Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 501
June 16, 2023
Paris Texas announces debut album + shares new single
PARIS TEXAS ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM MID AIR
OUT JULY 21ST
SHARES NEW SINGLE "EVERYBODY'S SAFE UNTIL..."
Paris Texas by Alexis Gross
“one of the most exciting acts in music — regardless of genre”
Consequence of Sound
"bizarre and beguiling"
i-D
"truly new, original and inspired"
NPR
"these two are not short on ideas or energy"
Pigeons & Planes
"Everybody's Safe Until..."
LISTEN: https://orcd.co/ptxesu
MID AIR
PRE-ORDER/SAVE: https://orcd.co/midair
(June 16, 2023) - Paris Texas announces their highly-anticipated debut album, MID AIR, out July 21st. Rolling Stone described their Coachella debut as "taking the festival circuit by storm and leaving a throng of unruly new fans in their wake," where fans heard a preview of a few album cuts early, along with being introduced to the mayhem of MID AIR. Paris Texas previously released a cryptic opening chapter introducing the world to their debut album and shared two singles "BULLET MAN" and "PANIC!!!" which became a fan favorite and premiered on Zane Lowe's Apple Music 1.
Alongside the announcement, the duo shares the closing offering of their trilogy of singles, “Everybody's Safe Until...,” a track written and produced by Paris Texas that captures the internal struggle through feelings of hopelessness and vulnerability. Instrumentally, the record reflects that darkness, as a classic breakbeat undergirds dark, punchy bass and ghostly background vocals.
Commenting on the single, Paris Texas says: “it wraps about everything we fear about being alive right now in this day in age, it feels like things are trying to kill us and if we die the world will keep on dancing.”
When the duo first emerged from the fray with their eight-song BOY ANONYMOUS, which dropped in May 2021, it was clear that both Felix and Louie were unmissable voices in music today. The guys followed BOY ANONYMOUS only six months later with Red Hand Akimbo, which served to further disorient and tantalize audiences.
Last year, the duo took their show on the road, releasing standalone single "cyanide" featuring cryogeyser, along with festival performances at Governor's Ball and Boston Calling, and shutting down the room at Kenny Beats' DOTS show in LA where they shared the stage with artists like Rico Nasty, MAVI, and more.
Check out "Everybody's Safe Until..." and pre-order/pre-save the album above, see album details below and stay tuned for the next chapter of MID AIR coming soon.
Paris Texas
MID AIR
July 21, 2023
More about Paris Texas:
A picture of an object in midair doesn’t necessarily tell you whether it’s on the way up or down. There is no logic, no history, no narrative arc—just the present tense, the suspension of a single moment. So perhaps it was inevitable that Paris Texas, the wildly inventive duo from Los Angeles who blend various strains of rap and rock music into a fugue of pure energy and irresistible urgency, would name their full-length debut MID AIR. Whether filtered through songs like the serrated “ahead” or the pulsing, playful “trying to kill me,” this ethos—of commitment to whatever feels nakedly true in a given instant—makes members Louie Pastel and Felix unmissable voices in music today, essential translators of the end times.
While many young, aspiring musicians are constantly networking, straining to make connections and find potential collaborators, Felix and Louie came together gradually. A mutual friend had told each that the other made music, but it wasn’t until the pair discovered a shared interest in Robb Bank$—the underground rapper from Florida whose outré style and askance sense of humor have made him a cult figure illegible to many—that they understood they were on the same wavelength. “Robb was an entry point,” Felix says of that mutual recognition. “It’s like when you make a joke in a group of people and one other dude gets it: ‘Oh, you laughed at this? We’ve got the same sense of humor.’”
What would eventually make Paris Texas an unrelentingly fascinating duo is the ability to embody, and untangle, a handful of apparent contradictions. The first one they had to bridge was the tension that young people feel between the online and in-person experience of receiving and making music. Around the beginning of the 2010s, Louie, who handles the group’s production, had drifted away from hip-hop and toward post-hardcore, math rock, and technical metal. “Once the jerkin’ era happened, I stopped relating,” he says of the hyper-minimal, dance-based style of rap that dominated L.A. at the start of that decade. “I wasn’t in a party mode, wasn’t in a club mode.”
Two things nudged Louie back toward rap: witnessing, from afar, the explosion of Tyler, the Creator, and having a friend move into his home who urged him to rap along with 10 Haters, the album by Flash Bang Grenada, a duo comprising hyper-technical L.A. linchpins Busdriver and Nocando. As Louie was opening himself up to these new movements in hip-hop—one that made it onto Jimmy Fallon, one that would stay on the ground in East and South L.A.—Felix was immersed in the blog era, studying the Cool Kids, Mickey Factz, and early Kendrick Lamar. And yet the spark he found had nothing to do with zip files or RSS feeds. “Felix was the first person I ever heard who sounded like a rapper in person,” Louie says of the earliest verse he heard his future partner spit.
Another seeming incongruity Felix and Louie learned was between the desire to catalog their work and lives and the desire to be ephemeral. At first, the duo didn’t even record the songs they wrote and rehearsed together, and eventually played at gallery openings and other shows around the South Bay area. This was in part due to circumstance—a lack of recording equipment, and sometimes of cars to get to whatever studio sessions they could scrounge up—but also lent them an air of mystery, of exclusivity.
