Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 98
May 9, 2025
elbow Release New Single "Sober." Announce EP and North American Tour
ELBOW RELEASE NEW SINGLE “SOBER” –
OUT TODAY
ANNOUNCE NEW EP, AUDIO VERTIGO ECHO elbow EP 5;
TO BE RELEASED JUNE 6 - PRE-ORDER/SAVE
[POLYDOR/GEFFEN]
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR BEGINS THIS FALL
NEW DATES ADDED
LISTEN
“SOBER”
PRE-ORDER/SAVE
AUDIO VERTIGO ECHO (EP)
1. Dis-Graceland 463-465 Bury New Road
2. Adriana Again
3. Timber
4. Sober
------------------------------
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
09/26 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
09/27 – Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA – SOLD OUT
09/28 – Electric City –Buffalo, NY – NEW DATE
09/29 – Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY
09/30 - Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY
10/02 – Roadrunner – Boston, MA
10/03 – MTELUS – Montreal, QC
10/04 – HISTORY – Toronto, ON
10/05 – Royal Oak Music Theatre – Royal Oak, MI – NEW DATE
10/06 – The Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL
10/07 – First Avenue – Main Room – Minneapolis, MN
10/09 – Summit – Denver, CO
10/10 – The Union Event Center – Salt Lake City, UT
10/12 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA – SOLD OUT
10/13 – Revolution Hall – Portland, OR
10/15 – Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
10/16 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
Manchester five-piece elbow, return to day with “Sober,” the next single from the band’s forthcoming AUDIO VERTIGO ECHO elbow EP 5 . The EP was written by the band as a continuation of their fourth UK Number 1 album ‘AUDIO VERTIGO’, released in March of last year and is set for release on June 6, with all 4 tracks from the EP added to a digital deluxe edition of their critically acclaimed 2024 album, AUDIO VERTIGO .
Listen to “Sober” HERE .
elbows fifth EP, AUDIO VERTIGO ECHO elbow EP 5 , due out June 6 via Polydor/GEFFEN, features last year’s one-off release “Adriana Again” (LISTEN) alongside three brand new and unheard tracks. The EP will be available on Limited Edition White Vinyl, and as an elbow store exclusive, Limited Edition Red Vinyl.
Pre-Order/Save ‘AUDIO VERTIGO ECHO elbow EP 5’ HERE .
Speaking about the EP, Guy Garvey reveals, “finishing something for the band in lots of ways. We are having more fun in the studio than ever before. Craig’s on fire as a producer, Pete and Alex are the coolest rhythm section working and Pot’s unpredictable rhythm guitar has started working its way into such a soulful and accomplished place. The words are all stories from my past, sometimes joyful, often dark, but all of it exciting and mostly true. It feels like we’re having another go on the Waltzers after hours.”
For long term elbow fans, the subjects of the four songs offer a basket of Easter Eggs to discover and enjoy.
Lead track “Dis-Graceland 463-465 Bury New Road” is named in honour of the former residence of the Seldom Seen Kid, Bryan Glancy. Reminiscing about an “old Victorian villa with no central heating that became a modern Angkor Wat” following Bryan’s departure via a slide into ruin and decrepitude, the track revisits a perennial Garvey theme of the dawn and references Guy’s time as a 17 year old sofa surfer in the Manchester area. The topline melody for the track was written by Doves’ Jimi Goodwin, another long-term ally and friend of Guy and the band and is both a testament to Manchester’s musical legacy and a celebration of both youth and the joy of reflecting on past times in later life.
Echoes from the past surface in “Timber” with ‘little laddie-o,’ Guy’s name for son Jack, being a hand me down from his mum whilst adding to numerous songs in the elbow catalogue where “I give myself advice in a song.”The motorik rhythms of previous release ‘Adriana Again’ propel a song that mythologises the past through half true fragments of relationships and friendships.
The album, and the album period of AUDIO VERTIGO, which has seen elbow rediscover their widescreen musical palette and reconnect, closes in appropriate fashion with the disco stomp of “Sober.” Unlike anything else in the band’s canon yet immediately identifiable as them, the track was the first thing they worked on with drummer Al Reeves yet had to be set aside for the reset until now, where the new elbow approach found the track ready to be shot through with glitter and groove and joy.
This fall, elbow will be returning to the US for the first time since 2020, and their first East Coast and Canada shows since 2017, bringing their critically acclaimed catalog across North America for a headlining tour. In addition, the band have announced two additional dates. Starting in Washington, D.C. on September 26, the band will now be making 17 stops across the country, winding their way to the west coast and finishing at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on October 16. Tickets are available via https://elbow.co.uk
Stay tuned for more news and music from elbow, coming soon.
“Sober” is available everywhere now .
Pre-Order/Save elbow’s forthcoming EP, ‘AUDIO VERTIGO ECHO elbow EP 5,’ out June 6.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | X | YOUTUBE
MIDWIFE shares new single / video “Signs”
Midwife shares new single / video “Signs”
The song is a b-side from 2024 LP No Depression In Heaven
Photo credit: Linda Hartung
Released last September on The Flenser, Midwife’s fourth studio album No Depression In Heaven explores themes of sentimentality, the interplay between dreams, memory, and fantasy, and a familiar subject seen throughout all of Midwife’s work: grief. Madeline Johnston takes a look at the tender and transcendent underneath the hard exterior of leather and studs, exposing a different side of the heavy music scene, where Johnston’s project has been living and evolving.
"Signs" is a B-side from that album, and the song is about making sense of loss, making meaning where things might be left in uncertainty. In grief, we look for signs that point to some kind of communication from beyond, and find comfort there, regardless of if it may be true or not, the important thing is our belief.
The accompanying music video was created by the artist Marah Herreid. Shot and edited on film in Denver and surrounding areas, the piece speaks to the fleeting nature of the song’s meaning.
