Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 87
May 23, 2025
Lainey Wilson’s new single “Somewhere Over Laredo” out today
photo credit: Cece Dawson // single artworkMay 23, 2025—16x ACM, 9x CMA and Grammy Award-winning artist Lainey Wilson’s new single, “Somewhere Over Laredo,” is out today via BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville. Listen/share HERE. Written by Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson and Andy Albert, the song honors the timeless classic “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” while showcasing Wilson’s poignant storytelling and authentic country sound, as she reflects on past love and pays tribute to small towns across the country. Wilson will perform the song live for the first time at the 2025 American Music Awards this Monday, May 26, where she is nominated for Favorite Female Country Artist. Officially impacting radio this Tuesday, May 27 via Broken Bow Records, fans will hear the new track as it world premieres across all major U.S. Country Radio Stations today. The release adds to yet another triumphant year for Wilson, who won four awards at the 60th Annual ACM Awards earlier this month: Entertainer of the Year (her second consecutive win), Female Artist of the Year (her third consecutive win), Album of the Year (Whirlwind) and Artist-Songwriter of the Year. During the awards ceremony, she also debuted new song, “Trailblazer,” with Reba McEntire and Miranda Lambert, which she wrote with Lambert and Brandy Clark.Additionally, Wilson is in the midst of her nearly sold-out Whirlwind World Tour, which includes stops at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, Austin’s Moody Center, Baton Rouge’s Raising Cane’s River Center Arena and Denver’s Ball Arena among many others. The upcoming dates follow the tour’s first leg—a completely sold-out extensive run across the U.K and Europe earlier this year. See below for the complete tour itinerary. Full details can be found at www.laineywilson.com/tour. The tour follows the release of Wilson’s widely acclaimed album, Whirlwind, this past summer (stream/purchase here). Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Jay Joyce (Miranda Lambert, Eric Church), the record earned Wilson her best sales week ever as it debuted at #8 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart—her first top 10 entry. Critical acclaim for Whirlwind: “the best release of her career” —The Tennessean “She’s becoming a major headlining country star, and this album feels like it’s cementing that position” —NPR Music “her music has a blend of brawn, heart, and willingness to upend the status quo that’s not only listenable, but also the kind of thing you can’t help but root for” —Rolling Stone “A romantic survivor with cowgirl cred, carried by a voice that can convey ache and mettle in equal measure” —The New York Times “Her new album features 14 tracks highlighting Wilson’s true country sound and a gift for storytelling” —Forbes “next-generation icon” —Newsweek “her most unapologetically country album yet” —Vulture “Whirlwind captures the pinnacle of the singer’s journey thus far still while holding onto the parts of her that make her feel human” —American Songwriter In just the past year, Wilson was also inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, performed during the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Halftime Show, won Best Country Album at the 2024 Grammy Awards and two awards at the 58th CMA Awards, where she also made her hosting debut alongside Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan. Wilson also received two awards at this year’s ACM Honors: the prestigious Triple Crown Award—presented to those who have won ACM Entertainer of the Year, Female/Male Vocalist of the Year and New Female/Male Vocalist of the Year—and the Milestone Award, which is given to an artist who has had an unprecedented or outstanding year in country music. A prolific and sought-after songwriter, Wilson has scored eight #1 hits including “4x4xU,” “Watermelon Moonshine” and the 2x Platinum Certified “Heart Like A Truck,” and has collaborated with artists such as Post Malone (“Nosedive”), Cole Swindell (“Never Say Never”), Jelly Roll (“Save Me”), HARDY (“wait in the truck”) and Myles Smith (“Nice To Meet You”). She is also a triple threat within entertainment as a singer, songwriter and actor and will make her feature film acting debut in next year’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Reminders of Him, after first acting in Paramount’s hit television series, Yellowstone. Moreover, Wilson wrote and recorded “Out of Oklahoma,” which was featured in the new Twisters movie. LAINEY WILSON CONFIRMED TOUR DATESMay 30—Panama City Beach, FL—Pepsi Gulf Coast JamMay 31—Lexington, KY—Railbird FestivalJune 6—Myrtle Beach, SC—Carolina Country Music FestJune 18—Nashville, TN—Grand Ole OpryJune 20—Wildwood, NJ—Barefoot Country Music FestJune 26—Milwaukee, WI—SummerfestJune 27—Cadott, WI—Country FestJuly 10—Ottawa, ON—Ottawa BluesfestJuly 12—Cavendish, PEI—Cavendish Beach Music FestivalAugust 14—Phoenix, AZ—Footprint Center*August 15—Albuquerque, NM—Isleta Amphitheater*August 16—Denver, CO—Ball Arena*August 21—Bend, OR—Hayden Homes Amphitheater*August 22—Sacramento, CA—Golden 1 Center*August 23—Los Angeles, CA—Kia Forum*August 28—Calgary, AB—Scotiabank Saddledome*August 29—Edmonton, AB—Rogers