Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 1177
July 1, 2020
International Reggae Day Kicks Off With Official Music Video From Toots and the Maytals' 'Got To Be Tough'
TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS RELEASE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR ‘GOT TO BE TOUGH’ FIRST STUDIO ALBUM IN A DECADE TO BE RELEASED VIA TROJAN JAMAICA/BMG ON AUGUST 28
PRE-SAVE/ORDER ‘GOT TO BE TOUGH’ LP
WATCH | LISTEN‘GOT TO BE TOUGH’
PRE-SAVE/ORDER
‘GOT TO BE TOUGH’ LP (OUT 8/28)
"The song's message proves universal and timely." – Rolling Stone Magazine
“The song is an inspirational anthem during a time as hectic as now.” – PASTE Magazine
“The new single ‘Got to Be Tough’ has all of the classic reggae benchmarks, including offbeat rhythms and urgent, staccato chords. It also continues Toots’ longstanding interest in social justice.” – Consequence of Sound
“Got to Be Tough is a call to action and a reminder to stay strong for the cause.” – Exclaim! Magazine
“’Got To Be Tough’ is a reminder to stay strong when corrupt systems rear their heads.” – Rolling Stone Magazine
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Following the astounding global reception from the announcement of his highly anticipated forthcoming studio album ‘Got To Be Tough,’ and the release of his latest timeless single (of the same name), the legendary founder of Reggae, Frederick “Toots” Hibberthas revealed the official music video for ‘Got To Be Tough’ today. Directed by Nick Franco, the video premiered via Rolling Stone Magazine today, watch HERE .
‘Got To Be Tough’ is an energizing provocation that renews the near six-decade career of the man who launched a new sound and genre with his 1968 release, “Do The Reggay.” The single comes with the welcomed news of a full-length Toots and The Maytalsstudio album release – of the same title as the single – set for global release via Trojan Jamaica/BMG Records on August 28 [PRE-SAVE/ORDER HERE ].
“Got To Be Tough” is a reminder that through Toots’ creative veins run all the roots and shoots of the Black Diaspora. Blues, soul, r’n’b, funk, jazz, reggae, African griots – Toots honors, embodies and owns them. Throwing down an authoritative guide: how to survive and thrive among our Earth’s challenges.
During a time of global social and political unrest, Toots’ welcomed return and voice couldn’t be more needed or necessary than ever. Harking back to the start of Ska, during the civil rights movement era in America and Jamaican independence in the 1960s, he has sung iconic truths such as “Monkey Man” and “54-46 Was My Number,” a wry but not bitter response to his unjust incarceration for ganja.
Since his wrongful 1966 imprisonment – which spawned one of his biggest global hits “54-46 Was My Number” -- Toots has gained insight into the corrupt systems that try to dominate our bravest endeavors, and it is in his new resistance music, that his anger at and sensitivity to injustice in 2020 is clearer than ever. Returning with a message, with no apology – a warning, as he repeats for emphasis on his latest single.
Listen to “Got To Be Tough” HERE.
The multiple GRAMMY® Award nominated and winning musician, vocalist, songwriter, producer and icon has made the wait worthwhile, crafting a stubborn groove, designed to inspire tenacity, while splendidly balancing joy and anger, pain and healing. Produced by Toots himself, who also plays many of the instruments on this album, alongside Zak Starkey on guitar, drums from one half of Sly and Robbie, Sly Dunbar, percussion from Cyril Neville, and a mighty horn section arranged by Toots himself.
Tough though the message is, your body has to respond to these songs, and your mind will follow. An impeccable performer himself, Toots knows that the dance itself is a primal exorcism; a greater guarantee than any that, helped by heeding this warning, we will live to Do The Reggay into the 21st century and beyond.
“Got To Be Tough” the album will be available worldwide from August 28.
PRE-SAVE/ORDER HERE.
‘GOT TO BE TOUGH’ TRACK LISTDrop Off Head
Just Brutal
Got To Be Tough
Freedom Train
Warning Warning
Good Thing That You Call
Stand Accuse
Three Little Birds Ft. Ziggy Marley
Having A Party
Struggle
OFFICIAL WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE
LANY debuts "if this is the last time"
LANY UNVEILS NEW SONG “IF THIS IS THE LAST TIME”THIRD ALBUM MAMA’S BOY FORTHCOMING
July 1, 2020—LANY unveils a new single today, “if this is the last time;” listen/share here. The song is from the Los Angeles-based trio’s forthcoming third album
Mama’s Boy
, an intentional return to the band’s Great Plain roots, due out on Interscope Records later this year.“I started writing ‘if this is the last time’ toward the end of 2019,” says frontperson Paul Klein. “It was initially inspired by the inevitable truth that one day my parents aren’t gonna be here anymore, that picking up the phone and calling my mom is actually a luxury that I won’t always have. Moving into 2020 and being thrown into a global pandemic and being faced with a new reality, it became clear to me that finishing and perfecting this song was imperative, that maybe this was a song the world could lean on.”“if this is the last time” follows “
good guys
,” the first single from Mama’s Boy and the band’s first new music since 2018’s Malibu Nights and their hit collaboration with Lauv “
Mean It
” from 2019. After finishing the last leg of their world tour behind Malibu Nights, Paul—the band’s primary songwriter, lyricist and producer who was born and raised in Oklahoma before moving with the band to L.A.—decamped to a studio in the country outside Nashville where he began working on an outline for Mama’s Boy. He polished the demos alongside bandmates Jake Goss and Les Priest and a host of gifted songwriting collaborators including Dan Smyers of Dan + Shay; Shane McAnally, best known for his Grammy-winning contributions to Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour; and songwriting power couple Sasha Sloan and King Henry. Others, including Adele cowriter Dan Wilson, also contributed to the album when the sessions returned to L.A., where Mama’s Boy was completed. Watch the Mama’s Boy album trailer here.Over those two weeks in Nashville Paul began to put into words and music the cognitive dissonance between the L.A. persona he’d adopted over the band’s rise and his Great Plains heritage. “Someone asked me where I was from and somewhere, out of my spirit, I just said ‘Man, I’m from Oklahoma!’ It was a weird sense of pride, to be from the middle of nowhere,” he says of the realization that he needed to look to the country’s heartland for this album’s inspiration. Thematically Mama’s Boy is a sweeping tribute to home, heritage and Americana filled with songs that highlight what’s “symbolic of being an American kid” today.LANY’s breakthrough came with their 2017 self-titled debut, amassing an international fanbase and selling out multiple nights at arenas across the world. Their 2018 follow-up Malibu Nights sealed the deal. Its heartbreak anthems cracked the Billboard Album Chart and connected in a huge way across the globe. The statistics speak for themselves: LANY have a social media following of 5.8 million people, have sold over 415,000 tickets worldwide and played sold-out shows from L.A.’s Greek Theatre to London’s Brixton Academy, with arena shows in major cities planned for this album. Their songs have been streamed over three billion times and they’ve had over 430 million video views to date.But all of this is just the beginning. “There was only one person in the world I cared about hearing Malibu Nights,” says Paul. “Now, there’s not one person in the world I don’t want to hear Mama’s Boy.”
