Touche Amore released 'Skyscraper' off the upcoming album 'Stage Four' out 9/16. The song is a change of pace and almost has a 'The National' quality, but feels a little different for Touche Amore.  Read about the single and the upcoming album here, and preorder here.

Watch Chance The Rapper participate in the #sogonechallenge below via Twitter. Read more about the challenge here via XXL.

At 21 songs long, the new Descendents LP 'Hypercaffium Spazzinate' seems mammoth, but it's only 42 minutes long, leaving a lot of the tracks less than two minutes long, which is a bizarre, if not slightly aggravating choice. 

Aside from initial annoyance, it's important to note that this is their first LP in 12 years. With roots in 70's California pop punk, Descendents have been around for a while. This LP follows up their 2004 'Cool to Be You.' 

The album opens with 'Feel This,' a punchy song that feels right to open with. 'Feel This' is actually one of my favorites off the LP, but at 1:14, it leaves you wanting more. Maybe a good opener, but on its own, it's just short. I actually really liked 'Shameless Halo,' the fourth track, which felt really complete. I also liked 'Spineless and Scarlet Red' and 'Full Circle.' 

The rest of the album isn't necessarily bad, but it's boring. It all feels pretty generic and derivative. Again, it's not bad, but after 12 years, I was expecting....more? Stream below via Spotify.

Wolf Alice released their debut album a while ago, 'My Love Is Cool' and you can stream it below via Spotify. Since I heard 'Bros' ages ago, I've been a fan, and I'm happy to see it on the album. I think 'Bros' is a killer song and a really great representation of what Wolf Alice is capable of. 

Lyrically, Wolf Alice is doing some really cool things here. The album opens to 'Turn To Dust' which plays on relationship insecurities, and 'Bros' follows. 'Bros' is an incredibly strong song, 'Your Loves Whore' is another great track, and though this isn't the newest music, I've been bumping the album since July and I figured I'd better give a shout to what I've been listening to. 

Recently I was lucky enough to be able to cover the Endless Summer Tour with Yo Gotti, YG, Logic and G-Eazy thanks to my fantastic Editor, Susan McLean. Hartford, Connecticut was their final stop of the tour, but all of the artists retained the energy and appreciation that one would expect. This was my first experience covering a large scale concert at a venue as large as Xfinity, and the advertising team has it down to a science. I was able to photograph a few songs from each artist’s set.

Yo Gotti, most widely known for his song “Down in the DM” was dressed in all white with very large Yellow Gold and Diamond watch, bracelet and chain combo. He was definitely the least energetic performer of the concert, but he was very successful in involving the audience even while it was still light out. YG quickly followed, all in black, he was significantly more energetic than Yo Gotti, and naturally commanded the entire stage.

​Before Logic’s set, there was a change of scenery on stage with his hype man/DJ up on a huge pallet of lights with a screen on either side. Logic spread his motto of “peace love and positivity” in his jeans graphic tee and hat. The audience was much more invested in Logic than the previous two artists, and that energy only grew throughout the concert. Logic took a few opportunities to speak with the crowd and encourage them to put down their phones and just take in the song and the moment that they were experiencing. He shared his past difficulties coming from a challenging background and working for his success. Logic even paused to share an entry from his personal journal, and he read it in a spoken word type of style. He also stopped to call out a few fans in the audience, had everyone sing happy birthday to one, and he recalled one fan’s name, saying that she was one of his biggest fans. I might not be a Logic fan and I admittedly did not know very much about him prior to the concert, but he appears to be a quality person and performer.

There was a quick intermission of sorts- for stage scenery and preparation for G-Eazy, and I took this opportunity for a personal pep talk to avoid fangirling and play it cool at all costs. Spoiler, I didn’t make a scene but I barely kept it cool. The first time I saw G-Eazy live was at a tiny college concert where he performed about three songs. Despite the fact that his set was extremely short, he still out-performed the headliner. So I took my post and waited for G-Eazy, he made a perfectly dramatic entrance as one panel of screen was pulled up and his silhouette was revealed. He slowly emerged, put his hands on his hips, and looked out at the crowd, soaking it in. He quickly moved into his set with all of the energy, jumping, gangly appendages and every song that someone could hope for. He wore white jeans, white converse with cartoon eyes, floral button down, and personalized “Made in California” jean jacket. During one of his first three songs, G took a few moments and stood in the middle of the stage scanning the audience just smiling. It was without a doubt the most genuine appreciation that I have seen from a live artist. Anyone can thank the crowd, it is a polite thing to do, but he looked truly content and in awe of the crowd that stood before him. G also took time to mention everyone on stage with him, thank those who helped him while on tour, and of course thank the fans at his last concert of the tour. He also took time to mention how Lil Wayne took him on tour a few years ago and gave him the opportunity to perform at large venues similar in size to Xfinity. G explained how he would perform his ten minute set to barely 200 people in a huge arena, and then he would sit in the audience for the remainder of the concert. Both to see the fan’s perspective, and because he was truly a fan himself. It was admirable to hear such a humbling story, and as a fan for a number of years I have loved being able to see just how far G-Eazy has come firsthand. 