Place*August 30—Saskatoon, SK—SaskTel Centre*September 11—Baton Rouge, LA—Raising Cane’s River Center†September 12—Baton Rouge, LA—Raising Cane’s River Center†September 13—Bossier City, LA—Brookshire Grocery Arena†September 18—Austin, TX—Moody Center‡September 19—Fort Worth, TX—Dickies Arena‡September 20—Houston, TX—The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman ‡September 25—Toronto, ON—Budweiser Stage§September 26—Clarkston, MI—Pine Knob Music Theatre§September 27—Grand Rapids, MI—Van Andel Arena§October 2—Nashville, TN—Bridgestone Arena||October 3—Noblesville, IN—Ruoff Music Center§October 4—Cleveland, OH—Blossom Music Center§October 9—Columbia, MD—Merriweather Post Pavilion§October 10—New York, NY—Madison Square Garden§October 11—Mansfield, MA—Xfinity Center§October 16—St. Louis, MO—Hollywood Casio Amphitheatre||October 17—Rosemont, IL—Allstate Arena||October 18—Saint Paul, MN—Xcel Energy Center||October 24—Knoxville, TN—Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center#October 25—Charlotte, NC—Spectrum Center#November 7—Tampa, FL—Amalie Arena#November 8—Orlando, FL—Kia Center#*with special guests ERNEST and Kaitlin Butts†with special guests ERNEST and Maddox Batson‡with special guests Muscadine Bloodline and Drake Milligan§with special guests Muscadine Bloodline and Lauren Watkins||with special guests Muscadine Bloodline and Maddox Batson#with special guests ERNEST and Drake MilliganWEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE | X | FACEBOOK
Clara Joy Releases New LP, Shares "You Just Liked My Item" Single + Video via FLOOD | 'What We Have Now' LP Out Today Via Shimmy-Disc
Shares "You Just Liked My Item" Single + Video via FLOOD
Read Magnet Magazine Feature
What We Have Now LP Out Today Via Shimmy-Disc
Photo by Su KokoLISTEN: Clara Joy - What We Have Now LPStream
LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Clara Joy - "You Just Liked My Item"
YouTube
LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Clara Joy - “Find Things Beautiful”
Stream | YouTube
LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Clara Joy - “Breakdown”
Stream | YouTubeNYC-based songwriter Clara Joy today has released her new album What We Have Now via Shimmy-Disc . Yesterday she released new single "You Just Liked My Item," which is accompanied by a Su Koko-directed video. What We Have Now was recorded in her NYC home over the course of several years, and was co-produced with Kramer, who completed the LP at his studio in North Carolina in December 2024. Today's release follows previous singles "Find Things Beautiful" and "Breakdown," which have earned press support from Chorus.fm, Americana Highways, Stereo Embers, and more.
The new track is a slow-core folk ballad shaken to its core by a vocal performance that spans the space between a weep and a battle cry. Clara sheers off pieces of her heart, and you want to catch them. "The song uses the phrase ‘liked my item’ which is taken from online shopping," she explains. "The song is about desperation and questioning reality under a society based around consumption."
What We Have Now is a love-letter to New York City, written by a breaking heart weathering the deep indigo night of a soul realizing dawn will release it from the dried tears of youth. There is no brighter or harsher wasteland of self-discovery than the one in which we see that childhood is a dream and the now is something we will have to fabricate alone, from those broken mirror shards of memories in service to a world that does not seem to know how to care for us any longer. Full of feeling and shepherded by Clara’s intensely honest vocals, these songs transcend place and time to share a universe of wonders beneath the hard-wrought questioning of the deeply human condition we are all living within.
What We Have Now is out now via Shimmy-Disc.
Clara Joy - “You Just Liked My Item”Full of feeling and shepherded by Clara’s intensely honest vocals, these songs transcend place and time to share a universe of wonders beneath the hard-wrought questioning of the deeply human condition we are all living within. Clara Joy is a songwriter full of melody and vision. These ‘home’ recordings were made by Clara in NYC between 2020 and 2024. The songs were then Arranged, Mixed & Mastered by Kramer in December 2024 in his Studio in the mountains of North Carolina.
Speaking of Clara, Kramer says that she is, "...what we have all been waiting for since the passing of Daniel Johnston - a new performer who sees and hears the world around her, agonizes over its endless parade of absurdities, and responds by setting out to create art that transcends itself and conveys the kind of love and optimism that helps us to survive the maelstroms. In short, Clara Joy's artistry is miraculous in every way, and in every sense of the word. It's embedded in her genes, and this debut LP bears only a hint of what's to come. There's just no telling where this brave young artist will take us."
Clara is at the dawn of her career and Shimmy-Disc is proud to bring this amazing work to the world.
What We Have Now - TRACK LISTING
Side A
BreakdownDying WitchDon’t Wanna Go HomeYou Just Liked My ItemIs It Even Gonna SnowSide B
Find Things BeautifulDusk In The CityTeenagerLiving In A World Like ThisDespite The Satellites (Digital Only)Featured Musicians:Clara Joy: voices, guitars, samples, etc.
Bonner Kramer: bass, piano, mellotrons, samples, etc.
