“…this band can nail any song they want, cheekiness be damned” – Pitchfork “A note-perfect tale of nerd love from two Norwegian dance rockers” – Rolling Stone “…a frothy elixir out of 1980s synth-pop, art-rock and new wave” – The New York Times “Don’t be fooled by the tracksuits and ironic facial hair – these wacky Norwegian ‘new rave’ dudes actually write ace songs” – SPIN “[Datarock] delivers another set of kitschy…songs…very catchy” – BrooklynVegan
The return of DATAROCK is finally upon us: the Norwegian tracksuited synth-stars have finally released their long-awaited third album Face the Brutality. After a nine-year absence, the new album still checks off every spot on the DATAROCK checklist: infuriatingly catchy, impeccably produced, with an undertone of lighthearted goofiness. Make sure not to miss the action-packed video for “Laugh in the Face of Darkness.”
DATAROCK’s playful brand of indie-dance crossover music has been featured everywhere from Workaholics to Vampire Diaries, to more than ten major EA games to various ad campaigns including Apple and Google — take one listen to the opening bassline of “Fa Fa Fa” and you’ll instantly recognize it. American fans have been able to catch sight of the signature red tracksuits at festivals such as Coachella and Lollapalooza and late night TV programs like Jimmy Kimmel. Face the Brutality will be the synth-rockers’ first LP since 2009 and first output since their musical, The Musical, in 2015. Years in the making, Face the Brutality is an album for the bored and bitter survivors of 2017, an upbeat escape with substance.
NYC-based VHS Collection shares their new track “Fire“. The track, recorded in London with Chris Zane (Passion Pit, St. Lucia), is from their forthcoming debut LP, more details to be announced soon. “We all have a devil on one shoulder and ‘Fire’ is dedicated to him,” explains the band’s Conor Cook, “The song celebrates our evil ways. It sonically blends synths and guitars in a way that is both nostalgic and modern. The groove of this tune is one that you don’t typically hear these days, which sets his track apart.” The band’s James Bohannon explains that “’Fire’ paints a descriptive vision of rebellion, religious confines, and pent up desire. It’s a seedy jam that has elements of classic southern rock, evolved into our signature synth/guitar soundscape.”
VHS Collection is a rock band from New York City that has gained a reputation for high energy live performances and a unique blend of rock, electronic, and disco influences.
VHS Collection’s songs have been streamed over 20 million times on Spotify and the band has seen festival performances at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Bunbury Festival, and Okeechobee Festival in the last year. VHS also sold out a headline show at Bowery Ballroom in February and Music Hall of Williamsburg in June, in addition to sold out club dates throughout the mid-west and throughout the west coast. The band has released two EP’s to date and will release its first full-length record late this fall.
“Lean” the single off the band’s first EP hit #8 on the Spotify Viral Charts last January. “Waiting on the Summer” the single off of the band’s 2nd EP Stereo Hype hit #14 on the Spotify Viral Charts and has been streamed over 12mm times to date. The “Waiting on the Summer Dave Edwards Remix” was also #1 on Hype Machine in April.
VHS Collection got their start in the winter of 2014 but the three members, James Bohannon, Conor Cook, and Nils Vanderliphave been playing music in one form or another together since they were kids. Conor and James grew up across the street from each other in NYC and attended the same grade school where they began jamming on acoustic guitars; Nils and James met in high school, where they started their first band together and recorded an album.
Years later, with all three members back in NYC, VHS pulled together a collection of electronic rock-influenced bedroom recordings and posted them on Soundcloud. Encouraged by the volume of hits the tracks received, VHS began performing a live set at friends’ parties and around NYC’s small clubs. 2015 saw multiple sold out nights for VHS at the Lower East Side’s indie-rock launching pad, the Mercury Lounge.
2016 saw the band’s first major festival performances at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, in addition to sold out club dates on both coasts in addition support dates with Bloc Party and Powers.
