Month: August 2018

Review: Lovelytheband – Finding It Hard To Smile

Lovelytheband
Adam Grundy

On Lovelytheband’s debut album, Finding It Hard To Smile, the group grows upon the sound from their debut EP and stretches out the good vibes over the expansive 16-track LP. The new group is led by former Oh Honey lead-singer, Mitchy Collins, guitarist Jordan Greenwold and drummer Sam Price. The group has had over three million streams of their debut single, “Broken,” and has toured extensively since their debut EP dropped in 2017.

The album opens up with the instrumental/atmospheric synth-laden title track, that flows directly into the second track “Pity Party.” The synths and guitars mesh well and play off of each other nicely on this track, as drummer Sam Price sets the pacing brilliantly. The following track, “Make You Feel Pretty,” finds Lovelytheband at the utter-catchiest, with a bouncy verse and upbeat sing-a-long chorus. In the second verse, Collins paints a picture of a relationship that appears to be very one-sided, when he sings, “Oh, I could use a Xanax, maybe that’ll fix this/She’s like an addiction, something I ain’t kickin’ easy/Am I wasting my time?” These catchy, yet relatable lyrics, paint the band as group willing to wear their heart on their sleeves and showcase their vulnerabilities.

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The Aquabats Launch Kickstarter

The Aquabats
Jason Tate

The Aquabats have started a Kickstarter:

We hear you loud and clear: It’s time for The Aquabats to get to work, making more music and bringing back the Super Show! But the truth is we can’t make ANYTHING without you… and since we’re doing this for you, we wouldn’t want to do it without you!

With YOUR SUPPORT, we can record The Aquabats’ first NEW ALBUM since 2011, and shoot our first NEW TV SPECIAL since 2014. Not only will you get new music and television, you’ll be helping introduce The Aquabats to a whole new generation of Righteous Comrades and future Aquacadets!

Warped Tour is over. Will the culture it created reckon with its demons?

Warped Tour
Jason Tate

Taylor Telford, writing at The Washington Post:

Overlooking the sins of powerful artists has felt intolerable in the era of #MeToo, but at Warped, taste is tethered to identity, and what comes next for its audience is complicated. The tour has flourished because much of its music is confessional and intimate. It fosters a devotion in the young, marginalized and vulnerable that rarely fades with age. Now fans are wrestling with whether the culture can adapt and evolve, or whether its worst roots run too deep. […]

Until I got to college, I actively disliked female musicians. I was enamored with the myth of the tortured artist; I chased it not only in my taste but also in my personal relationships. Now I wonder if some of these failures can be traced back to the music that shaped me. In part, I want to scrub myself of its influence. The problem is that I wouldn’t know myself without it.

This entire piece is really good. I hope this music scene can learn from the mistakes of the past. Sometimes I see signs of progress, and sometimes I am at a loss for words.

Johnny Depp’s Notorious B.I.G. Movie Pulled From Theater Release

Film
Jason Tate

The Hollywood Reporter:

Johnny Depp’s Notorious B.I.G. thriller City of Lies has been pulled from the schedule a month before it was set to hit theaters.

The movie, formerly known as LAbyrinth, was slated to open Sept. 7 in North America by Global Road Entertainment. No new date has been set for the film.

The move comes amid a series of woes for the actor, including a damaging Rolling Stone profile in June, that make any publicity campaign tough.