Watch / share "Signs" music video
Johnston’s ability to braid familiar and occasionally borrowed phrases into hypnotically minimalist but conceptually maximalist songs is as strong as it has ever been. This in particular, along with her penchant for pacing like dripping honey, nods to slowcore giants Low, while the sense that Johnston’s voice is arriving as a distant broadcast certainly calls to mind Slowdive’s Pygmalion or Grouper.
Midwife is a project which so fearlessly commits to the tropes that characterize it that it has become a system unto itself. The effect is not solipsism, but a kind of endlessly generous idiosyncrasy that rewards repeated, close listens and dedicated fandom.
Midwife, live:
May 30 Toronto, ON — Prepare the Ground Festival
Jul. 31 Denver, CO — Hi-Dive
Sep. 14 Colorado Springs, CO — What’s Left Fest
The Dare unveils cover of The Sound's "I Can't Escape Myself," deluxe album out June 20
OUT JUNE 20KICKING OFF COMPLETELY SOLD OUT SEVEN SHOW
RESIDENCY AT BROOKLYN’S BABY’S ALL RIGHT
ON MONDAY, MAY 12
Press photo, credit: Anna Zina“The Dare’s star is rapidly rising”—HypebeastMay 9, 2025—Ahead of a fully sold out seven-night residency in New York, The Dare unveils his cover of “I Can’t Escape Myself” by The Sound—listen here. The track is taken from the deluxe edition of his critically acclaimed debut album, What’s Wrong With New York?: Afters , set for release June 20 via Republic Records—preorder/save the deluxe LP here. The Dare will kick off his seven-show residency at Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right on Monday, May 12. The dates, which follow his European run and worldwide headline tour last fall, sold out in six hours and run May 12 to 18. Each night will feature a surprise opener.The shows come on the heels of The Dare’s raucous performance at Coachella—praised by Rolling Stone, Billboard and more. He’ll take his live show to additional festival stages around the globe this spring and summer, with sets at Primavera Sound, Lollapalooza, Reading, Leeds and more, plus, several upcoming dates supporting Justice in California.Over the past several months, The Dare has appeared at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards with Charli xcx, sat front row for a number of shows at Paris Fashion Week and collaborated with PinkPantheress, co-producing “Stateside” from her new mixtape, Fancy That , out today. What’s Wrong With New York?, The Dare’s highly anticipated debut, took the world by storm upon release in September 2024. The LP features his ubiquitous first single “ Girls ”—now a bona fide hit with 56 million streams on Spotify alone—as well as fan favorites “ Perfume ” and “ Good Time .” The deluxe finds The Dare releasing never-before-heard tracks from the album’s original sessions. The first single, “ LCA ,” debuted last month.Praise for What’s Wrong With New York?... “The Dare’s album is a party – and you’re invited”— NPR All Things Considered “a sincerely fun, joyous, laugh-out-loud, self-aware testament to the power of cheek...a love letter to being young and hedonistic in New York...The album is a tight 10-song flex of Smith’s formidable production skills”— The New York Times “horny, sleazy and dripping with 2000s nostalgia...The Pacific Northwest kid quickly became a symbol for Downtown NYC cool, emerging as both a music and fashion darling...his mix of synth-pop and punk an eclectic shock to ‘supercharge’ our city’s underground scene.”— PAPER The Dare continues to throw his signature party Freakquencies all over the world, recently debuting in Mexico City after playing to 4,000 people in NYC. The club nights, which started in a basement bar in Manhattan, have recently seen guest DJs Doss, Danny L Harle, Dylan Brady, Kelly Lee Owens, Two Shell and many more. The Dare is the solo project of vocalist, songwriter and producer Harrison Patrick Smith. Bursting onto the scene with his global hit, “Girls,” his much lauded The Sex EP drew widespread praise from critics and fellow artists alike. He has shared stages and collaborated with Charli xcx, Yves Tumor, Brutalismus 3000 and a host of others, and his legendary DJ sets have soundtracked parties for Gucci, Celine, Yves Saint Laurent and many more.THE DARE—WHAT’S WRONG WITH NEW YORK?: AFTERS
Deluxe album art1. Cheeky2. LCA3. I Can’t Escape Myself4. Open Up5. Good Time6. Perfume7. Girls8. I Destroyed Disco9. You’re Invited10. All Night11. Elevation12. Movement13. You Can Never Go HomeTHE DARE LIVEMay 12—Brooklyn, NY—Baby’s All Right