When it came time to name themselves, they took inspiration from a still image they came across on Tumblr of the 1984 Wim Wenders movie. Their idea, initially, was to perform as “Paris Texas (1984)” at one show, “Hollywood Florida 2001” at the next, and so on—always misplacing themselves on the map and in time, reflecting the experience of, as Louie puts it, “Black kids that didn’t feel like we belonged in a place.” It was at once a nod to the strange afterlife works of art can have, and a smokescreen into which they could disappear when necessary.
The final contradiction Paris Texas seems to revel in is between what’s instinctual and the product of deep forethought. When the group began to receive national attention with the eight-song Boy Anonymous, which dropped in May 2021, it was clear that both Felix and Louie had a wealth of technical knowledge: Felix’s tightly wound, epigrammatic verses and Louie’s bursts of what seems at first like pure id; Louie’s immediate but sophisticated production, which belies the premeditation he has on the mic, as well. The guys followed Boy Anonymous only six months later with Red Hand Akimbo, which served to further disorient and tantalize audiences who have come to expect that the group will deliver the unexpected.
Now, Paris Texas is ready to unleash everything that got them here—the impulse and the master plan, the groove and the cacophony. This is all crystallized in the video for lead single “PANIC!!!,” which depicts a raucous club night that turns bloody, the hard pivot to the morning after, and the new rhythm that emerges in the wake of it all. The clip is reflective of Louie and Felix’s longstanding commitment to the visual aspect of their work. See videos like “FORCE OF HABIT” or “girls like drugs,” where the duo weaves clever narrative threads through edits that are otherwise hallucinatory, overwhelming in the purest way, a rush of both nostalgia and invention. Or take the turn-of-the-century digital renderings in the video for “SITUATIONS,” which makes the viewer feel as if the internet of his or her youth has come back for revenge.
Above all, the duo is committed to saying something worthwhile, communicating ideas that stick. “You never want to waste someone’s time,” Felix says. When he and Louie write and record, there’s a simple, guiding question that dictates the move forward: “Is it worth listening to?” With MID AIR, the answer is a resounding yes.
Connect with Paris Texas:
Watch Spirit Adrift’s Explosive Video for “Barn Burner”
Watch Spirit Adrift’s Explosive Video for “Barn Burner”
The Midnight Mass-inspired music video arrives alongside the third single from Ghost At The Gallows. // Look for the album in stores on August 18th on Century Media, pre-order here.
Spirit Adrift by: Wombat Fire.
"true, pure heavy metal" - Consequence
Spirit Adrift will release their career-defining LP Ghost At The Gallows on August 18th. Today, the album’s fiery third single “Barn Burner” premieres with a companion music video. Inspired by Michael Flanagan's Midnight Mass, the “Barn Burner” video illustrates the song’s themes— anger, identity politics, and blind persecution— coupled with an explosive live performance from Spirit Adrift. Though intense and bombastic, the underlying message is “a plea for unity, empathy, and love,” says bandleader Nate Garrett.
Watch / share the "Barn Burner" music video on YouTube.
With Ghost At The Gallows, incoming August 18 from Century Media (pre-order here), Garrett has delivered Spirit Adrift’s most fully realized work to date; a record that confidently stands at the crossroads of heavy metal at its most epic and elemental and hard rock at its most honest and heartfelt.
The road lead to the album was nothing short of massive undertaking. Garrett has been weaving the sonic tapestry of Spirit Adrift since 2015, marking his own personal growth from doom metal and his much-documented sobriety to today’s sonic triumph with Ghost At The Gallows. The album intricately pulls together every element of Garrett’s riff-mongering musical mastery to arrive at a conclusion and start a new chapter for Spirit Adrift.
From the start, it didn’t take long for Spirit Adrift to strike a very loud, resounding chord with worshippers of the riff. By the time they released 2017’s Curse of Conception and 2019’s Divided by Darkness (both on 20 Buck Spin) what began as Garrett’s solo project had taken on a life of its own, placing high on year-end polls and filling clubs as Nate and an ad-hoc amalgamation of friends and bandmates brought his songs to volume-dealing life. The influence of “Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Slayer and also growing up in the South, really loving old sincere country music, bluegrass and stuff like that” is the sonic soul of Spirit Adrift according to Nate.
2020 saw the release of Spirit Adrift’s Century Media debut, Enlightened In Eternity (a split release with 20-Buck Spin in North America); Garrett set to work forging a more permanent line-up for the spirited, energized release. Spirit Adrift began to hit the road as a band with a solidified and freshly empowered line-up - bassist Sonny DeCarlo, drummer Mike Arellano and ex-Carcass guitarist Tom Draper.
With Sanford Parker at Chicago’s Electrical Audio and Jeff Henson at Texas’s Red Nova Ranch engineering and co-producing alongside Garrett, and legendary Zeuss (Queensryche, Hatebreed) handling mixing and mastering duties, Ghost At The Gallows takes chances few of Spirit Adrift’s riff-obsessed brethren could possibly approach.