July 1, 2020—LANY unveils a new single today, “if this is the last time;” listen/share here. The song is from the Los Angeles-based trio’s forthcoming third album
Mama’s Boy
, an intentional return to the band’s Great Plain roots, due out on Interscope Records later this year.“I started writing ‘if this is the last time’ toward the end of 2019,” says frontperson Paul Klein. “It was initially inspired by the inevitable truth that one day my parents aren’t gonna be here anymore, that picking up the phone and calling my mom is actually a luxury that I won’t always have. Moving into 2020 and being thrown into a global pandemic and being faced with a new reality, it became clear to me that finishing and perfecting this song was imperative, that maybe this was a song the world could lean on.”“if this is the last time” follows “
good guys
,” the first single from Mama’s Boy and the band’s first new music since 2018’s Malibu Nights and their hit collaboration with Lauv “
Mean It
” from 2019. After finishing the last leg of their world tour behind Malibu Nights, Paul—the band’s primary songwriter, lyricist and producer who was born and raised in Oklahoma before moving with the band to L.A.—decamped to a studio in the country outside Nashville where he began working on an outline for Mama’s Boy. He polished the demos alongside bandmates Jake Goss and Les Priest and a host of gifted songwriting collaborators including Dan Smyers of Dan + Shay; Shane McAnally, best known for his Grammy-winning contributions to Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour; and songwriting power couple Sasha Sloan and King Henry. Others, including Adele cowriter Dan Wilson, also contributed to the album when the sessions returned to L.A., where Mama’s Boy was completed. Watch the Mama’s Boy album trailer here.Over those two weeks in Nashville Paul began to put into words and music the cognitive dissonance between the L.A. persona he’d adopted over the band’s rise and his Great Plains heritage. “Someone asked me where I was from and somewhere, out of my spirit, I just said ‘Man, I’m from Oklahoma!’ It was a weird sense of pride, to be from the middle of nowhere,” he says of the realization that he needed to look to the country’s heartland for this album’s inspiration. Thematically Mama’s Boy is a sweeping tribute to home, heritage and Americana filled with songs that highlight what’s “symbolic of being an American kid” today.LANY’s breakthrough came with their 2017 self-titled debut, amassing an international fanbase and selling out multiple nights at arenas across the world. Their 2018 follow-up Malibu Nights sealed the deal. Its heartbreak anthems cracked the Billboard Album Chart and connected in a huge way across the globe. The statistics speak for themselves: LANY have a social media following of 5.8 million people, have sold over 415,000 tickets worldwide and played sold-out shows from L.A.’s Greek Theatre to London’s Brixton Academy, with arena shows in major cities planned for this album. Their songs have been streamed over three billion times and they’ve had over 430 million video views to date.But all of this is just the beginning. “There was only one person in the world I cared about hearing Malibu Nights,” says Paul. “Now, there’s not one person in the world I don’t want to hear Mama’s Boy.”
Evangeline Gentle shares live video "Ordinary People" ~ debut album coming August 21 + bi-weekly livestreams
EVANGELINE GENTLE SHARES
LIVE VIDEO “ORDINARY PEOPLE”SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM SET FOR RELEASE ON AUGUST 21BI-WEEKLY LIVESTREAM PERFORMANCES
Photo credit: Kristal Jones“Evangeline Gentle’s voice communicates an aching warmth that comes with knowing hardness and choosing softness instead.”—CBC Music“Evangeline Gentle’s self-titled album is a triumph”—Exclaim! July 1, 2020—Evangeline Gentle shares their live video “Ordinary People” today; check out the video HERE. The video premiered with Audiofemme, who say, “With Gentle’s voice front and center against acoustic guitar, the song is simple and sweet, as is the video.” The Scottish-Canadian singer-songwriter is set to release their debut album, Evangeline Gentle , on August 21 via Sonic Unyon. Pre-save the album HERE.The video follows the recent release of two a cappella singles and videos, “You and I” and “Black is the Colour,” both of which may be streamed and shared on multiple platforms HERE. In lieu of their recently cancelled spring and summer tour dates, Gentle has been performing live on Facebook and Instagram every other Thursday at 3PM Eastern; check out their streams HERE and HERE.Gentle began writing their self-titled album, produced by Jim Bryson, at the age of 19. Written during several important coming-of-age moments in Gentle’s life, the record focuses on openheartedness, finding the strength to be vulnerable, and uplifting marginalized voices.Born in Scotland and raised in both Scotland and Canada, Gentle began writing music and performing at 14 years old. Recognizing their own queerness and gender fluidity, Gentle and has long been passionate about both music and social justice.“During the three years I spent writing this LP, I trudged through periods of deep self-doubt, often wondering if I should give up,” Gentle says. “As a child I believed performing was my inevitable fate. Somewhere along the road to adulthood I internalized a lot of messaging about my queerness as something that made me inherently less gifted and valuable as an artist. Each song on this record is a landmark on the journey toward reestablishing my childlike ambition and spirit.”At just 23 years old, Gentle has already earned ample praise for their burgeoning career. They were named Emerging Artist at the 2015 Peterborough Folk Fest, Best Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2015 Wire Awards, and have shared the stage with artists including Basia Bulat, Craig Cardiff, Matt Andersen, Terra Lightfoot, Sam Weber and more. EVANGELINE GENTLE
TRACKLIST1. Drop My Name2. Ordinary People3. Sundays4. Even If5. So It Goes6. The Strongest People Have Tender Hearts7. Long Time Love8. Neither of Us9. Digging My Grave10. Good and Guided
LIVE VIDEO “ORDINARY PEOPLE”SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM SET FOR RELEASE ON AUGUST 21BI-WEEKLY LIVESTREAM PERFORMANCES
