Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 167
January 23, 2025
DE LA SOUL RELEASE NEW SONG "BIGGER"
HIP HOP PIONEERS
DE LA SOUL
SET TO CELEBRATE THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE GRIND DATE
WITH SPECIAL RE-RELEASE ON CD / LP / DIGITAL
PACKAGES WILL INCLUDE NEVER BEFORE RELEASED
BONUS TRACKS FROM THE ORIGINAL STUDIO SESSIONS PLUS SEVERAL INSTRUMENTAL TRACKS
LISTEN TO THE NEW SONG
“BIGGER” (FEAT. CHOKLATE) HERE
New York, NY (January 23, 2025) - To commemorate the 20th anniversary of
De La Soul’s seventh studio album, The Grind Date, BMG is set to release special vinyl and CD packages of the original album including bonus tracks and instrumental versions on March 21.
The Grind Date, originally released in 2004, showcases the platinum-selling, GRAMMY Award-winning groups signature blend of clever lyrics, innovative production, and a mix of playful and introspective themes including a plethora of featured artists such as the late MF Doom, Ghostface Killah, Carl Thomas and Common.
The group proudly releases the first of two new songs with “Bigger” featuring Choklate.
STREAM / SHARE / PURCHASE “BIGGER” HERE
WATCH THE "BIGGER" VISUALIZER HERE
CD/LP packages are available now for pre-order. The limited edition 140g splatter double vinyl includes the original album bolstered with four instrumental versions of the leading tracks. Meanwhile the CD in addition to the instrumentals also includes two never before released tracks which were recorded during the same sessions as The Grind Date.
“With the 20th Anniversary of Grind Date we just feel blessed in knowing that we put together this album that, right now, with its re-release feels fresh, it doesn’t feel outdated, the lyrics feel relevant,” says Posdnous (Pos). “It really feels good to know that with the re-release of this album it takes myself and Mase back to knowing that this album was the first album done outside of our Tommy Boy relationship and it stands the test of time alongside that catalog, so yeah it’s a blessing.”
The Grind Date 20th Anniversary Tracklisting
1. The Future
2. Verbal Clap
3. Much More (feat. Yummy)
4. Shopping Bags (She Got From You)
5. The Grind Date
6. Church
7. Doo Good In Church (Skit)
8. It’s Like That (feat. Carl Thomas)
9. He Comes (feat. Ghostface Killah)
10. Days of Our Lives (feat. Common)
11. Come On Down (feat. Flavor Flav)
12. No (feat. Butta Verses)
13. Rock Co. Kane Flow (feat. MF DOOM)
14. Shoomp (feat. Sean Paul)
Bonus Tracks
1. Bigger (feat. Choklate)
2. Respect
3. Verbal Clap (Instrumental)
4. Shopping Bags (She Got From You) (Instrumental)
5. The Grind Date (Instrumental)
6. Days of Our Lives (feat. Common) (Instrumental)
PRE-ORDER THE GRIND DATE 20TH ANNIVERSARY HERE
Photo credit: Reservoir
Furthermore, Clear Lake Auditorium, the highly coveted EP originally released in 1994 for select DJs, will now be released digitally and on a limited edition CD and Vinyl in a sea green sleeve on March 7, 2025 via Chrysalis. The album includes four tracks from De La Soul’s Buhloone Mindstate era, including a rare collaboration featuring A Tribe Called Quest and other hip hop legends. Pre-Order here.
ABOUT DE LA SOUL
De La Soul is a New York-based trio composed of Posdnuos, Trugoy, and Maseo, who created the hip-hop masterpiece 3 Feet High and Rising, initially released on March 3, 1989. Renowned for their eclectic and innovative sampling, quirky lyrics, and contributions to jazz rap and alternative hip-hop subgenres, the group garnered acclaim, including a Grammy win for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration for their song “Feel Good Inc.” with The Gorillaz in 2005. In 2015, De La Soul raised over $600,000 on Kickstarter to independently release their album "And the Anonymous Nobody…," which topped the Rap Albums chart and earned a nomination for Best Rap Album at the Grammy Awards.
CONNECT WITH DE LA SOUL
OFFICIAL | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | X | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK |
AMAZON MUSIC | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC | PANDORA | TIDAL
Mereba shares new single and video "Phone Me" from forthcoming album due Feb. 14th
MEREBA SHARES NEW SINGLE “PHONE ME”
FORTHCOMING ALBUM THE BREEZE GREW A FIRE DUE FEB 14TH
HEADLINE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR BEGINNING THIS SPRING
Mereba by Vincent Haycock
“Phone Me”
LISTEN: https://Mereba.lnk.to/Phone-Me
WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AndA-PqjecA
The Breeze Grew a Fire
PRE-ORDER/SAVE:
https://Mereba.lnk.to/The-Breeze-Grew-a-Fire
(January 23rd, 2025) - Today, Southern-bred multidisciplinary artist Mereba shares new single and music video for “Phone Me” ahead of her forthcoming album The Breeze Grew a Fire due Feb 14th via Secretly Canadian. The single highlights Mereba’s smooth vocals and clever lyrical prose. Mereba shares about the song, “This song is a sisterhood / friendship anthem dedicated to those classic bestie friendships that may have changed over the years, but are still cherished deeply. The experiences we shared helped us shape our journeys and have confidence in our destinies. I just wanted a fun, joyful song celebrating my chosen sisters and brothers.”
The new song follows her previous single “Counterfeit” and the announcement of the Breeze Grew a Fire Spring 2025 North American Tour. Kicking off in April 2025, the 15-date tour will see stops in Sacramento, Chicago, New York and wrap up in Los Angeles. Grab tickets at www.merebamusic.com/tour.
