Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 107
April 28, 2025
Nilüfer Yanya shares new single "Cold Heart"
NILÜFER YANYA SHARES NEW SINGLE “COLD HEART”
Nilüfer Yanya by Molly Daniel
“Cold Heart”
LISTEN:
https://niluferyanya.lnk.to/coldPR
What the press is saying about Nilüfer Yanya:
“A melodically rich meditation on identity, desire and the reverberations of heartache, My Method Actor is confident and hypnotic”
The New York Times
"Ms. Yanya remains a master of emotional shading with a knack for writing tunes that stay with you after a single play. The expressive power of her singing continues to set her apart"
The Wall Street Journal
"Nilüfer Yanya returns with the vibrant, spare and breathtaking ‘My Method Actor’. The London-based singer-songwriter is like no one else out there, offering songs that appear at first like pleasing soft sketches until they reveal their depth and power, like tissue paper made of palladium."
Associated Press
"On ‘My Method Actor,’ Nilüfer Yanya draws deeply from a search for meaning with vulnerability and humor. Yanya has created a collection of songs that both grasp at the opacity of what is to come and revel in the freedom of letting go. ‘My Method Actor’ is Yanya’s most self-assured and driven album to date"
The FADER
(April 28th, 2025) - Today, Nilüfer Yanya shares a new single “Cold Heart.” The song was written alongside a collection of tracks that Nilüfer re-approached with her creative partner Wilma Archer when she returned from touring her latest record. The song opens with a synth melody and Nilüfer’s haunting vocals. Nilüfer shares, “This one turned out pretty different to how I imagined it. The initial melody felt very spacious, like there’s room for anything to happen. It felt like a kind of experiment.”
Nilüfer will be performing at a string of European festivals over the summer including Glastonbury, Green Man, All Points East, Primavera a la Ciutat, Best Kept Secret, Way Out West, and Oya Festival. The dates follow her headline tour across North America, the UK and Europe last year selling over 25,000 tickets including sold out shows at Brooklyn Steel in NY, The Fonda in LA, HERE @ Outernet in London and two nights at La Bellevilloise in Paris.
The new single follows Nilüfer Yanya’s latest album My Method Actor, which was released to overwhelming critical praise with a Best New Music stamp from Pitchfork and the New York Times describing as, “A melodically rich meditation on identity, desire and the reverberations of heartache.”
The album bloomed into being in unexpected ways helping Yanya make sense of her world and the ways it’s changing, entering her late twenties and grappling with what it means to be an established musician.
My Method Actor follows Nilüfer’s previous albums PAINLESS and Miss Universe, both of which also received high praise, ranking among the year's best by The New York Times, NPR, Pitchfork, Vulture and more. Nilüfer performed celebrated singles on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Stephen Colbert, Later with Jools Holland and NPR’s legendary Tiny Desk concert series. She’s supported Adele, the XX and Mitski on tour, headlined London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire and sold out shows across Europe, Australia, Japan and the USA. Yanya has also been remixed by Sampha, King Krule and Little Dragon and has collaborated with Bombay Bicycle Club and Liss. Nilüfer is a founding member of the community project Artists In Transit which takes creative workshops and other support to displaced communities and people in times of hardship.
Listen to “Cold Heart” above and stay tuned for more from Nilüfer Yanya coming soon.
Connect with Nilüfer Yanya:
Peter Bjorn and John's Writer’s Block Tour Comes to Just Like Heaven in Pasadena on May 10th!
Photo by Johan Bergmark
New York, NY – 5th February 2025 – Acclaimed Swedish indie-pop band Peter Bjorn and John are bringing their iconic Writer’s Block album back to life on a highly anticipated U.S. tour in May 2025. This marks the band’s first stateside shows in six years and commemorates the 19th anniversary of their breakthrough LP, originally released in 2006. The announcement follows news of the band’s appearance at this year’s Just Live Heaven Festival in Pasadena, CA on May 10th where they’ll be playing alongside Vampire Weekend, Rilo Kiley, Bloc Party and TV on the Radio.