Photo credit: Kristal Jones“Evangeline Gentle’s voice communicates an aching warmth that comes with knowing hardness and choosing softness instead.”—CBC Music“Evangeline Gentle’s self-titled album is a triumph”—Exclaim! July 1, 2020—Evangeline Gentle shares their live video “Ordinary People” today; check out the video HERE. The video premiered with Audiofemme, who say, “With Gentle’s voice front and center against acoustic guitar, the song is simple and sweet, as is the video.” The Scottish-Canadian singer-songwriter is set to release their debut album, Evangeline Gentle , on August 21 via Sonic Unyon. Pre-save the album HERE.The video follows the recent release of two a cappella singles and videos, “You and I” and “Black is the Colour,” both of which may be streamed and shared on multiple platforms HERE. In lieu of their recently cancelled spring and summer tour dates, Gentle has been performing live on Facebook and Instagram every other Thursday at 3PM Eastern; check out their streams HERE and HERE.Gentle began writing their self-titled album, produced by Jim Bryson, at the age of 19. Written during several important coming-of-age moments in Gentle’s life, the record focuses on openheartedness, finding the strength to be vulnerable, and uplifting marginalized voices.Born in Scotland and raised in both Scotland and Canada, Gentle began writing music and performing at 14 years old. Recognizing their own queerness and gender fluidity, Gentle and has long been passionate about both music and social justice.“During the three years I spent writing this LP, I trudged through periods of deep self-doubt, often wondering if I should give up,” Gentle says. “As a child I believed performing was my inevitable fate. Somewhere along the road to adulthood I internalized a lot of messaging about my queerness as something that made me inherently less gifted and valuable as an artist. Each song on this record is a landmark on the journey toward reestablishing my childlike ambition and spirit.”At just 23 years old, Gentle has already earned ample praise for their burgeoning career. They were named Emerging Artist at the 2015 Peterborough Folk Fest, Best Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2015 Wire Awards, and have shared the stage with artists including Basia Bulat, Craig Cardiff, Matt Andersen, Terra Lightfoot, Sam Weber and more. EVANGELINE GENTLE
TRACKLIST1. Drop My Name2. Ordinary People3. Sundays4. Even If5. So It Goes6. The Strongest People Have Tender Hearts7. Long Time Love8. Neither of Us9. Digging My Grave10. Good and Guided
JOE WONG Shares New Double Single; Mary Timony-Produced Debut Album Out September 18th
JOE WONGMUSICIAN, FILM / TV COMPOSER & PODCAST HOST (‘THE TRAP SET’) SHARES NEW DOUBLE SINGLE “MINOR” / “NUCLEAR RAINBOW”‘NITE CREATURES’ DEBUT ALBUM OUT SEPTEMBER 18TH VIA DECCA RECORDSPRODUCED BY MARY TIMONY (EX HEX, HELIUM)
Joe Wong is the Los Angeles-based, Milwaukee-raised multi-instrumentalist, podcast host (The Trap Set) and composer behind buzzworthy shows including Master of None, Russian Doll, Ugly Delicious and Awkwafina is Nora From Queens more. He is set to release his Mary Timony (Ex Hex, Helium)-produced debut album Nite Creatures on September 18th via Decca Records and today he shares the double single for album tracks “Minor” / “Nuclear Rainbow.” “Minor” is a portrait of romantic claustrophobia and “Nuclear Rainbow” is a timely track about the type of heightened existential dread not unlike the kind running rampant at this particular moment in our history (“Nuclear rainbow throws shadows of dread over the kingdom of comfort / Billions of people who haven’t died yet searching for permanent shelter”).
LISTEN TO “MINOR” HERE + “NUCLEAR RAINBOW” HERE
“Minor” / “Nuclear Rainbow” follows Wong’s debut single, “Dreams Wash Away,” which is featured in the finale of the widely-praised Netflix original series from Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward and comedian Duncan Trussell, The Midnight Gospel. The video for “Dreams Wash Away” was produced by the Emmy award-winning animation studio Titmouse and features re-contextualized elements from the show including characters and backgrounds combined in new ways. Watch the “Dreams Wash Away” video HERE.
Nite Creatures features luxurious melodies accompanying Wong's deeply personal lyrics. The album was written in the years between his father suffering a stroke in 2010 and his death in 2019. The result is an album that – in the cinematic detail of one of Wong's film scores – explores the intersection of melancholy and joyful surrender.
Most of the songs on Nite Creatures feature a core ensemble: Wong on vocals, drums, bass, guitar and keyboards; Timony on lead guitar and backing vocals; and harpist Mary Lattimore, who recently garnered an avalanche of critical acclaim for the spectral minimalism of her 2018 solo album, Hundreds of Days. The basic tracks were recorded at the secluded Gatos Trail Recording Studio in Joshua Tree, California and the album was mixed by famed, depth-scouring Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann.
LP pre-orders of Nite Creatures can be purchased via joewong.bigcartel.com and all profits from LP sales through July 2020 will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
WATCH & SHARE “MINOR”
WATCH & SHARE “NUCLEAR RAINBOW”
WATCH & SHARE “DREAMS WASH AWAY” OFFICIAL VIDEO
FOLLOW JOE WONG:Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
AMY ALLEN MAKES HER WARNER RECORDS DEBUT WITH “QUEEN OF SILVER LININGS”
AMY ALLEN MAKES HER WARNER RECORDS DEBUT WITH“QUEEN OF SILVER LININGS”FIRST RELEASE FROM HIT SONGWRITER’S UPCOMING SOLO ALBUM
July 1, 2020 (Los Angeles, CA) - Today, singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Amy Allen releases her Warner Records debut “Queen of Silver Linings.” This marks Amy’s first release as a solo artist and return to the spotlight after spending the last two years co-writing some of pop music’s biggest hits with artists including Harry Styles (“Adore You”), Halsey (“Without Me”), Selena Gomez (“Back To You”) and more. Get “Queen of Silver Linings” HERE. Watch the video HERE. After years of writing and performing, Amy unveils “Queen of Silver Linings,” co-written and co-produced with Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/producer Dan Wilson. “Dan Wilson and I wrote ‘Queen Of Silver Linings’ about an emotional experience I was going through. We thought of two characters – the Queen of Silver Linings, who holds onto love at all costs and wants to fix things, even if it’s not in her best interests to do so – and the King of Good Intentions, who means well but continues to let her down. As a Queen of Silver Linings myself, I realized that the message isn’t one of hopelessness – I believe there’s quite a power in having the guts to shamelessly fight for something you whole heartedly believe in.” – Amy Allen The song represents the culmination of a lifelong journey for the Maine-born and Los Angeles-based artist. Penning songs since the age of ten, Amy Allen graduated from Berklee College of Music and cut her teeth on stage with endless gigs fronting indie pop-rock band Amy & The Engine around New York City before moving to LA to focus on songwriting in 2018. She has since experienced a meteoric rise to become one of the industry’s most in-demand songwriters. “Queen Of Silver Linings” sets the stage for the release of her forthcoming full-length debut. Amy collaborated with a wide array of like-minded musicians to create a statement truly authentic to her, including Dan Wilson (Adele, Semisonic), Ethan Gruska (Phoebe Bridgers, Fiona Apple), Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves), Jon Bellion (Rihanna, Halsey) Eg White (Adele, Florence and the Machine), Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Shawn Mendes) and Tyler Johnson (Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus).