Producer(s): Clara Joy & Kramer
Mixed & Mastered by Kramer
Composer(s): Words & Music by Clara JoyClara Joy Links
Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
Shimmy-Disc Links
Website | YouTube | Instagram | Bandcamp | Facebook
Revered trans post-punk artist Cindytalk reissues 1984 debut on Dais today. Focus track "Under Glass" (ft Mick Harvey The Birthday Party, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds)
Revered trans post-punk artist/musician Cindytalk
Reissues seminal 1984 debut, Camouflage Heart
Today via Dais Records – Buy / Listen / Share here
Share / Playlist Focus Track “Under Glass” (ft drummer Mick Harvey The Birthday Party, as well as Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds)
Cindytalk, the mercurial expressionist outlet of Scottish artist and musician Cinder, thrives on chance and transformation, collaging elements of noise, balladry, soundtrack, catharsis, and improvisation. An evolution of her early 1980s Edinburgh-based punk band The Freeze, Cinder launched the project upon moving to London, inspired by the crossroads of exploratory UK post-punk and early European industrial.
After a series of celebrated albums for the Midnight Music label as well as collaborations with This Mortal Coil and Cocteau Twins, Cinder migrated to the States, becoming involved with various underground techno collectives around the Midwest and West Coast. Subsequent relocations to Hong Kong and Japan further expanded Cindytalk's horizons, resulting in a fruitful partnership with Viennese experimental institution Editions Mego, for whom she released five full-lengths of swooning, granular atmosphere.
In 2021, Cinder partnered with Dais Records to release several new projects alongside a series of long-awaited back catalog reissues, starting with elusive albums Wappinschaw (1995) and The Wind Is Strong… (1990). Today Cindytalk's 1984 seminal goth rock debut, Camouflage Heart, a fearless work that feels even more singular and prescient now forty-plus years beyond its release, is available available in stores for the first time in nearly 20 years and available across all digital retailers. The Dais reissue is the first remastered edition and the first version to include lyrics and liner notes, alongside restored packaging with the original cover artwork – Vinyl limited to 100 Pink, 500 Transparent Clear and Black. All audio was remastered by Josh Bonati.
Buy / Listen / Share Vinyl + Digital Here
Photo By Cliff Ash
"We were trying to find our own space," says Cinder of the formative period Camouflage Heart emerged from, amidst a move from Edinburgh to London and Cinder's evolving exploration of gender identity, well before culture at large was equipped to understand. With contemporary discourse we see that the project manifested her transgender ideas as visceral music. The guttural, feral sound marked a notably darker turn from The Freeze's six-year run on the fringes of punk. Changing the project's name became vital, not just because they kept hearing the former was already taken, but the desire to embody the spiritual and sonic shift, "to uncover new pathways…to feminize it," she says.
Cinder, with bandmates David Clancy and John Byrne, arrived at Cindytalk, a winking nod to Sindy, the British fashion doll rival to Barbie known then for its pull-string talking mechanism. "The goal was to have a more interesting narrative, more interesting dialogue. Music was ultimately my only way of talking to people. That was my conversation with the world, an abstracted conversation…an attempt to make some kind of tiny, tiny mark, if possible, you hope somebody will notice." Over the years, Cinder has heard from fans who did pick up on the signals and find refuge in Camouflage Heart. Subtle then, but she connects the dots more clearly now, playfully suggesting Dais reissue the long out-of-print vinyl in pink — "It had to be Barbie pink" — underscoring the mischief that's been there all along beneath the silvery surface of Cindytalk.
The other goal in 1983 was to land a record deal and develop the band's roving curiosities in a proper studio, something The Freeze could never do outside of two Peel sessions. Soon came their signing to Midnight Music and opportunities for Cinder to sing outside of the project, contributing to This Mortal Coil's Sixteen Days/Gathering EP and It'll End In Tears album. These forays into a more pop-oriented structure allowed Cinder to see her voice in extremes, with Cindytalk drifting towards the dissonant end of the spectrum. Citing Brian Eno's use of the studio as a compositional tool, an instrument, Cinder and the band became immersed in the process at London’s Gateway Studio. "We were determined to take our time and try to learn how to use a studio and stretch ourselves."
Photo By Richard Hurding | Cinder in Camouflage Heart Era
Camouflage Heart plays with tension and pace, from creeping to feverish to claustrophobic. The percussion moves between restless marches and barely-there pulses; for some parts, they scratched and hit a tin bath, among other objects. Guitar lines vibrate and stab as Cinder contorts her voice freely. She pulls poetry from a cerebral abyss, like ‘make the snake in your eye, pierce the camouflage heart’ on the slow-droning centerpiece “The Spirit Behind the Circus Dream.” In that register is raw power, both vulnerable and menacing, an ability to locate something deep and emotionally charged within. "I still remember that person who was way too intense for their own good," Cinder reflects. "I couldn't make a record like that now, certainly not vocally, while that anger hasn't dissipated; there's still a kind of warrior."
For all the destruction and disintegration of Camouflage Heart, Cinder maintains the objective was never full-on fatalistic; these songs seek not to destroy but to poke and provoke, to transform and heal, to find cracks of light in a crumbling world. She points to the last lines of the album’s opening track, "It's Luxury": ‘Don't look down,’ the lyric pines through static and rhythm. Cinder extrapolates, "I'm essentially saying, just keep fucking going. As time went on, for me, that falling became flying. ‘Camouflage Heart’ is the beginning of believing in flight."