Spirit Adrift, on tour:
10 June Donington, UK @ Download Festival
11 June Leeuwarden, NL @ Into the Grave
12 June Antwerp, BE @ Kavka
13 June Southampton, UK @ Engine Room *
14 June London, UK @ 02 Academy Islington
15 June Newcastle, UK @ Zerox
17 June Clisson, FR @ Hellfest
17 September Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues - Metal Injection Festival
* w/ Gwar
Revisit Ghost At the Gallows' first single "Death Won't Stop Me" on YouTube and all other DSP's.
Revisit "I Shall Return" on YouTube.
Ghost At The Gallows, track listing:
Give Her To The RiverBarn BurnerHanged Man's RevengeThese Two HandsDeath Won't Stop MeI Shall ReturnSiren Of The SouthGhost At The GallowsGhost At The Gallows, cover art:
For more on Spirit Adrift:
Subtronics Transforms Phantogram's Modern Classic "Black Out Days" Into Arena-Sized DnB Banger
SUBTRONICS TRANSFORMS PHANTOGRAM’S
MODERN CLASSIC “BLACK OUT DAYS”
INTO ARENA-SIZED DRUM & BASS BANGER
PHANTOGRAM “BLACK OUT DAYS (SUBTRONICS REMIX)”
IS OUT TODAY, JUNE 16 VIA REPUBLIC/UMe
LISTEN HERE
Philadelphia producer and DJ Subtronics has teamed up with LA-based electro-pop duo Phantogram to transform their modern classic “Black Out Days” into a genre-bending drum & bass hit. The remix infuses skittering, rapid-fire beats, pulsing electronics, and a thumping low end into the dark-hued original while preserving Sarah Barthel’s aching vocals and Josh Carter’s atmospheric guitar. “Black Out Days (Subtronics Remix)” is available to stream everywhere today (June 16) via Republic Records/UMe.
While on tour in 2022, Subtronics posted a bootleg version on TikTok, which amassed a staggering 800,000 views and 150,000 likes. Since then, the track has been a staple of his live performances on the sold-out ANTIFRACTAL Tour, and more recently, his viral back-to-back set with John Summit at EDC Las Vegas.
Subtronics previewed the track at Decadence New Year’s Eve festival in Phoenix, Ariz., playing as the clock struck midnight and ushering in, what would be, a monumental 2023 for him. A month later, Phantogram joined Subtronics at his headline-sold-out concert at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, where they performed the breakneck version together live.
The remix arrives with an eye-popping visualizer starring a psychedelic army of Subtronics’ trademark Cyclops characters.
Watch the visualizer and stream “Black Out Days” (Subtronics Remix) here: https://Phantogram.lnk.to/BlackOutDaysRemixPR
“After flying 18+ hours to Australia for my tour, I sat down in my hotel room and deliriously started working on this remix as a fun little experiment,” says Subtronics. “It ended with me dancing around like a silly goofball. So beyond grateful and honored to have the privilege to finally release this as an official remix for y’all ❤️”
Phantogram offers, “This song is so special to us, and even after 10 years, it has truly taken on a life of its own finding new light in so many ways through its various versions and remixes, and your continued love of it on TikTok. When we first heard Subtronics’ take on the track, we were immediately hooked. We have loved getting to see all the footage of you all headbanging to this and could not be more excited to share this with you as an official remix 🖤”
Originally released a decade ago on Phantogram’s 2013 self-titled EP, “Black Out Days” has become one of the duo’s best loved songs and continues to find new fans daily. As it celebrates its 10th anniversary, the track is more popular than ever, having amassed more than one billion streams worldwide and more than five billion views on TikTok where it’s been embraced by a new generation and used on nearly one million creates. Phantogram has been tapped to open the much-talked-about new LA venue The Bellwether on July 11 as the inaugural act.
ABOUT SUBTRONICS:
A love for SUBwoofers and elecTRONICS has brought us Subtronics. Growing up in Philadelphia, PA, Jesse Kardon aka Subtronics, had a passion for his drum set and Radiohead. While in high school, he discovered dubstep and was inspired to jump into the world of production. Fusing his unique blend of cutting-edge sound design with hard-hitting bass, Subtronics seeks to push the envelope. On the live front, he has built a rabid following with his high-energy sets and advanced mixing skills. He has released on Ultra Music, Never Say Die, SubCarbon, Deadbeats, and more, in addition to his own label, Cyclops Recordings. Notable touring headlines include the Kia Forum, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, The Brooklyn Mirage, Phoenix Raceway, The Armory Minneapolis, to name a few. Subtronics has headlined Ultra Music Festival, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Lost Lands, Electric Forest, and more. When not producing “angry robot noises,” you can find Subtronics playing kendama and leading his devoted ever-growing band of followers in the ‘Cyclops Army.’
