How do you give back to those essential personnel who are working tirelessly to help those affected by COVID-19?
If you’re like most of the musicians out there, you release some new tunes and donate all proceeds from it to COVID-19 funds.
Florence and the Machine are following suit by doing just that.
On Friday (April 17), the United Kingdom act released a new track titled “Light of Love.” As per frontwoman Florence Welch, the four-minute song is a previously unreleased song from 2018’s High as Hope.
“Light of Love’ is an unreleased song from High as Hope, it never made it to the record, but I thought I would release it at midnight tonight, as a little token of my love,” Welch posted on Instagram.
She continues by revealing that she will be donating all proceeds from “Light of Love” to the Intensive Care Society, which provides care for those on the front line, including doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals.
“I will be donating all of my income from this song to the Intensive Care Society.”
“Light of Love” marks Florence and the Machine’s first new song since the release of High As Hope, though she did record a special version of “Jenny of Oldstone” for the final season Game of Thrones in 2019.
We just want to know how high the guys from 5 Seconds of Summer were when they shot this music video because it was a trip from beginning to end. Think of it as a hallucinogen daydream mixed with chunks from the 70s and 90s.
Don’t believe us? Watch “Wildflower” above.
Side note. According to the band, they filmed the video by passing a green screen from house to house and letting each of them do their own thing.
“We made this at home by passing around a green screen from house to house (disinfecting it of course) and capturing the footage on our phones.”
At least they’re being hygienic about it.
“Wildflower” is featured on 5 Seconds of Summer’s latest release, C.A.L.M.
Selena Gomez’s latest studio album may have JUST come out, but the pop star is already releasing a deluxe edition of the record.
On Thursday (April 9), the “Lose You to Love Me” singer unleashed the deluxe version of Rare. The updated version of the album features all 13 tracks that can be found on the January release as well as three new songs. The new additions are titled “Boyfriend,” “She,” and “Souvenir.”
According to a post on Instagram Stories (via Elle), the musician describes “Boyfriend” as “a lighthearted song about falling down and getting back up time and time again in love, but also knowing that you don’t need anyone other than yourself to be happy.”
Gomez reveals that the song was written well before the current pandemic and that having a boyfriend is nowhere near the top of her priority list (nor should it be at the top of anyone’s list).
“We wrote it long before our current crisis, but in the context of today, I want to be clear that a boyfriend is nowhere near the top of my list of priorities. Just like the rest of the world, I’m praying for safety, unity, and recovery during this pandemic.”
Instead, she announced that she will be donating to the Plus 1 COVID-19 Relief Fund in addition to giving $1 from every order that’s placed on her website.
5 Seconds of Summer’s new album is due out in less than 48 hours, but that’s not stopping the guys from giving us one last tune to hold us over until then.
On Wednesday (March 25), the Australian group unleashed one final single before their album’s official drop. Titled “Wildflower,” the almost four-minute track sounds like a departure from all the other tracks they’ve released so far.
But let’s be honest, none of the songs they’ve recently released sound the same.
To coincide with the song’s debut, the foursome has unveiled the lyric video for the track, which features a slew of…you guessed it, wildflowers. Before the video begins, the band gives their followers some insider information about the making of the lyric video.
It took ten straight hours of stop-motion animation, eight hours of editing, 358 different photos, and a grand total of 529 flowers.
Talk about dedication.
Go ahead and show some appreciation for all the hard work by watching the clip one (or 20 times).
“Wildflower” is the fifth single off 5 Seconds of Summer’s upcoming fourth studio album, C.A.L.M.
“Wildflower” joins previously released tracks “Old Me,” “Easier,” “No Shame,” and “Teeth” (our favorite song that has so far been released) featured on the forthcoming 12-track album.
C.A.L.M. is due out this Friday, March 27. Pre-save and pre-order options are still available on the band’s website.
In support of the much-anticipated release, the foursome will hit the North American touring circuit in the late summer. The “No Shame” tour will find the quartet performing at venues across the continent in August and September.
The tour begins on August 12 at the Sports Palace in Mexico City and concludes on September 26 at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California. The full list of tour dates can be found here.
With everything that is currently happening in the world, we’re not sure what the status of the tour is. As of now, it looks as if the excursion will go forward, but we’ll keep an eye out if there’s any change.
We all may be under house arrest for the time being, but All Time Low is giving us another track to add to our “Quarantine 2020” mix.
On Wednesday (March 25), the Baltimore-founded band unleashed another new song from their upcoming new album, Wake Up, Sunshine. This week, the foursome treated fans to a tune called “Melancholy Kaleidoscope.”
Like many of the songs they’ve already unveiled from the forthcoming album, this track sounds like it could find a home on one of their earlier records (Put Up or Shut Up? So Wrong It’s Right? You tell us).
Listen to “Melancholy Kaleidoscope” above.
“Melancholy Kaleidoscope” joins “Getaway Green,” “Sleeping In,” and “Some Kind of Disaster” on All Time Low’s impending eighth studio album. Wake Up, Sunshine is due out April 3 through Fueled By Ramen.
Pre-save and pre-order options are currently available on the band’s website. All pre-orders will include an instant grat download of the album’s singles.
