Posts tagged with "capitol records"

Sam Smith – Gloria Album

Multi-Platinum, GRAMMY®, BRIT, Golden Globe, and Oscar winning artist/songwriter Sam Smith released Gloria, their fourth studio album, today via Capitol Records. Download/stream the album HERE. Smith will perform at the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards® on February 5 and kick off the North American leg of GLORIA The Tour on July 25. The official video for Smith’s new single, “I’m Not Here To Make Friends,” was unveiled today. Smith declares, “I’m not here to make friends…I need a lover!” on the bold disco-pop track, which they wrote with Stargate and Jessie Reyez and recorded with producer Calvin Harris in Los Angeles.

In the accompanying video, Smith emerges from a helicopter, dressed in the stunning hot pink gown they wore on “Saturday Night Live,” and is escorted into a sumptuous costume ball held at a historic English estate. Helmed by Ukrainian director Tanu Muiño (Katy Perry, Normani), the video was shot at Ashridge House, which was once a royal residence to King Henry VIII and Princess Elizabeth I. La Big Bertha makes a cameo appearance.

Watch “I’m Not Here To Make Friends” HERE.

Gloria also includes “Gimme” feat. Koffee and Jessie Reyez, which Billboard hailed as “a lush, dancehall riff,” and the GRAMMY®-nominated, RIAA-certified Platinum single “Unholy” feat. Kim Petras, which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and four weeks atop the UK Official Singles Chart. Amassing over one billion combined global streams to date, “Unholy” was hailed as one of the best songs of 2022 by numerous critics.

View their recent performance of “Unholy” on “Saturday Night Live” HERE. See Smith, accompanied by a choir, perform the album’s title track for the audience – and Sharon Stone – HERE. “Gloria” is not a nod to a person, past or present, but to that bristling, enigmatic life force, which Smith has christened Gloria. They see it as “my queer love hymn, saying life is a song to Gloria, the thing I can’t put a word to. I don’t know if it’s nature or a feminine energy inside me that I’m setting free.”

Smith’s fourth album is not only a creative revelation but something of a personal revolution. After three soulful, poignant albums – In The Lonely Hour (2014), The Thrill Of It All (2017) and Love Goes (2020) – that were rewarded with a staggering 37 million albums sold, 276 million singles, 50 billion multi-platform streams and a host of honors that include four GRAMMY Awards, three BRITs, one Oscar and a Golden Globe, Smith embarked on their fourth album with a self-appointed challenge.

“I was not gonna write a heartbreak album,” Smith declares. “A challenge that was huge! I wanted this to be the opposite. When I was a kid, just walking out of the house, I needed armor. Rihanna, Robyn, Beyoncé, they were my armor. And I feel like SGloria is the album I needed that I never had.”

“Sam Smith’s ‘Gloria’ Is Their Deepest Album Yet,” observed Rolling Stone, noting that it “features guests like Kim Petras, Koffee, and Ed Sheeran, but their own personal growth is at the heart of the music.” Smith explains, “It feels like emotional, sexual and spiritual liberation. It feels like I’ve got my faith back in my work. So it was beautiful, with this album, to sing freely again, for me. It feels like a coming of age.”

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Photo: Michael Bailey-Gates

Toosii – BOYS DON’T CRY: MEN DO

TOOSII’S BOYS DON’T CRY: MEN DO (DELUXE) OUT TODAY

LISTEN HERE

Toosii Joins Rod Wave On Fall Arena Tour, Launching Tonight – Purchase Tickets Here

Toosii dropped Boys Don’t Cry: Men Do (Deluxe) today, just hours before he joins Rod Wave on his North American arena tour, which kicks off tonight at Target Center in Minneapolis. Released via South Coast Music Group/Capitol Records, the new edition of his acclaimed 2022 EP, Boys Don’t Cry, features five new soul-baring tracks. The expanded title underscores its central theme – that it’s time to question the deeply ingrained belief that boys need to stifle their emotions in order to be strong. Download / stream Boys Don’t Cry: Men Do (Deluxe) HERE. See below for track listing.

On the new songs, the 22-year-old artist is haunted yet informed by the past. Numbed by the pain of hard knocks and ill-fated romances, he nonetheless finds the courage to fall head over heels in love, as shown on tracks like “City Of Love.” Raised in Syracuse, New York, and Goose Creek, South Carolina, Toosii moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in his teens – and it’s there that he came into his own. He recorded the new material in neighboring Cary, NC.

As direct support on Rod Wave’s Beautiful Mind tour, Toosii will be playing for crowds across North America. The run includes shows at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY (November 23) and Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC (11/30). It will conclude at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA (December 21). Tickets are on sale HERE. See below for itinerary.

Toosii’s lyrics have always been personal, but on Boys Don’t Cry: Men Do he reveals how his journey of self-discovery was flipped on its head with the birth of his son – who can be heard on the closing bars of “Since 9^th Grade.” He’s begun to reexamine his own life lessons and approach the world differently. Yet as he approached professional and personal milestones, Toosii found himself battling a depression so deep and disruptive that he went nearly a year between projects. The moving piano ballad “Last Song” takes fans inside that dark time. Dealing with his own mental health gave Toosii a fresh perspective on life.

“I’m just trying to learn to be the best person I can be for the people I love and for myself,” Toosii says. “Growing up as a man, we were always taught to be tough, not to have emotions, and that boys don’t cry. But it’s just not true. It’s alright as a man to tap into that emotional side.”

Upon the original release of Boys Don’t Cry in October, Toosii gave a powerful performance of the collection’s songs, backed by a live band, on his YouTube channel. View HERE. He discussed the EP on Complex’s “The Daily Drift,” live on Twitch.

XXL tipped Boys Don’t Cry as one of the fall’s highly anticipated drops and hailed “Love is…” as one of the “Best New Hip-Hop Songs.” The track has amassed more than 35 million combined global streams to date The Source observed, “Toosii’s ability to show vulnerability in his music has been something he’s done since stepping onto the scene.” Teen Vogue said, “if you’re not in his orbit yet, you need to tap in.” UPROXX noted, “Toosii has never run away from difficult emotions, and offers one of his most somber records in Heartaches.” Hip-Hop Vibe heralded Toosiias “one of the hottest rising artists in the industry.”

Boys Don’t Cry: Men Do (Deluxe) – Track List

1. Frozen Below Zero

2. City of Love

3. Since 9th Grade

4. How Does It Feel

5. Last Song

6. Hey Now! (Car Freestyle)

7. Butterfly

8. Bikini Bottom

9. Date Night

10. Heartaches

11. Love Is…

Toosii – Fall 2022 Tour Dates

All dates supporting Rod Wave

Date City/State Venue

11/11 Minneapolis, MN Target Center

11/12 Lincoln, NE Pinnacle Bank Arena

11/13 Tulsa, OK Bok Center

11/16 St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center

11/17 Chicago, IL United Center

11/18 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena

11/19 Milwaukee, WI Fiserve Forum

11/21 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center

11/22 Worcester, MA DCU Center

11/23 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center

11/25 Philadelphia, PA The Liacouras Center

11/26 Hamilton, ON FirstOntario Centre

11/27 Pittsburgh, PA Petersen Events Center

11/29 Washington, DC Capital One Arena

11/30 Charlotte, NC Bojangles Coliseum

12/1 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena

12/3 Ft. Lauderdale, FL FLA Live

12/4 Tampa, FL Yuengling Center

12/5 Birmingham, AL Legacy Arena

12/6 New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Arena

12/8 Ft. Worth, TX Dickies Arena

12/9 Houston, TX Toyota Center

12/10 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center

12/13 Glendale, AZ Desert Diamond Arena

12/15 Long Beach, CA Long Beach Arena

12/16 Las Vegas, NV T-Mobile Arena

12/17 Oakland, CA Oakland Arena

12/20 Portland, OR Veterans Memorial Coliseum

12/21 Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena

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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

BABYFACE – GIRLS NIGHT OUT

Capitol Records released Babyface’s new project, Girls Night Out, which features the legendary singer/songwriter/producer’s collaborations with some of today’s brightest female R&B stars, including Ella Mai, who is heard on the first single, Keeps On Fallin which recently took the #1 spot on the Mediabase R&B chart. The 12-time GRAMMY winner also teams up with Ari Lennox; Kehlani; Queen Naija, Coco Jones; Tiana Major9; Tink; Baby Tate; Muni Long; Amaarae; Sevyn Streeter & Tkay Maidza; Doechii and Angie Martinez & Lala Anthony. Download / stream Girls Night Out HERE.

Babyface will appear today on “The Jennifer Hudson Show.” On Tuesday, October 25, he’ll pay a visit to “TODAY,” performing “Keeps On Fallin’” with Ella Mai in the nine o’clock hour and “Game Over” with Queen Naija in the 10 o’clock hour. Watch Babyface and Baby Tate performing “Don’t Even Think About It” on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” HERE.

The New York Times spotlighted the album in its Fall Music Preview, noting, “‘Girls Night Out’ harks back to the ‘Waiting to Exhale’ soundtrack from 1995, where he assembled an all-star cast…This time around, he shows how sharp he still is as a producer, talent spotter and sometime vocalist…” Rolling Stone observed, “Babyface defined a new kind of paradigm for the male artist in a woman’s world – his mission is to serve as an enabler to loud, powerful, complicated women….Girls Night Out is Babyface doing what he does best, which is shining some light on female stars. It’s a very 2022 record, but in the sense that Babyface has seen our current moment coming a long way off. So the time is right for him to triumphantly return to the pop world he helped created.”

Babyface shared the stories behind some of his favorite collaborations with women in this Entertainment Weekly feature. Hailing him as “incomparable,” Pitchfork spoke with Babyface about the songs that have soundtracked his life through the decades. Read the feature HERE.

About Babyface:

Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds is one of the most celebrated creative forces in music. He has contributed to over 800 million records sold and over a billion records streams. Babyface has produced and written 125 Top 10 hits, 42 No. 1 R&B hits and 16 No. 1 pop hits. As a recording artist, songwriter and producer, he has won a total of 12 GRAMMY Awards and ranks as the only individual in GRAMMY history to be honored as “Producer of the Year” four times. He has also won five Soul Train Awards, five NAACP Image Awards, four American Music Awards and numerous other honors. In addition, Babyface produced and co-wrote the Oscar-winning song “When You Believe,” sung by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, and co-founded the legendary record label LaFace.

BLUEBUCKSCLAN – I GUESS

On August 26, Los Angeles rap duo BlueBucksClan drop their smooth new single “I Guess.” via Out The Blue Records/Capitol Records. “I Guess” will be off their forthcoming mixtape Clan Way 3 out October 7^th. Pre-save Clan Way 3 HERE. Accompanying the track is a New York-set video which, despite transplanting the buzzing duo to the opposite coast, finds the MCs DJ and Jeeezy Obama perfectly in their element. Watch it HERE.

Since their emergence three years ago, BlueBucksClan have been at the forefront of L.A. rap’s new wave, trading jokes, threats, and flexes in flows that first seem like off-the-cuff conversations before revealing their sly rhythmic complexity. “I Guess” preserves that sense of unpredictability, even in a package that is outwardly calmer. The dreamlike beat, courtesy of Ten11 and AyyMook, is a tantalizing canvas for the rappers. The song’s video, directed by KLO Vizionz, sees Jeeezy Obama and DJ trekking through New York City late at night.

In other news, yesterday the one and only Drake called BlueBucksClan “Two goats getting bars off” on their fire in the booth freestyle. Watch it HERE.

On “I Guess” The duo’s typically conversational flows pierce through the fog. When DJ raps, “Felon in the driver seat, I ain’t got no chauffeur,” it sounds more like a wry statement of fact than something meant to intimidate. Later, when Jeeezy Obama says his $20,000 guest verse fee doesn’t guarantee he’ll post the song, you understand that it’s not open for discussion. The rising hitmakers are simply telling it like it is.

“I Guess” is the latest entry in a hot streak for the rappers. It arrives on the heels of “FYM” and “Just Hit Me,” a pair of singles that showcases BlueBucksClan at their best. These tracks were preceded by See the Difference and Clan Virus 2, projects that cemented the chemistry that propelled them into the spotlight and led Complex and Billboard to herald them as “Rappers to Watch.” Now, as they release “I Guess,” it’s clear that they’re the standard-bearers for a new generation of Los Angeles greats. To date the duo has amassed nearly 200 million streams in the U.S. alone.

BlueBucksClan are bringing their infectious bars to the stage. The guys are currently on a north American tour with fellow west coast rapper OHGEESY, which includes stops in Chicago, Reno, Vancouver, and more.

AITCH – CLOSE TO HOME

Today, Platinum-selling 22-year-old Manchester rapper Aitch releases his debut album, Close To Home. Listen HERE via Capitol Records / 10K Projects. To celebrate this milestone moment, Aitch reveals the heart-warming video for My G featuring Ed Sheeran. Watch HERE.

Displaying a more mature, reflective, and personal side of Aitch‘s songwriting, My G is a loving tribute from the Manchester rapper to his 12-year-old little sister, affectionately called G, who has Down’s Syndrome. Paired with a music video directed by long-term visual collaborator Kelvin Jones, the visual was filmed at The Langdon Down Centre and features a moving performance from Aitch, as he reminisces viewing old childhood and family photos over a soothing silhouette of Ed Sheeran.

Setting the scene with BelgraveRoad_1, Close To Home showcases Aitch‘s remarkable journey within hip-hop. Fuego, Cheque and Louis Vuitton are blessed with the rapper’s trademark lyricism and cheeky suave. He reunites with AJ Tracey on R Kid, while laidback summery bop Sunshine featuring New Machine embraces a new tangent of melodic guitar riffs.

The album’s title track Close To Home, which features a children’s choir, sees Aitch up close and personal, putting his private thoughts on paper for the first time. In Disguise featuring Bakar, the Shaun Ryder-assisted and Stone Roses-sampling 1989 and platinum-selling #2 Fred again. produced hit Baby featuring R&B icon Ashanti. In fact, Ashanti and Aitch performed Baby together during BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2022. Watch the performance here.

When speaking about his album’s title, Aitch says: As much as I say that I’m trying to get out of the ends, and I want to go elsewhere, I always end up back in the same place. Even across the other side of the world, I feel like I bring a sense of Manchester; whether I’m in London or Australia, I’m still Close To Home.

Taking Close To Home on the road for the first time, Aitch will kick off a sold-out headline in the UK followed by a run in the rest of Europe early next year. On the performance front, recently Aitch was brought out as a special guest during Jack Harlow’s set at the 2022 Wireless Festival.

At only 22-years-old, the BRIT Award nominated artist is on the verge of a global breakout with Close To Home. His debut album showcases his ever-growing songwriting skills. Combining a mature and reflective side with the confident charisma he’s known for, Close To Home is a modern spin paying homage to the lineage of Manchester’s musical history, pairing rich and identifiably local flavor with global ambition. Already under his belt Aitch retains over a billion streams, over 5 million records sold worldwide, millions of followers, and co-signs from the likes of Tay Keith, Sam Smith, Skepta, and more.

BelgraveRoad_1
Louis Vuitton
1989
Money Habits (feat. Mastermind)
Baby feat. Ashanti
Bring It Back
Sunshine (feat. New Machine)
Fuego
Cheque
In Disguise (feat. Bakar)
The Palm
100x
R Kid (feat. AJ Tracey)
My G (feat. Ed Sheeran)
Close To Home
Hollinwood To Hollywood

DUNCAN LAURENCE – ELECTRIC LIFE

As combined global streams of his breakout hit Arcade soar past 10 billion, Duncan Laurence returns with a new single, Electric Life. One of his most personal songs to date, Electric Life is the first track to be released from Laurence’s sessions with his fiance, songwriter Jordan Garfield, and producer Paul Phamous (Frank Ocean, Nick Jonas). Out today via Capitol Records, Electric Life is available for streaming / download HERE. View the lyric video HERE.

Duncan Laurence says, “In ‘Electric Life’ I sing about a warm, loving and grateful feeling towards loved ones who have passed away. It is a positive song about the transformation of deep sorrow into a feeling of hope. Delving into your memories like that probably comes closest to a brief visit to heaven and being there with all the ones you have lost.

While the song’s subject matter is weighty, Laurence was determined to cloak it in dynamic, colorful production inspired by 70s icons like Elton John and Queen. It starts with piano, which is a reference to Arcade, and then it explodes into this up-tempo pre-chorus, he explains. You can sing about sad things, but there has to be a little bit of sunshine poking through those big gray clouds.

On June 22, Laurence invited a small audience to come to the Fabrique Des Lumieres in Amsterdam, where he performed Electric Life live for the very first time. View highlights HERE.

Laurence won the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with Arcade giving a performance that was hailed as powerful by The New York Times and haunting by The Guardian. The song took the #1 spot on Spotify’s Global Viral chart on release and ultimately took off on Tik Tok with now over 56 billion views on the platform. It has attained Gold/Platinum certifications in 37 countries, including Platinum in the U.S. Arcade was Capitol Records #1 most-streamed track of 2021. Laurence marked the milestone with a year-end live performance on the rooftop of the iconic Capitol Tower in Hollywood.

Placing in the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100, Arcade was the first Eurovision Song Contest winner to enter the prestigious chart in 45 years. A top 10 hit at U.S. Adult Contemporary radio, the single also placed on numerous international charts, peaking at No. 1 in five countries and climbing into the top 30 of the UK Official Singles chart and the top 10 of the Shazam Global Pop Chart. Laurence performed Arcade with a string quartet on TODAY and was joined by FLETCHER for a performance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Kelly Clarkson even covered the song on her own show. Now, with Electric Life, Laurence begins a new era.

Listen To Electric Life HERE

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DOECHII – SHE

Today Doechii drops her first EP for Top Dawg Entertainment / Capitol Records she / her / black bitch. Listen HERE.

The EP includes production from Kal Banx, Hit-Boy, Bankroll Got It and Devin Malik, and is Executive Produced by Anthony ‘Top Dawg‘ Tiffith and Anthony Moosa Tiffith Jr.

The project cements the Tampa native as a distinct voice whose versatile talents range from quick-fire bars to seductive singing. On she / her / black bitch Doechii outlines different layers of her life experience: from villainous to confident to soft and sad, and to overall proving that she matters. As NPR stated Doechii reclaims and spits back at anyone who dares to diminish her power.

Many times I’ve been referred to as a bitch as a way to gaslight me out of certain spaces, something I think many people can relate to in one way or another,” says Doechii. “Lots of people will call you various names for doing something differently.

So I decided to take ownership of the black bitch and title my EP she/ her/ black bitch and reclaim that motherf***ing power, Doechii continues. So if you’ve ever been put down for being yourself, just remember you’re powerful and unapologetic- these songs are for you.”

In 2022 the Doechii came out swinging, chosen as an XXL Freshman and tapped as an Artist to Watch in Rolling Stone, NPR, Vulture, Complex, Uproxx, Pigeons and Planes, FADER, and more. Doechii performed on both The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and on the mainstage on the BET Awards. She was also chosen as the RADAR US Cover Artist at Spotify; the VEVO DSCVR Artist for June; the BET Artist of the Month; MTV‘s Push Artist for July; and Billboard crowned her both Artist of the Month and a Queer Game-Changer. Doechii‘s record Persuasive also made Obama‘s Summer playlist.

Doechii has dominated since the release of her unwaveringly original EPs 2020s, Oh the Places You‘ll Go, featuring the viral smash Yucky Blucky Fruitcake, and 2021’s BRA-LESS. This new release continues a hot streak for Doechii following the brazen Bitch I’m Nice the rebellious Crazy and the seductive Persuasive (which SZA later jumped on).

Expect more unparalleled, genre-bending music from the multi-faceted Doechii, the self-proclaimed swamp princess.

MAGGIE ROGERS – SURRENDER

On July 29, 2022, Capitol Records released Maggie Rogers new album, Surrender – the follow-up to 2019’s Heard It in a Past Life, which entered Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart at No. 1, landed her a GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist and went on to amass over one billion combined global streams. Raw and revelatory, Surrender finds the acclaimed producer/songwriter/performer examining the most complex emotions with fierce, unflinching vulnerability and alchemizing that heightened feeling into her most joyful output yet. Download / stream Surrender.

Earlier this week, Rogers returned to “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and performed her new single, “Want Want.“ Praising the song’s “intensity and crunchy guitar tones,” The New York Times said, “this tale of long-sublimated desire-finally finds an explosive expression in its chorus: ‘And I want you.'” V Magazine said, “‘Want Want’ is a booming track, backed by a groovy drumline and Roger’s own powerful vocals.” View the official video for “Want Want,” which Rogers shot in a NYC karaoke bar with director Warren Fu, HERE.

Hailing Rogers as a “pop music prodigy- an artist who’s in it for the long haul,” Rolling Stone said, “She’s someone who can command banjo-strummed roots music, streaming-friendly synth-pop, and anthemic arena rock.” In this feature, The New York Times praised Surrender as “a hypnotically danceable ode to ecstatic abandon, making leaps and navigating worry.” The Associated Press declares, “the new album only solidifies Rogers as one of the most interesting singer-songwriters out there-brash, confident, compelling and occasionally profane.” Consequence observed, “Surrender is a wholly open and vulnerable turn from Maggie Rogers- her writing has gotten all the more sharp and incisive.” SPIN declared, “(Surrender is) a vibrant and provocative studio album-(Rogers) proved herself as an impassion performer ‘with songs designed to blow people away.'”

The album’s first single, “That’s Where I Am,” was included on Former President Barack Obama‘s 2022 Summer Playlist and “Best Songs of 2022 (So Far)” lists from Esquire, SPIN and Paste The video features cameos by David Byrne, Quil Lemons and Hamilton Leithauser. Watch the clip for new track “Horses” which Rogers co-directed with Michael Scanlon HERE.

In the days leading up to the album’s release, Metrograph in New York City gave fans the opportunity to preview the album – and view three of the films that inspired it – with the “Surrender Film Club,” a three-night series of screening and listening sessions at the independent movie theatre. American Express Card Members had early access to purchase tickets before the general public to last night’s “Maggie Rogers, The Surrender Release Show – Presented by American Express,” a celebratory concert at Webster Hall on the evening of Surrender‘s debut.

After multiple sold-out headline tours and major festival performances in support of Heard It in a Past Life, Rogers retreated to the coast of Maine in early 2020 and completely cut herself off from the noise of the outside world. For months on end, she spent most of her time reading and resting and walking along the jagged cliffs, compelled by the fierce and unforgiving nature of the North Atlantic Ocean. Channeling the ocean’s unruly energy, she soon arrived at the controlled chaos and ecstatic physicality that would come to define Surrender. The album was co-produced by Kid Harpoon and Rogers and recorded in three distinct locations (her parents’ garage in Maine, Electric Lady Studios in New York City, Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios near Bath, England). Over the course of 12 unfettered yet exactingly crafted tracks, Rogers fully captures the frenetic intensity of the last two years of her life, bringing her bracing honesty to stories of anger and peace and self-salvation, transcendence through sex and freedom through letting go. View the album trailer HERE.

Max Drazen – Caffeine

Following the acclaimed release of his first single, “Let Me Down Slow,” Max Drazen returns with “Caffeine” – a song fans have been waiting for since last July when he posted a clip on TikTok that amassed a million views in the first 24 hours. The neo-soul-tinged, tongue-in-cheek track tells the story of the up-and-down relationship of a couple with vastly different approaches to life. It’s one of the first songs Drazen wrote and recorded with producer Dave Villa (FLETCHER, Daughtry). Max wrote all the lyrics. Listen HERE. Drazen recently signed with Capitol Records, which released “Caffeine” in conjunction with Field Trip Recordings. He has inked with Fourward for management.

“I love happy songs with sad lyrics. Songs that make you want to dance but also have a deeper meaning,” says Max Drazen. “Caffeine’s sonics match the energy of the honeymoon phase in a relationship, while the lyrics describe feeling hopeless but indifferent.”

Putting “Let Me Down Slow” on its list of “10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through The Week,” Billboard praised it as a “relaxed rhythmic-pop track that amps up as the singer-songwriter becomes more desperate for emotional closure… Drazen showcases different tricks up his sleeve in the process – rap-singing on the verses, vulnerable warbling on the bridge, and a nice melodic feel on the main hook.” Early Rising said, “’Let Me Down Slow’ is a classic break up song that displays both Max’s vocal range and writing ability in the most cohesive way.” Watch the L.A.-based songwriter’s live performance video for “Let Me Down Slow” HERE.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Drazen’s first influences came from his parents’ record collection – Elton John and Billy Joel. As he got older, he fell in love with artists like Smino, Justin Timberlake, Jon Bellion and Two Door Cinema Club. The pieces would connect during his junior year of high school, when Drazen went over to a friend’s house and wrote his first song. Although recruited to play soccer at Middlebury College, he found his focus shifting to songwriting. He developed a sinewy, genre-agnostic voice and centered his authentic perspective as a kid from the ‘burbs, adeptly swinging between R&B, pop and rap. Now signed to Field Trip Recordings, Drazen has his eyes set on the future, with more genre-traversing songs on the way.

Photo: Tommy Nowels