Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 10
September 22, 2025
Neko Case's New Album 'Neon Grey Midnight Green' Out This Friday
NEKO CASE RELEASES NEW STUDIO ALBUM
‘NEON GREY MIDNIGHT GREEN’ THIS FRIDAY
LISTEN TO NEW TRACK “RUSTY MOUNTAIN”
Photo Credit: Ebru Yildiz
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR BEGINS NEXT WEEK
#1 ON NON-COMM & AMERICANA RADIO CHARTS
"Case's distinct voice is as mighty as a canyon; she often sings like someone hollering into a void and pausing to let her echo confidently resound."
- The New York Times
“She is one of our all-time great songwriters."
- NPR Music
“Fearless singer-songwriter calls it as she sees it in dramatic ninth solo outing.”
- MOJO, 4 Stars
“Her lyrics – filled with folkloric wisdom, wildlife and natural imagery – invoke a world where human logic ranks second to animal instinct, and “civilization” is only a flimsy veneer over red-in-tooth-and-claw reality.”
- The Guardian
The GRAMMY-nominated iconoclast Neko Case is releasing her highly anticipated new studio album ‘Neon Grey Midnight Green’ this Friday. “It’s an album that blossoms with awe,” Pitchfork beautifully described in a new interview. “Soundtracking Case’s words are windswept arrangements and contagious melodies where baritone guitar, violin swells, and steady percussion crumple up feelings of dread and anxiety.” Today, Case shares the sprawling highlight “Rusty Mountain,” where the heart of the record seems to live and she declares: “We all deserve better than some love song.”
‘Neon Grey Midnight Green’ album release events, presented in collaboration with Record Store Day, will take place at 100 independent record stores this weekend. Case also starts her North American tour with a sold-out show at Woodstock’s Levon Helm Studios on October 1, and dates to follow include Massey Hall in Toronto, the Beacon Theatre in New York City and The Bellwether in LA. Tickets are available now.
As if cosmically enacted, every handful of years Neko Case breaks to the surface with a new album and reminds listeners that she is one of our greatest living songwriters - perpetually becoming more fearless and adventurous. This has been true throughout her more than twenty-five-year career, during which her ferocious indie-rock and country-noir sound has swelled and shrunk to fit the mood, but the walloping impact of the universes she creates has never wavered. Listening to Case’s music will teach you about this world— human nature’s cruelty, perseverance and terrifying beauty, but the natural world as well — the moon and the stars, bees, lions and magpies. Should you encounter a wayward soul who has never heard her music, you might respond, “Well, she once sang from the perspective of a tornado,” as if to say: there’s no physical form that could stop her potent voice and evocative storytelling.
This record is Case’s first new music this decade, following 2018’s ‘Hell-On’, an eclectic piece that The Guardian called “a pitch-perfect roar of female defiance.” Her latest is no less urgent but carries a deep blue streak of sentimentality in its incandescent blaze. More than any of her past albums, ‘Neon Grey Midnight Green’ was laid down live with a full band – even breaths and shirt-sleeve rustlings were kept in the final mix as a reminder that “humans were here.” Recording primarily took place at Case’s own Vermont studio, Carnassial Sound, with additional sessions in Denver, Colorado with the PlainsSong Chamber Orchestra and in Portland, Oregon with Tucker Martine.
“There are so few producers who are women, nonbinary, or trans,” says Case, who identifies as gender fluid and uses she/her pronouns. “People don’t think of us as an option. I’m proud to say I produced this record. It is my vision. It is my veto power. It is my taste.”
Case’s memoir The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You was released in January and reached #5 on the New York Times nonfiction best sellers list. Raised “by two dogs and a space heater” in Washington state, the book’s vibrant wordplay and unflinching humor were a familiar balm to fans; as The Washington Post wrote in a glowing review, it “hits you in the same places her songs do: heart and gut, funny bone and sad bone.”
Case has also been hard at work composing the musical adaptation of the 1991 Academy Award-winning motion picture Thelma & Louise after being personally selected by the original screenwriter and Academy Award winner Callie Khouri. Said Case of her memoir: “I hope my story will cast a spell of love, invite everyone inside, and smash the illusion that we have no connection to each other.”
