Posts tagged with "band"

HELLINGS – KILL ME TO KEEP LOVING YOU

HELLINGS FEATURING SUPERGROUP BAND DROPS DEBUT SINGLE TODAY TITLED “KILL ME TO KEEP LOVING YOU”

ALICE COOPER PLAYS A HAND IN BRETT HELLINGS’ ALL-STAR BAND THAT INCLUDES TOMMY HENRIKSEN (ALICE COOPER, HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, LADY GAGA, MEAT LOAF); RICHARD FORTUS (GUNS N’ ROSES); BUCK JOHNSON (AEROSMITH, HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES); BILLY SHEEHAN (DAVID LEE ROTH, MR. BIG, STEVE VAI); AND KENNY ARONOFF (JOHN MELLENCAMP, JOHN FOGERTY, SMASHING PUMPKINS)

Hellings, with lead singer Brett Hellings on vocals and an all-star supergroup including Richard Fortus (Guns N’ Roses), Tommy Henriksen (Alice Cooper, Hollywood Vampires, Warlock, Lady Gaga, Meat Loaf), Buck Johnson (Aerosmith, Hollywood Vampires), Billy Sheehan (David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Steve Vai), and Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, John Fogerty, Smashing Pumpkins) drops their debut single today titled “Kill Me To Keep Loving You,” just in time for Halloween.

Check out the music video for “Kill Me To Keep Loving You” HERE. Get the song HERE.

“Kill Me To Keep Loving You” was recorded with Brett Hellings on lead vocals, Fortus on lead guitar, Henriksen on guitars and backing vocals; Johnson on keyboards, organ and backing vocals; Sheehan on bass and backing vocals; and Aronoff on drums and percussion.

The track was mixed by Tim Palmer, who has worked his sonic magic for Pearl Jam, U2, Robert Plant and David Bowie, among others; and mastered by Grammy award winning Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Prince, Jeff Buckley, Muse).

An endorsement from Alice Cooper on his radio show, “Nights with Alice Cooper,” ultimately led Brett Hellings, a well-traveled singer-songwriter to record with a powerhouse ensemble of the industry’s top session and touring musicians. It was just a 45 second mention on a syndicated radio show, but for veteran indie rocker Hellings, who has toughed it out over the years and made his mark in NYC, L.A., Nashville and Philly, it felt like a life-changing anointing from a revered rock god.

David Davidian, tour manager for Cooper and The Hollywood Vampires, heard the show, and loved the music so much that he passed it on to some of his musician friends. Free from other commitments due to the pandemic, the new band members embraced the opportunity to work with a dynamic, still emerging frontman.

Though Brett is a prolific songwriter who has been recording his own material since his debut solo 2005 album, Restless, he was happy to make an exception when he heard the original demo for “Kill Me To Keep Loving You” – a tune written by Buck Johnson and Erik Halbig in Nashville as a potential cut for Steven Tyler’s 2016 country-flavored solo debut, We’re All Somebody From Somewhere. “Buck had given me several songs he’d written in the past, and during pre-production, he gave me the song in its raw form,” says Hellings. “The demo was intended to have a very poppy-country vibe, but I could hear its potential as a rock ballad.”

He continues, “I was just getting out of a long, toxic relationship, so the lyrics of the song about someone you love being the worst thing for you hit me hard. It’s got a bigness and is very relatable, whether it connects to a personal experience like I had or anything else in your life that’s killing you — to keep loving it.”

Other songs that Hellings will release in the future – including singles and a potential full album down the road – were written by Hellings, Johnson, Henriksen and Fortus.

Says Henriksen about Brett, “This kid’s a rockstar man, and rockstars are few and far. He’s got something and I can’t wait for people to hear it and I can’t wait for him to get on stage and sing these songs.”

Arnoff continues, “When I first met Brett, he came to my studio and I immediately liked him because he looks you right in the eye, he connects with you, he’s very transparent, he’s right there and he has an incredible loving heart. I just knew it was going to be amazing.”

Adds Johnson, “Surpassed all of my expectations.”

Says Brett, “The coolest thing about working on the Hellings project with these consummate musicians was realizing just how easy and comfortable it can be, and how much I could learn, working in the studio with truly creative people who pour everything they’ve got into making a song perfect.” He continues, “Everyone was all about getting the best of what we could bring to the art form. So many of my previous band experiences were full of drama and obstacles, but this was all about the music and camaraderie. A lot of great friendships and relationships were forged in the studio, and I’m excited to see where the journey takes us from here.”

For more information about Hellings please visit: https://hellings.band/.

THE ACADEMIC – “Pushing Up Daisies”

THE ACADEMIC ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, SITTING PRETTY, RELEASING FEBRUARY 10, 2023, VIA CAPITOL RECORDS

Drops New Single & Video “Pushing Up Daisies“

Irish indie rock band, The Academic will release their sophomore album, Sitting Pretty on February 10, 2023, via Capitol Records. This week, they released the next single off the album, “Pushing Up Daisies.” Listen HERE and pre-save Sitting Pretty HERE.

“Pushing Up Daisies” follows their latest single, “Don’t Take It Personally,” both of which are gritty tunes with driving melodies and bold guitars. The sound is direct yet riotous – the sound of a band ready to announce themselves to the world, far beyond the Irish neighbourhoods that already claim them as hometown heroes. Check out the official video for “Pushing Up Daisies” that was released today HERE.

“Pushing Up Daisies” highlights both the immovable weight and frail fractures of the young masculine ego. The Academic explains, “‘Pushing Up Daisies’ is our ode to insecurity and ego in equal measure. It tackles the hectic nature of our current circumstances. The ecstatic highs and the unbearable lows of life in your twenties.”

The 4-piece band from Mullingar is stepping into album two with unshakable intent following the success of their self-released first album, Tales From The Backseat, which debuted at number 1 in Ireland. The upcoming album follows the band’s Community Spirit EP.

The Academic is embarking on a UK Headlining tour in February of 2023. One of the stops includes the Roundhouse in London which will be their biggest headline show outside of Ireland. Tickets go on sale via https://www.theacademic.net/live/.

The Academic UK Headline Tour Dates

2/2/23 – Birmingham, O2 Institute

2/3/23 – London, Roundhouse

2/10/23 – Glasgow, Barrowlands

2/11/23 – Manchester, Albert Hall

Follow The Academic: Website | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter

WHITE REAPER – “ASKING FOR A RIDE”

WHITE REAPER ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM ASKING FOR A RIDE

SHARE NEW SONG & MUSIC VIDEO – “PAGES”

ANNOUNCE 2023 NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE TOUR WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

NARROW HEAD, MILITARIE GUN, TAIPEI HOUSTON & MAMALARKY

ASKING FOR A RIDE ARRIVES JANUARY 27TH

White Reaper have announced details of their new album Asking for a Ride, which will be released January 27^th on Elektra Entertainment and is available for pre-order today [album art / track listing below]. The band have also shared the new song, “Pages” which is available now on all streaming platforms and joined by a Lance Bangs directed music video – watch it HERE.

Elaborating on “Pages” and Asking for a Ride, vocalist / guitarist Tony Esposito remarked, “It seems like Pages’ could’ve easily existed on one of our earlier records, it’s just a few chords and a simple melody; but because of that, I’d say that it’s pretty unique to the rest of our new album. We can’t wait to show everyone what we’ve been working on.”

Director Lance Bangs commented on the “Pages” video adding, “White Reaper are a joy to make things with, 5 guys that are good company in recording studios, house parties, live shows, and anywhere else you can spend time among them. We had a great experience shooting saturated color motion picture film on handheld cameras for the ‘Real Long Time‘ video for their previous album, and I wanted to get everyone together for an outdoor daylight look in one of my favorite architectural public spaces, the Keller Fountain in Portland Oregon. It was designed in the late 60s and opened to the public in 1970. It’s an enduring free space where people can spend time. We filmed on a bright, warm afternoon and conjured up a video that feels like the song: dynamic, catchy, genuine.”

Recorded and largely self-produced in Nashville with the help of close friend and engineer Jeremy Ferguson, Asking for a Ride finds the Louisville band taking a more direct and in-your-face approach, prioritizing the collection’s raw energy and its ability to translate live through ripping and nervy compositions. It’s White Reaper at their most exciting – dialing up the chrome-plated riffs and monster hooks – a welcome reminder of just how much fun rock music can be.

“We ask ourselves: Does it sound good when we play it in the room together?’ And if it does, those are the songs we want to pursue,” Esposito noted.

Guitarist Hunter Thompson concurred: “We started to recognize how we operate best as a band.”

The band teased additional new music from their forthcoming LP in an album trailer released earlier this week – watch it HERE.

In addition to the news of their forthcoming album, White Reaper have also revealed plans for a run of 2023 North American headline tour dates. The upcoming “Asking for a Ride” tour will feature special guests Narrow Head, Militarie Gun, Taipei Houston, and Mamalarky on select dates, and will kick off February 7^th [tour itinerary below]. Pre-sale tickets for the tour are available today, with general on-sale for tickets beginning Friday, October 28th. The forthcoming dates will see White Reaper’s long awaited return to touring after having spent years living on the road, headlining and supporting some of their idols – Pearl Jam, Weezer, and The Killers – while making festival appearances at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and more. For tickets and more information on White Reaper’s upcoming tour dates, visit www.whitereaperusa.com.

Comprised of Tony Esposito (guitar / vocals), Ryan Hater (keyboards), Sam Wilkerson (bass), Nick Wilkerson (drums), and Hunter Thompson (guitar), Asking for a Ride follows White Reaper’s 2019 album You Deserve Love, which marked a new career peak for the Louisville band. The collection was led by the number one alternative radio hit, “Might Be Right,” which the band later made their network TV debut performing on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!. A collection of smart, sharply-written songs of doubt, dislocation, and elusive and often complicated love, The New York Times observed, “The Kentucky quintet White Reaper blends the winking gravitas of 70s arena rock with garage-y power popߪ enjoy the trip back,” while GQ applauded the release as “the perfect companion for all your nice weather fun.”Equal parts glam and grit, You Deserve Love found the band expanding on the songcraft laid down on 2017’s critically acclaimed The World’s Best American Band, which landed on Noisey‘s “100 Best Albums of 2017” and Pitchfork‘s “20 Best Rock Albums of 2017,” earning an 8.0 album score.

[ Tracklisting / Tour Itinerary Below ]

ASKING FOR A RIDE TRACKLIST

1. Asking for a Ride

2. Bozo

3. Fog Machine

4. Getting into Trouble w/ the Boss

5. Funny Farm

6. Pink Slip

7. Heaven or Not

8. Crawlspace

9. Thorn

10. Pages

WHITE REAPER NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE TOUR 2023WITH SPECIAL GUESTS NARROW HEAD, MILITARIE GUN, TAIPEI HOUSTON, & MAMALARKYON SELECT DATES

February 7 – Lexington, KY – The Burl +#

February 9 – Indianapolis, IN – HI-FI Indy +#

February 10 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall +#

February 11 – St Louis, MO – Delmar Hall +#

February 13 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Studio +#

February 14 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn +#

February 15 – Dallas, TX – Granada +#

February 17 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad +#

February 18 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom +#

February 19 – San Diego, CA – Music Box +#

February 21 – Los Angeles, CA – Fonda Theatre +#

February 22 – San Francisco, CA – August Hall +#

February 24 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre +#

February 25 – Seattle, WA – Crocodile +#

February 26 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre +#

March 2 – Denver, CO – Summit *&

March 3 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room *&

March 4 – Kansas City, MO – Madrid *&

March 6 – Des Moines, IA – Woolys *&

March 7 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre *&

March 8 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall *&

March 10 – Chicago, IL – Metro *&

March 11 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom *&

March 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr Smalls *&

March 14 – Toronto, ON – Opera House *&

March 17 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza &

March 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts &

March 19 – Boston, MA – Royale &

March 22 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle *&

March 23 – Atlanta, GA – Hell *&

March 24 – Nashville, TN – Basement East *&

March 25 – Louisville, KY – Headliners *&

+ Narrow Head

# Taipei Houston

* Militarie Gun

& Mamalarky

Connect with White Reaper:

WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / YOUTUBE / SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC

aespa – GIRLS

K-Pop girl group aespa releases two new remixes of their smash hit “Girls,” which was originally released as the title track for their critically acclaimed 2022 EP. Named a “fearless anthem, with undeniable, contagious attitude and limitless energy” by Uproxx, the celebrated original track has been reimagined by South Korean Producer and DJs Minit and BRLLNT. Listen to the remixes HERE via Warner Records / SM Entertainment.

With a GRAMMY nomination in Best Rap/Sung Performance for his work on Christina Aguilera’s “Like I Do” and collaboration credits with Anderson .Paak and Dumbfoundead, Korean Producer and DJ BRLLNT boasts an esteemed history and career. In 2019, he produced tracks including “Don’t Call Me”, and “IndiGO”, which shook the entire Korean Hip-Hop scene with nationwide popularity. Minit, also hailing from South Korea as a renowned Producer and DJ, kickstarted his career and gained recognition through collaborations with GIRIBOY, Han Yo Han, and BIG Naughty. He’s won numerous credits for tracks of various genres, including K-pop, Hip-Hop and EDM and has been steadily making a name for himself within the K-Pop genre.

Upon its release in July, aespa’s second EP Girls – The 2nd Mini Album debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart with the New York Times calling it “one of the year’s most impressive K-Pop releases precisely because of its dual mastery of the intricate and the elegant.” Listen to Girls- The 2nd Mini Album HERE.

“iScreaM” is a remix release project by EDM label ScreaM Records under SM Entertainment. The label has been praised for remix singles of SM artists’ tracks, allowing fans to enjoy them in different and refreshing ways.

ABOUT aespa:

aespa [KARINA, WINTER, GISELLE, AND NINGNING] is a fierce female foursome, who in an unprecedented move secured the fastest climb to 100 million views on their debut video for any K-Pop group in YouTube history with their 2020 released, ‘Black Mamba.’ Their 2021 EP, Savage – The 1st Mini Album, was the highest ranking ever for a K-Pop girl group’s entry on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart. The EP also hit #1 on iTunes Top Albums chart in 20 countries upon release. Beyond praise from Forbes, Teen Vogue, Rolling Stone, Flaunt, and more, TIME touted them among “The Next Generation Leaders, Class of 2022” and Forbes recognized them in their “30 Under 30” Asia list for 2022. Following being named Apple Music’s Global Up Next artist for June 2022, the quartet released their first English-language single ‘Life’s Too Short’ and highly anticipated second EP, Girls – The 2nd Mini Album this past July, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart.

aespa’s name is derived from a combination of “ae” (avatar and experience) + “aspect.” Each of the four members of aespa has a correlating avatar in the virtual world created from their personal data.

FOLLOW aespa:
TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook

BLACKPINK’S BORN PINK DEBUTS NO. 1 ON BILLBOARD

BLACKPINK’s ‘Born Pink’ Debuts No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart

Global superstars BLACKPINK unveil their long-awaited second full-length album BORN PINK via YG Entertainment / Interscope Records. Stream HERE. The album is accompanied by a cinematic video for new single “Shut Down.” Watch it HERE. On October 15, the girl group embarks on a world tour that touches down on four continents. BORN PINK is now available at all digital retailers.

BORN PINK was spearheaded by the record-shattering single “Pink Venom,” which topped the Billboard Global 200 and debuted at No.1 on Spotify’s Global Top Songs Chart, amassing 7.9M streams within the first 24 hours. The song’s official music video also conquered YouTube, amassing 90.4M views within the first 24 hours. That ranks as JISOO, JENNIE, ROSÉ, and LISA’s biggest debut to date, the biggest release by females (group or solo) of this decade, and the third biggest 24-hour debut of all time.

Next up, BLACKPINK will kick off their world tour, which is predicted to be attended by more than 1.5M people, at the KSPO DOME in Seoul Olympic Park on October 15. The group will then visit the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore, among others, before landing in New Zealand on June 21, 2023. A full list of dates is linked HERE.

BORN PINK TRACKLIST:

1. Pink Venom

2. Shut Down

3. Typa Girl

4. Yeah Yeah Yeah

5. Hard to Love

6. The Happiest Girl

7. Tally

8. Ready for Love

ABOUT BLACKPINK:

One of the most massively successful K-pop groups in music history, BLACKPINK have redefined the global pop landscape since first bursting onto the scene in 2016. Along with boasting the #1 most-subscribed artist channel on YouTube, the South Korean quartet has achieved such boundary-defying milestones as scoring the highest-charting album by a female group in over a decade and becoming the first K-pop girl group ever to perform at Coachella (the largest music festival in the U.S.). Comprised of JISOO, JENNIE, ROSÉ and LISA—all immensely charismatic vocalists, dancers, and fast-rising fashion icons—BLACKPINK began their meteoric rise with their 2016 debut “SQUARE ONE” and further proved their crossover power with “SQUARE UP” (a 2018 release that quickly cracked the Billboard 200).

Soon after signing with Interscope Records through a global partnership with YG Entertainment, the group made their full-length debut with 2020’s immediately iconic THE ALBUM. THE ALBUM shot to #2 on the Billboard 200 and landed three singles on the Billboard Hot 100: “How You Like That” (the iconic single that shattered several YouTube records, including fastest video to cross 150 million views), “Ice Cream” (a collaboration with Selena Gomez that broke the record for highest-charting female K-pop group on the Hot 100), and “Lovesick Girls” (a track that’s sold over 1.4 million copies worldwide, making BLACKPINK the first K-pop girl group to sell over a million units). Through the years, BLACKPINK have also garnered a number of major awards (including an MTV Video Music Award for Song of the Summer as well as three E! People’s Choice Awards), collaborated with superstars like Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga, performed on “The Tonight Show,” and starred in BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky (a 2020 film hailed by the New York Times as an “endearing documentary that emphasizes each member’s individuality”). With over 6.3 billion career Spotify streams to date, BLACKPINK have unveiled their wildly anticipated sophomore album BORN PINK. In less than a month, the group will hit the road for their 2022/2023 world tour kicking off on October 15 in Seoul, South Korea.

BLACKPINK – ‘BORN PINK’ eAlbum

[Instagram | Twitter | YouTube]

YouTube Music

Photo: YG Entertainment

ONE OK ROCK – LET ME LET YOU GO

Beloved at home in Japan and worldwide, Fueled By Ramen band ONE OK ROCK have shared “Let Me Let You Go,” the latest single to be released off their anxiously awaited new full-length album, Luxury Disease, which will arrive on September 9^th. Available today on all streaming platforms, “Let Me Let You Go” is accompanied by a Live Documentary Video streaming now on the band‘s official YouTube channel.

Luxury Disease is available for pre-order / pre-save at all streaming platforms now. The forthcoming album features the lead single: “Save Yourself“, which is joined by a Tanu Muino (Harry Styles, Cardi B, Lil Nas X) directed music video streaming on the band’s official YouTube channel.

Produced by Rob Cavallo (Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance), Luxury Disease finds ONE OK ROCK confounding expectations, piling element on element, and putting forth one of the year’s most ambitious rock records.

This fall ONE OK ROCK will embark on a North American headline tour which will see the group returning to stages in the U.S. and Canada for the first time in over three years. The upcoming tour will feature support from special guests You Me At Six and Fame On Fire, and is set to get underway September 19^th at Emo’s in Austin, TX with stops in New York City, Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles and more. Tickets for the tour are on sale now. For tickets and more information on ONE OK ROCK’s fall tour and upcoming international dates, visit www.oneokrock.com.

2021 saw the release of ONE OK ROCK‘s singles “Wonder,” “Broken Heart of Gold,” and “Renegades,” the latter of which they co-wrote with international superstar Ed Sheeran. The band also released their Netflix documentary “Flip A Coin,” which gives fans a backstage look at intimate moments from their massive 2020 “Field of Wonder” livestream concert held at ZOZOMARINE Stadium in Chiba, Japan.

ONE OK ROCK‘s widely acclaimed 2019 album EYE OF THE STORM established the band as a global force, featuring the singles “Stand Out Fit In,” “Wasted Nights,” and “Change.” Comprised of vocalist Taka, guitarist Toru, drummer Tomoya, and bassist Ryota, ONE OK ROCK is among Japan’s most popular and beloved rock outfits, with each of their last six releases debuting in the nation’s Top 5, including the #1 blockbusters, 35xxxv, AMBITIONS, and EYE OF THE STORM.

IMAGINE DRAGONS – NIGHT VISIONS

IMAGINE DRAGONS CELEBRATE 10^th ANNIVERSARY OF LANDMARK DEBUT ALBUM WITH NIGHT VISIONS (EXPANDED EDITION) ON SEPTEMBER 9

INCLUDES TWO NEVER-BEFORE-HEARD DEMOS – “LOVE OF MINE” & “BUBBLE”

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER IN PHYSICAL & SUPER DELUXE FORMATS

Commemorating a major milestone, GRAMMY®-winning, multi-Platinum band Imagine Dragons will celebrate the 10^th anniversary of their groundbreaking debut LP with Night Visions (Expanded Edition) (KIDinaKORNER/Interscope/UMe) on September 9, 2022. It notably boasts nine additional studio tracks and two previously unreleased songs recorded contemporaneously entitled “Love of Mine” and “Bubble.” The Expanded Edition will be available at all DSPs and in physical formats— 2-LP (which boasts the original cover art plus a 10^th-anniversary cover art lithograph), 2-CD, or 2-Cassette. An exclusive limited-edition, canary-yellow 2-LP vinyl of the Expanded Edition will also be available.

The Super Deluxe Edition consists of 4 CDs + 1 DVD (Original Album, Bonus Tracks, Night Visions Live, Remixes, and The Making of Night Visions on DVD) and much more.

Pre-order the Expanded Edition—HERE. Pre-order the Super Deluxe Edition—HERE.

The seven-times platinum Night Visions first arrived on September 4, 2012, paving the way for a bold new future for rock music. It bowed at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 and yielded some of the most impactful, inimitable, and inescapable anthems of the last decade. It has impressively eclipsed over 20 million in global consumption, while the diamond-certified Hot 100 Top 3 smash “Radioactive” (14x-platinum) garnered a GRAMMY® Award nod in the category of “Best Rock Performance” out of two nominations, including “Record of the Year.” The record also occupied a spot on the Billboard Top 200 for 408 weeks.

Certified platinum or multi-platinum in 15 countries, Night Visions comprises the aforementioned “Radioactive,” diamond-certified “Demons” (10x-platinum), “It’s Time” (6x-platinum), “On Top Of The World” (4x-platinum), “Bleeding Out” (platinum), “Amsterdam” (platinum), and “Hear Me” (gold).

Experience the ultimate configuration of Night Visions this fall.

Check out the full tracklisting for Night Visions (Expanded Edition) below.

CD1

Radioactive
Tiptoe
It’s Time
Demons
On Top Of The World
Amsterdam
Hear Me
Every Night
Bleeding Out
Underdog
Nothing Left To Say / Rocks

CD2

Cha-Ching (Till We Grow Older)
Working Man
My Fault
Round And Round
The River
America
Selene
Fallen
Cover Up
Love of Mine (Demo)
Bubble (Demo)

Imagine Dragons recently made history again. “Thunder” achieved a diamond certification, enshrining the quartet as “The First Band/Group in Music History to Achieve FOUR Diamond Singles.” Meanwhile, their new double-disc opus Mercury — Acts 1 & 2 (KIDinaKORNER/Interscope) bowed at #12 on the Billboard Top 200 and earned some of the best reviews of the band’s career to date. Rolling Stone attested, “Imagine Dragons still know how to efficiently stomp stadiums into rubble,” and American Songwriter hailed it as “a celebration of life.” Consequence of Sound applauded, “Act II is an even more intimate gesture that further explores themes of loss and recovery,” and The Associated Press summed it up best as “the sound of a band getting its arena groove back.”

The 32-track epic album debuted on Friday, July 1^st, and marks the boldest artistic statement of the band’s career thus far. Executive produced by Rick Rubin, the double album includes hit singles “Enemy,” “Bones,” and “Sharks” and expands on 2021’s Mercury — Act 1. While Act 1 explores themes such as love, faith, pain, passion, and loss, Act 2 focuses on sorting through personal loss and the biggest existential questions of their career.

Listen to Mercury — Acts 1 & 2 HERE. Target is also offering an exclusive CD featuring an alternative cover and extra track, available HERE.

To bring both halves of the record to life on stage, Imagine Dragons will take to the road and kick off a massive US stadium tour that will begin in August, making stops in Boston, Toronto, and their hometown of Las Vegas before wrapping up in Los Angeles, CA in September. The summer tour marks the band’s biggest North American shows of their career. Check out the full itinerary HERE.

About Imagine Dragons

With over 66 million album equivalents and 55 million digital songs sold, not to mention over 110 billion combined streams, Imagine Dragons are one of rock’s biggest bands of the past decade, and they’ve fully reinvented the genre in that time. In short, they own Billboard’s Top 3 rock songs of the 2010s — “Believer,” “Thunder,” and “Radioactive.” Formed in 2009, Imagine Dragons developed a grassroots following with a series of independent EPs before making their major-label debut on KIDinaKORNER/Interscope with 2012’s Continued Silence EP. That same year, their LP debut NIGHT VISIONS entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2, while lead track “Radioactive” topped Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs, won a GRAMMY® for Best Rock Performance, and achieved RIAA Diamond status. After achieving their first #1 at Alt Radio with “Radioactive,” the band immediately repeated this feat with “Demons,” marking the first back-to-back #1’s for the band, with both songs in the Top 5 simultaneously. NIGHT VISIONS is now 7x platinum in the US alone. 2015’s platinum-selling Smoke + Mirrors debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The 3x platinum-selling album EVOLVE followed in 2017, earning a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album and unleashing three No. 1 Alternative radio hits: “Believer,” GRAMMY®-nominated “Thunder,” and “Whatever It Takes.” All three songs were also top 5 hits at Alternative radio. “Believer” was the quickest song to reach #1 for Imagine Dragons, taking only 8 weeks to reach the top of the charts, with “Thunder” following closely in its rise to the #1 spot. With these singles, it marked the second time Imagine Dragons had back-to-back #1s, making Imagine Dragons one of only four bands to ever achieve simultaneous Top 5 singles and the only band to repeat this feat. The band’s fourth album and platinum-selling, ORIGINS, debuted atop Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts, while its lead single “Natural” spent nine weeks at No. 1 at alternative radio.

For their fifth studio album—Imagine Dragons’ first new music since 2018—the band teamed up with esteemed producer Rick Rubin. 2021’s Mercury — Act 1 debuted in the Billboard 200 top 10 and at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts. It also launched the singles “Wrecked,” “Cutthroat,” and “Follow You,” with the latter reaching No. 1 on both Mediabase’s Alternative Radio and Billboard’s Alternative Airplay charts. “Follow You” marked the band’s quickest ascent to the top of that Billboard chart, surpassing the respective seven- and eight-week climbs for “Natural” (2018) and “Believer” (2017). Then came “Enemy.” Originally released as the theme to Netflix’s Arcane, the hit racked up more than 4.6 billion combined global streams across two versions (including a collaboration with GRAMMY®-nominated, Atlanta-based rapper J.I.D), helping make Imagine Dragons the highest streaming American band in the US in 2021. In 2022, they expanded the world of Mercury with a double album, Mercury – Acts 1 & 2, including the single “Bones,” which has gathered over 380 million streams to date, and the accompanying music video has scored 38 million-plus YouTube views. Sorting through personal loss and the biggest existential questions of their career, singer/songwriter Dan Reynolds says the two-part release is about learning to “accept the unknown” and “let go,” healing feelings Imagine Dragons are hoping to share with fans as they embark on some of their biggest shows ever this summer.

BASTILLE – FUTURE

BASTILLE ANNOUNCES GIVE ME THE FUTURE + DREAMS OF THE PAST OUT AUGUST 26^TH

NEW SINGLE “REVOLUTION” OUT NOW

OFFICIAL VIDEO COMING SOON

LISTEN HERE

WATCH HERE

PREORDER HERE

Earlier this year, Bastille released their hotly anticipated #1 album, Give Me The Future, a record that explores a futuristic wonderland free from restrictions. The album embraces a new wave of technology, which enables us to get lost inside our imagination and travel back and forward in time to be anyone or do anything.

Now, the band are adding a further instalment to this critically acclaimed release, sharing a three-part extended edition of the album, dubbed Give Me The Future + Dreams Of The Past, featuring another album’s worth of new songs, collaborations, covers, and reprises. Watch HERE.

“In releasing this version of the record, we wanted to give the complete picture of what we intended with this album and also explore the idea that you can choose your own adventure,” frontman Dan Smith says. “You can dive into the ideas of the future and an electronic world, or you can fall back into the past – away from technology and into ideas of memory and nostalgia – both thematically and musically. Or you can choose full-on dancefloor heartbreak escape.”

With the original album on part one, part two continues some of the themes and narrative from the original record, delving into songs that are shot through with notions of technological dependence, human connection, and the limitless possibilities of life online. Part three, meanwhile, acts as a mini return to the band’s acclaimed “Other People’s Heartache” Mixtape series opening the four-piece up to collaborations, covers, and concept-free creativity.

The new songs make ever clearer the link between the future and past, highlighting the ability to choose to go backwards as well as forwards like in more nostalgic cuts such as the Graceland-inspired “Family Ties.” Written about Smith’s memories of visiting his late aunt in South Africa, the warm, wistfulness of the track provides a counterpart to time travel’s usually futuristic sheen – as per new single, the rave-ready electronic club banger “Revolution”—listen HERE.

“Revolution” had always been one of the core songs for Give Me The Future and took inspiration from Quincy Jones’ production and The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face”. “The chorus is about the intimacy of human connection in the context of some science fiction, space-centred imagery. But it’s also about the idea of those amazingly thoughtful people who spend their lives trying to change the world in a positive way,” explains Dan. “I’m totally over-awed by people like that – if you’re one of them, like an inventor, activist or scientist, you have to have the ability to imagine a version of the future that’s better than what currently exists, and then have that energy to actually work to make it happen. Alongside all the other things life throws at you. So, I wanted to nod to those people and the idea that before anything big happens, most of them will have had these little revolutions in their minds, a change of perspective that leads to something bigger.”

On the “Other People’s Heartache” section of the album – Bastille bring that energy to life via collaborations; The glacial groove of “Run Into Trouble” with Alok, the garage stutter of “Eight Hours” with Tyde, a cover of the Bruce Springsteen classic “Dancing In The Dark,” and boundary-less new songs including the irresistible “Remind Me” and the melancholic power ballad “Running Away.”

The last song on the record is the beautifully ethereal “Hope For The Future,” a song which hints at where the band could sonically go next. Written for the soundtrack of the Leonardo DiCaprio-produced documentary From Devil’s Breath – a short film about forest fires, climate change, and tree planting. It centres around an acoustic guitar melody and Smith’s layered vocals. “I was thinking about Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver and all the acoustic artists who manage to write music that is both orchestral and floaty, but also a grounded in some grit,” he says. “It was very much at odds with all of the synthesisers, drum machines, and electronic instruments and the production that we were using for Give Me The Future, but I feel super proud of it.”

Their fourth album, the masterful Give Me The Future, was hailed by many critics as their best release to date, with The Fader describing it as “a grand collection of sci-fi inspired songs attempting to make sense of the world’s fast-moving venture into dystopia.” NME said: “The result is the most expansive, yet cohesive record Bastille have put their name to,” adding that the band may have “created a perfect soundtrack to life after lockdown.” The Independent, meanwhile, declared: “When confined within Bastille’s catchy hooks and imaginative, era-spanning production, what lies ahead suddenly isn’t so terrible. The future is bright – for 30 minutes’ worth of bops, at least.”

Since the release of the record, Bastille has created an immersive experience at their sold-out gigs, bringing the themes of the album to life in arenas across the UK and on a tour of North America.

At this year’s Glastonbury Festival, such was the demand to witness their secret set, the festival organisers had to cordon off the surrounding area at the 1,000-capacity William’s Green tent as festivalgoers tried to descend in the masses to catch a glimpse of their secret performance.

Such fervent scenes will continue across the summer as the band play huge sets at festivals across the UK and Europe, including Boardmasters, Sziget, and two mammoth sub-headliner spots at Reading & Leeds 2022. Following that, they’ll take the “Give Me The Future” tour to South America, stopping in Argentina and Brazil, before continuing the enthralling trek across Europe.

PART ONE – GIVE ME THE FUTURE

Distorted Light Beam
Thelma + Louise
No Bad Days
Brave New World (Interlude)
Back To The Future
Plug In…
Promises (by Riz Ahmed)
Shut Off The Lights
Stay Awake?
Give Me The Future
Club 57
Total Dissociation (Interlude)
Future Holds [feat. BIM]

PART TWO – DREAMS OF THE PAST

Back To The Innerverse (Interlude)
Real Life
Family Ties
Distorted Light Beam (Reprise)
Revolution
survivin’
No More Bad Days
Hope For The Future

PART THREE – OTHER PEOPLE’S HEART ACHE

Other People’s Heartache (Interlude)
Run Into Trouble [Alok x Bastille]
Remind Me
Eight Hours [Bastille x Tyde]
Dancing In The Dark
Running Away

ABOUT BASTILLE:
The four-piece has been experimenting and augmenting the Bastille sound since the release of their last album Doom Days in 2019, the conclusion of an unofficial trilogy. Last year, they released the Goosebumps EP, featuring Graham Coxon on “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???” and producer Kenny Beats on the title track, as they continued to pen songs that seek to understand and offer escape from the modern human condition. Doom Days received huge critical acclaim and charted in the Top 5 in both the U.K. and U.S., the only U.K. band to have achieved this chart landmark alongside The Beatles and Queen in 2019. The record found the band at their most lyrically provocative, most accomplished, and most vital and charts the course of one night in search of distraction from the surrounding apocalypse (sound familiar?). During the course of 2019, the four-piece continued to cement their reputation as one of the world’s most captivating live bands, having played an extensive two month-long sold-out U.S. and U.K. tour. At the beginning of 2020, Bastille received their sixth Brit nomination and their second nomination for British Group. In January 2021, Bastille was the subject of ReOrchestrated, a documentary film that provided a revelatory and bracingly honest new look into the band’s journey so far, framed through their ReOrchestrated shows and diving into themes of motivation, anxiety, and imposter syndrome. With over 11 million records sold, 6 U.K. Top 40 singles, and 1.5 billion video views, Bastille continues to be one of the world’s most streamed bands.

BASTILLE:

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LIGHTNING SEEDS – WALK

After being welcomed back with open arms, Lightning Seeds continue their trajectory with the release of brand new track ‘Walk Another Mile’ – taken from their new album See You In The Stars, their first on new label BMG – out October 14th. Listen HERE.

A sun-soaked, bouncing singalong, ‘Walk Another Mile’ is a juxtaposition, seeing Ian Broudie tackling subject matters a little darker.

“It’s about two imaginary people arguing about the end of a relationship and blaming each other,” he explains. “I had that thought and was thinking about endings. I was listening to a lot of Northern Soul, and the little vignettes you can get in those songs. I love writers who can do that, write stories – Squeeze, The Kinks, Eminem. I always start off doing that, but end up nowhere near it, so this song is the closest I’m going to get to that.”

This intoxicating 10 track collection is tunefully, emotionally, uplifting and kick started the summer with the feel good warmth of first track ‘Sunshine’ – listen HERE. One of the album highlights, ‘Emily Smiles,’ was co-written with Specials man Terry Hall, whom Ian wrote Jollification’s ‘Lucky You.’

All songs on this ten track opus were written and recorded in short bursts over the last three years. The first two songs recorded were a pair written with the Coral’s James Skelly: ‘Great To Be Alive’ and ‘Live To Love You’.

“I always think music’s like attack and defense in football –or like politics – or like life. It’s about balance,” Broudie says. “And achieving that is the challenge for me.”

In 33 years as a recording artist, the man who is Lightning Seeds has sold a lot of records. Those include a million copies of Jollification, the 1994 album whose platinum-tipped success was spearheaded by era-capturing hit single “Change,” and which Broudie recently celebrated with a sold-out, 25th anniversary tour.

Broudie composed “Three Lions” as the official England song for Euro ’96. With lyrics by comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, the song hit Number One and became a genuinely era-defining anthem – and one with a remarkable afterlife, as it regained the top slot two years later, during the 1998 World Cup in France. It was everywhere during last summer’s Euros, too, wasn’t it? Football didn’t quite come home (again), but one of the Nineties greatest songs did.

Much like the sound of Ian’s voice, like an old friend coming back into your life.

The band will also embark on a 14 date UK tour later this year kicking off October 27^th in Cambridge and finishing November 26^th in Sheffield. They play London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire November 4^th. Tickets are available HERE.

Losing You
Emily Smiles
Green Eyes
Great To Be Alive
Sunshine
Fit For Purpose
Live To Love You
Permanent Danger
Walk Another Mile
See You In The Stars

The album See You In The Stars will be available on CD and colored vinyl via US independent retail shops and also from the official artist store. Pre-save the album or pre-order formats HERE.

*photo credit: Tom Oxley

CONNECT WITH LIGHTNING SEEDS:

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AEROSMITH

In continued celebration of their 50^th anniversary, today, the four-time GRAMMY® Award-winning and Diamond-certified rock legends Aerosmith, (Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer), announce the launch of 50 Years Live!: From the Aerosmith Vaults, the band’s new “official bootleg” streaming concert series featuring five deep, archival, and unreleased multi-camera live shows from Aerosmith’s vast personal vaults. With the entire production ofall five concert films supervised by Aerosmith, the series kicks off with a live stream of Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977, a combination of classic live performances from a two-night stand in Houston in 1977 that captures the band in all its raw and powerful rock n’ roll splendor. Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977 will premiere on Aerosmith’s official YouTube channel on July 29^th at 12pm PT/3pm ET and will be available, in its entirety as a gift for fans, for one week only and can be viewed HERE. Highlight clips from Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977 will also be added to Aerosmith’s YouTube channel on July 30^th and will include “Back In The Saddle,” “Mama Kin” and “Sweet Emotion.”

Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977 is taken directly from the original in-house 2” master analog video cartridge for the best possible quality and features footage filmed over the course of two summer nights at The Summit in Houston, Texas on June 24 & 25, 1977. The original live feed edit, only intended for the in-house screens, was carefully cleaned, digitized, and remastered in HD, bringing the 45-year-old footage to life. This hour long, highly charged performance shows why Aerosmith became one of the hottest bands of the 70s and continues to this day. Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977 kicks into full gear as the band burst onto The Summit stage, delivering powerful and raw renditions of “Back In The Saddle,” “Mama Kin,” “Lord Of The Thighs,” “Lick And A Promise,” and “Sweet Emotion,” featuring Tom Hamilton’s signature bass line as he lays down that familiar groove as Joe Perry’s iconic talk box intro eases the audience in. Other highlights include “Draw The Line,” “Walk This Way,” a blistering version of “Toys In The Attic,” and their 1973 Top 10 power ballad “Dream On.”

For 50 Years Live!: From the Aerosmith Vaults, producer Steve Berkowitz, along with long-time Aerosmith employees Tommy Higgins & John Bionelli, combed through the band’s vast Vindaloo Vaults, unearthing a treasure trove of filmed concerts recorded in the original formats of the day, covering the band’s history throughout the decades. With the help of Director and Producer Jennifer LeBeau (Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon), this footage was carefully transferred and converted to digital to help preserve these historic recorded documents. Produced by Steve Berkowitz and Dennis Wolfe, the video and audio restoration was skillfully conducted by Vanderquest UK and Formosa Sound, giving these performances the highest possible visual and sonic quality.

For five consecutive weeks, starting on July 29^th with Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977, Aerosmith’s official website and YouTube channel will premiere a different concert every week from each decade. With each show, the band’s official online store will also feature a new collection of exclusive merchandise capsules celebrating each decade. First collection is now available, HERE.

As part of the continued celebration around their 50th anniversary, Aerosmith will return to Las Vegas to bring their critically acclaimed residency, AEROSMITH: DEUCES ARE WILD to the Dolby Live at Park MGM. Kicking off September 14th — with shows running through December 11th — the residency is the first live concert experience presented in Dolby Atmos® at Dolby Live. Dolby Live is one of the world’s most technologically advanced performance venues for enjoying live music in Dolby Atmos. Tickets can be purchased online at HERE.

In addition to their upcoming dates in Las Vegas, Aerosmith is set to perform at Maine Savings Amphitheater in Bangor, Maine on September 4th before they head to Boston for a show at the historic Fenway Park on September 8th. For ticket information, please visit HERE.

Upcoming live stream premieres include:

Live From The Capital Centre, Landover, MD, 1989 (Premieres August 5^th)

Filmed in Landover, Maryland on December 17, 1989, Aerosmith closes out the 80s in top form with this dynamic performance at Capital Centre. Live From The Capital Centre features classic tracks such as “Walk This Way” and “Rats In The Cellar,” as well as “Rag Doll,” “Dude (Looks Like A Lady),” and “Permanent Vacation.”

Highlight clips from this show to be added to Aerosmith’s YouTube channel on August 6^th will be: “Walk This Way,” “Permanent Vacation” and “Dude (Looks Like A Lady).”

Live From The Coca-Cola Star Lake Amphitheatre, Pittsburgh, PA, 1993(Premieres August 12^th)

Throughout the 90s, Aerosmith continued to be an unstoppable force in rock, delivering a high energy set at Coca-Cola Star Amphitheater on July 2, 1993, with all the same swagger and attitude they had from day one. The tightly knit band belts out now classics such as “Eat The Rich,” “Janie’s Got A Gun,” “Livin’ On The Edge’” and “Cryin’.” Older favorites include “Last Child.” “Walk This Way” and “Back In The Saddle.”

Highlights from this show to be added to Aerosmith’s YouTube channel on August 13^th will be: “Cryin’,” “Janie’s Got A Gun” and “Livin’ On The Edge.”

Live From Comerica Park, Detroit, MI, 2003 (Premieres August 19^th)

“Mama Kin” kicks things into high gear as Aerosmith storm through Michigan on September 7, 2003, at Comerica Park during their Rocksimus Maximus Tour. Included are classics such as “Same Old Song And Dance” and “Walk This Way,” as well as “Jaded,” “Love In An Elevator,” and the GRAMMY® Award winning single “Pink.” Aerosmith brings the incredible night to a close in a cloud of confetti and a frenetic version of “Toys In The Attic.”

Highlights from this showto be added to Aerosmith’s YouTube channel on August 20^th will be: “Toy’s In The Attic,” “Same Old Song And Dance” and “Love In An Elevator.”

Live From Arena Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, 2016 (Premieres August 26^th)

Captured at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City on October 27, 2016, this show was enhanced with the discovery of the original multi-tracks that were added and mixed by Aerosmith’s long-time Soundboard Engineer John Ship. The band wastes no time getting into their groove as Steven Tyler swaggers through classics such as “Draw The Line” and “Rats In The Cellar,” as well as “Crazy” and their hit ballad “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.” Teasing the crowd with a “You See Me Crying” and “Home Tonight” medley, Tyler breaks into a powerfully moving rendition of “Dream On,” before bringing the show to an explosive end with “Sweet Emotion.”

Highlights from this show to be added to Aerosmith’s YouTube channel on August 27^thwill be: “Crazy,” “Dream On” and “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.”

In addition, Aerosmith – 1971: The Road Starts Hear (UMe) is now available globally on CD and vinyl LP and can now be streamed, HERE. This rare recording from 1971 was recently discovered in Aerosmith’s Vindaloo Vaults and was originally only available as a limited-edition cassette and vinyl release for Record Store Day in 2021. The heavily sought-after RSD release quickly sold out and debuted on the Billboard 200, hitting No. 2 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart, No. 12 on the Top Rock Albums chart, No. 13 on the Vinyl Albums chart, and No. 19 on the Top Album Sales chart. In addition, the band’s official online store now features a new 1971 collection of exclusive merchandise, available HERE.

Celebrating their 50^th anniversary, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members Aerosmith have sold more than 150 million albums around the world, produced genre-defining music videos such as “Amazing,” “Crazy,” “Janie’s Got A Gun,” “Livin’ On The Edge,” and “Love In An Elevator,” and launched extravagant record-shattering global tours, most recently with their smash hit Las Vegas residency. The band has broken numerous boundaries, including becoming the first rock band with a massive commercially successful hip-hop collaboration with Run DMC on “Walk This Way” and the first hard rock band to appear during a Super Bowl Halftime Show with their 2001 performance, and in 1999, Aerosmith became the first band to have their own themed attraction at Disney World in Florida and later Paris with the launch of the Rock ‘N’ Roller coaster starring Aerosmith.

Watch The TrailerOn Their Official YouTube Channel, HERE