Oct 22, 2021
By Sam Small
Web Exclusive
A pedigree chart shows the occurrence and appearance of phenotypes of a particular gene or organism and its ancestors from one posterity to the next. Underneath the expansive branch of “The Midwest,” you might find DNA labeled as “blankness,” “vague,” or “ordinary.” There is a root in these derivative words, a seed of some sort, that is planted in the heart of midwesterners that either blossoms or festers. It all really depends on how you water it. Because, no matter how sharp your shears may be, there is no real way to cut this root. It is within you, regardless if you want it or not. Regardless, if you’re proud of it. More
Oct 21, 2021
By Mark Moody
Web Exclusive
One could certainly understand Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy (who uses they/them pronouns) being a little bit on the sleepy side the Sunday morning we spoke. Forced into pandemic hibernation like the rest of us, Duffy has emerged with their best sounding and most revealing album to date, Fun House (due out tomorrow on Saddle Creek). More
Oct 19, 2021
By Jake Uitti
Natalie Imbruglia knows everything is transient. To put it another way, she says, “I just don’t give a shit anymore.” The “Torn” singer, who became globally famous for her voice and beauty in the ’90s, has seen the ways of the world and she’s not really impressed anymore. More
Oct 15, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Web Exclusive
My Firsts is our email interview series where we ask musicians to tell us about their first life experiences, be it early childhood ones (first word, first concert, etc.) or their first tastes of being a musician (first band, first tour, etc.). For this My Firsts we talk to Hayden Thorpe. More
Oct 14, 2021
By Kyle Mullin
Web Exclusive
Although Johnny Marr co-wrote ’80s hits such as “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”—playing riffs as lyrical as anything frontman Morrissey ever penned—the ex-Smiths guitarist is now singing a very different tune. “Spirit Power and Soul,” the lead single from Marr’s new solo EP Fever Dreams, Pt. 1 (out tomorrow) is a stark departure from the melancholic songs he and The Smiths soundtracked many an angsty adolescence with. More
Oct 13, 2021
By Kyle Mullin
Web Exclusive
While Andy Shauf’s new album, Wilds, features more lyrics about Judy and other beloved characters from his preceding albums such as 2020’s The Neon Skyline, the Canadian singer/songwriter says he’s not staking his career on an extended, Marvel-esque expanded universe. More
Oct 08, 2021
By Mica Tenenbaum
Web Exclusive
For our recurring Self-Portrait feature, we ask musicians to take a self-portrait photo (or paint/draw a self-portrait) and write a list of personal things about themselves, things that their fans might not already know about them. This Self-Portrait is by Los Angeles-based duo Magdalena Bay (aka Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin). More
Oct 06, 2021
By Mark Moody
Web Exclusive
Three quarters of the way through our interview discussing Shannon Lay’s reflective new album, Geist (out this Friday on Sub Pop), Lay visibly exhales. Wearing a white Ramones T-shirt, Lay appears freshly scrubbed and fully relaxed in the kitchen of her recently acquired Los Angeles bungalow. More
Oct 04, 2021
By Jasper Willems
Web Exclusive
Sarah Tudzin, aka illuminati hotties, has a unique way of stretching pop dynamics like silly putty, shaping them into her own self-coined “tenderpunk” vernacular. A former student of the Berklee College of Music and already a seasoned engineer in her mid-20s, her own pet project was initially meant as a reference point for clientele who wished to make good use of her unique set of skills. More
