Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 191
November 23, 2024
THE LEMON TWIGS @ Belasco Theatre // 11.22.24 // THE PORTABLE INFINITE
All photos taken by Martin Worster
November 22, 2024
Nilüfer Yanya releases My Method Actor Remix EP
NILÜFER YANYA RELEASES MY METHOD ACTOR REMIX EP VIA NINJA TUNE
INCLUDES REMIXES BY BOY HARSHER, EMPRESS OF, MORMOR X LESSER & JAM CITY
HEADING ON EUROPEAN TOUR NEXT WEEK
Nilüfer Yanya by Molly Daniel
My Method Actor Remix EP
https://NiluferYanya.lnk.to/mma-rmxsPR
What the press is saying about Nilüfer Yanya:
“A melodically rich meditation on identity, desire and the reverberations of heartache, My Method Actor is confident and hypnotic”
The New York Times
"Ms. Yanya remains a master of emotional shading with a knack for writing tunes that stay with you after a single play. The expressive power of her singing continues to set her apart"
The Wall Street Journal
“It’s a Sade-style miracle Yanya’s singing pumps out such force while hardly ever needing to rise above a whisper”
Pitchfork ‘Best New Music’
"Nilüfer Yanya returns with the vibrant, spare and breathtaking ‘My Method Actor.’ The London-based singer-songwriter is like no one else out there, offering songs that appear at first like pleasing soft sketches until they reveal their depth and power, like tissue paper made of palladium."
Associated Press
"On ‘My Method Actor,’ Nilüfer Yanya draws deeply from a search for meaning with vulnerability and humor. Yanya has created a collection of songs that both grasp at the opacity of what is to come and revel in the freedom of letting go. ‘My Method Actor’ is Yanya’s most self-assured and driven album to date"
The FADER
(November 22, 2024) - Today, singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya releases the remix EP of her critically acclaimed album My Method Actor via Ninja Tune. The EP includes remixes from Boy Harsher, Empress Of, MorMor x Lesser, Jam City and Anish Kumar with interpretations of the album’s standout tracks “Mutations,” “Call It Love,” “Just A Western” and two reimaginings of “Like I Say (I runaway).”
This past September, Nilüfer launched her 27-date fall world tour taking her electrifying stage presence and acclaimed catalog across North America with dates in Denver, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles among many others. In two days, she will be heading out on the European leg to perform a string of dates in Paris, Berlin, London, Manchester and more.
Nilüfer’s new album My Method Actor was recently released to overwhelming praise from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Pitchfork with a ‘Best New Music’ stamp, The FADER and so much more. As a whole, Yanya’s third album asks questions with no easy answers. It is a supple, expansive body of work that peers into the crevices of life, exploring them with comforting strings, skittering beats, soul-tinged melodies and swooning harmonies. It asks, who are we? Why do we follow the paths we follow? What is at the heart of it all?
My Method Actor follows Nilüfer’s previous albums PAINLESS and Miss Universe, which were also met with high praise, ranking among the year's best by The New York Times, NPR, Pitchfork, Vulture and more. Nilüfer performed celebrated singles on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Stephen Colbert, Later with Jools Holland and NPR’s legendary Tiny Desk concert series. She’s supported Adele, the XX and Mitski on tour, headlined London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire and sold out shows across Europe, Australia, Japan and the USA. Yanya has also been remixed by Sampha, King Krule and Little Dragon and has collaborated with Bombay Bicycle Club and Liss. Nilüfer is also a founding member of the community project Artists In Transit which takes creative workshops and other support to displaced communities and people in times of hardship.
Listen to My Method Actor Remix EP above and find full tracklisting and fall touring details below.
