Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 85
May 27, 2025
Cuco announces headline tour launching this fall
CUCO ANNOUNCES HEADLINE TOUR
NEW SOUL ALBUM RIDIN’ OUT NOW VIA INTERSCOPE RECORDS
Official tour poster
Ridin’
What the press is saying about Cuco:
"A love letter to the Mexican American brown-eyed soul that was coming out of his native Southern California...a low-riding anthem"
Rolling Stone
"A Cuco we’ve never seen before, all parts heartbroken, hopeful, and evolving"
NPR
"A defining figure in the alternative pop space, in which he stands out with his bilingual approach to songwriting"
Billboard
“Cuco is on top and shows no signs of slowing down”
Galore Magazine cover
(May 27, 2025) - Following the release of his celebrated new album Ridin’ and singing the national anthem at The Dodgers game in LA last week, Cuco is back to announce his headline tour. The Ridin’ tour begins in California in September during Hispanic Heritage Month including a headline hometown show at the legendary Greek Theatre in LA on the eve of Mexican Independence Day and continuing on to Austin, Atlanta, Washington DC, Chicago and more. The US dates conclude with a performance on Halloween in New York at the iconic Kings Theatre. The tour then continues on to Europe with shows in Spain, London and France. The Ridin’ tour is another step up from his previous 4U Tour that saw him play the biggest venues to date and marks his continued ascendance.
Cuco’s new album Ridin’ navigates themes of heartbreak, joy, and personal history while embracing moments of sweet romance resulting in Cuco’s most ambitious and emotionally resonant work to date. Rolling Stone describes the album as, "An old AM radio valentine wafting across your backyard with graceful Spanish verses."
Ridin’ features production from Tom Brenneck (Bruno Mars, Amy Winehouse). Brenneck, known for his guitar work with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Menahan Street Band, and contributions to Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, brings his vintage-meets-contemporary approach to the production. Together, Cuco and Brenneck craft an organic sound, with Cuco elevating his dreamy vocals an octave higher for a rich neo-falsetto.
Listen to the full album above and find full touring details below.
Cuco by Carlos Jaramillo
Upcoming Tour Dates
9/10/25 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre
9/11/25 - Sacramento, CA @ Channel 24
9/13/25 - Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
9/15/25 - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
9/18/25 - San Diego, CA @ The Sound
9/19/25 - Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren
9/21/25 - El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
9/23/25 - Albuquerque, NM @ Revel
9/24/25 - Denver, CO @ Ogden
9/26/25 - Tulsa, OK @ Cain's Ballroom
9/27/25 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Lawn
9/29/25 - Austin, TX @ ACL Live
9/30/25 - Dallas, TX @ Factory
10/3/25 - Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
10/4/25 - Atlanta, GA @ Eastern
10/5/25 - Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore
10/8/25 - Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
10/10/25 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
10/13/25 - Boston, MA @ Royale
10/16/25 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
10/17/25 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera
10/19/25 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
10/22/25 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
10/24/25 - Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
10/25/25 - Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi Annex
10/26/25 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
10/28/25 - New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall
10/31/25 - Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
2/2/26 - Madrid, Spain @ La Sala del Movistar Arena
2/4/26 - London, UK @ Scala
2/6/26 - Paris, France @ Cabaret Sauvage
Ridin' album artwork
Cuco
Ridin’
Interscope Records
May 9th 2025
1. ICNBYH
2. My 45 feat. Jean Carter
3. Ridin’
4. Para Ti
5. Phases
6. Don’t Be So Rude
7. Seems So
8. Coming Up The Driveway
9. Troublemaker
10. Walk The Way
11. My Old Friend
Connect with Cuco:
benches search for daybreak while dredging up their darkest thoughts on 'Kill The Lights' EP
BENCHES SEARCH FOR DAYBREAK WHILE
DREDGING UP THEIR DARKEST THOUGHTS ON
NEW EP KILL THE LIGHTS — STREAM
HEADLINE TOUR CONTINUES THIS WEEK + UPCOMING
PERFORMANCE AT LOLLAPALOOZA
THIS SUMMER — SEE ALL DATES HERE
“The angst shines through their raunchy, noisy 2000s-era guitar tones…”
“Rooting themselves in bittersweet harmonies, the South Californian group have honed a distinct sound that seamlessly melds joy with sadness, all wrapped up in captivating indie rock instrumentals.”
“San Diego’s benches are wasting no time in 2025.”
Today, San Diego rock band benches release their new EP Kill The Lights. From the project’s inception, the band knew they wanted to use this moment to sonically stretch out; an exercise in surprising not only their audience, but surprising themselves. Across six songs, the four-piece dredge up some of the darker sides of mental health that are typically left buried. Confronting themes of deep fears, overthinking, isolation and detachment, Kill The Lights is constantly searching for a source of illumination. Whether or not it truly finds it, there is a thread of hope that runs throughout — Stream.
