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Five New June Album Releases That Should Be On Your Radar
Features, Music

Five New June Album Releases That Should Be On Your Radar

The summer is just about upon us. Nothing beats rolling the windows down and turning up your favorite new music. Here's a look at five new June album releases that should be considered. We've got a few honorable mentions included below, make sure to let us know in the comments section if we're missing anything you're excited about. 1. Sub Urban Hive Release Date: 6/3 Sub Urban has released a string of successful singles and an EP in recent years. He's accumulated more than a billion streams and millions of YouTube views. Now the time comes for the release of his debut album Hive. The release of the lead single "Uh Oh!" featuring Benee made some waves with its creepy horror movie vibes. And we can't get enough of it. Artist links: Website, Twitter, Instagram https...
Social Animals Debut Album Release Set For June
Features, Music

Social Animals Debut Album Release Set For June

Alt-rockers Social Animals' debut album will be released on Rise Records on June 24. They've released a series of singles to prep fans for the album drop, "Love Language" is the latest. To preview previous releases, check out the tracklist below. Album Artwork The self-titled album was produced by vocalist/guitarist Dedric Clark and co-produced by Jeremy Hatcher (Shawn Mendes, Harry Styles) and John Rausch (Taylor Swift, Moon Taxi). According to a recent press release, the moody album explores themes of separation, loneliness, and a sense of doom in today's uncertain times. Clark hopes this batch of material is helpful and provides some sort of release for their fans. "In my experience, happy music doesn’t necessarily make you feel happy; it actually does the opposite a lot of...
Dive in to ‘George Carlin’s American Dream’ on HBO (Review)
Features, Film, Reviews

Dive in to ‘George Carlin’s American Dream’ on HBO (Review)

'George Carlin's American Dream' is a new HBO docuseries from directors Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio that chronicles the life and career of one of the greatest comedians of all time. Split into two parts and totalling nearly 4 hours, it pays loving tribute to a comedy legend. He was a man who evolved from a very safe mainstream comedy career in the early 1960s into a controversial comic with prophetic routines. It's fascinating that material he performed decades ago regarding abortion rights have gone viral again in 2022. That's how observant and ahead of the curve he was. https://youtu.be/M-bLf4F0PM4 Breaking Down the Life of a Comedy Legend Apatow and Bonfiglio dissect his life more or less in chronological order. Carlin was interested in comedy and becoming a DJ...
Coheed and Cambria Release Energetic New Single “Comatose”
Features, Music

Coheed and Cambria Release Energetic New Single “Comatose”

Coheed and Cambria have released a brand new single in the form of "Comatose". They've continued to pick up momentum ahead of the release of their highly anticipated new album. Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind will be released on June 24th. Credit: Alexandra Gavillet Just to be completely upfront, a bit of a confession is necessary. As a longtime fan of Coheed and Cambria, it's difficult to cover this topic with impartiality. But it really feels like they're releasing some of the best music of their career. Many bands, quite frankly, run out of ideas after a few records. But this dynamic quartet continues to innovate and push things forward. "Comatose" is an up-tempo, high-energy song that leans on Coheed's classic pop-punk roots. It's about folding under pressure and wanti...
Listen To Big Drink’s New Single “Different Circles”
Features, Music

Listen To Big Drink’s New Single “Different Circles”

Big Drink's new single "Different Circles" could be a sign of big things to come from the band. This pop-punk outfit hails from the UK and has hit a home run with their new song. It Was Supposed To Be Easy is the new EP set for release on June 3rd. Fans of A Day To Remember, Four Year Strong and other bands with a similar vibe have a strong chance of enjoying "Different Circles". The song features crunchy guitars, catchy accessible vocals, and some really enjoyable growling about two minutes in. "Different Circles" is a twisting journey exploring the thoughts and feelings behind giving up. Aimed at trying to explain the upwards battle faced in life and creative endeavours, the track hints at dissatisfaction and isolation in making music during lockdown and the piling pressure o...
Does Riot Fest Have The Best Lineup Of 2022?
Features, Music

Does Riot Fest Have The Best Lineup Of 2022?

The Riot Fest lineup is here and it's a doozy. They are heading into the 17th year of the annual event with an undeniably strong collection of artists. Punk, hip hop, indie rock, industrial and other genres are all well represented on the bill. My Chemical Romance will headline Friday. The Original Misfits are on top of the bill Saturday and Nine Inch Nails will close out Sunday. Yeah Yeah Yeahs will perform for the first time at Riot Fest. As far as reunions go, Yellowcard will be getting back together as is The Academy Is... and Midtown. Riot Fest maintains its independent spirit to this day. The three-day event will return to Douglass Park in Chicago this September. Tickets are officially on sale and are available in a variety of packages. Spread out over five stages, expect mor...
‘Happening’ is a Searing Reminder of Life Before Roe v. Wade (Review)
Features, Film, Reviews

‘Happening’ is a Searing Reminder of Life Before Roe v. Wade (Review)

'Happening,' released by IFC Films from director Audrey Diwan, could have just been an emotionally charged look back at what life was like for women when abortion was illegal. This 1960's-set drama stands poised to be not just be a look back at the past. It's also a terrifying look into what the future may hold in America if the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade. Louise Orry-Diquéro, Anamaria Vartolomei, and Luàna Bajrami in 'Happening' (IFC Films) Based on a True Story 'Happening' takes place in 1963-era France. Based on Annie Ernaux’s semi-autobiographical novel, Anamaria Vartolomei gives a César award-winning performance as Anne, a vibrant young Literature student. Her life becomes derailed after a one-night stand leads to pregnancy. Diwan divides the film up into...
Breaking Waves: Just Connor & “Hyperstrike”
Features, Interviews, Music

Breaking Waves: Just Connor & “Hyperstrike”

Considering it has been almost exactly a year to the day since I first spoke with Just Connor about his music, I think it's only right to do this first issue of Breaking Waves about him... Especially since today is the day that the first Just Connor track of 2022 drops! Please go ahead and stream "Hyperstrike"-- I promise you, it will send you on a gorgeous sonic journey. It's what I've had on repeat all morning. By the time you reach the second drop, you will realize that no one does wave music quite like JC. That's what I realized a year ago, and have realized time and time again, on my "journey through wave". I say it like that because that's what this has felt like--a journey. Ever since that first conversation with JC, it has felt like I've been on a journey to discover wh...
Hulu’s ‘Crush’ is a Charming Queer Rom-Com (Review)
Features, Film, Reviews

Hulu’s ‘Crush’ is a Charming Queer Rom-Com (Review)

Hulu's 'Crush' is part of a growing batch of films and television series that focus on young queer people finding love. Following Netflix's 'Heartstopper' series, which is one of the most charming love stories in recent years of any orientation, this heartfelt and comic debut feature from director Sammi Cohen follows a young artist named Paige (Rowan Blanchard) who would do anything to get close to the girl she has a crush on at school. Rowan Blanchard and Auli'i Cravalho star in 'Crush' (Photo by: Hulu) For Paige, being gay has just been a fact of life. She's been out at school for years and has an overly supportive mother (Megan Mullally) who tries to show her how much of a cool mom she is by gifting her vibrators and dental dams. The target of her affection is Gabriela (Is...
Poll: Where Do You Discover New Music?
Features, Music

Poll: Where Do You Discover New Music?

Listening habits have evolved over the past few decades. Today, there are far more options when it comes to discovering new music. Take the MendoWerks poll below and let us know where you're finding tasty new jams. But first, let's look at some recently-released numbers for 2021. According to statistics from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), recorded music revenue in the United State grew a whopping 23% percent to $15 billion last year (retail value). All major formats experienced growth with the exception of digital downloads. Paid subscriptions continued to be the largest driver of growth. RIAA research shows that 84 million people belonged to a subscription service in 2021, up from 75.5 million the previous year. The news wasn't so promising when it came to d...