Camouflage Heart Tracklist:
01 - It’s Luxury
02 - Instinct (Backtosense)
03 - Under Glass
04 - Memories Of Skin And Snow
05 - The Spirit Behind The Circus Dream
06 - The Ghost Never Smiles
07 - A Second Breath
08 - Everybody Is Christ
09 - Disintegrate
Cindytalk on Facebook, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify
Orbital's Groundbreaking 'Brown Album' Re-issue Is Out Now On Vinyl, Cassette, CD and Digital
ORBITAL’S GROUNDBREAKING ‘BROWN ALBUM’OUT NOW VIA LONDON RECORDS
AVAILABLE DIGITALLY AND ON 4LP BOX SET, 4CD BOX SET, COLORED AND GALAXY VINYL, 2CD & CASSETTE
LISTEN
‘ORBITAL 2 (THE BROWN ALBUM EXPANDED)
Orbital’s seminal second album, commonly known as the Brown Album , is out now on London Records on vinyl, cassette, CD and digital platforms in a newly-expanded reissue. It is the first time the album has been pressed on vinyl for over a decade.
The Brown Album reissue celebrates the legacy of the groundbreaking 1993 album which pushed the boundaries of electronic music and solidified Orbital's place as the Godfathers of Rave.
The Brown Album reissue is released with 23 additional tracks - rarities and previously unreleased material from the Brown Album period. The album has been cut at half speed, to ensure maximum audio fidelity. It is available in a host of special physical formats, with the vinyl box set featuring a special hardback book containing unseen photos, a slipmat, a track-by-track by Phil and Paul Hartnoll themselves, and interviews and essays on the making of the album by esteemed music journalist Andrew Harrison. Also included are rare mixes from Underworld, CJ Bolland and Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia.
Released in 1993, the Brown Album defied expectations and had a significant genre and cultural impact - showcasing the duo's scope and ambition. It was also met with widespread critical acclaim upon release, with NME awarding it 9/10 in their review, and it was chosen as one of Mixmag’s best albums of all time. The album staked out a creative space far beyond the reductive world of by-numbers rave bangers, and featured experimental elements inspired by avant-garde composer Steve Reich and nods to their squat-punk roots. Tracks like "Satan" resonated with the "crusty rave" scene, finding a welcoming audience at Megadog nights. The album's blend of diverse influences and its rejection of conventional norms helped to solidify Orbital's reputation as innovative artists, expanding the horizons of electronic music beyond local DJ nights.
Another standout track, “Halcyon + On + On,” became an instant classic, known for its ethereal atmosphere and haunting vocal sample from Opus III’s “It’s a Fine Day.” The track’s dreamy progression and uplifting yet melancholic tone made it a staple in film soundtracks and DJ sets, embodying the emotional depth electronic music could achieve.
With the Brown Album, brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll created a unique listening experience, developed from live performances, moving their sound on from their debut, Green Album released two years prior. It explores wider ranges of sounds than previously heard from the duo as they had evolved from the M25 to an international touring act - from ambient textures to hard-hitting techno, didgeridoo, and sampling an Australian pedestrian light. It was created at the Strongroom Studio in London’s Shoreditch - a Brill building of rave and a true hub of creativity influencing the album's direction. The album encapsulates the energy of early 90s rave culture and draws inspiration from diverse sources such as Mutoid Waste parties and the emerging jungle scene of the time.
Orbital have been performing live across the UK and Europe this year, both as part of the Brown & Green Album Tour, and with select festival appearances to follow. And to celebrate the release of the Brown Album reissue, Orbital have added further dates to their touring with the following out store / in-store additions: Tonight, May 23 at Chalk in Brighton (in association with Resident), Orbital will perform a full live set (Tickets & info), then they’ll be at Rough Trade East in London on May 25, where the duo will appear In Conversation with Mathew Horne, along with a signing and DJ Set (Tickets & info). And finally, they will be at London’s Pryzm in Kingston on May 26, where they’ll perform a full live set, in association with Banquet (Tickets & info).
Orbital’s reissue of the Brown Album is out now via London Records.
Tracklisting:DISC 1 – Original album
Time becomes
PLANET OF THE SHAPES
LUSH 3-1
LUSH 3-2
IMPACT (The earth is burning)
REMIND
WALK NOW...