There are two stories you can tell as a songwriter: yours or someone else’s. Amy Allen not only tells the stories of some of the biggest artists in the world as a songwriter, but she also shares her story as an artist. By 10-years-old, Amy began writing songs for herself and learned five instruments. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, she founded New York indie upstart band, Amy & The Engine. In 2018, she wrote “Back To You” by Selena Gomez and opened up the floodgates to collaborate with A-list talent, including Halsey, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, Sam Smith, and Harry Styles. Forbes named her on the coveted “30 Under 30” list, while Variety dubbed her “Hitmaker of the Month.” Reclaiming her passion for performing in 2020, she introduces her sound as an artist on her full-length debut for Warner Records. All of her past experience has led her to this point, to creating a collection of personal and meaningful songs that make up her debut album. Amy’s songs are lived-in tales, reminiscent of the American troubadours that have come before her - heroes like Tom Petty or Sheryl Crow, Carole King or John Prine, Bruce Springsteen or Freddie Mercury. Heralded by “Queen of Silver Linings” and much more to come, Amy Allen tells her own story now.Follow Amy Allen:Official | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Press Materials
June 30, 2020
A Certain Ratio Announce First New Album in 12 Years; Listen to "Always In Love"
A CERTAIN RATIO
ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM
ACR LOCO
OUT SEPTEMBER 25
LISTEN TO “ALWAYS IN LOVE”
credit: Paul Husband
"...ACR made some of the most seminal yet underrated post-punk, avant-pop, and tweaked funk of an era filled with hybrid explorations…” – PITCHFORK
“… pioneering, criminally overlooked” – ELECTRONIC SOUND
“Cult punk funkateers” – UNCUT
A CERTAIN RATIO are back with a new album, ACR Loco . Revitalized by their most successful tour in over two decades, the band returned to the studio to record their first album in 12 years – due for release September 25 on Mute. Listen to the first single taken from the album, the poignantly beautiful “Always In Love”, here.
The new 10-track album will be released on CD, cassette, limited edition colored vinyl and digital platforms. The vinyl will be available in one of four colors: white, blue, red and turquoise, randomly packed, with each color of varying rarity. Pre-order ACR Loco here.
ACR Loco was recorded by the core line up of Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson with contributions from the ACR live line up – Tony Quigley on sax, Denise Johnson adds vocals and Matt Steele provides keyboards. Additional guests include Sink Ya Teeth’s Maria Uzor and Gemma Cullingford, Gabe Gurnsey (Factory Floor) and Manchester luminaries Mike Joyce and Eric Random.
“This album is a culmination of everything we've ever done,” explains Kerr. The album distills the different directions and styles that have run throughout the band’s career, one that began in the late ‘70s with Factory Records’ first ever 7” release. “Digging into the past for the boxset [ACR:BOX was released in 2019 on Mute] must have rubbed off on us and influenced the current album,” says Moscrop. “I think it helped spark up our imagination. It allowed us to work in some of the past as we move forward into the future.”
Keen on the joys of collaboration and sharing, it makes sense that adding the ACR touch to other artists via a series of reworks led to their latest album taking shape. Recent reworks of tracks for the likes of Barry Adamson, The Charlatans and Maps saw the band return to the studio to unpick those original tracks. “The reworks were crucial,” says Donald Johnson. “They got us back in the studio and forced a union and a bond. They allowed us to start getting a groove again.” Kerr mirrors this. “We love doing the reworks because it's just us doing our thing,” he says. “The three of us jamming is really the basis of it all. Once you get that groove there’s no stopping us.”
The first sounds from the album were heard earlier this month when “Friends Around Us (Part 2)” debuted after Tim’s Twitter Listening Party. This was followed by a limited edition 7” released in two parts across both sides of the vinyl, in homage to some of the great soul releases of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The 7” was available exclusively through the Love Record Stores Event to help struggling independent retailers.
Listen to Martin Moscrop discuss “Friends Around Us” in Mute Short Circuit (at Home) here.
Following the success of their recent touring, A Certain Ratio have been nominated for the Best Live Act at this year’s AIM Awards. Voting closes on July 5. Vote here.
A Certain Ratio + Mute = Good Together
(hi-res)
ACR Loco tracklisting
1. Friends Around Us
2. Bouncy Bouncy
3. Yo Yo Gi
4. Supafreak
5. Always In Love
6. Family
7. Get A Grip
8. Berlin
9. What’s Wrong
10. Taxi Guy
Pre-order ACR Loco
Listen to “Always In Love” A CERTAIN RATIO: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC
MUTE: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM
ACR LOCO
OUT SEPTEMBER 25
LISTEN TO “ALWAYS IN LOVE”
credit: Paul Husband
"...ACR made some of the most seminal yet underrated post-punk, avant-pop, and tweaked funk of an era filled with hybrid explorations…” – PITCHFORK
“… pioneering, criminally overlooked” – ELECTRONIC SOUND
“Cult punk funkateers” – UNCUT
A CERTAIN RATIO are back with a new album, ACR Loco . Revitalized by their most successful tour in over two decades, the band returned to the studio to record their first album in 12 years – due for release September 25 on Mute. Listen to the first single taken from the album, the poignantly beautiful “Always In Love”, here.
The new 10-track album will be released on CD, cassette, limited edition colored vinyl and digital platforms. The vinyl will be available in one of four colors: white, blue, red and turquoise, randomly packed, with each color of varying rarity. Pre-order ACR Loco here.
ACR Loco was recorded by the core line up of Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson with contributions from the ACR live line up – Tony Quigley on sax, Denise Johnson adds vocals and Matt Steele provides keyboards. Additional guests include Sink Ya Teeth’s Maria Uzor and Gemma Cullingford, Gabe Gurnsey (Factory Floor) and Manchester luminaries Mike Joyce and Eric Random.
“This album is a culmination of everything we've ever done,” explains Kerr. The album distills the different directions and styles that have run throughout the band’s career, one that began in the late ‘70s with Factory Records’ first ever 7” release. “Digging into the past for the boxset [ACR:BOX was released in 2019 on Mute] must have rubbed off on us and influenced the current album,” says Moscrop. “I think it helped spark up our imagination. It allowed us to work in some of the past as we move forward into the future.”
Keen on the joys of collaboration and sharing, it makes sense that adding the ACR touch to other artists via a series of reworks led to their latest album taking shape. Recent reworks of tracks for the likes of Barry Adamson, The Charlatans and Maps saw the band return to the studio to unpick those original tracks. “The reworks were crucial,” says Donald Johnson. “They got us back in the studio and forced a union and a bond. They allowed us to start getting a groove again.” Kerr mirrors this. “We love doing the reworks because it's just us doing our thing,” he says. “The three of us jamming is really the basis of it all. Once you get that groove there’s no stopping us.”
The first sounds from the album were heard earlier this month when “Friends Around Us (Part 2)” debuted after Tim’s Twitter Listening Party. This was followed by a limited edition 7” released in two parts across both sides of the vinyl, in homage to some of the great soul releases of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The 7” was available exclusively through the Love Record Stores Event to help struggling independent retailers.
Listen to Martin Moscrop discuss “Friends Around Us” in Mute Short Circuit (at Home) here.
Following the success of their recent touring, A Certain Ratio have been nominated for the Best Live Act at this year’s AIM Awards. Voting closes on July 5. Vote here.
