Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 59
July 7, 2025
bloom effect will release their brand new single "itero" from their upcoming EP oscilón
On July 25 bloom effect will release their brand new single "itero" from their upcoming EP oscilón
THE SOUND OF NOW. That’s how bloom effect—the transatlantic shoegaze trio of Argentine-born Jula Lafit (vocals/bass), UK native Craig Weighman (guitar), and drummer Tom Rappa—define their identity. Bridging continents and sonic influences, the band crafts reverb-laced dream-pop with both emotional weight and melodic lift. Blending English and Spanish lyrics into immersive, fuzz-drenched textures, their sound nods to the likes of Cocteau Twins, Alvvays, and Ringo Deathstarr—yet remains distinctly their own.
Media outlets have taken notice. KEXP calls bloom effect “a strong set of soaring shoegaze and swirling dream-pop,” while Whitelight-Whiteheat praises their “emotional female vocals” and “triumphant melodies.” Obscure Sound hails their ability to evolve from “dreamy intrigue into shoegaze-friendly textured vigor,” and Amplify The Noise lauds their “vibrant and emotional intensity.” Their upcoming EP oscilón—a cinematic six-song release landing September 19, 2025, via Vancouver tastemakers Kingfisher Bluez—continues the band’s exploration of sound as feeling. Or, as they put it: “a sonic vessel for cosmic, euphoric love.”
www.bloomeffectband.com
July 5, 2025
July 4, 2025
OASIS COMPLETE A TRIUMPHANT FIRST COMEBACK SHOW IN FRONT OF 62,000 FANS AT CARDIFF’S PRINCIPALITY STADIUM
OASIS COMPLETE A TRIUMPHANT FIRST
COMEBACK SHOW IN FRONT OF 62,000 FANS
AT CARDIFF’S PRINCIPALITY STADIUM
Years of speculation. Months of anticipation. The hottest ticket in town. The huge screen offers a final tantalizing teaser, “This is not a drill… It’s on…This is it!” as Noel and Liam walk onstage arm in arm. Oasis launch into “Hello” like their lives depend on it. “It’s good to be back,” snarls Liam Gallagher to a roar of approval as Cardiff’s Principality Stadium bounces in unison. Suddenly those sixteen years away have evaporated in a flash.
What follows is as close to an Oasis greatest hits set as anyone could hope for, first with “Acquiesce,” in which Liam and Noel finally back on-stage together trading lines says more than mere words ever could. Liam implores the audience to turn around and put their arms around the first person they see, leading into a rapturously received “Cigarettes & Alcohol.” “Anybody here from Manchester?” he asks, before keeping the atmosphere at fever pitch with “Fade Away.”
One thing that has remained under wraps - until now - is the rest of the Oasis line-up. There’s guitarist, co-founder and fan favorite Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs, back for the first time since 1998 after being a constant presence on the band’s iconic first three albums - Definitely Maybe, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? and Be Here Now. He is joined by guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell, who joined in together in 1999. Joining five familiar faces is a new one. Step forward drummer Joey Waronker (Paul McCartney, R.E.M., Atoms for Peace), who previously performed with Liam during his tour alongside John Squire.
Mid-set puts Noel in the spotlight, from “Talk Tonight” to a brass-assisted “Half A World Away” and a euphoric 62,000 person singalong to “Little By Little,” before Liam returns to swagger through songs so embedded into our culture that you’ll know every one of them: “Stand By Me,” “Whatever,” “Live Forever” (accompanied by a touching visual tribute to Diogo Jota), into a climactic “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star.”
The best is saved for last. “The Masterplan” is dedicated to “all the people in their twenties who have never seen us before” with Noel again taking lead vocals, a role he continues for “Don’t Look Back In Anger.” Liam returns for “Wonderwall,” prompting a mass choir of beery voices, before he declares, “Thank you beautiful people, this is it!” ahead of a closing “Champagne Supernova,” before the biggest cheer of the night is unleashed, as the brothers embrace while leaving the stage.
Tonight, Oasis once again proved that they’re rock ‘n’ roll stars - as if there was ever any doubt. One show in front of 62,000 people completed - 40 more gigs to a combined audience of 2.6 million to go.
