Charli xcx releases ‘Guess featuring Billie Eilish’ OUT NOW!

“A masterpiece” – The Guardian – 5*

“A perfect pop album” – Daily Telegraph – 5

“One of the best pop albums of the year” – Pitchfork – ‘Best New Music’

“A hyperpop roller coaster of post-Saturn return, early-thirties anxieties, and It-girl bravado” – Rolling Stone

Charli xcx today releases ‘Guess featuring Billie Eilish’.

You can watch the video – directed by Aidan Zamiri

‘Guess featuring Billie Eilish’ finds the iconic duo teaming up for the very first time. All bras and underwear used in the music video have been donated to I Support The Girls. ISTG collects and distributes essential items, including bras, underwear and menstrual hygiene products, allowing people experiencing homelessness, impoverishment or distress to stand tall with dignity.

‘Guess featuring Billie Eilish’ follows hot on the heels of the release of Charli’s critically acclaimed sixth studio album ‘BRAT’. You can purchase or stream ‘BRAT’ HERE while you can purchase or stream the deluxe version ‘Brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not’ HERE.

After a bold campaign that has seen Charli cause roadblocks around the world with her pop-up ‘PARTYGIRL’ DJ sets, break the internet with viral videos and surprise collaborations with the likes of Lorde, Addison Rae, Robyn, Yung Lean, Julia Fox, Chloë Sevigny, Rachel Sennot and Skream & Benga and introduce a new tone of green to the cultural lexicon, ‘BRAT’ has well and truly made its mark on the zeitgeist.

To celebrate the release of ‘BRAT’ in June, Charli took her now infamous ‘PARTYGIRL’ club night around the world, taking over clubs in London, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Sao Paulo and Mexico City, not to mention landmark sets at Glastonbury’s The Levels and Ibiza’s Amnesia too.

Charli will be embarking on her biggest ever headline shows in arenas throughout the UK in November and December as well as teaming up with longtime collaborator Troye Sivan for their highly anticipated co-headline US arena tour ‘Charli XCX & Troye Sivan Present: Sweat’. Tickets can be found HERE.

In February, Charli threw a momentous Boiler Room in New York’s Brooklyn to launch the ‘BRAT’ campaign with A. G. Cook, George Daniel, Finn Keane and Doss. The show broke the record for the most ever RSVPs to a Boiler Room event, with over 40k people registering to attend. Featuring special guest appearances from the likes of Addison Rae and Julia Fox, the show quickly became one of the viral moments of the year. You can watch the full stream of ‘Boiler Room & Charli XCX Presents: PARTYGIRL’ HERE.

Alongside her new album, Charli has been working on multiple film & TV projects following the breakout success of her Barbie soundtrack contribution ‘Speed Drive’ last year. She is co-executive producing the score for the A24 film ‘Mother Mary’ with Jack Antonoff and also producing original music for Benito Skinner’s series ‘Overcompensating’ on Prime Video. In addition, Charli will star in the Daniel Goldhaber remake of 1978 cult horror film ‘Faces of Death’.

Avant-pop and electronic superstar Charli xcx has become an iconic figure in the arts, having helped expand the landscape of popular music over the last decade by seamlessly traversing the underground and mainstream with her artistic output. Over the course of a trailblazing career, the multi-hyphenate creative has earned critical acclaim for her innovative style and entrepreneurial spirit and seen her forward-thinking approach reshape pop culture in the process.

Her lasting impact was cemented last year when Charli was honoured with the Visionary Award at the annual Ivor Novellos in London, while she also received the Powerhouse Award at Billboard’s Women In Music ceremony in March and the ASCAP Global Impact Award in May.