Opening with the short, swelling instrumental “Departure,” the band shares that they wanted to set the tone of the EP by introducing production elements that represent themes and feelings that arise throughout the project. It is mysterious, haunting, and leaves the listener full of anticipation.
As things kick into a higher gear on track 2 “Naive,” the sense of dark moodiness is preserved. “‘Naive’ was one of the first pieces of music we wrote all together, and you can feel it in the recording,” says vocalist Anson Kelley. “It feels live, like we are in the room. It came together very naturally within one day, and helped set the tone for what this EP would eventually become.”
Moving through the middle of the EP, benches tosses and turns over a sense of distrust and dread, the unending loop of striving for perfection. On “Orchid” in particular, Kelley describes the song as, “First it was undercooked, then it was overcooked, then after a long time, it landed in a sweet spot between the two. The lyrics get caught in a time loop. You keep trying to find an answer that’s different from the one that’s always been there, right in front of you. In the search for perfection, you will almost always end up lost.”
benches see the final song “Here Come The Bitter Tears,” as what plays in the moment the credits begin to roll at the end of a heartbreaking movie. Cinematic and melancholy, the band expertly toys with juxtaposition making it passionate, yet cold; close, but somehow so distant. We close on a note that craves romance while staying committed to emotional detachment.
Press photo by Attiken Vega
After recently wrapping up a tour supporting Inhaler and playing their hometown Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival, benches continue along their headline tour this week. They will be supported by Pleasure Pill across the Western US, in advance of an appearance at Lollapalooza later in the summer. See all upcoming dates here and below.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
May 28 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA
May 29 - Polaris Hall - Portland, OR
May 31 - Barboza - Seattle, WA
June 1 - Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver, BC
June 4 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT
June 5 - Lost Lake - Denver, CO
June 7 - Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM
June 8 - Valley Bar - Phoenix, AZ
June 10 - Constellation Room - Costa Mesa, CA
June 11 - Echoplex - Los Angeles, CA
June 12 - Music Box - San Diego, CA
July 31 - August 3 - Lollapalooza - Chicago, IL
All tour info here
Audio violence meets visual nostalgia on DEADGUY’s “Knife Sharpener” music video
Audio violence meets visual nostalgia on DEADGUY’s music video for new single “Knife Sharpener”
30 years in the making, their new LP Near-Death Travel Services is out June 27
Photo by: Nathaniel Shannon | Hi-res here
From the first enraged scream that ignites Deadguy's long-awaited sophomore LP, this album is the kind of merciless chaos that’s been gone far too long. Overflowing with angular riffs, clashing guitars, fractured rhythms and gutter bass that no one does better, Deadguy have dug in deeper on Near-Death Travel Services— an album 30 years in the making.
Exactly one month until the album's release, Deadguy have shared the record's third single: the punchy, short and sweet banger "Knife Sharpener." The song is accompanied by an animated, 8-bit video game graphics-inspired music video that feels ripped from a 1980's coin-op cabinet— watch it below.
Watch / share "Knife Sharpener" music video
A brief history of Deadguy: the New Jersey quartet of Crispy, Dave Rosenberg, Tim “Pops” Naumann and Tim Singer released an odd, sardonic, absolutely singular 7” called White Meat in 1994. That same year they enlisted guitar player Keith Huckins of groundbreaking NJ band Rorschach and unleashed a refined, even more vicious sound with their 7” Work Ethic. With only these six songs the band was already understood to be a menacing force in the emerging metalcore scene, both live and recorded, but it couldn’t have prepared anyone for what came next. They released the groundbreaking Fixation on a Coworker LP in 1995, an EP the following year then called it a day, making their entire storied existence only three years long.
A 2021 documentary, Killing Music, led to the reconciliation and live shows, but there was more that needed to be done. Geographical hurdles, families and adult life are enough to stifle anyone’s creative output, but over the next few years the band was able to create something, according to drummer Dave Rosenberg, “out of sheer force of will.”
Even though the band’s high standards led to a culling that left them with only the best tracks, they decided to get the opinion of a former co-conspirator. Enter Steve Evetts, the man behind the board during Fixation. Evetts knows what Deadguy should sound like, and by asking him to produce this new one they felt confident he’d keep the band from softening up or veering too far from what makes them so distinct.
Recorded in fits and starts over a matter of months, 11 songs made the cut to be mixed, mastered and aimed indiscriminately at an unsuspecting public under the banner of Near-Death Travel Services. Members, at once skeptical, were finally able to take in the whole thing and had the same opinion after digesting their creation: “We made a fucking Deadguy record.”