​Yo Gotti

YG

Logic

G-Eazy

I was pleasantly surprised to see more from Rich Chigga following his debut to Spotify with “Dat $tick”. “Who That Be” has a strong beat that is both catchy and compliments his vocals with lower tones and heavy bass. Some minor aspects of his lyrics such as mentions of Santa Claus and trampolines can be seen as childish, but I like to think of it as a nod at the fact that he looks young and is in fact very young. From what I have found, he is roughly 16. Even the single art appears to be a silly play on what looks like a cliché school photo. Being so young and carrying the momentum from “Dat $tick” into another single is very promising, I hope that Rich Chigga can continue utilizing this energy. Stream below via Spotify and Youtube and read more on Hypebeast. 

Check out the new video for Sunflower Bean's 'Come On' of their album 'Human Ceremony.' The video is super well put together, with a sweet vibe. It features white go go boots, various animals including skunks, and killer lighting. Watch below via Youtube.

According to Pitchfork, their upcoming tour dates are as follows:

08-13 Los Angeles, CA - The Theater at Ace Hotel
08-17 Shanghai, China - YYT
08-18 Beijing, China - Modern Sky Lab
08-20 Osaka, Japan - Summersonic Festival
08-21 Tokyo, Japan - Summersonic Festival
08-23 Groningen, Holland - Noorderzon Fest
08-24 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Rotown
08-25 Hamburg, Germany - Molotow
08-26 Berlin, Germany - Lido
08-28 Vienna, Austria - B72
08-30 Zurich, Switzerland - Rote Fabrik
08-31 Düdingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn
09-02 Gdansk, Poland - Soundrive Festival
09-03 Sixpenny Handley, England - End of the Road Festival
09-05 Birmingham, England - Hare & Hounds ^
09-06 Newcastle, England - Think Tank? ^
09-07 Glasgow, Scotland - Broadcast ^
09-08 Leeds, England - Brudnell Social Club
09-09 Nottingham, England - The Bodega ^
09-10 Manchester, England - The Deaf Institute ^
09-11 Isle of Wright, England - Bestival
09-13 Bristol, England - Thekla ^
09-14 Brighton, England - The Haunt ^
09-15 London, England - Scala ^
09-16 Paris, France - Point Ephémère
09-17 Angers, France - Levitation Festival
09-18 Utrecht, Netherlands - ACU
09-19 Nijmegen, Netherlands - Merleyn
09-20 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Indiestad Festival
10-05 Providence, RI - Columbus Theatre *
10-06 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall *
10-07 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg *
10-08 Philadelphia, PA - The Foundry at the Fillmore *
10-19 Toronto, Ontario - The Garrison *
10-20 Lakewood, OH - Mahall's 20 Lanes * 
10-21 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall *
10-22 Madison, WI - The Frequency *
10-23 Grinnell, IA - Grinnell College: Gardner Lounge *
10-24 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
10-27 Seattle, WA - Chop Suey *
10-28 Vancouver, British Columbia - The Fox Cabaret *
10-29 Portland, OR - Analog Theater *
10-31 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Shop *
11-04 Salt Lake City, UT - Billboard-Live! *
11-05 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge *
11-08 Oxford, MS - Proud Larrys *
11-09 Nashville, TN - Exit/In
11-10 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
11-11 Durham, NC - The Pinhook *
11-12 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel *
11-23 Barcelona, Spain - Sidecar
11-24 Madrid, Spain - Siroco
11-25 Lisbon, Portugal - Mexefest
^ with Communions
* with The Lemon Twigs 

Joyce Manor's new album 'Cody' will be out October 7th and they released 'Fake I.D.' as a single. 'Fake I.D.' is much more pop focused than their older work, and I don't know that it's working for them. I'm warily curious to see what the rest of the album holds, as 'Never Hungover Again' and their self-titled were some of my favorite albums. Stream the single below via Soundcloud, and check out their tour dates, according to Pitchfork, with The Hotelier, Crying, and Diet Cig (a totally stacked lineup) below. Finally, also according to Pitchfork, 'Cody's' track list is as follows:

01 Fake I.D. 
02 Eighteen
03 Angel In The Snow
04 Do You Really Want To Not Get Better? 
05 Last You Heard Of Me
06 Make Me Dumb 
07 Over Before It Began 
08 Reversing Machine
09 Stairs
10 This Song Is A Mess But So Am I 

08-11 Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups *
08-12 Louisville, KY - The New Vintage *
08-13 Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle
08-14 Atlanta, GA - The Wrecking Ball
08-15 Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre *
08-16 Nashville, TN - Third Man Records
10-05 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall ^&
10-07 Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater ^&
10-09 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile ^&
10-10 Missoula, MT - The Badlander ^&
10-11 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby ^&
10-12 Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre ^&
10-14 Burnsville, MN - Garage ^&
10-15 Chicago, IL - Metro ^&
10-16 Detroit, MI - El Club ^&
10-18 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg ^&
10-19-20 Boston, MA - Sinclair ^&
10-21-22 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church ^&
10-23 Baltimore, MD - Otto Bar ^&
10-24 Pittsburgh, PA - Rex ^&
10-25 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop ^&
10-27 St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill ^&
10-28 Lawrence, KS - Granada ^&
10-29 Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street Collective ^&

* with Diet Cig
^ with The Hotelier, 
& with Crying ​

Watch Arc Iris' new video below for 'Moon Saloon.' I love the haunting vibe of the song, and I like the video, but it's a bit slow moving for my taste. NPR said:

Stream via Youtube