Posts tagged with "pop punk"

SK8 press photo via Jimmy Fontaine for use by 360 Magazine

SK8 – Taylor Gang

Omaha, Nebraska-born, LA-based artist SK8 has risen to acclaim with an insatiable desire for his craft. Beginning music in his early teens, the now 27-year-old recording artist has opened for the likes of Lil Wayne, Rae Sremmurd while also working with Wiz Khalifa.

SK8’s devotion to his music has been evident through the course of his career, earning him widespread success – which he doesn’t plan on ceasing anytime soon. 360 Magazine’s Vaughn Lowery had the opportunity to speak with SK8 regarding his rise to critical notoriety, where his creativity stems from and his star-studded new album Last Day on Earth.

Listen to SK8 on 360 MAG PODCAST HERE.

To truly understand the talent that is SK8, it’s important to appreciate his start in the music game. Nathan Maloley, also known as SK8, has had a passion for music his entire life. He began making his own music and downloading his tracks onto CD’s when he was in his early teen years.  

Even taking choir for a few years in school, SK8 remembers his early beginnings writing music. While growing up, he found “that [music] was almost my escape. I would always go home […] and look up YouTube beats and [begin] writing.”

Back in 2013 and 2014, artists were constantly being found online via social media. SK8 recalls searching for new artists to listen to, “I really wanted to find a new artist, like, who was the up-and-coming artist?” Little did he know, his time was swiftly coming.

Stuck in the middle between a potential basketball or music career, SK8 juggled his two loves throughout high school leading into college. The Omaha community knew about his dreams to become a rapper, and this led to further connections with the people around him.

SK8 attended Hastings College in Nebraska, a performing arts school which allowed him to also play basketball. During his freshman year, artists would frequently come perform at the school, which led to SK8’s early performance gigs. SK8 would open for the artists coming to the school, gaining him even more recognition within the music industry.

His freshman year, SK8, too, decided that he was going to go after his dream of chasing a professional music career, dropping out of college, and giving up basketball. Moving back home with his mother, SK8 dove into music, which took off quickly after.

His debut break into the scene came from his collaboration with Jack and Jack, popular Viners back in the mid 2010’s. The Viners went to SK8’s high school and decided to link up and work on music together. They came together to create “Like That,” a track that ended up going certified gold independently.

This collaboration ultimately kicked off his career, and SK8 joined Jack and Jack on their tour. Taking full advantage of his time on the road, SK8 made it his mission to connect with a new fanbase. “I was the guy that was opening up, like, yo ‘Imma get as many fans as I can.’” He remembers bonding with fans after the shows, gaining more of a following on social media after the tour closed.

Joining Jack and Jack on their tour opened even more opportunities than SK8 could have ever foreseen. Through the widescale exposure that he gained on tour, this allowed SK8 to connect and open for popular rap artists Rae Sremmurd and Lil Wayne.

Well on his way with a whole new set of fans, SK8 embarked on his first solo tour in 2016 celebrating his Skaterade project. The tour was a great time for SK8 to travel and meet his fanbase. He recollects the thrill, stating, “It was a really, really cool tour to see where my fans were at, and just [to] independently be on the road, it was a really good time.”

Soon after the tour wrapped up, SK8 began contemplating what his next steps were going to be. After accomplishing so much in the early stages of his career, what would come next? He had a longstanding dream of opening his own label, to which he began to pursue while connecting industry professional James McMillan.

McMillan and SK8 joined forces to start the imprint known as Alignment Records. The two began pitching their record label and found partnership with Atlanta Records swiftly after opening up Alignment.

Continuing further with the process, SK8 questioned who would help oversee the project, “Sh**, I got the label, but who’s gonna manage this sh**?”

And then, it seemingly all fell into place.

Having met Wiz Khalifa in Los Angeles a few times prior, SK8 recalled one late night in the studio where the two artists began their first collaboration track together. At 4 AM, Wiz happened to be at the same studio as SK8, where SK8 showed Wiz some of his new tracks. The pair started going back and forth in the studio, knocking out a hook and verse, completing their first joint track.

After this night, they kept in touch via Wiz’s manager Will Dzomback. Dzomback was very interested in SK8, inviting him to sign with Taylor Gang Management. Platforming SK8’s talents to a whole new level, this collaboration set his career to new altitudes.

Previously more immersed in the rap/hip-hop genre, SK8 showcases a newfound rock/pop punk era on his new album Last Day on Earth. He accredits his longstanding love for rock music back to his adolescence.

My dad listened to Bob Marley, that was his favorite artist, […] I grew up listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers, and also my hip hop inspirations too, I’ve always listened to a bunch of sh** like Nirvana and Kurt Cobain.”

The start of SK8’s transition to the rock/pop punk sound arrived after working with Machine Gun Kelly’s drummer, Rook, in the studio. Rook and SK8 met in LA a few years back and have stayed friends for quite some time.

Bouncing off of each other in the studio, they began recreating and mixing old rock classics. Popular tracks from artists like SK8’s beloved Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana became completely transformed; SK8 had found his new sound.

“[Rook] started just playing some live instruments, […] he started playing some sh**, I think it was the ‘Pages melody, and that was kinda the first song that we were like ‘this is gonna be tight,’” said SK8. “I listen to a lot of old school stuff, […] I wanted to just strip the music, and not just go on beats. We really took the time, went in there with guitar riffs.”

Tracks like “Girl Next Door” came out of this genre blend experimental phase that SK8 boarded on. “It was really cool bringing Wiz into that feel, too,” he says about combining hip-hop with rock influences, “I’ll have my whole album finished, and you know, I’ll have verses open just in case, […] he came to me and was like ‘Nah, that one right there, ‘Girl next door.’”

The addition of live instrumental pieces took the album to whole heights. SK8 accredits this while speaking about the vision for Last Day on Earth, stating, “The motivation really was like, yo, I wanna create something that’s authentic to me but still I wanted to, like, have live elements, […] I didn’t want to just rap and do melodies over just beats. I wanted to create something that had all live elements.”

In the works since the start of the pandemic, Last Day on Earth has been a long time coming. Taking over two years to perfectly craft and complete the body of work allowed SK8 to fully enjoy the experience of making the project.

“I really enjoyed making this project,” he begins, “I had a really, really good team around me that helped me bring this album to them, so I have to give props to them, for real.”

Considering what’s next for SK8, the sky seems to be the limit. At the forefront of his priorities is to stay consistent and continue pushing out new music that he believes in.

The two-year hiatus between his previous drops allowed SK8 to have “a good period of time to actually really find the sound that I wanted to find, and now that I found it, I’m really dialing in.” He remarks, “I wanted to tap into the real me, I didn’t want to tell a story that wasn’t me, I didn’t want to do nothing that wasn’t me.”

For those with aspirations of starting a career in music, SK8 has some great advice. “It may sound cliché, but never give up. If it’s something that you really, really enjoy and really love doing, just don’t give up, there’s been a lot of ups, there’s been a lot of downs […] don’t give up, your time is gonna come, you’re gonna get your break.

“You don’t have to be mainstream, you don’t gotta to be the biggest artist in the world, you can still make music and make money at the same time. That’s what I, like, wake up and am always grateful and blessed to wake up and do music, that’s what I love.”

Article by: McKinley Franklin x Vaughn Lowery

SK8 press photo via Jimmy Fontaine for use by 360 Magazine
SK8 press photo via Jimmy Fontaine for use by 360 Magazine
Photo Credit: Jimmy Fontaine
Tyler Posey Illustration by Alex Bogdan for use by 360 Magazine

Tyler Posey

By: Ally Brewster

Tyler Posey is a Santa Monica born, Santa Clarita raised actor and pop-punk/rock musician best known for his roles as Scott McCall on Teen Wolf and the lead role of Aidan the zombie-horror movie Alone (2020). In addition to his successful acting career, he’s been striving for an equally successful music career.

Throughout the last decade Posey has been in multiple bands, including Lost in Kostko (You’re Gonna Need A Towel [EP] 2011), PVMNTS (Better Days [EP] 2018), and Five North (Scumbag [EP] 2020). During the pandemic he made the decision to go solo with his next EP, enjoying the artistic freedom that came from being on your own. Posey has been working alongside the record label Big Noise Music Group, the same label his band Five North (Tyler Posey and Kyle Murphy) worked with, for his debut solo EP titled DRUGS.

Before those two singles for his debut EP, Tyler released the single “This Luv Sux” with artist’s Phem and Audio Chateau. “This Luv Sux” was his introduction to solo music, a song about a bad relationship, the alternative punk sound heard throughout the rest of his music.

DRUGS, to be released later this year, is the EP that is home to the two singles Posey has released so far this year, “Happy” and “Shut Up” (feat. Phem and Travis Barker). The two singles set up the tone and theme of the EP, which is a raw, honest story about Posey’s struggle with drugs and becoming sober in the form of pop-punk songs.

In the single “Happy,” during the second verse he sings, “Yeah, I know how to nod / Nodding, I’m half awake / With my eyes rolling back, can’t you tеll I’m okay?” Posey told NME that this is a reference to the “drug term called nodding out,” stating the verse is, “a very violent visual of somebody [who’s] really fucked up on drugs.” These types of experiences and feelings are what Posey is bringing to his debut EP, using as a way to explain his struggles and emotions.

Watch the “Happy” music video here.

This Fall Posey will join his fellow Big Noise artists Mod Sun and girlfriends on the Internet Killed the Rockstar Tour. The tour will travel to 15 cities around the US beginning September 5, 2021.

Internet Killed the Rockstar Tour Dates

Sun, SEP 5 – BottleRock Napa Valley 2021 – Napa County, CA [SOLD OUT]

Thu, SEP 9 – The Roxy Theatre – Los Angeles, CA [SOLD OUT]

Fri, SEP 10 – The Roxy Theatre – Los Angeles, CA [SOLD OUT]

Sat, SEP 11 – Popcon Retreat Festival 2021 – Las Vegas, NV

Tue, SEP 14 – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN [SOLD OUT]

Thu, SEP 16 – House of Blues Cleveland – Cleveland, OH

Fri, SEP 17 – Park West – Chicago, IL

Sun, SEP 19 – Saint Andrews Hall – Detroit, MI

Tue, SEP 21 – The Fillmore Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA [SOLD OUT]

Wed, SEP 22 – Brighton Music Hall – Allston, MA [SOLD OUT]

Thu, SEP 23 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY [SOLD OUT]

Sat, SEP 25 – Black Cat -Washington DC

Sun, SEP 26 – The Underground – Fillmore Charlotte – Charlotte, NC

Thu, SEP 30 – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA

Sun, OCT 3 – South Side Music Hall – Dallas, TX

Buy tickets here.

Be on the lookout for Tyler Posey’s EP DRUGS that will be released later this year!

by Fueled by Ramen for use by 360 Magazine

MEET ME @ THE ALTAR – MODEL CITIZEN

MEET ME @ THE ALTAR TO RELEASE MAJOR LABEL DEBUT EP MODEL CITIZEN ON AUGUST 13 VIA FUELED BY RAMEN

NEW SINGLE AND MUSIC VIDEO FEEL A THING

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED SUPPORTING COHEED AND CAMBRIA & THE USED THIS SUMMER, SUPPORTING ALL TIME LOW THIS FALL

“One of the most exciting young pop bands in the United States” – The FADER

“One of 2021’s most exciting new rock acts” – Rolling Stone

“Meet Me @ The Altar is the future of pop-punk” – NYLON

“Your new pop punk obsession” – Buzzfeed

“Some of the most promising, exciting pop-punk in recent memory” – Stereogum

Rising pop-punk trio Meet Me @ The Altar have announced their major label debut EP, Model Citizen. The news is heralded by the release of anthemic single Feel A Thing, which is available now on all streaming platforms. The group, whose name was inspired by a mutual love for Mortal Kombat, has their skills put to the test in the track’s official video, which finds them fighting their way out of an arcade game. The Model Citizen EP arrives August 13th via Fueled By Ramen.

“We are SO incredibly excited about Model Citizen being our first major release on Fueled By Ramen, these are absolutely our best songs to date, the band shared. Model Citizen was originally a different set of songs, but we decided to throw it all out just days before the EP was due because we knew we could write a more cohesive story with lots of energy. With a heavy easy core influence, we hope Model Citizen knocks everyone out of their seats!”

This summer, Meet Me @ The Altar will embark on a massive U.S. tour supporting Coheed and Cambria & The Used and appear at Riot Fest in Chicago. In the fall, they will return to the road with labelmates All Time Low and nothing,nowhere. for a tour of North America. A complete list of upcoming live dates can be found HERE.

Meet Me @ The Altar announced their Fueled By Ramen signing last October in an exclusive interview with Billboard and unleashed their critically acclaimed major label debut single Garden. The song’s vibrant music video premiered on The FADER, and Garden graced best songs of 2020 lists by NPR Music, The FADER, Refinery 29, and more. Earlier this year, the band debuted the powerful single, Hit Like A Girl in partnership with Facebook’s Women’s History Month campaign. Meet Me @ The Altar has already been named an artist to watch in 2021 by Rolling Stone, NYLONand more.

Crossing state lines and breaking all kinds of boundaries, the group’s members Edith Johnson [vocals], Téa Campbell [guitar], and Ada Juarez [drums] initially met online, bonding over the likes of Paramore and Twenty One Pilots and agreeing on a need for more representation in pop punk. Instead of waiting for somebody else to do it, they stepped up and became that representation as three proud women of color playing lightning-fast riffs, pounding out double kicks, and chanting huge hooks.

Stay tuned for more new music from Meet Me @ The Altar soon.

MODEL CITIZEN EP Tracklist

  1. Feel A Thing
  2. Mapped Out
  3. Brighter Days (Are Before Us)
  4. Now Or Never
  5. Never Gonna Change
  6. Wake Up

Available for preorder NOW

MEET ME @ THE ALTAR 2021 TOUR DATES

8/27-9/24 – supporting Coheed and Cambria & The Used

10/5-10/10 – supporting nothing,nowhere.

10/12-11/12 – supporting All Time Low

# – festival performance

Supporting Coheed and Cambria & The Used

August 27, 2021 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre

August 28, 2021 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Amphitheatre

August 30, 2021 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex Outdoors

August 31, 2021 – Denver, CO – Levitt Pavilion

September 02, 2021 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

September 04, 2021 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater

September 05, 2021 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

September 07, 2021 – Wichita, KS – WAVE

September 08, 2021 – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park

September 11, 2021 – Columbus, OH – Express Live!

September 12, 2021 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica

September 14, 2021 – Cincinnati, OH – The ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park

September 15, 2021 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park

September 17, 2021 – Chicago, IL – Riot Fest #

September 18, 2021 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium

September 19, 2021 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center

September 21, 2021 – Baltimore, MD – MECU Pavilion

September 22, 2021 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater

September 24, 2021 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place

Supporting nothing, nowhere.

October 05, 2021 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge

October 06, 2021 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry

October 08, 2021 – Washington, DC – Songbyrd

October 10, 2021 – Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge

Supporting All Time Low

October 12, 2021 – New Orleans, LA – Orpheum Theater

October 13, 2021 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company

October 15, 2021 – Richmond, VA – The National

October 16, 2021 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz

October 17, 2021 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore

October 19, 2021 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall

October 20, 2021 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom

October 23, 2021 – Grand Rapids, MI – 20 Monroe Live

October 24, 2021 – Louisville, KY – Paristown Hall

October 27, 2021 – Sioux Falls, SD – The District

October 28, 2021 – Des Moines, IA – Val Air Ballroom

October 30, 2021 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore

October 31, 2021 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre

November 02, 2021 – Edmonton, AB – Union Hall

November 03, 2021 – Calgary, AB – MacEwan Hall

November 05, 2021 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre

November 06, 2021 – Portland, OR – Roseland

November 07, 2021 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SODO

November 10, 2021 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater

November 11, 2021 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium

November 12, 2021 – San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s

ABOUT MEET ME @ THE ALTAR:

Meet Me @ The Altar present a new musical and cultural paradigm for pop punk. The Florida trio Edith Johnson [vocals], Téa Campbell [guitar], and Ada Juarez [drums]ߞcertainly rip just as hard as the forbearers who inspired them, but the group also speak from a position rarely, if ever, heard in the genre as proud women of color. With Ada from New Jersey, Téa from Florida, and Edith from Georgia, the three-piece would meet in the Sunshine State and practice for hours nonstop just before gigs, morphing into a formidable force on stage. Booking their own tours, the band canvassed the country to promote their debut Changing States EP in 2018. Dozens of shows endeared them to a growing audience as they continued recording. MM@TA’s independent releases drew admiration from Halsey and All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth and landed them a deal with their dream record label Fueled By Ramen. In 2020, the band released their major label debut single Garden, and followed up with Hit Like A Girl this spring, earning praise from Rolling StoneBillboardThe FADERNPR MusicNYLON, and more.

Coheed and Cambria Tour Image via Ross Anderson for use by 360 Magazine

Coheed and Cambria X The Used Announce Tour

Special guests Meet Me @ The Altar and carolesdaughter will join the co-headlining tour on select dates.

Tickets on sale starting Friday, June 18 at LiveNation.com

Celebrated American rock bands Coheed and Cambria and The Used today announced their upcoming summer outdoor co-headlining amphitheater tour. The 18-city U.S. tour, produced by Live Nation, will begin on Friday, Aug 27 in Irvine, CA and make stops in Phoenix, Dallas, Cleveland, New Jersey, Worcester, and more. The late summer journey will feature special guests Meet Me @ The Altar and carolesdaughter on select dates, and will culminate with a performance at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL on Sept 24.

Most tickets for the tour will go on sale to the general public beginning this Friday, June 18th at 10AM local time at LiveNation.com. A full listing of dates can be found below along with additional information on both CoheedAndCambria.com and TheUsed.net

It’s been over two years since Coheed and Cambria’s 2018 album, Vaxis I: The Unheavenly Creatures, was released as the band’s “return to concept” album. After stepping away with a more introspective album in 2015, frontman Claudio Sanchez and the band returned to the sci-fi universe of The Amory Wars in what was said to be the first of a 5-part series of albums. With 2021 upon us, and a major summer tour now announced, the volume of fans’ chatter for Vaxis 2 and what that will entail are loading up the band’s social media pages.

Coheed and Cambria is a rare band whose music can transcend scenes and effortlessly cross genres of rock – from indie to progressive, to metal and pop-punk to classic rock. The band is frequently compared to progressive, operatic rock bands of the ‘70s, ala Queen, Supertramp, or Rush due to their thrilling concept albums which take you on a grand journey of sounds and often clock-in around 110 mins, but still somehow include sugary pop-laden hooks.

The group’s following has grown steadily every album, partly due to their ferocious live show that brings fans to their knees with an equally expansive light show. This summer, the band will be performing songs from their expansive catalog, and we can only imagine they’ll pull a few new tricks up their sleeves.

Both bands began their careers 20 years ago this year and last toured together in 2003.

Painful and perverse, intimate, and obnoxious, aggressively heavy and irresistibly catchy, confusingly profound and primitively pedestrian – The Used transforms songs into anthems. The reckless honesty and unrelenting dedication that saw The Used kick down doors at radio and MTV, for a generation of disenfranchised post-hardcore provocateurs, persists today. It is newly remade with a sly shimmer that never sacrifices the band’s enchanting anarchy or restless soul.

Heartwork, the band’s eighth studio album (2020), arrives with the unbound spirit of the pair of platinum albums that first introduced The Used to the world, mixed with the dramatic flair of their gold-certified third. The emotion, sincerity, and vulnerability found on The Used (2002) and In Love and Death (2004) are more urgent and insistent than ever on Heartwork, a diverse 16-song offering filled with double entendre upon triple entendre. It traverses a thematic gamut of self-examination, hyper-literate exploration, political pyromania, and keenly self-aware yet unrestrained whimsy.

Coheed and Cambria and The Used will be making the following appearances across the U.S. this August and September.

TOUR DATES

Aug 27: Los Angeles, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheatre*

Aug 28: Phoenix, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheatre*

Aug 30: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex – Outdoors*

Aug 31: Denver, CO @ Levitt Pavilion Denver*

Sep 02: Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

Sep 04: Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater*

Sep 05: Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion*

Sep 07: Wichita, KS @ WAVE – Outdoors*

Sep 08: St. Louis, MO @ Saint Louis Music Park*

Sep 11: Columbus, OH @ Express Live! – Outdoors*

Sep 12: Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica*

Sep 14: Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center*

Sep 15: Indianapolis, IN @ TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park*

Sep 18: Worcester, MA @ The Palladium – Outdoors*

Sep 19: Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center*

Sep 21: Baltimore, MD @ MECU Pavilion^

Sep 22: Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater^

Sep 24: Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place^

* with special guest Meet Me @ The Altar

with special guest carolesdaughter

Oliver Malcolm via Kay Ibrahim for Interscope Records for use by 360 Magazine

Oliver Malcolm – Are you Living in the Real World?

Rising artist and multi-disciplinarian Oliver Malcolm has released his much anticipated debut project, Are You Living in The Real World?, out now on all platforms via Darkroom/Interscope Records. An eight track effort that cuts through genre lines and mixes punk rock, funk, hip hop production and imaginative storytelling. The end result is a signature catchy, punchy sound that I can’t get enough of. The brilliant debut was written and produced largely by Oliver Malcolm between his two homes in Los Angeles and the U.K. In honor of the milestone, Oliver joined Zane Lowe earlier this morning for his show on Apple Music to share the single “Runaway” exclusively as the day’s World First premiere. Simultaneously, Oliver unveiled the official music video for the track directed by collaborator Kay Ibrahim. To watch the music video, click HERE.

Speaking on his debut EP and inspiration for the title, Oliver had this to share:

“Are You Living In The Real World?” is an introduction to the world of Oliver Malcolm. This EP was made between the UK and LA and is the sonic documentation of the first two years of experimentation with my own artistry. The prologue.” 

Oliver Malcolm has been steadily releasing tracks over the past year in anticipation of his debut project all while gaining momentum and admiration from music critics like the New York Times, TIME Magazine, CLASH and Pigeons & Planes, who named Oliver an “Artist to Watch” last year. Are You Living in The Real World? is a project long in the making and one that marks Oliver’s transition from producer to bonafide artist and performer.

About Oliver Malcolm

Oliver Malcolm got his start early, teaching himself how to spin records at 12 years old. Shortly after, he downloaded Logic and taught himself how to produce–working with IDK, Aluna George, Joey Bada$$, Jay Rock, Masego, Tinashe and more. Now twenty, Oliver has developed his own voice. Touching everything from the production, vocals, songwriting, engineering, mixing and mastering.  A multidisciplinary at heart, this is just the beginning of what music lovers can look forward to from the new artist.

CMTEN - MUSIC BOX EP via Warner Records for use by 360 Magazine

CMTEN – MUSIC BOX

Bubbling up with a distinct and diverse sense of sonic alchemy, 19-year-old CMTEN unveils his anxiously awaited debut EP, MUSIC BOX, available today on Masked Records/Warner Records and features the track “angel (so bad),” which premiered earlier this week on Apple Music. Click HERE to stream MUSIC BOX EP.

This nine-song project ebbs and flows between manic electronic transmissions, warm piano, and simultaneously shuddering and soothing vocalizations moving in sync at full throttle towards 21st century pop oblivion. There are wide variations with each song in terms of content, style, and even genre. You get Nintendo-inspired songs and you also get punk. “angel (so bad)” pairs heavenly keys and warbling vocal delivery as he details romantic follies. Then, there’s “sorry I don’t get what you’re saying” where gorgeous piano underscores ponderous lyrics. Everything culminates on “walking to a place I’ve never been.” Acoustic guitar wraps around thumping bass as he cleverly decries, “Open up the spreadsheet, tally all my mistakes,” before one last hypnotic hook.

CMTEN explains: “Although MUSIC BOX is technically an EP, I see it more as a random collection of cool-ass music. The project consists of several songs that vary drastically in style, coming together to showcase every little thing that makes the creation of music so fulfilling to me. Whether a track is something emotional, experimental, or just straight-up fun, each has a special place in my heart. I’m constantly experimenting with different sounds, styles, and influences, so it only makes sense that my debut body of work reflects that. So, when it comes down to it, MUSIC BOX is all about the magic of making music just for the hell of it. I love these songs, and I hope you will, too.”

After racking up nearly 60 million total streams thus far and averaging 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, CMTEN set the stage for the EP with a series of fan favorites, including the title track “MUSIC BOX,” “BORED” and “ALONE” feat. RILEY THE MUSICIAN. Of the latter, Lyrical Lemonade raved, “These two use all the passionate and learned energy in their bodies to craft together a brief, yet impactful experience that not only proves these previously-mentioned ideas, but at the same time, an experience that stands out as a simply blissful pop offering by itself.” He also caps off the EP with his 2020 breakthrough single  “Never Met!” feat. Glitch Gum.

In the seventies, eighties, or nineties, this story might’ve started in a garage with a guitar…However, the genre-smashing artist, songwriter, producer/mixer, vocalist, and San Francisco Bay area native unassumingly turned his University of Utah dorm room into ground zero for Glitchcore in early 2020. Translating a passion for old school pop punk and the likes of 100 gecs, Porter Robinson and Soundcloud Rap into a sound of his own, he uploaded “NEVER MET!” and organically attracted a groundswell of support to the tune of 30 million total streams, 1 million-plus TikTok videos, and more.

"Caught In The Middle" by SK8 artwork via Atlantic Records for use by 360 Magazine

SK8 – CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

TAYLOR GANG SINGER HERALDS UPCOMING PROJECT WITH SECOND ALT-ROCK JAM ARRIVING TODAY ALONGSIDE DANIEL KELLY-DIRECTED VISUAL

Fast-rising Taylor Gang singer, SK8, is continuing his musical evolution into alternative rock with his new single, “Caught In The Middle” – LISTEN HERE.

Over an infectious guitar riff and trap-like drums, SK8 uses a nostalgia-tinged pop/punk chorus to describe feeling caught between wanting a relationship and wanting to pursue his dreams.

I’ve always known that I wanted to be a recording artist. I wanted the life that I’d seen my favorite musicians and bands live. I moved all the way from Omaha, Nebraska to achieve that dream and sometimes that dream pulls you in a direction that separates you from another thing you want in your life. ‘Caught In The Middle’ is about that constant push and pull and trying to find the balance in my personal life and music career.” –SK8

“Caught In The Middle” arrives today alongside a dramatic visual directed by SK8’s frequent collaborator, Daniel Kelly – WATCH HERE.

The new single and video from the Omaha, NE born, LA-based singer arrives after his first foray into alt-rock with “Famous” featuring fellow ascending recording artist Tyla Yaweh, which also received an accompanying Daniel Kelly-directed visual. American Songwriter praised “Famous,” noting that, “SK8 effortlessly blends hip-hop and punk into some newly evolved sound.” Additionally, Hot New Hip Hop hailed the song as a, “genre-melting experience.”

“Caught In The Middle” is the second single from SK8’s upcoming project, arriving soon…

STREAM/DOWNLOAD “CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE” HERE

WATCH SK8’S PREVIOUS MUSIC VIDEO FOR “FAMOUS (FEAT. TYLA YAWEH)” [Directed By: Daniel Kelly]

ABOUT SK8:

At 15, you could find SK8 in his room writing lyrics, and by his sophomore year, you could find him handing out CDs in high school. The 23-year-old moved to Los Angeles from Omaha, Nebraska and linked with the venerable Taylor Gang, first breaking into the mainstream with his gold-certified single, “Like That,” with Jack & Jack and opening for revered rap icons like Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz and Rae Sremmurd. SK8 began building a dedicated fanbase of dreamers who related to his message of seizing every moment long before his eventual move to LA. Shortly after founding his own imprint, Alignment, and formally signing a joint venture with Atlantic Records via James McMillan’s ART@WAR, SK8 released his major label debut EP, sk8sounds, which was buttressed by the standout singles “Omme (Feat. Wiz Khalifa),” “XXX” and “Mood (Feat. YK Osiris).” Over a year later, SK8 turned a new page in his career with his first single of 2021, “Famous (Feat. Tyla Yaweh),” and its associated forthcoming project which finds the rising singer seamlessly blending punk/rock instrumentation with his hip-hop origins, the latest, but not last, development in SK8’s rapidly evolving artistry.

Instrument illustration by Ivory Rowen for 360 Magazine

Introducing Musician Steven Moses

Introducing Steven Moses’ debut single “Lose It” which merges 2000’s pop punk and emo rap, out on June 26

“Steven Moses is one of the most important artists of our generation.”

“There never seems to be a dull point where the music isn’t coming directly from Moses’ heart.”

“Moses is able to thrive by channeling his real life struggles and put it all in the music.”

Steven Moses always felt like an outsider. The 20-year-old rapper from Blair County, Pennsylvania remembers his small-town, middle-American upbringing as both liberating and confining. At home, where he and his sister were homeschooled for most of their lives, Moses was encouraged to explore an early interest in music. He picked up his first guitar at age 7, and remembers practicing for 8 – 10 hours a day until he was a teen. Moses taught himself to play multiple instruments throughout his childhood, learning piano, bass, drums, and dabbling in mandolin, and ukulele.

Outside of his home, he and other kids his age were pressured to fit into boxes and conform. “You have to do what everybody else does and be like everybody else otherwise you get made fun of,” Moses says about his hometown of Hollidaysburg. “Everyone played sports or skateboarded and smoked weed and did drugs. You were either an athlete or a really nerdy kid or an outcast, and I was one of the latter. I’ve always been like this.”

Before finding his way to rap as a teen, Steven Moses was inspired by punk rock. When he started a cover band with his sister and cousins, he looked to Ramones, Dead Kennedys and The Sex Pistols as major influences. The band played local bars and stages, with Moses on guitar and backing vocals. Soon, he began writing his own songs, and when he was 14 years old, he heard Nas’ Illmatic—an album that set him on a path to meld the two musical worlds he was most passionate about: rock and rap. His quintessential sound is exemplified on “Love Me”, the brooding, guitar-laden single that put Moses on the map in 2018.

Bad relationships, drugs and money problems fuel the stories that power Moses’ lyricism on his 2018 debut, Love Me // Leave Me. In a world full of toxicity where teens grapple with inner demons, Moses’ pained vocals and rhymes land with a spiritual touch against an aesthetic backdrop similar to that of Larry Clark and Harmony Korine’s KIDS. Nevertheless, Moses is his God given name and his life isn’t a movie. His stories are real.

Moses’ candor and honest depiction of reality is what has drawn a growing legion of fans to connect with his songs. “I feel like I have to go through a day or a week of life and experience to write,” Moses says about his process. “Maybe there’s somebody you wanna say something to but you couldn’t actually say it to them in those words, so you can put it in a song,” he explains. “[Someone] could not have the same thing going on, like it’s something completely different, but because everybody has a similar set of emotions and field of emotions, they can relate to whatever they’re thinking [my song] is about.”

As an artist beginning to recognize the influence he has on his listeners, Moses is determined to make the most of his legacy at a time when music about the darker sides of life is especially appealing to young fans. “I was really sad and I was just singing and rapping about being fucking sad,” he admits. His forthcoming album, ‘99’, is an exercise in building the bridge between a past filled with drug use, promiscuity, depression and nihilism, and a more optimistic and positive future.

With his Going Nowhere Fast collective, a group he formed with his friends around their creative talents and collaborative potential, Steven Moses wants to build a sustainable future for his friends as well. “What would have happened if Kurt Cobain could have been Bob Dylan’s age? I think about that and I’m like, I can’t be another one of those,” he asserts. “I want to be around to watch this shit happen. I’m going to be around to watch this shit happen.”

Follow Steven Moses: Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | Soundcloud | YouTube

Music, Machine Gun Kelly, Young Thug, RJMRLA, Lil Duke, Bullets with Names, Music, Rap, Big Time Adolescence, Hulu, The Last Song of Issac LeMay, Vaughn Lowery, Abigail Baldwin, 360 Magazine

Machine Gun Kelly – In These Walls

MACHINE GUN KELLY RELEASES “IN THESE WALLS” FREESTYLE Trending At #1 On YouTube

Machine Gun Kelly adds another rendition to his popular Lockdown Sessions series. This time releasing his PVRIS inspired cover titled “In These Walls.” The freestyle is trending at #1 on YouTube. “In These Walls” pulls inspiration from the PVRIS track “My House” and shows off the Cleveland wordsmith’s rapid rhymes. Machine Gun Kelly more recently dropped his “Pretty Toxic Revolver” freestyle, a Shawn Mendes “Mercy” remake. Check out “In These Walls” HERE

While spending time at home, MGK has put together a series of Lockdown Sessions on YouTube and Instagram with covers such as Oasis’s “Champagne Supernova” which features YUNGBLUD and Paramore’s “Misery Business” with Travis Barker, Omar Fedi, and Steve “Baze” Basil. Gearing up for his upcoming “Tickets To My Downfall” pop/punk album release, Machine Gun Kelly has put together a playlist of songs on Spotify that have inspired him throughout the making of the album. Aside from music, MGK is set to star opposite Sam Worthington on the big screen in the forthcoming action western; The Last Song of Issac LeMay, which starts production this month. He is also seen in Jason Orley’s comedy Big Time Adolescence which is now available on Hulu.

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Beth Ditto

Tonight, Beth Ditto returns to her home state of Arkansas to kick off a North American tour in support of Fake Sugar (Virgin Records), her solo debut album. After this eveningߣs show at Revolution Music Room in Little Rock, sheߣll head to Nashville, TN for a performance at the Mercy Lounge tomorrow, March 8. The run includes shows at New Yorkߣs Brooklyn Steel (March 14), The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, CA (March 23) and Wonder Ballroom in Portland, OR (March 27).

Ditto will perform on NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers on Tuesday, March 13. NPR has hailed her as the force-of-nature performer best known for fronting the pop-punk group Gossip. In a four-star live review, The Guardian said, Ditto alternates between infectiously warm, wisecracking comic and soul-baring torch singer.

The New York Times praised Ditto as a powerhouse singer and noted that the albums songs have stomp and girl-group melodies, Southernisms in their lyrics and garage-rock swagger. The Wall Street Journal included Fake Sugar in its round-up of The Best Music of 2017 and observed, Great pop for grownups is a rare commodity BethDittodelivers. Paperchristened Ditto rock’s homecoming queen while People highlighted Fake Sugar as one of its Picks, observing, Whether it’s a glittering stomper (Oo La La) or stripped-down Stevie Nicks homage (the title track), Ditto shines throughout

Her cover of Im Alive written by Tommy James and first recorded in 1968 by R&B legend Johnny Thunder has been licensed by Max Factor for an international advertising campaign. In addition to releasing six acclaimed albums with the Gossip, Ditto has recorded with such artists as Blondie and disco legend Cerrone, collaborated with Jean Paul Gaultier on her eponymous plus-sized luxury clothing line, modeled for Marc Jacobs. She appears in the new Gus Van Sant film, Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot, which recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Beth Ditto ߝ 2018 North American Tour Dates

3/7 ߝ Little Rock, AR @ Revolution Music Room

3/8 ߝ Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge

3/10 ߝ Washington, DC @ The 9:30 Club

3/11 ߝ Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer

3/14 ߝ Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel

3/15 ߝ Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair

3/16 ߝ Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theatre

3/17 ߝ Toronto, ON @ Mod Club

3/19 ߝ Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall

3/23 ߝ Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre

3/24 ߝ Pomona, CA @ The Glass House

3/25 ߝ San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom

3/27 ߝ Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom

3/28 ߝ Vancouver, BC @ Imperial

3/29 ߝ Seattle, WA @ Showbox