Laura Jane Grace Surprise Releases New Album

Laura Jane Grace

Laura Jane Grace has surprise released her new album Stay Alive on all streaming platforms. Physical copies are available for pre-order, and a new interview with Laura is up on Rolling Stone:

Grace worked feverishly with Albini on the record; mostly masked, the two never saw each other’s faces. The producer’s reluctance to try too many takes suited Grace fine since she didn’t want anything to sound too over-cooked. The result is a fast-paced 14-song record with the fist-pumping old-school bravado of Against Me! (“So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Fuck Off”) mixed with almost painfully beautiful imagery (“The Swimming Pool Song,” in which Grace describes herself as a haunted pool).

To celebrate the release she will be performing live from Lincoln Hall in Chicago on Saturday, October 17th. Tickets are now available for the livestream.

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Machine Gun Kelly Releases Deluxe Album

Machine Gun Kelly

Machine Gun Kelly has released a deluxe version of Tickets to My Downfall to all streaming platforms. It features six new songs, including “Body Bag” featuring Yungblud and Bert from The Used. The song was inspired by Fall Out Boy’s “Dance, Dance” and the band approved the clearance.

Sidenote: I think what’s been interesting about this album is to see the homages, or some may say pop-punk clichés, being repurposed in a modern way. To my ears there’s a whole lot in this album that I’ve heard before, from Good Charlotte, to Blink, to Fall Out Boy, but it finds just enough of a way to feel new. I don’t think any of the aforementioned bands could have gotten away with it. There’s no expectations. When Blink-182 releases a new album everyone has an idea of what they want it to sound like, but this is free of those and therefore allowed to stand on its own. I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that it works far more than it doesn’t. “Forget Me Too” is a hit.

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