This past weekend, frontman Alex Garskath took to social media to reveal that the band was not pushing the record’s release date. Those who purchased a physical copy of the album from the band’s website will still receive it on the projected release date. For those who bought it on other websites, the expected release date may vary.
Garskath also asked fans to give suggestions on what they would like the band to do to promote the new album since concerts, meet and greets, and signings are currently out of the question.
Last month, All Time Low was confirmed as one of a handful of “emo bands” slated to hit the road for the second annual Sad Summer Music Festival. Joining All Time Low on the road this summer will be The Story So Far, Movements, The Maine, Yours Truly, Grayscale, and Destroy Boys.
With what has been going on, we’re not even sure the tour will go on. But until then, the full list of tour dates can be found here
It’s been seven years since the Sounds released their last studio album, but now, the group is looking to change that.
On Friday (Feb. 28), the Swedish band announced the impending release of their brand new studio album. Titled Things We Do for Love, the forthcoming release is due out May 1 through Arnioki Records.
“Write as many good songs as possible and enjoy it while you’re on a roll. We had a great time writing this one! No pressure just having fun,” explains vocalist Maja Ivarsson about the new album.
“It’s always been about being in the moment and trying to catch a good melody, chord progression, or lyrics when it comes to you.”
Things We Do for Love is the follow-up to the group’s 2013 release, Weekend.
To coincide with the new album announcement, the five-piece debuted the album’s lead single and title track of the record, “Things We Do For Love.” Listen to the dancey, indie-pop goodness here.
As if confirming that a new record was on the horizon and then giving a teaser of the new album wasn’t enough, the Sounds have also unveiled plans to embark on a United states-centric tour. Set to take place during April and May, the quintet’s upcoming intimate venue tour will include gigs in Durham, Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and more.
The month-long excursion begins on April 28 at Rough Trade in Brooklyn and concludes on May 16 at the Backstage Bar in Las Vegas. Starbenders will join the Sounds throughout the 15-stop tour. The trek will also include an appearance at Atlanta’s Shaky Knees Music Festival in early May.
Once their United States-centric tour comes to an end, the band will head overseas for a summer of major headlining shows and festival appearances.
The Sounds’ complete spring 2020 United States-centric tour itinerary can be seen below.
THE SOUNDS SPRING 2020
April 28 – Brooklyn, NY – Rough Trade
April 29 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
April 30 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
May 1 – Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall
May 2 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Festival
May 4 – Nashville, TN – The Cowan
May 5 – Chicago, IL – Cobra Lounge
May 6 – St Louis, MO – The Ready Room
May 8 – Denver, CO – The Oriental Theatre
May 9 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
May 11 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
May 13 – San Diego, CA – Music Box
May 14 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy + Harriets
May 15 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
May 16 – Las Vegas, NV – Backstage Bar
With a few weeks left before they hit the North American touring circuit, Silverstein has returned with yet another new song off their upcoming new studio effort.
On Wednesday (Feb. 5), the Canadian band unleashed the second single off their tenth studio album, A Beautiful Place to Drown. Titled “Bad Habits,” the barely-three-minute tune sounds…well…like a Silverstein song. Listen to the new track above and tell us that the mesh of melodic rhythm, screams, and catchy hooks is not this group’s signature (we know we’re right).
A Beautiful Place to Drown is due out March 6 through independent record label UNFD. Pre-orders for the record are currently available for purchase here.
Silverstein’s last studio album was 2017’s Dead Reflection.
Last February, the five-piece released a retrospective album titled Redux: The First Ten Years. The compilation featured newly-recorded versions of select songs from their first four studio albums (When Broken is Easily Fixed, Discovering the Waterfront, Arrivals & Departures, and A Shipwreck in the Sand).
Later this month, the group will hit the road on their massive 20th-anniversary tour. The 33-stop outing begins on Feb. 28 at the London Music Hall in London, Ontario, and concludes a month and a half later on April 11 at the Danforth in Toronto.
How do you make a stellar song even better? You enlist an iconic singer, that’s how.
On Thursday (Jan. 23), Cage the Elephant re-released their song “Broken Boy.” Now, you may be asking what exactly makes this version different from the one on the group’s 2019 release Social Cues? Well, the Kentucky-founded act was able to get rock icon Iggy Pop to contribute vocals to the track.
“Cage is a super high energy outfit, living the rock dream, so for a couple of fun minutes, I was one of the boys. Sounds pretty wicked to me.” Pop said in a press statement about the collaboration.
It sounds pretty wicked to us too.
“He’s such a pioneer in so many fields: lyrically, culturally, poetically, visually, musically, and stylistically,” Cage the Elephant vocalist Matt Shultz said.
“Only a couple times in your life do you have the opportunity to share a moment with a visionary and beautiful human as he is. I’m grateful and blown away to have experienced and witnessed, not just his creativity, but also his kindness, humility, and humanness first hand. Such a testimony to the power of love.”
Check out the new version of “Broken Boy” above.
The original version of “Broken Boy” is featured on Cage the Elephant’s fifth studio effort Social Cues. The record was released in the spring of last year to critical acclaim from both critics and fans.