A Certain Ratio + Mute = Good Together
(hi-res)
ACR Loco tracklisting
1. Friends Around Us
2. Bouncy Bouncy
3. Yo Yo Gi
4. Supafreak
5. Always In Love
6. Family
7. Get A Grip
8. Berlin
9. What’s Wrong
10. Taxi Guy
Pre-order ACR Loco
Listen to “Always In Love” A CERTAIN RATIO: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC
MUTE: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
DIET CIG CONFIRMED FOR NOONCHORUS SHOW LIVE STREAM 8PM EST ON JULY 31
DIET CIG CONFIRMED FOR NOONCHORUS SHOW LIVE STREAM 8PM EST ON JULY 31DO YOU WONDER ABOUT ME? OUT NOW VIA FRENCHKISS RECORDShttps://orcd.co/dietcigwonder
(photo credit: Emily Dubin)Diet Cig have announced that they will be playing their first ticketed show in support of their recently released album Do You Wonder About Me? (Frenchkiss Records). The live stream will take place via the NoonChorus platform on July 31 at 8pm EST. 50% of the show proceeds will be donated between The Okra Project and these venues: The Masquerade, Cat's Cradle, Mississippi Studios, Neumos, 930 Club, Margin Walker, Casbah, Rickshaw Stop, Kilby Court. Tickets can be found here: https://noonchorus.com/diet-cig/.
Diet Cig have been compared to tornadoes, firecrackers, and lightning storms, and described as genuine, unapologetic, and down-to-earth. Do You Wonder About Me? Is the follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimed Swear I’m Good At This. The new record marks a more intentional, self-assured Diet Cig; not only in Luciano’s radically intimate, acerbic lyrics, but in the duo’s sound as well. Luciano and Bowman moved to Richmond, VA in the summer of 2017 as a place to “hide out and make music,” and it was there that they wrote Do You Wonder About Me?, Diet Cig’s ode to growing up. Leading to the album Diet Cig shared the album’s lead single “Who Are You?” and Rolling Stone declared “Diet Cig reject lame apologies with ‘Who Are You?” further noting the “fuzzed-out earworm of a chorus.” Uproxx included it in their “Best New Indie Music This Week” column and Stereogum called it "fuzzy and chiming and sing-songy" Earlier this spring The New York Times took note of the band’s Alex Luciano’s vocals declaring, “the sweet clarity of her voice riding verses that seethe and rumble with a ferocity that harks back to the Who.” ***
“'I will never hate myself/The way you want me to,' Alex Luciano informs her absent ex, with the sweet clarity of her voice riding verses that seethe and rumble with a ferocity that harks back to the Who. She’s airily polite — 'I’m thriving, thanks for asking' — but the music isn’t." The New York Times on “Thriving”
"There’s certainly more shine on ‘Thriving’ than their previous LP. It’s a ringing, slightly campy ode to the dichotomy of seeking self-sufficiency and strength while simultaneously wanting someone else to acknowledge that you’re, well, thriving." Consequence of Sound
"Musically it’s a gleaming churn with guitars that remind me of a moment when indie rock was adjacent to post-hardcore, topped off by some of Alex Luciano’s most startlingly beautiful vocal melodies." Stereogum on “Thriving
"with their signature powerful guitar chords and crashing cymbals, ‘Night Terrors’ gives fans a look into the band’s new era." Uproxx (“Best Of The Week” inclusion)
“Quite a comeback...the real powerhouse of this track is the drums, which launch the atmosphere headlong into weightlessness...meek vulnerability in the daintiness and girlishness of the vocals add an irresistible sweetness.” Stereogum on “Night Terrors”
"It’s safe to say Paste is glad to see Diet Cig back in action..." Paste
"a zippy pop-punk anthem delivered earnestly with crisp power chords and solid melodies." Mxdwn on “Night Terrors”
"Diet Cig is the perfect dose of pop-punk. ‘Thriving’ is a song that puts all their principles front-and-center, from their dedication to crunching guitars to Luciano’s deceptively delicate vocals, which are a Diet Cig hallmark." Grimy Goods
"Diet Cig has always managed to present bite-sized nuggets of power pop that stick with you, but ‘Thriving’ is the band at their best." The Grey Estates
"The song perfectly displays the cohesion Diet Cig is known for while amplifying the punk duo’s ability to have fun with just about any subject matter." Wild Honey Pie on “Night Terrors”
The power of Diet Cig comes from the way Luciano and Bowman bolster these themes with affirming positivity in the form of delightful, explosive anthems." - NPR
"loud, blunt, and totally fun." - Under The Radar
"infectious indie-rock perfection" - NY Newsday
Do You Wonder About Me? Track list:1. Thriving2. Who Are You?3. Night Terrors4. Priority Mail5. Broken Body6. Makeout Interlude7. Flash Flood8. Worth The Wait9. Stare Into the Sun10. Night Terrors Reprise
Find Diet Cig here: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TIK TOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
MADELINE KENNEY Shares New Single "Double Hearted"
MADELINE KENNEYSHARES NEW SONG + VIDEO CHECK OUT “DOUBLE HEARTED” NOW
Sucker's Lunch out July 31st on Carpark Records
Photo Courtesy of the Artist Early praise for Sucker’s Lunch:
“The playing, the mixing, the production, the SINGING and especially the songwriting are what absolutely slay me on Sucker’s Lunch. If you want to put an album on and have it carry you up, like a helicopter with blades that look and feel like grass, but are as solid as steel...that carry you up over yourself, play this record. Just make sure you are ready.” - Justin Vernon (Bon Iver)
“Kenney has once again created a microcosm of a record to get lost in - each song a different constellation composed of shining observations” - Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso)
"...deft and graceful..." - The FADER
"’Sucker’...contains more of Kenney’s signature vocal drops (which appeared all over her lush 2018 album Perfect Shapes) and a woozy guitar-pop sound that she does better than just about anyone else." - PasteOakland, CA artist Madeline Kenney recently announced Sucker’s Lunch, her incredible third LP that she co-produced with Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack of Wye Oak. A few weeks ago, she released the album’s lead single “Sucker” featuring Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner on vocals, and today she shares the album’s second single, “Double Hearted,” alongside an amazing video. Kenney audibly loses her mind throughout the song, where the playful arrangement and lyrics spark a firestorm of heartache and wild abandon. Listen to the song and check out the video via Consequence of Sound.
While Madeline Kenney’s debut album was produced by Toro Y Moi’s Chaz Bear and her second record by Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner, Madeline has enlisted Wasner to produce this record yet again, but this time with Andy Stack (Wye Oak) collaborating as well. The trio carefully co-produced and constructed the songs on Sucker’s Lunch in a few compact sessions in Durham, Oakland and San Francisco, and the album finds Madeline bounding toward the unknown. Throughout the record, she expands on the idea of what a love song could be – a little more cautious than exuberant, more nuanced than blazing devotion. Sonically, Sucker’s Lunch expands upon Kenney’s earlier, guitar-driven sound – a definitive step forward from an artist adept at communicating universal sentiments in a voice unmistakably her own. Pre-order Sucker’s Lunch, out July 31st on Carpark, HERE.