Writer’s Block is widely regarded as one of the most influential albums of the mid-2000s. The LP was one of Pitchfork’s “Best New Music” picks and had The Guardian calling it “A delight, from start to finish.” The album’s single “Young Folks,” featuring Victoria Bergsman, became an era-defining anthem, earning widespread and long-lasting acclaim. The song’s infectious whistling has been spotlighted in numerous cultural discussions and earlier this year The New York Times featured “Young Folks” in their “In Praise of Whistling in Pop Music” newsletter and playlist “The Amplifier.” In addition, the song was featured prominently in two of the period's biggest TV shows – Gossip Girl and How I Met Your Mother.
Furthermore, several album tracks caught the ear of some very well-known rappers. Kanye West rapped over “Young Folks” for his 2007 mixtape Can’t Tell Me Nothing, and in 2009 Drake sampled “Let’s Call It Off” on his track of the same name and Azealia Banks rapped over “The Chills,” retitling the track “The Chill$.”
This milestone tour offers fans a chance to relive Writer’s Block in its entirety, along with other beloved hits from Peter Bjorn and John’s extensive discography. The band’s innovative approach to songwriting and their knack for crafting timeless melodies have solidified their place as indie pop pioneers, and this tour promises to celebrate their enduring legacy. Confirmed dates are below and for the most up-to-date information please visit www.peterbjornandjohn.com.
Click Here for Ticket Info!
09 May: San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
10 May: Pasadena, CA @ Just Like Heaven
13 May: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
14 May: Denver, CO @ Bluebird
16 May: Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
17 May: Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
19 May: Toronto, ON @ Great Hall
21 May: New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
22 May: Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
23 May: Washington DC @ Black Cat
Stay Connected with Peter Bjorn and John
Official Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | www.ingrd.com
MAREUX Announces New Album 'Nonstop Romance' on Revolution / Warner Records. Shares "Laugh Now Cry Later" Single.
MAREUX
Announces New Album Nonstop Romance
Coming June 27 via Revolution / Warner Records
Releases Lead Single “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Performing at Los Angeles’ Cruel World Festival May 17
Photo By Jason Renaud, Styled By Viviana Lira / Assisted by Anh "Ta" Doan
Los Angeles, CA (April 28, 2025) – Where most artists would double down on the sleek, sexy, and smooth-as-onyx darkwave and goth-pop that landed them in the spotlight in the first place, Mareux’s (Aryan Ashtiani) sophomore album - Nonstop Romance - is rough and unmannered, completely drunk in love and refusing to walk it off. Like a frilly valentine scuffed on hard pavement, it’s simultaneously gushing and fractured, distorted into illegibility but transparent in its intentions. Today, Mareux gives us his glimpse into Nonstop Romance with the album’s most downhearted track – “Laugh Now Cry Later” via Revolution / Warner Records. Listen to “Laugh Now Cry Later” HERE and pre-save Nonstop Romance HERE.
“I started writing this song way back in 2018 and it’s gone through several evolutions since then. At the time, I was coming off of a bad relationship and was feeling bitter. I brought it back recently, not inspired by my own misfortunes, but those of some of my friends. This song is a standout on the album, not because it’s better than the other songs, but because it’s the saddest song on it,” says Mareux.
Throughout Nonstop Romance, Mareux sets up his songs like Venus fly traps, beaming romance and thumping beats underlit in a sinister red. Maintaining that balance—between the album’s obvious pleasure and the quiet threat that accompanies it—is central to its ethos.
“I’m trying to make something that’s reflective of me getting older,” Mareux says. While that’s usually code for calmer, more intimate material, the top priority of the adult life Mareux both celebrates and questions is having fun. “Could you put it on in your house with people around and not bring the mood down?” was the question that guided him.
“I’ve noticed that as artists get better or more seasoned, they go for a more polished, studio sound and lose their grit,” Mareux says. “I like when music sounds like found footage.” While writing and recording Nonstop Romance in his bedroom in Los Angeles’ Lincoln Heights neighborhood over the span of 2024, he’d set up an old CRT TV and watched films on mute for inspiration—anything from Andrei Tarkovsky and Alejandro Jodorowsky to Hype Williams’ Nas and DMX-starring Belly. If this sounds like an unlikely combination, Mareux fits them together naturally in Nonstop Romance, blending smeared tape-residue synths into readymade club hits.