The 13-track record is nominated for Best Rock Album at this year’s Grammy Awards, going head-to-head against Bring Me the Horizon (amo), The Cranberries (In the End), I Prevail (Trauma), and Rival Sons (Feral Roots).
As for Iggy Pop, the Stooges frontman will be the recipient of the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Pearl Jam’s long-awaited return with new music just keeps getting better.
On Wednesday (Jan. 22), the iconic rock band finally unleashed the first single off their upcoming 11th studio album. Titled “Dance of the Clairvoyants,” the new tune’s runtime comes in at a little over four minutes.
Listen to “Dance of the Clairvoyants” above.
“‘Dance’ was a perfect storm of experimentation and real collaboration,” bassist Jeff Ament tweeted from the band’s official social media page. “We’ve opened some new doors creatively, and that’s exciting.”
“Dance of the Clairvoyants” is the first single off Pearl Jam’s upcoming new album Gigaton. The impending release is due out March 27 through Monkeywrench/Republic Records. Pre-orders for the new album are available for purchase here.
Josh Evans and Pearl Jam produced the album.
Gigaton is the follow-up to 2013’s Grammy-Award winning Lightning Bolt.
The new song isn’t the only new-album-related thing to be released. Earlier this week, they unleashed the forthcoming studio effort’s tracklisting. The album will feature 12 new tracks, including “Dance of the Clairvoyants.”
Surprisingly, 2018’s “Can’t Deny Me” is not on the tracklist.
A day after announcing the new album’s title, the band tweeted a little “FYI” to fans about what a gigaton is.
“A gigaton is what scientists use to measure the loss of ice from Earth’s largest ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. This weight is equivalent to over 100 million elephants or 6 million blue whales.”
Insightful.
To coincide with the new album’s release, Pearl Jam previously announced a slew of tour dates for the springtime. The 16-stop North American trek will find the group performing at venues across the continent throughout March and April to promote the album.
The tour kicks off on March 18 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and concludes a month later with a two-night engagement (April 18 and 19) at the Oakland Arena in Oakland. The full list of tour dates can be found here.
GIGATON TRACKLIST:
01. “Who Ever Said”
02. “Superblood Wolfmoon”
03. “Dance of the Clairvoyants”
04. “Quick Escape”
05. “Alright”
06. “Seven O’Clock”
07. “Never Destination”
08. “Take The Long Way”
09. “Buckle Up”
10. “Come Then Goes”
11. “Retrograde”
12. “River Cross”
We finally have some new music from the 1975…and it only took a couple of months.
On Thursday (Jan. 16), the British band appeared on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 Show to debut their latest single “Me & You Together Song.”
The upbeat tune matches the lyrics which finds our narrator (Matty?) talking about falling in love with a girl who just so happens to be his best friends. Throughout the track, we hear him sing about it being okay that she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship but how he has had dreams of a future together with this unknown woman.
And yes, he even makes reference to how people think he’s gay and also apologizes for acting queer (dude, you do you).
As some fans have pointed out, “Me & You Together Song” sounds like it could have easily found a home in a 2000s coming-of-age teenage film (not that we’re complaining).
Listen to “Me & You Together Song” above.
“Me & You Together Song” is the fourth single off Notes on a Conditional Form. It joins their traditional “The 1975” track, “People,” and “Frail State of Mind” on the forthcoming studio effort.
Earlier this week during an Instagram Live session, Healy revealed that the album’s release date was once again pushed back.
The bad news: The album is due out in late April.
The good news: They will drop a new song a month until the album is out.
Notes on a Conditional Form will no longer be released on Feb. 21; it will now see an April 24 release date (if we’re lucky).
Because having to wait an extra couple of months for an album that was due out last year sucks, the 1975 have also unleashed a slew of tour dates for April, May, and June.
The cross-continent excursion begins on April 27 at the Cynthia Woods Pavilion in Houston. It concludes a month-and-a-half later on June 11 at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, Georgia.
Tickets go on sale next Friday, Jan. 24, at 9 a.m. local time. If you want to get ahead of the game, you can pre-order Notes on a Conditional Form to gain first dibs on tickets.
Phoebe Bridges and beabadoobee will open for the 1975 throughout the excursion.
Because seeing the 1975 wasn’t enough, the group has also revealed that they will plant a tree for every single ticket sold.
Talk about doing some good for the world.
Check out the full list of tour dates below.
THE 1975 SPRING 2020 TOUR DATES:
April 27 – Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
April 29 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
May 02 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
May 03 – El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center
May 05 – Phoenix, AZ @ Gila River Arena
May 07 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum
May 08 – Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheatre
May 11 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
May 13 – Omaha, NE @ Baxter Arena
May 14 – St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
May 16 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
May 18 – Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
May 19 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
May 21 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
May 23 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
May 26 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
May 29 – Hanover, MD @ The Hall At Live! Casino And Hotel
June 02 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Petersen Events Center
June 03 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
June 05 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
June 06 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
June 08 – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place
June 09 – Miami, FL Bayfront @ Park Amphitheater
June 11 – Atlanta, GA @ Infinite Energy Center
Talk Music To Me 