See Deadguy live in June and July, and look for more news soon.
Jun. 14 Brooklyn, NY — Brooklyn Monarch (Rich Hall Memorial Show - tix)
Jul. 12 Garwood, NJ — Crossroads (Record Release Show - tix)
Ravyn Lenae announces fall headline tour
RAVYN LENAE UNVEILS NEW HEADLINE LIVE SHOWS
EAGERLY AWAITED NEW DATES INCLUDE US & EUROPEAN SHOWS
KICKING OFF OCTOBER 6 AT THE WILTERN IN LOS ANGELES, CA
ARTIST PRE-SALE SIGN-UPS VIA SEATED BEGIN TODAY AT 10:00AM (EDT)
GENERAL ON-SALE STARTS THIS FRIDAY, MAY 30 AT 10:00AM (LOCAL TIME)
UPCOMING LIVE SCHEDULE INCLUDES LOLLAPALOOZA DEBUT, AUSTRALIAN HEADLINE RUN, INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL APPEARANCES & DIRECT SUPPORT ON SELECT DATES OF SABRINA CARPENTER'S SOLD-OUT
“SHORT N’ SWEET TOUR” THIS NOVEMBER
BREAKTHROUGH VIRAL HIT SINGLE, “LOVE ME NOT,” CURRENTLY SKYROCKETING UP BILLBOARD HOT 100 AND CHARTS AROUND THE GLOBE
ACCLAIMED SOPHOMORE ALBUM, BIRD’S EYE, OUT NOW
(May 27, 2025) - Acclaimed Chicago singer-songwriter Ravyn Lenae is following last month’s captivating, critically acclaimed Coachella debut with a string of eagerly anticipated US headline live shows. Dates begin October 6 at Los Angeles, CA’s landmark The Wiltern before making stops in Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, and Brooklyn, NY, culminating with two-nights at Washington, DC’s historic 9:30 Club on October 14-15, before heading to Europe in November with stops in Manchester, London, Paris and Cologne.
Artist Pre-Sales Sign-Ups via Seated begin today at 7:00 am (PDT)/ 10:00 am (EDT). Artist Pre-Sales start Wednesday, May 28 at 10:00 am (local). Local Pre-Sales start Wednesday, May 28 at 12:00pm (local). All presales end Thursday, May 29 at 11:59 pm (local). General on-sales start Friday, May 30 at 10:00 am (local). For complete details and ticket information, please visit www.ravynlenae.com/tour.
Lenae just kicked off the summer with a series of Australian headline shows starting with a sold out performance at the Sydney Opera House and will later perform at international festivals including upcoming gatherings at East Sussex, UK’s Love Supreme Jazz Festival (June 6), Roskilde, Denmark’s famed Roskilde Festival (July 5), and before returning home to Chicago, IL to make her Lollapalooza debut (August 1). This fall will then see Lenae joining Sabrina Carpenter as direct support for a number of select dates on her sold-out “Short N’ Sweet Tour,” including a pair of shows at Toronto, ON’s Scotiabank Arena (November 10-11) and a six-night residency at Los Angeles, CA’s Crypto.com Arena (November 16-17, 19-20, 22-23).
As noted, Lenae made her Coachella debut last month to wide-ranging applause from such publications as Essence, VOGUE, Harper’s BAZAAR, Rolling Stone, and more, earning praise for her spirited Mojave Tent performance.
Executive Produced by GRAMMY® Award-winner Dahi (Kendrick Lamar, Steve Lacy, SZA), Bird’s Eye, is available everywhere now via Atlantic Records HERE. The album – which features collaborations with Childish Gambino & Ty Dolla $ign – has been met by ecstatic critical approval from the likes of Billboard, NPR, the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Guardian, and Pitchfork, the latter of which declared the collection to be “a genre-blending album that experiments within and beyond R&B—always guided by her expansive, cotton-candy soft soprano.”
Lenae celebrated the arrival of Bird’s Eye with a number of live appearances, including sold-out tours across North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom, a one-off performance alongside former tourmate Omar Apollo at Morrison, CO’s storied Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and most recently, a sold-out, two-night, four-show residency at New York City’s legendary Blue Note Jazz Club hailed by Billboard as “stunning… an outstanding show that somehow improved on an already-terrific sophomore LP…The R&B songbird solidifies her breakthrough moment with a dexterous display of musicality and wisdom.”
