INTERVIEWS
With the “ACT: LOVESICK” Tour, TOMORROW X TOGETHER Are Ready to Level Up
“We tried In & Out Burger!” says Hueningkai, the youngest member of TOMORROW X TOGETHER. Seated next to his bandmates in a suite in downtown Los Angeles, he’s recounting some of his favorite memories from their time in California in late July. “And Panda Express,” he and Yeonjun add in sync. The American experience is in full swing. Assembled comfortably like this the day after a sold-out show at the Microsoft Theater — the last in a string of entirely sold-out stateside dates — there’s a bit of an air of relief among the band, relaxed in each other’s company. But, more than that, the members of the K-pop quintet seem grateful. “In the beginning, we had doubts about whether we could really do this,” Taehyun shares. “But it ended really well.” Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueni...
Sam Fender on First Mercury Prize Nomination, Summer Festivals, and “Bawling” Over Bruce Springsteen
It just keeps getting better for Sam Fender, one of England’s biggest songwriters. With his second album, the brilliant and personal Seventeen Going Under, released in November 2021, Fender cemented his place in the pantheon of great British songwriters, earning praise from Adele, Elton John, and many more in the process. And it didn’t stop there — since the release of Seventeen Going Under, Fender was awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello songwriting prize for “Best Song Musically and Lyrically,” supported The Rolling Stones at a show in London’s Hyde Park, headlined dozens of festivals around Europe, and, most recently, was nominated yesterday (July 26th) for the Mercury Prize, which awards the best album released in the UK. It’s clear that the personal and therapeutic direction of S...
Billy Corgan and Chloé Mendel on Highland Park Fundraiser, Reclaiming ‘Space in the Community’
The shooting in Highland Park, Illinois during a Fourth of July parade, which left seven people dead and 46 others wounded, became a tragedy that the entire nation felt. But for Billy Corgan and his partner, Chloé Mendel, it hit much closer to home — quite literally. “When you go through this, it’s like you don’t want to walk past where this happened,” Corgan tells SPIN over Zoom. “I mean, we were there last night eating ice cream literally right beneath where the shooter was. We’re there all the time, and we have to reclaim our space in the community.” That reclamation is why the two owners of the neighborhood’s tea shop and plant-based emporium, Madame ZuZu’s, are hosting Together and Together Again — A Benefit for the Highland Park Community Foundation, a live-streamed concert to r...
Westworld Composer on Slipping Some Nine Inch Nails Into Season 4, Episode 5: Exclusive
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Westworld, Season 4 Episode 5, “Zhuangzi.” To read about the music of Episode 4, click here.] Did you catch the Nine Inch Nails cover in the newest episode of Westworld? Don’t feel bad if you missed it — so did Consequence, upon initial viewing. But composer Ramin Djawadi, as part of our weekly series of conversations about the music of Season 4, was kind enough to point out that yes, when Christina (Evan Rachel Wood) and Hale (Tessa Thompson) are having an awkward lunch together, there’s a subtle solo piano inclusion of “The Day the World Went Away” from The Fragile in the background. “If I didn’t know, I probably would’ve missed it too,” Djawadi says, once again reinforcing that when it comes to the HBO sci-fi drama, there’s always a lo...
Billy Porter on Bringing “Trans Joy” to Audiences With His Directorial Debut Anything’s Possible
Press junkets can be stressful occasions for some, but Billy Porter (Pose, Cinderella) had a glass of wine and great energy at the ready when Consequence spoke with him about his directorial debut, the charming coming-of-age rom-com Anything’s Possible. Written by Ximena García Lecuona and premiering Friday, July 22nd on Prime Video, the film focuses on Kelsa (Eva Reign), a trans high school senior whose life gets shaken up when she and her fellow student Khal (Abubakr Ali) discover their mutual crushes on each other. One key sequence from the film involves a conflict with Kelsa’s former friend Em (Courtnee Carter), which escalates to the point where Kelsa is no longer allowed to use the girl’s bathroom. The situation becomes the center of a heated scene at the school between Kelsa, Kelsa’...
Alison Mosshart on Potential Dead Weather Reunion: “It’ll Have To Feel Just Right”
At some point between The White Stripes’ debut and now, Jack White crossed over from being the frontman of an exciting blues rock duo to being an ambassador for the very essence of the music he creates. And, as evidenced by the many groups he’s played in and/or produced for, White isn’t hesitant to share some of that essence. In Consequence’s latest cover story, starring White, Alison Mosshart (of The Kills and The Dead Weather) shares her experience working with the rock icon. “[He’s a] wildly creative mind, of course. He moves quick, ideas come to him like boom, boom, boom, and he’s fearless in all his projects,” Mosshart tells Consequence. “[He] just fires up the engine and goes. There is total heart and passion running through all of his work. His energy is huge, and he’s a great colla...