‘Brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not’ Tracklist:

1. 360
2. Club classics
3. Sympathy is a knife
4. I might say something stupid
5. Talk talk
6. Von dutch
7. Everything is romantic
8. Rewind
9. So I
10. Girl, so confusing
11. Apple
12. B2b
13. Mean girls
14. I think about it all the time
15. 365
16. Hello goodbye
17. Guess
18. Spring breakers

Soft Launch

Share new track ‘In My Bed’

Headline UK tour announced – on sale now

The Academy 2 , Dublin October 1st- tix on sale now 

 “They’re a band ready to take over.” – Dork

“Boasting their carefully crafted indie rock sound alongside hints of modern psychedelia” – DIY

“A track that merges eras and styles with ease, backed by a gentle but gorgeous vocal performance, supreme instrumental technicality.” – Wonderland

Soft Launch have already made significant waves with their first two singles, ‘Cartwheels’ and ‘Piano Hands’. Next up is this: ‘In My Bed’. A live fan favourite that gets its official release today, the morning after they played yet another sold out show at The Lower Third in London, as part of the BBC Introducing series.

Debut single ‘Cartwheels’ offered a taste of their idiosyncratic style with grandiose synth melodies and riffs, complex basslines and Josh’s clean cut, pitch perfect vocal. Follow up single ‘Piano Hands’ went on to showcase their versatility and boundless energy, pulling on the strengths of the individual members, blending genres from the alternative Baroque pop of Vampire Weekend or Fleet Foxes to the millennial psychedelia of LA Priest or Tame Impala. ‘In My Bed’ delivers another slice of wonky pop perfection all brought together in the mix by Spike Stent. The off-kilter harmonies juxtapose with pranging guitar chords, echoing the sense of frustration and longing in the lyrics.

Soft Launch – the five-piece disrupting the traditional boy band tag – all write, produce, and deftly interchange instruments on record and at their wildly energetic live gigs. Lead vocals come in various waves from Irish members  Josh McClorey & Conor Price and fellow members Henry Pearce,  & Ben Quinn, with Limmer steadying The Beach Boys-esque ship. What’s most impressive is the total trust they have in each other as songwriters. There’s a single body around which these five boys pump their creative blood. Each of them an organ, each of them playing a vital role. There is no self-sacrifice and no self-aggrandising- it’s one gorgeous egoless ecosystem.

Their live shows are where anyone should head for a good time. Wall to wall with eager sub-20-somethings scream-singing every word back to the boys and lapping up the vibe long before a note was recorded or released. Here is a band totally realised, at ease with the stage and themselves. They will have you wrapped around their little fingers without breaking a sweat.

Soft Launch recently sold out Oslo in Hackney before performing at the BBC Introducing show at The Lower Third last night. October will see them embark on their very first full headline tour of the UK taking in venues up and down the country and bringing the good-time showdown to The Garage in London on October 15th. Tickets went on sale this morning and are available HERE.

Before all that though, Soft Launch have a jam-packed summer of festivals ahead including Rock City, Rock en Seine, Reading & Leeds, All Points East and Reeperbahn amongst others. See HERE for all dates.

October 2024 Tour:

1/10     Academy 2 – Dublin

2/10     The Garage – Glasgow

4/10     Cluny 2 – Newcastle

7/10     Sidney & Matilda – Sheffield

8/10     Sunflower lounge – Birmingham

9/10     CHALK – Brighton

11/10   Rough Trade – Nottingham

13/10   Kazimier Stockroom – Liverpool

14/10   Rough Trade – Bristol

15/10   The Garage – London

FRED AGAIN.. ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM ‘ten days’

PRE-ORDER VINYL here

‘ten days’ ARRIVES ON SEPTEMBER 6TH

 VINYL TO FOLLOW ON OCTOBER 25TH

INCLUDES CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE JAPANESE HOUSE, ANDERSON .PAAK, SAMPHA, SOAK, OBONGJAYAR & MORE

 Fred again.. has announced new album, ‘ten days’, which is slated for release on September 6th, with vinyl to follow on October 25th — pre-order vinyl HERE.

Speaking on the album, Fred says:

“my new record is called ten days. it’s ten songs about ten days. there’s been a lot of biggg mad crazy moments in the last year but basically all of these are about really very small quiet intimate moments.”