In addition, Lenae made her late-night TV debut with memorable performances of both “Genius” and “Love Me Not” on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, followed by a three-song medley alongside KAYTRANADA and Channel Tres on CBS’ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
Upcoming Live Dates
* Festival Appearance
† w/ Sabrina Carpenter “Short N’ Sweet Tour”
5/27 - Brisbane, AUS @ The Tivoli
5/28 - Northcote, AUS @ Northote Theatre
5/30 - Perth, AUS @ The Rechabite
7/5 - Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival *
7/6 - East Sussex, UK @ Love Supreme Jazz Festival *
7/31 - Chicago, IL @ Park West (Lollapalooza Aftershow)
8/1 - Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza *
10/6 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
10/10 - Portland, OR @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
10/11 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
10/13 - Brooklyn , NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
10/14 - Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
10/15 - Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
11/2 - Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall Manchester
11/3 - London, UK @ Roundhouse
11/5 - Paris, FR @ La Cigale
11/6 - Cologne, DE @ Kulturkirche Köln
11/10 - Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena † (SOLD OUT)
11/11 - Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena † (SOLD OUT)
11/16 - Los Angeles, CA @ Wembley Stadium † (SOLD OUT)
11/17 - Los Angeles, CA @ SMR 2025 at Lamex Stadium † (SOLD OUT)
11/19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Blues & Rock Festival † (SOLD OUT)
11/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Blenheim Palace † (SOLD OUT)
11/22 - Los Angeles, CA @ Racecourses † (SOLD OUT)
11/23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Live at Scorrier House † (SOLD OUT)
Ravyn Lenae by Andy Jackson
Connect with Ravyn Lenae:
Website | Instagram | X (Twitter) | TikTok
Planning For Burial releases “(blueberry pop)” single / video, First new LP in 8 years out 5/30
Planning For Burial releases “(blueberry pop)” single/video
New LP It's Closeness, It's Easy out 5/30 on The Flenser
See PFB on tour in May, June, July in North America
"...boasting the crushing tones and spacey production of Wasluck’s previous work." - Consequence
"...intensely introspective, personal music." - Decibel Magazine
"heavy ambient doomgaze" - The Needle Drop
Photo credit: Matt Hannon
Planning For Burial has shared another single off of his long-awaited new album It’s Closeness, It’s Easy, out this Friday on The Flenser. The album is a soundtrack to life’s quiet changes—grief, love, and the bonds that time can’t break. These attributes are on display on his latest single, "(blueberry pop)," which arrives today with a new music video filmed by Thom Wasluck, the solo artist behind Planning For Burial. Wasluck comments: "For the last single before the release I wanted to show the sonic alternate side of the album compared to the last two singles. '(blueberry pop)' was originally made for the purpose of being a set ender, a moment to catch my breath while coming down from the sheer wall of volume for the 25-35 minutes prior. Later I figured it would also act a closing for the album around the same principles, but as I played with the sequencing in my head that quickly changed to it being bumped up early in the album as part of the first musical suite."
He adds: "The video serves the same purpose as the original song idea, Shot at the end of a long cold windy work day in mid-December. Staring off at a physical manifestation of the wind, clearing out your mind, taking your surroundings in."
Watch / share "(blueberry pop)" on YouTube
Filmed by Thom Wasluck | Text overlay by Dr. Kyle Bates
If Planning For Burial’s previous release, 2017’s Below the House, was about returning home, following in the footsteps of your father and joining a union, and leaving behind youth’s wild days, It’s Closeness, It’s Easy embraces what comes next—the weight of all years, the quiet shifts, the reckoning with what remains. This record is many things. It captures the slow drift of time, the unnoticed shifts in a loved one—the creeping changes in mental health, the quiet pull of addiction, the kind of grief that settles in the bones rather than announces itself.
At its core, It's Closeness, It’s Easy is about stepping into middle age and taking stock. It confronts the reality of living with the hand that’s been dealt and searching for meaning in what remains. It speaks to loss—the crushing weight of saying goodbye to a beloved 17 year old cat, the slow-motion grief of watching friends self-destruct, the inescapable passage of time as it bears down on aging parents and the self. But it also reflects the warmth of reconnection, the kind of love that never burns out but instead deepens. The feeling of picking up where things left off, untouched by the years in between.
While written over the course of two years, the recording process reflects a sense of immediacy. Rather than assembling songs piece by piece over time, the album took shape in singular, immersive sessions—less an act of construction, more an unveiling of something already waiting to take shape.
Rooted in a staunch DIY ethos, Wasluck handles every aspect of Planning For Burial project himself—recording the music, designing the artwork, and performing live as a one-man band. He books his own tours, ever and independent creative. This hands-on approach has led Planning for Burial to play hundreds of shows solidifying his place in the underground music scene. A defining moment came in 2018 when he performed at the Meltdown Festival in London, curated by Robert Smith of The Cure.