Following the release of her debut album The Jungle Is the Only Way Out, Mereba welcomed the birth of her son in 2021. Naturally, the assumption of her role as mother and nurturer shifted her self-perception and as a result, the methods and drive behind her creative output. Through this approach, her forthcoming album, The Breeze Grew a Fire, draws from new lived experiences and early influences and in tapping into her maternal instinct, Mereba rediscovers space for her truest self. Speaking on the early stages of The Breeze Grew a Fire, she shares, “For this [album], it went back to me being on my own for the creation of a lot of the songs, and it was really important for me at this time of life because I was a little disconnected from the world, and from who I was. So I was trying to find my way back to myself first. What do I like? What do I want to hear? What do I want to say to people now?”
Mereba’s entry into songwriting began through folk music. Mereba shares, “I learned guitar from a folk guitar teacher as a young teen in North Carolina and that really shaped how I write songs to this day, focusing on simple stories of everyday life.” The diverse Atlanta music scene continued to shape Mereba’s artistry growing up. Mereba notes, “Coming up in the ripe underground music scene in Atlanta as an indie musician influenced my journey and sound so much. I was playing every kind of show, folk shows, reggae shows, rap shows, R&B shows. It was there where I honed my skills as a performer and also a rapper and R&B singer, branching out from the super folk-centric space. I formed relationships with Spillage Village, the rap collective I'm still a part of with other members JID, Earthgang, 6lack, and others. We all came up together in a really organic and beautiful way, going from playing shows for 30 people to playing shows for thousands together.” The development of Breeze was anchored by experiences and memories from Atlanta to L.A., Addis Ababa to Greensboro, an intention that speaks to the album’s fluid nature. To aid in this creation, Mereba tapped her longtime production collaborator Sam Hoffman to co-assemble the album’s rich production, which parallels its folklore-like warmth.
Mereba’s debut album The Jungle Is the Only Way Out and follow up AZEB EP were both released to critical acclaim and sparked a global cult following with lead singles performed on Tiny Desk, COLORS and at the BET Awards. During the tail end of making her debut album Mereba was mentored by Stevie Wonder and he encouraged her to take control of her music as her own producer. Mereba was also featured on Dreamville Records Grammy-nominated album Revenge of the Dreamers III and four of Mereba’s songs have been featured on HBO’s hit series Insecure.
Pre-save/order The Breeze Grew a Fire, see full tour routing below and stay tuned for more from Mereba coming very soon.
Upcoming Tour Dates
4/24/2025 - Sacramento, CA @ Harlows Nightclub
4/25/2025 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
4/27/2025 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
4/28/2025 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
5/1/2025 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
5/4/2025 - @ Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
5/6/2025 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
5/7/2025 - Detroit, MI @ The Magic Stick
5/9/2025 - Toronto, ON - The Axis Club
5/10/2025 - Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmont
5/13/2025 - Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
5/14/2025 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall - Grand Ballroom
5/16/2025 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
5/17/2025 - Washington, DC @ Howard Theatre
5/21/2025 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
The Breeze Grew a Fire album artwork
Mereba
The Breeze Grew a Fire
Secretly Canadian
February 14, 2025
1. Counterfeit
2. Ever Needed
3. Phone Me
4. White Doves
5. breeze grew fire
6. Out of the Blue
7. Starlight (my baby)
8. Meteorite
9. Hawk
10. Wild Sky
11. Spirit Guiding
12. Heart of a Child
13. Sanctuary
Connect with Mereba
Peel Dream Magazine announces deluxe version of 'Modern Meta Physic' with eight bonus tracks, shares "Callers"
The original album will also see a vinyl reissue on yellow and black splatter vinyl which you can pre-order now
STREAM: "Callers" (demo)- Bandcamp / SoundCloud
Today Peel Dream Magazine announces a deluxe reissue of its first LP from 2018, Modern Meta Physic. The digital / streaming version will include 8 bonus tracks and the vinyl will be a special yellow and black splatter edition via Slumberland Records. "Callers" (demo) is one of these bonus tracks, recorded in the time period around the album. The band has a string of shows opening up for Friko coming up in Feb. & March, and a stand-alone show in LA at the Teragram Ballroom with Sour Widows opening. At the Teragram show, the band will be selling a limited number of copies of a new lathe-cut 7" single w/ two Rose Main-era songs that are previously unreleased. All of the proceeds from this single will go to LA fire relief, specifically to the CA Community Foundation.
***
Peel Dream Magazine have staked out a very specific spot in the indie music landscape with the fuzzy space age pop of recent albums Rose Main Reading Room and Pad, but the story starts with the motorik lo-fi psychedelia of 2018's Modern Meta Physic. Redolent of early Stereolab, Broadcast, or Spacemen 3, songs like "Qi Velocity" and "Deetjen's" percolate and hum, buzzing with mood and melody. Now we're happy to revisit the album with this expanded deluxe edition that adds 8 new songs -- 2 from the Modern Meta Physic sessions and 6 demos from the very active period of recording and conceptualizing that led up to the album.
Joseph Stevens of Peel Dream adds further context:
"These eight previously unreleased B-sides and demos are all home recordings from the 2016-2017 timeframe that I wrote what would become the first Peel Dream Magazine record, 2018’s Modern Meta Physic. Six of them are from what was supposed to be an earlier release which I abandoned, called Saturn Patterns. I started recording that batch of songs under a different band name - Cherry Coals - with a guy named Shaun Durkan (Crushed, Weekend, Tamaryn), who I met when our previous bands played a show together at a DIY venue in Bushwick called Palisades. Shawn was producing this heavier, gothic stuff I was doing at the time, which eventually stalled out and gave way to an almost polar opposite, stripped-down set of songs I wanted to record instead.