MADELINE KENNEYSUCKER’S LUNCHCARPARK RECORDSJULY 31, 2020PRE-ORDER
1.Sugar Sweat2.Picture of You3.Jenny4.Tell You Everything5.Sucker6.Double Hearted7.Cut the Real8.Be That Man9.White Window Light10.Sweet Coffee “I’m not interested in something easy or immediately apparent,” Kenney says. “My experience writing these songs wasn’t easy, it was painful and difficult. I was terrified of falling in love, and as much as I’d like to write a sticky sweet song for someone, it doesn’t come naturally to me. Instead I wanted to explore the tiny moments; sitting alone in my room guessing what the other person was thinking, spiraling into a maze of logical reasons to bail and finding my way out again. When I spoke with friends about the theme of the ‘idiot’, it became apparent that everyone understood that feeling and was relieved to hear it echoed in someone else.” Thematically, Sucker’s Lunch sees Kenney soberly contrasting the risks and rewards of falling in love, eventually deciding to dive headfirst into her own foolishness and relish in the unknowing. The tracks explore new love from every angle – “Picture of You” is a soundtrack-worthy lamentation of never truly knowing what someone has been through (“growing up is so hard, I don’t know why”) while tender vulnerability shines on “Tell You Everything” (“When your eyes say ‘we’ve had a day, love’, I get to fall in”). “Cut the Real” pairs synth drones with syncopated lyrics to work through a depressive mind state, and the near-devotional “White Window Light” accepts uncertainty as a beautiful gift. Stack and Wasner’s rhythm section trace circles around Kenney’s off-kilter guitar, with verdant curls of synths, saxophone, and complex harmonies. The resulting songs are immediate and deeply moving, somehow feeling familiar while they defy expectations at every turn. Sucker’s Lunch shines in its ability to speak the strange, ambiguous, impossible truth – nothing less than a balanced meal for the wise fool in us all.Previous praise for Madeline Kenney:
“As just a first taste of Kenney and Wasner's work together on Perfect Shapes, ‘Cut Me Off’ already feels like an assured leap forward.” - NPR Music
“On 'Perfect Shapes', Kenney builds a comforting space for her own reflection and growth. It reflects a welcome boost in confidence, Kenney at last stepping onto the pedestal of her own design." - Pitchfork
"Perfect Shapes is restless and smart, taking often-surprising, always-pleasing paths to pop bliss." - Rolling Stone
“"Madeline Kenney goes bright, unabashed pop on the dazzling lead single from her forthcoming, Jenn Wasner-produced sophomore LP Perfect Shapes, due this October.”- Gorilla vs. Bear
"[Kenney has a] talent for writing distorted, blissful pop with urgent undercurrents" - The FADER
"Perfect Shapes is a special product – one with soundscapes that feel cosmic as Kenney’s guitar tones lean into other worldly synthesizers and a unique combination of vintage drum samples mixed artfully with live percussion. It may diverge from Kenny’s debut album, but it’s the mystical sound that she felt compelled to explore in the studio." - Billboard
“[Night Night at the First Landing] as a whole is frequently gorgeous. It’s a promising beginning: Kenney’s built her early career on taking well-worn touchstones and managing to wring something new out of them, making them her own in the process.” - Stereogum (Best New Bands of 2017)
"The record is built on soft, unobtrusive percussion, clear-as-dawn guitar chords and bass notes, spacious synthetic flourishes that appear in part thanks to producer Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak, and Kenney’s effortless, wispy vocals. The instruments ring out for a second or two after each note is struck, and the echo effect gives the songs a kind of drifting ease, and Kenney sounds both comfortable and assertive." - Bandcamp
"A series of swampy soundscapes, Perfect Shapes is a melding of dream pop and art rock, equal parts soothing and jarring. Though Kenney released her debut LP just 13 months ago, she already appears to have a swarm of new ideas, flaunting a matured outlook and promptly swerving past the sophomore slump."- Paste
"Madeline Kenney’s first album...was an introspective but open-hearted release of enormous promise, showcasing the singer’s captivating voice and knack for a razor-sharp lyric. If that record was all promise, her just-announced follow-up, Perfect Shapes, seems likely to be the realization of that potential." - Consequence of Sound
"Listening to Perfect Shapes is a dream, one that you won’t want to wake up from." - BUST
"An underbelly of guitars, keyboards, and electronics is mixed with upbeat and curious rhythms, shifting around the animated vocals forming songs that are peculiar, rhapsodic, and intellectually stimulating." - Under The Radarmkenneymusic.com | madelinekenney.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/mkenneymusicTwitter @mkenneymusic | Instagram @mkenneymusic
Sucker's Lunch out July 31st on Carpark Records
Photo Courtesy of the Artist Early praise for Sucker’s Lunch: “The playing, the mixing, the production, the SINGING and especially the songwriting are what absolutely slay me on Sucker’s Lunch. If you want to put an album on and have it carry you up, like a helicopter with blades that look and feel like grass, but are as solid as steel...that carry you up over yourself, play this record. Just make sure you are ready.” - Justin Vernon (Bon Iver)
“Kenney has once again created a microcosm of a record to get lost in - each song a different constellation composed of shining observations” - Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso)
"...deft and graceful..." - The FADER
"’Sucker’...contains more of Kenney’s signature vocal drops (which appeared all over her lush 2018 album Perfect Shapes) and a woozy guitar-pop sound that she does better than just about anyone else." - PasteOakland, CA artist Madeline Kenney recently announced Sucker’s Lunch, her incredible third LP that she co-produced with Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack of Wye Oak. A few weeks ago, she released the album’s lead single “Sucker” featuring Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner on vocals, and today she shares the album’s second single, “Double Hearted,” alongside an amazing video. Kenney audibly loses her mind throughout the song, where the playful arrangement and lyrics spark a firestorm of heartache and wild abandon. Listen to the song and check out the video via Consequence of Sound.