As of 2025 Planning For Burial has existed for 20 years. Wasluck’s debut full-length, Leaving (2009), was released on Enemies List Home Recordings, the in-house label of Have a Nice Life. In 2014, he joined The Flenser with Desideratum, becoming a cornerstone for the label’s connection to community and ethos. The follow-up, Below the House (2017), was met with widespread acclaim, further establishing Planning for Burial as a voice that's singular and unique.
It’s Closeness, It’s Easy will be released on May 30th via The Flenser. Pre-order here + see Planning For Burial on tour all across North America.
Planning for Burial, on tour:
May 31 - Prepare The Ground, Toronto ON Canada (Live Scoring “The Phantom Carriage”)
June 08 - Guild Hall, Swoyersville PA (acoustic set)
June 13 - Ace of Cups, Columbus OH*
June 14 - Raccoon Motel - Davenport IA*
June 15 - Eroding Winds - Appleton WI*
June 16 - Subterranean, Chicago IL*
June 17 - Cactus Club, Milwaukee WI*
June 18 - 7th St. Entry, Minneapolis MN
June 19 - The Aquarium, Fargo ND
June 20 - Thirsty Street Brewing, Billings MT
June 21 - VFW 209, Missoula MT
June 23 - Black Lodge, Seattle WA%
June 24 - Twilight Cafe, Portland OR%
June 25 - Realm Arcade, Boise ID%
June 26 - Ace’s High Saloon, Salt Lake City UT
June 27 - The Holland Project, Reno NV
June 28 - Eli’s Mile High, Oakland CA+
June 29 - Zebulon, Los Angeles CA+
June 30 - Voodoo Brewing, Las Vegas NV
July 01 - Rebel Lounge, Phoenix AZ
July 02 - Long Hair Records, Albuquerque NM
July 03 - Hi-Dive, Denver CO £
July 04 - The Furnace, Wichita KS £
July 05 - Howdy, Kansas City MO £
July 06 - The Sanctuary, Oklahoma City OK
July 07 - Rubber Gloves, Denton TX
July 08 - Valhalla, Austin TX
July 09 - Whittier Bar, Tulsa OK
July 10 - Kerr, St. Louis MO
July 11 - Whirling Tiger, Louisville KY
July 12 - DRKMTTR, Nashville TN!
July 13 - Saturn, Birmingham AL!
July 14 - Eyedrum, Atlanta GA!
July 15 - Crowbar, Tampa FL
July 16 - Conduit, Winter Park FL
July 17 - The Boneyard, Chattanooga TN &
July 18 - Static Age Records, Asheville NC &
July 19 - Afterglow, Richmond VA &
August 08 - TV Eye, Ridgewood NY €
August 09 - PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia PA €
August 28 - TBA, NEPA €
August 29 - Eldorado, Troy NY
August 30 - Casa Del Popolo, Montreal QC
August 31 - Deep Cuts, Medford MA
* with Stander
% with Drowse
+ with Mamaleek
£ with Patience, Ophelia
! with Malevich
& with Nightosphere
€ with Masoller
Manchester band Autocamper shares new single, "Red Flowers" ahead of debut Slumberland LP
STREAM: "Red Flowers" -
Streaming Services
"'Red Flowers' is about feeling like an interim character in someone’s life, and how that can leave you feeling cold and like a bit of an idiot. It’s also about contemplating all the different versions of a person’s personality that can exist, depending on which aspects you bring out of each other more prominently. This was one of the songs we asked Tom to play flute on, and it was really cathartic to sit in the studio and listen to him write and record his part over the course of a few hours - very beautifully melancholic." -Jim Quinn, Autocamper
Manchester's Autocamper are the perfect pop antidote to the city's predictable post-punk machismo. Like a Northern kitchen sink rendering of The Vaselines' call and response motif, vocal duties are shared by Jack Harkins and Niamh Purtill -- their world-weary reflections on bedroom tiffs and hungover misdemeanors capture the jangle pop spirit of the '80s without the C86 revisionism. Their debut LP, What Do You Do All Day?, will be released July 11 by Slumberland in the US and Safe Suburban Home in the UK.
Recorded at Glasgow's Green Door Studio and produced by Chris McCory of Catholic Action, Autocamper shed their bedroom pop roots on their debut LP while retaining the candid, bittersweet sincerity of earlier releases. Vocalist and guitarist Jack Harkins' casual lilt often resembles a less baritone, Northern English iteration of Calvin Johnson, countering keyboardist Niamh Purtill's soft, whisper-like timbre. This classic dynamic runs through the album, yielding a tenderness that strikes a perfect balance — never too cloying, and offering a modern twist on the unpretentious earnestness found in '60s sunshine pop of groups like The Millennium.
