Pop Culture

Los Angeles band Cheekface have surprise-released a brand new album. Too Much to Ask is out today, and it includes the previously shared songs ‘We Need a Bigger Dumpster’, ‘Featured Singer’, and ‘Pledge Drive’, as well as track titles such as ‘You Always Want to Bomb the Middle East’ and ‘Vegan Water’. Stream the full project

The Invisible Man himself is now in yet another psychological thriller, AppleTV+’s Surface. By Tara Ariano August 1, 2022 Oliver Jackson-Cohen in Surface.Courtesy of Ed Araquel for AppleTV+. In his Netflix series The Haunting Of Hill House, writer-director Mike Flanagan tells the story of Olivia and Hugh Crain moving their five children into what turns

Philadelphia’s 2nd Grade have announced their sophomore album, Easy Listening. The follow-up to 2020’s Hit to Hit arrives on September 30 via Double Double Whammy. Its lead single is called ‘Strung Out on You’, and you can check it out below, along with the album cover and tracklist. “‘Strung Out On You’ is a classic

Tropical Fuck Storm have announced Moonburn, a maxi-single cassette that will be out on August 26 via Joyful Noise Recordings. Along with the announcement, they’ve shared a cover of The Stooges’ ‘Ann’ as a single. It arrives with an accompanying video directed by Sam Mapplebeck, which the band’s Gareth Liddiard describes as “a cheap shit

The NBA legend’s autobiography, Second Wind, is deep, rich, and bracingly honest. By Michael Pina July 31, 2022 Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics during a game against the New York Knicks, circa 1966.Dick Raphael / NBAE / Getty Images As an escape pod from our quarantine-normalizing present, The Last Dance was a revelation. Few

The Place Beyond the Pines is a 2012 thriller movie with an intertwined set of narratives. Co-written by Ben Coccio and director Derek Cianfrance, the story begins with Luke (Ryan Gosling), a motorcycle stunt driver who learns that his ex-partner Romina (Eva Mendes) has given birth to their son. Romina is now seeing someone else,

The recent premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic marks another addition to the recent onslaught of films and series based on true stories, especially about musicians. Pistol, the FX miniseries about English punk rock band the Sex Pistols, is another new release in this genre, joining the likes of Netflix’s Selena, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and recent films Judy, Rocketman,

From marital bliss on “Plastic Off the Sofa” to a Drake co-written banger with “Heated,” here are the moments everyone’s talking about. By Grant Rindner July 29, 2022 Beyoncé.Courtesy of Mason Poole/Parkwood There’s no such thing as a minor Beyoncé release. Seismic shocks are par for the course for one of the most successful artists

Cult Hero is the new feature from prolific Canadian filmmaker Jesse Thomas Cook, the director of no less than seven low-budget horror pictures (most notably Monster Brawl, which premiered at Fantasia in 2011). Cook’s latest – an over-the-top horror-comedy that tells the tale of a washed-up celebrity ‘cult buster’ desperate to restore his reputation –

Raymond Raposa, the singer-songwriter behind the Castanets, has died at the age of 41. Asthmatic Kitty, Raposa’s longtime label, confirmed the news on Twitter earlier today via a statement provided by the artist’s family. “It is with great sorrow that the family of Raymond Raposa announce his passing today,” it reads. “Raymond was a wonderful

If you’re looking for a well-deserved vacation somewhere sunny and rich with culture, then you don’t have to look any further than the Middle East. With a collection of countries holding deep pasts, ancient temples and beautiful beaches, the Middle East gives you plenty of opportunities to expand your horizons and make some beautiful memories

The Slapper takes a break from his self-exile to address some lingering questions about the Oscars incident. By Grant Rindner July 29, 2022 Will Smith.Courtesy of Will Smith via YouTube. You’re not alone if it feels like the 2022 Academy Awards, and Will Smith’s zeitgeist-dominating slap of Chris Rock, happened a decade ago. Now, after

Florist’s music always seems to thrive in liminal spaces. In ways both mesmerizing and demystifying, their songs explore and swing between the mundane and the metaphysical, the profound interconnectedness of nature and the constant blurriness of home, love and death. It’s a project firmly rooted in vulnerability and collaboration, with friendship at its core; but