2025 TOUR DATES
October 1 - Woodstock, NY @ Levon Helm Studios # SOLD OUT
October 2 - Washington, D.C. @ Lincoln Theatre #
October 3 - Towson, MD @ The Recher #
October 4 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Met #
October 5 - Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center #
October 7 - Richmond, VA @ The National #
October 8 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel #
October 9 - Pelham, TN @ The Caverns #
October 10 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse #
October 11 - Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall #
October 14 - Cincinnati, OH @ The Taft Theatre #
October 15 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant #
October 16 - Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed #
October 17 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue #
October 18 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Pabst Theater #
October 20 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall #
October 22 - New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre #
October 23 - Boston, MA @ The Wilbur #
October 24 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall #
October 25 - Cleveland, OH @ The Agora Theatre #
November 7 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre %
November 8 - Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up % SOLD OUT
November 9 - Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up %
November 10 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether %
November 11 - San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic %
November 13 - Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue % SOLD OUT
November 14 - Seattle, WA @ The Paramount Theatre%
November 15 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater % SOLD OUT
November 16 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater %
November 18 - Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory %
November 19 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Eccles Theater %
November 20 - Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre %
November 21 - Albuquerque, NM @ El Rey Theater %
November 23 - Dallas, TX @ Longhorn Ballroom %
November 24 - San Antonio, TX @ Tobin Center %
November 25 - Austin, TX @ Paramount Theatre %
w/ Des Demonas #
w/ John Grant %
2026 TOUR DATES
January 8 – Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre #
January 9 – Ottawa, ON @ Bronson Centre #
January 10 – Geneva, NY @ Smith Opera House #
January 11 – Burlington, VT @ The Flynn #
January 12 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre #
January 14 – Troy, NY @ Troy Music Hall #
January 15 – Stamford, CT @ The Palace Theatre #
January 16 – Wilmington, DE @ The Queen #
January 17 – Allentown, PA @ Archer Music Hall #
January 18 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Paramount Theater #
January 20 – Louisville, KY @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall #
January 21 – Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre #
January 22 – Carmel, IN @ Palladium #
January 23 – Champaign, IL @ Virginia Theatre #
January 24 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre #
January 27 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues #
January 28 – Birmingham, AL @ Iron City #
January 29 – Jacksonville, FL @ Decca Live #
January 30 – Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live #
January 31 – Miami, FL @ TBA #
w/ Des Demonas #
J pop superstars YOASOBI to release new single "劇上 Gekijyo" on October 2
“PRAY SPEAK WHAT HAS HAPPENED”
COMING GLOBALLY TO NETFLIX
©フジテレビSeptember 22, 2025—YOASOBI is set to release a new song “Gekijyo” on October 2 for the Japanese television drama series “Pray Speak What Has Happened.”The song marks a new milestone for the J-pop duo—for the first time in their history, producer Ayase will duet with ikura on vocals.In addition to his releases as a Vocaloid producer, Ayase’s self-covers as a solo artist have also received high praise, with his self-cover of “Yoru Naderu Menou” surpassing 70 million views on YouTube. In 2023, he released “Hiten,” a collaborative song with R-Shitei (Creepy Nuts). With his long-awaited track, Ayase steps in as a vocalist, creating a special song that condenses the essence of the duo’s current sound.“We are deeply honored to be involved with this project in the form of music. While producing the song we were filled with excitement, and we are just as eager as everyone else to see how the drama turns out,” says the duo. ““Gekijyo” is based on a biographical novel written by Koki Mitani. We created this song with the intention of doing our utmost to support the drama. We read the script countless times, recorded the song multiple times, and went through countless mix checks and lyrical rewrites,” they continue. “We also grappled with Shakespeare’s line ‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.’ We’re happy with how it turned out, as this is the answer that only the current YOASOBI could provide. We hope you will enjoy our song along with the drama.”“Gekijyo” will serve as the official theme for the series, written by Japanese writer and director Koki Mitani. The series’ global release on Netflix marks Mitani’s first prime-time series for a commercial network in 25 years, debuting on October 1.