Official tour artwork
Upcoming Live Dates
EU & UK Dates
11/24 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique Orangerie SOLD OUT
11/25 - Amsterdam, NE @ Melkweg Old Hall SOLD OUT
11/26 - Berlin, GE @ Kesselhaus SOLD OUT
11/28 - Paris, FR @ La Bellevilloise SOLD OUT
11/29 - Paris, FR @ La Bellevilloise SOLD OUT
11/30 - Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2
12/2 - Bristol, UK @ Fleece SOLD OUT
12/3 - London, UK @ HERE at Outernet SOLD OUT
12/4 - Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms
12/5 - Manchester, UK @ Academy 2
Nilüfer Yanya
My Method Actor Remix EP
November 22, 2024
Ninja Tune
1. Mutations (Empress Of Remix)
2. Just A Western (Boy Harsher Remix)
3. Call It Love (Jam City Remix)
4. Like I Say (I runaway) (MorMor x Lesser Remix)
5. Like I Say (Anish Kumar Remix)
Connect with Nilüfer Yanya:
RAHIM REDCAR (From Christine and the Queens) PAYS TRIBUTE TO SOPHIE BY COVERING “IT’S OK TO CRY” (HÔTEL POUR SOPHIE)
RAHIM REDCAR
(From Christine and the Queens)
PAYS TRIBUTE TO SOPHIE BY COVERING
“IT’S OK TO CRY” (HÔTEL POUR SOPHIE) HERE
HOPECORE ALBUM OUT NOW HERE
“With HOPECORE, Redcar seeds physical abandon into the beat. For the first time, he plunges into dancefloor reverie across the length of an LP. It leads him to some of the most impassioned vocal performances he’s ever put to disc” - Pitchfork
“Redcar was captivating throughout, balancing both banter and mystique in a way that reminds you of his star quality” - Attitude
Rahim Redcar (from Christine and the Queens) pays tribute to SOPHIE, the “peerless and visionary producer,” as he called her in 2021, with a cover of her classic track “It's Okay To Cry.” After releasing his club culture-inspired album HOPECORE, he has been playing the tribute each night on his club tour.
The HOPECORE tour saw the live premiere of the artist’s new album HOPECORE, released in September to critical acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork - “He’s never sounded so assured or delighted in his hunger as he does here” - and a 4* review in The Times - “come for the pop, stay for the complexity.”
The list of remaining tour dates is below https://tix.to/HopecoreTour.
Rahim Redcar - HOPECORE tour:
28 November - Lausanne, Switzerland @ D! Club
11 December - Berlin, Germany @ Lido
Entirely written, produced, and mixed by Rahim, HOPECORE rings in a new era for the artist, following the 20-track epic opera PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE (2023) and Redcar les adorables étoiles (2022).
Listen / download “It's Ok To Cry” (hôtel pour SOPHIE)
Listen / download HOPECORE
Connect with Rahim Redcar (aka Christine and the Queens):
Instagram / Youtube / Tiktok
Can 'Live In Keele 1977' Is Out Today On Mute
CAN LIVE IN KEELE 1977
OUT TODAY ON MUTE
LISTEN TO “KEELE 77 VIER”
photo courtesy of Spoon Records
The long-awaited album release of Can Live in Keele 1977 is available now on vinyl, CD and digitally via Mute and Future Days.
Can Live in Keele 1977 is the newest release in a series of live albums that have been unearthed from the Spoon Records vaults and from fan recordings, then painstakingly assembled by founding member Irmin Schmidt and producer / engineer René Tinner.
The album is a dynamic document of late-period Can. Recorded in March 1977, the core line up of Irmin Schmidt, Jaki Liebezeit, Michael Karoli, and Holger Czukay are augmented by the addition of Rosko Gee (Traffic) on bass. Gee’s recent addition to the line-up meant that Holger Czukay was freed up from bass duties to perform “waveform radio and spec. sounds”, manifesting here as otherworldly sounds, samples and what one reviewer of a later show described as “moontalk to a white continental telephone".
While the 1977 album Saw Delight wasn't enthusiastically received by press, Jennifer Lucy Allan’s meticulous research of the time, place and context of the performance on the accompanying sleeve notes led her to declare that “The heads know – forums and published books alike agree – that '76-'77 is the best of the Can live years (Keele included). A couple of the tracks from this show have been included on fan-made "best of" live bootlegs over the years. And wow, are they right.”
The new album is the final release in current series of live documents that launched with Can Live in Stuttgart 1975,, followed by Can Live in Cuxhaven 1976, Can Live in Brighton 1975, Can Live in Paris 1973, the first of the series to feature the late Damo Suzuki (“a vivid tribute to one of rock's best improvisational groups” – Financial Times), and Can live in Aston 1977 (The Quietus’s Reissue of the Week - “It’s undoubtedly music for mind expansion, but it stretches the brain in ways that remain unique – Can have always been purveyors of inner space rock, with each trip into the unknown as different as their shows”).
Founded in the late ‘60s and disbanded just over a decade later, Can’s unprecedented and bold marriage of hypnotic grooves and avant-garde instrumental textures has made them one of the most important and innovative bands of all time. This collection of albums recorded throughout Europe from ‘73-’77, reveal a totally different perspective to the group. Through the series, you may hear familiar themes, riffs and motifs popping up and rippling through the jams, but they are often only fleeting glimpses of familiar faces in a swirling crowd. At other points, you will hear music that didn’t make it onto the official album canon. In these recordings Can go to even more extreme ranges than with their studio work: from mellow, ambient drift-rock to the white-dwarf sonic-meltdown moments they used to nickname “Godzillas”. Even as they adapt and chase the rhythm from minute to minute, you can hear the extraordinary musical telepathy its members shared.