My taste was shifting heavily toward krautrock, droney 90s indie, and 60s stuff like the Velvet Underground and Nick Drake, which all melded into what I would characterize as the early Peel Dream Magazine sound. I started using my voice in a way that felt more natural to me and gravitated toward clean guitars and simple organ drones to create songs that didn’t “move” or develop like my previous ones did. I tried to stretch simple ideas into full songs without forcing myself to write proper endings, bridges, or any other ornamental flourishes I’d grown accustomed to. While the idea isn’t really that novel in the grand scheme of things, it was a major deal to me at the time. When I listen back to these songs, I hear all kinds of mistakes and half-cooked ideas, but I’m teleported to a special period where my life in New York really buzzed with possibility and wonder. Two songs - "Kaaterskill Trailhead" and "Modern Metaphysics" - are plucked directly from the month or two that I wrote and recorded Modern Meta Physic, and were cut only so that we could get the run-time of that record down. These really are “first waffles.” Sharing old stuff like that can be really weird and anxiety-producing, but it’s also really cathartic. I also think this is a fun way to put a spotlight on that album again, because people seem to be discovering it now more than ever, and it’s really cool to see that it resonates with people."
TOUR DATES:
Feb 08 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom *
Feb 25 - St. Louis, MO - Atomic #
Feb. 26 - Louisville, KY - Zanzibar #
Feb. 27 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East #
Feb. 28 - Atlanta, GA - Smith's Olde Bar #
Mar. 01 - Raleigh, NC - King's #
Mar. 03 - Washington DC - Union Stage #
Mar. 04 - Philadelphia, PA - The Foundry #
Mar. 05 - Kingston, NY - Tubby's
Mar. 07 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg #
* = w/ Sour Widows
# = w/ Friko
Peel Dream Magazine
Modern Meta Physic - deluxe edition
(Slumberland)
Street Date: Jan. 31, 2025
Pre-order the vinyl HERE
JPEGMAFIA DROPS NEW TRACK “PROTECT THE CROSS,” WITH VIDEO + (DIRECTOR’S CUT) FORTHCOMING
Single artworkJanuary 21, 2025—Today, prolific rapper, producer, and cultural disruptor JPEGMAFIA shares a new single, “PROTECT THE CROSS,” the first from a forthcoming DIRECTOR’S CUT of his critically acclaimed 2024 album, I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU. I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU received widespread critical acclaim from Pitchfork who says, “his general state of defiance…informs the best aspects of his artistry,” The Needle Drop who calls the album “Peggy’s most instrumentally lush and emotionally dynamic album to date,” as well as from NPR Music and TIME who named it one of their “Best Albums of 2024.” Executive produced, composed, arranged, written and mixed by Peggy, I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU is rich with layers of narrative, samples and features from Denzel Curry, Vince Staples and Buzzy Lee.“PROTECT THE CROSS” is the perfect introduction to the expansion of I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU. Listen/share HERE. Directed by Peggy and Logan Fields, the official music is also out now. Watch HERE.The album’s new DIRECTOR’S CUT iteration takes the original and elevates it even further, with a total of 12 completely new tracks being integrated into the project, recalibrating the album’s tracklist and placing the project in a new context. Built into a two-disc set up, the first part of the project sees the inclusion of songs from the album’s original sessions, adding deeper layers to JPEGMAFIA’s artistic perspective within this period, with the second disc being comprised of bonus tracks that fit within the project’s sonic universe, making way for a complete re-imagination from Peggy.After an explosive North American run, JPEGMAFIA is currently out on the EU/UK leg of his LAY DOWN MY LIFE Tour, and has confirmed opening for Linkin Park on select dates later this summer and early fall. Tickets are now on sale at: https://laylo.com/jpegmafia/m/jpeg-tour. Full routing belowJPEGMAFIA (Barrington Hendricks, “Peggy”) is a multi-talented experimental rapper, producer, performer and leader in the experimental rap scene. He has released several critically acclaimed and prolific projects including Veteran (2018), All My Heroes Are Cornballs (2019), and (OFFLINE! 2021). He has sold-out headline tours globally and worked as a support to artists such as Ye, Ty Dolla $ign, Chanel Tres, The Gorillaz, Omar Apollo, Raveena Aurora, Turnstile, Vince Staples, Flume, Denzel Curry, Tinashe, Linkin Park etc., as well as festival appearances at Primavera Sound, Lollapalooza, GOVERNORS BALL, Coachella, Listen Out, Listen In, and more.In 2023, he went independent and released SCARING THE HOES, a collaborative album alongside one of his closest contemporaries Danny Brown. The album debuted at #84 on the Billboard 200 and #39 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and was featured on 2023 Best of lists from NPR Music, Rolling Stone, The Fader, The Guardian, and more. In 2024 JPEGMAFIA produced 4 tracks on Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s album, VULTURES 1, released last February, including the song “Fuk Sum” with Playboi Carti & Travis Scott, as well as “Stars” and more. In August of 2024 he released I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU which peaked in the Billboard Top 200 independently and further expanded his fanbase. JPEGMAFIA—LAY DOWN MY LIFE TOUREU/UKJanuary 20—Huxley's—Berlin, GermanyJanuary 22—Alcatraz—Milan, ItalyJanuary 24—NITSA @ Apolo—Barcelona, SpainJanuary 26—Elysee Monmartre—Paris, FranceJanuary 27—Ronda—Utrecht, NetherlandsJanuary 28—Ancienne Belgique—Brussels, BelgiumJanuary 30—Olympia—Dublin, IrelandJanuary 31—Albert Hall—Manchester, United KingdomFebruary 2—Barrowland—Glasgow, United KingdomFebruary 4—Roundhouse—London, United KingdomFebruary 5—Chalk—Brighton, United KingdomFebruary 6—O2 Academy—Bristol, United KingdomAU/NZ TOURFebruary 26—PowerStation—Auckland, NZFebruary 28—Fortitude Music Hall (Intimate)—Brisbane, QLDMarch 4—Enmore Theatre—Sydney, NSWMarch 7—Timber Yard—Melbourne , VICMarch 8—Metropolis Fremantle—Fremantle, WALINKIN PARK DATESJune 24—I-DAYS Festiva—Milan, ITJune 28—Wembley Stadium—London, UKJuly 1—Merkur Spiel Arena—Dusseldorf, DEJuly 8—Deutsche Bank Park—Frankfurt, DESeptember 13—Dodger Stadium—Los Angeles, CASeptember 15—SAP Center—San Jose, CASeptember 17—Golden 1 Centerr—Sacramento, CASeptember 19—Moda Center—Portland, ORSeptember 21—Rogers Arena—Vancouver, BCSeptember 24—Climate Pledge Arena—Seattle, WA Instagram | Twitter
January 22, 2025
NINE INCH NAILS ANNOUNCE ‘PEEL IT BACK TOUR 2025’
General Onsale Begins Wednesday, January 29 at 12pm Local Time at NIN.com
Today, Nine Inch Nails announced the Peel It Back Tour 2025, marking the band’s first live outing since 2022. Produced by Live Nation, the headline run will kick off on Sunday, June 15, in Dublin, Ireland, at 3Arena, and take the band across Europe, including stops in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and more. The European leg will also feature major festival appearances at Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium, Open’er in Gdynia, Poland, and Mad Cool in Madrid, Spain, among others.