May 13—Brooklyn, NY—Baby’s All RightMay 14—Brooklyn, NY—Baby’s All RightMay 15—Brooklyn, NY—Baby’s All RightMay 16—Brooklyn, NY—Baby’s All RightMay 17—Brooklyn, NY—Baby’s All RightMay 18—Brooklyn, NY—Baby’s All RightMay 21—San Francisco, CA—Bill Graham Civic Auditorium*May 22—San Francisco, CA—Bill Graham Civic Auditorium*May 23—Santa Barbara, CA—Santa Barbara Bowl*June 5—Barcelona, Spain—Primavera SoundJune 6—Aarhus, Denmark—Northside FestivalJune 8—Paris, France—We Love Green FestivalJune 12—Porto, Portugal—Primavera Sound PortoJune 13—Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands—Best Kept Secret FestivalJune 14—London, U.K.—Lido FestivalAugust 1—Chicago, IL—LollapaloozaAugust 1—Montreal, CA—Osheaga Music and Arts FestivalAugust 6—Budapest, Hungary—Budapest Sziget FestivalAugust 8—Gothenburg, Sweden—Way Out WestAugust 10—Buftea, Romania—Summer Well FestivalAugust 15—Hasselt, Belgium—Pukkelpop FestivalAugust 16—Biddinghuizen, Netherlands—Lowlands FestivalAugust 22—Leeds, U.K.—Leeds FestivalAugust 24—Reading, U.K.—Reading Festival*with Justice
Influential alternative rock band Garbage unveil new song “Get Out My Face AKA Bad Kitty”
BAND GARBAGE UNVEIL NEW SONG
“GET OUT MY FACE AKA BAD KITTY”SECOND SONG TAKEN FROM THEIR FORTHCOMING
ALBUM, LET ALL THAT WE IMAGINE BE THE LIGHT OUT MAY 30NORTH AMERICAN “HAPPY ENDINGS” PERFORMANCES INCLUDE STOPS INLOS ANGELES, NEW YORK, WASHINGTON D.C., SAN FRANCISCO AND MORE
Photo credit: Joseph CulticeMay 9, 2025—Influential alternative rock band Garbage today unveil a new song, “Get Out My Face AKA Bad Kitty,” the second taken from their highly anticipated new studio album
Let All That We Imagine Be The Light
—listen/share here.“Get Out My Face AKA Bad Kitty” sees Shirley Manson questioning the patriarchal structures of the world, against a sonic backdrop of sharp guitars, driving bass, and a characteristically powerful vocal performance. The song’s title comes from the original instrumental the band sent to Manson, which was titled AKA Bad Kitty.“When I was young, I didn’t really notice how things worked,” says Manson. “People like to shuffle older women off the lot, because you start to see the chessboard in a way you didn’t when you were younger. When you’re young, you’re wanting to get on with your life, have an adventure, do what you love, and you’re conditioned by the society that you grew up in, so a lot of the time you don’t see what’s going on. Then, as you get older, you start to see how things are stacked up against some of us – not all of us.I am outraged by the way the world treats blacks and browns and gays and trans peoples and animals and women. Living in America over the last couple of years, the absolute war on women in America is astounding. All the rights that we felt had been secured are starting to get pushed back into the Middle Ages. It is something that I can no longer tolerate silently. It’s not just infuriating, it’s alarming. It’s frightening.”The powerful new song follows, “There’s No Future In Optimism,” which is already drawing critical acclaim; Rolling Stone praises, "Far from enervating, the song is an energetic call for love and compassion during dark times.”Let All That We Imagine Be The Light, set for release May 30, is the follow-up to 2021’s critically acclaimed
No Gods No Masters
, praised in The New York Times as a “thrumming mix of goth and orchestral pop.” According to Manson, the new album was forged out of the need to find an uplifting thread amidst the swell of chaos and extraordinary upheaval in the world.In support of the record, the band will embark on a 31-city tour across North America this fall: “Happy Endings” will see stops at New York’s Brooklyn Paramount, Washington D.C.’s The Anthem, San Francisco’s The Warfield and more—tickets are on sale now here.For over thirty years, Garbage’s powerful live show has captivated audiences and continues to inspire worldwide adoration. “Happy Endings” marks Garbage’s first extensive headline tour in the U.S. in almost ten years.Garbage consists of all four original band members: Shirley Manson, Duke Erikson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig. Over the 30 years since their inception in 1995, they have sold over 20 million albums. Their unique sound, songwriting and electric live performances have cultivated global admiration, chart success and critical acclaim. They are considered one of the most influential bands of their generation.
LET ALL THAT WE IMAGINE BE THE LIGHTTRACKLIST1. There’s No Future In Optimism2. Chinese Fire Horse3. Hold4. Have We Met (The Void)5. Sisyphus6. Radical7. Love To Give8. Get Out My Face AKA Bad Kitty9. R U Happy Now10. The Day That I Met God
Album artHAPPY ENDINGSSeptember 3—Orlando, FL—Hard Rock CaféSeptember 5—Pompano Beach, FL—Pompano Beach Amphitheatre
September 6—St Petersburg, FL—Jannus Live
September 8—Atlanta, GA—The Eastern
September 10—Nashville, TN—The Pinnacle
September 12—Cleveland, OH—Agora Theatre and Ballroom
September 13—Detroit, MI—Masonic Temple - Cathedral Theatre
September 16—Philadelphia, PA—Franklin Music Hall
September 17—Washington, DC—The Anthem
September 18—Boston, MA—Roadrunner
September 20—Brooklyn, NY—Brooklyn Paramount
September 23—Pittsburgh, PA—Stage AE
September 24—Toronto, ON—History
September 27—Dana Point, CA—Ohana Festival
September 29—Chicago, IL—The Salt Shed (The Shed)
September 30—Newport, KY—MegaCorp Pavilion
October 1—Columbus, OH—Kemba Live!
October 3—Madison, WI—The Sylvee
October 4—Minneapolis, MN—First Avenue
October 6—Kansas City, MO—Midland Theatre
October 7—Dallas, TX—The Factory in Deep Ellum
October 12—Denver, CO—The Mission Ballroom
October 15—Seattle, WA—Paramount Theatre
October 18—Spokane, WA—Knitting Factory Spokane
October 20—Vancouver, BC—Orpheum
October 21—Portland, OR—McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
October 23—Saratoga, CA—The Mountain Winery
October 24—San Francisco, CA—The Warfield
October 26—Reno, NV—Silver Legacy Resort Casino - Grande Exposition Hall
October 29—Salt Lake City, UT—Rockwell at The Complex
October 31—Las Vegas, NV—The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas - The Chelsea
November 2—Phoenix, AZ—The Van Buren
November 4—Los Angeles, CA—Hollywood Palladium www.garbage.com
May 8, 2025
Post-Punk Legend Gina Birch Announces New Solo LP; Shares First Song and Video
GINA BIRCH IS “CAUSING TROUBLE AGAIN” — STREAM
BLISTERING NEW SINGLE HERALDS LEGENDARY POST-PUNK ICON’S
EAGERLY AWAITED SECOND SOLO ALBUM, TROUBLE,
OUT JULY 11 ON THIRD MAN RECORDS
OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FEATURING
ALL-STAR COLLECTIVE OF FEMALE ARTISTS PREMIERES TODAY – WATCH
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR SUPPORTING MIKI BERENYI TRIO
BEGINS OCTOBER 10 IN WASHINGTON, DC
ALBUM PRE-ORDERS / PRE-SAVES AVAILABLE NOW
Photo Credit: Dean Chalkley
Legendary artist, Raincoats co-founder, songwriter, filmmaker, and feminist icon Gina Birch has announced her eagerly awaited second solo album, Trouble, arriving via Third Man Records on Friday, July 11. Pre-orders are available now. Trouble is heralded by today’s premiere of the album’s blistering centerpiece, “Causing Trouble Again,” available for streaming now. An official music video – directed by Birch and famed photographer/filmmaker Dean Chalkley and featuring an all-star collective of fellow female artists including Birch’s longtime friend and co-founder of The Raincoats, Ana da Silva, Neo Naturists co-founder Christine Binnie, singer-songwriter Amy Rigby, X-Ray Spex and Essential Logic co-founder Lora Logic, painter Daisy Parris, artist Georgina Starr, writer Jill Westwood, multi-disciplinary artist and activist Bobby Baker, award-winning costume designer Annie Symons, veteran photographer and Raincoats collaborator Shirley O’Loughlin, and many more – is streaming now on YouTube.
“For the ‘Causing Trouble Again’ video, after hearing Bob Dylan sing about a white ladder all covered with water, I became obsessed with white ladders,” Gina Birch says. “ I decided to use five white ladders, three with seven rungs…I realized later that this references Jacob’s Ladder and a connection from Earth to heaven, but I think I was thinking of ladders as a symbol of getting on, getting up. I wanted to have a choreographed movement with four of us with these ladders. How do we move with ladders? Do we move together, do we fight, do we dance?
“I also wanted to reference the wind scene from the film, The Colour of Pomegranates, and to include as many artist women from the Women in Revolt exhibition as I could. I wanted them to be troublesome, or just to shout ‘Causing trouble!’ I ended up inviting all the artist musician women I knew who could make the shoot, and it was a fantastic meeting of great women, many of whom had never met each other before.”
“Causing Trouble Again” was inspired by 2024’s Women in Revolt, an exhibition of feminist art and activism at Tate Britain which included one of Birch’s most recognized art pieces, 1977’s 3 Minute Scream, a landmark short film in which she stares down the camera and, as the title suggests, screams for the duration of a Super 8 cartridge. Birch created the epic six-minute track by inviting several female artists, including experimental music pioneer Cosey Fanni Tutti and writer/painter Caroline Coon, to record themselves saying the names of women who have inspired them – women who have indeed “caused trouble.”
Propelled by Birch’s springy bass and a breakneck drum machine beat, “Causing Trouble Again” crescendos until hundreds of names are being read aloud: Nina Simone to Dolly Parton, Grace Jones to Louise Bourgeois, Elizabeth I to Stormy Daniels. The result is extraordinary – a jubilant exploration of what it means to go against society’s grain, overlaid with fuzzy guitar solos and rebellious flair.
LISTEN TO “CAUSING TROUBLE AGAIN”
WATCH “CAUSING TROUBLE AGAIN” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE TROUBLE
# # #
Birch will celebrate the arrival of Trouble with a series of live dates with her band-mates ‘The Unreasonables’, Marie Merlet and Jenny Green (who are also featured on the album and have co-written several songs). Appearing as special guests on Miki Berenyi Trio’s upcoming North American tour. The 15-city run gets underway October 10 at Washington, DC’s Pearl Street Warehouse and then travels through a tour finale at West Hollywood, CA’s famed The Roxy Theatre. Highlights include stops at such historic venues as Brooklyn, NY’s Music Hall of Williamsburg (October 11), Toronto, ON’s The Great Hall (October 15), Chicago, IL’s Lincoln Hall (October 17), Seattle, WA’s Neptune Theatre (October 23), and San Francisco, CA’s Great American Music Hall (October 27). For complete details and ticket information, please see https://ginabirchmusic.com/#live.
GINA BIRCH - NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2025
(All Dates w/ Miki Berenyi Trio)
JULY
16 - London, UK - Rough Trade East In-Store
OCTOBER
10 – Washington, DC – Pearl Street Warehouse
11 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
12 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
13 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz PDB
15 – Toronto, ON – The Great Hall
16 – Ferndale, MI – The Magic Bag
17 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
18 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
20 – Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
23 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
24 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood Theatre
25 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
27 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
28 – West Hollywood, CA – The Roxy Theatre
# # #
Known for a wildly diverse artistic career that includes co-founding the iconic British post-punk band, The Raincoats, Gina Birch had an undeniable and outspoken hand in shaping the UK’s independent music scene. Trouble continues that ever-evolving mission with 11 fiery-yet-deeply introspective new songs, fusing post-punk, dub, experimental rock, and more into a singular statement of intent, expressing her lifelong commitment to uninhibited creativity and an artist’s purpose in letting her audience in on her wildest thoughts and innermost emotions.
The album sees Birch teaming up once again with GRAMMY® Award-winning producer and Killing Joke founding member Youth (Paul McCartney, The Orb, The Verve) and engineer/mixer Michael Rendall (Peter Murphy, The Jesus and Mary Chain) – the same duo who helped capture the rugged-yet-refined sound of her critically acclaimed 2023 solo debut, I Play My Bass Loud. Recorded on the top floor of Youth’s London home and fueled by “plenty of tea and toast,” the sessions also included participation from musicians Jenny Green and Marie Merlet – both of whom play in Gina’s live band, The Unreasonables – as well as longtime collaborator Helen McCookerybook, who has worked with her on various film and concert projects throughout the years. Songs like “I’m Going To Live Forever” and the electro-and-dub-tinged “Keep to the Left” are not only eclectic in sonic genre, but play like stitched-together narrative vignettes, fly-on-the-wall scenes in which Birch describes meeting a stranger on a train, or a flare up with her teenage daughter, or the nostalgia of driving past a certain part of your neighborhood that’s been unchanged for as long as you can remember. Fueled by the politics of the everyday, Trouble stands proudly as a feminist work of art not because of slogans or placards, but rather in its candid portrayal of a forward-thinking female artist simply existing.
“The record title refers to all the mini revolutions that have occurred in my life,” says Gina Birch, “not following the usual paths, falling down holes, making the same mistakes over and over, trouble of being a young woman at a time our options were generally secretary, mother or sex worker. Trouble I’ve caused and trouble I’m in…
The album is also an antidote to this by celebrating everything I can while recognizing behaviors that may be disordered or strange. It’s a journey through my brain, thoughts, memories, conversations…while I’m sitting with my bass, loops, guitar, and laptop. I don’t censor subjects, I just write them down and see where they take me. The pleasure is in untangling the thoughts and finding a way through.”
# # #
PRAISE FOR GINA BIRCH + I PLAY MY BASS LOUD
“A celebration of Birch’s status as a godmother of feminist rock and a furious protest against the persecution of women…a welcome reminder of how art
can change individual lives, if not the world.”
– PITCHFORK
“Birch sings, writes and plays bass like someone who cannot help but be herself, and her distinct, sometimes contradictory personality oozes out of every track. She’s silly but also dead serious; she can be self-deprecating in one breath and thrillingly self-assured the next. Her solo songs likewise represent a tonal and thematic hodgepodge.”
– THE NEW YORK TIMES
“I Play My Bass Loud is a combination of witty feminist manifesto and a celebration of the bass guitar – through alt-rock, dub and distorted rhythm – as a ‘creative and phenomenal instrument’…There’s something about this mix of scrawling guitars, frank lyricism and brazen dub that is a joyfully empowering inversion of the girl group sound.”
– MOJO (****)
“As its title suggests, I Play My Bass Loud is a resolute assertion of self, doubling as a wider exploration of identity. It carries the same maverick imprint as everything Birch has previously put her name to, making for songs that feel deeply personal and often disarmingly candid: mouthy, vulnerable, wrathful, funny and plenty more besides.”
– UNCUT (****)
“Using voice-overs and chants, Birch narrates her songs with agitpop directness, but also humour and insight. Like her bass guitar, the messaging rings out loud and clear.”
– FINANCIAL TIMES (****)
“A work made up of thrilling new songs as well as several older compositions mined from (Birch’s) extensive musical vaults…full of feminist anthems that explore women’s experiences in a patriarchal society.”
– THE QUIETUS
“For Raincoats fans this is the most similar to their underrated third album Moving, for its fluent, danceable, off-kilter rhythms. For everyone else it's a marvel waiting to be discovered.”
– CLASSIC ROCK
“Play My Bass Loud, the debut solo record by film-maker, painter and punk musician Gina Birch, is an album of manifestos. The title track is a Walk on the Wild Side-esque ode to taking up space with an instrument usually seen as auxiliary. There are songs raging against injustice and about proudly branding yourself a feminist.”
– THE GUARDIAN
# # #
GINA BIRCH
TROUBLE
(Third Man Records)
Release Date: Friday, July 11, 2025
Painting by Gina Birch
Tracklist:
I Thought I'd Live Forever
Happiness
Causing Trouble Again
Cello Song
Keep To The Left
Doom Monger
Don’t Fight Your Friends
Nothing Will Ever Change That
Hey Hey
Train Platform
Sleep (Digital-Only Bonus Track)
CONNECT WITH GINA BIRCH
QUINQUIS Shares Video For New Track "Blaz an holen" || New Album 'eor' Out Tomorrow On Mute
QUINQUIS SHARES VIDEO FOR NEW TRACK
“BLAZ AN HOLEN” FEAT. CERYS HAFANA
NEW ALBUM EOR OUT TOMORROW ON MUTE
photo credit: Aurelie Scouarnec
On the eve of her new album eor (meaning “anchor” in Breton), Breton producer QUINQUIS (aka Émilie Quinquis) has shared the video for “Blaz an holen” (“the taste of salt”), a song about withdrawal from an addiction to a feeling. The track features Cerys Hafana’s harp playing, which ripples and bubbles like foam on the tide, before her vocals, in her native Welsh language, overlap Quinquis’ vocals in Breton.
Watch the video for “Blaz an holen”, written and directed by Arthur Mercier and starring Émilie Quinquis and Manon Clément HERE.
Out tomorrow, new album eor weaves together tales of mermaids, inspired by time spent sailing from her home island of Ushant to faraway places. The album features “Dec’h”, with its fabulous accompanying video directed by Vanessa Le Reste, depicting a troupe of neon clad drag artists who arrive on the island and transform one of its inhabitants. Other previously-released tracks include “Inkanuko” (featuring labelmate Desire Marea, in what must surely be the first track to feature both Zulu and Breton languages), and “Morwreg”.Émilie lives on Ushant Island, a landmass of six square miles off the coast of Brittany. Having learned to sail solo three years ago, a necessary act, she felt, to get home to the island and leave again on her terms, she kept going. She crossed the Irish Sea, circled the Scottish islands and Faroes, experienced the vulnerability and power of living in the elements. She kept imagining what could be in the waves around her, what visceral figures could have been forgotten by folklore, and how, with her instruments in tow, she could help bring these mermaid presences to the surface, hold them up for air.
The result is an album in which music provides succour among the shudders and swells. It shows QUINQUIS as an exceptional producer, and an extraordinary singer, musician and songwriter, creating tracks which ripple and flow, that torrent and break, full of propulsive visions and startling stories of the sea.
eor came to life through her modular synthesizers. Emilie says: "I love how electronic music can connect or create a dialogue between my body and somebody else's body. You can really go to unknown territories with its sounds and make people wish to listen to them again, to try to understand them, like when you're learning a language.” The album was co-produced alongside Gareth Jones (Sunroof, Depeche Mode, Liars, Einstürzende Neubauten).
eor sees the producer bringing stories that could exist in the seas around Brittany to life. Thinking of herself at night on the sea, and the shapes she saw in the water, she kept coming back to imagining mermaids in folklore, and wanted to reshape that figure for the 21st century. “I wanted to think about the essence of a mermaid – the desire to encounter beauty that makes you want to lose yourself completely, to discover someone so enchanting that you would follow her into the sea, even if that would kill you.”
“We don’t hear many stories about mermaids falling in love with mermaids, or sailors falling in love with sailors”, she says. “I wanted to access these feelings, and these stories in a way that felt powerful, that felt right for these times.”
eor plunges into the watery cores of who we are and who we were, and carries us, powerfully, within its currents. It finds pulsing new ways to express the presences and emotions we encounter as we sail through our lives' raging seas. QUINQUIS shows brilliantly how music can anchor us when we're longing for the past, and propelling ourselves into unknown futures, her energy moving us, guiding us, all together.
eor is out tomorrow on vinyl, CD and digitally via Mute. Pre-order HERE.
QUINQUIS LIVE DATES:
5/10/2025 – Crozon (FR), La Jetée
5/14/2025 – Paris (FR), Balades Sonores – instore
5/15/2025 – London (UK), Here at Outernet – w/ Patrick Wolf
5/16/2025 – Rennes (FR), Blindspot
5/17/2025 – Brest (FR), Dialogues Musiques
5/28/2025 – Paris (FR), La Trabendo – w/ Patrick Wolf
7/11/2025 – Huelgoat (FR), Théatre de Verdure
7/13/2025 – La Rochelle (FR), Les Francofolies
7/18/2025 – Carhaix (FR), Festival des Vieilles Charrues
8/5/2025 – Ile Callot – Soirees Transat
8/9/2025 – Paimpol (FR), Festival du Chant de Marin
eor album art
Track listing:
1. Inkanuko (feat. Desire Marea)2. The tumbling point
3. Blaz an holen (feat. Cerys Hafana)
4. Distro
5. Dec’h
6. Morwreg
7. Peñseidi
8. Aet on
EDITORS NOTES:
Pronunciations:
Dec’h – “Der”
Inkanuko - “In-ka-noo-ko”
Morwreg - “Mor-vreek”
QUINQUIS - “kan-kees”
FURTHER LISTENING / WATCHING:Listen to / buy SEIM
Listen to / buy AER EP
“Setu” official video
“Adkrog” official video
“Run” official video
"Morwreg" Live at Trans Musicales
CONNECT WITH QUINQUIS:
FACEBOOK | BLUESKY | INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | MASTADON | WEB
CONNECT WITH MUTE:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BLUESKY | INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | WEB
waterbaby Shares Official Video For Lush New Single “Amiss”
“Amiss” is the Stockholm-based singer’s first new material since the release of Foam, waterbaby’s 2023 Sub Pop debut EP. That release, led by the hypnotic and evocative technopastoral songs “Airforce blue,” “911,” and “Wishing Well,” led to international acclaim, including the cover of Sweden’s music magazine GAFFA, and coverage from the likes of Bandcamp Daily, CLASH, The FACE, The FADER, The Guardian, The Line of Best Fit, The New York Times, NPR Music, PASTE, Stereogum, and more. Foam also earned waterbaby two 2024 Swedish Grammy Nominations, including “Newcomer of the Year” and “Composer of the Year” (for collaborator White).
waterbaby Instagram / TikTok
What people have said about waterbaby:
“waterbaby makes music that is funny, heartfelt and intimate, cramming earworm hooks into warped bedroom pop production.” The Guardian
With themes about love and loneliness, Egerbladh’s songs both break you and build you back up.” “Essential Releases” - Bandcamp Daily
“Under the gaze of auto-tuned vocals and alt-rock textures, waterbaby has forged something wholly original and swing.” [“911”] PASTE
“I was a big fan of ‘Airforce blue,’ the indie-pop-ish, R&B-ish Stockholm singer waterbaby’s first single for Sub Pop. I’m an even bigger fan of the next one. “911,” out today, heralds the impending arrival of waterbaby’s Foam EP. It’s a low-key love song built around a cozy little acoustic guitar figure that plays as a nest for waterbaby’s soft, digitally affected vocals.” STEREOGUM
“The emergency number in Stockholm, the home of the songwriter who calls herself waterbaby, is 112. But in this drowsily understated bedroom-pop song, she clearly has an eye on an American audience: “Call me when you need someone/I could be your 911,” she sings, adding “we-ooh, we-ooh” like a two-note emergency siren. It’s a tentative, guarded offer of affection — “Maybe we could go somewhere/Maybe we could be something” — sung breathily and hesitantly, trying to keep expectations modest.” [“911”] “The Playlist,” THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Airforce blue” flips waterbaby’s indie R&B into an electrified, auto-tuned collage with an easy intimacy.” BROOKLYN VEGAN
“An unguarded DIY R&B moment coming out of the Swedish capital.” [“Airforce blue”] THE FADER
“…a real jewel, a thrilling and evocative slice of future-facing pop.” [“Airforce blue”] “Track of the Day,” CLASH
“A black girl freeing herself through experimentation is inherently groundbreaking, and waterbaby is making comfortable room for herself in the lo-fi realm. Delivering wistful vocals and melancholic indie-pop on her latest EP Foam, we’re getting to know the singer through open veins and a raw lens.” Ones to Watch
THOM YORKE & MARK PRITCHARD SHARE "THE SPIRIT"
MARK PRITCHARD & THOM YORKE SHARE NEW SINGLE “THE SPIRIT” AHEAD OF TALL TALES ALBUM, OUT TOMORROW VIA WARP
LISTEN / WATCH TO “THE SPIRIT” HERE
THE TALL TALES VISUAL EXPERIENCE, A FILM BY JONATHAN ZAWADA, TO BE SCREENED IN THEATRES/CINEMAS WORLDWIDE TODAY ONLY
Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke photo credit Pierre Toussaint
Select press for Tall Tales:
“Tall Tales feels like the most fully realized of Yorke’s non-band projects, a prog-tronic sonic journey with a dystopian kick that evokes the best of Radiohead.” - ROLLING STONE
"Pritchard’s inventive productions often serve as a perfect foil for Yorke’s darker lyrics and mournful vocals.” - ASSOCIATED PRESS
"The present might have imploded, but there's a return to something older here, something that's endured against the odds" – MOJO (Album Of The Month)
“As disconcerting as Tall Tales may be, it also contains the moments of unvarnished beauty that have long populated the work of all three of the creatives behind it.” - BILLBOARD
“Some of the most melancholically gorgeous music of [Yorke’s] career” - FLOOD
“Tall Tales is Pritchard’s glorious re-emergence, as wild and smiling as a plug-pulled Yorke, the electrics in his brain as sparky as ever.” – ELECTRONIC SOUND
Pioneering electronic musician and producer Mark Pritchard and The Smile / Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke have shared “The Spirit”, the final single from their highly anticipated collaborative album Tall Tales, out tomorrow via Warp Records. It also lands the same day as a special global cinema event, in which fans will be able to hear the album alongside its accompanying feature film a day ahead of release - dates may vary for certain locations (more info and tickets are available from Tall-Tales.info).
Three previews for the film have been released in the form of music videos over the past couple of months paired with the first three singles from the album "Back In The Game", "This Conversation Is Missing Your Voice", and “Gangsters.” The video for the new single “The Spirit” offers another insight into visual artist Jonathan Zawada’s surreal and uncanny world, alongside Yorke’s ethereal vocals and Pritchard’s ruminative synth work.
Watch the video for “The Spirit”
An effective third member of the group, Zawada - whose multi-faceted approach to melding analogue and digital techniques have seen him work alongside the likes of Flume, The Avalanches, Royksopp, and Dua Lipa – directed, animated, and edited the Tall Tales visual experience.
The groundbreaking production was developed over the past few years in tandem with the evolution of the music, juxtaposing it with uneasy landscapes of natural beauty and the brutal aesthetics of a dystopian world. Through Yorke’s lyrics, Pritchard’s atemporal compositions and Zawada’s visuals, Tall Tales questions where our insatiable appetite for ‘progress’ might have landed us. A prophetic cinematic experience, Tall Tales has been years in the making, but delivered right on time.
Some lucky fans that attend the screenings will also receive a zine compiled and designed by Zawada, which gives a unique insight into the concepts and inspirations running through the film and album – read an excerpt HERE.
Watch the trailer for the Tall Tales film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mFe9znS9hI
Pritchard is a luminary of 90s UK electronic music with his projects Reload, Link and as one half of the production duo Global Communication alongside Tom Middleton. In 2011 he released two remixes of Radiohead's "Bloom" and across an eclectic career that has incorporated many styles and various guises, he has remixed further material from the likes of Aphex Twin, Depeche Mode, PJ Harvey, and Slowdive.
Tall Tales, Yorke's first release on Warp Records, is a multi-layered, richly textured record that channels both multiple narratives and multiple genres. Across its eclectic 12 song runtime, the record showcases Pritchard's mastery of archaic machines unearthed in synthesizer archives, guiding the music down unexpected and experimental paths. Yorke meanwhile delivers a haunting and expansive vocal performance, delving into dark, introspective storytelling.
As well as digitally, the album will be available in a standard black vinyl 2LP gatefold edition and as a limited special black vinyl 2LP edition including a 36-page booklet featuring a wealth of images from the project and lyrics to all the tracks, carefully designed by Jonathan Zawada. There will also be both a standard CD edition and a limited special CD accompanied by the 36-page booklet
Pre-order Tall Tales
Find tickets for May 8 screening of Tall Tales film
Watch the trailer for Tall Tales
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mFe9znS9hI
SUBSCRIBE FOR FURTHER UPDATES HERE
Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke
Tall Tales
Out May 9th on Warp Records
A Fake in a Faker's World
Ice Shelf
Bugging Out Again
Back in the Game
White Cliffs
The Spirit
Gangsters
This Conversation is Missing Your Voice
Tall Tales
Happy Days
The Men Who Dance In Stags' Heads
Wandering Genie
We Contain Multitudes, a new instrumental psych-rock project from members of Bitch Magnet, announce debut album
WE CONTAIN MULTITUDES, A NEW INSTRUMENTAL PSYCH-ROCK PROJECT FROM MEMBERS OF BITCH MAGNET, ANNOUNCE DEBUT ALBUM MINAKO – OUT JUNE 25
FIRST SINGLE “CAN WE JUST NOT?” OUT TODAY – LISTEN
PREORDER MINAKO HERE
Today, We Contain Multitudes, a heavy psych-rock instrumental trio consisting of ex-Bitch Magnet members Jon Fine (guitar, keyboards) and Orestes Morfín (drums) with Simon Kobayashi (bass), announce their debut record, Minako. Arriving June 25, 2025, via Expert Work Records, the album was recorded by Abe Seiferth (Car Seat Headrest, Nation Of Language) and produced by Seiferth and the band. Their first single, “Can We Just Not?,” is out now.
“You would not believe how many guitar tracks—and how many different guitars—are on “Can We Just Not?” Abe Seiferth did an unbelievable job in making it all cohere. The groove that Simon and Orestes came up with kills me—and, God, I love that ending so much." –Jon Fine
LISTEN TO “CAN WE JUST NOT?”
Jon and Orestes first played in a band together so long ago that they’d really rather not discuss it. It was in 1987 when Orestes joined Bitch Magnet. A signal American post-hardcore band of its era, Bitch Magnet released three albums and toured the US and Europe before breaking up in late 1990. Its records were reissued in 2011 by Temporary Residence, and the band reunited for tours of the US, Asia, and Europe—including an appearance at the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival—in 2011 and 2012. Jon and Orestes met Simon when his band smallgang opened for Bitch Magnet in London during that reunion tour. When Jon and Orestes decided to start We Contain Multitudes, they immediately thought of him for bass, largely because based on that one show, they understood at once that he is a substantially better guitarist than Jon.
Simon also plays in the British band Hurtling. Jon was in Vineland and Coptic Light, and was a touring guitarist for Don Caballero for a bit. Orestes was in Walt Mink, God Rifle, and Bored Spies. Also, Spin once named Orestes as the 50th-greatest drummer in alternative music, a ranking that—as anyone who has heard Orestes play understands—is far too low.
Jon is also the author of the punk rock memoir Your Band Sucks, which was published by Penguin in 2015 and won critical acclaim from the likes of The New York Times, Men’s Journal, The Boston Globe, and The Atlantic. The book concludes with Jon deciding to retire from music after Bitch Magnet’s reunion tours. (He changed his mind).
Minako, pronounced mih-NAH-ko, is a Japanese name that means ‘beautiful child.’ The album is at least partly named for the city-pop vocalist Minako Yoshida. (Simon, whose father is Japanese, came up with it.) At times, Minako goes far deeper into psychedelic, repetitive, and minimalist/maximalist realms than anything these guys’ prior bands have done, nodding to bands like Pelican, King Crimson, late-era Black Flag, Explosions in the Sky, and The Fucking Champs. Minako will be available on vinyl as a limited pressing of 300 copies, with a very limited edition of 50 copies on orange vinyl. It’s a double album whose music is spread over three sides.
“When I’m playing music, I want to feel a real sense of abandon. As a writer, I spend all my time with words, so when I go to play music, I want to get away from them. You can get to different emotional nuances, more emotional extremes, without words…you can’t quite name it, but it’s really profound.”
–Jon Fine
WE CONTAIN MULTITUDES
MINAKO
EXPERT WORK RECORDS
Release Date: June 25, 2025
Tracklist:
Minako
Can We Just Not?
D9
We Are All Fucked
Bathroom Drugs
Jeitinho
Atkins
PREORDER MINAKO ON VINYL HERE
# # #
CONNECT WITH WE CONTAIN MULTITUDES:
Mimi Webb and Meghan Trainor Release Official Music Video For "Mind Reader"
MIMI WEBB AND MEGHAN TRAINORSHARE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR “MIND READER”
[EPIC RECORDS]
WATCH
|
LISTEN
“MIND READER”
Today, British powerhouse Mimi Webb unveils the official music video for “Mind Reader,” her new single with chart-topping GRAMMY Award® winning Epic Records label mate Meghan Trainor. Directed by Ava Rikki, the video and song is a celebration of confidence and self-worth, bringing Mimi and Meghan’s undeniable chemistry to life, amplifying the track’s bold bid for song of the summer.
Watch the official music video HERE .
Marking Mimi Webb’s first release of the year, “Mind Reader” is an irresistible and undeniable dance-floor filler, written by Webb and Trainor, and produced by Grant Boutin & Federico Vindver. Listen to “Mind Reader” HERE .
Speaking about the collaboration, Mimi reveals, "Meghan is an artist I’ve admired for such a long time, and having her be my first-ever collaboration on a single feels like a dream come true. The song came together in such a fun, natural way. She’s an amazing songwriter, and we actually wrote 'Mind Reader' during the first session we ever did together. When I got home and listened back, I immediately felt like the track needed her voice on it, so I called her straight away and asked if she’d jump on it as a feature. She said yes immediately!"
Meghan Trainor adds, “Working with Mimi was an absolute dream!! My husband and I have been big fans of her for years so we were star struck when she came to the house to write this song. We had the best time writing ‘Mind Reader,' so I was beyond excited when she asked me to feature on it. I can’t wait to dance to this song all summer long!”
“Mind Reader” offers fans an exciting taste of what’s to come this year from Mimi Webb, following an exciting 2024 which included a massive UK & European arena tour with The Jonas Brothers, US Tour dates with Benson Boone, and festival appearances at Governors Ball, Lollapalooza, Osheaga and Outside Lands. Last Fall, Mimi unveiled her pulsating new single, “One Eye Open,” hailed by PAPER Magazine as a “climbing, anthemic” and “tantalizing” track Penned by Mimi, alongside Nick Hahn, Phia and Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, the track was produced by Hahn (ZAYN, Sigrid). Watch the official music video HERE .
With “Mind Reader” setting the tone for what’s already shaping up to be a standout year, Mimi Webb shows no signs of slowing down. Armed with more new music and exciting announcements on the horizon, she’s stepping boldly into 2025—proving once again that she’s one of pop’s most compelling rising voices.
Stay tuned for more news and music from Mimi Webb, coming soon.
“Mind Reader”, the new single from Mimi Webb, featuring Meghan Trainor is available everywhere . Watch the official music video HERE .
CONNECT WITH MIMI WEBB:
TIKTOK // INSTAGRAM // YOUTUBE
CONNECT WITH MEGHAN TRAINOR
TIKTOK // INSTAGRAM // YOUTUBE