Follow Oasis:
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | X | TikTok | Website
CERRONE & CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS RELEASE CATCHING FEELINGS EP, INCL. "LAST ONE", "SUPERNATURE MMXXV (PURPLE DISCO MACHINE REMIX)”
CERRONE & CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS UNITE AND RELEASE EPIC COLLABORATION:
CATCHING FEELINGS EP
OUT VIA BECAUSE MUSIC HERE
EP INCLUDES "LAST ONE", "GIVE IT TO ME", “SUPERNATURE MMXXV (PURPLE DISCO MACHINE REMIX)”
FIRST SINGLE “CATCHING FEELINGS” RECEIVED RAPTUROUS ACCLAIM
“Song of the Summer!” - NYLON
After leaving an indelible mark at the Paris Olympic Games closing ceremony and unveiling their first joint manifesto track “Catching feelings” and its thrilling Christine and the Queens-directed music video - an emotional firework beneath the strobe lights of the dancefloor - Cerrone and Christine and the Queens return with the Catching Feelings EP, out today. The creative partners also performed “Catching feelings” in Cannes for French National TV here.
The 4-track release introduces a new standout: the luminous, aching “Last One,” and Purple Disco Machine joins them on the influential classic “Supernature”, reimagined as the “Supernature MMXXV” version.
Driven by the distinctive voice of Christine and the Queens, the powerful and uplifting track “Catching feelings” is a song of love that knows no boundaries, no judgment. Christine and the queens always defended a world where humans could explore, desire freely without the need of any limitations. It’s a song of freedom in the flesh, a call to a lover. A vow for boldness. Something the younger generation of today, tired of boxes and endless etiquettes about who they could be, could certainly connect to.
Their unexpected and magnetic encounter took place on the monumental stage surrounding the Arc de Triomphe: Cerrone, pioneer and undisputed master of French disco, invited Christine and the Queens, the trailblazer, to join him for a dazzling reimagining of “Supernature”. This moment marked the beginning of a strong, intergenerational, and deeply embodied artistic alchemy.
From the Paris Olympics performance, an immediate musical connection was born. Cerrone, captivated by Christine and the Queens’ vocal boldness and precision, invited him to the studio to continue the adventure. Very quickly, “Catching feelings” came to life: a luminous, organic pop-disco track filled with raw, modern emotion. Over sensual and danceable layers, he sings, “Let me be your man, don’t be afraid of catching feelings for me,” with rare intensity. This is more than a love song — it’s a proposition, an invitation to welcome emotion, desire, and authenticity. “Catching Feelings” embodies the subtle fusion of musical heritage — that of hedonistic and political disco — with today’s language: free, tender, and uninhibited.
This project is a unique crossover between the legacy of disco and a completely liberated approach to desire and intimacy. It’s more than a track—it’s the meeting point of an era and a movement. With lyrics like “let me be your man, don’t be afraid, catching feelings for me,” it talks about how the raw, organic chemistry between two people should be celebrated without fear. Disco becomes a platform for contemporary expression, fluid and attuned to the realities of desire and emancipation. It’s where influences don’t just blend—they evolve.
Cerrone & Christine and the Queens - Catching Feelings EP - tracklist:
01. Catching feelings
02. Give It To Me
03. Last One
04. Supernature MMXXV (Purple Disco Machine remix)
ABOUT CERRONE:
The Godfather of Disco: A Living Legend: With nearly five decades in music and over 30 million albums sold, Cerrone’s signature sound has shaped generations. Sampled by icons like LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Nas or more recently Jamie XX, his influence is everywhere.
The Blueprint of Disco: A visionary producer, DJ, composer, and drummer, Cerrone pioneered the digital evolution of disco, laying the foundation for modern dance music. His timeless grooves pulse through the DNA of French Touch and global electronic scenes alike.
Forever Forward: Never standing still, Cerrone continues to collaborate with a new wave of talent - Purple Disco Machine, Dimitri From Paris, Sofi Tukker, The Reflex, Kenny Dope, and Disclosure - keeping his sound fresh, bold, and club-ready.
Olympic Spotlight: In a jaw-dropping cultural moment, Cerrone’s Supernature lit up the 2024 Paris Olympics - soundtracking the Eiffel Tower and performed live with Rahim Redcar and a symphony orchestra beneath the Arc de Triomphe.
Global Reawakening: The world took notice. With over 1.65 million Shazams, Supernature shot to #2 globally and topped charts in eight countries. Streams exploded by 1,200%, setting the stage for a brand-new version with Christine and the Queens.
ABOUT CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS:
Christine and the Queens is a boundary-pushing French artist, an innovator and visionary. A shape-shifting human with a hardcore passion for music, theater and dance, every one of his releases is a different testament to his devotion for the medium, and a lesson of honesty. His 2024 album Hopecore was a wild, self produced and mixed exploration of desire and raw becoming made in six months. In 2023, he released PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE, an ambitious operatic concept album, inspired by legendary pieces such as Tommy by the Who, he went to LA to co-produce it with Mike Dean. With cinematic featurings - Madonna, 070 Shake, the piece explored loss and spiritual transformation - where he found new horizons on how to exist, and how to write.