Please see Fred’s Instagram announcement post HERE for more.

Contributions to ‘ten days’ come from Obongjayar, Jozzy, Jim Legxacy, Sampha, SOAK, Anderson .PAAK, CHIKA, Duskus, Four Tet, Skrillex, Joy Anonymous, Emmy Lou Harris, The Japanese House and Scott Hardkiss.

The release of ‘ten days’ follows surprise recent appearances at Strummerville during Glastonbury Festival, where Fred played a special 30-minute ambient set, and at The Rising Sun pub in Pensford, Somerset, where he performed to 75 fans alongside The Japanese House earlier this month.

On Sunday, Fred also released a special Rooftop Sessions mix, recorded and filmed in front of close friends and family in London last summer.

Please see below for full ‘ten days’ tracklisting.

Fred again.. – ‘ten days’

adore u

ten

fear less

just stand there

places to be

glow

i saw you

where will i be

peace u need

backseat

‘ten days’ is out September 6th, with vinyl to follow on October 25th: 

THE BLESSED MADONNA ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM

‘GODSPEED’

FEATURES INCLUDE KYLIE MINOGUE, JOY CROOKES, JOY (ANONYMOUS), JAMIE PRINCIPLE, A-TRAK, JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW & MORE

24-TRACK ALBUM DUE FORnRELEASE ON OCTOBER 11TH

PRE-ORDER HERE

 LISTEN TO TITLE-TRACK ‘GODSPEED’ FT. DJ E-CLYPS HERE

The Blessed Madonna has announced the release of her long-awaited debut album, ‘Godspeed’ — listen to the title track ft. DJ E-CLYPS HERE and pre-order the album digitally and via 12” vinyl HERE.

Scheduled for release on October 11th and comprised of 24 tracks, including the singles ‘Mercy’ ft. Jacob Lusk, ‘Serotonin Moonbeams’ and UK Top 20 single, ‘Happier’ ft. Clementine Douglas, ‘Godspeed’ was written over the course of three years, detailing thousands of hours worth of work.

At 24 tracks long, the album is both a testament to Marea Stamper’s (aka The Blessed Madonna) decisive and far-reaching influence, and a homage to her roots in underground electronic music. Drawing on a rich groundswell of collaborators —from  pop megastars in Kylie Minogue to long-established names at the beating heart of the US underground like Jamie Principle and A-Trak, breakout acts like Joy Anonymous and vocalists tracing classic soul (Danielle Ponder), new-age gospel (Jacob Lusk) and UK RnB (Joy Crookes) — ‘Godspeed’ explores the myriad sounds, eras and touch points that make The Blessed Madonna the artist she is today.

There are also deeply personal themes at its core. Balancing the twin flames of rave and religion — both are of crucial importance to Stamper — ‘Godspeed’ explores the full spectrum of human emotions, tackling everything from joy to grief with equal gusto.

“Godspeed: the word marks the beginning of a journey and sometimes the end of one”, Stamper explains.

“After nearly a year in lockdown, when I signed the paperwork and knew that I was going to be allowed to make this album, I called my dad in Kentucky to tell him the good news. He could not contain his pride and in a way his relief. I was going to be ok. He says it better than I do at the beginning of the record. I lost him suddenly just weeks before the first session, but his voice will live in Godspeed forever and make a million more journeys to everyone who hears it.

This is a welcome and a farewell.

The end of a journey and the beginning.

A clock running out and an alarm.

These are the days running over the hills like wild horses and nights that never end.

There is no second of this album that was not touched, heard, shaped and believed in by The Godsquad, and first and foremost my twin, my brother Pat Alvarez.

And then by some miracle Jon and Dom from Sportsbanger appeared and seemed to instantly understand how to get inside of this project and speak on my behalf in visual ways. They saw me immediately and helped me make sense. To be able to trust them was a relief, a vindication and a blessing. I have no higher respect for any group of artists.

So here it is:

This is Godspeed.

This is your chance.

Now do your dance.”