The North American leg will launch on Wednesday, August 6, in Oakland, CA, at Oakland Arena. Nine Inch Nails will also headline arenas in Portland, OR; Vancouver, BC; Chicago, IL; Toronto, ON; Boston, MA; Brooklyn, NY; Nashville, TN; Houston, TX, and more. The tour will wrap up on Thursday, September 18, in Los Angeles, CA, at the Kia Forum. See below for itinerary.
The band’s 2022 world tour, which included a mixture of headline shows and festival headlining slots, earned stellar reviews. Boston Magazine marveled, “how cool was Trent Reznor and the rest of the band this weekend? Just off the charts, really.” Kerrang hailed Nine Inch Nails’ London show as “one of the year’s most exceptional gigs…[from] a live band that, on form like this, is inarguably the best in the world. Bow down.” The tour concluded in Cleveland with a show that Cleveland.comproclaimed “one of the greatest and most singular concerts in the band’s history.” Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020, Nine Inch Nails has sold over 30 million records worldwide.
TICKETS: Tickets will be available starting Wednesday, January 29 at 12pm local time at nin.com.
PEEL IT BACK WORLD TOUR 2025 DATES:
Sun Jun 15 - Dublin, Ireland - 3Arena
Tue Jun 17 - Manchester, UK - Co-op Live
Wed Jun 18 - London, UK - The O2
Fri Jun 20 - Cologne, Germany - Lanxess Arena
Sat Jun 21 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting^
Tue Jun 24 - Milan, Italy - Parco della Musica Novegro
Thu Jun 26 - Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion
Fri Jun 27 - Vienna, Austria - Wiener Stadthalle
Sun Jun 29 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
Tue Jul 01 - Berlin, Germany - Uber Arena
Thu Jul 03 - Gdynia, Poland - Open'er^
Mon Jul 07 - Paris, France - Accor Arena
Thu Jul 10 - Madrid, Spain - Mad Cool^
Sat Jul 12 - Oeiras, Portugal - NOS Alive^
Wed Aug 06 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
Fri Aug 08 - Portland, OR - Moda Center
Sun Aug 10 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
Tue Aug 12 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
Thu Aug 14 - West Valley City, UT - Maverik Center
Fri Aug 15 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena
Sun Aug 17 - Saint Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
Tue Aug 19 - Chicago, IL - United Center
Fri Aug 22 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
Sat Aug 23 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
Tue Aug 26 - Baltimore, MD - CFG Bank Arena
Wed Aug 27 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
Fri Aug 29 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
Sun Aug 31 - Cleveland, OH - Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Tue Sep 02 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
Fri Sep 05 - Raleigh, NC - Lenovo Center
Sat Sep 06 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
Tue Sep 09 - Duluth, GA - Gas South Arena
Wed Sep 10 - Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena
Fri Sep 12 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
Sat Sep 13 - Fort Worth, TX - Dickies Arena
Tue Sep 16 - Phoenix, AZ - Footprint Center
Thu Sep 18 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum
^Festival Date
Follow Nine Inch Nails:
Snapped Ankles announce new album 'Hard Times Furious Dancing' released 28th March 2025
Snapped Ankles have given up trying to make sense of it all. The forest only offers so much protection. Feeding on a diet of fractured narratives, meme culture, viral moments and the very worst of human impulses weighs heavy. The woodwose hold up a mirror to the absurdity of modern life once again. The only sane response is to dance. Make your way to the clearing, gather around the megalith of speakers, drum machines, amps and synthesisers and dance like there’s no tomorrow.
Watch the video for first single ‘Raoul’ (out today) below - a feverish conversation about geopolitics between unreliable narrators over buzzing synths and howling dogs.
Hard Times Furious Dancing will be released on CD and digital, and in four vinyl formats including black vinyl, a limited edition indies only ‘Don Quixote’s Green’ vinyl edition, and a Bandcamp only ‘Weird & Eerie’ luminous vinyl edition of 800. There is also a Dinked Edition of 700 on ‘Procession of the Possessed’ pink vinyl, which also includes an ‘Armchair Protest Banner’ (aka a tea towel) and a ‘Hard Times Preparation Manual’ booklet.