Cover art for “Gekijyo”Pre-save the track from HERENews of the new single arrives on the heels of a massive year for YOASOBI, who recently played a headline show in London at OVO Arena Wembley in addition to taking the stage at Primavera Sound in Barcelona.This follows the group’s successful trip to the U.S. last summer, with their first ever show at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall followed by Boston’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway. They also played Chicago’s beloved Lollapalooza music festival, made their Coachella debut and performed sold-out shows in Los Angeles and San Francisco earlier in the year. This past winter, YOASOBI completed their largest Asian arena tour to date, also the largest arena tour by a Japanese artist ever. Comprised of composer Ayase and vocalist ikura, YOASOBI are record-breaking international superstars in the making. Their first song, “Into The Night (Yoru ni Kakeru),” was released in November 2019, immediately attracting attention by achieving #1 on numerous streaming charts in Japan and appearing on viral charts in several countries. It was #1 on the 2020 Billboard JAPAN Combined Song Chart and Streaming Song Chart, and in January 2023 the total plays surpassed 900 million streams marking a first in Japan. YOASOBI gained international attention and reached #1 on the Spotify charts for the Japanese Artist Most Played Internationally in 2021. Their song “Monster (Kaibutsu)” was named one of the 10 Best Songs of 2021 by TIME.YOASOBI’s TikTok LIVE performance achieved the highest ever viewership for a Japanese artist on the platform when it was streamed by more than 630k fans with simultaneous viewers surpassing 120k. Their first arena tour “YOASOBI ARENA TOUR 2023 ‘Denkosekka’” consisted of fourteen shows in seven cities with a total of 130k attendees as the duo continues to attract attention in all directions of their career.Their global smash hit song “Idol” was named the #1 Song of the Year in 2023 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart. It smashed a multitude of records, amassing 22 consecutive weeks in the #1 spot. The song also broke the record for the fastest single to reach 100 million streams on the Billboard Japan chart and surged to #1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.Anna von Hausswolff announces tour. New LP on YEAR0001 ft Ethel Cain, Iggy Pop, Abul Mogard and more out Oct 31.
Anna von Hausswolff Announces 2026 North American Tour
Hear Latest Singles From Upcoming Album ICONOCLASTS,
Out October 31 via YEAR0001:
“Facing Atlas” | “The Whole Woman” (Feat Iggy Pop) | “Stardust”
Photos By Philip Svensson
Revered Swedish Musician and composer Anna von Hausswolff returns to perform across North American next Spring in support of her forthcoming album ICONOCLASTS, out October 31 via YEAR0001. von Hausswolff will perform on organ and keys alongside an ensemble of selected musicians. Dates include San Francisco and Los Angeles before heading to Chicago, New York, D.C. and Toronto. Pre-sale tickets are available to fans this Wednesday, September 24 at 12PM ET Here before its general on-sale this Friday, September 26 Here. See below for artwork and a full list of dates including her Winter run across the UK and Europe.
Throughout the years von Hausswolff’s releases cemented her as an artist of unpredictable and vast creativity – always moving forward, always fusing tradition with experimentation in unimaginable ways. On ICONOCLASTS, her sound evolves again, bringing a poppier and more vibrant element to her moving songs. Produced by von Hausswolff and longtime collaborator Filip Leyman, it is an opus of stirring movement, anthemic ritualism, and maximalist composition, marking a new chapter in von Hausswolff's music and featuring appearances from Ethel Cain, Abul Mogard, Iggy Pop and Maria von Hausswolff.
Listen / Share / Playlist ICONOCLASTS Singles:
“Facing Atlas” | “The Whole Woman” (Feat Iggy Pop) | “Stardust”
Anna von Hausswolff and Iggy Pop Discuss “The Whole Woman”
& More for Interview Magazine
ICONOCLASTS begins with brass heralding out, beckoning listeners into the boundless story that is about to unfold. From this, the groundwork is set for an album of blistering, mounting tension and hard-fought, euphoric release. Addressing themes of love, freedom, and autonomy, its title, ICONOCLASTS, hints at a shattering and reimagining of the sacred personal symbols that bubble under the surface of contemporary life: commitment, time, dependency, and belief.
In this pursuit, von Hausswolff chooses Atlas—he who carries the world's weight upon his shoulders—as a sympathetic character. How does one find the strength to prevent collapsing in these trying moments? For von Hausswolff, it is the pursuit of the divine. She finds inspiration in the fears and contradictions that arise when one is faced with monolithic power structures and concepts. The songs on ICONOCLASTS transform these uncertain feelings into kindling for the creation of sonic bonfires of immense scale. Von Hausswolff sows her songs in the borderlands between the gargantuan and the intimate, and it is the ashes of these demolished symbols that fertilise its grounds for new possibilities.
On ICONOCLASTS, her ensemble is expanded to include the virtuoso saxophonist Otis Sandsjö, who brings his saxophone trills to the core of the record. With a magnetic power, her voice pulls the listener closer, offering glimpses into an emotive world of secrets and madness, of heartbreak and desire, of beauty and life. Although pushing towards new sonic territory, ICONOCLASTS features all of the signature qualities of a von Hausswolff release: mammoth intensity, crystalline iridescence, and lustrous dynamism.