VHS has remained independent and is self-managed. They are able to reach a growing audience via Spotify and other social media outlets without a label and have also built a live following by word of mouth. The band sold out Bowery Ballroom and NYC’s 700 cap Music Hall of Williamsburg in the last 6 months and also played several major West Coast headline dates, including LA’s famous Troubadour.
VHS has created a writing process which is unique and serves them well. It starts primarily with each member individually writing and producing dozens of bits and pieces of songs on their laptops. The band spends months working on these initial song ideas virtually, sending each other files and collaborating via Dropbox. Every few months, the band heads to a cabin in upstate New York where they lock themselves in for 7 days at a time to complete the songs during intense writing sessions. During these sessions, the three members collaborate on every element of the song, with each member playing various instruments on the tracks. The band then weeds out the best of these home produced tracks to bring into the studio. For their upcoming record, VHS is working with producer Chris Zane who has also produced albums for Passion Pit, St. Lucia, and Friendly Fires.
Highly Suspecthave released the official video for their new single, “Little One,” available via 300 Entertainment. “Little One” is the second single from the band’s critically praised sophomore album, The Boy Who Died Wolf, which debuted at #1 on the Current Alternative Album and at #2 Rock Album on the Billboard Charts. To date, the album has spent over 22 weeks on the Billboard charts.
“Little One” is the follow-up to “My Name Is Human” which spent 9 weeks at #1 at Active, reached Top 15 at Alternative Radio and was nominated for a GRAMMY in the Best Rock Song category among legends like David Bowie, Metallica, Radiohead, and also Twenty One Pilots.
Set in the mid-1980’s, the “Little One” video stars band frontman Johnny Stevens as a thrift store manager who is at breaking point, and bandmates Rich and Ryan Meyer as policemen who are hot on his tail. The video was co-directed by DJay Brawner and Johnny Stevens.
Highly Suspect are currently on a sold-out U.S. headlining tour which wraps up on June 3 in Los Angeles. In addition, Highly Suspect will also be performing at a number of festivals this Spring, including Lollapalooza, Shaky Knees, Bottlerock, Bumbershoot the Milwaukee Summer Fest and more to be announced shortly.
“‘Little One’ is about love slipping through the cracks. It’s the feeling you have when you know you just lost your lover, your right hand, your best friend. Our videos try to capture emotion. Standing in an empty room pretending to play instruments is something you’ll never see us do. I grew up watching real music videos. Stories. ‘Thriller’ comes to mind. You already know we’re a band. Why do you need to see a guitar? As artists, we need to continue making art in all aspects. The actual ‘Little One’ in this video is played by the real-life woman the song was written about, Madison Parker…and that was the last time I saw her. The irony here is that the band pulls me away from love. It’s very true to life. ” – Highly Suspect frontman, Johnny Stevens
Speculation and rumors of a collaboration between musicians and longtime friends Porter Robinson and Madeon (Hugo Leclercq) have long been internet fan fodder.
The duo put the rumors to rest dropping a surprise joint single “Shelter” (ft. Madeon on lead vocals) and announce a joint North American that will see the two share the stage for a collaborative live performance ft. music from both artist’s catalogs reworked and re-imagined for the stage.
Each made a name for themselves as solo artists who redefined electronic music from the inside out, expanding the genre from the festival stage to the pop charts and bringing electronic music into the global mainstream with their critically acclaimed debut solo albums, Porter’s Worlds (2014, Astralwerks) and Madeon’s Adventure (2015, Columbia).
“Shelter”- a brilliant shimmering, humanity-infused electronic pop – comes at a serendipitous time for the two young artists and sees the duo taking a hands-on approach to the songwriting process. To write, the two decamped to Madeon’s studio in Nantes, France and the two wrote together in real-time, face-to-face, taking a decidedly old-school approach to the collaboration, inspiring and challenging one-another along the way. The result, “Shelter” is an ode to family ties as much as it’s a pop song that epitomizes their friendship.