On Nonstop Romance, Mareux prioritizes feel and vibe over clarity. Still, anyone who fell in love with his music via his viral cover of The Cure’s “The Perfect Girl” (now certified platinum Stateside, and gold in France) or the heartfelt noir of 2023’s Lovers from the Past will find plenty to swoon over here. This is an album that wears its title on its sleeve; it’s an earnest manifestation of Mareux’s desire to “make every day about making someone happy and giving them the best life possible.” Though he brings a meticulous ear to the textures and rhythms that clash across this album, it’s all in service to a greater goal. “I only care about one thing,” Mareux says, “and that’s being in love.”
Nonstop Romance Tracklist:
1 - Blackmail
2 - Radio Club
3 - Nonstop Romance
4 - Wild at Heart
5 - Ébène Fumé Ft. Riki
6 - Prodigy
7 - Blue
8 - Laugh Now Cry Later
9 - Snake Eyes
Mareux Live Dates:
May 17: Pasadena, CA - Cruel World Festival
More dates to be announced…
Follow Mareux:
CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE drops genre melding 2nd ALBUM 'Whoop It Up'
Drops genre melding 2nd ALBUM 'Whoop It Up' Listen here New single 'ReadyYeah feat. TAKE-M'. Watch the video here New London show announced, 18th May @ Shacklewell Arms Live at The Great Escape Festival Brighton on 15th & 16th May Where ’90s Vibes Meet Future Pop CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE’s latest release embodies their signature genre-blurring sound through bold, cross-border collaborations. This project features an eclectic mix of artists, including American rapper MadeinTYO, Finnish producer Rony Rex, Coolboi from South Strip, Japanese rapper TAKE-M from Umeda Cypher, and PES, formerly of the legendary Japanese rap group RIP SLYME, who made a limited-time comeback. Each collaborator brings a unique flavor, culminating in a vibrant and cohesive musical experience. As their international presence continues to grow, CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE reaffirms their role as boundary-breakers, redefining the global music landscape. “Whoop It Up” (April 25, 2025) 1. So-so Life2. Growing3. Ready Yeah feat. TAKE-M4. Cranky5. Donkey Song6. Sleepy Monkey7. Flower8. Secret March9. REACH feat. PES10. I Know feat. MadeinTYO11. Can’t Hold Back [Coolboi x CLWP]12. Cookie Junkie [Rony Rex x CLWP]13. Tin Toy14. REACH feat. PES (End Credits Edit) CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE (CLWP) is a solo unit founded by Chi-, known for her bright orange hair. The band also includes two other members, Whoopies No.1 and Whoopies No.2. Together, they not only write and perform music together but are also involved in various other creative endeavors. Their debut single, “Dear Idiot,” was released in December 2019. In 2021, they were selected as one of the featured artists for “Spotifyʼs RADAR: Early Noise 2021”. The following year, they performed at one of Japan’s biggest festivals, Summer Sonic 2022, in Tokyo and Osaka. In 2023, their first-ever appearance at SXSW was praised by VIBE as one of the “10 Best Performances We Saw At SXSW 2023” among over 1,000 participating artists. In 2024, their SXSW performances were highlighted by British media outlet CLASH as one of the “SXSW 2024: The Best 15 Acts.” With growing recognition and continuous collaboration requests from musicians and producers across various genres and countries, CLWP is pushing creative boundaries as a next-generation artist. Live: 15th May - The Great Escape, Patterns, Brighton16th May - The Great Escape, Manchester Street Arts Club, Brighton18th May - Shacklewell Arms, London Website | Instagram | X | YouTube | TikTok
The White Stripes Named Among Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025
THE WHITE STRIPES NAMED AMONG
ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME
CLASS OF 2025
Photo Credit: Pieter M Van Hattem
The White Stripes are among the inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025. The 6x GRAMMY® Award-winning, 11x GRAMMY® Award-nominated band – Jack and Meg White – join esteemed fellow 2025 inductees Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, and Soundgarden. The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction will be live on Saturday, November 8th at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, CA. The 2025 ceremony will once again stream live on Disney+, with a special airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day. For more information, please visit https://rockhall.com/inductees/white-stripes/.