Pre-Order / Pre-Save ICONOCLASTS
Anna Von Hausswolff Tour Dates
UK and Europe
Dec 04: Köpenhamn, Vega - Denmark
Dec 05: Malmö, Moriskan - Sweden
Dec 10: Oslo, Vulkan - Norway
Dec 11: Örebro - Sweden
Dec 12: Stockholm, Fållan - Sweden
Dec 14: Helsingfors, Tavastia - Finland
Jan 21: Knust, Hamburg - Germany
Jan 22: Columbia Theatre, Berlin - Germany
Jan 23: Paradiso (main hall), Amsterdam - Netherlands
Jan 25: Thekla, Bristol - United Kingdom
Jan 27: YES, Manchester - United Kingdom
Jan 28: Islington Assembly Hall, London - United Kingdom
Jan 30: Trix (club), Antwerp - Belgium
Jan 31: Trabendo - Paris, France
Feb 02: Aeronef Club - Lille, France
Feb 03: Les Trinitaires - Metz, France
Feb 04: Gebaude 9 - Cologne, Germany
Feb 06: Ampere - Munich, Germany
Feb 07: WUK - Vienna, Austria
Feb 09: Nova Spirala - Prague, Czechia
Feb 11: Santeria Toscana 31 - Milan, Italy
Feb 12: Locomotiv - Bologna, Italy
Feb 13: Antigel Festival - Geneva, Switzerland
Mar 04: Atlas Song, Göteborgs Operan, Sweden
Mar 05: Atlas Song, Göteborgs Operan, Sweden
May 21: Atlas Song - St Pölten, Germany
May 22: Atlas Song - St Pölten, Germany
North America
Mar 17: San Francisco, CA - Brick & Mortar
Mar 18: Los Angeles, CA - Facing Atlas
Mar 20: Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
Mar 22: Toronto, ON - The Drake
March 25: Brooklyn, NY - Zone One
March 26: Washington, DC - Songbyrd
Iconoclasts Tracklist:
01. The Beast (03:11)
02. Facing Atlas (04:53)
03. The Iconoclast (11:14)
04. The Whole Woman feat. Iggy Pop (04:18)
05. The Mouth (07:12)
06. Stardust (06:46)
07. Aging Young Women feat. Ethel Cain (04:01)
08. Consensual Neglect (04:58)
09. Struggle With the Beast (08:44)
10. An Ocean of Time feat. Abul Mogard (07:57)
11. Unconditional Love feat. Maria von Hausswolff (07:01)
12. Rising Legends (02:35)
Soul Coughing Reunion Tour Continues with New Dates Announced
SOUL COUGHING RETURN TO THE ROAD FOR
SOUL COUGHING STILL LOVES YOU
UNIQUE AND INFLUENTIAL BAND TO FOLLOW SOLD-OUT REUNION TOURS
WITH NEW SERIES OF UPCOMING HEADLINE DATES
7-CITY US TOUR BEGINS DECEMBER 5 IN COLUMBUS, OH
ARTIST PRESALES AND VIP PACKAGES AVAILABLE NOW AT SOULCOUGHINGBAND.COM
GENERAL ON-SALE STARTS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 AT 10:00 AM (LOCAL)
Photo Credit: Nicholas Kundrat
Due to popular demand, Soul Coughing are getting the band back together for Soul Coughing Still Loves You, an upcoming series of US headline dates beginning December 5 at Columbus, OH’s Newport Music Hall. Artist Presales and VIP Packages are available now. Local Presales begin Wednesday, September 24/Thursday, September 25 at 10:00 am (local). All Presales end Thursday, September 25 at 10:00 pm (local). All remaining tickets will be released to the general public on Friday, September 26 at 10:00 am (local). For complete details and ticket information, please see www.soulcoughingband.com.
SOUL COUGHING
STILL LOVES YOU
US TOUR 2025
DECEMBER
5 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
6 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue
7 – Covington, KY – Madison Theater
9 – Omaha, NE – The Admiral Theater
10 – Des Moines, IA – Val Air Ballroom
12 - Chicago, IL - ???
13 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee
14 – Grand Rapids, MI – 20 Monroe Live
# # #
Soul Coughing Still Loves You will see the four original members of the band – Mark degli Antoni (keyboards/sampler), Mike Doughty (vocals/guitar), Yuval Gabay (drums), and Sebastian Steinberg (bass) – once again performing songs from across their unique and influential catalog, spanning 1994’s genre-defining debut, Ruby Vroom, 1996’s Irresistible Bliss, and 1998’s third and final studio album, El Oso.
