Jack Antonoff Writing Music for ‘Romeo + Juliet’ Reimagining

Bleachers
Jason Tate

The Wrap:

Rachel Zegler (Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story) and Kit Connor (Netflix’s “Heartstopper”) will star in a new Broadway musical version of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” a reimagining with the modern political environment in mind that will premiere this fall. 

Directed by Tony winner Sam Gold, the production — stylized as “Romeo + Juliet” — will feature music by multiple-Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Jack Antonoff. Tony winner Sonya Tayeh is writing the movement.

Record Store Day Countdown: The 1975 – Live At Gorilla

CD, Record Store
Adam Grundy

The first week of our Record Store Day countdown series wraps up today with a look into the live set from The 1975 called Live At Gorilla. This performance of the band’s debut LP, played in full from front to back for the first time since 2013, was recorded live in Manchester on February 1, 2023 and remains faithful to the original recording. The “RSD First” double LP is limited to 7,500 copies via Interscope Records and is pressed on white vinyl. The artwork for Live At Gorilla can be found below.

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Applied Communications – “Oxytocin Drunk” (Song Premiere)

Applied Communications
Adam Grundy

Today I’m excited to share with everyone the latest single from Applied Communications called “Oxytocin Drunk.” Applied Communications is the music alias of Max Wood, and he channels his love for slick production and powerful songwriting in a crowd-pleasing package. When speaking on the new single, Max shared that “Oxytocin Drunk” is “the first song I finished when I decided to make music again. It’s about the joy of being disappointed; realizing that means that you are capable of caring really deeply about the people, ideas, and experiences in your life. I tried to keep it relatively straightforward and poppy, though the yowling off-key chorus vocals and abrupt shifts will probably lose some folks.” If you’re enjoying the new single, please consider pre-ordering his upcoming EP here. I was also able to catch up with Max for a brief interview below.

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Elly Low – “I’m Afraid” (Video Premiere)

Elly Low
Adam Grundy

Today I’m thrilled to introduce everyone to a new artist named Elly Low, and share her debut music video for “I’m Afraid.” This song is a catchy jazz-pop track that explores the relatable vulnerability and uncertainty of falling in love. The song reminds me a bit of Amy Winehouse’s charisma paired with Lana Del Rey’s songwriting. Her label shared, “Elly sent me a few demos, and I was knocked out. I immediately offered her a development deal. She has a modern sound in an earthy, bluesy, Georgia kind of way. ‘I’m Afraid’ is the first of what’s going to be many songs coming from this uniquely talented singer/songwriter.” If you’re enjoying the debut single from Elly Low, keep an eye out for her debut EP that will be released later this year. I was also able to catch up with Elly for a brief interview below.

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Geoff Rickly Talks With Vulture

Thursday
Jason Tate

Geoff Rickly of Thursday talked with Vulture about their musical return:

In 2019, we started writing and it was really contentious. We were tossing demos back and forth, and nothing was happening. We let them sit for a while. With the last one, everyone was like, “This one has an amazing chorus. How can you not like that?” And I was like, “I just feel like it’s too much the same thing over and over again.” Stu Richardson, who plays bass for us on tour and is an amazing producer, was like, “That’s an easy fix.” Stu slowed down the beginning, took out the drums, and added some keyboards and then I sang a totally different thing over it, and it was like, “Oh! Suddenly I love this song!”

The funny thing is, I don’t know what will come next from us, but now that the Band-Aid is off, it feels a lot easier to write together. Since we got back together eight years ago, this is the biggest the band’s been. Every night we’re going out and the audience makeup is tilting toward younger fans instead of people that have been with us the whole time.