Purity Ring’s Shrines Turns 10: How the Debut Laid a Masterful Foundation for the Future of Pop
Purity Ring‘s Megan James and Corin Roddick describe their debut album, Shrines, as one with very strict rules. “All the drums sound a certain way, all the vocals sound a certain way, all the synths… we created a strict palate of things that sort of worked together and tried to make as many different kind of musical ideas within that palette,” Roddick tells Consequence. Indeed, Shrines — which celebrates its tenth anniversary today, July 20th — is an album that represents Purity Ring operating with only their essentials, forging a path that would later define the sound of modern pop, if only for a portion of the last decade. When you look at Purity Ring’s output following Shrines (2015’s Another Eternity, 2020’s WOMB, and most recently, their EP Graves, which ...
Purity Ring’s Shrines Turns 10: How the Debut Laid a Masterful Foundation for the Future of Pop
Purity Ring‘s Megan James and Corin Roddick describe their debut album, Shrines, as one with very strict rules. “All the drums sound a certain way, all the vocals sound a certain way, all the synths… we created a strict palate of things that sort of worked together and tried to make as many different kind of musical ideas within that palette,” Roddick tells Consequence. Indeed, Shrines — which celebrates its tenth anniversary today, July 20th — is an album that represents Purity Ring operating with only their essentials, forging a path that would later define the sound of modern pop, if only for a portion of the last decade. When you look at Purity Ring’s output following Shrines (2015’s Another Eternity, 2020’s WOMB, and most recently, their EP Graves, which ...
The Sandlot, Sharon Van Etten and The Beast
On June 1, Lauren Denitzio of Brooklyn-based band Worriers tweeted “Ok, so when are we going to talk about the fact that the title of the new Sharon Van Etten record is a Sandlot reference.” Denitzio made a good point, so SPIN reached out to Van Etten to have that talk. That Sandlot reference, the line “We’ve been going about this all wrong” became the title of Van Etten’s sixth album — a beautiful, expansive and exploratory record that is both an honest dissection of the trauma of the last few years and an earnestly hopeful look forward. Fresh off a recent tour of the UK, Van Etten had a lot to say about her new record, We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong, her line about using the bathroom after doing dishes and which character from The Sandlot she most identifies with. Or as she put it...
Westworld Composer Reveals the Frank Ocean Cover You Might Have Missed in Season 4, Episode 4: Exclusive
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Westworld, Season 4 Episode 4, “Generation Loss.” To read about the music of Episode 3, click here.] Episode 3 of Westworld, “Années Folles,” had two big treats for those addicted to composer Ramin Djawadi’s instrumental covers of pop and rock tunes. Meanwhile, Episode 4, “Generation Loss,” was a little more subtle. Speaking to Consequence as part of our ongoing series on the music of Westworld Season 4, Djawadi reveals that this week’s episode did feature a snippet of music you might have heard before, in a very different context: “Pink + White” by Frank Ocean. The short burst of solo piano can be heard at the 24-minute mark of the episode, accompanying an establishing shot of the New York restaurant where Christina (Evan Rachel Wood) is...
Westworld Composer Reveals the Frank Ocean Cover You Might Have Missed in Season 4, Episode 4: Exclusive
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Westworld, Season 4 Episode 4, “Generation Loss.” To read about the music of Episode 3, click here.] Episode 3 of Westworld, “Années Folles,” had two big treats for those addicted to composer Ramin Djawadi’s instrumental covers of pop and rock tunes. Meanwhile, Episode 4, “Generation Loss,” was a little more subtle. Speaking to Consequence as part of our ongoing series on the music of Westworld Season 4, Djawadi reveals that this week’s episode did feature a snippet of music you might have heard before, in a very different context: “Pink + White” by Frank Ocean. The short burst of solo piano can be heard at the 24-minute mark of the episode, accompanying an establishing shot of the New York restaurant where Christina (Evan Rachel Wood) is...
“Every A&R Has a Horror Story”: Mark Knight Remixes Historic Avicii Song Years After Missed Opportunity to Sign It
The release of Mark Knight‘s remix of “My Feelings For You” marks a bit of a full circle moment for the Toolroom Records boss, but perhaps not in the way you’d expect. Part of Vicious Records’ 30th anniversary celebrations, Knight received the opportunity to put his own spin on the 2010 Avicii classic. Though it was released at a formative time in his career, Avicii’s “My Feelings For You” went on to become a wildly influential record. Knight, who was acquainted with the young star at the time, saw potential in him, but wasn’t quite sold on the DJ’s demo submissions. Speaking with EDM.com, Knight recalls he had an opportunity to sign “My Feelings For You,” and says not seizing on it was a “...
