synthpop
Lower Dens Break Up
Baltimore synthpop band Lower Dens are breaking up. “It’s time for me and Nate [Nelson] to say goodbye to Lower Dens,” lead singer J Hunter wrote in a lengthy post. “We’re proud of what we’ve done, and very lucky to have had so many people supporting us. Spiritually and physically, we, like, can not participate in the music industry any longer. We’re also old, enjoy being with our families, and have other goals in mind.” Lower Dens formed in 2010 and put out four albums together: Twin-Hand Movement (2010), Nootropics (2012), Escape From Evil (2015), and The Competition (2019). In the post, Hunter wrote, “I learned this year that I’m Autistic/have ADHD. I have a name for it now, but it’s always been a part of my identity. When I talked about nerdy conceptual sh...
Hot Chip Announce 2022 North American Tour
UK synthpop icons Hot Chip have announced a 2022 North American tour. The quintet last crossed the Atlantic in 2019 in support of their most recent album, A Bath Full of Ecstasy. This time they’re taking the long way around, flying over nearly the whole continent to kick things off in Ventura, California on April 15th. They’ll run through the southwest and into Mexico, before resetting in the northeast for shows in Boston, Brooklyn, and Pittsburgh. The trek wraps up May 14th in Chicago, Illinois. Pre-sale begins Wednesday, December 8th, and you can use code BELLS to get early access via Ticketmaster. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, December 10th, and you can book your seat here. Check out the full schedule below. Advertisement Related Video Last year, Hot Chip...
Tears for Fears Share New Song “No Small Thing”: Stream
Back in October, Tears for Fears announced The Tipping Point, their first new album in 17 years, and now they’re back with a new look at the album. Listen to “No Small Thing” below. “No Small Thing” departs from the synthpop sound Tears for Fears are known for with a folksy acoustic guitar stomp. In a press release for the single, Roland Orzabal described writing the song as the moment the record really began to take shape — when the band stopped trying to write a modern hit and instead wrote from the heart. “In early 2020, Curt and I sat down together with just a couple of acoustic guitars. The first time in decades. We needed a meeting of minds, a coming together psychically. We were literally going back to the drawing board looking for some depth, heart and soul with which to compl...
Let’s Eat Grandma Announces New Album Two Ribbons, Shares Title Track: Stream
Let’s Eat Grandma have announced their upcoming album, Two Ribbons, via Transgressive. The album is set to be released April 8th and will serve as a follow-up to the duo’s 2018 LP I’m All Ears. In conjunction with the announcement, the band has unveiled the LP’s sparse title track as its second single. The Two Ribbons of the album’s title could be taken to represent the perspectives and life experiences of both Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth over the three years since their last studio effort, but the title track is actually about other people. “‘Two Ribbons’ is a song I wrote to, and about, two of the closest people in my life, and how my relationships with them shifted over time through loss and life changes,” said Hollingworth in a statement. “It touches on the isolating experience ...
CHVRCHES’ Lauren Mayberry on Lost Boys, John Carpenter, and The Cure’s Robert Smith
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Lauren Mayberry catches up with Kyle Meredith to talk about Screen Violence, the new CHVRCHES album that finds the synthpop band using horror movies as a parallel to what was happening in their lives over the past few years. The Scottish artist discusses the darker side of fame that comes from the Internet, explains the “kill your idols” lyric on “Good Girls,” and working with The Cure’s Robert Smith and director/musician John Carpenter. Advertisement Related Video Mayberry also details their latest release, a cover of the Lost Boys soundtrack classic “Cry Little Sister” that was recently released as part of the ...
Governors Ball 2021 Day 1: The 5 Best Things We Saw
It was just a few months ago that Foo Fighters welcomed back live music in New York City with their Madison Square Garden show, and that already feels like a lifetime ago. If that was the city healing, the return of Governors Ball is NYC thriving. The festival kicked off its 10th anniversary celebration on Friday night, beckoning the throngs of music-hungry youths to its new location at Citi Field. The parking lot setting is a far cry from the barely-accessible Randall’s Island of years’ past, and frankly that’s a good thing. There was already enough anxiety about being in such massive throngs once again (checked for vaccinations and negative tests though they were) without worrying about cramming onto a bus or missing the last ferry to get off the island. That relative ease compared to ye...
