For some reason, it seems as though Solange will eternally live in her older sister Beyoncé’s shadow. Perhaps, it’s her lack of a continued career in the spotlight or her…
At the young age of 26, Philadelphia based artist (Sandy) Alex G already has nine albums under his belt, spanning from 2010 at the age of 17 to his most…
The genre-imploding mastermind discusses the ethos of coolness, signing pregnant bellies, and not being able to play the piano. “They’re ready to see you now,” I’m told as I sit…
Jon Bellion, a New York singer-songwriter and rapper, has steadily been gaining fame and success with each successive album that he releases. His five albums have been released over the…
Hispanic Heritage Month may have come to an end, but you can celebrate all year round with these five artists! Salvador y el Unicornio Salvador y el Unicornio is an…
More often than not, artists offer anecdotes of tour life, musical inspiration, or other background information about their work between songs. Both Julia Jacklin and Christian Lee Huston practiced this…
What happens when an LA-based Surf Punk band comes to play a sold-out show in East Nashville? Chaos, but in the best possible way. On October 7th, 2019 Surf Curse,…
As a Chicago native, Pitchfork Music Festival was a summer staple. There, musicians are friendly and approachable. It’s easy to push through a crowd or hop into the mosh until…
If you haven’t heard of Portland-based indie folk pop band Y La Bamba yet, I’m jealous; from the first listen, it’s a hypnosis by Luz Elena Mendoza’s infectious Spanish/English vocals and a percussion setup that’s bound to get you dancing – all while reflecting on your place in the world.
Back in August, JPEGMAFIA broke his year-long silence with a new single “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot.” The accompanying music video featured him donned in tunics, robes and…
Oh yes, another quasi-personality evaluation that is not backed by science or empirical evidence. But hey, if you’re dying from midterms like the majority of the college population, maybe you’ll…
An early look at WRVU’s new space After a long summer of construction, our new station is nearly finished. WRVU is thrilled to announce that we’ll be back to regularly…
If there’s one thing I learned this weekend while attending Pitchfork Music Festival, it’s that bad weather will not stop a crowd of music lovers. Faced with sweltering, 95+° heat…
Five years after his acclaimed debut album, Hozier has returned. If you listen to the internet, he has spent these last five years journeying the Earth to bring us the sounds of the forest and show us the melodies of our deepest, hidden emotions. Wasteland, Baby! is the haunting result.
The Ryman Auditorium often challenges its visiting artists. For Rainbow Kitten Surprise, this manifested as a battle over energy. But they still crushed it.
Sophie Allison, also known as Soccer Mommy, has emerged as an intensely creative and moving female artist in the last few years. At only 21 years old, Soccer Mommy is already extremely accomplished: since 2016, she has released three albums including her debut album proper, Clean. Clean is a massive critical success and is cited as one of the best albums of 2018 by Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NME, and Noisey, among others.
Women are more visible in today’s music scene than ever before and one thing is absolutely clear – they’re crushing it. From noname to Snail Mail, women have continued to release incredible, innovative music that demands attention. Beyond that, women are emerging as powerful music executives, leading the industry from behind the scenes. Using their shared experiences as a basis for understanding, women in music are empowering each other and thriving as a result.
The 1975 has never been the band to shy away from extravagance. From the self-titled song appearing on all three of their albums to their ostentatious project titles — I’m…
Earlier this year, Ghost released Prequelle, a near-perfect arena rock record dripping with the band’s classic satanic doom-metal aesthetic and dashes of really fun pop glimmer. Every song on the album fits ingeniously and further establishes the band’s repertoire of new rock classics. Even the two instrumental pieces continue the energy of the other songs seamlessly, creating a beautifully cohesive album. Some tracks have lush orchestral intros and outros which act as gorgeous reprises or previews of other melodies on the album and enhance the overall flow. Somehow, amidst our current music climate of the widespread reappropriation of the sounds and textures of the 1980s, the clear 80s influence on Prequelle still feels fresh and exciting, balanced perfectly against 70s hard rock and 21st century dance sensibilities. Thematically, the album perfectly intertwines deliciously cheesy imagery of the Black Death with entertaining and incisive disses on some of the former members of the band who levied a lawsuit against the frontman. At a fairly concise 41 minutes long, Prequelle doesn’t squander a second; every moment on the album feels important. It’s a strong top 5 contender for my AOTY, and so I had very high hopes for the tour.
One of the nation’s best kept musical secrets lies a mere three hours away from Nashville. Beale Street Music Festival, located in my hometown of Memphis, TN, consistently has one of the best small-festival lineups each year for only a fraction of most festivals’ price. I got the great pleasure of being able to work press this year, and as a result fell even more in love with my favorite Memphis event of the year.
Dropping at this very moment, WRVU has the great pleasure of releasing Lucy DK’s premiere music video, “Drama”! Inspired by the stigma that surrounds women who challenge problematic aspects of relationships, this song encompasses the frustration women experience when labeled as “drama queen,” “crazy ex,” and “psycho bitch.” Especially prevalent for women of color, this stigma reduces the autonomy individuals have over their own relationships and image in society. This song serves as a rejection of toxic individuals from one’s life, and as an acceptance of one’s own emotions, experiences, and identity. The video takes features a dual narrative, encompassing how women who face this stigma are viewed in society. One narrative stars Lucy as an actress in staged production, where she is portrayed as psycho and met with audience disapproval. The second serves as a parallel to the first, but in a completely unstated setting. It stars her trying to navigate her own life and relationships in a completely real and vulnerable fashion.