Cazzu shares "Ódiame" music video from new album 'Latinaje'
CAZZU SHARES MUSIC VIDEO FOR “ÓDIAME”
FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM LATINAJE OUT NOW
Ódiame video still
What the press is saying about Latinaje:
“a sprawling, ambitious, and unifying celebration of Latin American music, anchored on genre roots and invested in exploring a wide array of styles with sympathetic ears.”
ROLLING STONE
"confidently traverses Latin and Spanish styles: tango, flamenco, bolero and more.”
THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Ódiame”
WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHjdrqvicN4
Latinaje
LISTEN: https://orcd.co/latinaje
(April 28, 2025) - Today, Latin Grammy-nominated artist Cazzu shares the music video for “Ódiame.” Directed by Cazzu, the video references Argentine film actress and tango dancer Tita Merello and the show business of that era. The video unfolds in a series of vignettes, each capturing different aspects of relationships, from moments of tenderness to explosive confrontations. “Ódiame” is the latest video from Cazzu’s recently released fifth studio album, Latinaje.
Entirely written by Cazzu and produced by Nico Cotton, Latinaje is a deeply introspective exploration of love in all its forms - fiery, fractured, eternal, and ephemeral. Through powerful storytelling, Cazzu places herself at the heart of narratives that reveal her strength, vulnerability, and the nuanced realities of love and identity as a Latin American woman. The album is a rich tapestry of sound, blending copla, tango, cumbia, bachata, corrido and Argentine folklore into a genre-defying journey. With every sonic and visual choice rooted in a celebration of Latin identity, Latinaje transforms personal chaos into art, offering a bold, contemporary tribute to the cultural diversity of the continent.
Latinaje features previously released singles “La Cueva” in which the video unfolds in a country house consumed by flames - a striking metaphor for the collapse of a relationship. In the corrido “Dolce,” the protagonist enacts revenge on a treacherous lover. Meanwhile, cumbia single “Con Otra” pays reference to Karina “La Princesita” and tells the story of a young woman navigating love and identity in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Across stories and experiences, Cazzu places women firmly at the heart of Latinaje, portraying their strength, vulnerability, and deep connection to culture. Rather than relying on stereotypes, the women in this album emerge as complex, multidimensional characters, each with a distinct voice and a powerful story. Through their journeys, Latinaje becomes a bold statement on the importance of visibility and empowerment for women in a cultural landscape still heavily shaped by machismo and patriarchal tradition.
For the cover art, Cazzu enlisted acclaimed photographer Sebastián Faena to capture a beautiful portrait: the artist standing amidst the Carnival of Jujuy, a powerful expression of Argentina’s cultural soul. Steeped in ancestral Andean rituals and Spanish tradition, the festival becomes more than a backdrop - it’s a symbol of resistance, identity, and artistic lineage. Through this photo, the album extends its voice beyond sound, becoming a celebration of heritage etched in color, movement, and memory.
Cazzu is a fearless and versatile artist from Argentina who has become one of the most influential voices in Latin urban music. She rose to fame in 2019 with her breakthrough album Error 93, featuring standout tracks like “Visto a las 00” and “Mucha Data.” The project solidified her presence in Latin trap and led to major collaborations with artists such as Bad Bunny and Khea. She followed up with the Bonus Trap EP and genre-crossing hits like “Ladrón” with Lali and “Animal” with María Becerra, proving her ability to evolve while staying true to her roots.
In 2021, Cazzu unveiled a darker, more conceptual side with Nena Trampa and joined forces with BZRP and Justin Quiles. That year also brought award nominations and a triumphant return to touring across Latin America. In 2022, she made history as one of the first Argentine artists to perform at Coachella and also lit up stages at Lollapalooza and Viña del Mar. With global chart success and collaborations with Rauw Alejandro, Young Miko and Feid, Cazzu continues to break barriers and redefine the landscape of Latin urban music.
Watch the music video for “Ódiame,” listen to Latinaje and stay tuned for more from Cazzu coming soon.
