Halsey Talks With Zane Lowe

Halsey
Jason Tate

Halsey sat down for a new interview with Zane Lowe. She talks about why she’s not releasing new music yet:

And that’s the hardest part, I think, of having been a pop star once. Is because I’m not one anymore, but I’m being compared to numbers and to other people I don’t consider lateral to me! You know what I mean? I mean, a couple years ago, yeah, it was me and Ariana quote-unquote fighting for #1 on the Billboard chart. And we weren’t fighting. We were texting. We loved it. It was like the best time ever, that era. The “Without Me,” “thank u, next,” “7 Rings” era, that was amazing. It was an amazing time. But if my record comes out and sells 100,000 copies first week with no radio play, no real support, and the comparison is, “Well why isn’t she doing Taylor Swift numbers?” Are you fucking kidding me? I made an experimental concept album about how I almost fucking died. I’m not gonna do those numbers. But I’m doing pretty damn good! Those are strong numbers! I’m still in the top 10 of female artists’ first weeks. But it’s not good enough because it’s not, you know, “the pop star I once was.” Even though I’m actively making the choice to not be.

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More Than 400 Artists Announce “No Music For Genocide” Boycott

Spidey-Protest
Jason Tate

Over 400 artists have signed on to the “No Music for Genocide” project:

No Music For Genocide is a cultural boycott of Israel. Over 400 initial artists and labels have geo-blocked and removed their music from that territory in response to Israel’s genocide in Gaza; ethnic cleansing of the Occupied West Bank; apartheid within Israel / ’48; political repression of Pro-Palestine efforts wherever we live; and the music industry’s own ties to weapons and crimes against humanity. 

Review: Motion City Soundtrack – The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World

Adam Grundy

It’s so great to have Motion City Soundtrack back and making music again. Panic Stations was their last taste of music that the band offered, back in 2015, and now after the long hiatus, MCS sounds as refreshed and re-energized than they arguably have ever been. The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World feels like the most logical jumping off point from Motion City Soundtrack’s adored 2010 LP of My Dinosaur Life, and front-man Justin Pierre still remains his quirky and captivating self on this 11-song set produced by Sean O’Keefe (Fall Out Boy, Punchline). “I think that if you look at a lot of our past records, it’s about ‘What’s wrong? What am I not getting right? Why do I feel fucking crazy? Why can’t I figure this out’…and I figured it out,” front-man Justin Pierre admits. “It’s almost like I felt I didn’t have an identity [in the past] and now by working through the hard stuff, I know who I am.” By finding comfort in the past noise and figuring out the person he wants to be moving forward, Justin Pierre and his other four bandmates have crated a record that not only lives up to the band’s legacy, but provides a reinvigorated look at Motion City Soundtrack as a whole.

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Stella and the Very Messed – “Keds With No Laces” (Video Premiere)

Stella and the Very Messed
Adam Grundy

Today is a great day to share the latest single from Austin Alt-rock band, Stella and the Very Messed, called “Keds With No Laces.” The song comes from the band’s sophomore LP, that dropped today via Double Helix Records, called Big Familiar. This band blends crisp hooks, lush melodies, and offbeat humor with ‘90s alt-rock and modern indie. Think Veruca Salt meets XTC, with flashes of Paramore and Squeeze. If you’re enjoying the new single, you can stream the rest of Big Familiar here.

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