“Both Porter and I started working with people in-person when we started making our respective albums and appreciated how much more collaborative you can get,” Madeon explains of their decision to work together. “Our intent was to make music that would reflect our friendship.”
“I see enthusiasm and inspiration as the most important currency you can have when you’re making music,” Porter adds. “It’s this weird sensation of being drunk on your own confidence and excitement that leads to so many creative breakthroughs. That effect was really exaggerated when we were working together.”
While this collaboration is a first for the two artists, they have played a pivotal role in each other’s work over the past decade of their young careers, providing feedback—sometimes brutally honest—about each other’s solo work. This laid the groundwork for a successful partnership. Having first met on an internet message board a decade ago as young Daft Punk fans who wanted to produce music, Porter and Madeon have pursued distinct but coincidentally parallel careers to become electronic music creators of their own, each has emerged out of the electronic music scene to become crossover electronic pop powerhouses.
Porter first caught the ears of tastemakers in 2010 with his track “Say My Name.” An EP on Skrillex’s OWSLA label followed and he signed to the venerated Astralwerks in 2013 when he was all of 21. The next year he released his debut artist album, Worlds, an expansive LP that included the songs “Divinity” (as heard in Google’s “Year in Search” commercial) and the landmark “Sea of Voices.” Worlds debuted in Billboard’s Top 20 and prompted the launch of the Worlds Tour, an interactive live show as ambitious at the album it was named for.
Madeon first came to global attention with his game-changing video and track “Pop Culture” in 2011. Early last year, he released his highly-anticipated debut album, Adventure, which spawned the singles “You’re On,” co-written with Jimmy Napes (Sam Smith, Disclosure), and “Home.” Having sharpened his live skills as an opener for Lady Gaga and with sets at Coachella and Lollapalooza, Madeon launched two tours in support of Adventure: Adventure Live and the Pixel Empire Tour.
To support the release of “Shelter” Porter and Madeon kick off a joint tour this Fall (dates below / more TBA) that will see the two share the stage for a collaborative live performance that combines the best of their individual catalogs into one interactive performance fusing emotion, live instrumentation, visual artistry and cutting edge technology. Fans will get to hear old favorites, newly re-worked cuts from Worlds and Adventure, a few surprises, and of course an emotional and affirming live delivery of “Shelter.”
The single and the forthcoming joint North American tour captures both artists as they enter a new phase of their respective careers.
PORTER ROBINSON & MADEON “SHELTER” TOUR Tickets HERE + More Dates TBA
9/29: Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
10/1: Oklahoma City, OK @ The Critereon
10/2: Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/4: Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
10/5: Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
10/6: Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
10/7: Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
10/8: Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center
10/9: Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
11/13: Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
11/14: Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
11/16: Washington, DC @ Echostage
11/25: San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Auditorium
11/26: Los Angeles, CA @ Microsoft Theater
11/29: San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
12/1: Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
12/2: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
With just a week remaining until the release of their explosive new album, How Does It Feel, music duo MS MR (Lizzy Plapinger and and Max Hershenow) have unveiled their brand new single, “Criminals.” First shared by Zane Lowe on Apple’s Beats 1 World Record this week, listen to the shimmering and energetic pop anthem below. How Does It Feel, which will be released July 17 via Columbia Records, is available to pre-order today exclusively at iTunes: http://smarturl.it/HDIF.
To celebrate the album’s release, MS MR will make a huge splash in Chicago during Lollapalooza weekend later this month. Starting Wednesday, July 29, the band, in partnership with Airbnb, will perform a private in-home concert for one lucky Airbnb host and 20 guests. That same night, Lizzy and Max will also DJ Vevo’s LIFT Live concert at The Vic Theatre; MS MR is currently featured as Vevo’s LIFT artist for the month of July. On Thursday, July 30, MS MR is joined by Columbia labelmates Wet for a sold-out Lollapalooza After Show at Lincoln Hall. And on Friday, July 31, the band takes the stage at Lollapalooza.