Latinaje album art by Sebastian Faena
Cazzu
Latinaje
DALE PLAY Records / RIMAS Entertainment
April 24, 2025
1. Intro
2. Mala Suerte
3. Me Toco Perder
4. Dolce
5. La Cueva
6. Odiame
7. Pobrecito Mi Patron
8. Con Otra
9. Engreido (feat. Elena Rose)
10. Que Disparen
11. Inti
12. Ahora (feat. Maka)
13. Quiereme Asi (feat. Wui)
14. Menu De Degustacion
Cazzu by Sebastian Faena
Connect with Cazzu:
STARS OF THE LID announce ‘Music for Nitrous Oxide’ (30 Year Anniversary Remastered) reissue + share ‘Adamord’ triptych visual
Watch/share 'Adamord' (Edit) triptych visual
Pre-Order
Stars of the Lid are set to reissue their debut album ‘Music for Nitrous Oxide’ this summer, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the seminal album. Released 25th July via Adam Wiltzie’s Artificial Pinearch Manufacturing imprint, the album has been remastered by Grammy-winning sound engineer Francesco Donadello and will be released on vinyl for the first time following the original CD release by Rob Forman’s Sedimental Records back in 1995. “In the wake of losing Brian almost two years ago, I felt it was time to revisit and acknowledge this long-forgotten archive on the beginning of Stars Of The Lid,” adds Wiltzie. Stars of the Lid may have released two of the most important and influential ambient-drone albums of the 21st century, inspiring generations of musicians, authors, artists, and filmmakers, developing a cult following and near-mythic status. Over the course of their career, they have excelled at designing subtle, minimalist epics that sound as if they’re being played on a single multifaceted organic instrument. Their music tells subtle, endlessly evolving stories about the dynamics of sonic texture while simultaneously offering a picture of pure, unfettered consciousness. Their compositions are beatless soundscapes crafted from droning, effects-treated guitars alongside piano, strings, and horns. Volume swells and feedback fill the space typically occupied by rhythmic instruments, creating a sense of dynamic movement within their pieces. A wise man once described the band as “divine classical drones without the tedious intrusions of drums, or vocals”. However, back in 1995, they were nowhere. Well, not exactly nowhere, they were in Austin, Texas, to be precise, a city that Adam Wiltzie describes as a “rock and roll village, mostly… We were 100% in a vacuum and there was absolutely nobody that even remotely enjoyed what we were doing.” This is the environment into which ‘Music for Nitrous Oxide’ was born, the first album from Wiltzie and his accomplice Brian McBride, made in glorious lo-fi in the semi-arid live music capital of the world. Wiltzie met McBride in 1990 at the University of Texas, where the latter used to present his esoteric student radio show: “Brian was playing tape collages and weird samples,” remembers Adam. “I liked the show, and I used to listen to it, and then we kinda got to be friends and we started hanging out. I bought a four-track cassette recorder, and we just started experimenting. I was doing guitar drones, and he was making weird noises with all these cassette tapes that he had.” The band’s official formation date is Christmas Day, 1992. Armed with the four-track, some guitars and a primitive Casio SK-5 sampler, the pair began making ‘Music for Nitrous Oxide,’ setting themselves on an unusual, lifechanging trajectory. That debut album has taken on a near-mythical quality in the intervening years, the cosmic microwave background of an expansive universe that contains those aforementioned classics ‘The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid’ from 2001 and 2007’s ‘And Their Refinement of the Decline,’ and also the duo’s breakthrough album ‘The Ballasted Orchestra’ from 1997 which this album shares so much of its DNA with. ‘Music for Nitrous Oxide’ was where it all began, recorded with perfunctory equipment (at least by today’s standards) that also included a DAT tape machine for ‘Lid (Live)’ and eventually a Revox reel-to-reel for the closer ‘Goodnight’. Before we can get there, we have to go back to the start, and what an unusual start it is too. Seconds of arrested silence seem to tick away on opener ‘Before Top Dead Center’, an aeon in the streaming age. Hold your breath and marvel at the aberration before far-off sonic asteroids begin