MONDAY
HALCYON + ON + ON
Input out
DISC 2 – Rarities / Mixes
Halcyon
The Naked And The Dead
Sunday
The Naked And The Dub
Lush 3-3 (Underworld)
Lush 3-4 (Warrior Drift) (Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia)
DISC 3 – Rarities / Mixes
Lush 3-5 (CJ Bolland)
Lush (Euro-Tunnel Disaster ’94)
Walk About
Semi Detached
Attached
Impact USA (The earth is burning: Diversion)
DISC 4 – Live At The Limelight New York 1992
The Naked And The Dead
The Naked And The Dub
Sunday
Remind
Halcyon
Walk Now
Kinetic
Choice
Chime
Satan
2025 UK & EU TOUR DATES
05/23 – Chalk – Brighton, UK
05/25 – Rough Trade East – London, UK
05/26 – Pryzm – Kingston, London, UK
06/28 – Paradise City – Belgium, Germany
07/11 – BBK Live 2025 – Bilbao, Spain**
07/24 – PopMesse – Brno, Czech Republic**
07/26 – Forest Fest Music & Arts Festival - Emo, Co. Laois, Ireland**
08/01 – Wilderness Festival – Oxfordshire, UK**
**Festival Date
High-Res Album Artwork Available HERE
ORBITAL ON SOCIALS
WEBSITE | X / TWITTER | THREADS | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE | TIKTOK
PAMÉ announces debut EP + "555" out today
PAMÉ ANNOUNCES DEBUT EP STATIC BLUSH DUE THIS SUMMER VIA MAISON RECORDS
SHARES NEW SINGLE “555”
PAMÉ by
"555"
LISTEN:
(May 23, 2025) - Dominican artist PAMÉ announces debut EP Static Blush due this summer via Maison Records. Alongside the announcement PAMÉ shares new single “555,” a smooth, sultry slow-burn that blends laid-back R&B grooves with hypnotic vocals. As the first single to drop from her upcoming summer EP, the track sets the tone with its moody atmosphere and emotional clarity.
Speaking about the song PAMÉ shares, “‘555’ is the moment you realize the universe has been warning you all along — and this time, you finally listen. It's a song about waking up from false hope, reclaiming your worth, and no longer mistaking someone's potential for your destiny.” With lyrics that explore spiritual nudges and the quiet unraveling of hope, PAMÉ captures the ache of being with someone who won’t change, and the strength it takes to finally walk away. Wrapped in velvety production and soft, late-night tension, “555” is both a warning and a release: seductive, introspective, and laced with intuition.
PAMÈ recently wrapped her North American tour with Fana Hues and will be playing Ruidosa Festival in New York on August 9th alongside Empress Of, Yendry, Snow Tha Product, MC Millaray and more.
With a powerhouse voice that can still gently cradle sweet notes like a Dominican breeze, PAMÈ is here to stay.
Listen to “555” above and find EP details below.
Static Blush EP artwork
Static Blush EP
Maison Records
1. Lie
2. Edge of Falling
3. 555
4. Santa Maria
5. One Way Love
Connect with PAMÉ:
SPARKS' NEW STUDIO ALBUM MAD! IS OUT TODAY!
MAD! IS OUT TODAY+ NEW VIDEO + IN CONVERSATION WITH ROB BRYDON + THE MAD! TOUR
SPARKS' NEW STUDIO ALBUM MAD! IS OUT TODAY!MAD! is Sparks' 28th studio album and Ron and Russell have, once again, delivered a masterpiece. Here are highlights from just some of the (English language) reviews
“Pop’s rainbow would be significantly less colourful without Sparks” ★★★★ MOJO
“As forward facing as ever, the Mael brothers still remain willing to take creative risks on an often surprising 28th studio album” ★★★★ Classic Pop
“Further proof of genius” ★★★★★ Record Collector
"In savage form" ★★★★ Uncut
"..eccentric brilliance with pearls of wisdom. The world’s most successful and furiously productive cult act are at their best with this theatrical album of operatic synth-pop bangers" ★★★★★ Daily Telegraph
Louder Than War ★★★★ musicOMH ★★★★ Daily Express ★★★★★
The Line Of Best Fit 8/10 Clash 8/10
“You don’t just like Sparks, you worship them” SPIN
MAD! IS AVAILABLE FROM THE SPARKS STORE AND YOUR FAVOURITE RETAILERMAD! is available in various formats each with its own special artwork, created by Galen Johnson:
CD
Cassette
Black vinyl LP
Lenticular gatefold sleeve with blue vinyl LP
Exclusive to the Sparks store:
Deluxe triple gatefold edition with red vinyl LP and CD
Plus, there are now a few copies available of the green vinyl (originally available only via Spotify)
To order from the Sparks Store click HERE
To order from your local retailer or preferred e-tailer click HERE LIVE BBC 6 MUSIC SESSION ONLINE NOW
Sparks recently played a live session on BBC 6 Music radio in London. You can listen to the session and interview HERE
Galen Johnson has also created a series of lyric videos for the album. New today is 'Running Up A Tab At The Hotel For The Fab'
Each day next week a new video will be uploaded to Sparks' YouTube channel
HITTING THE ROAD FOR THE MAD! TOURSparks will soon be heading out for the MAD! Tour starting with 4 shows in Japan - in Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo - before returning to London to start the European leg of the tour. The North American leg will run throughout September ending with a hometown show at the Greek Theatre
Expect musical thrills and unbridled joy from the career-spanning show
The Times ★★★★★ “a magnificent night” - Mojo “a unique and glorious spectacle” - The Guardian ★★★★ “Proper musical thrills”
See allsparks.com for venue details and tickets
AN ENTIRELY MAD! CONVERSATION BETWEEN ROB BRYDON AND SPARKS!Ron and Russell will also join actor, presenter, and comedian Rob Brydon in conversation at the Union Chapel, Islington in London this Sunday. The remaining few tickets are available from here
The Laughing Chimes share new version of "High Beams" along with new zine
STREAM: "High Beams" (Dead End Mix) -
Streaming Services
In January, The Laughing Chimes released Whispers In The Speech Machine, an album steeped in the American Gothic atmosphere of their southeast Ohio surroundings. Now, wrapped in these newly claimed signature foggy echoes of the rural Midwest, the band delivers a reimagined version of album highlight "High Beams." Accompanied by the grainy thuds of droning drum machines and ghostly guitar swells, the "Dead End Mix" sees The Laughing Chimes wandering twisted country roads at night, inviting listeners to do the same. Shards of uplifting melody spiral upwards through the dark, foreboding vibe - a contrast that animates the band's current sound.