Founded in 1992 after the eclectic collection of musicians that comprise the band first met at New York City’s storied Knitting Factory, Soul Coughing merged the disparate sounds of drum & bass, trance, rock & roll, and hip-hop to create their own truly unique strain of music. 2024 saw the band reemerge from a twenty-five-year hiatus for Soul Coughing Play The Songs Of Soul Coughing, a sold-out US headline run that saw the band performing to packed houses of rapturous fans from coast to coast. The tour was met with critical applause and unprecedented popular demand that saw a number of dates upgraded to larger venues. “The songs sounded as forward-thinking as they did in the ’90s,” declared Variety of the tour’s opening night performance at a sold-out Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, CA. “For those that care, every one of these shows…just might be one of the best nights ever.” “Soul Coughing, in a word, delivered,” wrote Glide. “The 21-song setlist digs deep into the band’s short-lived yet fruitful career as they fearlessly bounced between their three releases, touching on hits and B-sides alike.” Perhaps Philadelphia, PA’s WXPN said it best: “It was a moment that truly felt special to witness, experiencing the performance of a band that no one believed would ever reunite on stage… a niche moment in music history.”
Soul Coughing further marked the reunion with their first late-night TV appearance since 1998, offering up a celebratory performance of their classic “Super Bon Bon” on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! that prompted Stereogum to enthuse, “Soul Coughing were fully locked-in… all these years later, absolutely nobody sounds like them, and their form of musical chemistry is so specific.”
This spring saw Soul Coughing return to the road for Soul Coughing Play The Songs Of Soul Coughing Again, once again selling out shows across North America. To celebrate the tour they said would never happen with the release of their first-ever official live album, LIVE 2024, available now at all DSPs and streaming services and on Double LP vinyl exclusively via soulcoughingstore.com.
WATCH “SUPER BON BON” ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!
ORDER LIVE 2024 DOUBLE LP
# # #
CONNECT WITH SOUL COUGHING
SOULCOUGHINGBAND.COM | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER
MICK ROCK’S ROCKY HORROR: A Behind the Scenes Look at the Cult Classic
A Visual Celebration of Cinema’s Wildest IconHarper/Pop: On sale September 30th; 256 pages, 4-color throughout
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a totally unique phenomenon; there’s nothing even to compare it to. It occupies its own unchallenged space in the history of modern popular culture.”— Mick Rock
“This book was created in conversation with Mick—his eye present in every photograph, his spirit guiding the choices along the way. I believe he would be proud to see how his art, his memories, and the voices of those he photographed continue to speak here.”— Pati Rock
As The Rocky Horror Picture Show prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary this fall, legendary photographer Mick Rock‘s (1948–2021) long-lost archives are being unveiled in ROCKY HORROR: A Behind the Scenes Look at the Cult Classic (HarperPop; on sale September 30, 2025; 256 pages, 4-color throughout, $50.00; ISBN 9780063385689). This electrifying volume brings together rarely-seen photographs and intimate behind-the-scenes moments, offering fans the ultimate visual time capsule of the film that redefined camp, glam, and queerness on screen.
Best known as “the man who shot the seventies” through his iconic images of David Bowie, Lou Reed, Queen, Blondie, and Iggy Pop, Rock was the only photographer invited on set of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Director Jim Sharman and writer Richard O’Brien gave him total freedom to roam Bray Studios, where over six weeks he captured Tim Curry’s transformation into the deliciously unhinged Frank-N-Furter, Susan Sarandon’s ingénue wide eyes, and the joyful chaos that would eventually birth a global midnight movie phenomenon.
“Frank-N-Furter, mad scientist, self-obsessed, narcissistic exhibitionist, obviously adores to be admired, and for him the seductive clicking shutter of a Hasselblad camera was like a bell to Pavlov’s dogs…” — Richard O’Brien, from the book’s foreword.
Though the film famously flopped upon release, Rocky Horror went on to gross nearly $225 million and earn the distinction of being the longest-running theatrical release in history, thanks to its raucous midnight screenings. More than a movie, it became a movement — a communal ritual of fishnets, call-backs, and liberation that continues to ripple through fashion, nightlife, and music culture. From Vivienne Westwood’s SEX boutique to RuPaul’s Drag Race, the film’s unapologetic celebration of queerness and nonconformity endures.