slowly colliding with the magnetic tape. If a fade-in seems like career suicide seen through the prism of modern digital streaming etiquettes, then what Stars of the Lid were doing in 1995 was entirely against the grain too. Chaos creeps into the vacillating loops, where Star Trek: The Next Generation meets Chopin in the layered, enigmatic swirl of ‘Down’. ‘Tape Hiss Makes Me Happy’, meanwhile, takes feedback and renders it beautiful by slowing everything down to a dilatory pace. This certainly wasn’t music for everybody, but the feeling Stars of the Lid were out on a limb was soon to dissipate. Music journalist Simon Reynolds, writing in The Wire in November of that year, began to join dots between likeminded artists – whether that be Labradford in Richmond, Virginia, Tortoise in Chicago, or Mogwai in Glasgow, Scotland – with many of these artists discovering common ground with other global outliers. Suddenly what had been created in isolation became part of a wider post-rock “scene” predicated on European space rock, avant garde jazz and ambient sound design. “I think it's probably true that most musicians would say they loathe or despise the genre that they're categorized into,” says Adam, “but you have to be classified as something. The funny thing about post-rock is that Tortoise and Stars of the Lid don’t sound anything alike at all. I thought we were supposed to all live in this big house together or something?” During a hiatus in the late 2000s, Wiltzie started A Winged Victory for the Sullen with composer Dustin O'Halloran and has since scored films and documentaries, whilst McBride made his move west, released a couple of solo albums and coached the debate team at University of Southern California. The duo returned to the stage in the mid-2010s for a series of revered tours, including a rare, filmed performance for Boiler Room at Brooklyn’s St. Agnes Church in 2015. Featuring a string nonet, this performance exquisitely captures how they transform their songs into a mesmerising, multidimensional experience. Stars of the Lid played their last show in Iceland in 2017, and another extended hiatus followed. In 2023, Brian McBride passed away. Tracklisting ‘Before Top Dead Center’ (2025 Remaster)‘Adamord’ (2025 Remaster)‘Madison’ (2025 Remaster)‘Down’ (2025 Remaster)‘Lagging’ (2025 Remaster)‘Lid (Live)’ (2025 Remaster)‘Tape Hiss Makes Me Happy’ (2025 Remaster)‘The Swellsong’ (2025 Remaster)‘Goodnight’ (2025 Remaster) The critics on Stars of the Lid: “Masters of slo-mo sublimation, able to conjure great cumulonimbuses of sound, tall and broad and imposing without a storm ever breaking out.” The Guardian “Impeccably beautiful sounds." Pitchfork “[SOTL] reshaped how listeners understood ambient music.” NPR “[SOTL] have made some of the most affecting ambient music of our time.” Resident Advisor “[SOTL are] making the most important music of the 21st century.” Ivo Watts-Russell, 4AD founder
April 27, 2025
AGAPE LODGE POETRY SOCIETY April 27th 2025 @ Ultrasound Studios DTLA
All photos taken by Alexander Laurence
April 26, 2025
Circuit des Yeux @ Zebulon SAT 04.26.25 // THE PORTABLE INFINITE
All photos taken by Alexander Laurence
April 25, 2025
The Brian Jonestown Massacre New Single 'Makes Me Great'/ 'Out Of Body' / North American Tour This Fall
THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRENEW SINGLE 'MAKES ME GREAT/OUT OF BODY'OUT TODAY ON 10” VINYL OUT TODAY ON A RECORDINGSLISTEN NORTH AMERICA TOUR THIS FALL
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Photo: Joe Eley "Makes Me Great and B-side Out Of Body are Anton Newcombe in woozy, feet-up mode, all soporific vocals and easy grooves, the latter eventually stretching its wings for an outro that sounds like Morricone conducting Go Let It Out-era Oasis."-The New Cue
THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE's new single, 'Makes Me Great / Out Of Body’, a swirl of hypnotic grooves and fuzzed-out transcendence is released today digitally and on red, transparent 10” vinyl, via Anton Newcombe’s record label, A Recordings. Following a hugely successful UK and European tour earlier this year, the band return to North America this fall for an extensive run of live shows, including two dates with special guests, Cast, making their first US appearance in nearly 30 years. Tickets on sale now.