Follow Subtronics
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud | Website
ABOUT PHANTOGRAM:
Lauded as an experimental and alternative band and one that’s never been married to a particular genre, Phantogram – comprised of lifelong friends Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel – have continued to change the zeitgeist for almost a decade by consistently challenging it with their signature blend of hard-hitting beats, guitar driven dark psychedelia and electronic pop. Since the arrival of 2010’s debut release, Eyelid Movies, the duo has amassed over a billion streams, achieved one platinum-certified single, two gold-certified singles, collaborated with legends such as Tom Morello, Billy Corgan, The Flaming Lips and Miley Cyrus, partnered with Big Boi of Outkast to form supergroup Big Grams, headlined sold out shows worldwide, become a festival staple and toured with artists including Arcade Fire, The xx, Muse, M83, alt-J and more. With major campaigns for Apple TV+, Peloton and Apple Watch, and additional placement in multiple TV shows, the band’s reach has never been so wide.
Follow Phantogram
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok
NAT KING COLE - 4th Volume of Rare, Timeless Tracks Released in Time For Father’s Day and Juneteenth!
FROM THE CAPITOL VAULTS (VOL. 4)
BY NAT KING COLE DIGITALLY TODAYFourth Volume in The Series
Features Fourteen Rare and Timeless Tracks
Just In Time For Father’s Day and Juneteenth
Nat King Cole "From The Capitol Vaults (Vol. 4)"cover art (hi-res)
JUNE 16, 2023 (Los Angeles, CA) – Continuing Capitol/UMe’s ongoing roll-out of rare tracks by Nat King Cole comes the highly anticipated From The Capitol Vaults (Vol. 4) out June 16, 2023, just in time for Father’s Day and Juneteenth. This fourth digital-only collection features 14 timeless tracks, 12 of which are available for the first time on streaming platforms.
From The Capitol Vaults (Vol. 4) highlights Cole’s velvety smooth voice that is perfectly suited to some of the greatest love songs ever written, capturing him at his most engaging. From the dramatic and lilting “Little Child” (1951) to the charming romantic waltz of “You Will Never Grow Old” (1952), to the whimsical “The First Baseball Game” (1961), the fourth volume of From the Capitol Vaults shows a playful side of Cole’s music. The bossa nova and samba of “More and More of Your Amor” (1964) perfectly captures the steamy tropical vibes as we enter the dog days of summer. His jazzy take on “You Are My Sunshine” puts a big band spin on the 1940 American standard by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell.
His focus on harmony in music and in life allowed him to effortlessly inject a poignant and important Civil Rights message in the track “We Are Americans Too” (1956), featured on this compilation. Echoing the sentiments celebrated by the Juneteenth holiday toward emancipation, he conveys the well-documented struggle for equality in the eyes of his fellow Americans (“By the pick and the plow and the sweat of our brow / We are Americans too / We have given up our blood and bone / Helped to lay the Nation’s cornerstone”).
While he is best known as an iconic vocal legend, Nat King Cole is also remembered as being a loving father to his five children. His daughter Casey Cole told People.com in 2021, "We are so proud that our father touched the soul with his voice and was a quiet leader in the arts. He believed that he could bring harmony among people with his music. We want to continue that dream in a time when we really need it."
Cole’s effervescent swing and moonlit balladry propelled him to the forefront of the most iconic performers ever to emerge from the jazz/pop sphere. An icon from the bygone Swing Era and Jazz Age, this volume is a great way to revisit and enjoy the Cole tracks that permeate our culture. But when it comes to American geniuses like him, digging a little deeper now and again is always an excellent idea.
From The Capitol Vaults (Vol. 4)
Little Child (1951)*You Will Never Grow Old (1952)*You Are My Sunshine (1955)True Blue Lou (1956)*We Are Americans Too (1956) This Holy Love (1958)*Peace Of Mind (1958)*Steady (1960)*The First Baseball Game (1961)*Goodnight Little Leaguer (1961)*The Right Thing To Say (1962)*Nothing Goes Up (Without Coming Down) (1962)*More And More Of Your Amor (1964)*Wanderlust (1964)** making streaming debut
Follow Nat King Cole on socials:
Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
John Mellencamp's much anticipated new album 'Orpheus Descending' out now on Republic Records
ORPHEUS DESCENDING OUT NOW ON REPUBLIC RECORDS77-DATE “LIVE AND IN PERSON 2023”
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR NEARS CONCLUSION
WITH RAVE REVIEWSREAD RECENT
CONVERSATIONS:
Where There’s Smoke, There’s Mellencamp
The rocker reflects on his career and new albumREAD HERE
John Mellencamp shows
no signs of cheering up READ HERE
Photo credit: Myrna SuarezJune 16, 2023—The much anticipated twenty fifth studio album from John Mellencamp— Orpheus Descending —is out today on Republic Records. Listen/share HERE.Orpheus Descending was produced by Mellencamp and recorded at his own Belmont Mall Studio. One of his most personal records to date, standout tracks “ Hey God ” and “ The Eyes of Portland ” focus on social issues Mellencamp continues to passionately advocate for. Read recent conversations with New York Times and Los Angeles Times .Mellencamp is about to wrap up his extensive 77-date “Live and In Person 2023” North American tour, with a few remaining dates through June 27.The tour has been getting rave reviews, with LA Weekly praising, “Mellencamp strode out looking for all the world like a Brando or a Paul Newman or a James Dean—a Misfit who managed to find his place in the world through his music,” while the Dallas Observer describes that the show “made it clear Mellencamp is a true music legend, and from the sound of it, one that will continue to be making music for a long time to come.”A complete list of remaining dates is below, tickets are available for purchase HERE.TOUR DATES