Can Live in Keele 1977 is released today on double vinyl, CD and digitally via Mute / Future Days (the EU label created by Spoon Records).
Purchase or stream the album HERE.
Recent praise for the Can Live series
"Can created a free-flowing improvisatory psychedelia that put the “trance” in “transcendent.” - New York Times
“Suzuki leaves behind a formidable legacy, and this latest live release captures him and Can at their absolute peak.” - Stereogum“… a genuine insight into what it must have been like to have witnessed the band live in their prime” - The Wire
“Lets the armchair chrononaut attune to a lengthy Can performance in all its shifts and drama.” - MOJO 4/5
“There are moments here when the jaw hangs in disbelief…” - Record Collector 5/5
“Mesmeric and utterly fearless” - PROG
“The prospect of further singular recordings yet to come is immensely exciting.” - THE QUIETUS
Track listing:
1. Keele 77 Eins2. Keele 77 Zwei
3. Keele 77 Drei
4. Keele 77 Vier
5. Keele 77 Fünf
Purchase or stream HERE.
Can Live series discography:
Can Live in Stuttgart 1977Can Live in Brighton 1975
Can Live in Cuxhaven 1976
Can Live in Paris 1973
Can Live In Aston 1977
Can Live In Keele 1977
CONNECT WITH MUTE:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | WEB
Charli xcx Announces 2025 US Arena Tour
Charli xcx today announces details of her 2025 US headlining arena tour – CHARLI XCX - BRAT 2025 - ARENA TOUR.
TICKETS: Fans can register for first access to tickets in the Artist Presale now at livemu.sc/charlixcx. The Artist
Presale will begin on Tuesday, November 26 at 10AM local time and the general onsale starts on Tuesday, November 26 at 2PM local time at CharliXCX.com. A limited number of VIP packages will also be available and fans can visit vipnation.com for more information.
CHARLI XCX - BRAT 2025 - ARENA TOUR:
April 22 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
April 26 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
April 28 – Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
April 30 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
May 01 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
ABOUT CHARLI XCX
Avant-pop and electronic superstar Charli xcx has become an iconic figure in the arts, having helped expand the landscape of popular music over the last decade by seamlessly traversing the underground and mainstream with her artistic output. Over the course of a trailblazing career, the multi-hyphenate creative has earned critical acclaim for her innovative style and entrepreneurial spirit and seen her forward-thinking approach reshape pop culture in the process.
She released her sixth studio album ‘BRAT’ in June which stands as the most critically acclaimed album of the year and landed at Number 1 on the UK Official Album Chart in October. ‘BRAT’ has well and truly made its mark on the cultural zeitgeist this year; the audacious campaign has seen Charli cause roadblocks around the world with her pop-up ‘PARTYGIRL’ DJ sets, break the internet with viral videos and surprise collaborations with the likes of Billie Eilish, Lorde, Addison Rae, Robyn, Yung Lean, Julia Fox, Chloë Sevigny, and Rachel Sennott and introduce a new tone of green to the social lexicon.
The album was nominated for the Mercury Prize 2024 while ‘Guess featuring Billie Eilish’ debuted at Number 1 on the UK Official Singles Chart, making Charli the first British artist to land at the top of the charts this year. In October, Charli followed it up with ‘Brat and it's completely different but also still brat’ - a brand-new version of the critically acclaimed album featuring reimagined takes and innovative reworks of tracks from ‘BRAT’ featuring the likes of Julian Casablancas, Bon Iver, The 1975, Shygirl, Ariana Grande, Caroline Polachek and more.
Charli has also been working on multiple film & TV projects following the breakout success of her Barbie soundtrack contribution ‘Speed Drive’ last year. She is co-executive producing the score for the A24 film ‘Mother Mary’ with Jack Antonoff and also producing original music for Benito Skinner’s series ‘Overcompensating’ on Prime Video. In addition, Charli will star in the Daniel Goldhaber remake of 1978 cult horror film ‘Faces of Death’ and Greg Araki’s erotic thriller ‘I Want Your Sex’.
Her lasting impact was cemented last year when Charli was honoured with the Visionary Award at the annual Ivor Novellos in London, while she also received the Powerhouse Award at Billboard’s Women In Music ceremony in March and the ASCAP Global Impact Award in May.