Press Release | High Res Artwork | Press Photo
Artist:Snapped AnklesTitle:Hard Times Furious DancingLabel:The Leaf LabelFormats:Black vinyl LP (BAY 134V)Limited Dinked Edition ‘Procession of the Possessed’ pink vinyl LP + ‘zine + tea towel (700 copies) (BAY 134VD)Limited edition Bandcamp only ‘Weird & Eerie’ luminous LP (800 copies) (BAY 134 VBC)CD (BAY 134CD)Digital (BAY 134E)Release Date:Friday 28th March 2025CDLP21.A1.Pay the Rent2.A2.Personal Responsibilities3.A3.Raoul4.A4.Dancing In Transit5.B1.Where’s the Caganer?6.B2.Smart World7.B3.Hagen Im Garten8.B4.摆烂 Bai Lan9.B5.Closely ObservedHard Times Furious Dancing is an invitation to all those lost in the unrelenting noise of the present, to leave it all behind and come together in the forest. Driven by the primitive thrust of their single-oscillator ‘log’ synths, high and low culture collide in a surreal, free flowing narrative - but the rhythm is universal. This is easily the closest Snapped Ankles have come to capturing their rapturous live energy in the studio. It’s everything you’ve come to know and love from a Snapped Ankles album, amped all the way up until the ground begins to shake.
The first single, ‘Raoul’, is a feverish conversation about geopolitics between unreliable narrators over buzzing synths and howling dogs. The protagonists? Raoul Duke and Don Quixote of course - the original and best where unreliable narrators are concerned. ‘Pay The Rent’ takes a sideways look at how the global cost of living crisis is putting a squeeze on the arts – or “Dancing at the misery of the situation,” as frontman Austin puts it. Which leads neatly on to ‘Dancing In Transit’ – a true tale of bumping into ballroom dancers while stuck in post-Brexit Eurotunnel customs purgatory and “getting an impromptu tango class in the middle of the mayhem”. Elsewhere there are odes to various pioneers of arthouse cinema, Neue Deutsche Welle and krautrock, and defecating nativity figurines. Standard Snapped Ankles’ fare.
The sound of Hard Times Furious Dancing evolved at Snapped Ankles’ South London ‘Forest Rayve’ club nights in 2024 in response to that age-old primal urge to bring people together and make them move. It’s the first time the woodwose have road tested new material to this extent before committing it to tape since debut album Come Play The Trees, and in doing so have harnessed that feral energy once again. This surreal human/woodwose connection is the very best release from an algorithm that knows you better than you know yourself. Dance it all loose.
Snapped Ankles embark on their biggest tour to date, with a run of over thirty shows in the UK and Europe this spring, including a night at Fabric in London on May 15th. Support for the March UK leg comes courtesy of The Sick Man Of Europe.
Snapped Ankles Live:
Fri 7 Feb Northern Winter Beat, Aalborg, DENMARK
Wed 5 Mar Bedford Esquires, Bedford, UK #
Thu 6 Mar Junction, Cambridge, UK #
Fri 7 Mar Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich, UK #
Sat 8 Mar Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester, UK #
Tue 11 Mar Crookes Social Club, Sheffield, UK *
Wed 12 Mar The Crescent, York, UK *
Thu 13 Mar The Georgian Theatre, Stockton-on-Tees, UK *
Fri 14 Mar Room 2, Glasgow, UK *
Sat 15 Mar Rough Trade, Liverpool, UK *
Tue 18 Mar Face Bar, Reading, UK *
Wed 19 Mar Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, UK
Thu 20 Mar Lantern Hall, Bristol, UK *
Fri 21 Mar Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, UK *
Sat 22 Mar Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK *
Tue 1 Apr L'Aeronef, Lille, FRANCE
Wed 2 Apr Maroquinerie, Paris, FRANCE
Thu 3 Apr Museum @ Botanique, Brussels, BELGIUM
Fri 4 Apr EKKO, Utrecht, NETHERLANDS
Sat 5 Apr Paradiso Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
Sun 6 Apr Effenaar, Eindhoven, NETHERLANDS
Tue 8 Apr Bumann & Sohn, Cologne, GERMANY
Wed 9 Apr Hafenklang, Hamburg, GERMANY
Thu 10 Apr Polimagie Festival @ Beatpol, Dresden, GERMANY
Fri 11 Apr Urban Spree, Berlin, GERMANY
Sat 12 Apr Import / Export, Munich, GERMANY
Tue 15 Apr Commissary Art Space, Heidelberg, GERMANY
Wed 16 Apr Palace, St Gallen, SWITZERLAND
Thu 17 Apr Fri-Son, Fribourg, SWITZERLAND
Fri 18 Apr Arci Bellezza, Milan, ITALY
Sat 19 Apr Covo, Bologna, ITALY
Fri 9 May The Forum, Tunbridge Wells, UK
Sat 10 May Boileroom, Guildford, UK
Tue 13 May The Old Market, Brighton, UK
Wed 14 May Papillon, Southampton, UK
Thu 15 May Fabric, London, UK
Fri 16 May The Tin, Coventry, UK
Sat 17 May Meltchester Festival, Manchester, UK
# with Maria Uzor
* with The Sick Man Of Europe
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Announce New Album 'Death Hilarious' out April 4 + Release Official Video for New Single "Stitches"
Official Video for New Single “Stitches” Out Now
January 22, 2025: Today, the Newcastle, UK-based band Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs announced their fifth studio album Death Hilarious will be released on April 4 via Missing Piece Records in North America and Rocket Recordings (rest of world). Along with the announcement, the band released the new single “Stitches” along with a bizarre and grotesque animated video directed by Ben Faircloth which depicts the band being mutated and mutilated by hideous hybrid fauna from across multiple dimensions of nightmares.