CHVRCHES Cover Gerard McMahon’s “Cry Little Sister” for Netflix’s Nightbooks: Stream
CHVRCHES have shared their cover of Gerard McMahon’s “Cry Little Sister” for the soundtrack to the Netflix movie Nightbooks. Stream it below. “Cry, little sister/ Thou shalt not fall/ Come, come to your brother/ Thou shalt not die/ Unchain me, sister/ Thou shalt not fear/ Love is with your brother/ Thou shalt not kill,” Lauren Mayberry intones in a call-and-answer with herself on the track’s foreboding, atmospheric chorus. The band opened up about their love of the 1987 gothic rock classic originally featured in Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys, saying in a statement, “We were so excited to work on this project as we are big fans of everyone involved. Cinema — horror in particular — has always been a big part of CHVRCHES behind the scenes. We have talked about covering “Cry Little Sister” f...
MUNA Taps Phoebe Bridgers for New Song “Silk Chiffon”: Stream
Toward the end of last year, Phoebe Bridgers started her own record label called Saddest Factory Records, and this past spring signed the Los Angeles synthpop trio MUNA. Today, MUNA have shared their first single since joining the label, “Silk Chiffon,” featuring a verse from Bridgers herself. If “Silk Chiffon” is meant to reintroduce MUNA to old fans and new listeners alike, then it goes above and beyond in summarizing what makes the group so much fun. It’s an unabashedly pop number with airy guitars and a vocal melody that will get stuck in your head all week. According to Naomi McPherson, the band’s guitarist and producer, “Silk Chiffon” was written in hopes of being “a song for kids to have their first gay kiss to.” “Silk Chiffon” arrives with a vibrant music video in tow. Directed by ...
A Flock of Seagulls on String Theory, the Magic of the ’80s, and a New Album
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS A Flock of Seagulls’ Mike Score chats with Kyle Meredith about String Theory, the new collection of orchestral versions of the iconic ’80s band’s catalog. The frontman talks about giving some of the band’s overlooked songs a bigger spotlight, such as the first single “Say You Love Me,” which originally arrived on their 1995 album, The Light at the End of the World. Score also shares the story behind the fan-favorite “Remember David.” Advertisement Related Video Elsewhere, the A Flock of Seagulls singer tells us he’d like to see a third orchestral collection and tips us off that he’s working on both a solo record and the ...
Pet Shop Boys Unveil New Single “Cricket wife”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-22T16:34:21+00:00“>May 22, 2021 | 12:34pm ET Pet Shop Boys have shared a new single called “Cricket wife”. It’s part of a special two-track CD single accompanying the publication of Annually 2021, the latest edition of their yearly hardback book. Stream it below. Fans are in for a treat with “Cricket wife”. The song clocks in at nearly 10 minutes and sounds rather polished considering it was recorded during lockdown, with members Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe capturing their parts inside their respective homes. Orchestral sounds flood the background alongside classical instrumentation, and atop it all is a new batch of poetic lyrics sung by Tennant. The second track on the CD singl...
DEVO Reunite for Gerald Casale’s New Single “I’m Gonna Pay U Back”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-20T22:03:53+00:00“>May 20, 2021 | 6:03pm ET DEVO co-founder Gerald Casale has announced a reissue of his 2006 album AKA Jihad Jerry & The Evildoers. It comes out June 12th via Real Gone Music. But that’s not all! The reissue’s expanded tracklist includes a new new single called “I’m Gonna Pay U Back” that sees Casale reuniting with his DEVO bandmates for the first time in 10 years. “I’m Gonna Pay U Back” is a massive track with ominous bass, jagged guitars, and eerie new wave synths that pulse throughout. Joining Casale on the track are his late brother Bob Casale, Josh Freese, Bob Mothersbaugh, and Mark Mothersbaugh, which explains why it recalls the creative genius of ...
Sylvan Esso Announce Fall 2021 US Tour Dates
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-11T16:47:50+00:00“>May 11, 2021 | 12:47pm ET Sylvan Esso are returning to the road in support of last year’s Free Love. The synthpop duo has announced a string of 2021 US tour dates for this fall. After Sylvan Esso performs at Bonnaroo’s Saturday night Superjam with the 10-piece band which played on their December With Love EP, the “Shaking Out the Numb” tour will launch on September 6th at the Edgefield in Troutdale, Oregon, and continue through mid-November. Additional cities on the docket include Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, Boston, and a pair of shows at New York’s Terminal 5 to close out the trek. The group also has a slot lined up for Firefly Music Festival in Septemb...