While Madeline Kenney’s debut album was produced by Toro Y Moi’s Chaz Bear and her second record by Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner, Madeline has enlisted Wasner to produce this record yet again, but this time with Andy Stack (Wye Oak) collaborating as well. The trio carefully co-produced and constructed the songs on Sucker’s Lunch in a few compact sessions in Durham, Oakland and San Francisco, and the album finds Madeline bounding toward the unknown. Throughout the record, she expands on the idea of what a love song could be – a little more cautious than exuberant, more nuanced than blazing devotion. Sonically, Sucker’s Lunch expands upon Kenney’s earlier, guitar-driven sound – a definitive step forward from an artist adept at communicating universal sentiments in a voice unmistakably her own. Pre-order Sucker’s Lunch, out July 31st on Carpark, HERE.MADELINE KENNEYSUCKER’S LUNCHCARPARK RECORDSJULY 31, 2020PRE-ORDER
1.Sugar Sweat2.Picture of You3.Jenny4.Tell You Everything5.Sucker6.Double Hearted7.Cut the Real8.Be That Man9.White Window Light10.Sweet Coffee “I’m not interested in something easy or immediately apparent,” Kenney says. “My experience writing these songs wasn’t easy, it was painful and difficult. I was terrified of falling in love, and as much as I’d like to write a sticky sweet song for someone, it doesn’t come naturally to me. Instead I wanted to explore the tiny moments; sitting alone in my room guessing what the other person was thinking, spiraling into a maze of logical reasons to bail and finding my way out again. When I spoke with friends about the theme of the ‘idiot’, it became apparent that everyone understood that feeling and was relieved to hear it echoed in someone else.” Thematically, Sucker’s Lunch sees Kenney soberly contrasting the risks and rewards of falling in love, eventually deciding to dive headfirst into her own foolishness and relish in the unknowing. The tracks explore new love from every angle – “Picture of You” is a soundtrack-worthy lamentation of never truly knowing what someone has been through (“growing up is so hard, I don’t know why”) while tender vulnerability shines on “Tell You Everything” (“When your eyes say ‘we’ve had a day, love’, I get to fall in”). “Cut the Real” pairs synth drones with syncopated lyrics to work through a depressive mind state, and the near-devotional “White Window Light” accepts uncertainty as a beautiful gift. Stack and Wasner’s rhythm section trace circles around Kenney’s off-kilter guitar, with verdant curls of synths, saxophone, and complex harmonies. The resulting songs are immediate and deeply moving, somehow feeling familiar while they defy expectations at every turn. Sucker’s Lunch shines in its ability to speak the strange, ambiguous, impossible truth – nothing less than a balanced meal for the wise fool in us all.Previous praise for Madeline Kenney:
“As just a first taste of Kenney and Wasner's work together on Perfect Shapes, ‘Cut Me Off’ already feels like an assured leap forward.” - NPR Music
“On 'Perfect Shapes', Kenney builds a comforting space for her own reflection and growth. It reflects a welcome boost in confidence, Kenney at last stepping onto the pedestal of her own design." - Pitchfork
"Perfect Shapes is restless and smart, taking often-surprising, always-pleasing paths to pop bliss." - Rolling Stone
“"Madeline Kenney goes bright, unabashed pop on the dazzling lead single from her forthcoming, Jenn Wasner-produced sophomore LP Perfect Shapes, due this October.”- Gorilla vs. Bear
"[Kenney has a] talent for writing distorted, blissful pop with urgent undercurrents" - The FADER
"Perfect Shapes is a special product – one with soundscapes that feel cosmic as Kenney’s guitar tones lean into other worldly synthesizers and a unique combination of vintage drum samples mixed artfully with live percussion. It may diverge from Kenny’s debut album, but it’s the mystical sound that she felt compelled to explore in the studio." - Billboard
“[Night Night at the First Landing] as a whole is frequently gorgeous. It’s a promising beginning: Kenney’s built her early career on taking well-worn touchstones and managing to wring something new out of them, making them her own in the process.” - Stereogum (Best New Bands of 2017)
"The record is built on soft, unobtrusive percussion, clear-as-dawn guitar chords and bass notes, spacious synthetic flourishes that appear in part thanks to producer Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak, and Kenney’s effortless, wispy vocals. The instruments ring out for a second or two after each note is struck, and the echo effect gives the songs a kind of drifting ease, and Kenney sounds both comfortable and assertive." - Bandcamp
"A series of swampy soundscapes, Perfect Shapes is a melding of dream pop and art rock, equal parts soothing and jarring. Though Kenney released her debut LP just 13 months ago, she already appears to have a swarm of new ideas, flaunting a matured outlook and promptly swerving past the sophomore slump."- Paste
"Madeline Kenney’s first album...was an introspective but open-hearted release of enormous promise, showcasing the singer’s captivating voice and knack for a razor-sharp lyric. If that record was all promise, her just-announced follow-up, Perfect Shapes, seems likely to be the realization of that potential." - Consequence of Sound
"Listening to Perfect Shapes is a dream, one that you won’t want to wake up from." - BUST
"An underbelly of guitars, keyboards, and electronics is mixed with upbeat and curious rhythms, shifting around the animated vocals forming songs that are peculiar, rhapsodic, and intellectually stimulating." - Under The Radarmkenneymusic.com | madelinekenney.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/mkenneymusicTwitter @mkenneymusic | Instagram @mkenneymusic
BLACKPINK’S “HOW YOU LIKE THAT” SHATTERS YOUTUBE RECORD FOR THE BIGGEST 24-HOUR MUSIC VIDEO DEBUT OF ALL TIME
BLACKPINK’S “HOW YOU LIKE THAT” SHATTERS YOUTUBE RECORD FOR THE BIGGES
T 24-HOUR MUSIC VIDEO DEBUT OF ALL TIME
VIDEO ALSO BREAKS YOUTUBE RECORD FOR
MOST VIEWS IN 24 HOURS
“HOW YOU LIKE THAT” HITS #2 ON SPOTIFY’S GLOBAL TOP 50
DEBUT PERFORMANCE LAST WEEK ON THE TONIGHT SHOW
STARRING JIMMY FALLON
LISTEN TO “HOW YOU LIKE THAT” HERE With their mind-blowing new video “How You Like That,” BLACKPINK have smashed the YouTube record for the biggest 24 hour music video debut of all time with over 86 million views. The video also broke the YouTube record for most views in a 24-hour span and set an all time record for the biggest YouTube Premiere with over 1.6 million peak concurrents. Released last Friday via YG Entertainment/Interscope Records, the South Korean superstar quartet’s long-awaited new single debuted at #5 on Spotify’s Global Top 50 and has since made it’s way to #2. In addition, “How You Like That” now marks the fastest video in YouTube history to hit 100 million views. Check it out HERE . Produced by TEDDY — who co-wrote the song with R.Tee, 24, and Danny Chung — “How You Like That” instantly shot to the top of the Apple Music charts in 64 countries, amassing 7.5 million global streams on Spotify and Apple Music the very first day of its release. Along with hitting #1 on the Spotify charts in seven markets around the world, the trap-pop anthem reached the top 50 in a staggering total of 28 markets. In addition, watch the superstar group perform “How You Like That” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this past Friday HERE and play the “Try Not To Laugh Challenge” with Jimmy HERE .
