synthpop
CHVRCHES’ Lauren Mayberry on Lost Boys, John Carpenter, and The Cure’s Robert Smith
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Lauren Mayberry catches up with Kyle Meredith to talk about Screen Violence, the new CHVRCHES album that finds the synthpop band using horror movies as a parallel to what was happening in their lives over the past few years. The Scottish artist discusses the darker side of fame that comes from the Internet, explains the “kill your idols” lyric on “Good Girls,” and working with The Cure’s Robert Smith and director/musician John Carpenter. Advertisement Related Video Mayberry also details their latest release, a cover of the Lost Boys soundtrack classic “Cry Little Sister” that was recently released as part of the ...
Governors Ball 2021 Day 1: The 5 Best Things We Saw
It was just a few months ago that Foo Fighters welcomed back live music in New York City with their Madison Square Garden show, and that already feels like a lifetime ago. If that was the city healing, the return of Governors Ball is NYC thriving. The festival kicked off its 10th anniversary celebration on Friday night, beckoning the throngs of music-hungry youths to its new location at Citi Field. The parking lot setting is a far cry from the barely-accessible Randall’s Island of years’ past, and frankly that’s a good thing. There was already enough anxiety about being in such massive throngs once again (checked for vaccinations and negative tests though they were) without worrying about cramming onto a bus or missing the last ferry to get off the island. That relative ease compared to ye...
CHVRCHES Cover Gerard McMahon’s “Cry Little Sister” for Netflix’s Nightbooks: Stream
CHVRCHES have shared their cover of Gerard McMahon’s “Cry Little Sister” for the soundtrack to the Netflix movie Nightbooks. Stream it below. “Cry, little sister/ Thou shalt not fall/ Come, come to your brother/ Thou shalt not die/ Unchain me, sister/ Thou shalt not fear/ Love is with your brother/ Thou shalt not kill,” Lauren Mayberry intones in a call-and-answer with herself on the track’s foreboding, atmospheric chorus. The band opened up about their love of the 1987 gothic rock classic originally featured in Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys, saying in a statement, “We were so excited to work on this project as we are big fans of everyone involved. Cinema — horror in particular — has always been a big part of CHVRCHES behind the scenes. We have talked about covering “Cry Little Sister” f...
MUNA Taps Phoebe Bridgers for New Song “Silk Chiffon”: Stream
Toward the end of last year, Phoebe Bridgers started her own record label called Saddest Factory Records, and this past spring signed the Los Angeles synthpop trio MUNA. Today, MUNA have shared their first single since joining the label, “Silk Chiffon,” featuring a verse from Bridgers herself. If “Silk Chiffon” is meant to reintroduce MUNA to old fans and new listeners alike, then it goes above and beyond in summarizing what makes the group so much fun. It’s an unabashedly pop number with airy guitars and a vocal melody that will get stuck in your head all week. According to Naomi McPherson, the band’s guitarist and producer, “Silk Chiffon” was written in hopes of being “a song for kids to have their first gay kiss to.” “Silk Chiffon” arrives with a vibrant music video in tow. Directed by ...
A Flock of Seagulls on String Theory, the Magic of the ’80s, and a New Album
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS A Flock of Seagulls’ Mike Score chats with Kyle Meredith about String Theory, the new collection of orchestral versions of the iconic ’80s band’s catalog. The frontman talks about giving some of the band’s overlooked songs a bigger spotlight, such as the first single “Say You Love Me,” which originally arrived on their 1995 album, The Light at the End of the World. Score also shares the story behind the fan-favorite “Remember David.” Advertisement Related Video Elsewhere, the A Flock of Seagulls singer tells us he’d like to see a third orchestral collection and tips us off that he’s working on both a solo record and the ...
Pet Shop Boys Unveil New Single “Cricket wife”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-22T16:34:21+00:00“>May 22, 2021 | 12:34pm ET Pet Shop Boys have shared a new single called “Cricket wife”. It’s part of a special two-track CD single accompanying the publication of Annually 2021, the latest edition of their yearly hardback book. Stream it below. Fans are in for a treat with “Cricket wife”. The song clocks in at nearly 10 minutes and sounds rather polished considering it was recorded during lockdown, with members Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe capturing their parts inside their respective homes. Orchestral sounds flood the background alongside classical instrumentation, and atop it all is a new batch of poetic lyrics sung by Tennant. The second track on the CD singl...
