The day after we were intoxicated by punk rocker Haru Nemuri absolutely destroying her midnight set at Elysium on March 14th, we had the pleasure of translating her energy into portraits. She was delighted that two generations of our family were there to enjoy her late set the night before – it’s not my fault we have the coolest mom ever, honestly – and we were able to joke around a bit while she threw stunner poses at us.
It’s truly no wonder that between her 5 shows and 1500+ fans that came out to see her, she sold out of her merchandise at SXSW. Keep your eyes peeled for her full-length release, out April 22, 2022.
SXSW 2022 was all types of greatness. The entirety of the festival was focused on the future. While many panels and installations chose to speak about driving the near-future in ways that align with heart-centered outlooks, there were plenty of post-apocalyptic discussions and even more about technology and digital progression in the more distant future.
One of the first panels we enjoyed was “Welcome to Your Digital Afterlife: Upload Creator Greg Daniels in conversation with Amy Webb.” This panel took place on opening day, Friday, March 11th. If you are not familiar with Greg Daniels and his incredible career track, here’s a quick rundown. Greg is a screenwriter, television producer, and director. A big portion of his work centers on creating storylines for episodes about the future. His writing credits include The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, The Office, Parks & Recreation, King of the Hill, and more. (But did we need more? His credits are insane!) He is the genius responsible for the flash-forward episodes in many of your favorite television shows and sitcoms. (Think: “Lisa’s Wedding” and the finale of Parks & Rec. ) He co-created Space Force with Steve Carell, which almost entirely focuses on the future of space tech and travel.
Daniels has always employed a reporter’s eye when creating his storylines and characters. This is a trait he has passed down to other writers on his projects and proteges over the years. Learning about the past to correctly identify the future. Allowing himself to observe people in their natural habitats – Texas, when researching King of the Hill, for example – has given him space to breathe authenticity into his characters and storylines. Perhaps this is why so many of his episodes ended up predicting the future when looking back years later.
When asked about what inspires his work, Daniels initially pointed out The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He expanded by explaining: “I also worked with Jim Brooks [one of the Mary Tyler Moore Show creators] on the Simpsons. So to me, he is a great icon on a very humanistic way to get characters where you don’t look down on them or treat them poorly. I like that style and that’s the style I write in.”
future panel
The focus of this panel was on Greg Daniels’ creation of the science fiction comedy series Upload. The premise doesn’t stray far from concepts discussed in many of his previous television works, and many other futuristic ideas pop culture has explored over the last few decades. In 2033 – the not-so-distant future – humans have the capability of uploading their consciousness into an afterlife of their choosing. The series 2 premiere was released on March 11th, the day of the panel, so focusing on it was a given.
As to Daniels’ idea of what the future may actually hold? His take is that, regardless of how it all unfolds, he sees pseudonymity in it. (He also admitted to having just learned the term during a panel the morning of March 11th. What a win!) “Your avatar develops a reputation that you have to live with.”
Amy admitted, quite quickly, that she is terrified by this idea. “My unit of measure is going to be quantified by some type of algorithmic scoring system,” she responded, trailing off a bit. When considering it as a reality as opposed to a train of thought induced by what we believe the future should be, it really is quite alarming. However, addressing our fears of the future can actually also prepare us to plan for what we WANT our future to look like, instead of what we think it will ultimately be (if science has its way).
Check out more of our SXSW 2022 coverage here. (We will be rolling out coverage for weeks to come!)
Singer, songwriter, and healing artist Lauren Monroe is on a roll. On the heels of her new show announcements, she brings along her latest single release with the beautiful “Kiss Me Now.” Her first release of 2022, the song reminds us all to take life as it comes at us and, for a lack of better analogy, grab the bull by the horns. Explains Monroe:
[Kiss Me Now is] a reminder of the impermanence of life – a reminder to be grateful for who we have and the journey we have taken with loved ones. It’s about being happy and free, having fun but remembering it all ends one day. The pandemic challenged our ability to celebrate just being with people, and this song reminds us to celebrate the moments we do spend together.
While the pandemic still trudges on, this is a feeling we can all identify with. And this song is a beautiful testament to the humanness that brings us all together. Enjoy the track – and it’s gorgeously compiled lyric. video – below!
Every couple of years, my twin sister and I would look at each other in a moment of confusion and wonder out loud, “Where the f*ck is Fefe Dobson?” And I’m not saying this just to say it. It’s been getting even more bothersome over time. Her albums Joy and Sunday Love dropped a decade ago, and it seemed to us that the Canadian wunderkind went even more underground after that. How did such an incredible, edgy songstress who helped lead the femme pop/punk world into what it is today, just kind of vanish? The world deserved her energy. The world needed her art.
Flash forward to a few weeks ago. My sister noticed Fefe’s IG changing a bit first. Once word of a new single dropped, she was all over it. So, you know we had to weigh in on the first single drop in ten years. “FCKN IN LOVE” is out now, and it’s honestly a new staple in the music library. Bringing her quintessential Fefe attitude and vulnerability, she attacks the topic of true love in a way that most can relate to. The song packs a punch, a love anthem if you will, and is inherently joyous to listen to.
Ever felt just blissfully in love? Feeling it now? Give the track a listen. (Especially if the person you’re in love with is yourself, quite honestly.)
Alt-pop entertainer Maude Latour is certainly making a name for herself in the industry. Her sold-out North American tour kicks off next month, a result of the popularity of her sound on streaming platforms. Latest track “Headphones” is no different. The song is a testament to her talent, letting her play with autotune around natural vocals that are no less than entrancing. Explains Latour of the track:
“Headphones” starts exactly after where the “Strangers Forever” EP left us — heartbroken and experiencing loss, but slowly finding strength, as we say goodbye to a person of our past. “Headphones” is an opening of a new world; it is the first ray of light as the storm begins to end. I was lying on a hardwood floor, realizing I was truly alone in my head, no more romantic partner to lean on, when I first heard a voice in my head. It was my own. I wanted to learn to love myself, I wanted to grow within. “Headphones” is that terrifying leap into our future, and into our deeper selves.
Latour released a video accompanying the new song. Latour gallivants around New York City in good spirits, driven by her own beautiful words and the track in her headphones. The idea that words or a song could set the tone for your day – or be the underlying soundtrack to your incredible life – is reason enough to get through the tough shit.
We understand the allure, and are excited to see what her live performance entails.
Athens-based indie rock outfit Monsoon – expertly comprised of Sienna Chandler and Joey Kegel – has proven its propensity for balancing delicate harmonies with hard-hitting lines. The duo’s dynamic is energetic, edgy, and self-aware in a way that we haven’t exactly experienced before. And their new album Ghost Party is more evidence of all of that.
The first track “Walking Legs” seems to get you on your feet in just that way, starting out slow and careful and building into a cacophony of epic sound. “Third Voice” brings in more pop elements, an introspective track about change and hope at its core. The title track delves into the brokenness Chandler felt during a particularly dark time, ending with Haunted Mansion-esque energy. (If you can’t quite relate even now, having lived during an insufferable pandemic, then kudos.)
The meandering nature of “Don’t Move” is almost a palate cleanser sound-wise, though the lyrics seem to question preconceived notions in a less-than-subliminal way. “O Brother” continues with morbid metaphors, while the one-minute-long “Dark Colossus” discusses a unique love, laced with the same darkness as its predecessors.
The soundscape of “Submission” feels like it hopped right out of an indie film like 500 Days of Summer, while “Nightshop” has more of an underground, pop-punk sound to it. Ninth track “Red Blood” keeps that punk spirit alive, at times akin to the haunting chant of “red rum, red rum” from that quintessential horror flick we all know and love. The composition sounds more like a spell being cast, but that doesn’t vary much from many of the tracks on this release.
While “Pig Pen” is not about our favorite Peanuts character, it does introduce whirring guitar parts that make us want to headbang all day. The album rounds everything out perfectly with the eleventh track “Beetlebee,” which starts with a whisper and ends with an absolute bang. In fact, the song feels much like the progression of the album as a whole. We’re particularly fond of it, and can’t wait to see the live performance.
Walking Legs
Third Voice
Ghost Party
Don’t Move
O Brother
Dark Colossus
Submission
Nightshop
Red Blood
Pig Pen
Beetlebee
Get your first listen to Ghost Party on February 18th.
Polymathic artist extraordinaire Miles Francis released a new single and its accompanying music video, and we’re absolutely intoxicated by the light as a feather soundscape that carries it all. “Nature” – at its core – is a song of acknowledgment and acceptance. Seeing the darkness in ourselves and addressing it, but not necessarily trying to change it. Embracing inescapable flaws, and learning to make them into art.
LYRICS Wave up ahead, all that I see I go red and let it wash over me In just a moment, I submit I cannot own it, I cannot quit Ego inflated, intoxicated Loaded with pride, must be my
Nature Something in my nature Governs my behavior And I can’t see it through Until I’ve hurt you
Swimming with my father I feel the current bring me closer to him Something in the water Has turned these clean hands into phantom limbs Ego inflated, emasculated Loaded with pride, please forgive my
Nature Something in my nature Governs my behavior And I can’t see it through Until I’ve hurt you
Miles Francis dances in a field in an oversized suit, softened colors creating a dream sequence unlike any other. Take a gander for yourself!
The micro-dosing community isn’t the only group of people that are currently into the wonders of mushrooms. Los Angeles-based indie outfit GOON – expertly comprised of Any Polito, Dillon Peralta, Tamra Simons, and Kenny Becker – have been intricately evolving their sound for years. But mushrooms seem to have aided in the organic (pun intended) development of their new music. Expands Kenny:
The inspiration for this track came from a long walk I took on a rainy gray day in November 2021. During that time I would often walk along the path that follows a waterway which feeds into the LA river. Passing a patch of mushrooms gave me the idea to title the song “Fruiting Body.” The term refers to the spore-producing structure of fungi.
The song itself makes you feel as though you are safely nestled in a bed of trees, surrounded by infinite light. The video – directed and edited by Kenny – mimics this exact feeling. We’re just fans of watching each band member experience pure joy over the course of the video. It’s a snapshot of nature that wholeheartedly encourages play, with the creepy repetition of the line “blood red” dancing in the background.
SOFI TUKKER – a high-energy pop duo that infuses their upbeat anthems and party songs with deep channels of thought and acceptance – is back with the video for their latest dance track “Original Sin.”
“Original Sin” is the perfect way to introduce the world of WET TENNIS and it’s very emblematic of “the freak fam”, our community. It says: we aren’t meant to be saints. We aren’t born sinners. We’re just a bunch of freaks who make mistakes and keep trying to do our best. WET TENNIS is an acronym that stands for: “when everyone tries to evolve, nothing negative is safe” and that’s what this song is all about. We live in a troubled world, it’s not our fault if we have trouble sometimes. That’s part of what makes us human. But when we evolve together and celebrate instead of judge each other, we can move through negativity into a more optimistic way of life.
The music video – which is thrilling and dynamic in its own right – is a jolting burst of vibrance – in both color scheme and subject matter. Playing tennis in all-white garb leads to an abandonment of purity. Skin-to-skin contact, implied trysts against the backdrop of stained glass, a brief but duly noted nod to religious restrictions over the ages. It’s far more nuanced than one could expect to take in in just one watch. Explained the duo of the music video:
The “Original Sin” video is the Garden of Eden of the WET TENNIS world. It’s a place beaming with sexual freedom and colorful possibilities. At first, we see everybody in their traditional roles, wearing all white, clapping politely, acting as one “should” during a tennis match, but as the world unfolds, we see that everyone is a freak. At the end of the video, that freakiness is liberated as we all look up to the WET TENNIS statue in the sky.
We’re wearing custom tennis outfits we designed with Johnny Wujek, that have the WET TENNIS gradient scheme from orange to purple. We wanted to take the traditional aspects of the tennis aesthetic and flip it on its head to make it more colorful and wild. We have a moment of Sophie in a headdress made of tennis balls. And of course–an orgy in the confessional booth, set in front of the lush Hawaiian mountains. It was so much fun to shoot this video and create this world from our bizarre imaginations into real life. We hope it invites people to take a step away from the path they think they’re supposed to be on towards one where all their desires and colors are welcomed. And we hope it puts people into a sexy state of mind.