Follow Charli XCX:
Glixen announce new EP 'quiet pleasures' via AWAL/Wichita Recordings
GLIXEN ANNOUNCE SOPHOMORE EP
QUIET PLEASURES
ARRIVING FEBRUARY 21, 2025
VIA AWAL AND WICHITA RECORDINGS
NEW SINGLE “LICK THE STAR” - LISTEN
PREVIEWS THE CRUSHING NEW PROJECT
HEADLINING NORTH AMERICA
AND PLAYING COACHELLA IN 2025
[image error]Photo credit: Jocelyn Pacheco
"A crucial contributor to the ongoing American shoegaze renaissance."
- STEREOGUM
“Listening to the guitars is akin to the feeling of being squeezed from above,
a slow dreamlike compression.”
- THE FADER
“A plush yet dark soundscape that crashes over you in emotive and powerful waves.”
- COMPLEX
“Towering, sensual shoegaze.”
- ALTERNATIVE PRESS
“Pummeling, breakdown-esque riffs.”
- FLOOD MAGAZINE
“Intertwines shoegaze tropes with spurts of spiritual jazz.”
- GLIDE MAGAZINE
“Few bands have a more immediate, arresting appeal than Glixen.”
- Q MAGAZINE
Phoenix shoegazers Glixen are excited to announce their second EP, quiet pleasures, arriving February 21, 2025 digitally via AWAL and on vinyl via Wichita Recordings. To celebrate, they’re previewing the project with today’s single, “lick the star.” Starting eerily quiet, the band swallows silence in favor of lulling strings and vocals, leading into a whirlwind of feedback and distortion. A tornado of silver-lined melodies and swirling guitar riffs, Glixen continues to push the envelope.
“This song is special, it begins with a mellow sonic bath of an intro and explodes into a whirling wall of sound and melody,” says bandleader Aislinn Ritchie. “Also, we are excited to announce our first full US headline tour. This is going to be a very busy and fun year for us!”
LISTEN TO “LICK THE STAR”
This year, the band released “lust,” “foreversoon,” and "sick silent” beginning to preview what the upcoming Sonny DiPerri (My Bloody Valentine, DIIV) produced EP will sound like. Today’s song is a step forward within their sound; atmospheric and drenched in distortion, continuing a sonic evolvement that feels fresh and completely locked in.
WATCH THE “SICK SILENT” OFFICIAL VISUALIZER
LISTEN TO “LUST”
WATCH THE “FOREVERSOON” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
[image error]
Glixen has had a massive year of touring. From playing SXSW (see Rolling Stone) and Treefort Festival to supporting genre stalwarts like Interpol, DIIV, Nothing., Tanukichan, Turnover and Glare, Glitterer, Softcult and Fish Narc, they’ve played to packed crowds across the country. The run continues next year with their first ever headlining North American tour with support from contemporaries she’s green and Suzy Clue and a first-time appearance at Coachella. For more information, see below for a complete list of Glixen’s upcoming shows.
###
★ GLIXEN LIVE 2025 ★
FEBRUARY
21 - Backstage Bar - Las Vegas, NV
22 - The Great Room - Fresno, CA
23 - Starlet Room - Sacramento, CA
25 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA
27 - Polaris Hall - Portland, OR #
28 - The Shakedown - Bellingham, WA #
MARCH
2 - Neurolux - Boise, ID #
3 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT #
5 - Hi-Dive - Denver, CO #
7 - 7th St.Entry - Minneapolis, MN #
8 - Howdy - Kansas City, MO #
9 - Schubas - Chicago, IL %#
10 - Lager House - Detroit, MI %#
11 - Bottlerocket Social Hall - Pittsburgh, PA %#
13 - Monarch Tavern - Toronto, ON %#
14 - Cabaret Foufounes - Montreal, QC %#
15 - Baby’s All Right - Brooklyn, NY %#
16 - PhilaMOCA - Philadelphia, PA %#
17 - DC9 - Washington, DC %#
18 - The Pinhook - Durham, NC %#
20 - DRKMTTR - Nashville, TN %#
21 - The Masquerade - Altar - Atlanta, GA %#
22 - LCY Media - Birmingham, AL %#
24 - Club Dada - Dallas, TX %#
25 - The Ballroom - Austin, TX %#
26 - White Oak Music Hall - Houston, TX %#
28 - Sister Bar - Albuquerque, NM #
29 - Club Congress - Tucson, AZ #
APRIL
5 - Crescent Ballroom - Phoenix, AZ #
11 - Coachella - Indio, CA †
18 - Coachella - Indio, CA †
# - w/ she’s green
% - w/ Suzy Clue
† Festival Appearance
MICHAEL KIWANUKA RELEASES NEW ALBUM 'SMALL CHANGES'
MICHAEL KIWANUKA RELEASES NEW ALBUM SMALL CHANGES - LISTEN NOW
WATCH/LISTEN TO MICHAEL IN CONVERSATION ABOUT SMALL CHANGES
Michael Kiwanuka photo by Marco Grey
PRESS ACCOLADES FOR SMALL CHANGES
“Michael Kiwanuka makes the simple profound. The world is listening.” - NEW YORK TIMES
“First-rate songwriting, hypnotic beats, and empathetic emotions” **** - MOJO
“Rich, moving and inventive” 9/10 – UNCUT
“an artist leaning into his strengths… it’s an album built to last” **** - RECORD COLLECTOR
“an intimate but confident record that reveals more of its magic with every listen” 4.5/5 DIY
Michael Kiwanuka has just released his fourth album Small Changes via Geffen Records. Small Changes is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to Michael’s third LP, the Mercury Prize winning and Grammy Award nominated, KIWANUKA back in 2019.
