “I was never good at conversation, so don’t expect any more conversations.” It’s simple but hypnotic, and Dear’s self-deprecation is charming by ...
Lydia Ainsworth Gets Lost in a Pop Dream on New Single “Cosmic Dust”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-05T14:03:04+00:00“>May 5, 2021 | 10:03am ET Avant-pop artist Lydia Ainsworth has shared a new single called “Cosmic Dust”. It’s from her upcoming album Sparkles & Debris. Stream it below. Musically, “Cosmic Dust” sees Ainsworth doing what she does best: infusing a pop song structure with futuristic flair, heavenly instrumental flourishes, and skipping from one falsetto to the next with ease. It’s breezy and anthemic, but Ainsworth manages to sneak great, intimate details into the mix despite that, like harp notes and gentle piano notes that descend one after the other. This is the third single Ainsworth has shared from Sparkles & Debris so far. It follows the retro lead s...
Sign and Drive: 2021 Infiniti Q50 Adds Special Signature Edition
Is the Infiniti Q50 the Lincoln Town Car of 2021? Hear us out for a second. Like the long-gone Town Car, the Q50 packs a rear-wheel-drive punch under sedan skin. It also now includes a “Signature” trim line. Sure, Infiniti technically calls its latest Q50 model the Signature Edition, but the point stands: both of these wildly different cars include (or in the case of the Lincoln, included) a variant that gives a nod to the ol’ John Hancock. Unlike the boaty Town Car Signature trim line of yore, the Q50 Signature Edition is a “limited production model,” per Infiniti. Alas, the Japanese luxury brand failed to share just how many Q50 Signature Editions it plans to produce. Regardless, every Signature Edition uses the $48,725 Q50 Sensory trim as a base, to which I...
Summer Road Trip Plans? They Could Be Impacted By These Looming Problems
The second summer of the pandemic is almost here, but the outlook is totally different this time around. With millions of Americans vaccinated and eager to get out of their immediate and unchanging surroundings, there’s a lot of anticipation of an almost normal travel season ahead. And there will be frustration, too. There are still pandemic-related restrictions and precautions, but more to the point, pandemic-related shortages and supply chain issues are going to impact all of us. We’re talking about gasoline shortages, scarce rental cars, and vehicle production delays, among other things. It’s going to jam up our summer plans, to some degree, and managing expectations against pent-up travel demand is going to be important. Let’s lay out what we know about these sh...
Warner Music Group Marketing Veteran Beth Appleton to Depart
Appleton has worked in the music industry for 25 years, starting with EMI in London and transferring to Australia for the first time in 2000. She returned to the U.K. to work for Richard Branson’s V2 label and Universal Music before joining Warner Music Australia in 2011, in the role as director of marketing. An honoree in Billboard’s Women In Music feature, Appleton returned to the U.K. in January 2014 to spearhead global marketing for WMG, based in London, and returned to Australia in January 2018 to assume her current role. In a separate message to staff, Appleton admits she’s ready to “pursue my next adventure.” At present, those plans have not yet been revealed. “As many of you know, I often ask the question ‘What is the right thing to do?,’” she continues. “Me moving on now is the ri...