This book captures that spirit at its source. Rock’s images — equal parts glitter, horror, and punk prophecy — immortalize the very moments where underground cinema became a beacon of self-invention. Interwoven with his photographs are cast interviews, Mick’s own notes, rare production ephemera, and reflections from an all-star roster of Rocky devotees: Joan Jett, Billy Corgan, Courtney Love, Juliette Lewis, Jinkx Monsoon, Duff McKagan, Anna Sui, Karen O, Betsey Johnson, Trixie Mattel, Peaches, Norman Reedus, Cassandra Peterson (Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), and many more.
ROCKY HORROR is more than a collector’s item — it is an homage to the world Mick Rock helped shape, a love letter to the midnight movie that blurred the lines between gender, performance, and spectacle, and a testament to the way one cult classic can forever alter the cultural landscape.
“Maybe the strongest impression that these modest stills project is that, as Richard points out, everyone appears to be having such a good time. That also may partly account for the delightful potency of this celluloid classic. It’s a privilege to have been of service to such a legendary piece of art.” — Mick Rock
Mick’s archive continues to shape the visual DNA of rock ’n’ roll, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show marks one of his most vibrant, playful, and timeless contributions.
The book release coincides with special exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles — the latter aligning with Mick Rock’s birthday. These events will showcase rare prints, unseen contact sheets, and feature appearances from collaborators and cultural icons who continue to carry Rocky’s torch. Stay tuned for further details. Follow Mick Rock:InstagramFacebook X
Mick Rock Photo Credit: Barnaby Clay September 20, 2025
TOPS @ The Bellwether DTLA Sept 20th 2025 // THE PORTABLE INFINITE
All photos taken by Alexander Laurence
Babe Corner @ The Bellwether DTLA Sept 20th 2025 // THE PORTABLE INFINITE
All photos taken by Alexander Laurence
SWANS @ Lodge Room Highland Park WED Sept 17th 2025 // THE PORTABLE INFINITE
All photos taken by Alexander Laurence
September 19, 2025
THE CRANBERRIES release "MTV UNPLUGGED" for the first time ever on Nov. 7th
OFFICIALLY RELEASE
ON NOVEMBER 7, 2025
First Time Ever As a Standalone LP/CD/DIGITAL
SEPTEMBER 18, 2025 [NEW YORK, NY] -- High atop the wishlist of The Cranberries’ fans has been an official release of their 1995 acoustic concert for MTV’s epochal, intimate performance series Unplugged. Never before available as a standalone release, MTV Unplugged will finally be available on November 7, 2025 on vinyl, CD and digital via Island Records/Ume (a limited-edition colored vinyl version featuring an alternate cover will also be available exclusively through COMPLEX). Previously only obtainable on the limited 3LP 30th Anniversary Edition of No Need to Argue which was released on June 27, 2025, this set sold out immediately upon announcement.
Originally recorded on February 14, 1995, the special nine-song performance made its broadcast debut on April 18th that year. Filmed at Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, NY, the episode was aired during the sixth season of the acclaimed series that highlighted a stripped down and acoustic setting by some of the most popular artists and musicians of the era.
“We’d seen some of the biggest names in music like R.E.M., Pearl Jam, The Cure and Nirvana do their Unplugged’s and were blown away to be following in their footsteps,” recalls drummer Fergal Lawler. “MTV were doing a series of recordings in this beautiful old theatre with curved seating. It was a really chilled, relaxed vibe with the audience sitting on the floor.” Accompanied by Electra Strings (the string quartet who had accompanied the band on the UK program Later with Jools Holland in 1994), the eloquence of The Cranberries’ songwriting was on full display, firmly underscoring the band’s importance in the pantheon of alternative rock.
The Cranberries
Following the release of their mainstream breakthrough second album No Need to Argue, the setlist for MTV Unplugged included selections from that pivotal album, including “Dreaming My Dreams,” “Ode To My Family,” Empty,” “Zombie” and the title track. The other tracks performed include the smash “Linger” (from their debut Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?) and “Free to Decide” and “I’m Still Remembering,” both of which were unreleased at the time and would subsequently appear in recorded form the following year on their 1996 album To The Faithful Departed.
Also included is the non-album track “Yesterday’s Gone,” which remains unreleased in a studio format. “Dolores and I literally wrote ‘Yesterday’s Gone’ – apt title! - the day before,” guitarist Noel Hogan reveals. “There was a piano where we were and I said, ‘I have this idea’ and it came together in a couple of hours. The only time we ever played it was for MTV.”