Watch the official video for “Stitches” via YouTube.
Pre-order/pre-save Death Hilarious.
About the new single, frontman Matt Baty explains, “I’m aware our band sits in a world largely commandeered by bravado, confidence and machoism, but ‘Stitches’ is an expression of vulnerability, paradoxical emotions and those so familiar pangs of anxiety I wrestle with while butting heads with societal expectations and personal struggles.”
“Stitches” follows the release of “five-plus-minute crusher” (Consequence) “Detroit” that was released in November. The song was praised by BrooklynVegan, Glide Magazine, Metal Injection, Metal Sucks, New Noise Magazine, Stereogum, Vanyaland and Consequence who named it their “Heavy Song of the Week.”
Whereas 2023’s Land Of Sleeper was conceived as an immersive headphones experience, Pigs strove for something more directly hostile on Death Hilarious. “We wanted it to be a slap in the face,” grins producer and guitarist Sam Grant. That objective came, in part, from playing so many gigs over the last couple of years. The band felt well-oiled and ripe to give listeners at home the kind of pummelling their audience receives. The result is a diversely punishing record that shape shifts through Sabbathian doom, grotesquely minimalist noise rock and cyclical post-metal fortissimos.
The album’s lyrics emerged from a bout of anxiety which derailed Matt Baty’s self-confidence to the extent that he wondered whether he’d be able to write any lyrics again. With his mind telling him he’d lost it and no longer had anything to say, the solution was to embrace the disquiet. “After a while I realised this is my muse,” recalls Baty.“ I decided to give all these thoughts an avenue to release themselves, in the hope of exorcising them.”
Late last year, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs released a Record Store Day exclusive vinyl release of their explosive KEXP session, which recently surpassed one million views on YouTube. Death Hilarious follows their breakthrough fourth studio album Land of Sleeper which was acclaimed by Pitchfork, Bandcamp Daily, Consequence of Sound, The Quietus, DIY Magazine, AllMusic and many more. In their 4 star review, The Guardian proclaimed, “their Black Sabbath-esque doom riffs make them accessible to anyone who has overlooked the past few decades worth of hard rock history… it’s undeniable that the band’s fourth album Land of Sleeper will keep listeners entrenched in their heady cosmos.”
Death Hilarious tracklist:
1) Blockage
2) Detroit
3) Collider
4) Stitches
5) Glib Tongued (feat. El-P)
6) The Wyrm
7) Carousel
8) Coyote Call
9) Toecurler
Tour Dates:
4/2 – Portsmouth, UK – The Wedgewood Rooms
4/3 – Brighton, UK – CHALK Live
4/4 – London, UK – KOKO
4/5 – Bristol, UK – SWX
4/7 – Nottingham, UK – Rescue Rooms
4/8 – Birmingham, UK – The Castle & Falcon
4/9 – Birkenhead, UK – Future Yard
4/11 – Manchester, UK – New Century Hall
4/12 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
4/13 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
4/15 – Edinburgh, UK – La Belle Angèle
4/16 – Glasgow, UK – St Luke's
4/25–4/27 – Newcastle, UK – Star and Shadow Cinema
5/17 – Paris, FR – La Maroquinerie
5/22 – Cologne, DE – Gebäude 9
5/23 – Düdingen, CH – Bad Bonn
5/24 – Munich, DE – Strom
5/26 – Leipzig, DE – UT Connewitz
5/27 – Berlin, DE – Säälchen
5/28 – Hamburg, DE – Knust
Keep up with Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs:
WEBSITE - FACEBOOK - INSTAGRAM - TWITTER - YOUTUBE - SPOTIFY
Alabaster DePlume announces new LP out 3/7 + US tour
ALABASTER DEPLUME RALLIES US TO FIGHT FOR DIGNITY ON A BLADE BECAUSE A BLADE IS WHOLE
NEW ALBUM OF POETIC PHILOSOPHICAL SONGWRITING & SOARING ANTHEMIC JAZZ OUT MARCH 7 ON INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ROUSING, CINEMATIC
“OH MY ACTUAL DAYS” HERE
ON TOUR IN THE US, UK AND EU THIS SPRING
Photo by Alexander MassekToday, Alabaster DePlume — the acclaimed London-based saxophonist, singer, songwriter, activist, orator, and poet-philosopher — announces A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole, a daring new album out March 7 on International Anthem. DePlume shares eleven songs of agency and survival and presence; of confronting life’s pains rather than trying to avoid them; of banishing escapism. It’s his first major work following 2022’s GOLD and 2020's To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol 1. It also directly follows his EP Cremisan: Prologue To A Blade (recorded in Palestine in summer 2024) and his poetry book Looking for my value: Prologue to a blade, both of which were released in late 2024 as precursors to this album.
Across A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole, DePlume’s reflections on healing, dignity, and struggle are communicated through a stirring assemblage of disparate musics: ghostly and ancient folk melodies, groove-anchored maelstroms of swirling folk-jazz, elegant string arrangements that strike a midpoint between Ravel and Gainsbourg (courtesy of Macie Stewart), disembodied voices reconfiguring into the shape of a post-modern Greek chorus, noir atmosphere, and allegoric, troubadouric song. Throughout, Alabaster’s intimate, confessional croon (a la Donovan or Devendra Banhart) and vibrato-laced tenor saxophone playing (a la Getatchew Mekurya) convey, with a startling humanistic touch, everything from dejected fragility to resolute strength.
Pre-order / Pre-save A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole
About the album’s title, DePlume writes: “A blade, because a blade is whole, it has forgiven itself, and because it will take a small piece of our opposite, for us to be complete. A blade has marked out these former selves on my hand, a blade made the lines that divine us and the blade is whole. A blade. While I forgive myself, and heal, and lead us in healing. We can only forgive each other once we forgive ourselves. We can only heal each other while we heal ourselves.”
In the video for the rousing and cinematic lead track “Oh My Actual Days” — directed by artist Rebecca Salvadori, who also shot the album cover — DePlume, bathed in blue light, is pensive as he recounts past self-conceptions and strives towards internal acceptance and, ultimately, healing. About the instrumental song, whose title “Oh My Actual Days” refers to a London colloquialism that can be translated into American English as “oh my f-ing god,” DePlume says: “We can, if we choose, read this phrase as a call to the divinity of the moment we are in. Wherever we are, whatever is happening, it is our own life – a life that is made up of the time (the days – the actual days) that we spend. And we call to this – the only real thing that we have. Our time. Whatever we are experiencing it belongs to us, it is the ‘actual’ moment we are in. And it is divine. This is the introduction to the album.”
Watch the video “Oh My Actual Days” here
.
As with all of DePlume’s work, A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole is driven by intention. In this case, a desire to interrogate the concept of healing. As DePlume shared with music writer Liz Pelly, who wrote an essay to accompany the album as digital liner notes: “When I meet people who love my work I ask them, ‘what do people need?’ Many of them were answering ‘healing’, so I worked on that, first of all by healing myself. I found that it was an activity I could choose, and that it had a lot to do with my ownership of myself, dignity and independence. Instead of waiting for healing to ‘happen to me’ I could heal myself and own myself. That is what this album is.”
Read Liz Pelly’s essay on the album here.
This self-reflection and personal evaluation led DePlume to author his poetry book, Looking for my value: prologue to a blade. The seventy pages of verse (much of which were repurposed as lyrics throughout A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole) ponder the pursuit for strength of self within a community, alongside meditations on the paradox of the blade.
DePlume will be touring the United States, the UK, and Europe in support of A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole throughout the spring — see full dates below, more information here. US dates will feature multi-instrumentalist Shazad Ismaily (“one of music’s most coveted collaborators,” according to The New York Times) plus more musicians TBA, with saxophonist/composer Patrick Shiroishi doing supporting opening sets at every show. DePlume’s band for the UK/EU tour will feature percussionist Julian Sartorius, drummer Seb Rochford, bassist Ruth Goller, and Mikey Kenney on strings. More guests to be announced.
Full album credits here.
"Oh My Actual Days" is out now, buy/stream it here.
A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole is out March 7, preorder/save it here.
TRACKLIST
Oh My Actual Days
Thank You My Pain
Invincibility
Form a V
A Paper Man
Who Are You Telling, Gus
Prayer For My Sovereign Dignity
Kuzushi
Salty Road Dogs Victory Anthem
Too True
That Was My Garden
TOUR DATES
March 14 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
March 15 - Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s
March 16 - New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
March 18 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
March 19 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
March 21 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
March 22 - Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
March 23 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
March 25 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent
March 28 - Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears Festival
April 29 - Norwich, UK @ Norwich Arts Centre
April 30 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
May 1 - Newcastle, UK @ Gosforth Civic Hall
May 2 - Glasgow, UK @ Mono
May 3 - Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
May 6 - Bristol, UK @ Trinity Centre
May 7 - Exeter, UK @ Phoenix
May 8 - Southampton, UK @ Papillon
May 9 - London, UK @ Hackney Church
May 10 - Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2
May 15 - Istanbul, TK @ Salon IKSV
May 16 - Warsaw, PL @ Niebo
May 17 - Berlin, DE @ XJAZZ!
May 21 - Paris, FR @ Le Petit Bain
May 22 - Lille, FR @ L'Aéronef
May 23 - Brussels, BE @ La Botanique
May 24 - Amsterdam, NL @ Zonnehuis
May 25 - Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
May 26 - Rotterdam, NL @ Bird
June 1 - Torino, Italy @ Bunker (Jazz Is Dead)
June 7 - Cluj-Napoca, RO @ Jazz In The Park
July 2/5 - Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival
July 4 - Sete, FR @ Worldwide
July 17 - Molde NO, @ Moldejazz
Stay connected with Alabaster DePlume:
Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter
Stay connected with International Anthem:
23 Profile | Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Mad Cool announce day splits and add new names including Nine Inch Nails, Bad Nerves, Geordie Greep, Chloé Caillet and Kingfishr.
MAD COOL 2025 REVEALS LINE UP ADDITIONS
DAILY SCHEDULE REVEALED
Announcing an exclusive Brunch! Electronik x Mad Cool day which will take place on Sunday, July 13th 2025
Mad Cool Festival 2025 shares new additions to this year's lineup and announce the daily schedule. New names include: Nine Inch Nails, Bad Nerves, Geordie Greep, Chloé Caillet and Kingfishr. This year also marks the debut of Brunch! Electronik x Mad Cool, an exclusive day dedicated to showcasing the best of electronic music at the festival.
Nine Inch Nails, fronted by Trent Reznor, will headline Mad Cool 2025 on Friday 11th July, marking their highly anticipated return following their acclaimed performance in 2018. Widely regarded as pioneers of 90s industrial rock, Nine Inch Nails continues to be a groundbreaking force with a profound influence on contemporary culture. Their impact extends beyond music, encompassing significant contributions to film, music production, and collaborations with other artists.
The latest wave of announcements is completed by the bold punk sound of the British band Bad Nerves, the avant-garde and genre-defying style of Geordie Greep, former frontman of Black Midi, the eclectic set by New York’s Chloé Caillet, one of today’s most in-demand DJs, and the alternative folk of the Irish band Kingfishr.