Small Changes was produced alongside Danger Mouse and Inflo, the same studio team behind the globally acclaimed KIWANUKA and its equally acclaimed predecessor Love & Hate. Small Changes was recorded between London and Los Angeles.
On the heels of completing his acclaimed co-headline tour across the US with Brittany Howard, Michael heads out on a stripped-back UK tour of small rooms across the next 10 days in support of the record, with a full UK/European tour next year. More US dates are anticipated in the near future.
Stream / Buy Small Changes
https://michaelkiwanuka.lnk.to/smallchanges
Watch “The Rest of Me” live video
Watch the video for “Lowdown (part i)” & “Lowdown (part ii)”
http://michaelkiwanuka.lnk.to/Lowdownvisualiser
Watch the video for “Floating Parade”
https://michaelkiwanuka.lnk.to/FloatingParadeVid
Michael Kiwanuka Tour Dates
Stripped-Back Tour:
November 23 – HMV, Birmingham *SOLD OUT
November 24 – Jacaranda Baltic, Liverpool (in association with Jacaranda) *SOLD OUT
November 24 – Jacaranda Baltic, Liverpool (in association with Jacaranda) *SOLD OUT
November 25 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (in association with Crash) *SOLD OUT
November 25 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (in association with Crash) *SOLD OUT
November 27 – The Level, Nottingham (in association with Rough Trade) *SOLD OUT
November 27 – The Level, Nottingham (in association with Rough Trade)
November 28 – Pryzm, Kingston Upon Thames (in association with Banquet) *SOLD OUT
November 28 – Pryzm, Kingston Upon Thames (in association with Banquet) *SOLD OUT
December 2 – The 1865, Southampton (in association with Vinilo) *SOLD OUT
December 2 – The 1865, Southampton (in association with Vinilo) *SOLD OUT
Full Band:
February 25 – Sporthalle – Hamburg, DE
February 26 – AFAS Live – Amsterdam, NL *SOLD OUT
February 28 – Le Zénith – Paris, FR *SOLD OUT
March 1– Forest National – Brussels, BE *SOLD OUT
March 3 – Alcatraz – Milan, IT
March 4 – Halle 622 – Zurich, CH
March 6 – Zenith – Munich, DE
March 7 – Jahrhunderthalle – Frankfurt, DE
March 9 – Civic Hall – Wolverhampton, UK *SOLD OUT
March 10 – Eventim Apollo – London, UK *SOLD OUT
March 12 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh, UK *SOLD OUT
March 13 – O2 Apollo – Manchester, UK *SOLD OUT
March 25 – Teatro Metropolitan, Mexico
Small Changes Tracklisting
1. Floating Parade
2. Small Changes
3. One And Only
4. Rebel Soul
5. Lowdown (part i)
6. Lowdown (part ii)
7. Follow your Dreams
8. Live For Your Love
9. Stay By My Side
10. The Rest Of Me
11. Four Long Years
FOLLOW MICHAEL KIWANUKA
RAISSA RELEASES CUTE THREAT EP + "CUTE THREAT" VIDEO ON NEON GOLD RECORDS
RAISSA RELEASES CUTE THREAT EP
ON NEON GOLD RECORDS HERE
“CUTE THREAT” VIDEO HERE
RAISSA “NO GENIUS” FT RAHIM REDCAR
AKA CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS HERE + MUSIC VIDEO HERE
Today, multilingual, multinational worldpop superstar-in-waiting Raissa releases her Cute Threat EP and a music video for the track “Cute Threat” here on Neon Gold Records. Born in Spain, Raissa inherited a mastery of French and Spanish from her parents and a love of songwriting from Leonard Cohen. She spent her childhood between Beijing, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, and London - as a result, she draws from a deep well of creative influences, everything from antique Gothic literature to vintage anime.