Revered as one of the best episodes of the fabled MTV series which boasted 125 episodes, The Cranberries’ set has been treasured by the media and audiences alike who hoped anxiously for its official release. Selecting it as one of its “8 MTV Unplugged Performances That Should Get Vinyl Reissues,” SPIN praised it as “an unforgettable reminder of the great talent that was lost when singer Dolores O’Riordan died in 2018.” In its list of “The 15 Best MTV Unplugged Performances of All Time,” Australian magazine Mixdown said of the show, “Some bands are just tailor made to shine in an acoustic setting, and there’s no better example of this than with The Cranberries’ MTV set.” In the eponymously titled 1995 coffee table book, it was written that “the strength of The Cranberries is firmly rooted in the power of Dolores O'Riordan's voice. It is an instrument that can be beautiful and whisper-soft at one moment and then suddenly have the piercing power of a bagpipe. Unplugged was therefore an excellent setting for the band and a very special opportunity to hear a voice with so much range in an intimate setting.”
“It was an honour to do MTV Unplugged and I’m really proud that the songs we wrote didn’t need all the bells and whistles you get in the studio to sound good,” adds Noel. “They worked just as well, stripped down and played acoustically, albeit with the help of the brilliant Electra Strings.”
The Cranberries’ MTV Unplugged will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally on November 7, 2025 via Island Records / UMe.
MTV UNPLUGGED
TRACKLISTINGIntro/Dreaming My DreamsOde To My FamilyLingerFree To DecideI'm Still RememberingEmptyZombieYesterday's Gone
# # #
cranberries.com
facebook.com/TheCranberries
tiktok.com/@thecranberriesmusic
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twitter.com/the_cranberries
Total Wife unveil new album 'Come Back Down' via Julia's War
TOTAL WIFE UNVEIL NEW ALBUM
VIA JULIA’S WAR RECORDINGS
IMMERSIVE, TEN-TRACK RECORD
NAMED STEREOGUM'S ALBUM OF THE WEEK - READ HERE
SECOND LEG OF U.S. TOUR BEGINS LATER THIS MONTH
AT DRUNKEN UNICORN IN ATLANTA, GA, ON SEPTEMBER 21
ALBUM RELEASE SHOW IN NASHVILLE, TN, ON SEPTEMBER 22 AT DRKMTTR
WITH SUPPORT FROM MILA CULPA, BABY WAVE, AND SOUR TOOTH
Photo Credit: Sean Booz
“Total Wife splice, dice, and defile their gorgeous creations, hybridizing noise-pop with everything from slowcore to breakbeats.”
- STEREOGUM, ALBUM OF THE WEEK
“Come Back Down is a shoegaze triumph and one of the year's best records.”
- ELI ENIS, CHASING SUNDAYS
“Fans of Loveless and freaks who find musicality in the hums of vacuums or air ducts are bound to find a whole lot to love.”
- CONSEQUENCE
“A wall of sound that presses on the ear drums nicely, like someone holding your face in their hands. It’s dreamy but off-kilter, like staggering home after being kissed until you pass out.”
- VICE
“With a band prolific as Total Wife, it’s a challenge to pin
down their music as any particular sound.”
- NASHVILLE SCENE
“Their music shifts between electronica, shoegaze, and noise-pop; it can feel like taking in a bunch of different emotions at once: overwhelming and hypnotizing, soothing and explosive.”
- NINA PROTOCOL
“Blending dreamy textures, DIY grit, and recursive logic, Nashville duo Total Wife craft music that’s as emotionally grounded as it is sonically adventurous.”
- STILL LISTENING MAGAZINE
Nashville experimental duo Total Wife, the project of Luna Kupper and Ash Richter, are excited to share their new album Come Back Down, available everywhere now via the tastemaking Philadelphia label Julia’s War Recordings. An immersive, ten-track record filled with everything from breakbeats and techno influence to recycled homemade samples and cascading riffs, Come Back Down reconfigures the experimental and complex with precision, redefining what shoegaze can sound like.
“This album is made from a single thought unfolding endlessly," Kupper explains. "I was always trying to remind myself of the initial idea and always fall back on how I felt when I first fell in love with recording.”
LISTEN TO COME BACK DOWN
Total Wife has become a fixture of the East Coast DIY scene over the past decade, cementing themselves as scenemakers in Nashville, TN. Today’s release comes after the arrival of singles, “peaches,” “make it last” and “second spring,” building upon their varied and rich discography. These songs were quickly praised by the likes of Stereogum, Consequence, Alternative Press, and more tastemakers. Come Back Down was previewed late last year with the band’s 0 EP, featuring heavy-hitting tracks “naoisa” and “(dead b).”
