Month: June 2025

The Oral History of Simple Plan

Simple Plan
Jason Tate

Alternative Press have shared a new oral history of Simple Plan

Key to their success was Atlantic Records’ A&R manager Andy Karp. “One of the things I quickly learned about them is that they’re unbelievably hungry,” he recalls. “To this day, I’ve never worked with an artist that had a stronger work ethic than Simple Plan. They always did everything asked of them and more. They signed every autograph., They flew halfway around the world and back in 36 hours to take advantage of a promotional opportunity. They’re extremely nice, intelligent people. There was a mutual respect that remains to this day — that’s why I was able to maintain such a good relationship with them, even now.” .

Review: HAIM – I Quit

Adam Grundy

Have you ever had the feeling that a little piece is missing from an album? It’s something that you have a hard time putting your finger on, but it’s an uneasy feeling that something is just…off. I got a little bit of that feeling when I listened to HAIM’s fourth studio album called I Quit, a record that is largely about giving up on relationships that aren’t worth our time and effort. Even as I kept coming back to I Quit over my weekend, I couldn’t shake the feeling that a bit of the magic that the band put into their stellar predecessor of Women In Music Pt. III wasn’t there. This current set was produced by Rostam Batmanglij (Ra Ra Riot, Vampire Weekend), lead vocalist/guitarist Danielle Haim, as well as some extra production from Buddy Ross (Frank Ocean), and the overall sheen that comes through the speakers on singles like “Relationships” and “All Over Me” are readily apparent. The music that surrounds the early standout moments just doesn’t seem to recapture that classic HAIM style, even if those “highs” found in the key songs are great.

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Spotify CEO Invests in AI Defense Company

Jason Tate

TechCrunch:

The billionaire, who primarily lives in Stockholm, just led a €600 million investment in Helsing, a 4-year-old, Munich-based defense tech company that is now valued at €12 billion, as first reported by the Financial Times and confirmed separately by TechCrunch. The deal makes it one of Europe’s most valuable privately held companies; it also highlights Europe’s scramble to build its own military muscle as the world grows messier and the U.S. turns inward. […] But what started as an AI software company has grown much more ambitious. Helsing is now building its own strike drones and aircraft and said it’s working on a fleet of unmanned mini submarines in order to improve naval surveillance.