INTERVIEWS
Starcrawler’s Family Affair Is Anything But Dysfunctional
Onstage, with a coltish appeal and arms akimbo, Starcrawler singer Arrow De Wilde exudes a punk power akin to a mutant offspring of Debby Harry, Michael Monroe and Iggy Pop. At 23, she’s the real deal, an old soul whose actual lineage and creative family is just as cool as any imagined DNA from rock ‘n’ roll icons. Starcrawler’s third album, the 10-song collection She Said, sees a maturation and fuller rock vibe compared to the raw power of earlier tracks like “I Love L.A.” or the L7-esque “Pussy Tower.” Starcrawler inspires Gram Parsons’ comparisons for the country/rock/alt lilt of the shimmering “Broken Angels.” While “Midnight,” explains De Wilde, was inspired by dark desert driving scenes from David Lynch’s Wild at Heart. The speedy spurt of the album’s first cut, “Roadkill,” took “hug...
NGHTMRE’s “DRMVRSE” Album Is a Hallucinogenic Matrix: “We’re About to Send You On the Craziest Trip of Your Life”
No blue pill or red pill can replicate the mind-bending matrix of NGHTMRE‘s DRMVRSE. NGHTMRE released his long-awaited debut studio album on September 9th after eight years of cranking out hits such as “REDLIGHT” and “GUD VIBRATIONS.” The album is just one bright star in the deep expanse of DRMVRSE. The cinematic project is a methodical piece of fiction with music, animation and narrative components—and that’s just scratching the planet’s surface. DRMVRSE tells the story of a fictional NeuroTech company that discovers a sonic frequency called “Unsound,” leading users through gateways to other physical planes of existence. A DMT-dose of portal-jumping and epic battles are the status quo inside NGHTMRE’s playground. “It s...
Tim Burgess’ New Solo Album Is Anything But Typical Music
Like many musicians, Tim Burgess had big plans for 2020. The Charlatans frontman was slated to showcase a forthcoming solo album, I Love the New Sky, in an appearance at the New Colossus Festival in New York City and at SXSW in advance of the LP’s May release. Things didn’t go quite as planned, of course: Although the New York City gig went off without a hitch, SXSW and the rest of his proposed promo activities were canceled—and Burgess headed home to England trying to figure out what to do next. Somewhat unexpectedly, Simon Raymonde of Cocteau Twins—who founded and oversees Burgess’ label, Bella Union Records—suggested Burgess might like to write another album. “And I thought, ‘How do you do that?’” Burgess says today. “I’ve never written anything without an experience of the previo...
See How They Run: Director Tom George and the Film’s Killer on Crafting an Original Murder Mystery
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for See How They Run.] So, as stated above, this article will reveal the “who” in the new Searchlight Pictures whodunnit See How They Run, which may or may not be sooner than director Tom George likes. “I strongly believe in no spoilers, but I believe that spoilers should have a statute of limitation, and we can discuss what that length is,” George tells Consequence. “I don’t think people can expect you not to hold on to a spoiler indefinitely throughout time. But yeah, don’t spoil the ending, you want people to have that same buzz you had the first time you watched it.” George knows this from personal experience, after a friend of his spoiled The Sixth Sense for him. “We were watching the trailer on TV, he had seen the film, and I said, ‘Wha...
The Rings of Power Star Cynthia Addai-Robinson on Episode 4 and What It’s Like to Be Queen
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 1 Episode 2, “The Great Wave.”] Because of the huge amounts of secrecy surrounding The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power throughout its production, star Cynthia Addai-Robinson tells Consequence she didn’t know what role, specifically, she was auditioning for during a “very long and up-and-down process, to eventually get to be a part of this amazing series.” But once she knew a little more about Queen Regent Míriel, and the character’s place in the lore of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy universe, “I was very, very excited to get the opportunity to play a character that has a really interesting backstory,” she says. “It was also a chance to do something I felt like I never really done bef...
Los Espookys’ Bernardo Velasco and Cassandra Ciangherotti on Season 2 and Making a Bilingual Comedy
There aren’t really any other shows like Los Espookys on television right now. The HBO comedy focuses on a group of friends who create an unconventional event planning service, delivering ghoulish twists on quinceaneras and building haunted houses from scratch. But the story is bigger than that, thanks to the eclectic cast, including Bernardo Velasco, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Ana Fabrega, Julio Torres, and Fred Armisen, and the wild journeys each character is on. In Season 2, the Los Espookys crew is back to create yet more spooky mayhem, while dealing with the repercussions of Season 1’s relationship dramas. Below, transcribed and edited for clarity, series stars Bernardo Velasco and Cassandra Ciangherotti, who play founding Los Espookys members Velasco and Ciangherotti, tell Consequence a...