His 2022 project Redcar les adorables étoiles is a gorgeous, underrated (ah, France!) french record, oozing weird sexyness and bold production choices (a strong Gina X performance phase for the artist), accompanied by a forward thinking live-show made of fantastic set design pieces such as an immense red Archangel Michael and dance solos inspired by Denis Lavant. In 2019, La vita nuova EP was accompanied by a cinematic short film set in Paris’s Opéra Garnier which inspired a true revival of the antique institution - and a newfound fascination for those old walls. This artist is for sure always somehow tapping into the collective subconscious, announcing strong winds from afar, dropping poetic gems that then infuse his peers. Earlier career milestones include Chris (2018), which reached #3 on the UK charts, and his breakthrough debut Chaleur Humaine (2014), which sold over 1.4 million copies worldwide. Known for genre-defying music and ever-evolving personas, Christine and the Queens has earned honors from GLAAD, BRITs, Q Awards, and Attitude, and consistently appears on best-of-the-decade lists. But mostly: go see him live. I swear.
https://cerrone.net/
https://www.instagram.com/cerroneofficial/
https://www.tiktok.com/@cerroneofficial
https://www.christineandthequeens.com
https://www.instagram.com/christineandthequeens/
https://www.tiktok.com/@christineandthequeens
TEI SHI ENLISTS LOYAL LOBOS ON "222", NEW ALBUM AUG 29TH + SPECIAL SHOWS IN LA, NY, AND SF
TEI SHI SHARES NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO
MAKE BELIEVE I MAKE BELIEVE OUT AUGUST 29TH
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES THIS FALL
TICKETS HERE
Today, Tei Shi unveils her vibrant new single “222,” a bilingual summer anthem featuring fellow Colombian artist Loyal Lobos. The track serves as the latest offering from her forthcoming album Make believe I make believe, out this August 29th via Tei Shi LLC / The Orchard. Following the introspective “Best Be Leaving” and the defiant “Drop Dead”, “222” marks a continued evolution shaped by emotional growth and a transformative creative retreat that sparked the genesis of the new album, crafted with longtime collaborators Noah Beresin and Tommy English.
What started as a ruse between friends, about giving fake phone numbers to persistent suitors, blossomed into the now-infectious hook “222-2290.” The result is a bold celebration of independence, friendship, and pure joy. Blending dembow and perreo rhythms with dream pop and electronic textures, Tei Shi and Loyal Lobos flow between Spanish and English, channeling their shared Colombian heritage into a sound that’s genre-blurring, fun, and full of agency.
“‘222’ is a song about friendship, fun, and roaming free in the world,” Tei Shi shares. “It’s about rejecting male attention in exchange for joy and pleasure. We were laughing about giving out fake numbers, and ‘222-2290’ just stuck. From there, the track came together effortlessly—mixing our bilingualism with our love for electronic dream pop and nostalgic perreo.”
Accompanying the single is a surreal, sun-drenched video co-starring Tei Shi and Loyal Lobos, as conjoined twins causing mischief around Los Angeles. With striking coordinated looks and defiant charm, they embody the track’s themes of duality, sisterhood, and freedom, combining playfulness with power.
This Fall, Tei Shi will bring Make believe I make believe to the stage with a string of special performances, kicking off with a hometown show in Los Angeles on September 26th, followed by stops in New York on October 25th and San Francisco on November 20th. For full dates and ticket info, visit https://teishi.world/
Known for channeling expansive creativity into a sound entirely her own, Tei Shi weaves unapologetic vulnerability into genre-fluid soundscapes–effortlessly blending pop, R&B, indie, shoegaze, tropicalia, and Latine influences with vivid storytelling and bilingual lyricism, cementing her place as one of today’s most compelling artists.
WATCH/STREAM “222’ FT. LOYAL LOBOS
WATCH/STREAM “DROP DEAD”
STREAM “BEST BE LEAVING”
MAKE BELIEVE I MAKE BELIEVE TRACKLIST
Anything (Best Friend)
Best Be Leaving
Drop Dead
Montón
Which Half?