Tickets are now on sale for MS MR’s North American/European fall headline tour, which kicks off September 24 and features supporting acts Circa Waves, Jack Garratt, VÉRITÉ, Crater, Tigertown and more. Throughout the tour, MS MR will be donating a portion of every ticket sold to an inspiring organization, Third Wave Fund, a national fund that supports and strengthens youth-led gender justice activism.
MS MR ON TOUR:
7/12 – Philadelphia, PA – Festival Pier – Tix
7/22 – Melbourne, Australia – Russell- Tix
7/24 – Byron Bay, Australia – Splendour in the Grass Festival – Tix
7/25 – Sydney, Australia – Metro Theatre – Tix
7/29 – Chicago, IL – Vevo’s Lift Live – SOLD OUT
7/30 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza – Aftershow at Lincoln Hall (w/ Wet) – Tix
7/31 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza – Tix
8/2 – Montreal, Canada – Osheaga – Tix
8/7 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Field – Tix
9/8 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Pumpehuset – Tix
9/9 – Stockholm, Sweden – Debaser Strand – Tix
9/10 – Oslo, Norway, Parkteatret – Tix
9/12 – Berlin, Germany – Lollapalooza – Tix
9/24 – Houston, TX – House of Blues (w/ Circa Waves, Crater) – Tix
9/25 – Austin, TX – Emo’s (w/ Circa Waves, Crater) – Tix
9/27 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues (w/ Circa Waves, Crater) – Tix
9/28 – Nashville, TN – The Cannery Ballroom (w/ Circa Waves, Crater) – Tix
9/29 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West (w/ Circa Waves, Crater) – Tix
10/1 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club (w/ Circa Waves, Crater) – Tix
10/5 – Boston, MA – Royale (w/ Jack Garratt, VÉRITÉ) – Tix
10/8 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 (w/ Jack Garratt, VÉRITÉ) – Tix
10/10 – Toronto, Canada – Danforth Music Hall (w/ Jack Garratt, VÉRITÉ) – Tix
10/12 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall (w/ Jack Garratt, VÉRITÉ) – Tix
10/17 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre (w/ Jack Garratt) – Tix
10/19 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom (w/ Jack Garratt, Tigertown) – Tix
10/20 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre (w/ Jack Garratt, Tigertown) – Tix
10/21 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom (w/ Jack Garratt, Tigertown) – Tix
10/23 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theatre (w/ Jack Garratt, Tigertown) – Tix
10/25 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues (w/ Jack Garratt, Tigertown) – Tix
10/27 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern (w/ Jack Garratt, Tigertown) – Tix
11/06 – Brighton, UK – The Arch – Tix
11/07 – Manchester, UK – Club Academy – Tix
11/08 – Glasgow – Art School – Tix
11/10 – London, UK – Electric Brixton – Tix
11/12 – Brussels, Belgium – Orangerie – Tix
11/13 – Paris, France – Trabendo – Tix
11/14 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg (Old Room) – Tix
11/16 – Zurich, Switzerland – X-Tra – Tix
11/17 – Munich, Germany – Technikum – Tix
11/18 – Frankfurt, Germany – Batschkapp – Tix
11/19 – Cologne, Germany – Gloria – Tix
11/21 – Hamburg, Germany – Mojo – Tix
Multiplatinum GRAMMY® Award-winning recording star Lorde will curate the soundtrack album for the upcoming third installment of the global blockbuster The Hunger Games franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. In addition to hand-picking the artists for The Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack, Lorde will provide the first single for the highly anticipated film and album. The soundtrack will be available via Republic Records this fall.
The 17-year-old New Zealand native –who will embark on her third national North American tour this fall– exploded onto the scene with her Number One global hit “Royals,” and has taken the music world by storm since the release of her critically acclaimed platinum debut album Pure Heroine.