June 16—Shea’s Performing Arts Center—Buffalo, NY
June 17—Masonic Temple Theatre—Detroit, MI
June 19—Massey Hall—Toronto, ON
June 21—Devos Performance Hall—Grand Rapids, MI
June 23—Morris Performing Arts Center—South Bend, IN
June 24—Morris Performing Arts Center—South Bend, IN
June 26—The Riverside Theater—Milwaukee, WI
June 27—The Riverside Theater—Milwaukee, WIHe has been performing songs from the new LP during his live set. The Chicago Tribune says “Awash in death, ‘Hey God’ functioned as a plea for deliverance from senseless gun violence. Preceded by a story about his encounter with a 20-something homeless woman, the solo acoustic ‘The Eyes of Portland’ took aim at the empty ‘thoughts and prayers’ condolences offered as a solution to major tragedies and dilemmas.”Mellencamp is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a recipient of the John Steinbeck Award, ASCAP Foundation’s Champion Award, The Woody Guthrie Award and Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and more recently, the Founders Award, the top honor assigned by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.He recently released a deluxe edition reissue of his beloved seminal album, Scarecrow , which features a massive collection of bonus tracks, rarities and more never previously shared before. Listen HERE. His critically acclaimed studio LP, Strictly A One-Eyed Jack , was released early last year to praise from The New York Times, NPR Music, Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and more.Mellencamp has continued to focus on another facet of his artistic expression: painting. Last year, he released a self-curated book of his work, John Mellencamp: Paintings and Assemblages , which is out now on Rizzoli New York.
TRACK LISTORPHEUS DESCENDING
1. Hey God
2. The Eyes Of Portland
3. Land Of The So Called Free
4. The Kindness Of Lovers
5. Amen
6. Orpheus Descending
7. Understated Reverence
8. One More Trick
9. Lightning And Luck
10. Perfect World
11. Backbone
Cover art: Speck Mellencamp
Nigerian-American artist Lisa Yaro drops debut EP My Way
LISA YARO SHARES DEBUT EP MY WAY
- LISTEN
MUSIC VIDEO “SAVAGE”
PREMIERING ON BET JAMS TODAY
- WATCH
“Expect a spectrum of emotions: love, joy, heartache and hope.
Each track unveils layers of my identity and experiences, taking you on a journey.”
- Lisa Yaro
"Remaining authentic to her roots, Lisa has created a sound for herself
within the Afrobeats genre that incorporates both sides of her culture."
- The Knockturnal
Photo Credit: Amazing Klef
Nigerian-American multi-talented singer, songwriter, actress and producer Lisa Yaro shares her debut EP My Way, available today at all DSPs and streaming services HERE. Additionally, an electrifying music video debuts for the EPs summer anthem “Savage.” Directed by LENSGOD, the vibrant visual showcasing people dancing and partying in the streets of Lagos, Nigeria.
LISTEN TO MY WAY
WATCH THE “SAVAGE” MUSIC VIDEO
“In life there are so many people telling you what you should do and how you should do it but at the end of the day, you have to be happy with the decisions you make for your life,” explains Lisa Yaro. My EP is a reflection on my musical journey as an independent artist and learning to trust my voice and follow my heart with every twist and turn life gives me. I chose to be true to myself and my music by doing it My Way.’
After achieving notable success as a songwriter, collaborating with esteemed artists such as will.i.am, LeToya Luckett and Mya on the Grammy-nominated project “Smoove Jones” in the Best R&B Album category, Lisa Yaro continues her artistic journey with the release of her EP My Way.
Prior to this EP, Yaro garnered attention with a series of hit singles, including “Biko,” “Domitilla,” featuring Mayorkun, and “Yaro” featuring Afrobeats superstar Zlatan. “Domitilla” appeared in the Universal film “Asking For It,” in which the multi-talented Yaro showcased her acting skills. Moreover, her music video for the captivating “Yaro” received rotation on music networks including BET Jams, Revolt TV and BET Soul. Yaro delivers a unique blend of Afrobeats and R&B that caught the attention of music blog The Knockturnal which remarked, “Lisa has created a sound for herself within the Afrobeats genre that incorporates both sides of her culture.”
LISA YARO
MY WAY
(MUSIC CORNER LLC)
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 16, 2023
1. My Way
2. Savage
3. Overtaken
4. Far Away
5. Guaranteed
6. Drive Me Crazy
ABOUT LISA YARO:
Lisa is a Nigerian-American songwriter, artist, film producer and actress born and raised in Kaduna, Nigeria with a deep appreciation for her African musical heritage. As an active member of the music community, she has co-wrote songs with many notable artists and producers including will.i.am, Mya, Musiq Soulchild, LeToya Luckett, among others. Her first big musical break came when she contributed as a writer to the Grammy-nominated project "Smoove Jones" by Mya, in the Best R&B Album category.
More recently, Yaro has gained success as an artist in the Afrobeats and R&B genres with multiple successful single releases, such as “Biko,” “Domitilla,” featuring Mayorkun, and “Yaro” featuring Afrobeats superstar Zlatan. The music video for “Yaro” garnered rotation on BET Jams, Revolt TV, BET Soul, as well as support from Apple Music. As a performer, she has played sold-out venues across the United States alongside Afrobeats artists Flavour and Asake, and delivered an unforgettable performance at the 2022 AFRIMMA Awards Show in Dallas, TX. Yaro’s distinct sound has garnered recognition on various radio programs both in the United States and internationally, such as Hot97 in New York, SoundCity, and Cool fm in Lagos, Nigeria. Additionally, since 2021 she has been a host on the popular AfroFlava radio show and has co-hosted the Afrobeats stage at SummerStage NYC.
Alongside her musical endeavors, the multi-talented Yaro has had success as an actress and executive producer for numerous TV shows and films. She co-produced the film "Freedom’s Path," which premiered in over 200 AMC and Regal Theaters in 2023 and was an actress and executive producer for the film "Asking For It," starring Vanessa Hudgens and Ezra Miller, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and is currently available on Hulu and Amazon Prime. Additionally, her single "Domitilla," featuring Mayorkun, is showcased during the film's end credits. Her next film endeavor is already wrapped and called “Mort In Sherman Oaks” co-starring with Lucy Hale & Keir Gilchrist.
CONNECT WITH LISA YARO:
June 15, 2023
JORJA SMITH AND NIA ARCHIVES JOIN FORCES FOR "LITTLE THINGS" REMIX
JORJA SMITH AND NIA ARCHIVES JOIN FORCES FOR "LITTLE THINGS" REMIX
LISTEN HERE & WATCH THE VISUALIZER
Further to steadily climbing the charts with her latest summer offering "Little Things", Jorja Smith has tapped BRIT Nominated artist Nia Archives for a brand new remix of the single, with Nia adding a sprinkle of the brilliant Jungle essence for which she’s best known. “Little Things is a big summer tune!! As soon as i heard it i had to flip it into a little jungle riddim in my sets! I’ve been playing it out the past few weeks and it’s going offfff - all tha girlies have been luvin it which is cute.”, Nia says of remixing the single.
Since its release last month, "Little Things" has dominated a plethora of global charts and last week surpassed 10.5 million global streams; breaking in to the UK Top #40 at number #28 and currently sitting at #19 in the UK midweeks.
Of the many British voices in music today, Jorja is among the most commanding, writing at a pitch of intensity and urgency that few can match. Over the past five and half years, since the release of her critically acclaimed debut album Lost & Found, she has been celebrated unanimously across the world for her evocative song-writing, powerful delivery, pure emotion and unbridled talent as a young woman navigating her way through life and in 2021 was the year Jorja’s hiatus from music was broken. Enter Be Right Back, the holding space between the sensation that was Lost & Found, and her next project. Be Right Back was born from playing, jamming, free-styling, and sounding out what Jorja had been on the edge of expressing all her life. It was a project entirely for her fans. “Be Right Back did exactly what I wanted it to do. It was a little waiting room so people knew I was coming back.”
And come back she did - entering a chapter of her return to music that’s certain to draw in and intoxicate Jorja’s fans and new listeners alike. And what has changed for her, in the five years since Lost & Found dominated the charts and the soundscape? “I like this world that I've just come into. And I’m still figuring things out. Always figuring things out.” Jorja says. “This is the first time I’m putting stuff out there that I can connect with right now.” Over the last few years, it’s been a reflective and transformative step into her mid twenties for her. She’s been able to step into herself and evolve as a songwriter and a woman despite an ever-changing musical landscape.
While she recognizes that the global pandemic has been completely devastating, she acknowledges that it allowed her to stay still, to come more into herself, and to be more in control of the person she is, and of her musical output. Like some of the legendary musicians that came before her, Jorja is looking at the chaos and disorder in the world right now with resourceful, refined eyes, and she sees the glorious opportunity and enormous responsibility that affords. Listen on to "Little Things" in wonder.
LISTEN HERE & WATCH THE VISUALIZER
PHOTO CREDIT: Romany Francesca
FOLLOW JORJA SMITH
KILLER MIKE RELEASES MICHAEL, FIRST SOLO ALBUM IN 11 YEARS
KILLER MIKE RELEASES MICHAEL, HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM IN 11 YEARS
ALBUM FEATURES ANDRE 3000, EL-P, 2 CHAINZ, FUTURE, YOUNG THUG, 6LACK, TY DOLLA $IGN, CURREN$Y, ERYN ALLEN KANE, BLXST, AND MORE
THE HIGH & HOLY TOUR KICKS OFF NEXT MONTH, FIND TICKETS HERE
MICHAEL cover art (high res download here)
SELECT PRESS ON MICHAEL
“A complex portrait of Southern Black masculinity” - NEW YORK TIMES
“Killer Mike’s position as one of the great and yet underrated rappers and lyricists of his time is affirmed.” - SPIN
“MICHAEL is worth the wait: a soul-baring collection of deeply personal songwriting that nevertheless contains the kind of bars-on-bars rapping that RTJ fans have come to love.” - CONSEQUENCE
“One of the most heartfelt and serious albums in his discography” - FLOOD
“This album will secure his legacy as one of the best rappers to ever come out of the South." - DORK
Killer Mike has just released MICHAEL, the celebrated MCs first solo full length since 2012’s critically lauded R.A.P. Music; the capstone to a huge week that included appearances on The Breakfast Club, Sway in the Morning, HBO’s The Shop, no less than three billboards in Times Square, plus features in Billboard, Vulture, The Atlantic, New York Times, a SPIN cover story, and more. On Tuesday Mike spoke with Zane Lowe to premiere “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS (ft. Andre 3000 and Future),” a song that prompted an outpouring of critic and fan attention, prompting @RAP to ask if this was the "biggest ATL collab ever" and BET to proclaim that Andre’s feature “reminds us why he’s one of the greatest to ever do it” (meanwhile others rightly pointed out that Mike goes bar-for-bar with his former mentor).
The 14-track album, executive produced by No ID and released by Loma Vista Recordings, includes a panoply of rarified features from the likes of Future, Young Thug, Ty Dolla $ign, Curren$y, Andre 3000, 6LACK, EL-P, Blxst, Eryn Allen Kane, and more (full tracklist below). Over the course of the last few months, Mike has been presenting the album at a series of private listening sessions, guiding intimate gatherings of friends, fans, and colleagues through the autobiographical details of the album in his own words, culminating in a hometown event in Atlanta this past Monday that filled The House of Hope Atlanta to the brim. Meanwhile Mike has been previewing the live presentation of the album, joined by his backup singers The Midnight Revival, for recent performances at SXSW, Shaky Knees Festival, and Bottlerock Festival. Killer Mike and The Midnight Revival will head out on The High and Holy Tour in July. The 19-date US tour kicks off July 10 in Birmingham and makes its way across the US, including an appearance at Pitchfork Music Festival and a performance at New York City’s iconic Apollo Theatre, before wrapping up August 5 in New Orleans. Tickets are on sale now - see full dates below.
MICHAEL serves as a holistic introduction to the totality of Michael Render, a lifelong rap fiend whose consciousness is seeped in the sounds of community that raised him - traversing multiple eras of southern rap flows, Sunday church service, and barbershop discourse. Anticipation for the album has been steadily building over the course of a prodigious run of singles, including “RUN (ft. Young Thug),” “TALK’N THAT SHIT!,” "DON’T LET THE DEVIL (ft. EL-P & thankugoodsir),” "MOTHERLESS (ft Eryn Allen Kane)," culminating in this week’s release of “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS (ft. Andre 3000 and Future).” The album’s sprawling list of features was revealed in conjunction with the last single’s release, unveiled alongside a collage of each featured artists’ respective childhood photos as a callback to Mike’s school yearbook photo on the album cover. Fans are invited to participate as well, with a bespoke Instagram filter that renders a similar effect to the photo treatment on the album’s cover.
Stream/Buy MICHAEL
https://lnk.killermike.com/michael
Find tickets for the High & Holy Tour
Watch the visualizer for “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS (ft. Andre 3000 and Future)”
https://lnk.killermike.com/se-video
Watch the video for “DON’T LET THE DEVIL (feat. EL-P & thankugoodsir)”
https://lnk.killermike.com/dontletthedevilmv
Watch the video for “MOTHERLESS (feat. Eryn Allen Kane)”
https://lnk.killermike.com/motherlessmv
Watch the video for “TALK’N THAT SHIT!”
Watch the video for “RUN (feat. Young Thug)”
MICHAEL TRACK LIST
1. Down By Law (ft. CeeLo Green)
2. Shed Tears (ft. Mozzy & Lena Byrd Miles)
3. RUN (ft. Young Thug)
4. N Rich (ft. 6LACK & Eryn Allen Kane)
5. Talk’n That Shit!
6. Slummer (ft. Jagged Edge)
7. Scientists & Engineers (ft. Andre 3000, Future, & Eryn Allen Kane)
8. Two Days (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)
9. Spaceship Views (Curren$y, 2 Chainz, Kaash Paige)
10. Exit 9 (ft. Blxst)
11. Something For Junkies (ft. Fabo)
12. Motherless (ft. Eryn Allen Kane)
13. Don’t Let The Devil (ft. EL-P & thankugoodsir)
14. High And Holy (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)
The High & Holy Tour artwork (high res download here)
KILLER MIKE TOUR DATES
MON 7/10 - BIRMINGHAM, AL - Saturn
TUE 7/11 - CHARLESTON, SC - Music Farm
THU 7/13 - ATLANTA, GA - Tabernacle
FRI 7/14 - NASHVILLE, TN - Ryman
SAT 7/15 - CHARLOTTE, NC - Underground
MON 7/17 - NORFOLK, VA - NorVa
TUE 7/18 - WASHINGTON DC - Lincoln Theater
THU 7/20 - NEW YORK, NY - Apollo
FRI 7/21 - PHILADELPHIA, PA - Franklin Music Hall
SUN 7/23 - CHICAGO, IL - Pitchfork Festival
MON 7/24 - MINNEAPOLIS, MN - First Avenue
THU 7/27 - SEATTLE, WA - Showbox
FRI 7/28 - PORTLAND, OR - Crystal Ballroom
SAT 7/29 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Fillmore
MON 7/31 - LOS ANGELES, CA - Ace Theater
TUE 8/1 - PHOENIX, AZ - Van Buren
THU 8/3 - HOUSTON, TX - House of Blues
FRI 8/4 - DALLAS, TX - House of Blues
SAT 8/5 - NEW ORLEANS, LA - Joy Theater
Eighty Ninety Release New Single "Face Like A Sunset"
LISTEN HERE:
https://ffm.to/facelikeasunset
Eighty Ninety — the indie-pop project of brothers Abner (vocals, production) and Harper (guitar, production) James — present their new single, “Face Like A Sunset,” out on all streaming platforms today.
Following recent singles “2 Carat” and “Stay Alive, “Face Like A Sunset” offers another glimpse of the bands forthcoming debut album, due out later this year. On “Face Like A Sunset,” Abner’s signature breathy vocals glide over a steady, driving indie-pop instrumentation. It’s a blissful track that feels just like a warm summer eve.
Abner elaborates on the new single: “It’s a song about the little moments when you realize you’re falling in love, and how the very moment you realize you want to spend forever with someone, you begin to feel the press of time. A sunset is beautiful partly because you know it won’t last.”
Eighty Ninety is the project of Brooklyn-based brothers Abner (vocals, production) and Harper (guitar, production) James. They fuse intimate storytelling, sticky melodies, and minimalist pop productions built on acoustic instruments and electronic sounds in a style they call “808s and telecasters” — a shorthand for both their music and their anything-goes mentality in the studio. To date, they've racked up over 33 million streams across their singles and two EPs - 'Elizabeth' and 'The Night Sky' - and have received glowing reviews from tastemakers like Billboard, Alternative Press and Ones To Watch. Their debut LP is due out later this year.
Listen to "Face Like A Sunset" on all streaming platforms:
https://ffm.to/facelikeasunset
Follow Eighty NinetySpotify
Website
New Release from Gracie Abrams "Good Riddance (Deluxe)" On Interscope Records
GRACIE ABRAMS RELEASES GOOD RIDDANCE DELUXE TODAY
Abrams Is Currently On Tour With Taylor Swift On Select Dates
Santa Monica, California, June 16, 2023 — Today, acclaimed singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams releases a deluxe version of her debut album. Good Riddance Deluxe is out now via Interscope Records and features four additional songs including “Block me out” which was released as a single last April. The deluxe version of Abrams’s stunning debut album is also available on vinyl – ORDER HERE. Listen to Good Riddance Deluxe HERE.
Released in February, and produced by Aaron Dessner of The National, Good Riddance finds Abrams opening up about a recent period of intense transformation, bringing even more honesty and depth to her lyrical storytelling. Praising Good Riddance as “one of 2023’s best debuts,” Rolling Stone stated that the album “shows a serious command of autobiographical songwriting” and hailed Abrams as “one of pop’s buzziest young artists” recently including Good Riddance on their list of The Best Albums of 2023 So Far. Billboard stated the “music is visceral, brutally honest, unflinchingly self-examining storytelling of the highest caliber.” In addition to “Block me out,” Good Riddance Deluxe will feature three new songs – “Unsteady,” “405” and “Two people.”
Current single “I know it won’t work,” which Abrams performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier this year, is climbing the Top 40 radio charts currently at #31. Abrams is on tour now supporting Taylor Swift on 30 dates of her blockbuster Eras Tour and will head to Europe for dates this fall. For a list of all tour dates visit www.gracieabrams.com/tour
ABOUT GRACIE ABRAMS
Since making her debut with “Mean It” in October 2019, Gracie Abrams has emerged as one of the most compelling songwriters of her generation, earning the admiration of such likeminded artists as Lorde, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo. A consummate songwriter who names Joni Mitchell as her most formative influence, she penned her first song at age eight, then went on to amass a devoted following on the strength of her emotionally intimate lyrics and DIY sensibilities. As her profile rose, Abrams was named an artist to watch by taste making outlets like Pigeons & Planes, Fader, and i-D, in addition to being crowned one of seven breakout female musicians by Vogue UK. With the arrival of her debut project minor in summer 2020, she received glowing reviews from the likes of NME, who praised her “painfully honest tales of heartbreak draped in delicate melodies that carry much more intrigue than the usual run-of-the-mill singer-songwriter.” Executive-produced by Blake Slatkin — and also made with leading producers like Joel Little and benny blanco — the seven-song effort features her beloved singles “21,” “I miss you, I’m sorry,” and “Long Sleeves.” In 2021, Abrams returned with This Is What It Feels Like, a 12-track project exploring such complex emotions as self-betrayal, insecurity, and failed attempts at connection. Soon after completing her sold-out North American headline tour for This Is What It Feels Like, she set to work on her long-awaited debut album Good Riddance.
Photo by: Danielle Neu
For more information on Gracie Abrams, visit:
