My Life In 35 Songs, Track 17: “Ride” by Cary Brothers

My Life in 35 Songs
Craig Manning

If I told you the reasons why, would you leave your life and ride?

“College sucks, but you’re also not trying.”

That quote comes from the 2020 film Shithouse, the directorial debut of indie filmmaker Cooper Raiff, and my favorite movie of the decade so far. The movie is about Alex’s struggles to find a place and make friends at college, and about the nagging homesickness that prevents him from fully throwing himself into his new environment. Along the way, he strikes up a romance with his RA, a girl named Maggie, and it breaks him out of his shell.

I didn’t see Shithouse until 2022, two years after it came out and more than 12 years after my own college freshman year. When I did, though, it absolutely leveled me. I cannot recall any movie I’ve ever seen that I related to more strongly. My journey wasn’t exactly like Alex’s, but I saw so much of myself and my own first-year-of-college loneliness in that character. It felt like Cooper Raiff had made a movie about my life.

For some people, freshman year of college is an awakening. It’s when they cut loose, let their guard down, shed their former self, make a ton of new friends, chase down a few romances, and have some of their life’s most unforgettable adventures.

I was not one of those people.

My first year of college was, bar none, the loneliest period of my life. Growing up, I always struggled with being shy and reserved, which made it hard, sometimes, to make friends. By the end of high school, I thought I’d successfully eliminated that side of myself. I’d become more outgoing, more approachable, more open to meeting new people, and the outcome had been a wonderful group of friends that made my senior year feel like one big, long party.

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Review: World’s First Cinema – Something Of Wonder

Adam Grundy

On their Fearless Records debut, World’s First Cinema expand upon their starry-eyed vision for the movies and theater that they first tinkered with on their EP (2023’s Palm Reader) with the newly-released Something Of Wonder. The band’s first taste of the new direction they took on this record came with the lead single of “Hold My Own,” a sprawling, riff-heavy track that is in the same realm as bands like American Authors and Panic! At the Disco. World’s First Cinema is the duo of John Sinclair (piano/violin/arrangements) and Fil Thorpe (former vocalist of Neck Deep). On the “Hold My Own,” the band shared, “This song came together after a stretch of touring, where we found ourselves drawn to the high-energy moments in our set. We wanted to capture that feeling in a fresh way, and this track was the result. It felt like the perfect opener for the album—almost like a red herring for what’s to come. It makes a bold statement: we can make music that sounds like this, but we choose to take the album in a direction that’s less expected and, for us, way more exciting.” By adding that dramatic flair to their music, Something Of Wonder lives up to its name in more ways than one.

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Royal Blush – “Go” (Video Premiere)

Adam Grundy

Today I’m thrilled to introduce everyone to Royal Blush, the Alt Rock band from New Jersey, who have released their debut EP called A Ways Away in May, who now have put the finishing touches on the video for the lead single of ”Go.”  Formed by guitarist Andrew Merclean, and later joined by vocalist Allison Heckart and guitarist/producer Patryk Sikorski, this trio is already making waves. Heckart’s vocal range is somewhere in the same realm as Hayley Williams and Pinkshift’s Ashrita Kuma, while she truly has a unique style of her own. If you’re enjoying “Go,” please consider supporting the band here.

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My Chemical Romance Earn Ten New RIAA Certifications

My Chemical Romance
Jason Tate

My Chemical Romance has earned ten new certifications:

The album’s lead single “Welcome to the Black Parade” is now certified 7X-Platinum, “Teenagers” is now 6X-Platinum, “Famous Last Words” is 2X-Platinum, and “I Don’t Love You” and “Mama” ascend to Platinum status. Additionally, album tracks “House of Wolves,” “The End.,” “The Sharpest Lives,” “This Is How I Disappear,” and “Disenchanted” are now certified Gold.  

Review: Wet Leg – moisturizer

Adam Grundy

There’s so much to love when a talented young band quickly figures out their sound and takes their music in the directions you were hoping they would. There is no “sophomore slump” to be found on moisturizer, the second LP by indie rockers, Wet Leg. After an astounding self-titled debut record garnered the band some Grammy wins and a moment of, “Holy shit, we’ve arrived” in the chart-topping singles of “Chaise Longue” and “Wet Dream”, Wet Leg appeared to solidify their status as much more than a one-trick pony on moisturizer. The set was once-again produced by Dan Carey (Civil Twilight, Foals) and this continued relationship truly pays off here. Wet Leg was founded by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, and the two songwriters are joined here by Ellis Durand, Henry Holmes, and Joshua Mobaraki to round out their attack found on this blistering record that is filled with brash guitars, hooks for days, and improved songwriting.

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‘Scrubs’ Gets Series Order at ABC

Scrubs
Jason Tate

Scrubs is officially returning.

A long-discussed revival of the 2000s comedy series has landed a series order from ABC, where it’s been in development since December 2024 — though series creator Bill Lawrence and members of the cast have talked about reuniting for years before that. Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke, who starred in the original version of the show, have signed on to join series lead Zach Braff in the revival. All three will also be executive producers on the show, which is set to premiere in the 2025-26 season.

BPI Calls for AI Labels on Spotify and Other DSPs

AI
Jason Tate

Digital Music News:

“That’s why we’re calling on the UK government to protect copyright and introduce new transparency obligations for AI companies so that music rights can be licensed and enforced, as well as calling for the clear labelling of content solely generated by AI,” Jones indicated.

The latter adverb raises interesting questions about what an across-the-board labeling system would look like in practice. For obvious reasons, if they do incorporate AI, established artists probably won’t want their music labeled as such – hence the “solely” clarifier.

This seems like a no-brainer to me.