It is over 30 years since Anton Newcombe – frontman, songwriter, composer, studio owner, multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, father, force of nature – and his band The Brian Jonestown Massacre released their first single She Made Me / Evergreen. Released in 1992, as the British music press descended on the US to anoint the next US guitar band as flavour of the month and major labels were on the hunt for the compliant hopefuls to be their latest quick fix, Anton Newcombe had an idea: say no. As leader of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Newcombe had already established himself as a visionary songwriter, a man to whom making music wasn’t a lifestyle choice or a hipster haircut but the very fabric of existence itself, and he had observed in silent horror as his peers meekly acquiesced to everything – yes to contracts, yes to management, yes to suggestions, yes to this, yes to that, yes, yes, yes. But he was different. Anton Newcombe was going to say no to everything. “I just knew I would be more successful in a certain way by saying no, just being contrary because I figured that if people liked me they were gonna like me anyway,” he says. “Or dislike me. It doesn’t matter.”
Much of this was documented on the controversial documentary ‘Dig!’, which is still hailed as one of the best rock documentaries ever made, and celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year with the remastered, expanded version “Dig! XX.”
Brian Jonestown Massacre’s shoegazing-tinged debut album Methodrone was released in 1995 and since then numerous band members have joined Newcombe on his sonic escapades, but he has remained the sole constant, the creative mastermind at the centre of one of music’s most fascinating bands. There have been a further 20 albums under the Brian Jonestown Massacre moniker since then, each embarking on their own mind-expanding adventure and exploring the outer realms of rock’n’roll; psychedelic rock, country-blues, snarling rock’n’roll, blissed-out noise-pop and more.
Along the way, Newcombe has established himself as a once-in-a-lifetime talent who saw the direction in which mainstream indie-rock was heading and opted to take the long way round. He’s emerged as a revolutionary force in modern music, an underground hero. There was no other way, this was how it had to be. “My only option with everything in life has always been that you just jump into the fire,” he declared. “It doesn’t matter what it is.”
It's with that spirit that he’s hopped around the globe, from the West Coast to New York, from Manhattan to Iceland, and then to Berlin, where he’s lived for 15 years and has two flats, one to live in and one that’s been converted into his studio. After a hugely prolific 2010s that saw the release of eight long-players and one mini-album, Newcombe had been going through a period of writer’s block when one day he picked up his 12-string guitar and The Real (the opening track on previous album Fire Doesn’t Grow on Trees) came out of him. Like the kraken, it was as if he’d summoned it. “All of a sudden, I just heard something,” he says. “And then it just didn’t stop. We tracked a whole song every single day for 70 days in a row.” By the end of it they had 2 albums ready to go. Joining Newcombe in the studio for The Future Is Your Past were Hakon Adalsteinsson (guitar) and Uri Rennert (drums).
Brian Jonestown Massacre released their 20th full-length studio album The Future Is Your Past, in February 2023 on Anton’s record label, A Recordings. In 2022 / 2023, they completed a massive world tour that saw them play 34 dates in North America, 25 dates across Europe and 16 dates in the UK. Towards the end of 2024, they released ‘Don’t Look At Me’ ft. Aimee Nash. It is a delicious slice of hypnotic shoegaze with Nash lyrically casting a spell with the mantra “Do No Harm.”
There is no such thing as a defining statement in Anton Newcombe’s world anymore, just more chapters that contribute to the tale. “Nobody can stop me, I’m not asking somebody, I’m not making the rounds at Warners, saying ‘please put out my record!’. It’s just for me,” he says. He hopes he can be an inspiration to others. “I would love to see more groups, people playing music in the UK and everywhere else because I really enjoy it. That’s the only reason I need. It’s the only reason to do stuff.” That hits to the core of what makes Anton Newcombe and Brian Jonestown Massacre tick. He’ll keep jumping in that fire. That’s how he rolls. Savor it. LIVE SHOWS: Sept. 3 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC Sept. 4 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA Sept. 5 – Basement East – Nashville, TN Sept. 6 – Orange Peel – Asheville, NC Sept. 8 – 9:30 Club – Washington, D.C. Sept. 9 – Webster Hall – New York, NY - with special guests, CastSept. 10 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA - with special guests, CastSept. 12 – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MASept. 13 – Beanfield Theatre – Montreal, QCSept. 14 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON Sept. 16 – Globe Iron – Cleveland, OH Sept. 17 – Majestic Theatre – Detroit, MI Sept. 18 – Mercury Ballroom – Louisville, KY Sept. 19 – Hi-Fi Annex – Indianapolis, IN Sept. 20 – Majestic Theatre – Madison, WI Sept. 22 – Metro – Chicago, IL Sept. 23 – Slowdown – Omaha, NE Sept. 24 – recordBar – Kansas City, MO Sept. 26 – Studio at The Factory – Dallas, TX Sept. 28 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX Oct. 31 – Music Box – San Diego, CA Nov. 1 – Pappy and Harriet’s – Pioneertown, CA
