Gap’s fall spot pairs “Obsession” breakout Inde Navarrette with singer Malcolm Todd, who reworks Robyn‘s “Dancing on My Own” into a soft-spoken cover while the two of them drift through cavernous white rooms in the season’s denim.
Check out the brand new spot above! Thoughts?
Starting in mid-September, any artist profile Spotify flags as a photorealistic AI-generated identity, once it clears a certain audience size, gets the badge slapped on its page, its search listing, and every track row it shows up in.
The music stays up, but it loses its spot in Spotify’s editorial and algorithmic recommendations, so no more free rides onto Discover Weekly unless someone already follows the act. People behind AI artists can get ahead of it by self-disclosing starting today, and anyone flagged by mistake gets to appeal.
So the robots can still release albums on Spotify, they just can’t sneak into your recommendations without a badge announcing what they are!
Pop singer/songwriter Chris Cool is always pushing boundaries and buttons with his work, and the video for his latest single “So Hard” is pushing it all, well… hard. And we’re here for it.
Shot by by cinematographer Lyana Leblanc (@tunedamour), who collaborated with Chris on the surreal video for his single “BFFF” (watch it here), the video explores what happens when you welcome the darkness in.
Chris explains:
“When life gives you voices, you make art with them. But more specifically, you don’t try to pretend they’re not real, you materialize them, give them a seat at the table, hear them out, but also make sure they’re tied up and they know who’s the boss.”
References abound—Britney’s TMZ era bob, the buffet scene in LOTR: Return of the King, Julianne Moore’s lips in A Single Man—adding colour and depth to Chris’s twisted vision:
“[“So Hard”] is a wake up call from my fierce self to my depressed self. The emo boy in me sometimes needs tough self-love. I wanted to channel this side of Chris Cool that helps kick me in the butt and overcomes anxiety. Turns out that dom side of me also has toxic traits. Like the aggro boyfriend that you don’t wanna be around when he crashes out. I love a dark, twisted character that’s also protective and makes you snap out of the paralysis self-doubt can cause.”
“So Hard” is the latest single from Chris Cool’s upcoming album Lord Take My Load, out October 9th on Breakglass Records.
Watch the video for “So Hard” after the jump!
Toronto’s Grumpy Truck is back with a new one called “UFObaby”. Lukas Brull, on what inspired the song:
“UFObaby is a bedroom dance pop song about feeling both cheap and expensive around finance people.”
Hmm – Relatable! Get in the truck. Or the saucer. Whichever one is idling out front first! Stream, like and listen to UFObaby below!
Is R9 finally in motion?
“She in the studio right now. Yeah, I said it. Sorry, babe. Like, bro, she working. She cooking, no funny s–t. Damn, I’ma get in trouble for this.”
– A$AP Rocky revealed during an interview on The Jason Lee Show posted Wednesday (Aug. 5) that Rihanna is back in the studio and actively recording.
Do you buy it, OMG!?
Our music editor ED has curated a special selection of newly released Pride-ready music for the OMG Playlist on Qobuz and Spotify (follow us @omgblog)
One of our favorite releases this month has to be Kelela‘s New Avatar. She’s giving us a cool, sexy breeze in the middle of the summer. “The Bridge,” featuring PinkPantheress, is effortlessly alluring with both artists’ silky high registers sounding smooth like butter.
Another dangerously hypnotic release from the last month is Eartheater‘s If I’m The Bottle You’re the Message. The album is experimental, textured, and full of catchy-emotional songwriting. Eartheater reflects on motherhood, the visceral parts of pregnancy, and the love of her daughter. If these are things you can’t relate to, it’s still a a beautiful listen!
Madonna is back, and she’s given us a collection of earworms with Confessions 2! We might even have to call it the album of the summer. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but “Danceteria” might be her catchiest song since “Hung Up.” We also love the easter eggs throughout-—from the Loud Reed interpolation to the iconic synth break from Music. Thank you, Madonna!!
It doesn’t end there! Listen to the entire playlist a listen, after the jump!
Photo by Paige Strabala
Sometimes, when you find yourself at the door of the party, with a full smoke machine fogging up your path, all that can guide you is the sound of thumping getting louder and louder. As you get closer and the music becomes clearer, the message is simple; it’s time to lose it all on the dance floor. That feeling, a rush of adrenaline and hair spinning in excitement, reverberates through LA singer/songwriter/producer/DJ XKYLAR’s latest EP Why is Nobody Dancing? (stream or purchase it here).
Inspired by the pitfalls of nightlife and confusion about the state of club culture, XKYLAR’s new EP asks us what we’ve been all asking ourselves: Why isn’t anyone moving on the dance floor?
Photo by Paige Strabala
XKYLAR, in many ways, answers her own question with sharp sounds inspired by bloghouse and an electroclash indie sleaze fusion, creating her brand of “shameless house.”
We spoke with the artist about what the dance floor means to her and the art of letting go through dance.
Read the full OMG.BLOG Q&A with XKYLAR after the jump!