A good melody is inherently sincere as it originates from an authentic emotional space. In the case of Autocamper, memorable melodies are abundant, shaped by an impressive collective knowledge of music's past, present, and future. Their sound is both nostalgic and fresh, combining the DIY pop sensibilities of the early Flying Nun and Sarah label bands with the jangling, melodic impulse of James Kirk-era Orange Juice, while also capturing the heartfelt songwriting of Curt Boetcher and Sandy Salisbury.
"Map Like A Leaf" parallels the later output of The Pastels, a connection strengthened by Tom Crossley from the band contributing his flute to the track. On "Dogsitting," Niamh's pleasantly wonky organ echoes Martin Duffy's keyboard ruminations during mid-period Felt. The rhythm section, comprising Harry Williams on bass and Arthur Robinson on drums, resides somewhere between the crispness of The Feelies and the pure, youthful pop essence of Motown, evinced in Robinson's complete control of the snare. Those bouncy basslines act as a shimmering glue that binds the pieces together, not unlike the standout moments of The Field Mice's Michael Hiscock.
Autocamper add colour to the everyday; transforming a sigh-ridden, pedestrian Sunday into moments of fleeting optimism amid the tangled web of love and life in The Age of Anxiety. Not twee, not anorak, not lucky, just pop: it's these truths that distinguish them from their peers, the hollow strains of Instagram Indie and the corporate pop that forces us to be joyful.
TOUR DATES
June 01 - London, UK - Waiting Room #
July 11 - Manchester, UK - Star and Garter
July 13 - Glasgow, UK - Glad Cafe
July 21 - London, UK - The Shacklewell Arms *
July 22 - Coventry, UK - Just Dropped In *
July 23 - Leeds, UK - The Lending Room *
July 24 - Newcastle, UK - Alfie & Fin's *
# = w/ The Sharp Pins
* = w/ Chime School
Autocamper
What Do You Do All Day?
(Slumberland / Safe Suburban Home)
Street Date: July 11, 2025
Formats: digital / lp / cd
Pre-order HERE
Track List:
1 Again
2 Red Flowers
3 Map Like A Leaf
4 Foxes
5 Proper
6 You
7 Dogsitting
8 Somehow
9 Linnean
10 Street View
AUTOCAMPER LINKS:
Bandcamp
Instagram
Facebook
Slumberland Records
Aminé announces 'Tour de Dance' headline tour
AMINÉ ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN, UNITED KINGDOM & EUROPEAN TOUR
KICKING OFF TOUR WITH SECOND EDITION OF THE BEST DAY EVER FESTIVAL
GENERAL ONSALE BEGINS THIS FRIDAY, MAY 30TH
13 MONTHS OF SUNSHINE OUT NOW VIA 10K PROJECTS
Aminé by Lucas Creighton
13 Months of Sunshine
(May 27, 2025) - Aminé announces a tour in support of his recently-released album 13 Months of Sunshine across North America, the United Kingdom and Europe for this Fall. He’ll be kicking off the tour with the second edition of The Best Day Ever Festival taking place September 13th and 14th in his hometown of Portland before taking the music of his new acclaimed album and his storied catalog across the Live Nation-promoted 4-month run.
TICKETS: Tickets will be available starting with an artist pre-sale beginning Wednesday, May 28 at 7am local time. Sign up now at https://aminemusic.com/. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning Friday, May 30 at 9am local time.
EU/UK TICKET ACCESS: Mastercard cardholders have special access to presale tickets in France, Denmark and Sweden. Mastercard Presale starts Wednesday, May 28 at 9am local. Preferred ticket access to some of the best tickets are available in the countries listed and the UK from Friday, May 30 at 9am local. Check out priceless.com/music for details.
VIP: In select cities, the shows will also offer a variety of different VIP packages and experiences for fans to take their concert experience to the next level. For more information, visit https://aminemusic.com/.
The tour announcement closely follows a pair of sold out release parties in Los Angeles and New York, where Aminé and friends celebrated the release of the new album and debuted the songs live for the first time since its release. 13 Months of Sunshine's title is a play on the Gregorian 13-month calendar that Aminé’s native Ethiopia and Eritrea follow, as well as a direct reference to the Western marketing campaigns to entice tourists to visit Ethiopia in the 60’s and 70’s. “They came up with this slogan to show people that there was so much more to Ethiopia than what is advertised,” the rapper shared, “I related so heavily to it, because on this album, I am showing that there’s so much more than what everyone assumes about my music—myself included.” Guided by intimate conversations with family members, specifically his father, and the strong ties to his East African heritage, 13 Months of Sunshine sees the rapper reevaluate his meteoric success and the legacy he wants to leave behind through intentional storytelling.