DEVO Reunite for Gerald Casale’s New Single “I’m Gonna Pay U Back”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-20T22:03:53+00:00“>May 20, 2021 | 6:03pm ET DEVO co-founder Gerald Casale has announced a reissue of his 2006 album AKA Jihad Jerry & The Evildoers. It comes out June 12th via Real Gone Music. But that’s not all! The reissue’s expanded tracklist includes a new new single called “I’m Gonna Pay U Back” that sees Casale reuniting with his DEVO bandmates for the first time in 10 years. “I’m Gonna Pay U Back” is a massive track with ominous bass, jagged guitars, and eerie new wave synths that pulse throughout. Joining Casale on the track are his late brother Bob Casale, Josh Freese, Bob Mothersbaugh, and Mark Mothersbaugh, which explains why it recalls the creative genius of ...
Sylvan Esso Announce Fall 2021 US Tour Dates
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-11T16:47:50+00:00“>May 11, 2021 | 12:47pm ET Sylvan Esso are returning to the road in support of last year’s Free Love. The synthpop duo has announced a string of 2021 US tour dates for this fall. After Sylvan Esso performs at Bonnaroo’s Saturday night Superjam with the 10-piece band which played on their December With Love EP, the “Shaking Out the Numb” tour will launch on September 6th at the Edgefield in Troutdale, Oregon, and continue through mid-November. Additional cities on the docket include Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, Boston, and a pair of shows at New York’s Terminal 5 to close out the trek. The group also has a slot lined up for Firefly Music Festival in Septemb...
Future Islands Cover Tina Turner’s Hit “We Don’t Need Another Hero”: Stream
Future Islands have shared a new cover of Tina Turner’s classic 1985 hit “We Don’t Need Another Hero”. Stream it below. The track was recorded as part of Future Island’s new live session on SiriusXMU. While the majority of the set saw the band stripping down material from their new album As Long as You Are for an intimate radio performance, it was the cover song that stole the show — in part because their ’80s-inspired sound was born from classics like this Golden Globes-nominated single from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. As is to be expected, Future Islands glam up the Turner classic with a lot of bouncy ’80s synthpop. Leader singer Samuel T. Herring takes a smoother approach to his vocals, giving each word proper enunciation and gusto without ever overdoing it. Meanwhile, there’s some spar...
The Smashing Pumpkins’ CYR Treads Water in a Sea of Excess: Review
The Lowdown: Twenty-five years ago this fall, The Smashing Pumpkins released the most essential double album of the 1990s. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness used every second of its 120-plus minutes to redefine the artistic possibilities of Billy Corgan and his band, moving away from the grunge comparisons that always chafed the mercurial frontman and towards something more expansive, stately, and baroque. That was 1995. One break-up, seven albums, and a Diamond certification later, The Smashing Pumpkins are once again presenting a double album for consideration. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Corgan described the new record (named for early Christian child-martyr St. Cyricus) as a reflection of the “spiritual dystopia” that haunts 2020. Sonically, that translates t...
Tegan and Sara Perform “Make You Mine This Season” on Kelly Clarkson: Watch
On Friday, Tegan and Sara appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show to (virtually) play their new single “Make You Mine This Season”. Replay the performance below, followed by Clarkson’s own recent cover of Tegan and Sara’s “Closer”. A synthpop tune filled with queer longing, “Make You Mine This Season” was… Please click the link below to read the full article. Tegan and Sara Perform “Make You Mine This Season” on Kelly Clarkson: Watch Lake Schatz You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users ...
Tegan and Sara Share New Holiday Song “Make You Mine This Season”: Stream
Tegan and Sara have released their first song of 2020. Titled “Make You Mine This Season”, it’s a holiday tune that’s set to appear on the soundtrack for Clea DuVall’s new Hulu film Happiest Season. An upbeat but aching synthpop number, it hears the two Quin sisters pining after “the only girl I’ve got on my list.” “I chase the feeling, ’cause you’ve got me dreaming,” they sing. “I could make you mine, make you mine this season.” The track’s heartache falls in line with the premise of DuVall’s upcoming queer Christmas movie. Per the film’s synopsis, “a young woman plans to propose marriage to her girlfriend while attending her family’s annual holiday party. At the party, she realizes her girlfriend hasn’t come out to her conservative parents yet.” Editors’ Picks Stream “Make You Mine...