Joe Strummer’s Widow Lucinda Tait Discusses the New Mescaleros Box Set: Interview + Stream
A new box set celebrating Joe Strummer’s work with his post-Clash band The Mescaleros has just arrived. To mark the occasion, Heavy Consequence caught up with the late punk legend’s widow, Lucinda Tait, to discuss the collection. Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years includes all three of the band’s studio albums — Rock Art and the X-Ray Style (1999), Global A Go-Go (2001), and Streetcore (2003) — along with a brand-new compilation of 15 B-sides and rarities titled Vibes Compass. It’s available as a 4-CD set with a 72-page book or a 7-LP set with a 32-page book. Strummer’s sketches and handwritten lyrics appear in both the book and on the album sleeves. Tait, who was married to Strummer from 1995 until his passing in December 2002, worked with Dark Horse Records’ David Zonshine to sort th...
Giolì & Assia Confront Demons, Discuss Symbolism In Third Studio Album, “Fire Hell And Holy Water”
When it comes to eclectic electronic music acts, it doesn’t get any more versatile and visceral than the Italian femme powerhouse duo Giolì & Assia. Equipped with an impressive mix of instrumental know-how and a tender romantic relationship, the European couple have deeply influenced the dance music landscape throughout the last half-decade. Having risen through the ranks for their inimitable blend of genres over two studio albums, the tandem’s popularity exploded after they began livestreaming performances from some of the most scenic spots on earth. Titled #DiesisLive, the series enabled viewers to consume the experience that is Giolì & Assia: an immersive affair with live instruments, haunting vocals and panoramic backdrops. Giolì & Assia performing on the F...
The Devilish Joy of Mura Masa’s demon time
One of the primary visual inspirations for Mura Masa‘s album demon time was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. “There was an image of Sonic the Hedgehog that I had remembered seeing years ago and I was like, ‘That seems like a cool pose,’” says the songwriter and producer born Alex Crossan. “He’s got this circular look, his shoes are kind of bending around… it became a muse of mine.” The image was so influential for Crossan that he recreated it for demon time‘s album cover — but beyond the contorted, warped aesthetic, Crossan was drawn to the “joyfulness” he’s projecting, the frenetic ecstasy that Sonic embodies. With demon time (out Friday, September 16th), Crossan had a simple objective: create something fun. But “fun” is still a bit of a vague descriptor — for an electronic ...
Fan Chant: Talking to Jackson Wang About a Jackson Wang Party
Welcome to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, stans, and newbies alike. Each week, I’ll be rolling out interviews, lists, and all kinds of content to keep you in the loop on the latest and greatest from our friends in Seoul and beyond. Also, make sure to subscribe to my companion newsletter! A few weeks ago, I had the joy of jumping on the phone with the one and only Jackson Wang to chat about his wonderful new album, MAGIC MAN. We had a really lovely conversation that spanned almost an hour, and for today’s column, I wanted to share a bit more about more about the experience, along with some full quotes from our chat that didn’t make it into the final interview. I should’ve known when the conversation started like this: Mary: Hello, Jackson Wang, I’m so happy to be talking to you....
Death Cab for Cutie Aren’t Bored Yet
During a recent phone call with Consequence, Ben Gibbard drops the totally unanticipated fact that he loves 100 gecs. “I’m completely obsessed with them,” he gushes about the polarizing hyperpop duo. “At 46 years old, there’s music that I should be scared of. It’s awesome that there’s music being made now that I have absolutely no idea how to make.” Being 46 also means Gibbard has spent over half his life as the frontman of Death Cab for Cutie, whose great 10th studio album Asphalt Meadows is out Friday (September 16th). Maybe it shouldn’t be shocking that he’s so enamored by 100 gecs, who sound a bit like what shotgunning five cans of Red Bull while on Adderall might feel like: Whether it’s collaborating with heavyweights like Chance the Rapper and Noah Cyrus, helming a Yoko Ono tribute a...
Death Cab for Cutie’s ‘Exciting’ Writing Experiment Fueled Their Best Album in Years
When Ben Gibbard was putting the finishing touches on Death Cab For Cutie‘s 10th album, Asphalt Meadows, he had a feeling that it would appease longtime fans. And he was correct. “As we started playing it for friends and people close to us, we started to get that reaction that was not just people being supportive, but people being genuinely effusive,” recalls Gibbard, speaking on Zoom from his Seattle home, with a peppy demeanor early in the morning. In Asphalt Meadows, there are elements of the band’s early work, sonically nodding to Narrow Stairs, The Photo Album, and even Transatlanticism, while also feeling fresh — thrashier and livelier than ever before — with some of Gibbard’s sturdiest songwriting since their hit albums. A year after 2018’s Thank You for Today, Gibbard started writi...