Iris
Don’t Cry
222 (Feat. Loyal Lobos)
Aphrodite
Nanaimo
UPCOMING TEI SHI LIVE DATES
09/26 - Los Angeles @ Lodge Room
10/25 - New York @ Elsewhere Zone 1
11/20 - San Francisco @ Independent
Ben Folds Surprise Releases Live Album Today w/ Kennedy Center's National Symphony Orchestra
BEN FOLDS CELEBRATES INDEPENDENCE DAY
WITH TODAY’S RELEASE OF
BEN FOLDS LIVE WITH THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA -
BRAND-NEW ALBUM RECORDED LIVE WITH THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (NSO)
AT THE KENNEDY CENTER IN WASHINGTON, DC
BEFORE FOLDS STEPPED DOWN AS THE NSO’S FIRST-EVER ARTISTIC ADVISOR
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT MADE THIS MORNING
WITH IN-STORE LAUNCH EVENT AND LIVESTREAM Q&A SESSION
AT WASHINGTON, DC’S BYRDLAND RECORDS
SET FOR 11:00 AM-1:00 PM (ET)
LIVE WITH THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
FEATURES CLASSIC HITS AND NEW MUSIC
SPANNING FOLDS’ GENRE-BENDING BODY OF WORK JOINED BY
THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY STEVEN REINEKE
AND SPECIAL GUEST ARTISTS REGINA SPEKTOR AND TALL HEIGHTS
BEN FOLDS LIVE WITH THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
AVAILABLE NOW
Photo Credit: Joe Vaughn // Download High-Res Image
Ben Folds is celebrating Independence Day with today’s release of Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra, a brand-new album recorded in concert at the sold-out Concert Hall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC on October 25 and 26, 2024 – mere months before Folds resigned his position as the first ever Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) following President Trump’s decision to seize control of the esteemed Kennedy Center. The album is available now at all DSPs and streaming services; multiple physical products are available, including CDs, signed CDs, standard black vinyl, signed standard black vinyl, opaque white vinyl, signed opaque white vinyl, signed metallic gold vinyl, and limited-edition Coke Bottle green vinyl.
Folds will officially announce Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra this morning with a special in-store launch event at Washington, DC’s Byrdland Records (1264 5th Street NE, Washington, DC, 20002) set for 11:00 am-1:00 pm (ET), marking his first appearance in the nation’s capital since publicly announcing his resignation earlier this year. In addition to meeting fans and signing copies of the new album, the event will see Folds conduct a livestream Q&A session – LIVE STREAM HERE. Folds will also sit down with TalkShopLive for a conversation about the new album on July 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET. Fans can purchase the album as an exclusive signed CD from TalkShopLive. Watch HERE.
PURCHASE/STREAM TO BEN FOLDS LIVE
WITH THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Folds – who yesterday headlined a special Pops On Independence concert in Philadelphia, PA at Independence National Historical Park alongside The Philly Pops – will mark the arrival of Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra with a wide-ranging US tour schedule that will see him performing solo dates and symphony concerts alongside some of the country’s leading orchestras. For complete details and ticket information, please visit www.benfolds.com/tour.
Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra sees Folds performing classic hits and new music from his genre-bending body of work thus far, joined by the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Principal Pops Conductor of the NSO Steven Reineke along with very special guest artists Regina Spektor and Tall Heights; the makeshift choir includes Doug Peck, Nicholas Kassoy and Marc Silvey. Live recording producers include David Boucher, Joe Costa, Justin Ellis, and Ben Folds. Orchestrators include Jherek Bischoff, Alex Turley, Eric Allen, and Rob Moose. The recordings were mixed by Boucher and mastered by Kim Rosen.
Having spent eight years carefully nurturing orchestral innovation and programming with actual purpose as the National Symphony Orchestra’s first-ever Artistic Advisor, Ben Folds officially offered his resignation at 1:59 pm Eastern on February 12, 2025 – exactly one minute after President Trump’s administrative regime change of the Kennedy Center officially took hold.
“I had my statement up by 2:01,” Folds says in an exclusive interview with Kyle Meredith, nationally syndicated radio host at WFPK FM, Louisville. “The takeover was at 2:00. I wanted no part of what was coming.”
Folds knew Trump’s taking over the traditionally bipartisan Kennedy Center wasn’t simply a reshuffling of jobs or a new marketing campaign. It was a betrayal of mission, a hostile remodeling of one of America’s most vital cultural institutions and artistic sanctuaries. More than simply a concert hall, the Kennedy Center has always been an essential engine for civic and artistic connection. As NSO Artistic Advisor, Folds gave young orchestrators a platform while helping to pilot programs like Declassified, which introduced modern songwriters to orchestral arrangements.
“We weren’t using the orchestra as props,” Folds says. “We were challenging them to bring new music to life, while giving the orchestra a one-size-fits-all role. Our experimentation was a beacon for other orchestras throughout the private sector.”
Now, with Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra, Folds leaves behind a document of his experience at the Kennedy Center – part protest, part celebration, entirely earnest in its ambition. The album features a lush reimagining of old favorites like “Still Fighting It,” which, with its newly restored orchestral intro, manages to sound both bigger and more intimate than ever – an anthem turned lullaby, then turned back again.
“It works because it’s not pretending to be something else,” Folds says. “It’s using the orchestra as it should be used. To elevate, not decorate.”
Taken together, the album plays like a requiem for a moment and a love letter to everything that moment made possible. There’s humor, heartbreak, and conviction in every arrangement, from “Kristine from the Seventh Grade,” a tender gut-punch about misinformation and fractured friendships, to “Fragile,” which borrows its arrangement from Mozart but still sounds utterly modern. Having previously presented Regina Spektor’s premiere orchestral performance, Folds invited his old friend to return to the Kennedy Center stage to perform their popular duet, “You Don’t Know Me.” Among the many highlights, the soaring, ambitious “Capable of Anything” stands out for its Jherek Bischoff-orchestrated bridge and a message Folds describes as a warning shot.
“We’re all capable of terrible things,” Folds says. “But we’re also capable of doing better. That’s the choice.”
Part protest, part celebration, entirely earnest in its ambition, Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra lands with the clarity of a final bow before the curtain drops. Except it’s not the end – it’s a rally cry.
“This album suddenly now feels much bigger,” Ben Folds says. “I knew we were making something special with the NSO. I didn’t know it’d be a time capsule of the last moment before it all got torn down.
“I still believe there’s more good than not,” he adds. “But you must work for it. You have to say something. Especially now.”
# # #
BEN FOLDS
BEN FOLDS LIVE WITH THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
(National Symphony Orchestra)
Download High-Res Album Cover
Tracklist
But Wait, There’s More
Fragile
Kristine From the 7th Grade
Effington
The Luckiest
Capable Of Anything
Still Fighting It
You Don’t Know Me (Feat. Regina Spektor)
Landed
Bonus Tracks
Still
Cologne *
Moments (Feat. Tall Heights) *
Gracie *
Not The Same *
* Digital Edition Bonus Tracks
# # #
BEN FOLDS UPCOMING 2025 TOUR DATES
JULY
22 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
23 – Rockport, MA – Shalin Liu Performing Arts Center
25 – Simsbury, CT – Simsbury Performing Arts Center (w/ the Hartford Symphony)
26 – Groton, MA – Groton Hill Music Center
27 – Cranston, RI – Park Theatre and Event Center
AUGUST
7 – Menlo Park, CA – The Guild Theatre
8 – Folsom, CA – Harris Center
9 – Las Vegas, NV – Wynn – Encore Theater
11 – Grand Junction, CO – Asteria Theatre
13 – Big Sky, MT – Warren Miller Performing Arts Center
14 – Jackson, WY – Jackson Hole Center for the Arts Center Theater
16 – South Jordan, UT – Rio Tinto Kennecott Stage at America First Square
SEPTEMBER
5 – Louisville, KY – Whitney Hall (w/ the Louisville Orchestra)
6 – Terre Haute, IN – Hatfield Hall
8 – Iowa City, IA – Hancher Auditorium
10 – Sioux City, IA – Orpheum Theatre (w/ the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra)
12 – Denver, CO – Boettcher Concert Hall (w/ the Colorado Symphony)
13 – Denver, CO – Boettcher Concert Hall (w/ the Colorado Symphony)
16 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre
17 – Little Rock, AR – The Hall
19 – Abilene, TX – The Paramount Theatre
20 – New Braunfels, TX – Brauntex Theatre
21 – Fort Worth, TX – Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall
24 – Lafayette, LA – Heymann Performing Arts Center
26 – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Symphony Hall (w/ the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
27 – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Symphony Hall (w/ the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
OCTOBER
4 – Grand Rapids, MI – DeVos Performance Hall (w/ the Grand Rapids Symphony)
5 – Dayton, OH – Schuster Center
7 – Pittsburgh, PA – Heinz Hall for the Performing Art (w/ the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)
10 – Asheville, NC – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium (w/ the Asheville Symphony)
11 – Winston–Salem, NC – RJ Reynolds Auditorium (w/ the Winston–Salem Symphony)
15 – North Bethesda, MD – Music Center at Strathmore
16 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
18 – Erie, PA – Warner Theatre
19 – Rochester, NY – Beston Hall
21 – Norwalk, CT – District Music Hall
23 – Brookville, NY – Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
NOVEMBER
6 – Rockford, IL – Coronado Theatre
8 – Waukegan, IL – Genesee Theatre
10 – Champaign, IL – Virginia Theatre
11 – Marion, IL – Marion Cultural and Civic Center
14 – Flint, MI – FIM Capitol Theatre
16 –Newark, OH – Midland Theatre
18 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Gaillard Center
20 – Fort Meyers, FL – Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
21 – Coral Springs, FL – The Center – Coral Springs Center for the Arts
22 – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL – Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
DECEMBER
2 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (w/ the Oregon Symphony)
4 – Seattle, WA – Benaroya Hall (w/ the Seattle Symphony)
ABOUT BEN FOLDS:
Ben Folds is an Emmy Award-nominated singer-songwriter who has created an enormous body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, a holiday album, and numerous collaborative records. He currently tours as a pop artist, while also performing with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras.
A New York Times best-selling author, Folds also composes new music for film, TV, and theatre. In 2022, he launched Keys For Kids, a charitable music education initiative in his native state of North Carolina which provides funds and keyboards to existing nonprofits that offer free or affordable piano lessons to school-age children from economically disadvantaged households. He also advocates for arts funding in schools and communities as a member of Americans For The Arts and on the Board of the Arts Action Fund.
CONNECT WITH BEN FOLDS
BENFOLDS.COM | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE
July 3, 2025
HIP-HOP ICONS DE LA SOUL PREMIERE ANIMATED VIDEO FOR “ROCK CO.KANE FLOW” FT. MF DOOM
HIP-HOP ICONS DE LA SOUL
PREMIERE ANIMATED VIDEO FOR
“ROCK CO.KANE FLOW” FEAT. MF DOOM
SEE THE GROUP AS UNSTOPPABLE SUPERHEROES RISING UP TO BATTLE AN ALIEN INVASION
WATCH HERE
New York, NY (July 3, 2025) - Platinum-selling, GRAMMY® Award-winning hip-hop icons
De La Soul today release the brand-new visual for “Rock Co.Kane Flow” catapulting viewers into a bold, otherworldly universe where lyrical warfare meets sci-fi action.
In this reimagined, animated world, created by Matt Hutchings of Matt Hutchings Films, De La Soul members Posdnuos, Maseo, Trugoy The Dove and MF DOOM take on the roles of unstoppable superheroes, rising up to battle an alien invasion that symbolizes other MCs—those who lack the lyrical depth, authenticity, resilience, originality, and creative chemistry that De La and DOOM embody.
What unfolds is a visually striking battle of worlds: iconic hip-hop artistry versus hollow imitation. The superheroes repel the invasion with skill and spirit, ultimately emerging victorious and reaffirming their place in hip-hop’s pantheon.
WATCH THE “ROCK CO.KANE FLOW” VIDEO FT. MF DOOM HERE
Just like the track itself, which can be found on the 20th anniversary re-release of the group’s seminal album The Grind Date (BMG), the video is a powerful statement—celebrating collaboration, creative integrity, and unmatched lyrical mastery. It's not just a fight scene—it's a declaration: these superheroes of sound can’t be touched.
“With this project, we knew we wanted to create something special. Posdnuos had a clear vision of the vibe and comedic tone of the video, looking to recreate the group’s look during The Grind Date’s release back in 2004 (with a wrestling superhero twist),” says Hutchings. “We knew we didn’t want to go down the road of AI and Deepfaking, instead opting to create fully animated versions of all the characters, no small undertaking. We took influence from various superhero films and media, and drew upon hours of classic wrestling footage for reference. After months of animating, rendering and complex visual effects work, we were finally able to bring De La Soul & MF DOOM to the big screen just as they were in 2004.”
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of De La Soul’s seventh studio album, The Grind Date, BMG released a special package of the original album on vinyl and CD including bonus tracks and instrumental versions.
The Grind Date, originally released in 2004, showcases the groups signature blend of clever lyrics, innovative production, and a mix of playful and introspective themes including a plethora of featured artists such as MF DOOM, Ghostface Killah, Carl Thomas and Common.
STREAM / SHARE / PURCHASE THE GRIND DATE HERE
Photo credit: Reservoir
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
Naima Bock Shares New Single “Rolling”
Naima offers this on the track, “‘Rolling’ is a song that didn’t quite fit into Below a Massive Dark Land, but I thought it was worth its own moment.” She continues, “Written on a train back from Glasgow to London, I’m sure its lyrics will resonate with some. If not, then that’s a good thing. Plus, if you listen to the whole thing, you’re rewarded with some expert jaw harp playing.”
Bock has confirmed a nine-date UK tour in October, beginning on October 12th in Brighton, with additional dates in London, Bristol, Edinburgh, and Liverpool. See below for a full run of shows.
Thu. Jul. 10 - London, UK, Omeara [Sold Out]
Fri. Jul. 11 - London, UK, Hyde Park*
Fri. Jul. 25 - Mon, Jul 28 - Thirsk, UK, Deer Shed Festival
Thu. Aug. 14 - Sun. Aug. 17 - Brecon Beacons, UK, Green Man Festival
Sun. Oct. 12 - Brighton, UK - West Hill Hall
Mon. Oct. 13 - Southampton, UK - Papillon
Tue. Oct. 14 - Margate, UK - Curve Coffee Store
Thu. Oct. 16 - London, UK - St Matthias Church
Sun. Oct. 19 - Bristol, UK - The Folk House
Wed. Oct. 22 - York, UK - The Crescent
Thu. Oct. 23 - Edinburgh, UK - Voodoo Rooms Speakeasy
Fri. Oct. 24 - Manchester, UK - Hallé at St Michael’s
Sun. Oct. 26 - Liverpool, UK - Leaf on Bold Street
*Supporting Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts
“Rolling” follows the release of Bock’s 2024 record, Below a Massive Dark Land, her sophomore effort, which Uncut gave an 8/10, citing, “what is abundantly clear is that Bock’s creative star is very much with her.”
What People Are Saying About Naima Bock Below a Massive Dark Land:
“Amid a flurry of excellent new tracks ahead of Naima Bock’s second album, the romantic, timeless sweep of ‘Kaley’ is the pick of the bunch, that rich and resonant vocal playing magically off a melodic, punchy line of saxophone.”
‘Best of the Month’ - The Quietus
★★★★ MOJO
“A folky hymn to regret with a lovely, loping pace and sweetly lazy horn refrain” [“Feed My Release”] The Guardian
“…Features the kind of compelling vocal performance and lush, classy pop-rock orchestration we’ve come to expect from the British-Brazilian singer-songwriter.” [“Feed My Release”] STEREOGUM
“Marked by inner strength, the pervasive musicality of Naima’s work reaching fresh heights” [“Gentle”] CLASH
“Bock’s somnambulant vocals here bounding over a jubilant burst of fuzzy guitar and saxophone. It’s ace.” [“Kaley”] The New Cue
“Fans of Naima’s earlier work, and frankly that should be all of you, will be delighted with the familiar playful instrumentation, and swaying majesty of the choruses, while those looking for something new will be delighted by the subtle choppiness of the rhythms” [“Kaley”] For The Rabbits
“Horns blaze away, powering a glorious melody allowing Naima Bock the freedom to show off the potency of her vocal range. Make no mistake, it’s a cracker.” [Kaley] “Tracks of the Week” God Is In The TV
Cubzoa (Jack Wolter of Penelope Isles) Announces Debut LP out Oct 24 via Bella Union || Shares "Choke" Single + Video
Cubzoa
solo project from Jack Wolter of Penelope Isles
Announces Debut Album Unfold In The Sky
out October 24 via Bella Union
Shares Lead Single/Video, " Choke "
Credit: Declan Haughian
Cubzoa, the solo project from Jack Wolter of Penelope Isles, today announces his debut solo album Unfold In The Sky due out 24th October via Bella Union and available to pre-order here. The album sees Jack fearlessly deep diving into a hook-lined, colour-saturated and sensation-soaked era. Imagine the one-man sonic universe of Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, laden with the electronic textures of Rival Consoles, then throw yourself headfirst into the waves of England’s South Coast, and you’re somewhere along the right lines. To accompany the announcement Cubzoa has shared lead single “Choke”, an expansive three-minute slice of summery dream-pop, lifted by retro string synths, in which Jack attempts to process the end of a ten-year relationship. The second verse of the song is beautifully sung by Nanna Schannong from Cubzoa’s labelmates Lowly. Watch the video HERE.
Commenting on the track Jack says: “Choke is about painting a picture in your own head, pretending that things are okay when they’re not. The chorus lyrics brush the truth under the rug, whilst the verses pull it back, revealing the reality of unhealthy relationships with both substances and people. Often, with prior songs, I've tended to hide behind blurry lyrics, as a way to mask true feelings both from myself and audiences. But in this chapter I strove for honesty. I found the whole process therapeutic and consequently, probably for the first time ever, allowed myself to reflect this in my writing.”
Additionally, having spent much of the past two years touring the world as CMAT’s guitarist, Cubzoa has announced a number of live dates of his own for later this year. Following appearances at End of the Road and SWN festivals, November will see Cubzoa play European shows with Billy Nomates before he closes the year with three headline UK shows in December. All dates are listed below.
Cubzoa, Jack Wolter of Penelope Isles’ artist pseudonym, derives its name from Cubozoa AKA the venomous box jellyfish - a “little beast of the sea”. An apt description of both Jack himself, and his solo sound. Cubzoa originally dates back to 2014-15, with Jack’s two DIY Bandcamp releases providing the foundations for Penelope Isles neo-psych sound.
First evidence of Cubzoa’s new lease of life came with the beautifully hazy “I Dreamed A Beach” which went up on Bandcamp and YouTube in February 2025, alongside a cinematic B/W live session filmed in the towering art deco seafront block of Jack’s erstwhile Brighton residence. This dedication (verging on obsession) to the visual is in many ways Cubzoa’s MO. Every track is given a live backdrop of niche archival, filmed and found footage, painstakingly pieced together to perfectly complement the aural.
Unfold In The Sky provided much-needed focus during Jack’s Covid-era lockdown at the family home in Cornwall. Knowing the bedroom-recorded songs weren’t Pennies tracks Jack nonetheless kept at it, finishing the album in the salty embrace of Brighton, coming back to himself and the sea; this water runs deep in the album’s DNA. References to the sea drift throughout; keep an ear out for underwater falling in “Mid-Air Collider”, a less-than-friendly ocean capable of breaking you in two and swallowing you whole in “I Dreamed A Beach”, and “the waves and the rips” in “Chewin On My Lips”.
The aquatic lyrics are mirrored by the sonics, with riffs that use electronic textures and timbres to leap freely between both sea and sky, the intimate suddenly becoming universal. To this end Jack borrowed vintage synth playthings to build the album, from both the Hartnoll brothers of Orbital and the Toydrum boys, with whom he shares a studio.
The album stuttered at first, as Jack struggled to set his sound apart from the Penelope Isles signature: sound: “It was only when I let my guard down that things really started to click,” Jack recalls. “Cubzoa being a side project, there was no pressure, and I had time to let the songs take different shapes before deciding on final versions. I’m very happy with where the album has landed.”
LP highlight ‘Turtle’ (“painting a picture of the changing seasons in Brighton”) is inspired, aptly, by “the groove and timing of a ‘Tortoise’ song” whilst the direct influence of a particularly seminal 2022 Bicep Glasto set resonates throughout in the ambient techno-electronica. See, for example, the sombrely insistent, last-dregs-of-the-evening throb of ‘Dance With Me’.
This polarity of sounds continues in the opening track “In 2 Worlds”, with mechanical pitted against orchestral, “set inside a space-traveling vehicle that shifts between two opposing universes” and a spoken word intro by Jack’s friend, singer-songwriter Anna B Savage. Also in support through the album are other friends, musical allies and long-time collaborators including Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck) mixing the songs: “Graham’s well-honed textural decision-making really brought both the electronic and the organic elements to life”. Equally pivotal in the album’s sound was Katie Tavini, a decisive force who brought her synthetic prowess to bear when mastering the album.
The synthetic, in the form of loops and whorls, is a powerful presence too in the track “Buckle Up”. Underpinned by a frenetic paranoia and urgency ‘Buckle Up’ was written, “as a response to the challenging times artists were facing worldwide during the pandemic.”
Covid also inspired the closing title track: a wistful, tender electro-acoustic concoction written for Lily, his sister and the other half of Penelope Isles (it begins “You’ll be okay, little flower”). “Penelope Isles made and released an album during the pandemic, and it felt like a lot of work and dedication to a life in music had come undone. The track is a love letter of sorts. Ultimately one filled with hope.”
The album thus locates Jack squarely where he is now, coming into his own as an independent creator whilst grappling with both external and internal pressures. As he sees it: “unfolding in a space...dismantling something in order to better understand it. Seeing its imperfections as well as its crystalline spaces. This unfolding has allowed me to finally stand still, comfortably trapped in the uncertainty.”
Cubzoa Live Dates:
Friday 29th August – Larmer Tree Gardens – End of the Road
Saturday 18th October – Cardiff – SWN
Monday 17th November – Luxembourg – Den Atelier (with Billy Nomates)
Wednesday 19th November – Brussels – Botanique (with Billy Nomates)
Sunday 23rd November – Copenhagen – Pumpehuset (with Billy Nomates)
Monday 24th November – Berlin – Kesselhaus (with Billy Nomates)
Wednesday 26th November – Cologne – Gebaude9 (with Billy Nomates)
Thursday 27th November – Amsterdam – Toekomstmuziek (with Billy Nomates)
Wednesday 10th December – Falmouth – Cornish Bank
Thursday 11th December – London – The Waiting Room
Friday 12th December – Brighton – Alphabet