Calvin Harris has shared ‘New to You’, the latest single from his upcoming album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2, which comes out in a week. This one features Tinashe, Offset, and Normani. Listen to it below. Previously, Harris unveiled the album singles ‘Stay With Me’ (with Justin Timberlake, Halsey, and Pharrell), ‘Potion’ (with Dua Lipa

Nolan’s opus on the physicist behind the atomic bomb is due next year. By Grant Rindner July 28, 2022 Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer.Courtesy of Universal The first teaser for Christopher Nolan’s next opus, Oppenheimer, is finally here, giving viewers their first glimpse of Cillian Murphy as the titular physicist who was instrumental in the creation

Joni Mitchell has announced The Asylum Albums (1972-1975), the next installment in her archival series. Set for release on September 23, it features remasted versions of For the Roses (1972), Court And Spark (1974), the double live album Miles Of Aisles (1974), and The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975). All four albums were remastered by

Whitney have shared two new songs, ‘BLUE’ and ‘TWIRL’, which are lifted from their upcoming album SPARK. Check them out below. “With ‘TWIRL’, John Congleton and Brad Cook really created the framework for us to explore a new palette,” the band explained in a statement. “What started as a simple love song grew into a

“Hold on Baby is a search for a new heartbreak, a love letter to my girlfriend, a firm read of myself,” writes Mikaela Straus – better known as King Princess – in the manifesto accompanying her new album. Crafting a project around a hunt for torment is perplexing. What, indeed, does a “new heartbreak” look

There’s also a new anonymous report that put the MCU’s VFX practices on blast. By Grant Rindner July 27, 2022 Jonathan Majors in Loki.Courtesy of Chuck Zlotnick via Marvel Studios. A few days ago, the only thing we knew about the next two Avengers films was that they are releasing in the same year, and

Cryalot, the new project of Kero Kero Bonito’s Sarah Midori Perry, has shared a new single called ‘Touch the Sun’. It’s taken from her debut EP, Icarus, which was announced last month with the track ‘Hell Is Here’. Take a listen below. “’Touch the Sun’ is about the feeling of being invincible and the unshakable

Rina Sawayama has shared the title track from her upcoming sophomore album, Hold the Girl. It follows the previously released singles ‘This Hell’ and ‘Catch Me in the Air’. Check it out below, along with the singer’s upcoming tour dates. The new single premiered on Clara Amfo’s BBC Radio 1 show Future Sounds. Discussing the song,

Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson have announced a new collaborative album, I Walked With You A Ways, under the name Plains. It’s slated for release on October 14 via ANTI-. The pair have also shared the record’s first single, ‘Problem With It’. Check it out below, and scroll down for the album cover, tracklist,

The Ryan Gosling spy caper is already greenlit for the full cinematic universe treatment. By Grant Rindner July 26, 2022 Ryan Gosling in The Gray Man.Courtesy of Paul Abell via Netflix. Despite a mixed-to-scathing critical response, Netflix appears to be going all in on the Gray Man Cinematic Universe.The beleaguered streaming service, which spent approximately

Long Beach-based artist Emily Yacina started writing and recording songs in 2010 at the age of 14. She grew up in the same Philadelphia suburb as Alex Giannascoli, aka Alex G – with whom she has frequently collaborated – but has since been carving out her own style of bracingly vulnerable songwriting, marked by an

Barack Obama has shared his annual summer playlist, which features songs by Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Rosalía, Harry Styles, Drake, Bad Bunny, and more. Wet Leg, Jack White, Lil Yachty, Omar Apollo, and Amber Mark also made the cut. Check out the playlist below. “Every year, I get excited to share my summer playlist because I

The Hyundai Mercury Prize for the year’s best British album has revealed its 2022 shortlist. Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, Little Simz’s Sometimes I Might be Introvert, Wet Leg’s self-titled album, Yard Act’s The Overload, Sam Fender’s Seventeen Going Under, and Self Esteem’s Prioritise Pleasure are among the albums nominated for the prestigious prize. First-time nominees