Her quadruple platinum selling single “Royals” helped earn two Billboard Music Awards for ‘Best New Artist’ and ‘Best Rock Song,’ and two GRAMMY® Awards for ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Best Pop Solo Performance.’ She currently holds the record for ‘Longest #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 by a Female Artist in 2013’ and longest standing #1 for any female artist in the Billboard Alternative Chart history.
“Curating the soundtrack for such a hotly-anticipated film was a challenge, but I jumped at the chance,” said Lorde. “The cast and story are an inspiration for all musicians participating and, as someone with cinematic leanings, being privy to a different creative process has been a unique experience. I think the soundtrack is definitely going to surprise people.”
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson, is the latest installment in Lionsgate’s global box office phenomenon based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling “Hunger Games” trilogy and will be released in theaters worldwide on November 21, 2014.
In other news, 17 year old Ella Yelich-O’Connor was recently nominated for two Video Music Awards for her debut single and accompanying video “Royals”, placing her in the “Best Rock Video” category amongst Arctic Monkeys, Black Keys, Imagine Dragons and Linkin Park, and in the “Best Female Video” category alongside Ariana, Beyonce, Iggy Azalea, and Katy Perry.
Lorde will be performing at this years Lollapalooza Festival on Friday, August 1st on the Bud Light Stage at 6:45PM and will be embarking on her third national North American tour on September, 5th in Philadelphia (dates below).
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
08/01 – Lollapalooza – Chicago, IL
08/03 – Osheaga – Montreal, QC
09/05 – Mann Center – Philadelphia, PA
09/06 – Boston Calling Festival – Boston, MA
09/07 – Artpark – Lewiston, NY
09/11 – Ottawa Folk Festival – Ottawa, ON
09/12 – TD Echo Beach – Toronto, ON
09/14 – JBL Live at Pier 97 – New York, NY
09/15 – United Palace – New York, NY
09/16 – United Palace – New York, NY
09/18 – The Red Hat Amphitheater – Raleigh, NC
09/19 – Music Midtown Atlanta, GA – NEW DATE
09/20 – iHeartRadio Music Festival – MGM Garden Arena – Las Vegas, NV – NEW DATE
09/22 – Grand Ole Opry House – Nashville, TN
09/23 – LC Pavilion – Columbus, OH
09/24 – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica – Cleveland, OH
09/26 – BMO Harris Pavilion – Milwaukee, WI
09/27 – Harrah’s Casino, Stir Grove – Council Bluffs, IA
09/28 – 1STBANK Center – Broomfield, CO
09/30 – The Joint – Las Vegas, NV
10/02 – Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA
10/03 – Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA – NEW DATE
10/06 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
10/07 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – NEW DATE
10/09 – Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
10/10 – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theater – San Diego, CA
10/10 – 10/12 @ Austin City Limits – Austin, TX (Weekend 2 only)
London collective Jungle has premiered the video for latest album cut “Time”.
The “Time” video arrives a week before the release of Jungle’s highly anticipated, eponymous debut album out July 15 (14th in the UK) on XL Recordings. Identified by Rolling Stone as a “New Artist You Need To Know”, Junglehas already been described by New York Times as “a beguiling and promising introduction“, by NME as ” the pop-art album of the summer” and Time Out exclaims “the group’s steamy, grooving, creeping neo-soul tracks are something pretty special.” Jungle is available to stream in full exclusively via ITUNES.
Meanwhile the collective will return to the states this fall with a seven-piece Jungle live experience that will perform on over 20 dates across North America, in the largest set of rooms the group has played to date. The group will also make stops at Lollapalooza, Treasure Island and Corona Capital Music Festivals. See full list of dates below.
Philly band The Districts are a young four-piece band who recently released their self-titled EP on Fat Possum. Since then, the band has toured North America, playing shows with White Denim, Dr. Dog, and more. The band kicked off their summer tour dates and will continue winning people over throughout the summer, with their own headlining dates alongside big name festivals like this weekend’s Boston Calling, as well as Ottawa’s Bluesfest, Lollapalooza and Outside Lands. Quite an impressive schedule, but the band is more than up to the task with their incredibly energetic live shows.