Executive produced by Dahi (Ravyn Lenae, SZA, Kendrick Lamar), every line on the 16-song album passes the “small reading room test” through lyrics that he “would be proud to read, without music and in front of 30 people,” Aminé explains, “Every line had to pass that test.” From the Waxahatchee-featuring indie pop beauty of “History” to the psych-synth invocation of Toro y Moi-assisted album closer “Images” on 13 Months of Sunshine, the rapper presents his most exacting vision to date as well as a ferocious appetite as both a listener and curator of sound.
Listen to 13 Months of Sunshine now and see all upcoming Aminé tour dates below of tickets going on sale this Friday.
Tour de Dance official artwork
13 Months of Sunshine album artwork
Aminé
13 Months of Sunshine
10K Projects
May 16, 2025
1. New Flower! (feat. Leon Thomas)
2. Feels So Good
3. Sage Time
4. I Think It's You
5. Cool About It (feat. Lido)
6. History (feat. Waxahatchee)
7. Vacay
8. Familiar
9. Doing The Best I Can
10. Temptations
11. Be Easier On Yourself
12. Raspberry Kisses
13. 13MOS
14. Changer (feat. chlothegod)
15. Arc de Triomphe
Connect with Aminé
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Austin's Bee Blackwell digs deep for clarity on "CLAWS"
BEE BLACKWELL ASKS FOR CLARITY
ON NEW SINGLE “CLAWS” - LISTEN
SWIRLIES INSPIRED OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
PREMIERES TODAY - WATCH
NEW EP NINE LIVES ARRIVES JUNE 20, 2025
WITH RELEASE SHOWS IN HOUSTON, DENTON AND AUSTIN
Photo credit: L.A. Lockhardt
Austin-based alternative rock musician Bee Blackwell continues to preview her new EP Nine Lives, arriving June 20, 2025. Written, self-produced and then recorded at the famed Sonic Ranch studio in three days during a sabbatical, Nine Lives is an inspiring indie rock-tinged tale of surviving through chaos and coming out of it better than ever. Today, she shares “Claws,” which features her signature brooding and gritty but fuzzed-out guitar work paired with emotionally charged vocals. An official music video for the track also premieres today, paying homage to a 1993 live performance from shoegaze icons Swirlies.
“CLAWS” is the struggle of being caught between wanting connection and fearing vulnerability,” Bee explains. “Expressing emotion is hard, being a control freak is even harder.”
LISTEN TO “CLAWS”
WATCH THE OFFICIAL "CLAWS" MUSIC VIDEO
PRE-SAVE NINE LIVES
Nine Lives was announced with “LALALA,” an upbeat, daydreamy mesh of melodic guitar licks, featuring soft harmonies that crescendo into a whirlwind of percussion and chants of the titular “lalala.” The track has a slightly dark, underground vibe with the hypnotic guitars and emotive vocals with equal parts angst and allure. The single arrived alongside the magnetic visualizer, encapsulating the dripping energy of the act and her new EP to come.
WATCH THE “LALALA” OFFICIAL VISUALIZER
Bee has kept busy over the past year, making her SXSW debut in Austin, TX, this past March, along with a handful of energetic shows around Texas. With a few months of free time, Bee couldn’t help but create her latest body of work, Nine Lives, serving as a personal diary entry, exposing her struggles, emotional hardships, and life goals. Each track is backed by clear and atmospheric guitar hooks, relaxed and steady rhythmic percussions creating a smooth, calming groove, and a little bit of 2000s emo greatness. The EP sees Bee at her most introspective and daring, taking creative risks while maintaining vulnerability.
In 2023, Bee began posting covers of her favorite emo and grunge songs online, creating a fanbase that revels in her cathartic and heartfelt music. What started as covers accumulated into her 2023 EP Calico, featuring the fan favorite track “Blue.” As 2024 began, Bee teased and released three new singles, “Dumb,” “The Same,” and “Signs,” and is now gearing up to release her second EP, which marks her first self-produced project.
To celebrate the release of Nine Lives, Bee will hit the road with her band to play shows across Texas. For more details, see below and follow Bee on Instagram at @beeblackwell_.