This year’s edition of Mad Cool Festival will kick off on Thursday 10th July, featuring major acts such as Kings of Leon, Gracie Abrams, Iggy Pop, Weezer and more. Friday 11th July will be headlined by Nine Inch Nails, joined by Noah Kahan, Alanis Morissette and Benson Boone. On Saturday 12th July, the spotlight will be on Olivia Rodrigo, Justice, Arde Bogotá and Thirty Seconds to Mars.
Additionally, winners of the ‘Mad Cool Talent by Vibra Mahou’ and ‘Mad Cool DJ Talent by Vibra Mahou’ initiatives will join the lineup, providing emerging bands and DJs with the chance to perform on a globally recognized stage.
For the first time, Brunch! Electronik will join Mad Cool Festival to host a special day dedicated to electronic music on Sunday 13th July. Renowned as a national benchmark in club music, Brunch! Electronik is celebrated for its inclusive ethos and for showcasing some of the most prominent international DJs. Its participation enhances the festival's lineup, providing a unique space for electronic music enthusiasts.
Tickets for Brunch! Electronik x Mad Cool will be sold separately and will be available at madcooltickets.com starting Monday 27th January.
Mad Cool Festival 2025 will take place on 10th, 11th, and 12th July at the Iberdrola Music venue in Villaverde, south of Madrid. This space seamlessly combines leisure, culture, and innovation, setting an example of commitment to a greener and more sustainable future. Spanning over 185,000 square metres, it is designed to serve as a model of responsible management, capable of hosting a wide variety of events, with the goal of becoming a key cultural and social hub in southern Madrid.
The full daily lineup of performances is available on the official Mad Cool Festival website.
Mallrat Announces 2025 North American Tour. Forthcoming Album 'Light Hit My Face Like A Straight Right' Out February 14
MALLRAT ANNOUNCES 2025 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
PERFORMED STANDOUT SINGLE ‘HORSES’ ON
THE KELLY CLARKSON SHOW
NEW ALBUM ‘LIGHT HIT MY FACE LIKE A STRAIGHT RIGHT’ OUT FEBRUARY 14
WATCH PERFORMANCE HERE
PRE-ORDER/ADD/SAVE
LIGHT HIT MY FACE LIKE A STRAIGHT RIGHT (ALBUM)
2025 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
04/29 - House of Blues - Cambridge Room - Dallas, TX
04/30 - Parish - Austin, TX
05/02 - Vinyl at Center Stage - Atlanta, GA
05/03 - Neighborhood Theatre - Charlotte, NC
05/06 - The Atlantis - Washington, DC
05/07 - The Foundry at the Fillmore - Philadelphia, PA
05/09 - Elsewhere - New York, NY
05/10 - Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA
05/12 - Space Ballroom - Hamden, CT
05/13 - Velvet Underground - Toronto, ON
05/15 - A&R Music Bar - Columbus, OH
05/16 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
05/17 - 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, MN
05/20 - Marquis Theater - Denver, CO
05/21 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT
05/23 - Bottlerock Music Festival - Napa, CA
05/29 - Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver, BC
05/31 - Neumos - Seattle, WA
06/01 - Holocene - Portland, OR
06/04 - Voodoo Room - San Diego, CA
06/05- Echoplex - Los Angeles, CA
Following a beautiful performance of ‘Horses’ on Kelly Clarkson, Australian singer and songwriter Mallrat is announcing a North American tour, which will see her visiting over twenty cities beginning this April.
Her new album releasing on February 14th, Light hit my face like a straight right , is born from a world of magical realism in Australian suburbia. With an ounce of influence from her time growing up in Brisbane, Mallrat consistently seeks out (real or imaginary) magic in the otherwise ugly and everyday, as a means to understand the people and world around her. Twelve songs bound with expressive breaks, heartfelt moments, and dance floor ready beats, primed with earlier singles Pavement, 'Horses', 'Ray of Light' and 'Hocus Pocus', the record’s sum isn’t abstract or tied to didactic stories, but instead, presented as its own inherent being – the music Mallratloves making most captures a feeling or time that words alone don’t do justice.
The tour kicks off April 29 in Dallas and includes dates in Austin, Atlanta, New York, Washington DC, Boston, Salt Lake City, Denver, and more, before concluding on June 5 in Los Angeles. Tickets will be on sale starting Friday January 24th @ 10amET. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: lilmallrat.com
LP TRACKLIST
My Darling, My Angel
Pavement
Something for Somebody
Virtue
Defibrillator
The Light Streams In And Hits My Face
Hocus Pocus
Hideaway
Love Songs-Heart Strings
Ray of Light
The Worst Thing I Would Ever Do
Horses
“Butterfly Blue, establishes her as an artist with ambitions bigger than the bedroom-pop genre that once defined her” - Pitchfork
"Mallrat proves she hasn’t just metamorphosised on her debut – she breathes fire" - NME
"Butterfly Blue is arguably the sound of an artist reaching her current peak, with forewarning that there’s plenty more highlights set to come" - Rolling Stone
"Poised on the precipice of world domination" - The Guardian
ABOUT MALLRAT
Mallrat has been breaking barriers since her influential debut in 2016 – accumulating over half a billion career streams in her discography and ARIA Platinum status. The project of Grace Shaw has shared stages with Maggie Rogers, Post Malone, King Princess, Conan Gray; collaborated with Azealia Banks, The Chainsmokers, BENEE, Blu DeTiger, Cub Sport; a late night TV debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden; headline world tours amongst globally recognised festivals Reading and Leeds, Austin City Limits, Laneway, Splendour In The Grass, Listen Out and boasts multiple triple j Hottest 100 entries from 2017 – 2020. The adored songwriter and producer catapulted Mallrat across the globe with critical acclaim from NPR, Stereogum, NME, NYLON, PAPER Magazine, The New York Times, Billboard, Noisey and more further affirming Mallrat as a beacon primed for the world stage.
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