Nov. 2 – Observatory OC – Santa Ana, CA Nov. 4 – SLO Brew – San Luis Obispo, CA Nov. 6 – Swan Dive – Las Vegas, NV Nov. 7 – The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ Nov. 8 – Tumbleroot – Santa Fe, NM Nov. 10 – Gothic Theatre – Englewood, CO Nov. 11 – Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO Nov. 13 – Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT Nov. 14 – Shrine Social Club – Boise, ID Nov. 15 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA Nov. 16 – The Pearl – Vancouver, B.C Nov. 18 – Revolution Hall – Portland, OR Nov. 20 – Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA Nov. 21 – Rio Theatre – Santa Cruz, CA Nov. 22 – Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA Nov. 23 – Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA TICKETS
Single Artwork by Francis Delacroix PRESS FROM THE BJM’S JAN / FEB UK TOUR"Brian Jonestown Massacre have a cult following big enough to warrant the publication of an acclaimed memoir by percussionist Joel Gion and big enough that this large UK tour includes a date at Brixton Academy… Newcombe is really adept at coming up with melodies and guitar figures that sound immediately familiar, as if you know them already from a song you can’t quite place – a genuine skill." - Guardian
"The San Francisco band’s story is one of defiance, survival and surprise…surprise that they’re not only still here, but are seemingly bigger than ever… There’s something gloriously anachronistic about their look and sound, but also something timeless. Newcombe wears his influences on his sleeve, and the melange of The Byrds’ metallic jangle, the shoegaze of Ride and a Stones-esque swagger has given the band the feeling of always being out of time, but never out of fashion." - Louder Than War
“The Brian Jonestown’s ability to create an immersive live experience remains unparalleled and this Brixton gig was a masterclass in psychedelia, intensity, and raw musical craftsmanship.” - Music News
"A night of hypnotic grooves, kaleidoscopic guitars, and the kind of immersive psychedelia that only they can provide… The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s live show is not just a performance - it’s an experience. At the O2 Institute Birmingham, they proved once again why they remain one of the most compelling acts in modern psychedelic rock. Newcombe’s vision, combined with the band’s tight musicianship, created a night of sonic transcendence that few in attendance will soon forget." - RockShot
"I’ve never seen this band so tight before, so hyper focused on one goal, to take this crowd away from the world and into the galaxy." - Northern Exposure
“A spiritual experience.” - Essentially Pop
"One of the most unpredictable and brilliant bands of our time. Despite their underground status, the band’s influence on music is undeniable, they defy expectations and remain a vital and uncompromising force in modern music. It’s also been a reminder that, for all their psychedelic flourishes, The Brian Jonestown Massacre are a damn fine rock and roll band at heart." - All Music
"For longtime fans, this was a revelation. For newcomers, it was an entry point into one of the most enigmatic live bands in modern psychedelia. Either way, it was a night that will linger in the minds of those who witnessed it—a reminder that when the Brian Jonestown Massacre are locked in, there are few who can match their magic." - 5/5 - The Modern Record
“This is a band who are enjoying their craft and is truly authentic in their approach to rock ‘n’ roll. In a world filled with wannabees and try hards, The Brian Jonestown Massacre still prove to be one of the main driving forces in rock and psychedelic culture, forever etched into the history books as rock ‘n’ roll legends…” - Rockwell Unscene
"The Brian Jonestown Massacre delivered a night of immersive psychedelia that reminded us why they remain such a compelling force in live music.” - Glasgow Music
"Anton Newcombe lounges in his own brilliant, startling, divine genius and at the point where you want to shout something at him just to snap yourself out of his spell, in another masterful stroke he beats you to it and says, “look at this!” and blows your mind." - The Gryphon, Leeds Student “The night ends to an exhilarating high. The final chords chime out, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre has shown that they can still create an immersive musical experience!” - Backseat Mafia
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