The self-titled EP features three newly remastered tracks off their 2012 self-released album Telephone, as well as two brand new tracks.
“Lancaster County, Pennsylvania’s the Districts serve up an impressive EP that straddles the line between imaginative indie rock and brisk blues-inflected folk.” – Rolling Stone
“on stage, with a confidence that doesn’t come easy to veteran acts, the band put across its impressive mix of raw rock-and-roll and quieter folkish elements.” – Philadelphia Inquirer
The Districts on tour:
5/19 — Charlottesville, VA — Jefferson Theater*
5/20 — Washington, DC — The Black Cat*
5/21 — Washington, DC — The Black Cat*
5/25 — Boston, MA — Boston Calling Festival
5/31 — Brooklyn, NY — Knitting Factory
6/5 — Tulsa, OK — Cain’s Ballroom**
6/7 — Columbia, MO — The Blue Note**
6/8 — Indianapolis, IN — The Vogue**
6/10 — Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE**
6/11 — Carrboro, NC — Cat’s Cradle**
7/9 — Ottawa, ON — Bluesfest
7/10 — Ottawa, ON — Bluesfest
7/18 — Louisville, KY — Forecastle Festival
7/27 — Camden, NJ — XPN Festival @ Susquehanna Bank Center w/ Beck, Band of Horses
Chicago based duo Wild Belle have announced an extensive fall headlining tour that will kick off September 5 in Madison, WI. The band recently made their Lollapalooza debut before they headed to San Francisco to play Outside Lands. After previously touring the states opening for Passion Pit and Toro y Moi, Wild Belle will travel across North America and back for over 25 headlining tour dates -making this their biggest headline tour to date (full list of dates below). To catch a glimpse of Wild Belle’s life on the road, watch the band’s self-directed video POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD Nº3.
Wild Belle’s live performances have been recognized for their catchy hooks and infectious sound. The band took their effortlessly sunny set on the festival circuit this summer with performances at Coachella, Sasquatch, Firefly, Full Moon Festival, Lollapalooza and Outside Lands. The musical talents of both siblings shine during the band’s live performances, with Rolling Stone noting how “Natalie (breezes) about the stage with relaxed bravado while Elliot (switches) effortlessly between keyboards and sax…creating an organic wall of sound.”
In June the band stopped by a Los Angeles bike shop to record a performance with KCRW of “Love Like This” for NPR’s Field Recordings. Noted by the Chicago Tribune for their “breezy sounding pop music,” Wild Belle is currently featured in Glamour’s summer music issue and as Time Magazines “Band to Watch”.
Wild Belle is Natalie and Elliot Bergman. The band is joined live by Kellen Harrison (bass) as well as fellow NOMO members Erik Hall (guitar) and Quin Kirchner (drums).
Theophilus London has been holed up in studios from Paris to Berlin to Brooklyn working on music for his still untitled new album, due this fall. The first taste of the vibe and direction Theophilus is taking for the album can be heard on “Rio,” which was produced by Thomas Brenneck and the Menahan Street Band. The track was exclusively premiered with The Fader and will be available for purchase at iTunes and all DSP’s on Tuesday, April 16th.
Theophilus has a lot of love for “Rio.” “I went to Rio in 2010 to play a festival alongside Erykah Badu and Femi Kuti and it was incredible,” explains TL. “I was only supposed to be down there for a couple days, but wound up staying in Rio for two weeks. The trip gave me so much energy and I met so many amazing people that it inspired me to make a song in Rio’s honor.”
Theophilus will be performing “Rio” on the main stage at Coachella Saturday April 13th and April 20th. He’s also confirmed for Lollapalooza this summer.
Musically Amusing 