Press photo by Xavier Thevenin
TOUR DATES
May 29 - Columbus, OH @ Spacebar
June 13 - Athens, OH @ Smiling Skull
June 14 - Columbus, OH @ Cafe Bourbon St
July 11 - Athens, OH @ The Union
The Laughing Chimes
Whispers In The Speech Machine
(Slumberland)
Street Date: January 31, 2025
Purchase it HERE
Track Listing:
1 Atrophy2 He Never Finished the Thought
3 Country Eidolism
4 Cats Go Car Watching
5 A Promise to Keep
6 High Beams
7 Fluorescent Minds
8 Mudhouse Mansion
THE LAUGHING CHIMES LINKS:
Bandcamp
Instagram
Twitter
Slumberland Records
7SECONDS release 'Change in My Head' / 'New Wind' reissue, Ian MacKaye reimagines orig version for new LP + unheard focus track - Out Today via Trust Records / BYO
Ian MacKaye reimagines 7SECONDS’ 1986 album New Wind - retitled as Change in My Head – Out today alongside original version via Trust Records, in partnership with BYO Records: Buy / Listen / Playlist
Release Unheard Focus Track / Single “Compro” - Listen / Share
Performing at Punk Rock Bowling Tonight! SF, PDX & More
L-R: Change In My Head Artwork, New Wind Artwork
Trust Records is honored to release 7Seconds’ New Wind in its original form, as well as Change In My Head – a completely new take on the classic album with tracks remixed in their entirety by its original producer, Ian MacKaye, alongside Inner Ear Studios’ Don Zientara.
Restoring and reimagining New Wind’s unreleased tracks “Compro” and “Change In My Head” from the original 1985 D.C. Session, Change In My Head is a fresh snapshot of 7SECONDS in transition, but still very much of a hardcore punk band.
Listen / Share / Playlist Unreleased Focus Track, “Compro”
By 1986, 7SECONDS was a band at a crossroad. Spearheaded by brothers Kevin (Seconds) and Steve (Youth) Marvelli along with drummer Troy Mowat, the Reno-born band had emerged alongside first-generation hardcore trailblazers including Minor Threat to become a positive force in their own right. Having released the landmark album, The Crew (1984) and the scene-galvanizing Walk Together Rock Together EP (1985) on the Better Youth Organization label, 7SECONDS took melodic, singalong hardcore to inspirational ends. Yet, by mid-decade, they were evolving as musicians and looking towards more personal territory in much the same way their Dischord DC brethren were doing during their own Revolution Summer. New Wind embodied that change. Produced in two sessions: one with longtime friend, Ian MacKaye at Inner Ear Studios in Washington D.C. in the Fall of 1985 and a second at Radio Tokyo Studios in Venice, CA early the following year, New Wind was the work of a band with their ethics rooted firmly in their punk origins while being unafraid to blaze new directions away from a scene choking on its own self-imposed rulebook.
Kevin Seconds tells, “The whole time period, between the winter of 1985 and all throughout 1986, was arguably the most important and life-changing period for 7SECONDS. We all were starting to feel like the adults that we fought so rigorously to never become. Members were getting married, having kids, trying to hold down real jobs and face responsibilities while still maintaining our so-called "hardcore cred" and attempting to feel relevant. It was an incredibly emotional and complicated time for all of us but man, did it ever make us tough and more determined to do what we wanted to do as creative people and as a band.”
Steve Youth adds, “There were certainly bands that came before us. Bad Religion, they made records like Into the Unknown, where they shifted their sounds. People were calling T.S.O.L. L.O.S.T, but I loved their second album, Beneath the Shadows, which is more melodic and psychedelic. The Rites of Spring record was also very important to me. Egg Hunt. The boys were listening to U2 as well as the Buck Pets. I was listening to nothing but metal: Metallica, Megadeth, Dark Angel, but I was also listening to a lot of R.E.M.”
While the album is inspirational with 7SECONDS classics, including “New Wind” and “Still Believe”, it’s unafraid to shift gears towards more melodic, lyrically personal directions with “Grown Apart” or “Opinion of Feelings”. Kevin’s voice and the band’s playing is more capable and richer, full of emotion and fire: showing traces of early U2 as well as the likes of Embrace or Marginal Man. An important record, New Wind was a divisive record for its time, garnering praise as well as critique. It also was the beginning of a new chapter for the band who made its name on aggression without anger.