About the EP, she says: “Cute threat is about contrast and contradiction. It’s about being deceptively capable and powerful in spite of how you may be packaged. It’s relishing the fact people don’t see you coming and finding freedom in that. It’s a playful and braggadocious celebration of self”.
Listen / download Raissa - Cute Threat EP
Currently LA-based, Raissa is a unique talent whose work creates a sense of hope and the urge to fight for truth and love. She champions courage, vulnerability, and what it means to be young and enthralled by it all.
Last month, Raissa released “No Genius” featuring her close friend and collaborator Rahim Redcar aka Christine and the Queens. The collaboration is the latest in a long line of meaningful collabs and co-signs, including Mark Ronson, Mura Masa, and more. A singular pop storyteller whose honest lyrics, vibrant soundscapes, and unique visual storytelling exhibit her artistry.
About “No Genius” she adds: "Lyrically guided by a channeled frustration at our increasing alienation from each other. It doesn’t take no genius to know that those who seek to divide us are up to no good. I was channeling some frustration during a particularly difficult time in the world. I think people as a collective are smarter than we give ourselves credit for. It’s some tough love for myself and my fellow human. A reminder that it doesn’t take no genius to know that those who seek to divide us, are probably up to no good".
Raissa - Cute Threat EP - tracklist:
1. PENITA
2. NO GENIUS ft Rahim Redcar
3. CUTE THREAT
4. TODO CANTA
5. A LA MODE
6. KNIFE
Raissa bio:
A creative force unlike any other in music today, Raissa embodies the kind of bold contradictions that make for truly transcendent pop: she’s wildly inventive yet refined in musicality, sensitive yet self-possessed, fiercely intelligent yet deeply attuned to the sensory pleasures of melody and groove. Not only the outcome of her global upbringing—a journey that includes being born in Spain, then spending her childhood in Beijing, Sydney, and Kuala Lumpur—the Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter/producer’s potent originality stems from her limitless imagination and eclectic mix of influences (early-millennium hip-hop, ’80s art-pop, tropicália, West African dance music, and much more). Newly signed to Neon Gold Records, Raissa is now set to deliver a new body of work affirming the depth and power of her one-of-a-kind vision.
“In the past I’ve felt frustrated with the fact that I don’t fit neatly into any type of box—I belong to so many things, but at the same I belong to nothing,” says Raissa. “Now I’m finally starting to see that as a strength, and maybe the most important thing about me as a person and an artist.”
A multilingual talent whose lyrics shift from English to Spanish to French, Raissa partly attributes her near-encyclopedic knowledge of music to her parents, who raised her on pop iconoclasts like Prince and David Bowie and songwriter/poets like Leonard Cohen—an essential catalyst for her own musical development. “When I was 12 I watched a documentary about Leonard Cohen, and he talked about how he’d started writing songs after learning to play just a few chords on guitar,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘That doesn’t sound so hard,’ and then I started writing songs too.” After teaching herself GarageBand at age 14, Raissa began self-recording and quickly amassed a sizable but entirely secret stash of songs. “At the time I was living in Malaysia and didn’t know anyone who’d even attempted to make music, so the idea of turning it into something bigger seemed impossible,” she explains. Upon heading to London for art school at 19, however, Raissa felt an overwhelming need to take her music to the next level. “I was alone in this big city and felt really low, and music became a lifeline,” she says. “I started making music with a friend just for fun, and then one day I randomly uploaded a song to SoundCloud.” By the next morning, that track had surpassed 20,000 streams—a turn of events that caught the attention of several established producers looking to collaborate, and soon found her flying out to L.A. to set her music career in motion.
Since making her debut with the tender but unapologetic 2020 single “BULLYING BOYS,” Raissa has continually turned out songs that match their exquisitely detailed and high-energy sound with lyrics that subtly transform our perception of the world—a dynamic in full effect on her new EP Cute Threat. Mainly co-produced by Raissa and her longtime creative partner Evan Voytas, her debut project for Neon Gold encompasses everything from the tongue-in-cheek swagger of its title track to the raw catharsis of “No Genius”: a galvanizing collaboration with Rahim Redcar (aka Christine and the Queens), built on gorgeously strange beats and Raissa’s hot-tempered but hypnotic outpouring of frustration. “That song came from thinking about how the most powerful entities in the world profit from creating division among the most vulnerable,” says Raissa, who refers to “No Genius” as “some tough love for myself and my fellow human."