BEE BLACKWELL LIVE
JUNE
21 - Axelrad - Houston, TX
22 - Rubber Gloves - Denton, TX
23 - 29th Street Ballroom - Austin, TX - Supporting Elita
26 - Hotel Vegas - Austin, TX
BEE BLACKWELL
NINE LIVES
Release date: June 20, 2025
TRACKLIST
1. CLAWS - WATCH
2. Cowboy
3. LALALA - WATCH
4. More
ABOUT BEE BLACKWELL:
Austin, TX's Bee Blackwell, creates 90s-influenced alternative rock with deeply personal themes and soaring, majestic vocals. She documents her self-exploration in a way that speaks to anyone who's had a coming-of-age experience or is going through one of their own. Having played in rock bands through high school and college, Bee decided to start posting covers of her favorite emo and grunge songs online in 2023. After numerous viral moments on the platform, she began releasing cathartic and heartfelt songs that have captivated her growing audience.
Photo credit: L.A. Lockhardt
CONNECT WITH BEE BLACKWELL
May 25, 2025
AGAPE LODGE POETRY SOCIETY May 25th 2025 @ Ultrasound Studios DTLA
All photos taken by Alexander Laurence
May 23, 2025
Lissie Announces 'Promises' EP out 8/22 | “I’ll Stand by You” (The Pretenders) Video | Nat'l Tour
Lissie
Announces Promises EP due out August 22
A collection of covers incl. Low, The Bangles, Simon & Garfunkel and more.
Shares “I’ll Stand by You” (The Pretenders) Video
Available across platforms here
North American + European 2025 Tour Dates
Tour dates below + here
Credit: Madison Speer
Midwestern artist Lissie is thrilled to announce the Promises EP, due out August 22. Her first body-of-work since 2022’s acclaimed Carving Canyons album, the EP compiles a collection of cover songs that speak her current emotional language and hold meaning to her life. She shares, “We all go through phases & stages and music is such a gift for processing life events!” Today she provides the first taste of the EP with her take on The Pretenders’ classic “I’ll Stand By You”. Listen HERE.
Lissie says, “I sang ‘I’ll Stand By You’ to my husband, Mike, at our wedding reception so it’s taken on such a special meaning. It always makes me think about the promise I made that day.”
The song is accompanied by a similarly heart-warming video which is compiled from submissions from fans. It’s a celebration of love in all of its forms, from marriage and parenthood to family and friendships through to pets. Each clip tells a story in a snapshot, with a mix of major life events, uplifting triumphs, sacred moments of silliness, and bittersweet memories. It is capped by brief footage of Lissie’s own wedding.
Watch / Share: “I’ll Stand by You” (The Pretenders cover) Video
The Promises EP features songs which offer varying slants on the theme of a commitment and was initially brought to life with Alphaville‘s “Forever Young”, which had a special moment during Lissie's wedding day, when her niece wowed the gathering with a powerful and poignant performance of the song during Lissie’s dance with her father. In an election year, Lissie lends her voice to Simon & Garfunkel’s classic “America” sparking thoughts about the promise that a country once held, and similarly, Low’s “Just Make It Stop” is a promise to herself to keep believing in the fight that goes on.
Lissie’s 2010 debut album Catching A Tiger made an instant impact, inspiring comparisons to Stevie Nicks, Hope Sandoval and Bobbie Gentry. Her 2022 album Carving Canyons earned acclaim spanning Forbes, FLOOD, NPR, American Songwriter, No Depression and more. Outside of her records, Lissie made a show-stealing performance of “Wild West” in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: The Return, and played a musician enduring an awkward relationship with Ron Livingstone’s music critic lead character in the third season of the cult comedy-drama Loudermilk. She lives in north-east Iowa, where she manages and conserves the 45-acre site around her home.
Tour Dates - TICKETS
5/24: Ojai, CA @ Ojai Valley Women’s Club
5/25: Venice, CA @ The Venice West
6/11: Bergen, Norway @ Bergenfest
6/13: Egersund, Norway @ Dalane Blues Festival
6/14: Skien, Norway @ Jubel
6/20: Oslo, Norway @ Overoslo Festival
7/10: Viroqua, WI @ Pierce Hill Performing Arts
7/11: Minneapolis, MN @ Dakota
7/12: Minneapolis, MN @ Dakota
9/17: Sandnes, Norway @ Kulturhus w/ Oystein Greni
9/19: Hamar, Norway @ Kulturhus w/ Oystein Greni
9/20: Lillehammer, Norway @ Maihaugsalen w/ Oystein Greni
9/24: Drammen, Norway @ Drammens Teater w/ Oystein Greni
9/25: Oslo, Norway @ Operaen w/ Oystein Greni
9/26: Trondheim, Norway @ Byscenen w/ Oystein Greni
9/27: Kongsberg, Norway @ Musikkteater w/ Oystein Greni
10/02: Notteroy, Norway @ Kulturhus w/ Oystein Greni
10/03: Kristiansand, Norway @ Kilden w/ Oystein Greni
10/04: Halden, Norway @ Brygga Kultursal w/ Oystein Greni
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