Month: April 2025

Now that’s a great mail day! And a very specifically designed to make me happy mail day. Can’t wait to start the book tomorrow.

Jason Tate Photo Blog

My Life In 35 Songs, Track 3: “Hide” by Creed

My Life in 35 Songs
Craig Manning

Let’s leave, oh let’s get away, get lost in time/Where there’s no reason left to hide

The first CD I ever owned was Creed’s Human Clay. I got it for my 12th birthday. The second and third CDs I ever owned were Creed’s other two albums, My Own Prison and Weathered, which I got a month later for Christmas. I was not at all aware at the time that Creed were one of the most derided bands of their era, and I’m glad for that. One of the great things about loving music when you’re young is that you do so without pretense or insecurity. Those things come later. What comes first, at least from my experience, is a fierce connection to the words and the melodies and the way the songs make you feel. Such was the case, for me, with Creed, especially in the winter of 2002-03 when those three albums – Weathered in particular – became the soundtrack to a particularly fraught period in my young life.

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Review: All Time Low – Future Hearts

All Time Low - Future Hearts
Adam Grundy

The sixth studio album from pop-punk band All Time Low found them working with a ton of outside collaborators/writers and showcased a slick sound led by production from veteran producer John Feldmann. Future Hearts is now celebrating its tenth birthday today, and each of the 13 songs found on the record featured an outside writer on it. This type of collaboration was new to the band, as they had typically composed the majority of their material in-house. Future Hearts was one of All Time Low’s most successful LPs at launch date, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200 upon its release and selling over 80,000 copies in its first week. The band took their major label misfire (2011’s Dirty Work) in stride and would quickly follow this up with Don’t Panic and their final Hopeless Records record in Future Hearts. While the band would reach their creative peak on 2020’s Wake Up Sunshine, Future Hearts is filled with a ton of great pop-punk tunes that deserve another look.

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Record Store Day 2025 Countdown

CD, Record Store
Adam Grundy

This year’s Record Store Day occurs this Saturday, April 12th, 2025. Get your lists ready and prepare to dive into the key vinyl releases for this celebration of indie record stores. The Record Store Day “Ambassador” for ’25 is Post Malone, and he shared in a press release:

What an honor, I can’t believe I was chosen to be Record Store Day’s Ambassador for 2025. Record Store Day is so important and I really hope to do my part to keep it alive. We love hitting local shops when we’re on the road, seeing all the crazy artwork, the whole energy in a record store is just super inspiring. I feel at home. It’s really an unexplainable feeling to hit up a shop and dig through crates, just see what grabs your eye. You can be looking for something super specific and end up finding something totally different. It’s the best. Keep supporting y’all and let’s keep records and these local shops going strong. Happy Record Store Day everybody!”

In this article, I’ll be providing some tips & tricks for navigating this year’s Record Store Day observance, plus some early previews of some of the key titles. You can also check out my initial RSD ’25 preview here.

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Mark Hoppus Talks With US Weekly

Mark Hoppus
Jason Tate

Mark Hoppus, on a press bonanza for his book that’s out today, was also interviewed for US Weekly:

“The day before I started chemotherapy, Tom texted me a photo of him standing in front of a bunch of women in lingerie. It was for a music video that he was filming for Angels and Airwaves, and he said, ‘Hey, just so you know, I’m still creating art over here with Angels and Airwaves.’ And I replied, ‘Ha ha, that’s great. By the way, I need to tell you I have cancer. I start chemotherapy tomorrow,’ and immediately my phone rang and it was Tom,” he recalled. “It was the first time that I’d really spoken to him in years, but we didn’t even talk about that. He’s like, ‘How are you feeling? What’s going on? First of all, you’re going to get through this. I’m going to help you get through this no matter what.’”

Myriads – “Find Ourselves Again” (Album Stream)

Myriads
Adam Grundy

Myriads, the project name of songwriter Maria DeHart, is gearing up to release her new EP called Find Ourselves Again, that will officially release on April 11th. Today, Myriads are sharing an exclusive early listen to the EP and the project is great for fans of similar artists like Wednesday, Snail Mail, and Slow Pulp. When asked about the new EP, DeHart shared, “This EP is straight from my heart and the minds/incredible talents of my bandmates, who helped me string together this big and sometimes loud, sometimes delicate group of songs from bits and pieces of tunes I’d written in my bedroom over the years. I am so excited to share it and I hope it makes you feel something when you listen.” Overall, the EP is a study of love, happiness, depression, and the search for meaning in these universal human experiences. It’s Myriads’ most honest and thoughtful endeavor yet, and the new band is excited for what is to come. If you’re enjoying the early listen, please consider pre-ordering the EP here.

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Lucy Dacus & Katie Gavin In Conversation

Jason Tate

Lucy Dacus and Katie Gavin sat down to talk together for Alternative Press.

KATIE GAVIN: I was feeling weird about leaving MUNA for a period of time to do the solo project, but then it was like, “OK, well, when the solo project becomes my main squeeze, and I’m on cycle for that, then MUNA is gonna become the mistress, and it’ll be nice to be tempted to go back to that again.”

LUCY DACUS: The mistress will strengthen your marriage.