ABOUT BLACKPINK: Since first bursting onto the scene in 2016, BLACKPINK have redefined the possibilities of K-pop, transcending all categorization and ascending to global stardom. With their unstoppably catchy single “DDU-DU DDU-DU,” the South Korean quartet broke the record for highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 debut by an all-female K-pop act, while its head-turning video surpassed 10 million views in just six hours and racked up 36.2 million views in one day. Discovered by YG Entertainment, BLACKPINK is comprised of JISOO, JENNIE, LISA, and ROSÉ: four immensely charismatic vocalists, dancers, and burgeoning fashion icons. Released in 2016, their debut “SQUARE ONE” quickly proved their crossover power; in 2018, “SQUARE UP” climbed to #40 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Billboard World Albums chart. Several months after “SQUARE UP” hit the charts, YG Entertainment and Interscope Records announced a global partnership for BLACKPINK, paving the way for the group’s international breakthrough. With their EP Kill This Love arriving in April 2019, BLACKPINK further boosted their popularity by successfully completing a world tour and becoming the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella, the largest music festival in the U.S.
LISTEN TO “HOW YOU LIKE THAT” HERE With their mind-blowing new video “How You Like That,” BLACKPINK have smashed the YouTube record for the biggest 24 hour music video debut of all time with over 86 million views. The video also broke the YouTube record for most views in a 24-hour span and set an all time record for the biggest YouTube Premiere with over 1.6 million peak concurrents. Released last Friday via YG Entertainment/Interscope Records, the South Korean superstar quartet’s long-awaited new single debuted at #5 on Spotify’s Global Top 50 and has since made it’s way to #2. In addition, “How You Like That” now marks the fastest video in YouTube history to hit 100 million views. Check it out HERE . Produced by TEDDY — who co-wrote the song with R.Tee, 24, and Danny Chung — “How You Like That” instantly shot to the top of the Apple Music charts in 64 countries, amassing 7.5 million global streams on Spotify and Apple Music the very first day of its release. Along with hitting #1 on the Spotify charts in seven markets around the world, the trap-pop anthem reached the top 50 in a staggering total of 28 markets. In addition, watch the superstar group perform “How You Like That” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this past Friday HERE and play the “Try Not To Laugh Challenge” with Jimmy HERE .
ABOUT BLACKPINK: Since first bursting onto the scene in 2016, BLACKPINK have redefined the possibilities of K-pop, transcending all categorization and ascending to global stardom. With their unstoppably catchy single “DDU-DU DDU-DU,” the South Korean quartet broke the record for highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 debut by an all-female K-pop act, while its head-turning video surpassed 10 million views in just six hours and racked up 36.2 million views in one day. Discovered by YG Entertainment, BLACKPINK is comprised of JISOO, JENNIE, LISA, and ROSÉ: four immensely charismatic vocalists, dancers, and burgeoning fashion icons. Released in 2016, their debut “SQUARE ONE” quickly proved their crossover power; in 2018, “SQUARE UP” climbed to #40 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Billboard World Albums chart. Several months after “SQUARE UP” hit the charts, YG Entertainment and Interscope Records announced a global partnership for BLACKPINK, paving the way for the group’s international breakthrough. With their EP Kill This Love arriving in April 2019, BLACKPINK further boosted their popularity by successfully completing a world tour and becoming the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella, the largest music festival in the U.S.
Advertisement - Release new single "My World Now" - New album 'American Advertisement' out July 10
ADVERTISEMENT RELEASE NEW SINGLE “MY WORLD NOW” DEBUT RECORD AMERICAN ADVERTISEMENT OUT JULY 10
L-R: Carl Marck, Charlie Hoffman, Jesse Rosenthal, TJ Main, Ryan Mangione-Smith | By Grayson Whitmire
Stripped of any pretense of rock n' roll escapism, Advertisement’s debut - American Advertisement - reimagines what guitar dominated music can accomplish. Emerging from the same PNW scene that gave us Milk Music and Gun Outfit, Advertisement quickly grew to become one of the underground’s must see bands known for their elaborate, free performances that’d often feature 6 - 7 members onstage. After an acclaimed EP, tours with Sheer Mag, Protomartyr and more, Advertisement join forces with producer Trevor Spencer (Chastity Belt, Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty) to bring us one the year’s most impressive, uncalculated and sprawling rock albums.
Today they’ve shared their final single “My World Now”. The band explain, “it takes serious influence from the stylings of writers like Roberto Bolano and W. G. Sebald, flipping through loose and chaotic scenes of an underworld filled with good time folks, lawyers, desperate desires to simply move from point A to point B - there’s an underlying sense of anxiety, that someone’s pulling the puppet strings, yet it’s left unclear who the villain is, who’s drunk and what they’re drinking. The song aims to depict a specific frame of mind, one that might lead to questions about what a future world might look like where our current comforts become obsolete, questions about what can be done with the claustrophobic excitement of city living.” Read more from the New Noise debut here.
American Advertisement will be self-released on vinyl and digital / distro via Patchwork Fantasy on July 10; to pre-order go here. All album sale proceeds will be donated to the Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network.
Listen & Share “My World Now”: YouTube | Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple
American Advertisement Track Listing:
1 - Freedom2 - Pretty Money3 - Upstream Boogie4 - Days of Heaven5 - Interlude6 - My World Now7 - Velvet Queen8 - Shipwrecked Hearts9 - Tall Cats10 - She Was Dead11 - Always
L-R: Carl Marck, Charlie Hoffman, Jesse Rosenthal, TJ Main, Ryan Mangione-Smith | By Grayson WhitmireStripped of any pretense of rock n' roll escapism, Advertisement’s debut - American Advertisement - reimagines what guitar dominated music can accomplish. Emerging from the same PNW scene that gave us Milk Music and Gun Outfit, Advertisement quickly grew to become one of the underground’s must see bands known for their elaborate, free performances that’d often feature 6 - 7 members onstage. After an acclaimed EP, tours with Sheer Mag, Protomartyr and more, Advertisement join forces with producer Trevor Spencer (Chastity Belt, Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty) to bring us one the year’s most impressive, uncalculated and sprawling rock albums.
Today they’ve shared their final single “My World Now”. The band explain, “it takes serious influence from the stylings of writers like Roberto Bolano and W. G. Sebald, flipping through loose and chaotic scenes of an underworld filled with good time folks, lawyers, desperate desires to simply move from point A to point B - there’s an underlying sense of anxiety, that someone’s pulling the puppet strings, yet it’s left unclear who the villain is, who’s drunk and what they’re drinking. The song aims to depict a specific frame of mind, one that might lead to questions about what a future world might look like where our current comforts become obsolete, questions about what can be done with the claustrophobic excitement of city living.” Read more from the New Noise debut here.
American Advertisement will be self-released on vinyl and digital / distro via Patchwork Fantasy on July 10; to pre-order go here. All album sale proceeds will be donated to the Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network.
Listen & Share “My World Now”: YouTube | Bandcamp | Spotify | AppleAmerican Advertisement Track Listing:
1 - Freedom2 - Pretty Money3 - Upstream Boogie4 - Days of Heaven5 - Interlude6 - My World Now7 - Velvet Queen8 - Shipwrecked Hearts9 - Tall Cats10 - She Was Dead11 - Always