Follow Raissa:
https://raissa.komi.io/
https://www.tiktok.com/@thisisraissa
https://www.instagram.com/thisisraissa/
Spotify
YouTube
NEIL FRANCES Launch CLUB NF & Share Vol 1.; Play Hollywood Bowl Tomorrow
LOS ANGELES DUO
LAUNCH NEW CLUB-FOCUSED MONIKER
CLUB NF
SHARE CLUB NF VOL 1.
FEATURING DANCE FLOOR-READY REMIXES OF
“DANCING,” “DUMB LOVE,” AND
“MUSIC SOUNDS BETTER WITH YOU”
FULL BAND TO PERFORM AT THE
THE ICONIC HOLLYWOOD BOWL
ANNOUNCE 2025 DATES WITH RÜFÜS DU SOL
PHOTO CREDIT: PIA RIVEROLA
November 22, 2023 — Los Angeles-based duo NEIL FRANCES launches CLUB NF, a new moniker that reimagines both their catalog and live performances. While their full-band shows as NEIL FRANCES explore soulful electro-indie rock, CLUB NF focuses on reworked, club-driven versions of their tracks, brought to life with live synthesizers, sequencers, drum machines, and samplers. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Soulwax’s Nite Versions and BICEP’s Chroma, CLUB NF will offer fans an immersive “club” experience featuring all-new sound, lighting, and stage production. The duo will tour select venues globally throughout 2025.
Today, to celebrate the launch, they share VOL. 1, featuring new club-ready takes on their fan-favorite tracks, “dancing,” “Dumb Love,” and their Platinum-certified cover of “Music Sounds Better With You.” Jordan Feller and Marc Gilfry explain, “Club culture and dance music have always been at the heart of NEIL FRANCES. Club music and the spaces that it exists in continue to be one of our primary sources of inspiration. We’ve always wanted to create an ‘offshoot’ so that our music can exist in those spaces and present a live show that makes use of only our analog gear, such as sequencers, drum machines, synths, live instrumentation, and sampling. So, with that in mind, we have started CLUB NF and reimagined some of our old songs into a more club-focused format. We’ve loved making VOLUME 1 in what’s going to be an ongoing series of releases under the CLUB NF moniker.”
LISTEN & SHARE CLUB NF VOL. 1 :
https://neilfrances.ffm.to/clubnf_vol1
SHARE "dancing (CLUB NF VERSION)"
Next up for the band, they will support Empire Of The Sun at the Hollywood Bowl tomorrow night. The show caps off a busy year, which included performances at Red Rocks, Coachella, Bonnaroo, Portola, CRSSED, Life is Beautiful, Electric Forest, SZIGET Festival (Hungary), Frequency Festival (Austria), Cabaret Vert Festival (France), Lost Village Festival (UK), opening dates for JUNGLE, and sold-out headline shows in Berlin, Amsterdam, London, and more. Next year, the band is already confirmed for Lollapalooza Brazil and to support RÜFÜS DU SOL on their North American Spring tour. A full list of dates can be found below.
The duo first gained global attention when their cover of Stardust’s "Music Sounds Better With You” went viral, earning Platinum Certification in Australia and Gold in Canada. Their catalog has since been streamed over 600 million times. Known not only for their recording prowess but also as dance-floor sociologists, NEIL FRANCES has become celebrated for their captivating stage presence. They have sold-out numerous North American tours, including headline shows at Brooklyn Steel and The Novo, opened for acts like Jungle, Odesza, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and have evolved into a staple in the festival circuit, having graced the stages of almost every renowned North American festival. This past summer, they released their deluxe album, It’s All A Bit Fuzzier, featuring six remixes by artists like Poolside and Alan Braxe of singles from their October 2023 record, It’s All a Bit Fuzzy. The collab-heavy record refines NEIL FRANCES’ natural, club-ready groove with sonic influences ranging from ‘80s/’90s rave culture, ‘70s funk and soul, yacht rock, and classic hip-hop. Alluding to a dizzy night out, followed by a pleasantly woozy morning after, it is “an ode to house music,” featuring rising talents such as dreamcastmoe, St. Panther, PawPaw Rod, and DRAMA. The record was supported by the likes of KCRW, BBC6, Travis Mills, This Song Is Sick, SPIN, Rolling Stone, and NME.
More to come from NEIL FRANCES and CLUB NF soon.
CLUB NF VOL.1 TRACKLISTING :
dancing (CLUB NF Version)
Dumb Love (CLUB NF Version)
Music Sounds Better With You (CLUB NF VERSION)
NEIL FRANCE TOUR DATES:
+ with RÜFÜS DU SOL
23/11 Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, CA
12/3 Guadalajara, Mexico Estadio 3 De Marzo U.A.G +
14/3 Monterrey, Mexico Estadio Banorte +
27/3-30/3 Bogotá, Colombia Estereo Picnic
28/3-30/3 São Paulo, Brazil Lollapalooza Brazil
30/3 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheatre +
1/5 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre +
3/5 Miami, FL Bayfront Park +
6/5 Nashville, TN Ascend Amphitheatre +
8/5 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion +
9/5 Raleigh, NC Coastal Credit Union Music Park At Walnut Creek +
10/5 Virginia Beach, VA Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheatre +
NEIL FRANCES ON SOCIALS:
Panchiko Announce New Album with "Ginkgo"
PANCHIKO
THE UK 90S BAND DISCOVERED DECADES LATER VIA 4CHAN ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM:
GINKGO
DUE APRIL 4, 2025
VIA NETTWERK
WATCH VIDEO FOR TITLE TRACK "GINKGO" TODAY
ON TOUR ACROSS THE US NOW, EU/UK DATES TO FOLLOW
DATES BELOW
Photo by Adam AlonzoToday, Panchiko announces their new album Ginkgo, due April 4, 2025, with its title track "Ginkgo," their first release after their signing to Nettwerk. Getting their start in the nineties as teens in Nottingham, UK, the band has since inspired legions of young music fans online and at shows. Thirty years later, they're selling out headlining tours and living a life they’d deemed as an impossible dream. Listen to "Ginkgo" here and pre-save Ginkgo here.
Panchiko's story is one that, if presented as a blockbuster movie, would be hard to believe. As 90s kids in the city of Nottingham, they played shows to nearly empty rooms and eventually set aside the hope of becoming full-time musicians to pursue other careers. That was true until 2020, after discovering that an internet user found Panchiko’s discarded 2000 demo CD, D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L, in a Nottingham charity shop, posted it to 4chan in 2016, and effectively made their long let-go-of dreams imperative to pursue.
With the new album, Panchiko rediscovers and expands upon its beloved sound. The original rawness and fine grit of the demo CD remain but with an even more varied palette. Across the record, we hear moments reminiscent of ELO's electronic, chromatic playfulness, OK Computer-esque, brainy theatricality, and even bits of Rage Against The Machine's hip-hop flow.
Watch the visualizer for "Ginkgo" here.
"Ginkgo's" driving force is a rhythmic interplay between a shuffling drumbeat and an acoustic guitar, reminiscent of a classic jazz combo, further bolstered by a plucked upright bass. However, the sonic world lies more in the realm of an aching Radiohead cut, keys darting around a brightly-toned, soft-edged melody in the upper register as vocalist and guitarist Owain Davies shapes an effortless line atop the expertly crafted arrangement below.
Fans at SPIN, The Guardian, Bandcamp, Vice, and more have been fascinated by the band's story and blown away by their sound. Over the past year, they've reached 90M streams on Spotify alone, with their following on the platform growing by 160k in the same amount of time; they've sold out major venues in NYC (Brooklyn Steel), Los Angeles (The Novo), DC (9:30 Club), and so many more – doubling the size of venue they play in the span of two years – with a major festival appearance at Levitation this fall. They are currently wrapping up a tour across the US, with upcoming dates in the EU / UK — see routing below.
Panchiko — now composed of original members Andy Wright (keyboardist and producer) and Owain Davies (vocalist and guitarist), alongside new members guitarist Robert Harris, bassist Shaun Ferreday, and drummer John Schofield — pursued their new path with vigor. Upon discovering their virality in 2020, they toured the world and wrote, recorded, and released their first album in 20+ years, 2023’s Failed At Maths. But after the thrill of the whirlwind came a new question. What comes next when your dreams come true? The answer is Gingko, a 13-track project that finds the band making some of their most introspective, cinematic, and moving music yet.
"Ginkgo" is out now, listen here.
Presave Ginkgo, due April 4, 2025, here.
PANCHIKO LIVE DATES
REMAINING US TOUR 2024
November 19 - St Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
November 20 - Orlando, FL - The Beacham
November 21 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade - Heaven
November 23 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
November 24 - Dallas, TX - The Factory in Deep Ellum
UPCOMING EU/UK TOUR 2025
March 25 - Dublin, Ireland - The Button Factory
March 26 - Glasgow, UK - St Luke's
March 27 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club
March 28 - Manchester, UK - Academy 2
March 29 - Camden, UK - Electric Ballroom
April 5 - Paris, France - Petit Bain
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