New Wind and Change In My Head are available as one release and streaming today across all digital retailers via Trust Records, in partnership with BYO Records. New Wind’s original tapes were restored by Dan Johnson of Audio Archiving Services and was remastered by Grammy Award winning engineer Michael Graves. The vinyl version comes with a 24-page oral history with unseen photographs, flyers and memorabilia all laid out by Bryan Ray Turcotte.
Change In My Head was mixed by Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara at Inner Ear Studios, in January of 2023. The album was mastered by Pete Lyman of Infrasonic Studios.
Buy / Listen / Playlist New Wind / Change In My Head Here
7Seconds - New Wind Era By John Muheim
7Seconds Live Dates:
May 23: Punk Rock Bowling - Las Vegas, NV
May 24: Kevin Seconds Punk Rock Museum Tour
Jun 28: Punk In The Park - Portland, OR
Aug 02: Sardine/Recess Fest - San Pedro, CA
Aug 08: Sala Metronomo - Santiago, Chile
Aug 09: Uniclub - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Aug 10: Fabrique Club - Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sep 20: Punx In The Pit - Boom, Belgium
Oct 25: The Fest - Gainesville, FL
Change In My Head Tracklist:
01 - New Wind
02 - Tied Up
03 - Opinion of Feelings
04 - Grown Apart
05 - Calendar
06 - Put These Words
07 - Man Enough To Care
08 - Compro (Unreleased)
09 - Somebody Help Me Scream
10 - Change In My Head (Unreleased)
11 - Expect To Change
12 - Just One Day
13 - The Inside
14 - Still Believe
15 - The Night Away
New Wind Tracklist
01 - The Night Away
02 - New Wind
03 - Somebody Help Me Scream
04 - Tied Up In Rhythm
05 - Grown Apart
06 - Man Enough To Care
07 - Opinion Of Feelings
08 - The Inside
09 - Calendar
10 - Expect To Change
11 - Still Believe
12 - Put These Words To Music
13 - Just One Day
May 22, 2025
Stereolab releases first album in 15 years
STEREOLAB RELEASES FIRST ALBUM IN 15 YEARS
INSTANT HOLOGRAMS ON METAL FILM OUT NOW
2025 WORLD TOUR LAUNCHING TOMORROW
Photo credit Joe Dilworth
Instant Holograms On Metal Film
LISTEN: https://stereolab.ffm.to/instant-holograms
TICKETS:
https://warp.net/stereolab-2025
(May 23, 2025) - Stereolab have released their first album in 15 years - Instant Holograms On Metal Film is out now on all major platforms.
Speaking on the album’s creation, Tim Gane says: “The idea to record a new LP came into focus around spring/summer 2023 and we started recording in January 2024. There were no rehearsals, as usual. We started again from scratch. “Always a beginner” is my attitude to things, just feeling my way through. Music is just an exciting adventure and I don’t have any trepidation about doing it or presenting it to others. What comes out comes out.”
Laetitia Sadier adds: “I see everything as a continuum with no determined sections, that bears no relation to what has come before or will come after. In the case of Stereolab, Tim is primary composer. On this LP, I did, however, have much more musical input than before. And indeed I had had some practice through developing my own music over the past years, which surely nourished the sound and general configuration.”
To celebrate the album’s release, Stereolab are holding listening events at select retailers around the world today, with a limited number of value-add exclusives available at each, comprised of:
1 - A Button/Pin/Badge featuring art based on the cover of Instant Holograms On Metal Film
2 - A two-sided print with Instant Holograms On Metal Film / Catalog titles on the back.
3 - A Stereolab logo sticker.
Instant Holograms On Metal Film is co-released by the band’s own label Duophonic UHF Disks, and Warp Records. Featuring thirteen songs written by Laetitia Sadier and Tim Gane; performed by Laetitia, Tim, Andy Ramsay, Joe Watson and Xavi Muñoz, who comprise the current touring line-up of the band and guest contributions by Cooper Crain and Rob Frye (Bitchin Bajas), Ben LaMar Gay (International Anthem), Ric Elsworth, Holger Zapf (Cavern Of Anti-Matter), Marie Merlet and Molly Hansen Read.
On working with Cooper Crain, Tim comments: “I’m a big fan of Bitchin’ Bajas and we had toured with then in the US in 2019 so got to know them well. When we decided to make a new record, he was the only person I had in mind and luckily he could do it. Just like (previous collaborators) John McEntire and Jim O’Rourke, he is an inventive musician as well as a great engineer/producer, and that’s what we like.”
In terms of the subject matter, lyric writer Laetitia summarises: “As the world falls apart, whether we are aware of it or not, we are already planting the seeds of what will come next. I think it is important to keep in sight what powerful creators we are, and how there is power available to us at this stage to choose what outcome we would like to see for this yet undefined future. The words seek to expose that this is what we do: we create. Our imagination is here to serve that purpose, and is the power we have to choose whatever it is we want to see come about. Some privileged people do not like the idea of sharing this power with the people at large.”
Listen to Instant Holograms On Metal Film now, and check out the live listening events, tour dates and full album details below.
Global Listening Events
Stereolab EU tour poster
Stereolab North American tour poster
Stereolab North American and LATAM tour poster
Stereolab UK tour poster
Upcoming Live Dates
Europe Dates
+ = Astrobal
* = TBC
5/24 - Dover, UK @ The Booking Hall * SOLD OUT
5/25 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique Les Nuits Botanique
5/26 - Köln, DE @ Gloria
5/28 - Hamburg, DE @ Grunspan
5/29 - Berlin, DE @ Huxley Neue Welt
5/30 - Frankfurt, DE @ Zoom
5/31 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
6/1 - Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
6/3 - Nantes, FR @ Stereolux +
6/4 - Paris, FR @ Le Trianon + SOLD OUT
6/5 - Bordeaux, FR @ Barbey +
6/6 - Barcelona, ESP @ Primavera Sound + SOLD OUT
6/7 - Madrid, ESP @ Teatro Eslava + SOLD OUT
6/9 - Grenoble, FR @ La Belle Electrique +
6/10 - Ferrara, IT @ Ferrara Sotto le Stelle
6/11 - Zurich, CH @ Volkshaus +
6/12 - Munich, DE @ Hansa 36 +
6/14 - Zagreb, CR @ Tvornica Kulture +
6/15 - Budapest, HU @ A38 Ship +
6/16 - Vienna, AU @ WUK +
6/17 - Prague, CZ @ Meet Factory +
6/19 - Schorndorf, DE - Manufaktur +
6/20 - Luxembourg, LU @ Den Atelier +
7/11 - Cagliari, SD, IT @ Siren Festival
North American Dates
+ = Memorials
@ = Dorothea Paas & Bitchin’ Bajas / Natural Information Society
* = Bitchin’ Bajas
^ = TBC
9/13 - Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl +
9/14 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse +
9/16 - Miami, FL @ Miami Beach Bandshell +
9/18 - New Orleans, LA @ The Civic Theatre +
9/19 - Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre +
9/20 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel +
9/21 - Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom SOLD OUT +
9/23 - Washington, D.C. @ The Howard Theatre +
9/24 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer SOLD OUT +
9/26 - Boston, MA @ Royale SOLD OUT +
9/27 - Portland, ME @ State Theatre +
10/1 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel SOLD OUT +
10/2 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel @
10/3 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground SOLD OUT @
10/4 - Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Beanfield SOLD OUT @
10/6 - Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall SOLD OUT @
10/7 - Buffalo, NY @ Asbury Hall @
10/8 - Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron @
10/9 - Chicago, IL @ Metro SOLD OUT @
10/10 - Chicago, IL @ Metro SOLD OUT
10/11 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue @
10/12 - Iowa City, IA @ Hancher Auditorium at the Englert Theatre SOLD OUT @
10/14 - Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre @
10/17 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre *
10/18 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre SOLD OUT *
10/19 - Portland, OR @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom SOLD OUT*
10/21 - San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom SOLD OUT *
10/22 - San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom ^
10/24 - Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theatre SOLD OUT *
10/25 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether SOLD OUT *
10/26 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether SOLD OUT ^
10/28 - San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park *
10/30 - Marfa, TX @ The Capri SOLD OUT *
10/31 - Austin, TX @ TBC
11/1 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall *
11/2 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre *
Latin American Dates
11/4 - Buenos Aires, ARG @ Complejo Art Media
11/7 - Santiago, CHI @ Fauna Primaversa
11/9 - São Paulo, BRA @ Balaclava Festival
11/12 - Mexico City, MX @ Foro Indie Rocks! SOLD OUT
11/13 - Mexico City, MX @ Foro Indie Rocks!
UK Dates
12/5 - Brighton, UK @ Corn Exchange SOLD OUT
12/6 - London, UK @ Royal Festival Hall SOLD OUT
12/8 - Glasgow, UK @ SWG3
12/9 - Leeds, UK @ Project House
12/11 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz
12/12 - Wolverhampton, UK @ University of Wolverhampton at the Wulfrun Hall
12/13 - Oxford, UK @ O2 Academy SOLD OUT
12/14 - London, UK @ Brixton Electric
Instant Holograms On Metal Film album art
Stereolab
Instant Holograms On Metal Film
Duophonic UHF Disks / Warp Records
May 23, 2025
1. Mystical Plosives
2. Aerial Troubles
3. Melodie Is A Wound
4. Immortal Hands
5. Vermona F Transistor
6. Le Coeur Et La Force
7. Electrified Teenybop!
8. Transmuted Matter
9. Esemplastic Creeping Eruption
10. If You Remember I Forgot How To Dream Pt.1
11. Flashes From Everywhere
12. Colour Television
13. If You Remember I Forgot How To Dream Pt.2
Connect with Stereolab
AGAPE LODGE POETRY SOCIETY this sunday May 25th 2025
I am reading again this sunday!
AGAPE LODGE POETRY Society
Come one, come all! 621 St. Vincent Ct. 90014 7PM Sharp!