WATCH “PEACHES”
LISTEN TO “MAKE IT LAST”
LISTEN TO “SECOND SPRING”
Total Wife recently finished up the first leg of their U.S. tour with shows in Tennessee, New York and Ohio. This weekend, they’ll go back out on the road with Mila Culpa and next month, they’ll be supporting Los Angeles band Dummy at Nashville’s The Blue Room. For more information and to stay updated on upcoming dates, see below and follow Total Wife on Instagram at @totalwife.
TOTAL WIFE LIVE 2025
SEPTEMBER
21 - The Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA
22 - DRKMTTR - Nashville, TN
23 - TBA - Cincinnati, OH
24 - Government Center - Pittsburgh, PA
26 - Legacy HiFi - Washington, D.C.
27 - Purgatory - Ridgewood, NY
28 - TBA - Philadelphia, PA
OCTOBER
2 - The Blue Room - Nashville, TN*
* - with Dummy
TOTAL WIFE
COME BACK DOWN
JULIA’S WAR RECORDINGS
1. in my head
2. peaches
3. internetsupermagazine
4. naoisa
5. second spring
6. still asleep
7. chloe
8. (dead b)
9. ofersi3
10. make it last
ABOUT TOTAL WIFE:
Come Back Down, the new album by Nashville experimental-pop duo Total Wife, was born from the edge of sleep. When composer and producer Luna Kupper would begin to fall asleep during late-night mixing sessions, the songs would follow her into the halfway place between dream and lucidity. Like Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks, she’d wake with a new perspective on the puzzle she was piecing together. “I’m a psychological mixer — I’m trying to think of how someone’s experiencing the sound, versus getting stuck in trying to make all these different tones and using all this gear to make something sound a certain way,” Kupper says.
And like a spiral from waking life into dream, the songs on Come Back Down are endlessly self-referential, building whole universes from a single point. Kupper sold all of her synths to make rent before she started working on the album, and so every inorganic sound is instead built from samples of the band’s own work. A guitar on one song may be reprocessed and used as a synth on the next, while everywhere on the album vocal samples are taken from a single unreleased cover of Elliott Smith’s “Between the Bars.” In tribute to this process, the album was almost named The Julia Set after the mathematical equation which feeds into itself again and again, creating beautiful fractal images. The intention was to create something complex but accessible; experimental, yet precise and without abstraction.
In her lyrics, too, lyricist and vocalist Ash Richter is as straightforward as she’s ever been. She drew on her experience of pandemic isolation to write about connection and disconnection, using her lyrics as a tool for the communication that was missing in everyday life. On the soaring, shoegazey track “peaches”, a storm that forced the cancellation of a recording session became a metaphor for emotional distance. “still asleep” chronicles Richter’s euphoria after Total Wife’s first tour, and watches it begins to curdle into paranoia. “Thank the full moon, my heart is overflowing,” she sings, before: “Is there such a thing as too happy?” The experience of isolation was prompting Richter to think back to her childhood, a time marked for her by solitude and natural play — climbing trees, making mud pies, getting lost in the woods. On tracks like “in my head” and “second spring”, she uses the imagery of nature to recall that time and forge a connection with her lonely inner child. “I feel connected with transcendentalist writing and magical realism — trying to convey things in a concrete way, but with that element of psychology and mystery,” she says.
Richter and Kupper, friends from high school, formed Total Wife in 2016, relocating from Boston to Nashville in 2020. Both are visual artists as well as musicians, which they incorporate into their work with Total Wife via layered and purposeful visuals. A DIY streak underpins everything that they do — from handling their own artwork and music videos to recording their own music, releasing tapes through their label Ivy Eat Home, and hosting house shows in the basement they’ve christened Ryman 2. In Nashville, they’ve settled into a weirdo scene living under the record industry’s floorboards, a hive of collaborative and creative energy that has made them excited to call the city home. They’ve also assembled a live band for the first time, injecting their creative process with a jolt of spontaneity and aliveness that has fed back into Come Back Down.
ABOUT JULIA’S WAR RECORDINGS:
Julia’s War Recordings is a community-based record label out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but serving the greater world as a whole. Founded by Douglas Dulgarian of They Are Gutting A Body of Water in 2021, we aim to provide physical media for bands that rock, for people pushing the boundaries of music and creation in the modern day.
Photo Credit: Sean Booz
CONNECT WITH TOTAL WIFE:
BANDCAMP | SPOTIFY | YOUTUBE | INSTAGRAM
CONNECT WITH JULIA’S WAR RECORDINGS:
