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Tomorrow X Together drop new single ‘Valley of Lies’ featuring iann dior

Tomorrow X Together have dropped their new single titled ‘Valley of Lies’, featuring American rapper and singer iann dior.

• READ MORE: Tomorrow X Together: “Our fans are always there by our side. That’s why they’re our heroes”

The groovy new track was officially released on July 22, alongside an “official visualiser” uploaded to the HYBE Labels YouTube channel in support of the single’s release. The animated visual follows a blonde male figure as he walks through different landscapes – from a lush green forest and a canyon to a desert being rained down upon by what appears to be meteorites.

“I’m walking through the valley of lies / I see a coffin, perfect fit for my size / They won’t open, got silky stitch in my eye / I’m hurting and I lost my heart in the sky,” TXT’s Yeonjun sings on the English song’s affecting chorus.

Usher says Justin Bieber “is doing great” following recent health issues

Usher says Justin Bieber is now “doing great” following his recent period of ill health after being diagnosed with ‘Ramsay Hunt Syndrome’.

• READ MORE: Justin Bieber – ‘Justice’ review: pop star finds his purpose again

On June 11, Bieber posted a video explaining that he was recently diagnosed with the rare condition, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, “occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one of your ears”. In his video, the pop star could be seen struggling to blink, smile or move his right nostril.

As a result of the condition, he was forced to postpone the opening stretch of his North American ‘Justice’ tour. He’d broken that news prior to revealing his facial paralysis, citing an unspecified “sickness” at the time.

Blu DeTiger and Biig Piig share new single ‘Crash Course’

Blu DeTiger has teamed up singer-songwriter Biig Piig for new single ‘Crash Course’ – watch the video below.

• READ MORE: Blu DeTiger: New York’s achingly cool bass virtuoso

The track is an electronic-tinged pop number with a driving beat that exudes plenty of confidence in its lyrics. DeTiger and Biig Piig – real name Jess Smyth – wrote the song with producer Oscar Scheller and Rex Detiger.

The accompanying video, directed by Jeremy Reynoso, sees the pair navigating the course at a go-kart track, with glitchy visuals matching the song’s tone.

Bob Dylan announces first UK tour in over five years

Bob Dylan has announced his first UK headline shows in over five years – tickets will be available from here.

The legendary musician’s upcoming stint on these shores forms part of his ‘Rough And Rowdy Ways’ world tour, which started in the US in late 2021.

• READ MORE: Bob Dylan – ‘Rough And Rowdy Ways’ review: arguably his grandest poetic statement yet

Dylan is due to hit the road once again this October, kicking things off with an intimate four-night billing at the London Palladium (October 19, 20, 23, 34).

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He’ll then visit the Motorpoint Arena Cardiff (26), the Bonus Arena in Hull (27) and Motorpoint Arena Nottingham (28) before ending the run with two consecutive performances at the SEC Armadillo in Glasgow (30, 31).

Tickets go on general sale at 10am BST this Friday (July 15) – purchase yours from here and see the full live itinerary below.

A string of European dates is scheduled between September 25 and October 17, with stop-offs including Oslo, Paris (three nights), Brussels and Amsterdam (two nights).

The forthcoming shows are billed as “non-phone events”, per a press release. Audience members will be required to put their mobile devices into a Yondr bag, which they can keep with them until after the performance.

Dylan’s ‘Rough And Rowdy Ways’ world tour resumed in the US back in March. His latest concert took place in Denver City, Colorado last Wednesday (July 6).

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The singer-songwriter hasn’t performed in the United Kingdom since he co-headlined London’s BST Hyde Park in 2019 alongside Neil Young. Prior to that, he brought his ‘Never Ending Tour’ to the UK in 2017.

Earlier this month, a one-of-a-kind re-recording of Bob Dylan singing his 1963 classic ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ sold at auction for £1.48million ($1.78million).

LimeWire relaunches as NFT marketplace with Travis Barker, Aitch and more

Travis Barker and Aitch are among a host of artists set to launch new NFTs with LimeWire as the file sharing site relaunches as a crypto marketplace.

Over the coming weeks, they will launch new collectibles on the marketplace alongside the likes of Brandy, Nicky Jam and more.

“I have always been interested in Web3 and NFTs so I am pretty stoked to release my first NFT collection and to do it on LimeWire,” Barker said in a statement.

Parkway Drive announce seventh album ‘Darker Still’, share new single ‘The Greatest Fear’

Parkway Drive have announced their seventh studio album, ‘Darker Still’ – check out the video for new track ‘The Greatest Fear’ below.

The Australian band, whose latest record ‘Reverence’ arrived in 2018, will release their next full-length effort on September 9 via Epitaph. You can pre-order/pre-save it here.

• READ MORE: Parkway Drive on working through grief: “There’s no handbook to deal with this stuff”

Arriving today (July 6), the thrashing latest single from the forthcoming album is accompanied by a cinematic video directed by James Chappell.

“The greatest fear, the one we all share; this song is about the unifying force we all must face – death,” explained frontman Winston McCall of the song, which follows on from ‘Glitch’.

“The goal was to create a song that saw death not as something that separates, but something that connects us all on our paths. Musically, we wanted to create a song that did this concept justice. It’s heavy, it’s epic and when it stomps it leaves an impact.”

As for how the 11-track ‘Darker Still’ came about, McCall said: “When Parkway originally started out, we all were trying to push ourselves to do more than we possibly could. What you hear on ‘Darker Still’ is the final fulfilment of our ability to learn and grow, catching up with the imagination that we have always had.”

He continued: “There are compositions and songs that we’d never attempted before – or, to be more accurate, which we have attempted in the past, but not had the courage, time or understanding to pull off.”

Guitarist Jeff Ling added: “I’m really proud of what we have achieved together, and feel that as musicians, we have really ascended to new realms of class and ability.”

You can see the tracklist for ‘Darker Still’ and its official cover artwork below.

1. ‘Ground Zero’
2. ‘Like Napalm’
3. ‘Glitch’
4. ‘The Greatest Fear’
5. ‘Darker Still’
6. ‘Imperial Heretic’
7. ‘If A God Can Bleed’
8. ‘Soul Bleach’
9. ‘Stranger’
10. ‘Land Of The Lost’
11. ‘From The Heart Of The Darkness’

Parkway Drive will showcase their new album on a UK and European headline tour this September/October. You can see the full schedule of dates below and find any remaining tickets (UK) here.

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Blackpink Are Making A Comeback With New Music — And Their Largest Tour Yet

Travis Barker receiving “intensive treatment” after suffering “severe life-threatening pancreatitis”

Travis Barker has updated fans on the status of his health, after reports that emerged earlier this week claimed he was hospitalised for pancreatitis.

• READ MORE: jxdn  – “Working with Travis Barker is like winning the lottery”

News of Barker’s health crisis broke on Wednesday (July 29) when photos showed the Blink-182 drummer being carried on an ambulance stretcher. He’d reportedly been checked in to LA’s West Hills Hospital on Tuesday morning (July 28), but was later transferred by ambulance to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. 

On social media, Barker’s daughter Alabama asked fans to “send [their] prayers” and showed the drummer lying on a stretcher with a brace around his left hand. Further reports emerged later on Wednesday, claiming that Barker had been hospitalised with pancreatitis following a recent colonoscopy.

Travis Barker reportedly hospitalised for pancreatitis following procedure

Travis Barker has reportedly been hospitalised with pancreatitis following a hospital procedure.

• READ MORE: jxdn  – “Working with Travis Barker is like winning the lottery”

According to TMZ, Barker was rushed to hospital with the condition, which is inflammation of the pancreas, following a recent hospital procedure for a colonoscopy.

The Blink-182 drummer was pictured on a stretcher outside Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles with his wife Kourtney Kardashian at his side.

Just hours before the news broke of his hospitalisation, Barker tweeted, “God save me.” It’s unclear whether this was in reference to the reason for his hospitalisation, as ‘God Save Me’ is also the title of a song that Barker worked on with Machine Gun Kelly and appeared on the latter’s ‘Mainstream Sellout’ album in March.

God save me

— Travis Barker (@travisbarker) June 28, 2022

Taking to her Instagram Story, Barker’s daughter Alabama seems to have alluded to the incident, writing: “Please send your prayers.” In a since-deleted TikTok, Barker could be seen lying on a stretcher with a brace around his left hand.

NME has reached out to representatives for Barker for comment.

Recently, Barker credited artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Jxdn for changing what it means to be a pop-punk artist.

The Blink-182 drummer spoke to Billboard about his love of the genre and his respect for a number of rising stars in the music industry.

“I like Olivia’s album, I love everything Billie’s done. I won’t say, ‘This is pop-punk.’ I’ll say, this music that came out, let’s say like Avril’s ‘Love Sux’, let’s say Jxdn’s ‘Tell Me About Tomorrow’, and ‘Tickets To My Downfall’ [Machine Gun Kelly], were all inspired by pop-punk.

“It doesn’t mean that it’s just pop-punk or has to be categorised like that. Olivia Rodrigo is probably going to make an album that has a little bit of pop-punk influence and some other influences too. Billie’s going to make whatever magical music she’s going to make and she’s going to be inspired by so much.

“You don’t have to follow the rules or keep it as sterile as the record label or whatever the rollout plan may be.”

In other Barker news, the drummer recently shared a new tattoo, which was done in tribute to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. “HAWK forever,” he captioned the Instagram post about the tattoo. The final image in the series showed Barker and Hawkins together in their earlier years.

Joy Crookes on Glastonbury 2022, new music and working with the England Lionesses

Joy Crookes caught up with NME backstage at Glastonbury 2022, where she gave us the lowdown on what it was like to make the jump to Pyramid Stage, as well working with England football squad, The Lionesses.

• READ MORE: The story of Glastonbury 2022 in glorious photos

While upset that she was “still in a tent” while staying at the festival, the 23-year-old singer was proud to have made the jump to the main stage. “I played at the Pussy Parlour in 2019 before the pandemic and it’s mad I’m on the Pyramid stage this time,” she told NME.”

When asked what it’s like to play on the world’s most important festival stage, she replied: “Funny, if you should put it like that. It was surreal, absolutely surreal. It was overwhelming in an amazing way. I ended up crying on stage because it was so overwhelming. It feels almost like meditating because it goes by so fast, but it feels like you’re doing so many things.”

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She continued: “It’s really grounding because it’s so intimate in a sense that, even though I’m playing larger stages, for two years we’ve been away from intimacy. We’ve not been able to build those types of connections”.

Assessing the overall Glasto experience, she went on: “Not to sound sage-like but there’s such a merge of energies here. There are so many people sharing connections, whether it’s through music or telling someone you like their hat, it’s a really really intense – but for the better – experience”.

Crookes also spoke to NME about her ventures outside of music – including recently doing a voiceover for the England Lionesses football team, finding it “amazing to learn so much about women’s football”.

“I’m really proud that it’s becoming more and more popular as the years go on – as it should – and I got to work with wonderful people,” she said. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to, I know I write music, but to write a spoken word piece for something that I think should have more light and more attention around it.”

Asked if was a football fanatic, she replied:  “I’m an Arsenal supporter, so I do love football – but I am a heart-broken Arsenal supporter; like most other Arsenal supporters”.

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Crookes also added that her second album “is the next project I’m working on” and is finding it “exciting to see where I want my sound to go and what stories I want to tell”.

Check back at NME here for the latest news, reviews, interviews, photos and more from Glastonbury 2022.

Idles’ Joe Talbot dedicates ‘Mother’ to “every woman” following overturn of Roe v. Wade

Joe Talbot of Idles has spoken out against the overturn of Roe V. Wade today (June 24) during the band’s Glastonbury 2022 performance.

The supreme court overturned the landmark case earlier today, which granted women in the US the right to terminate a pregnancy 50 years ago.

Right before the band played ‘Mother’ during their festival set, Talbot shared a dedication speaking out on the ruling.

“Of course, this is for every mother and every woman and her right to choose whether she is a mother or not,” Talbot said. “Long live the open-minded long live my mother and long live every single one of you.”

Joe Talbot of @idlesband calling out the overturn of Roe v. Wade during the bands #Glastonbury2022 set#NMEGlasto pic.twitter.com/nIPe5XdWA9

— Erica Campbell (@ericacxmpbell) June 24, 2022

Talbot’s call out follows multiple artists peaking out about the ruling. Fellow Glastonbury performer Phoebe Bridgers, who is also set to perform Friday, recently wrote an open letter about abortion rights.

Taking to her Instagram stories and Twitter, she shared her own experience before asking fans to donate.

“I had an abortion in October of last year while I was on tour,” she wrote. “I went to planned parenthood where they gave me the abortion pill.”

The singer added: “It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access” before sharing a link to a list of abortion funds to donate.

Today, Glastonbury continues with performances from the likes of Sam Fender, St Vincent, IDLES, Blossoms, Sigrid, Bridgers and Primal Scream, with a headline set on the Pyramid Stage from Billie Eilish.

Check out the full line-up and performance times here and check back at NME here for the latest news, reviews, interviews, photos and more from Glastonbury 2022.

Justin Bieber postpones rest of US tour due to Ramsay Hunt diagnosis

Justin Bieber has postponed the rest of his North American tour due to his ongoing battle with Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

• READ MORE: Justin Bieber – ‘Justice’ review: pop star finds his purpose again

Last Saturday (June 11), Bieber posted a video explaining that he was recently diagnosed with the rare condition, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, “occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one of your ears”.

Bieber, who could be seen struggling to blink, smile or move his right nostril, assured fans that his facial paralysis will subside over time. In a recent update, he said that “each day has gotten better”, noting that his Christian faith has helped him cope with the illness.

Here’s the early weather forecast for Glastonbury Festival 2022

Glastonbury 2022 is almost here after a two-year delay following the coronavirus pandemic – see how the weather will fare below.

• READ MORE: We’re gonna need a bigger farm: why Glastonbury 2022 could be the best in history

Those travelling to Worthy Farm from June 22-26 to see headliners Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar, as well as Little Simz, Róisín Murphy, Bicep and plenty of other acts, can mostly expect warm conditions.

However, it might be worth packing your wellies as some rain is currently expected, along with the possibility of thunderstorms.

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According to the Met Office‘s long range weather forecast for June 17-26, “Temperatures are expected to be warm for most and closer to average in the north, but possibly very warm or hot in the south, which could bring thundery conditions.

“Fine but generally unsettled weather can be expected throughout the rest of this period, with the possibility of some showers or longer spells of rain mainly in the northwest and continued possible thundery outbreaks in the south.”

Check out the latest forecast according to the BBC below.

Wednesday June 22: Sunny intervals and a moderate breeze, with temperatures peaking at 17° and lows of 11°

Thursday June 23: Sunny intervals and a moderate breeze, with temperatures peaking at 17° and lows of 11°

Friday June 24: Sunny intervals and a moderate breeze, with temperatures peaking at 17° and lows of 11°

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Saturday June 25: Light cloud and a moderate breeze, with temperatures peaking at 18° and lows of 11°

Sunday June 26: Light cloud and a moderate breeze, with temperatures peaking at 17° and lows of 11°

In other news, music fans headed to this year’s Glastonbury Festival may have to reconsider their travel plans as national rail strikes were confirmed last week for three days in late June.

The RMT union announced that “over 50,000 railway workers will walkout as part of 3 days of national strike action later this month, in the biggest dispute on the network since 1989”. The nationwide strikes are due to take place on June 21, 23 and 25.

Last week, the BBC also shared further details of their coverage for this month’s festival, with significant coverage planned across radio and television from June 18-24.

Check back at NME for the latest news, reviews, interviews, photos and more from Glastonbury 2022.

Justin Bieber reveals facial paralysis from Ramsay Hunt syndrome

Justin Bieber has alerted fans to his recent diagnosis with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which has temporarily paralysed the entire right side of his face.

• READ MORE: Justin Bieber – ‘Justice’ review: pop star finds his purpose again

Earlier this week, the singer postponed the opening stretch of his North American ‘Justice’ tour, at the time citing an unspecified “sickness”. 

In a video shared to his Instagram overnight (June 10), Bieber explained that his illness stems from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, “occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one of your ears”. In his video, Bieber can be seen struggling to blink, smile or move his right nostril.

Jimmy Eat World return with punchy new song ‘Something Loud’

Jimmy Eat World have today (June 10) shared a punchy new track called ‘Something Loud’ – scroll down the page to watch the video now.

The track is the band’s first single since ‘Love Never’, which was released in 2019 and featured on the album ‘Surviving’.

• READ MORE: Jimmy Eat World tell us about conquering doubt for ‘Surviving’: “Your lesser self convinces you to let them have the keys”

‘Something Loud’ was inspired by the excitement that surrounded the announcement of When We Were Young festival, which will take place in Las Vegas this October. Speaking in a press release, frontman Jim Adkins said the response to the event elicited a period of reflection in both his personal and professional lives.

Panic! At The Disco announce comeback single ‘Viva Las Vengeance’

After teasing it for the past fortnight, Panic! At The Disco have officially announced that their first single in four years, ‘Viva Las Vengeance’, will be released later this week.

• READ MORE: Panic! At The Disco live: Brendon Urie emerges as the greatest showman

The now-solo project of Brendon Urie made its return to the spotlight on May 15, when a cryptic website imploring fans to “shut up and go to bed” began to make the rounds. The website hinted that something of substance would be released this Wednesday (June 1), with that something now revealed to be ‘Viva Las Vengeance’.

According to a new teaser shared on social media, though, the song itself won’t be the only thing Panic! fans have to look forward to. “So much more” will be revealed alongside it, the post says, telling followers to return at 3pm BST (10am ET) on Wednesday.

Machine Gun Kelly joins Blackbear on angsty new break-up anthem ‘GFY’

Machine Gun Kelly and Blackbear have teamed up for a new break-up anthem titled ‘GFY’ – watch the song’s video below.

• READ MORE: Machine Gun Kelly: “I’ve been jumping up and down on the table, believing in myself, for-fucking-ever”

Produced by Blink-182‘s Travis Barker, the track hears the pair recount a toxic relationship over a pop-punk backdrop, comprising rock-influenced guitars and rolling drum kicks.

“Look at this picture, somethin’ ain’t right/ I’m feelin’ shitty, broken inside/ You cut me up in four-letter lines/ Stabbin’ my back with this four letter lie,” Blackbear sings in the opening verse.

Watch Harry Styles cover Wet Leg’s ‘Wet Dream’ for BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge

Harry Styles has covered Wet Leg‘s ‘Wet Dream’ for BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge.

• READ MORE: Harry Styles – ‘Harry’s House’ review: grounded star finds home is where the heart is

The pop star was in the BBC studio earlier today (May 23) to play four songs ahead of his intimate ‘One Night Only’ show tonight at London’s Brixton Academy.

Styles, who released his third album ‘Harry’s House’ on Friday (May 20), played his rendition of the Isle of Wight duo’s single taken from their 2022 self-titled debut album.

Machine Gun Kelly says Drake was nearly in his new movie

Machine Gun Kelly has revealed that Drake almost made an appearance in his forthcoming film, Good Mourning.

The film, Kelly’s directorial debut, is set to feature a ‘Fake Drake’ doppelgänger, and the artist – real name Colson Baker – has now revealed that he was close to getting the actual Drake to play the role.

• READ MORE: Machine Gun Kelly: “I’ve been jumping up and down on the table, believing in myself, for-fucking-ever”

Speaking with his collaborator Mod Sun on the Audacy Check In series, Kelly discussed how Drake was almost cast himself.

Mallrat Goes Deeper Into The Machine

Renforshort announces debut album ‘Dear Amelia’ and shares Travis Barker-featuring single

Renforshort has announced details of her debut album ‘Dear Amelia’ – you can listen to her new Travis Barker-featuring single ‘We’ll Make This OK’ below.

The Canadian artist will release ‘Dear Amelia’ on July 8 via Interscope Records, which will serve as the follow-up to her 2021 EP ‘Off Saint Dominique’.

• READ MORE: Renforshort: “Yungblud and Mike Shinoda have been like mentors to me”

Renforshort worked with her longtime collaborator Jeff Hazin on ‘Dear Amelia’, while the likes of Jake Bugg, David Pramik, Alexander 23, Andy Seltzer, John Ryan, Tia Scola and Nick Long all contributed to the record.

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Described as “an up-close and thrillingly honest journey through the darkest parts of her psyche”, the album features the previously released singles ‘Made For You’ and ‘Moshpit’.

‘Dear Amelia’ has been previewed today (May 12) by the release of ‘We’ll Make This OK’, which sees Renforshort linking up with Blink-182 drummer Barker.

You can watch the Nikko LaMere-directed video for ‘We’ll Make This OK’, which was shot in LA, above.

You can see the tracklist and artwork for Renforshort’s ‘Dear Amelia’ below.

1. ‘i miss myself’
2. ‘made for you’
3. ‘moshpit’
4. ‘hate the way you love me’
5. ‘we’ll make this ok’ (feat. Travis Barker)
6. ‘I thot you were cool’
7. ‘don’t come back’
8. ‘let you down’ (feat. Jake Bugg)
9. ‘better off’
10. ‘Julian, king of Manhattan’
11. ‘not my friend’
12. ‘amelia’

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Renforshort will play live at a host of festivals this summer, including the likes of Firefly, Hangout Fest and Splendour In The Grass.

Ukrainian Eurovision entry Kalush Orchestra: “This is the highest responsibility possible”

This year’s Ukrainian entrants for the Eurovision Song Contest, Kalush Orchestra, have spoken to NME about their song ‘Stefania’ and what it means to be representing their country during a time of war. Watch our full video interview with frontman Oleh Psiuk above.

• READ MORE: Ukrainian artists on the Russian crisis: “Now is the time to push for change”

The rap group, who formed in 2019, replaced Ukraine’s original entrant Alina Pash, who withdrew from the competition in February. Now, they’re currently favourites to win the contest, which takes place this week in Turin.

Speaking to NME, frontman Oleh Psiuk explained how their taking part was a “huge responsibility”, given the ongoing war with Russia.

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“To represent Ukraine in the international arena is always a responsibility, but to represent it during the war is just the highest responsibility possible,” he said.

Their song ‘Stefania’ was written in tribute to Psiuk’s mother, but with emotive and rallying lyrics that include the line “The field is blooming, but her hair is getting grey / Mother, sing me the lullaby, I want to hear your dear word“, the track has taken on a new meaning for many.

“The song was composed and dedicated to my mother, but after the war the song has acquired lots of nuances because a lot of people are perceiving it as if Ukraine is my mother,” said Psiuk. “That’s why the song has become so close to the Ukrainian people, and it is in the Ukrainian hearts.”

Describing the band’s idiosyncratic sound, Psiuk said: “The band combines old forgotten folklore, which could have been forgotten through many generations, and new, modern contemporary hip-hop and rap – all mixed into one cocktail. That’s why it has an interesting sound, but I don’t know anything similar to that.”

While last year’s Eurovision winners Måneskin are currently enjoying huge global success, Psiuk said that the band’s plans after the contest would involve returning home “instantly” in order to “deal with their own affairs as volunteers and doing everything possible to help their country”. They are required to return to Ukraine as men of legal fighting age after the competition.

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“One of our band members stayed in the war and is now defending Kyiv in the capital. I created my volunteer organisation helping people with accommodation, travel, transport and medicine all across the Ukraine,” he said. “We also have a special telegram channel that you can join, write where you’re from and what help you need.”

Beyond that, they hoped that their taking part would shine a spotlight on other talent from their home country, giving a shout-out to other Ukrainian acts including Skofka, YAKTAK, and Jerry Heil.

“According to the bookmakers’ bets, we are taking the first place – but before the war struck, it was fifth place,” said Psiuk. “That shows that our song is liked by the European audience. We hope that when the wider audience hears it, that they’ll pay attention to Ukrainian music.”

He added: “Our aim is not only to make Ukrainian popular not only in the Ukraine, but all over the world. Eurovision is a very cool platform for that. We would like to create a situation where Ukrainian music has a place in the world market and for it to be really needed.”

Watch our full interview with Psiuk above, where he also discusses being inspired by Eminem, Ukraine’s legacy of Eurovision Song Contest talent, and his thoughts on this year’s fellow entrants in the competition.

Due to the ongoing conflict, Russia will not be allowed to compete in Eurovision this year. Viewers will also be encouraged to donate to Ukrainian relief efforts.

Kalush Orchestra compete in the first round of semi-finals at Eurovision tonight (Tuesday May 10). There will be a second semi-final on Thursday before the grand final takes place on Saturday.

You can donate here to the Red Cross to help those affected by the conflict, or via a number of other ways through Choose Love.

You can donate here to the Red Cross to help those affected by the conflict, or via a number of other ways through Choose Love.

Pale Waves announce third album ‘Unwanted’ and share new single ‘Lies’

Pale Waves have announced details of their third studio album, ‘Unwanted’, with the follow-up to 2021’s ‘Who Am I?’ due to be released on August 12 via Dirty Hit.

• READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Pale Waves: “I’ve been hiding who I am for so long now. I don’t wanna do that any more”

To coincide with the announcement, the band have shared the album’s first single ‘Lies’, which was previously teased last month.

The group shared two previews on their official TikTok account, with the song’s chorus (“You called it love but it never had a feeling/ Ripped out my heart and left it bleeding“) playing over the videos.

Travis Barker praises Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Jxdn for breaking the rules of pop-punk

Travis Barker has credited artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Jxdn for changing what it means to be a pop-punk artist.

• READ MORE: jxdn  – “Working with Travis Barker is like winning the lottery”

The Blink-182 drummer spoke to Billboard about his love of the genre and his respect for a number of rising stars in the music industry.

“I like Olivia’s album, I love everything Billie’s done. I won’t say, ‘This is pop-punk.’ I’ll say, this music that came out, let’s say like Avril’s ‘Love Sux’, let’s say Jxdn’s ‘Tell Me About Tomorrow’, and ‘Tickets To My Downfall’ [Machine Gun Kelly], were all inspired by pop-punk.

Artists and fans react to Kendrick Lamar’s comeback single ‘The Heart Part 5’

Artists and fans have been reacting after Kendrick Lamar returned today with comeback single ‘The Heart Part 5’ – see what they’re saying below.

The new single is part of a series of songs titled ‘The Heart’ that Kendrick has released over his entire career, with ‘Part 4’ coming in 2017. All five editions of the song have arrived immediately before a full-length album, and Kendrick will release fifth album ‘Mr. Morale And The Big Steppers’ on Friday (May 13).

The song serves as Lamar’s first solo single since 2018’s ‘All The Stars’, and an accompanying music video has been shared for the single, co-directed by Dave Free alongside Lamar himself.

Machine Gun Kelly hints at a return to rap on next album

Machine Gun Kelly has hinted that he could return to rap on his next album after a successful pivot to becoming a pop-punk star.

2020’s ‘Tickets To My Downfall’ album gave Machine Gun Kelly (real name Colson Baker) his first US Number One album and his first within the pop-punk genre after appearing to ditch his rap career. It was followed up by new album ‘Mainstream Sellout’, out last month (March 25).

• READ MORE: Machine Gun Kelly – ‘Mainstream Sellout’ review: the one-man pop-punk revival rolls on

In a new interview about his future on the Audacy Check In, Kelly said: “I’m going to make a rap album for myself. For no other reason, no point to prove, no chip on my shoulder. If I keep doing things to prove things to people, I’m going to one, drive myself crazy and two, not make a good product.”

Listen to Megan Thee Stallion’s new single ‘Plan B’

Megan Thee Stallion has officially released her new single ‘Plan B’, after debuting it live at Coachella last weekend.

• READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Megan Thee Stallion: “I’m really working on my dynasty right now”

During her set at Coachella, Meg introduced the track as “very motherfucking personal” to her and said it was addressed “to whom the fuck it may concern”. Prior to the performance, she tweeted that “every time I play it for a woman they start jumping and clapping”.

“Ladies, love yourself, ’cause this shit could get ugly,” she raps over a ’90s hip-hop beat that samples Jodeci, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah‘s ‘Freek’n You (Remix)’. Listen below:

Travis Barker shares Taylor Hawkins tribute tattoo

Travis Barker has had a new tattoo done in tribute to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins – see it below.

• READ MORE: Taylor Hawkins, 1972 – 2022: Foo Fighters drummer who always stole the show

The Blink-182 drummer took to Instagram last night (April 14) to share a collection of images from Mark Mahoney’s Shamrock Social Club tattoo parlour on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Barker – accompanied by fiancée Kourtney Kardashian – can be seen having a detailed hawk design inked on the front side of his ankle by the celebrity tattoo artist.

“HAWK forever,” he captioned the post, paying tribute to Hawkins. The final image in the series shows Barker and the Foo Fighters drummer backstage together in their earlier years.

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A post shared by travisbarker (@travisbarker)

Hawkins died on March 25 at the age of 50. The band announced the news in a statement on social media; no cause of death was given.

Barker, who had been longtime friends with the Foos drummer, was among those who paid tribute upon hearing the news of his death.

“I don’t have the words,” Barker wrote on Instagram. “Sad to write this or to never see you again. I’ll never forget Laguna Beach days when I was a trash man playing in a punk rock band and you were playing with Alanis [Morissette]. You’d come watch me play in dive bars and be like, ‘kid you’re a star.’ And I thought you were crazy but you gave me so much hope and determination.”

Meanwhile, the Grammys 2022 memorialised Hawkins with a special tribute at its Las Vegas ceremony earlier this month.

“This was the moment in the show when I was supposed to be introducing the Foo Fighters,” host Trevor Noah explained during the ceremony. “We would have been celebrating with them as they won three Grammy awards earlier today.

“But they are, of course, not here due to the passing of their legendary drummer Taylor Hawkins. Our thoughts go out to Taylor’s family, his friends, the Foo Fighter family and all of their fans around the world. We’d like to take a moment now to remember Taylor.”

Rookie K-pop girl group IVE return with luxurious ‘Love Dive’ music video

Starship Entertainment’s rookie girl group IVE have returned with their second single album ‘Love Dive’.

• READ MORE: Weeekly lose their unique identity as they messily somersault to a new sound on ‘Ven Para’

In the vibrant new visual, the members of IVE party the night away in a luxurious, ever-changing mansion in the clouds as they blink into different rooms, wearing different outfits. They later disappear into the sky in a flying white sedan.

“Narcissistic, my god I love it / The night shone upon us two / Beautiful black eyes, diving deeper in / You into me, me into you / Hold your breath, love dive,” sing IVE on the chorus.

Watch Finneas bust some impressive dance moves to his new single ‘Naked’

Finneas has shared his first music of 2022 with new single ‘Naked’, which sees him bust some impressive dance moves – you can view the video below.

• READ MORE: Finneas: “I don’t know anything as strong as mine and Billie’s creative bond”

The track is the first from Billie Eilish‘s brother and collaborator since his debut album ‘Optimist’ was released last October.

The song focuses on a break up as he sings: “Ended back in early ’18/ We didn’t want the same thing / I don’t like the taste of cigarettes or your complaining,” before he admits: “I can’t believe you’ve seen me naked.”

Avril Lavigne wants Kristen Stewart to play her in a biopic

Avril Lavigne has said she wants Kristen Stewart to play her in a biopic.

While on the red carpet at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards, the singer was asked about who she’d want to play her in a movie about her life.

• READ MORE: Avril Lavigne – ‘Love Sux’ review: a modern update on early ‘00s pop-punk

After a pause, Lavigne said: “Like Kristen Stewart would be cool to play me in a film. She’s dope.”

Travis Barker, Sheila E., Robert Glasper and more to perform at 2022 Oscars

Travis Barker, Sheila E., and Robert Glasper will appear alongside Adam Blackstone as part of an all-star band at the 94th Academy Awards this year.

• READ MORE: The biggest talking points from the Oscars 2022 nominations

Show producers Will Packer and Shayla Cowan announced on Friday (March 18) that the four musical performers will join under the name the All-Star Band at the show.

The supergroup will likely feature Sheila E. on vocals, Glasper on piano/keys, and Blink-182‘s Barker on drums, with Blackstone joining as the show’s music director. D-Nice and the vocal group the Samples are also set to appear on the program, with the former performing at the awards show and the post-Oscars Governors Ball.

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Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes are set to host the awards. This year marks the first time in three years the Oscars will have a host, after Jimmy Kimmel last hosted the ceremony in 2018 and 2017.

Nominations for this year’s Oscars were revealed last month, with Jane Campion’s The Power Of The Dog leading with 12 nominations. This is followed by Dune with 10 nods, while Belfast and West Side Story have seven each.

The ceremony will air live on March 27 from the Dolby Theater, and will be available for UK viewers to watch on Sky Cinema Oscars.

Earlier this week (March 17), meanwhile, Barker described the negative reaction to his fiancée Kourtney Kardashian wearing a Cannibal Corpse t-shirt as “the lamest shit ever”.

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Last year, Kardashian was spotted wearing a Cannibal Corpse ‘Eaten Back To Life’ t-shirt while out in Venice with the Blink-182 drummer.

Travis Barker calls uproar over Kourtney Kardashian wearing Cannibal Corpse t-shirt “the lamest shit ever”

Travis Barker has described the negative reaction to his fiancée Kourtney Kardashian wearing a Cannibal Corpse t-shirt as “the lamest shit ever”.

Last year, Kardashian was spotted wearing a Cannibal Corpse ‘Eaten Back To Life’ t-shirt while out in Venice with the Blink-182 drummer.

• READ MORE: jxdn  – “Working with Travis Barker is like winning the lottery”

Speaking to Vogue at the time, Kardashian’s stylist Dani Michelle commented that she had borrowed the t-shirt from Barker’s closet. “Kourt has told me before that his closet is an archive itself. She can pick any T-shirt to wear and it’s the softest, coolest thing ever,” Michelle said.

Tributes paid to former NME journalist Gavin Martin

Tributes have been paid to former NME journalist Gavin Martin, who has died.

The news was reported by Louder Than War earlier today (March 11). A cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

Born in 1961, Martin was first published in the NME letters page when he was just 13-years-old before moving to London as a teenager to work at the magazine alongside Julie Burchill, Tony Parsons and Danny Baker.

Martin wrote U2‘s first-ever NME cover interview in 1981 ahead of the group releasing their second studio album, ‘October’, later that same year. As former NME reviews editor Stuart Bailie wrote in a tribute online, Martin went on to “rubbish” U2’s follow-up record, ‘War’ (1983).

Bailie described Martin as “nobody’s tame journalist”, reflecting on the time the late writer interviewed Marvin Gaye, had a “messy confrontation” with Van Morrison and a run-in with Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode.

Great words on Gavin Martin by @stu_bailie pic.twitter.com/2gA0Qa2KzO

— John Harris (@johnharris1969) March 11, 2022

Martin – who later became the music critic for The Daily Mirror – also interviewed the likes of James Brown, The Four Tops, David Byrne, Meat Loaf, The Killers and Lou Reed (via Rock’s Back Pages).

Writing on Louder Than War, journalist John Robb said: “Gavin knew the worst crime in music was to be boring and his visceral wild energy and his romantic belief in the power of the music and the power of the word made him stand out from the surrounding mundane terrain.”

Following the news of his passing, many of Martin’s friends, former colleagues and fans took to social media to share memories and messages of tribute.

A post on Uncut Magazine‘s official Twitter page read: “We’re very sad to learn of Gavin Martin’s passing. Aside from his NME tenure, he was a mainstay of Uncut for many years. A passionate music fan, he was generous, funny, unique. RIP Gavin.”

We’re very sad to learn of Gavin Martin’s passing. Aside from his NME tenure, he was a mainstay of Uncut for many years. A passionate music fan, he was generous, funny, unique. RIP Gavin.

— Uncut Magazine (@uncutmagazine) March 11, 2022

NME contributor James McMahon wrote: “RIP Gavin Martin, NME legend. I once went on a trip with you to Nashville. You took loads of sleeping pills, forgot to interview the band, then woke up about an hour before we had to catch the flight home. Maniac. Also, your writing was the real deal.”

John Mulvey, current MOJO editor and former NME deputy editor, said: “At NME in the ‘90s, Gavin Martin often seemed to come at music, and perhaps life, from a different, wholly original angle to most of us.

“Remembering him today, I think maybe, in his own way, he just worked it all out quicker. RIP.”

Elsewhere, Martin was hailed as “a trailblazer” and “fascinating man” who “provided endless inspiration in what he wrote”. You can see those tribute messages and a selection of other tweets below.

RIP Gavin Martin, NME legend. I once went on a trip with you to Nashville. You took loads of sleeping pills, forgot to interview the band, then woke up about an hour before we had to catch the flight home. Maniac. Also, your writing was the real deal pic.twitter.com/d0CtyMzOXU

— james mcmahon (@jamesjammcmahon) March 11, 2022

Gavin Martin RIP, a brilliant writer and chap pic.twitter.com/02wY3RtMxr

— Andy Von Pip (@VonPip) March 11, 2022

RIP Gavin Martin. A great journalist who was always kind, friendly and encouraging especially when I first was in London in the early 90's. Shocked.

— Tim Vigon (@timatcoalition) March 11, 2022

Very saddened to hear of the passing of Gavin Martin this morn, a music journo you'd never ever hear a bad word about, who was a friend to many and an influence to most who came up after him. A trailblazer from Alternative Ulster to NME. Thoughts with his pals and family.

— not-so-gnarly mike (@MikeDiver) March 11, 2022

RIP, the one and only Gavin Martin. pic.twitter.com/w0pH0Zv8AX

— Peter Curran (@curranradio) March 11, 2022

Desperately saddened to hear that Gavin Martin has passed. Some music critics really aren't in it for the music. Gavin was ONLY in it for the music. Well, maybe a bit of a party too, but mainly for the music. ?

— The Tories Made Me German (@WyndhamWallace) March 11, 2022

Shocked to hear that Gavin Martin, a good friend & colleague at the NME, died yesterday. I went on many trips with Gav. – we seemed to do U2 together regularly, much to Bono's annoyance :-). Our first NME job together was Stiff Little Fingers in '78 – here pictured with Jake #RIP pic.twitter.com/Fmym7NEIUj

— Kevin Cummins (@KCMANC) March 11, 2022

Gavin Martin was a brilliant writer, a lovely & fascinating man… gave a lot of us our first experience of writing about not-music when he helmed the NME's film, TV & books section… and provided endless inspiration in what he wrote. So sad and shocked to hear he's died. pic.twitter.com/rdnrecn7St

— John Harris (@johnharris1969) March 11, 2022

For those of you who knew of him, I've just heard that NME alumnus and Mirror music ed Gavin Martin has died. He was always lovely to me during our time at Vox. RIP

— Ian Wade (@WadeyWade) March 10, 2022

At NME in the ‘90s, Gavin Martin often seemed to come at music, and perhaps life, from a different, wholly original angle to most of us. Remembering him today, I think maybe, in his own way, he just worked it all out quicker. RIP.

— John Mulvey (@JohnRMulvey) March 11, 2022

Lost a friend yesterday. Gavin Martin, a brilliant writer known to a lot of people here.

— David Quantick (@quantick) March 11, 2022

Bewildered to hear that Gavin Martin has died. Worked with him for years @NME. Good fella, and brilliant writer. Eg; He reviewed James Brown's career-span box set Star Time; I thought it was an impossible task; he utterly nailed it in 800 words. I still remember every one. ? pic.twitter.com/CVzyG21Qtr

— Danny Kelly (@dannykellywords) March 11, 2022

I'm gutted to hear of the death of music writer Gavin Martin. He wasn't just a fantastic writer he was a fantastic person. I loved that man. Travel on well, my friend. See you on the other side.

— Mike Scott (@MickPuck) March 11, 2022

NME writers like Gavin Martin and the much-missed Dele Fadele were prolific & unique stylists: they had voices we all wanted to emulate. Would we have known them without the music press? The weeklies welcomed so many outsiders, gave us a chance. Culture is diminished without them

— Ted Kessler (@TedKessler1) March 11, 2022

Very sad to hear Gavin Martin has passed away. He introduced my generation of @NME writers to the joys of writing about things other than music through his peerless curation of the media section & was a unique voice in his own writing. Also enjoyed his @DailyMirror music section.

— Mark Sutherland (@msutherlanduk) March 11, 2022

RIP Gavin Martin, excellent writer for NME and then latterly the Daily Mirror. In recent years he'd message me with some salacious gossip about a pop star or to have a righteous rant about something. Writer, poet, a recording artist recently too, he was one of the good guys. X https://t.co/VzeBMpHcLC

— Carl Loben ? ?? (@CarlLoben) March 11, 2022

Gavin Martin RIP, a great music journalist. Great stories from his Ballyholme upbringing to listening to Chuck Berry at the ABC Belfast and interviewing many rock luminaries.https://t.co/REjNG4C6z8

— Graham Brownlow (@GrahamBrownlow) March 11, 2022

A passionate fan of The Clash, Gavin Martin began his career during the punk era in Belfast, Northern Ireland where he launched his Alternative Ulster fanzine.

“I’d been reading NME since I was 11 and was as often as not into the writing as I was into the music,” Martin told Spit Records previously. “I remember a 15-year-old Belfast girl, slightly older than me, won their competition for a jukebox filled with the greatest 100 singles of all time, which I had entered.

“But a Belfast girl winning it made me think maybe something; some sort of handle on a musical culture community was in reach, round the corner. Then punk came along and there was a chance for everyone to express themselves with music or clothes or fanzines.”

He continued: “I loved all kinds of music, always had since I’d sung Beatles songs pre school in the front garden to the older kids (five and up) coming home from Ballyholme Primary.

“Alternative Ulster would give me a chance to write about punk of course but Dylan and Motown too. I was never a musician but I could write a bit, graffiti for sure – and it turned out to be invaluable in getting the fanzine off the ground.”

Machine Gun Kelly returns to his roots on Lil Wayne-featuring ‘Ay’

Machine Gun Kelly has returned to his roots on the emo rap track ‘Ay’, which features Lil Wayne – check it out below.

• READ MORE: Machine Gun Kelly: “I’ve been jumping up and down on the table, believing in myself, for-fucking-ever”

‘Ay’ is taken from Machine Gun Kelly’s upcoming album ‘Mainstream Sellout’ and sees the rap star turned rock star singing over an acoustic guitar, in the same vein as ‘Play This When I’m Gone’ from 2020’s ‘Tickets To My Downfall’.

Lil Wayne then hops on the track for a verse that references Guns N’ Roses, though only a drawing of the rap icon appears in the accompanying music video, which was shot by MGK in his living room the day before ‘Ay’ was released.

Bop Shop: Songs From Avril Lavigne And Machine Gun Kelly, Haim, And More

The Weeknd announces North American stadium tour with Doja Cat

The Weeknd has announced a slew of North American stadium concerts – dubbed the ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ tour – that are set to begin in July and run until early September.

• READ MORE: The Weeknd – ‘Dawn FM’ review: soulful star meets a new day with hope and hindsight

The singer will kick off the run in his native Toronto on July 8 before heading to Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles and more.

He’ll be joined on the road by special guest Doja Cat – the two linked up on ‘You Right’ from Doja’s album ‘Planet Her’ last year. See tour dates below. Tickets will go on sale March 10 local time.

Neck Deep react to BLACKPINK Rosé’s cover of ‘December’

Welsh band Neck Deep have reacted to BLACKPINK Rosé’s cover of their 2015 song ‘December’.

• READ MORE: BIBI: “I have a long-ass plan to be a superstar and then die in my own bedroom”

Earlier this month, the vocalist released her live studio version of the song in commemoration of her 25th birthday. For her rendition, she was accompanied by The Black Label producer LØREN on guitar.

A day after Rosé’s rendition of ‘December’ was posted, the pop-punk band took to Twitter to express their appriciation for the cover. “Happy Birthday ROSÉ! This is awesome and so are your fans,” the band wrote.

Happy Birthday ROSÉ! This is awesome and so are your fans ?? https://t.co/uXvL4SIgZj

— Neck Deep (@NeckDeepUK) February 11, 2022

Here’s a trailer for the new ‘Rip It Up And Start Again’ documentary

An official extended trailer for the new Rip It Up And Start Again documentary has been released.

The forthcoming film is based on Simon Reynolds’ 2005 book of the same name, which offered the reader “a big-picture view of the entire post-punk period” between 1978-1984.

• READ MORE: The least punk things John Lydon has ever said

The doc was directed by Nikolaos Katranis and Russell Craig Richardson and features new interviews with the likes of Jah Wobble (PiL), Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Ana da Silva (Raincoats) and Mark Stewart (The Pop Group).

Rip It Up… will also include rare live performance footage. A release date has not yet been confirmed.

Watch Halsey and Machine Gun Kelly perform ‘Forget Me Too’ live in LA

Halsey joined Machine Gun Kelly during his set in LA last night (February 10) to perform their 2020 collaboration ‘Forget Me Too’ – you can watch fan-shot footage of the performance below.

Both artists co-headlined the opening night of the Super Bowl Music Fest yesterday, which is running at the Crypto.com Arena until tomorrow (February 12) to celebrate this year’s NFL championship game.

• READ MORE: Halsey: “I’ve always been driven to reinvent myself and reinvent my genre”

Kelly’s set saw him perform with an array of special guests, including Blink-182‘s Travis Barker, Willow and Trippie Redd. He also covered Paramore‘s ‘Misery Business’ (via Billboard).

Raveena Cracked Open Her Soul For Asha’s Awakening

By Dani Blum

Raveena needs you to believe that you’re the only one who can heal yourself. The kaleidoscopic R&B singer-songwriter is adamant about this, anchoring her chin on her hand on the other side of the Zoom call, blinking at the bright pixels and saying, again, that nobody else can create your happiness. She knows. She’s tried.

Raveena went to the mountains every two or three days for the first stretch of quarantine in Los Angeles in 2020 and communed with aliens, or God, or both (she views these as “two sides of the same coin.”) She spends the first part of each day with 20 minutes of meditation, 20 minutes of yoga, and 5 minutes of writing down her affirmations and what she’s grateful for, a routine she developed when she got COVID-19 in December. She’s been focusing on herself, connecting to her ancestors, feeling, she says, like her soul cracked open. For the last two years, the work she’s put into her second album, Asha’s Awakening, out February 11, paralleled the work she put into herself. She weaves healing through each tingling track; she also makes a point of celebrating herself. “Our inner most self is bliss,” she says, “and bliss allows for this chaos and freedom and flow.”

The record glides through sugar-rush pop, trip-hop, Sade-inspired R&B, and spoken word intervals. The album even ends with a 15-minute long guided meditation — a move Raveena knew was risky, but she wanted the track to be a tool for her listeners. The meditations she’s found online often aren’ well-recorded, she says, and they use stock sounds; she wanted to make a high quality, well-mastered version, “top of the line produced.” Her speaking voice is steady, tranquil. (“Her voice is the type I'd expect to hear say ‘welcome to heaven’ as I hop down clouds of fluff,” reads the top comment on a video she posted of herself singing cross-legged in the grass during quarantine.) But the meditation also felt like a way to signal finding peace, the completion of a journey for the album’s titular main character.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Q_4I8dULA

Asha’s Awakening is a concept album that centers on a space princess from ancient Punjab, charting her revelations about love, restoration, and destruction over centuries. Raveena came up with the concept after completing six or seven songs and spending a year doing research, as she and her team studied and combed through Bollywood soundtracks. It was March 2020, and she was spiraling in the early weeks of quarantine, foraging for a way to be productive through both internal and external chaos. She had moved from New York to L.A. in the wake of a breakup, on the day the city announced shutdowns. Raveena was watching a bunch of sci-fi movies at the time, and in the span of a night, she wrote down the entire architecture for the album. A few months after, she asked an artist to illustrate Asha, so she could better grasp the character she created. For Raveena, “All the songs are personal, and then I find a way to connect it back to the story. None of the songs are really from a perspective of the character. It’s more like I could relate to the character at the end.”

Quarantine made Raveena slow down. She danced, she wrote lyrics, she put the sonic elements of songwriting on hold largely for the first six months. She would FaceTime her main guitarist, crying, and improvise songs with him while he plucked at a few chords; she called him “whenever the sobbing struck,” she says. Raveena had been working relentlessly in the years leading up to the pandemic. She started piecing together her 2017 breakout EP, Shanti, while still a student at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. In 2019, she released “Lucid,” a cozy, curatorial album that helped propel her following. The songs she recorded then were soft, velvety, churning through trauma with grieving and grace.

Asha’s Awakening, by contrast, bursts with joy and color, almost frenetic in its tempo. This is deliberate. Healing isn’t linear, Raveena says, and sometimes it can look like this kind of chaos, the hazy process of regaining confidence in your body. “After that internal work happens, there’s a kind of life and joy that erupts from you,” she says, waving her hands in the air. “And that’s what this album really was.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsNxr_88YZo

That eruption is evident in songs like “Secret,” which thumps and winds around a verse from rapper Vince Staples (she had his precise vocal tone and flow in mind for months before she even reached out to him) and the shimmering opener “Rush.” Many of these songs are psychedelic, literally; she wrote several of them following transformative acid trips. She based “Rush” on a visit she made to the Rubin Museum in New York while tripping, where she saw a sound installation with Buddhist chanting and South Asian art on the walls. “I realized that this is where I needed the next album to go,” she says. “I had to dive into my culture and intersect it with all the genres and all the art I grew up loving as a kid.”

Those connections came out of “so much historical research.” She bought eight or nine instruments from India, with no idea how to use them, and asked her bassist to figure out how to play them. They were all researching Bollywood records from the 1960s through the ‘80s, parsing the arrangements, and combing through the ways Eastern sounds inspired Miles Coltrane and the Beatles, Timbaland and M.I.A. and Jai Paul. She wanted to pay respect to the cross-cultural fusions of the past. On “Circuitboard” and “Asha’s Kiss,” which features the legendary Indian singer Asha Puthli, Raveena felt like she integrated the Bollywood influences in a way only she could, in a manner that left her mark.

Furmaan Ahmed

Partway through the album, the spoken word track “The Internet Is Like Eating Plastic” emerges from the twinkling soundscape. Over sinister, winking synths, Raveena murmurs like she’s dissociated or caught in a dream: “The internet makes me feel far away from my friends… The internet has me stupid and smart at the same time.” As she was writing the album, Raveena traded her iPhone for a flip phone for three months, relying on the radio and buying a GPS to help steer her way across L.A. She wanted to escape “feeling like a robot half the time,” but she also wanted to stop putting pressure on herself to put out the perfect second album. She’d been fixating on other artists’ sophomore records, and the insecurities that came with infinite scroll seemed too unhealthy to adapt to. She’d lived in the New York area for nearly her entire life, and moving to L.A. left her gasping for nature and eager to explore. Over those three, smartphone-less months, she felt her mind expand, her capacity to feel grow. She walked and walked.

These days, she’s back online, promoting her album; she flashes her iPhone at her webcam, tethered to its charger. But she takes comfort in knowing she’s capable of disconnecting and the ego death that comes with letting go. There’s a luxury in feeling small sometimes, tracing your boundaries and barriers. She laughs at the camera, dripping a curtain of hair in front of her face. “I’m just a tiny little bean on a space rock,” she says. “Trying to get through.”

Thurston Moore announces new instrumental album ‘Screen Time’

Thurston Moore has announced details of his forthcoming album ‘Screen Time’ and shared two new tracks from the album. Listen to ‘The Station’ and ‘The Walk’ below.

• READ MORE: Thurston Moore on “killer” new music and the “high order nihilism” of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump

‘Screen Time’ is an album of 10 atmospheric instrumental tracks that Moore recorded during the summer of 2020. It was originally released in February last year as a Bandcamp Friday exclusive, but the album is now getting a proper release on February 25 via Southern Lord.

The label describes ‘Screen Time’ as a record “in reflection to dream time, a state of meditation, hypnagogia and pillow talk”.

Janet Jackson hints at new music after previewing unreleased ‘Love I Love’

Janet Jackson has hinted that a new track featured in her recent self-titled documentary could be set for an official release.

The new Janet Jackson series, which premiered in the UK earlier this week, offers an unprecedented look into the star’s life and lengthy career.

• READ MORE: Janet Jackson at Glastonbury: a pop megamix, a stadium production and the making of a new ‘legends slot’

As reported previously, an unreleased song titled ‘Love I Love’ soundtracks the closing credits of the final episode. “You got that love I love,” Jackson is heard singing in the snippet.

Toro y Moi announces new album ‘Mahal’, shares videos for two songs

Toro y Moi has announced his forthcoming seventh studio album, with ‘Mahal’ set to arrive on April 29 via Dead Oceans.

To coincide with the announcement, the singer-songwriter and producer – real name Chaz Bear – has shared two singles, ‘Postman’ and ‘Magazine’. The latter track features vocals from Salami Rose Joe Louis. The songs arrive alongside accompanying videos, directed by Kid. Studio and Arlington Lowell respectively.

Watch the videos for ‘Postman’ and ‘Magazine’ below:

Ho99o9 return with new Travis Barker-produced track ‘Battery Not Included’

Ho99o9 have returned with a new song called ‘Battery Not Included’, which was produced by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker.

The duo – comprised of theOGM and Eaddy – last released new material last August with their 3TEETH collaboration ‘Paralyze’.

• READ MORE: Noise-punk masters Ho99o9: “The good thing with us is that we don’t give a fuck”

Now, Ho99o9 have shared a taste of their upcoming second album, which will arrive this spring. ‘Battery Not Included’ sees the band veer from full-on punk onslaught to something more tender and softer, and back again.

Olly Alexander on Years & Years becoming a solo project: “Pop became a dirty word”

Olly Alexander has opened up about Years & Years becoming a solo project, saying that “pop was like a dirty word” towards the end of the group’s run as a three-piece.

The singer-songwriter/actor sat down with NME for this week’s Big Read cover interview in which he talked about Years & Years‘ 80s-inspired third album ‘Night Call’ (out today, January 21).

• READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Years & Years: “Going solo was like a break-up”

Following on from 2018’s ‘Palo Santo’, the new record marks the first full-length from Alexander since he parted ways with his former Y&Y bandmates Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Türkmen.

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“We could never really agree on what we liked in the music and what direction we wanted to go in, so that made the songwriting process difficult,” the singer told NME of the experience of working as a trio.

“It was never lyrics; [Goldsworthy and Türkmen] would never touch lyrics. It was just, like, general direction: how ‘poppy’ something was gonna be. Pop was, like, a dirty world, which is a little crazy.”

Alexander did, however, go on to concede that “arguments over music can really help you make something good, and I think it did with us”. He added: “Like, I really love all the music we made, but it always came with its own complications.”

Despite not being involved with the creative/writing process this time around, Goldsworthy is due to tour as part of Years & Years’ live band. Alexander said the reunion won’t be “weird”, but instead “like having your bro back”.

“Mikey’s just the best person to have on the road because he just plays his Switch and has bants with the lads,” he told NME before reflecting on the “huge adjustment” of going it alone on ‘Night Call’.

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“You’re kind of in a relationship when you’re in a band,” Alexander told NME. “I mean, I’m still in a relationship with these people, but it’s just a different one now. It was like a break-up, and then you have to speak about it in interviews.”

Elsewhere in the Big Read cover feature, Alexander spoke about his turn in the hugely successful It’s A Sin, how the series informed the sounds of ‘Night Call’, and said that Lil Nas X has “completely changed the game” in terms of artists being more openly queer.

He also talked about collaborating with “legend” Kylie Minogue on a remix of ‘Starstruck’ and the disco-inspired single ‘A Second To Midnight’.

In a four-star review, NME‘s El Hunt hailed Years & Years’ latest album as a “collection of well-crafted bangers, most of which are begging to be blasted out of a subwoofer as debauchery rages”.

Years & Years will hit the road for a UK tour this May – check out the full schedule below.

MAY 2022
19 – Brighton, Centre
20 – Bournemouth, International Centre
21 – Birmingham, Resorts World Arena
26 – London, Wembley Arena
28 – Manchester, AO Arena

JUNE 2022
24 – Dublin, National Museum of Ireland
25 – Glasgow, Bellahouston Park

Lorde admits she “shouldn’t have gone” on Antarctica trip that inspired ‘Solar Power’

At the start of 2019, Lorde went on a five-day trip to Antartica that ended up inspiring her third album, ‘Solar Power’, however she’s now revealed that she “probably shouldn’t have gone”.

• READ MORE: Lorde: “I feel like I can see my world and myself a lot clearer now”

Speaking to Euphoria‘s Hunter Schafer on the A24 podcast, Lorde revealed that she’d been “totally obsessed” with Antartica throughout her childhood and that obsession grew as she “started to engage more with our planet”.

“I felt like I needed to go there. I had this reaction, people call it ‘last chance tourism’ which is going somewhere before it’s too late and that was my first thought.”

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Despite calling the trip “the best five days of my life” and saying she’d “never do anything like it again, it was so crazy from start to finish,” Lorde revealed that “going there and actually having that experience made me realise, ‘oh no, you can’t go around doing this’. This is the opposite of what you’re supposed to do. I probably shouldn’t have gone to Antartica, it was naughty to use my pop star resources and burn that jet fuel to go there.”

She then added: “I wrote this (100-page) book and the proceeds went to a couple of scholarships for people doing their doctorates in climate science, so that felt like a good way to give back.”

Speaking about her trip to New Zealand’s Newshub, Lorde said: “It’s such an alien environment and it’s so dazzling, straight away. I had this very distinct moment of thinking, ‘This is the coolest your life will ever get. Like, this is it.’ I actually decided on the album name right around that trip. Just coming back from that trip I thought: ‘This is what it is.’”

Lorde called for immediate action on climate change from global leaders following her visit. “I envisioned Antarctica slowly turning to slush, flooding the Southern ocean. The urgency I had once felt about making the trip south returned,” she wrote in an essay for New Zealand’s Metro magazine. “I made phone call after phone call, got several dozen booster shots, and then it was happening – this dreamy musician was hitching a ride to the end of the world.

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“Being in Antarctica has clarified how deeply vulnerable, how in need of protection, it is. But it took coming here for that knowledge to galvanise – and in coming here, I have also been a small part of its deterioration.”

‘Alex From Glasto’ reportedly helped launch controversial political Twitter account

Reports claim that ‘Alex From Glasto’ helped launch the controversial political news aggregator Politics For All, which was banned from Twitter earlier this month for allegedly “violating” rules on “platform manipulation and spam”.

• READ MORE: NME meets Alex Mann: the viral sensation who rapped ‘Thiago Silva’ with Dave at Glastonbury

Alex Mann AKA ‘Alex From Glasto’ found fame in 2019 when Dave pulled the then 15-year-old from the audience at Glastonbury to perform ‘Thiago Silva’ with him. The footage went viral (one video is currently at 28million Youtube views).

According to VICE, not long after Glastonbury, Mann used his newfound fame to link up Mail On Sunday columnist Dan Hodges with his friend, 17-year old Nick Moar (who also did social media for The Spectator) to launch Politics For All.

The Weeknd heads to a sinister club in new ‘Gasoline’ video

The Weeknd has shared the official video for his latest single ‘Gasoline’ – you can watch it below.

The song appears on the Canadian singer-songwriter’s new album ‘Dawn FM’, which was released last Friday (January 7).

• READ MORE: The Weeknd – ‘Dawn FM’ review: soulful star meets a new day with hope and hindsight

Following on from the official clip for ‘Sacrifice’, the latest visuals see The Weekend – aka Abel Tesfaye – lose radio signal in his car before he crashes into a “DO NOT ENTER” signpost.

Bastille’s Dan Smith is working on new film and TV projects

Bastille frontman Dan Smith has revealed that he is working on new projects in the “film and TV world”.

The singer recently made his directorial debut with the sci-fi movie-inspired video for ‘No Bad Days’, the latest preview of Bastille’s upcoming fourth album ‘Give Me The Future’ (out February 4).

• READ MORE: Bastille on pushing the boundaries: “We’ve always done whatever the fuck we want”

During a new interview with The Sun newspaper’s ‘Bizarre’ column (via Music-News.com), Smith said: “There’s a bunch of stuff I’m working on at the moment which use music but very much step into the film and TV world.”

Watch Travis Barker’s rocky cover of Adele’s ‘Easy On Me’

Travis Barker has shared a video of him performing a rocky drum cover of Adele’s recent hit single ‘Easy On Me’.

The Blink-182 drummer has given an unlikely makeover to the piano-led ballad, which marked the British pop star’s first new material in six years.

• READ MORE: Adele’s voice has never sounded better than on her stunning new song ‘Easy On Me’

In a video posted to his Instagram page, Barker drummed along to the track, adding complex fills and a rock edge to it. Surging guitars can also be heard on the new version.

Janet Jackson addresses if Michael Jackson allegations have affected her career

Janet Jackson has shared a new preview of her upcoming two-part Lifetime and A&E documentary – watch below.

In the clip for JANET, which was first announced last year, Jackson addresses why she wanted to do the documentary, commenting: “It’s just something that needs to be done.”

• READ MORE: Janet Jackson at Glastonbury: a pop megamix, a stadium production and the making of a new ‘legends slot’

“There were times when I didn’t actually understand where I fit in,” Jackson adds in the trailer. “My father was very strict… He was in charge of my life, my career. My father said: ‘You’re gonna sing.'”

Bop Shop 2021 Favorites: Songs From Dawn Richard, Wet Leg, IU, And More

BLACKPINK fans caught in the middle of ‘Snowdrop’ controversy

BLACKPINK fans have seemingly found themselves in the crossfire the controversy surrounding Snowdrop, a new K-drama starring member Jisoo.

• READ MORE: ‘Snowdrop’ episodes one and two recap: controversial series hits the ground running

According to a new report by Korea JoongAng Daily, a community of BLACKPINK fans (who are known as BLINKS) on South Korean internet forum DC Inside have been accused of making calls to the Lee Han-yeol Memorial Museum to complain about a statement the museum issued over the controversial K-drama series.

Notably, Snowdrop is a fictional series set in 1987, a pivotal year for South Korea’s pro-democracy movement, and stars BLACKPINK member Jisoo. Meanwhile, Lee Han-yeol was a student activist during the pro-democracy movement, who has been killed during the lobbying and became a symbol of the movement.

Don McLean announces ‘American Pie’ 50th anniversary world tour

Don McLean has announced details of a 2022 world tour celebrating 50 years of his iconic hit ‘American Pie’.

Next year marks half a century since the song hit Number One on the US Billboard charts alongside the album of the same name.

To celebrate, McLean and his band will play a run of shows throughout 2022, beginning in Hawaii in late January and heading through North America before heading to the UK and Europe.

Avril Lavigne on her new Green Day inspired album: “It’s a love letter to women”

Avril Lavigne has shared more details about her upcoming pop-punk album, saying it’s inspired by Green Day and that “it’s a love letter to women”.

Lavigne’s seventh record is due “at the top” of 2022 on Travis Barker’s label DTA Records (home of fellow pop-punker Jxdn). In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lavigne explained: “I really went back to what sounds I originally was influenced by at the beginning of my career [for this album].”

“To the core, I’m a kid from a small town who listened to bands like Blink-182 and Green Day and NOFX in high school, and I tapped into that.”

Tears For Fears on how personal and political trauma shaped new album ‘The Tipping Point’

Tears For Fears release new single ‘No Small Thing‘, founding member Curtis Smith has spoken to NME about how personal and political trauma shaped their new album ‘The Tipping Point’.

Now 17 years after their last album, ‘The Tipping Point’ is a 10-song collection riven with personal tragedy and political upheaval. Smith – who formed the band with Roland Orzabal as teenagers in Bath in 1981 – told NME that the years of turmoil, which includes the death of Orzabal’s wife in 2017,  “gave us a lot to write about”. Much of the new material came from the duo going back-to-basics.

Of the new single in particular, Smith said: “‘No Small Thing’ was a song myself and Roland wrote together. It was the very beginning of 2020 and we were at this point where we had effectively an album’s worth of material that we didn’t particularly like – and we were trying to find a direction.

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“So we decided for the first time since we were 18-years-old to sit in a room, both of us with acoustic guitars, and try and write something. It’s the opening track on the album and an important one in that it gave us a direction, but because of the way we approached it, it sounds more Johnny Cash than Tears For Fears.”

 

In the summer of 2017, Orzabal’s wife Caroline passed away. When she hit the menopause, she was prescribed medication that you shouldn’t drink alcohol with while taking. Nevertheless, she did and experienced crippling depression before developing cirrhosis of the liver, then alcohol-related dementia. Orzabal became her carer for five years and started writing songs that would surface on ‘The Tipping Point’ as a distraction and release: the eponymous first single and gut-wrenching ‘Please Be Happy’ both painfully address watching someone you love deteriorate.

Speaking to NME via Zoom from his home in Los Angeles, Smith explained how ‘No Small Thing’ was an attempt to re-discover themselves after a string of failed attempts to write with hitmakers, while ‘The Tipping Point’’s touchstones take in everything from The 1975 to toxic masculinity.

Before you hit that crisis-point of sitting with acoustic guitars, you had been working with by-committee songwriters at the behest of your management. Why didn’t it work?

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“We’d worked with some people who’d worked with The Weeknd, and one of the guys from Bastille [frontman Dan Smith – who they’d previously collaborated with on the 2017 Tears For Fears song ‘I Love You But I’m Lost’ and with whom they’ve written an unreleased song called ‘Your Skull’s A Drum’]. They call it musical ‘speed-dating’. Some of them were quite good, but the rest just sounded like us making this vain attempt to do something modern, which ended up sounding dishonest to is.

“We’re not knocking it, because we did learn what we didn’t want to do – sometimes when you go into an album, that’s half the battle! We were working with modern producers who were heavily based around electronic sequencing, so our next step was to go in the opposite direction and sit in a room with two acoustic guitars – which led us to ‘No Small Thing’.”

Musically, who were you influenced by for ‘The Tipping Point’? 

“We’re influenced by everything we listen to and that includes certain amounts of modern music. I’m not someone who’s sentimental about a certain decade. I’m a big The 1975 fan, so that’s going to be an influence. I like Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver, Rex Orange County – so some of that stuff will unconsciously rub off.”

Tragedy looms over the album, such as Roland experiencing the illness and death of his wife. How do you feel it affected the record?

“In a big way. If you can find nothing to write about after what we went through in the past few years – personally, with Roland’s wife passing and also globally, with Black Lives Matter with the #MeToo movement, with Donald Trump being in power for four years, the rise of the right-wing worldwide, and the climate crisis; then you shouldn’t be songwriters. It’s been a bunch of years with a lot of turmoil – personally as well as politically – which has given us a lot to write about.”

Did recording those songs about Roland’s late wife, Caroline, feel emotional?

“It’s incredibly emotional when you’re writing about someone you’ve known for that long. It’s not like an acquaintance or someone you’ve known for a few fears – this was Caroline. This was someone I knew since I was 13-years-old; and Roland the same. Apart from family members, who else can you say that about? In that sense, it’s far more devastating when you lose someone like that, because not only do you mourn their loss, but you’re left thinking about your own mortality and what you can do to allow that to not happen to you. It’s a difficult thing to get over.”

Has it brought you and Roland closer?

“Yes, because it was something both of us had in common. Obviously I wasn’t married to Caroline and didn’t spent as much time with her as he has to any degree, but she’s from both of our childhoods. There was a sense that nobody knew her as well as I did, apart from Roland; so we related to each other over that.”

Did you talk to each other about those personal songs and what they meant?

“No. The songs and their meanings were obvious. That’s the strength of the bond we have – that you don’t need to explain those things. They’re blatantly obvious to us.”

The album track ‘Break The Man’ is about shattering the patriarchy. What needs to change?

“Four years of living through Donald Trump and also the #MeToo movement sparked that song. I’m lucky to be in a family surrounded by strong women: my wife and daughters. Women have this calm wiseness about them that men don’t, because we’re too busy showing how big our dicks are most of the time. We saw so much of that with Trump in America: the idea of ‘we are real men’, and the trouble it caused.

“This toxic masculinity spurred wars and the hatred of others – the idea of: ‘I’m stronger and I need people weaker than me and I’m going to show them they’re weaker than me’. In America, that became everyone hating immigrants and the notion that a woman’s place is in the home. It’s nonsense, and we could do with a more empathetic leadership – preferably from a woman. That was where that song came from.”

Did you witness any of that toxic masculinity in the music industry in the ‘80s?

“I mean, I saw it go on. My wife [marketing executive Laura Pennington] experienced it once when she bailed out of somebody’s hotel room when they asked her for a meeting and she realised it wasn’t quite what they said they intended, so luckily she was never abused. I hope it’s generational to a certain degree, so that the younger generation of women are on a far more equal footing.”

‘Stay’, the closing track of ‘’The Tipping Point’ (remixed from a version that appears on the 2017 greatest hits compilation ‘Rule the World’) was written about a time when you were considering leaving Tears For Fears again. Why?

“We’d been through the speed-dating process and I didn’t like where it was going. People might think I threw a tantrum, but it wasn’t like that it. I said to Roland: ‘If you want to do that, then go ahead, but I’m not feeling it. It’s not representative of me, it’s not something I like and I can’t be involved in putting out something I don’t like. It’s a pointless exercise. I don’t need to do it, so why should I?’ I got to a point where I said: ‘If you feel it’s the right thing to put out, I would have to step away form it’. Which is a fairer way of putting it than just: ‘That’s it! I’m going to leave!’

“I was thinking about walking away and realising how sad that is. That song’s about the sadness you feel about leaving something behind that you’ve invested so much time and energy into and that’s been a huge part of your life.”

‘The Tipping Point’ is released February 22, 2022, via Concord Records. The band tour the UK in July. Check back at NME soon for them sitting our Does Rock’N’Roll Kill Braincells?! feature.

Self Esteem announces debut US tour dates for 2022

Self Esteem has announced her first US headline shows – see all the details below.

• READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Self Esteem: “I want to use the palatable nature of pop to Trojan horse in my agenda”

The Sheffield – real name Rebecca Lucy Taylor – will head to America next March in support of her critically-acclaimed second album, ‘Prioritise Pleasure’, which came out on October 22.

“Much like Robbie and Cheryl before me, it’s time to take this chart topping talent stateside,” Taylor wrote on social media. “Looking forward to never coming back and having a house of Gucci / star is born trajectory and or coming back with my tail between my legs.”

Much like Robbie and Cheryl before me, it’s time to take this chart toppping talent stateside. Looking forward to never coming back and having a house of Gucci / star is born trajectory and or coming back with my tail between my legs.https://t.co/jXEQ9YhUCL pic.twitter.com/JQFY8Xz56n

— Rebecca Lucy Taylor (@SELFESTEEM___) November 30, 2021

Halsey on making new record and film simultaneously: “I was almost method acting my album”

Halsey has recalled the experience of making ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’ and its accompanying film at the same time, saying that they were “almost method acting my album”.

The singer-songwriter released her fourth studio effort over the summer alongside If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, an hour-long visual piece about “the lifelong social labyrinth of sexuality and birth”.

• READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Halsey: “I’ve always been driven to reinvent myself and reinvent my genre”

Speaking in last week’s NME Big Read interview, Halsey explained: “I’ve wanted to do a film for an album since [debut album] ‘Badlands’ but, to be frank, I haven’t had the financial resources to do it.

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“This was the thing where it was like, ‘OK, people want to give you money to make art – what are you going to make?’”

Halsey went on to recall how the movie influenced their latest record. “I was almost method acting my album, which I think is super douche-y but is what was happening,” they told NME.

“It was really cool to make a record in tandem that way because you’re not going back and drawing connections that aren’t there and trying to fill in holes to make stuff work. All of it is so cohesive and coherent the entire time.”

The singer said that making the film resulted in ‘If I Can’t Have Love…’ feeling like a concept album. “The most important thing to me is that this album has tension – it needs to be visceral, or I’m doing a disservice to the message,” she told NME.

Speaking of enlisting Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – who produced the LP – she remembered: “First of all, I thought I was writing a letter to Santa being like, ‘I’ve been a very good girl’.

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“I was just really honest and said I was a huge fan and I’ve been plagiarising you guys for years – badly – and I’m not arrogant enough to believe that I have anything new to offer you, but this album is about pregnancy, gender identity, body horror.”

NME hailed Halsey for creating “an endlessly compelling artistic statement” with ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’. Check out our four-star review here.

Elsewhere in the Big Read interview, Halsey spoke about the honour of receiving the Innovation Award at the BandLab NME Awards 2022, which they will pick up during a ceremony at the O2 Academy Brixton in London on March 2.

Halsey told NME that she “wasn’t expecting” the award and was “very surprised” to be recognised with the nod. “But it’s really, really awesome,” she added.

Punk fan goes viral after dropping band names into chat on conservative radio

A punk fan has gone viral after calling into a conservative morning radio show and dropping various band names into his chat with its hosts.

Illustrator Rob Dobi – using the name Bill – dialled into WSMN’s Life With Liz show yesterday (November 24) with the idea to “name as many punk bands as I could before they caught on”.

From the less conspicuous (Sick Of It All, Rancid, Misfits and Minor Threat) to the easily identifiable (Blink-182, Reel Big Fish and Fall Out Boy), he managed to sneak in quite a few band names without the New Hampshire show’s hosts catching on.

Watch Avril Lavigne and Travis Barker perform ‘Bite Me’ on ‘Fallon’

Avril Lavigne has performed her new single ‘Bite Me’ on the latest episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

For the appearance on Wednesday (November 24), she brought along collaborator Travis Barker. The Blink-182 drummer co-produced the track, along with John Feldmann and Mod Sun.

‘Bite Me’ is also Lavigne’s first single since she signed to Barker’s label DTA Records. Watch their Fallon performance from a graffiti-filled set below.

Lindsay Buckingham gives retroactive credit and payment to songwriters after accidental plagiarism

Lindsey Buckingham has given retroactive credits to two songwriters whose track he’d accidentally plagiarised after forgetting that it wasn’t his demo.

• READ MORE: 20 insanely great Fleetwood Mac songs

The former Fleetwood Mac guitarist/vocalist, who released his seventh solo album in September, has paid Blinker The Star’s Jordon Zadorozny and Medicine’s Brad Laner a flat monetary sum. He also provided them with co-writing credits and a portion of publishing for his song ‘Swan Song’, which was found to have plagiarised the pair’s ‘Mind’s Eye’.

Zadorozny noticed that Buckingham’s song, which appears on his new self-titled album, sounded remarkably similar to the collaborative track that he wrote with Laner more than 20 years ago [via Spin].

Jared Leto says Thirty Seconds To Mars have written 200 new songs

Jared Leto has revealed that Thirty Seconds To Mars have written around 200 tracks for their upcoming new album.

• READ MORE: House Of Gucci review: Lady Gaga’s bad romance soon turns ugly

The musician/actor was speaking to NME about Ridley Scott’s House Of Gucci, which he stars in as Paolo Gucci alongside Lady Gaga (Patrizia Reggiani), Adam Driver (Maurizio Gucci) and more.

Discussing the film’s ’70s and ’80s soundtrack – including songs by Eurythmics, Blondie and George Michael – Leto explained that “listening to Italian hits” of that era created “a well of inspiration”.

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“There are a lot of those sounds that definitely are on the new [Thirty Seconds To Mars] album,” he told NME. “My first instrument was a Roland Juno 106, which is a synthesiser from the ’80s. I really cherished that instrument, and those sounds are so nostalgic.

“Those sounds [from that decade] are kinda embedded in our psyche, and they really speak directly to our heart sometimes. They take us back to the films that we grew up on. So I love to pull from that stuff.”

Later, Leto told NME that Thirty Seconds To Mars had written around 200 tracks. “So we have so many songs now,” he said. “We really took advantage of that time in lockdown, and hunkered down and started writing.”

As for a potential release date for the follow-up to 2018’s ‘America’, the singer explained: “We’re really just waiting for the right opportunity, the right time to put music out.”

When asked if there could be a Thirty Seconds To Mars collaboration with his House Of Gucci co-star Gaga, Leto replied: “I mean, that would be fun. I danced with her already so that was enough for me.

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“But that would be fun. She’s a terrific artist and I think she’s just a real talent. I have a lot of respect for her…her bravery.”

Leto also recalled TSTM’s most recent UK headline tour back in 2018, describing their performance at London’s O2 Arena as “one of the best shows of our lives”.

“I never would have thought that one of the best shows of our lives would be this far on into our career, but it was absolutely magical and we can’t wait to come back and play,” he continued.

“Manchester was another great one. We just had a phenomenal tour in the UK and Europe in 2018.”

Leto added: “The songs are built for the stage. We’re really a live band, and touring is an essential part of what we do. Our shows are really physical and immersive; we just have a lot of fun with it.”

Watch the full NME interview with Jared Leto at the top of the page.

House Of Gucci is released in UK cinemas this Friday (November 26). You can read NME‘s four-star review here.

Kelly Lee Owens wins Welsh Music Prize 2021 with ‘Inner Song’

Kelly Lee Owens has won the Welsh Music Prize 2021 for her latest album ‘Inner Song’.

• READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Kelly Lee Owens: “I genuinely feel magic around me at all times”

The musician and producer’s 2020 studio effort was nominated alongside The Anchoress‘ ‘The Art Of Losing’, Gruff Rhys‘ ‘Seeking New Gods’, Private World’s ‘Aleph’ and more at the 11th edition of the annual awards.

During a live ceremony in Cardiff last night (November 23), Owens was announced as the winner out of the 12 shortlisted artists. She did not attend the event as she’s currently out on a UK tour.

Watch Puddle Of Mudd singer abandon gig after onstage rant about lights

Puddle Of Mudd’s singer walked off stage during the band’s set on Saturday night (November 20) after arguing with a lighting technician.

According to fans who were there, Puddle Of Mudd took to the stage over half an hour late for their headline show at the EPIC Event Centre in Green Bay, Wisconsin before singer Wes Scantlin walked offstage after only five songs.

In footage shot by someone in the front row of the concert, Scantlin can be seen performing the entirety of 2009 single ‘Spaceship’ with his hands covering his face, before he can be heard complaining about the onstage lights and apparently arguing with the lighting technician.

FKA Twigs shares “theatrical” new single ‘Measure Of A Man’ featuring Central Cee

FKA Twigs has shared a new single from the upcoming film The King’s Man – listen to ‘Measure Of A Man’ featuring Central Cee below.

• READ MORE: Central Cee: Big Sean-endorsed west London rapper whose career finally thrived during lockdown

Teased on TikTok earlier this month, the dramatic standalone track will feature in the forthcoming Kingsman prequel. Starring Ralph Fiennes, the Matthew Vaughn-directed movie is released in the UK on December 22.

“This song has such a different sound, which is a challenge; you’ve got to really embody the song,” FKA Twigs explained in a statement. “For me especially with my vocals, I had to pull a different side of my artistry out.”

Listen to Willow’s new ‘Transparent Soul’ remix featuring Kid Cudi

Willow has shared a new remix of ‘Transparent Soul’ featuring Kid Cudi – you can listen to it below.

• READ MORE: The musical evolution of Willow Smith: how a child star became a pop sensation

The pop-punk-inspired single appears on the singer’s fourth studio album, ‘Lately I Feel Everything’, which came out back in July.

Willow’s new take on the track boasts contributions from Cudi and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, the latter of whom appeared on the original track.

Silk Sonic announce limited radio show on Apple Music

Silk Sonic have announced a new limited radio series on Apple Music 1, An Evening With Silk Sonic.

The group – comprised of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak – released their debut album ‘An Evening With Silk Sonic’ last Friday (November 12).

• READ MORE: Silk Sonic – ‘An Evening With Silk Sonic’ review: an unashamedly retro delight

Today (November 17) it’s been confirmed that the duo will launch their own radio show of the same name at 3am GMT tomorrow (November 18). You can tune in here.

Listen to Avril Lavigne take down an ex on punky new single ‘Bite Me’

Avril Lavigne has released her brand new single ‘Bite Me’ – you can listen to it below.

• READ MORE: Avril Lavigne – ‘Head Above Water’ review

The track – which was co-produced by Travis Barker, John Feldmann and Mod Sun – comes after the Canadian singer-songwriter revealed last week (November 3) that she has signed to Barker’s label DTA Records.

With the announcement – which followed her performance on the Blink-182 drummer’s House Of Horrors live-stream – she teased the arrival of a new song, writing on Instagram: “Should I drop my first single next week?”

Tributes paid to UB40 toaster Astro who has died

UB40 singer, trumpeter, percussionist and toaster Astro has died, following “a very short illness”, it has been confirmed.

Astro – whose real name was Terence Wilson – died today (November 6). He was 64 years old.

A tweet on the Ali Campbell and Astro Twitter account shared the sad news with fans, saying they were “absolutely devastated and completely heartbroken” by his death. “The world will never be the same without him,” they added. “We ask you to please respect his family’s privacy at this incredibly difficult time.”

We are absolutely devastated and completely heartbroken to have to tell you that our beloved Astro has today passed away after a very short illness. The world will never be the same without him.

We ask you to please respect his family’s privacy at this incredibly difficult time. pic.twitter.com/GRDjtApyzy

— ALI CAMPBELL & ASTRO (@UB40) November 6, 2021

A message was also posted on the official UB40 Twitter account. “RIP ASTRO,” it read. “We have heard tonight, the sad news that ex-member of UB40, Terence Wilson, better know as Astro, has passed away after a short illness. Our sincere condolences to his family.”

RIP ASTRO

We have heard tonight, the sad news that ex-member of UB40, Terence Wilson, better know as Astro, has passed away after a short illness.
Our sincere condolences to his family

UB40 pic.twitter.com/6huxc1wN8k

— UB40 (@UB40OFFICIAL) November 6, 2021

The musician was a founding member of the Birmingham reggae and pop group in 1979, remaining in the line-up until 2013. He later formed a new version of the band with Campbell and Mickey Virtue.

With the original version of UB40, Astro released 18 studio albums, including the 1983 chart-topper ‘Labour Of Love’, which spawned the Number One single ‘Red Red Wine’, and 1985’s ‘Baggariddim’, which boasted the Chrissie Hynde collaboration ‘I Got You Babe’. His last record with the band was 2013’s ‘Getting Over The Storm’.

In a statement announcing his decision to leave the band, Astro said the group was like a “rudderless ship” and cited a “serious lack of communication between the band and management”, as well as the musical direction the band had gone in on ‘Getting Over The Storm’.

Tributes have begun to be paid online following the news of Astro’s death, with fans calling the Birmingham musician a “Brum legend”.

“Sad to read of Astro’s passing,” one Twitter user said. “I grew up listening to UB40, Signing Off is such a brilliant album today. Saw him a few times down the Blues, always with a smile and always got a great reception.”

Sad to read of Astro’s passing. I grew up listening to UB40, Signing Off is such a brilliant album today. Saw him a few times down the Blues, always with a smile and always got a great reception. #bcfc #UB40

— Mark Rice (@StaffsMark) November 6, 2021

Another added: “UB40 were the bedrock of my youth. They’ve been integral to my adult years. Anyone who knows me will have unfortunately suffered either my poor karaoke or 3am control of the remote. Astro is a hero. Gutted. RIP.”

UB40 were the bedrock of my youth. They’ve been integral to my adult years. Anyone who knows me will have unfortunately suffered either my poor karaoke or 3am control of the remote.

Astro is a hero. Gutted. RIP. https://t.co/RgecXwJuZg

— Liam (@LiamWBAFC) November 6, 2021

See more tributes below.

Bugger. Hard to believe, kids, but when I saw UB40 on the “Signing Off” tour, they were absolutely brilliant. Hard, political reggae with a melodic edge and a brilliant groove, a packed house just bouncing all night, and Astro was brilliant. RIP https://t.co/u7xTLEVAm8

— Paul Blinkhorn (@R1100GSBlueNose) November 6, 2021

R.I.P Astro ? One of the best in a brilliant band. Thoughts are with your family and friends #ub40 #RatInTheKitchen #sad pic.twitter.com/t8tGIxPkdz

— emma ralley ?? (@emmajane72) November 6, 2021

Sad news indeed. A Brum legend. #UB40 #ASTRO #Birmingham #WestMidlands https://t.co/lYy53IwHtk

— Daren Carpmail (@DCarpmail) November 6, 2021

Such sad news about the lovely Astro from UB40 , have great memories of listening and dancing to UB40 and Astro’s distinctive and beautiful voice. RIP Astro ?? ??https://t.co/lvHIoGKdwV

— TJ Hilton (@tjhilton1) November 6, 2021

R.I.P Astro Balsall Heath/Moseleys finest him and @UB40 done a lot to put Birmingham music on the map and never forgot where he came from often seen him round the ends condolences to his family and friends ??

— Martan smith ? (@martan_smith) November 6, 2021

Very sad news. Astro and UB40 gave voice to the many people neglected and marginalised in 80s Britain. They had a real social conscience expressed through their music. Rest in power Terence ✊? https://t.co/kZSn6Jgry8

— Joe Donnelly (@kildarejoe) November 6, 2021

RIP ASTRO – TRUE LEGEND AND BIRMINGHAM HOME GROWN TALENT. #UB40

— Donna Thomas (@DonnaThomas54) November 6, 2021

RIP Astro.? UB40, opened doors to musical adventures I continue to explore and – crucially – adore. Football-aside, your (and the band’s) influence brought sunshine to an otherwise dreary childhood. @UB40

— HanrahanrahAnthonyGrant#42 (@Safehandsstfc1) November 6, 2021

Radiohead finally release fan favourite ‘Follow Me Around’

Radiohead have finally shared ‘Follow Me Around’, a track written during the ‘OK Computer’ era but never officially released – listen below.

• READ MORE: The 50 best music documentaries of all time

The track comes ahead of the release of Radiohead’s ‘Kid A Mnesia’ record, a triple album reissue of ‘Kid A’ and ‘Amnesiac’ alongside a bonus disc titled ‘Kid Amnesiae’, which will comprise of unearthed material culled from those album sessions.

The official video for ‘Follow Me Around’ starring Guy Pearce and can be seen below:

Subway employee trashes restaurant in bizarre attempt to get signed by Meek Mill

A Subway employee has been fired after trashing his workplace in a bizarre attempt to get signed by rapper Meek Mill.

• READ MORE: Meek Mill – ‘Expensive Pain’ review: a rushed and haphazard fifth album

YouTube personality Jumanne Way filmed himself at a Rhode Island Subway walking on sandwich fillings, throwing food and bread on the ground, and putting meat and cheese on a toilet seat.

In the since-deleted video, Way called on Meek Mill for help. “Tell Meek Mill to sign me,” he said. “Let him know, I’m trying to get signed to DreamChasers. Fuck all this Subway shit. Fuck all this Subway shit, bro. At Meek Mill, let him know I’m trying to get signed. I’m deadass. I’m done working at Subway. Deadass.”

Sports Team among acts to pull out of Hit The North Festival over SSD Concerts allegations

Sports Team are among the many acts to have pulled out of today’s Hit The North Festival over allegations levelled at the event’s promoters, SSD Concerts.

The managing director of the northeast-based company, Steve Davis, resigned with “immediate effect” back in April, shortly after former staff members accused SSD of “underpaying” workers and making them feel “uncomfortable” while doing their job.

The promoters initially denied the claims, calling them “false and malicious”, and insisting that they do “not tolerate bullying, harassment or discrimination in any form”. Artists including Sam Fender, IDLES and Kelly Lee Owens subsequently severed ties with SSD.

SSD Concerts then said that an independent investigation would be held, writing in a statement to NME: “The wellbeing of our team is of the upmost importance and any allegations of this nature must be investigated thoroughly.”

The company explained that it would be “taking steps to ensure that all shows will go ahead” and is promoting Hit The North Festival 2021, which is taking place in Newcastle today (October 23).

It comes after SSD yesterday (October 22) addressed “serious sexual allegations”. The promoters wrote that “no evidence of racism, misogyny or sexual misconduct was found against the managing director” during an independent HR investigation. SSD did, however, acknowledge that it “could and should have done better” in relation to poor business practices (via Chronicle Live).

Following the statement, the likes of Sports Team, Oscar Lang, NOISY and Vistas have taken to social media to boycott Hit The North Festival 2021 due to its link to SSD Concerts.

“We will not be playing Hit The North today,” wrote Sports Team, who were set to sub-headline beneath DMA’S. “Apologies for those who had tickets to see us, will try to rearrange something in Newcastle as soon as we can.”

We will not be playing Hit The North today. Apologies for those who had tickets to see us, will try to rearrange something in Newcastle as soon as we can.

— Sports Team (@SportsTeam_) October 23, 2021

Announcing that he had withdrawn from the festival, Lang tweeted: “As much as we love playing shows, we don’t love supporting sexual misconduct allegations. Newcastle we love you and we will be back xxx.”

NOISY, meanwhile, said that they would instead be performing their own free show at Newcastle’s Head Of Steam at 7pm. “See you later for beers,” they wrote.

The Goa Express explained that they had pulled out of Hit The North Festival “due to the ongoing issues surrounding SSD”, adding: “Thank you to those informing us and bringing light to the situation.”

hey guys we will not be playing Hit The North today. As much as we love playing shows, we don’t love supporting sexual misconduct allegations. Newcastle we love you and we will be back xxx

— Oscar Lang (@oscarlangmusic) October 23, 2021

Poppy Jo, who’s the lead singer of Manchester group HI SIENNA, shared a “personal statement regarding my band having to pull out of Hit The North”.

“It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see so many people attacking artists for just trying to do their thing and play their music, having nothing to do with any accusations or alleged knowledge of wrongful behaviour,” she wrote.

The singer called on fans to “please keep supporting the music, the bands are small artists”, who have suffered “a huge loss” as a result of cancelling their performances. You can see her full statement along with more posts below.

My personal statement regarding my band having to pull out of Hit The North festival today.

Please keep supporting the music, the bands and small artists. This is a huge loss for some and the bands should not have to suffer at the expense of anybody else. pic.twitter.com/w2Ix6knXTR

— PoppyJo (@poopyjo) October 23, 2021

We will not be playing Hit the North Festival in Newcastle today.

We’re truly sorry to anyone that was looking forward to us and we’ll arrange to come and play for you soon.@titsupontyne

— Lottery Winners (@LotteryWinners) October 23, 2021

Morning everyone, just want to let you know we will not be playing at Hit the North Festival today in Newcastle. We hope to be back up there soon to come play for you all, sorry if anyone had any plans to come down and see us. Big love ??

— Fuzzy Sun (@FuzzySunBand) October 23, 2021

We’ll no longer be playing Hit The North. pic.twitter.com/bMiUoPAGl4

— THE GOA EXPRESS (@TheGoaExpress) October 22, 2021

Due to information that’s recently been brought to our attention we will not be playing @hitthenorthfest today. Sincere apologies to anyone that hoped to see us play. We will make sure to come back soon!

— The Clockworks (@daclockworks) October 23, 2021

We will not be playing Hit The North festival today.
The heaviest of apologies to all those who were looking forward to the set. We will be back playing Newcastle very soon.

— Andrew Cushin (@AndrewCushin) October 23, 2021

We will no longer be playing today at Hit The North festival in Newcastle.

Apologies to anyone who had tickets, we’ll hopefully be back there again soon.

— Stanleys (@Stanleysband_) October 23, 2021

we won’t be playing hit the north festival today but we’re putting on our own show with @maccawiles. it’s free entry, see you later for beers pic.twitter.com/ngFhZ7q2Hs

— NOISY (@theworldnoisy) October 23, 2021

Apologies to those coming to see us at Hit The North, but we won’t be playing the festival this weekend.

— ?????? (@spyr3s) October 23, 2021

We will no longer be playing Hit The North Festival today. Apologies to anyone looking forward to seeing us. We will try to organise something in Newcastle in the near future.

— vistas (@vistasmusic) October 23, 2021

updated Hit the North lineup lol pic.twitter.com/8hZ2bMLCo9

— marc (@makedecisi0ns) October 23, 2021

Hit The North Festival is yet to comment on the mass cancellations. NME has contacted the event for comment.

Following the HR investigation, Steve Davis said in a statement: “This has been a very sobering process to go through. I haven’t always got things right and if this has affected anyone, I am sorry. I thank all staff past and present for their honesty and feedback which will help the business move forward.”

Investigators concluded their report: “Overall, the level of familiarity between employees and Steve Davis as managing director has blurred the boundaries of professional relationships within the workplace which has been exacerbated by the industry within which they work.

“Some ACAS courses were booked for attendance by Steve Davis and other employees with management responsibilities. This would go some way to help provide some understanding with regards to the issues related to harassment, equality, diversity, and inclusivity.”

They continued: “The reflections of Steve Davis are reassuring. He has a level of awareness from this process and these events and will not engage in any contact or conversation that could lend itself to misinterpretation again in the future, reinforced by the fact there is now executive director awareness and oversight.”

IDLES’ Joe Talbot says ‘Ultra Mono’ “translated badly” in the absence of live music

IDLES‘ Joe Talbot has explained that he thinks ‘Ultra Mono’ “translated badly” in the absence of live music last year.

• READ MORE: IDLES: “Loads of people don’t fucking like us”

Speaking to Mojo magazine, the frontman reflected on the setbacks of releasing the album in September 2020 – when concerts were still banned in the UK in a bid to curb coronavirus cases.

“I think that album translated badly as a home-listening device. The whole point of that record was to build a narrative with our audience,” he said (via Contact Music).

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“The album itself was a caricature of what people thought of us and we wanted to kind of twist that up and then burn that effigy so we would start [upcoming fourth album] ‘Crawler’.”

Talbot continued: “We can’t make another ‘Joy’ [As An Act Of Resistance], we can’t make another ‘Ultra Mono’. We just can’t go back. Because we’ve done it. To death.

“We’ve done the biggest loudest most brash big rock album version of ourselves we can and we won’t go back there. We have to move forward.”

As for ‘Crawler’, Talbot explained that the record delves into “the worst years of [his] life but also the best, the most brilliant”. “If you don’t like hearing tales of struggle then you won’t like it,” he added. “But it makes me feel happy because I’m here. I’m alive.”

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Set for release on November 12, IDLES’ fourth studio effort has been previewed with the single ‘The Beachland Ballroom’, which arrived with an accompanying two-part video. The album was co-produced by Kenny Beats and IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen.

IDLES will embark on a UK and Ireland headline tour in early 2022 – you can see the full schedule below.

JANUARY 2022

16 – O2 Academy Brixton, London
17 – O2 Academy Brixton, London
18 – O2 Academy Brixton, London
19 – O2 Academy Brixton, London
21 – Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
22 – O2 Academy, Birmingham
24 – Vicar Street, Dublin
25 – Vicar Street, Dublin
26 – Vicar Street, Dublin
28 – O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester
29 – O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester
30 – O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester

FEBRUARY 2022

1 – O2 Academy, Sheffield
2 – O2 City Hall, Newcastle
3 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
4 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
5 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow

Elton John confirms Christmas duet with Ed Sheeran and jokes about LadBaby battle

Elton John has confirmed to NME that he and Ed Sheeran are working on a Christmas song together, and joked about a battle for Number One with LadBaby.

Sheeran revealed the news this month in an interview with Dutch radio station NPO Radio 2, saying that John reached out to him for the collaboration last year after he discovered that his own Christmas song ‘Step Into Christmas’ had hit the UK Top 10 for the first time ever.

• READ MORE: Elton John: “I’m not interested in the past – not even Elton John’s past”

Speaking to NME for this week’s Big Read cover feature, John says he was surprised that Sheeran revealed the news, as he himself was sworn to secrecy over the track.

Police investigate multiple reports of needle attacks in Nottingham nightclubs

Police in Nottingham are investigating multiple reports of needle attacks in some of the city’s nightclubs.

In a new BBC News report, a number of people have claimed they were injected with a needle while on a night out.

Zara Owen, a 19-year-old student, recalled blacking out shortly after arriving at Pryzm nightclub in Nottingham on October 10. She said the next thing she remembers is waking up in her bed with pain in her leg before discovering a pinprick mark.

“I’m genuinely really scared. It’s one of those things that you hear about but never think will happen to you,” Owen told the BBC. “It makes you question yourself. Why me and how?”

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She has called for security to be bolstered at nightclubs with extra bag and pocket searches.

In another incident, the sister of an unnamed student from Derby said her 19-year-old sibling believes she was injected with a mystery liquid during a night out as she left Stealth nightclub on October 12.

Ellie Simpson said her sister, who does not want to be named, blacked out and was taken to hospital after she felt a “pinch on the back of her arm” as she left the club.

“I don’t think it’s quite yet sunk in what’s happened to her,” Simpson said. “It’s really frightening because I don’t know how you’re meant to prevent it.”

She added: “Obviously you can put your hand over your drink but how do you stop somebody stabbing you with a needle?”

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Stealth nightclub confirmed to the BBC that it has received two reports within the past two weeks from customers who thought they may have been spiked by a needle. The nightclub said it takes reports of spiking “very seriously” and will continue to carry out thorough searches and capture CCTV footage to aid police investigations.

A spokesman for Rekom UK, which owns Pryzm, said: “While these incidents are incredibly rare, we take all reports of this nature very seriously and will do all we can to make sure that they don’t happen in our clubs.”

Nottinghamshire Police has confirmed it was looking into multiple reports of people being “spiked physically”.

“We are currently investigating reports of individuals suspecting that their drinks have been spiked,” Supt Kathryn Craner told the BBC. “Linked to this a small number of victims have said that they may have felt a scratching sensation as if someone may have spiked them physically.”

She added: “We do not believe that these are targeted incidents. They are distinctly different from anything we have seen previously as victims have disclosed a physical scratch type sensation before feeling very unwell.

“This is subtly different from feelings of intoxication through alcohol according to some victims.”

Police said a 20-year-old man had been arrested “on suspicion of possession of class A and class B and cause [to] administer poison or noxious thing with intent to injure, aggrieve and annoy” following an incident in Lower Parliament Street on October 16. He has since been released on bail.

One dead, two injured at Phish concert in San Francisco

One man has died and two people have been injured at a Phish show that took place in San Francisco on Sunday (October 17).

As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, police officers found an adult male who had sustained injuries from a possible fall at the city’s Chase Center venue just before 9pm. Officials have now confirmed that the unidentified man died – no foul play was suspected.

Officers were subsequently alerted to a separate incident at the venue, which is located in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighbourhood, at 9.45pm, with another adult male having suffered from injuries caused by a fall.

He was transported to a hospital with what are said to be “non-life-threatening” injuries. The second concertgoer fell onto another man who was also admitted to hospital, officials told the SFC.

Multiple fans took to social media following the gig to claim that that the two individuals fell from an area in the venue’s upper levels. Further details on the incident have not been confirmed.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the guest’s loved ones,” said Golden State Warriors and Chase Center spokesperson Kimberly Veale, who confirmed the death via the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office. “We are working with the local authorities to determine exactly what happened.”

Juliet Biton, who attended Phish’s show on Sunday, told the SFC that she noticed a commotion as the band played ‘Destiny Unbound’. According to Setlist.FM, this was the sixth song of a 15-track setlist that night.

The report claimed that more than a dozen fans had their phone torches on and were “moving frantically around” the area of the venue in question. Chase Center staff are said to have cleared the section within two minutes and placed a black tarp over the seats.
A medical team then began performing lifesaving measures.

“As I was walking around the concourse I saw several people seemingly inconsolable, walking out of the venue,” Biton remembered.

Posting on Twitter, attendee Bobby Moen recalled witnessing a man “quickly and intentionally put his feet on the glass barricade and [jump] off the edge down into the crowd”.

He added in a follow-up tweet: “Wife and I went to a new spot across the arena, still up high, to try to move on and saw ANOTHER guy fall off a barricade. Accidental this time. shorter distance. But still – 20 feet onto concrete on his back. He is getting medical help now. We are shaken up, heading home early.”

Phish had also performed at the Chase Center the previous night (October 16). The band have not yet commented publicly on the two incidents.

Travis Barker announces ‘House Of Horrors’ Halloween livestream with Machine Gun Kelly, Mark Hoppus

Travis Barker has announced details of a new Halloween livestream show featuring Avril Lavigne, Machine Gun Kelly, Mark Hoppus and more.

‘Travis Barker’s House of Horrors’ will take place via the digital platform NoCap on October 28 at 7pm PST/10pm EST/midday BST.

Also set to feature on the stream are Blackbear, Iann Dior, JXDN and more, with the event dubbed “an exclusive Halloween broadcast from a private Haunted Estate.”

Alt-J share new single ‘U&ME’ from upcoming fourth album ‘The Dream’

Alt-J have announced their fourth album, ‘The Dream’, and shared its first track ‘U&ME’ – you can listen to it below.

• READ MORE: Every single Mercury Prize winner: what happened next?

The new single is described as the trio’s “most honest song to date” and arrives with an accompanying music video, directed by Prosper Unger-Hamilton, the brother of band member Gus.

“It’s about being at a festival with your best friends, having a good time, togetherness, and the feeling in life that nothing could be any better than it is right now,” Gus explained of ‘U&ME’.

Sons of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and Clown release debut single as the band Vended

Corey Taylor‘s son Griffin and Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan’s son Simon have shared their debut single ‘Asylum’ from their band Vended.

The track, which you can listen to below, has shades of Slipknot with its hard-hitting rhythmic patterns.

Vended’s lineup, which is completed by Cole Espeland (lead guitar), Connor Grodzicki (rhythm guitar), and Jeramiah Pugh (bass), performed their first headline gig back in March at the Vaudeville Mews club in Des Moines, Iowa, where Slipknot were formed.

Inside Rollin’ & Tumblin’, our new free CD with 15 tracks of new-school Blues

Bop Shop VMA Edition: Songs From Chlöe, Lorde, Polo G, And More

The Stranglers Dark Matters

BLACKPINK’s Lisa has finally made her solo debut with ‘Lalisa’

BLACKPINK’s Lisa has finally made her highly anticipated solo debut with the release of her first-ever single album, ‘Lalisa’.

• READ MORE: BLACKPINK’s Rosé takes things back to basics on captivating solo debut, ‘R’

The project features four tracks, including the title track ‘Lalisa’ and B-side ‘Money’, alongside their instrumental versions. ‘Lalisa’ was written by frequent BLACKPINK collaborators 24, Bekuh Boom and Teddy Park, while ‘Money’ was helmed by 24, Boom, R.Tee and Vince.

The single album dropped alongside a music video for the title track ‘Lalisa’. During a press conference prior to the project’s release, the Thai-born singer said she hopes the song would “show the strength of my name and my confident side”, as translated by Soompi.

Travis Barker says Kourtney Kardashian gave him the “strength” to take a flight again

Travis Barker has opened up about how girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian helped the Blink-182 drummer to take a flight for the first time in 13 years.

Last month, Barker and Kardashian flew from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico on Kylie Jenner’s private jet, marking Barker’s first flight since he survived a deadly plane crash in 2008.

The crash saw the plane’s two pilots and two of its four passengers killed instantly, with Barker and fellow passenger DJ AM suffering serious injuries. Barker then spent 11 weeks in a hospital, undergoing 26 surgeries and a number of skin grafts.

TikTok passes Youtube for average watch time in UK and US

TikTok is now watched on average longer than YouTube by users in both the UK and US, according to a new report.

• READ MORE: TikTok is nostalgic for the noughties school experience. Believe me, it wasn’t that great

According to app monitoring firm App Annie, the average time per user spent on the apps is higher for TikTok, indicating high levels of engagement.

YouTube retains the top spot for overall time spent on apps – not per user – as it has more users overall than TikTok, with an estimated two billion monthly users – TikTok has somewhere around 700 million.

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“YouTube still leads TikTok in overall time spent, including in the UK,” Jamie MacEwan, from Enders Analysis, explained to the BBC. “YouTube’s mass audience means it’s getting more demographics that are comparatively light internet users… it’s just reaching everyone who’s online.”

He added that the most-invested YouTube users probably “match or surpass” the engagement of TikTok users. “TikTok was spending big to attract users, but they were not necessarily hanging around for long compared to other social media,” he said. “Now we know that in the US and UK, TikTok has overhauled YouTube, and is reeling in Facebook… that’s a huge seal of approval.”

App Annie’s report showed that TikTok – which is also currently ranked the most downloaded app worldwide since 2020 – surpassed YouTube in the UK back in June 2020, and has continued to maintain its dominance since. In the US, the two apps traded places a number of times late last year before TikTok emerged on top in April 2021.

Another metric examined included consumer spending. The report suggests that apps with live-streaming – including TikTok – are helping to fuel a surge in money spent on creators. Apps that have live-streaming as “a prominent feature” accounted for three-quarters of money spent in the top 25 social apps in the first half of 2021, according to the report.

App Annie said: “Live-streaming is driving growth in engagement for social apps, which sets them up for consumer spend.”

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App Annie specialises in apps analysis. The “time spent” metric in its report solely accounts for Android phones – and also does not include China, where TikTok – known locally as Douyin – is a major app.

Earlier this summer, TikTok responded to criticism from a comedian which claimed that phrases including ‘Black Lives Matter’ and “Black success” were banned from the platform.

Ziggi Tyler recently called out TikTok in videos showing that the app allowed words including “neo-Nazi”, “pro-white” and “white supremacist” to be included in the bios of content creators on the app’s Creator Marketplace.

The videos went on to show that terms including “pro-Black”, “Black Lives Matter”, “Black success” and “Black people” were flagged as being inappropriate or banned.

In response to the controversy, TikTok shared a statement with Forbes. It read: “Our TikTok Creator Marketplace protections, which flag phrases typically associated with hate speech, were erroneously set to flag phrases without respect to word order.

“We recognise and apologise for how frustrating this was to experience, and our team has fixed this significant error. To be clear, Black Lives Matter does not violate our policies and currently has over 27 billion views on our platform.”

Mark Hoppus says he’s finished his chemotherapy treatment

Blink-182‘s Mark Hoppus has finished his chemotherapy treatment, according to text messages from former bandmate Tom DeLonge.

Back in June, Hoppus confirmed his cancer diagnosis and said he’d begun undergoing chemotherapy for what he later clarified was stage four diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Following Hoppus’ initial statement, both blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and former guitarist Tom DeLonge voiced their support for their friend, and DeLonge has now shared text conversations with Hoppus online, appearing to confirm that the band’s bassist has finished his treatment.

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“I wanted to be a good friend to Mark Hoppus and just give some modest advice on what he should do next, now that his Chemo treatments have subsided and it looks like they may have worked wonderfully,” DeLonge wrote on Instagram.

Alongside the caption were screenshots of messages the pair sent to each other. “No more treatments right?” DeLonge writes to Hoppus, to which his former bandmate responds: “No more planned.”

“Doctor said I can take my port out,” he added. “I think because he thinks the chemo did the trick and I’m done but also if the chemo didn’t work we do a different treatment entirely?”

Regarding the advice given to Hoppus by DeLonge, he said: “u need to fuck as many things as possible. Shoes, gopher holes, golfers. Anything u can catch.”

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A post shared by Official Tom DeLonge (@tomdelonge)

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Following Hoppus’ initial statement revealing his diagnosis, both Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and former guitarist Tom DeLonge voiced their support for their friend.

In July, Hoppus gave an update on his condition, saying that scans indicated the chemotherapy was working. “I still have months of treatment ahead, but it’s the best possible news,” the bassist said.

Later that month, Hoppus shared a video of himself playing bass for the first time since his diagnosis, performing Blink’s 2005 track ‘Not Now’ while appearing on a Twitch stream.

Alkaline Trio and Taking Back Sunday announce co-headline 2022 UK tour

Alkaline Trio and Taking Back Sunday have announced details of a co-headline UK tour set for spring 2022 – see the dates below.

The two bands will head to these shores next March for five gigs, ending with a huge London show at Brixton Academy. It follows Alkaline Trio’s return to the UK this weekend for Slam Dunk Festival.

• READ MORE: Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba: “Our new songs are inspired by The Strokes”

“We are so excited to tour the UK again!” Alkaline Trio’s Dan Andriano said in a statement. “It’s been WAY too long and we look forward to seeing some familiar faces and some new ones too. And with our pals in Taking Back Sunday, it will make the return even sweeter! We can’t wait!!”

DMA’s launch surprise EP with ‘We Are Midnight’ video: “It encapsulates everything we are”

DMA’s have shared the video for new singe ‘We Are Midnight’ from their surprise new EP. See it first on NME below along with our interview with guitarist Johnny Took.

Last week saw the Aussie trio share surprise new EP ‘I Love You Unconditionally, Sure Am Going To Miss You’ as an unexpected follow up to the band’s third album ‘The Glow’, which hit Number Four in the UK charts in 2020. Leading single ‘We Are Midnight’, as Took told us, is a “deeply innocent” track and one of the first love songs he’s written.

“I just remember sitting on the couch in Melbourne and playing my partner’s guitar when we’d just started going out,” Took told NME. “If anyone is listening to a song about new love, it’s pretty relatable and open and we wanted to capture that through the music.”

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The accompanying video is made up of a montage of grainy VHS shot clips of their time experiences during lockdown. “It was giving a snapshot of each of our personal lives through the pandemic”, Took said of the concept. “I feel like it’s quite an innocent video. We’re not a big talking band really, we don’t say much at gigs and we don’t give a lot away so I think it’s nice for people to see a more personal side to us.”

Took went on to tell us how the “noisy as fuck” new EP is intended as a “gift for original fans of the band.”

“It was born out of the pandemic but also our third album,” he told NME. “We had strayed away from our original sound with ‘The Glow’, which was natural because we were working with the producer Stuart Price [Dua Lipa, The Killers, New Order] who is very dynamic and mostly known for his electronic stuff which was important for us to explore.”

The guitarist explained that the possibilities felt “limitless” while working with Price, but that ultimately the band selected songs that would play to the strengths of the producer. “It’s important for us to keep pushing the boundaries and changing what we do, but at the same time we left some fans wanting that noisier, guitar-driven, raucous sound.”

The band themselves also missed that element of their early sound, with Took explaining how the new four-track release marks a “nostalgic trip back to their roots” brought on by the quiet life of the pandemic. “We realised we weren’t going to be able to tour – and for the first time ever we’re actually at the stage where you can surprise drop an EP and it might have some impact,” he said.

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Not only is the release a return to their early sound musically, the band also self-produced in the same place where they made their debut album ‘Hills End’. “It was funny going back to the same studio to our early practices but we’re all seven years more experienced,” said Took. “So as much as you try and rekindle that early energy, it’s never going to be the same thing – because you’ve naturally grown and changed as people.”

He continued: “It felt like we could do anything, not that there are any rules usually, but you’d be conscious of going ‘this is the kind of album we’re going to make’ with certain producers. This EP was all about us and our fans. It was just us having fun and doing what we do best.”

As for the lengthy title of the EP, Took explained how it was inspired by harkening back to their formative years with a fair share of nostalgia.

“My good friend was going overseas to see her family and she left that note on a piece of paper for me and I had it stuck on a white pin-board,” he said, describing the EP’s artwork. Eagle-eyed fans will have recognised the hand-written note from a blink-and-you-miss it still from the video their debut single ‘Delete’. “Now the board is completely covered in faded photos from that era of when the band first started and we were living in this apartment at 37 Buckland Lane – it’s basically where the band started and we first started writing songs,” he revealed.

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A post shared by DMA'S (@dmasmusic)

Fans might also be pleased to hear that the sound of the new EP could be a sign of things to come on their fourth album.

“When you have an experience like making this EP, it’s amazing how much you learn about yourself, it makes you realise where you’re at and what path of music you want to write,” said Took. “I want to work with a big producer on the next record but I don’t want to forget the parts of going back to our roots and the noise and anarchy that we’ve made in some of these tracks on the EP. It was us checking in with ourselves a bit – not getting too carried away and going too far down the pop road or something like that.”

Looking forward, DMA’s immediate focus is on their long-awaited return to the UK and Ireland this year. “It really blows us away every time, we’ve just been wanting to get back over there again as quickly as possible,” said Took. “We didn’t want to disappoint the fans that we’ve got over there, it’s pretty cool that we’re going to be coming back with a fresh release as well as playing ‘The Glow’.”

Took added: “Having more of that electronic element in there is really exciting for me. Bringing that into the live set has made it more three dimensional, we’ve got the singalong ballads, we’ve got the rock and roll stuff where it’s just back to basics.

“I’m just really proud of where the live set is now. It’s really tied the whole show together and I just can’t wait to get out there and play it to people.”

‘I Love You Unconditionally, Sure Am Going To Miss You’ is out now. DMA’s will be returning to the UK for an extensive rescheduled tour in October.

Travis Barker flies on a plane for the first time since 2008 crash

Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker has flown on an aeroplane for the first time since a deadly 2008 plane crash which left him with critical injuries, reports say.

The crash saw the plane’s two pilots and two of its four passengers killed instantly, with Barker and fellow passenger DJ AM suffering serious injuries. Barker then spent 11 weeks in a hospital, undergoing 26 surgeries a number of skin grafts.

Since then, the drummer has sworn off flying. Back in 2016, Blink-182 shared plans to tour Europe by boat to avoid flying, while Barker dropped out of a tour of Australia in 2013 due to his fear. In 2011, he said he was considering hypnotherapy so he could fly again.

Watch Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker team up in video for new single ‘Papercuts’

Machine Gun Kelly has shared the video for his new single ‘Papercuts’, which features Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker – you can watch the clip below.

The track is the first preview of Kelly’s next album ‘Born With Horns’, which he announced earlier this week.

• READ MORE: Machine Gun Kelly: “I’ve been jumping up and down on the table, believing in myself, for-fucking-ever”

Kelly has now shared ‘Papercuts’ along with a Cole Bennett-directed video which features Barker, who is executively producing ‘Born With Horns’, playing drums. Kelly is also seen in the clip sporting a shaved head, a look he first showed off on social media earlier this week.

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Lorde reveals she wants to collaborate with Harry Styles

Lorde has revealed a wish to collaborate with Harry Styles.

• READ MORE: Lorde’s new song ‘Solar Power’ is a gorgeous, sun-kissed rebirth

In a recent episode of Vogue’s 73 Questions video series, the New Zealander spilled the beans on the artist she most wants to collaborate with, the first song to make her cry, the sound of her upcoming album ‘Solar Power’ and more.

At one point during the nearly 13-minute segment, Lorde responded “I kinda want to talk to Harry Styles,” when asked which artist she’s “dying to collaborate with”. She also revealed that she was the most starstruck when she met Taylor Swift for the first time.

Young Thug premieres tracks from forthcoming punk album during Tiny Desk Concert

Young Thug is the latest act to perform for NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert series, where he premiered a number of new tracks from his forthcoming punk album.

The concert was filmed in the gardens of the Houdini Estate in Los Angeles. The setlist included four new songs – ‘Die Slow’, ‘Droppin’ Jewels’, ‘Hate The Game’, ‘Tick Tock’ – and a reworked version of ‘Ski’, where the rapper was joined by blink-182 drummer Travis Barker.

Watch the performance below:

Watch Mark Hoppus play bass for first time since cancer diagnosis

Mark Hoppus has shared a video of himself playing bass for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer.

The Blink-182 musician told fans in a statement last month that he had been undergoing chemotherapy, and later confirmed he’d been diagnosed with 4-A diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Earlier this month, Hoppus provided an update in which he said that his treatment appeared to be working, saying it was “the best possible news” to have received.

James Blake announces new album and shares lead single ‘Say What You Will’

James Blake has announced the release of a new album called ‘Friends That Break Your Heart’ – listen to lead single, ‘Say What You Will’, below.

• READ MORE: James Blake: “There’s always been more to me than sadness”

The upcoming album, which is set to arrive on September 10, is the singer, songwriter and producer’s first since 2019’s ‘Assume Form’, and follows on from the two EPs he released last year, ‘Before’ and ‘Covers EP’.

‘Friends That Break Your Heart’ includes features from SZA, JID, SwaVay and Monica Martin, and its artwork, which Blake worked on with artist Miles Johnston, is “a visual encapsulation of the emotions brought forth throughout the body of work,” according to a press release.

Sex Pistols are “probably gone for good” amid legal dispute over Danny Boyle series

Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook has said that the band is “probably gone for good” amid the ongoing legal dispute with John Lydon.

Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) is being sued by two of his former bandmates – Cook and guitarist Steve Jones – after refusing to license the group’s music for inclusion in Danny Boyle’s biopic series, Pistol.

• READ MORE: Soundtrack Of My Life: Sex Pistols’ Glen Matlock

The Pistols’ original bassist Glen Matlock and the estate of late bassist Sid Vicious both support their music being featured in Boyle’s show. Lydon, however, argues that the licensing cannot be granted without his consent.

CRAVITY to make a comeback next month, Starship Entertainment confirms

South Korean boyband CRAVITY are preparing to make their return with new music next month.

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On July 19, their agency Starship Entertainment confirmed that the nine-member act will make their comeback in Augsut. “CRAVITY have finalised their plans for a comeback in August and is currently busily preparing for it,” the company told South Korean news outlet Newsen, as translated by Soompi.

“Please look forward to a new transformation by CRAVITY, who will return with more evolved music and performances,” Starship Entertainment added. No other details were been revealed, but more information is expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Trippie Redd links up with Lil Uzi Vert for poppy new single ‘Holy Smokes’

Trippie Redd has released a synth-driven new single titled ‘Holy Smokes’, featuring guest vocals from Lil Uzi Vert.

• READ MORE: From Trippie Redd to Lil Uzi Vert, rap-rock is back. And this time, it doesn’t suck

The track follows ‘Miss The Rage’ – a collaboration with Playboi Carti that Redd dropped back in May – as the second single from Redd’s anticipated fourth album ‘Trip At Knight’, which is due for release later in 2021.

Listen to the track below: