The Champion Skateboarder
January 6, 2015
“People were definitely surprised,” Nyjah Huston remembers of his skateboarding start as a six-year-old in Davis, California. “It was cool, but I just had to be careful not to get run over out there as a little kid.”
Exclusive Video Premiere: ‘I Want What You Have,’ Shining Mirrors
August 27, 2014
If “I Want What You Have,” the latest single from Brooklyn trio Shining Mirrors sounds authentically lo-fi, that’s because it is.
Ratking’s Twisted Tales
April 8, 2014
Blending eclectic samples with raw rhymes about various New York concerns—gentrification, stop-and-frisk—it’s understandable why Ratking’s music has been so firmly associated with the city.
Exclusive Song Premiere and Interview: ‘I Like It This Way,’ Color War
February 10, 2014
Color War, the Brooklyn electronic duo comprised of Justin “Billy J” Lin and singer Lindsay Mound, get why their moody brand of electronic music is often described as dark, but they don’t necessarily agree. “It’s not something you’re going to jump around to,” says Mound.
Exclusive Video Premiere: ‘Life on Earth,’ Tomorrow’s World
January 7, 2014
With its synth-pop sound and space-y vocals, “Life on Earth” by Tomorrow’s World might call to mind the bouncing electro beat of New Young Pony Club or the looped lyrics of French ambient-pop pioneers, Air.
Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Farm,’ D.A.
November 27, 2013
Last month, Odd Future frontman Tyler, The Creator premiered a music video he directed for “Glowing,” an anonymously produced track that immediately set the Internet to speculating on who was behind it. Interview can now reveal a little, at least.
Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Petrified,’ Misty Miller
November 12, 2013
Following a childhood spent songwriting, Misty Miller cut her first EP at the tender age of 15 and the following year was featured in the Burberry Acoustic series. “Petrified,” which we’re pleased to premiere here, is—remarkably!—from this same time period.
Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Cooked Inside Out,’ Seasick Mama
November 4, 2013
“I’m not trying to dress up,” says Marial Maher, who records as Seasick Mama. “I’m not trying to do anything too kitschy or showy, and I think that’s what’s working.”
Exclusive Video Premiere: ‘Laura Palmer,’ Bastille (RAC Remix)
October 25, 2013
Recently, London band Bastille had its Twin Peaks-inspired “Laura Palmer” lovingly tampered with by RAC (Remix Artists Collective), an international group that specializes in forgoing the “club mix” in favor of “reincarnations.”
Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘The Summer After,’ Tennis System
October 22, 2013
“Why call me after you said we can’t be?” Tennis System’s Matty Taylor sings on his lo-fi, sun bleached single “Summer After,” making it clear from the outset that this isn’t just another jangly tune about falling in love with a girl. It’s what happens to summer romance when the seasons change.
Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Magpie,’ KHUSHI
September 12, 2013
Opening with an understated resonator guitar, “Magpie” builds slowly and spectacularly with the addition of tumbling drums and a synthesizer. It’s a cinematic sound that couples seamlessly with Khushi’s lyrics about the dissolution of a relationship.
Exclusive Video Premiere: ‘Ghosts,’ Strangefruit
September 11, 2013
Taking a cue from Andy Warhol’s famous screen tests, the video for Strangefruit’s latest single “Ghosts” is an intimate, black-and-white film portrait of lead singer Jenny Maxwell.
Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Attack Everything,’ Moving Units
August 29, 2013
Moving Units’ latest single, “Attack Everything,” is a testament to the band’s resilience. A heady mix of drums, synth, and guitar riffs, the single is urgent and energetic.
Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Unavoidable Things,’ Body Parts
August 13, 2013
Dreams figure prominently into L.A. band Body Parts’ sound. Their forthcoming album Fire Dream (which was in fact inspired by vocalist Ryder Bach’s nightmare) is the meeting point of bright, ’80s dance music and the subconscious.
Doubling Down with Run the Jewels
June 26, 2013
While the Killer Mike / El-P pairing on last year’s excellent R.A.P. Music may have initially surprised some, the duo is a natural fit. Both favor old-school productions, have energetic flows, and line their lyrics with social consciousness. Their highly anticipated, self-titled album is out this week for free on Fool’s Gold.
Exclusive Video Premiere: ‘Symbol System,’ VOWS
June 10, 2013
Australian Brooklynites Matt and Rizz of VOWS are The Cure meets the-club-at-closing.
Gina Rodriguez Goes Fishing
May 31, 2013
The first feature from Brooklyn-born writer/director/comedian Nicole Gomez Fisher, Sleeping with the Fishes opens at a low for its main character Alexis Fish (Gina Rodriguez).
The Keys to Kingdom
May 28, 2013
“It was all in my head,” L.A. producer and label head Ezra Rubin (aka Kingdom) says of his musical beginnings. “Sometimes I think that’s what my music is like: a fantasy of an imagined club.”
Discovery: Roo Panes
May 13, 2013
In a musical moment preoccupied with ’80s excess, Internet culture, and dubstep, British singer Roo Panes is rebel.
Discovery: World’s Fair
March 12, 2013
Interview sat down with World’s Fair, the six-emcee-and-one-DJ hip hop collective from Queens, just before their show at the Knitting Factory last month. A seven-person interview—all of its interruptions, tangents and contradictions included—was the ideal introduction into the world of World’s Fair.