With creative direction overseen by acclaimed DIY bootlegger artists, Sports Banger, the album also makes a stirring visual statement. A black & white photograph of Stamper’s husband, Vadim, wearing a custom-made Godspeed belt buckle is depicted on the reverse of the vinyl sleeve, for example, while the vinyl’s gatefold features a collection of re-purposed club relics lifted from across The Blessed Madonna’s 30+ DJ career.

Please see below for full tracklisting.

The Blessed Madonna – ‘Godspeed’

1. God Has Left The Room (Intro)
2. Somebody’s Daughter
3. Nowhere Fast
4. Henny Hold Up Feat. Mother Marygold, Ric Wilson
5. Jinterlude
6. Serotonin Moonbeams
7. Edge of Saturday Night with Kylie Minogue
8. U Want 6 Grand 4 Wut (Interlude)
9. Blessed Already Feat. Ric Wilson, Mabl
10. Strength (R U Ready) Feat. Joy Crookes
11. Why Trax Records Still Sucks in 24 (Interlude)
12. We Still Believe Feat. Jamie Principle
13. That’s The Shhh (Pure Love) (Interlude)
14. Carry Me Higher Feat. Danielle Ponder
15. Henterlude Feat. Joy Anonymous
16. Back 2 Love Feat. Jin Jin
17. Brand New Feat. James Vincent McMorrow, A-Trak
18. Count On My Love Feat. Daniel Wilson, KON
19. Godspeed Feat. DJ E-Clyps
20. Secretariat Feat. Shaun J. Wright, KON
21. Mercy (The Welcome) Feat. Jacob Lusk
22. Mercy Feat. Jacob Lusk
23. Your Mom <3 (Interlude)
24. Happier Feat. Clementine Douglas

ONE YEAR ON FROM THE BIGGEST SHOWS OF BLUR’S CAREER TO DATE COMES THE LIVE ALBUM

‘Live at Wembley Stadium’ OUT NOW!

LISTEN HERE

‘This is a high… So many people, so many songs – and even if you weren’t there, you can feel it – so much love.”

MOJO

★★★★

“A homecoming victory for the rejuvenated quartet’

UNCUT

★★★★★★★★★

26^th July 2024 – A year on from a momentous weekend of music and joy at Wembley Stadium, comes ‘Live at Wembley Stadium’ – the new live album capturing the historic 2023 Wembley shows which saw blur perform their iconic and much-loved songs for 150,000 fans across a transcendent, once-in-a-generation performance weekend that delivered a sweep of ecstatic 5 star reviews. Out now on Parlophone. Listen HERE.

‘Live at Wembley Stadium’ features a collection of songs captured across two unforgettable nights last summer – the biggest shows of the band’s career to date – which saw Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree perform to over 150,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, blur’s first time ever to play the iconic London venue. The extraordinary and hugely emotional shows on Saturday 8^th and Sunday 9^th July 2023 captured “…a sense of momentousness [Financial Times ★★★★★]” and “…fizzed with the vibrant energy of a band in their prime [Evening Standard ★★★★★].  Song highlights on both album and film include The Narcissist and St Charles Square from their latest #1 album, the acclaimed ‘The Ballad of Darren’, as well as There’s No Other Way, Popscene, Beetlebum, Trimm Trabb, Villa Rosie, Coffee & TV, Under the Westway, Out of Time, To the End, Parklife, Song 2, This is a Low, Girls & Boys, Tender, and The Universal.

‘Live at Wembley Stadium’ – the album – will be available in the following formats:

•     Triple black vinyl – the Sunday show
•     Triple teal coloured vinyl – D2C exclusive – the Sunday show
•     Double black vinyl – ‘highlights’ across both shows
•     Double picture disc vinyl – Blood Records exclusive – ‘highlights’ across both shows
•     Double CD – the Sunday show
•     Double Cassette – D2C exclusive – the Sunday show
•     Digital – the Sunday show, plus 4 bonus tracks recorded live at the UK warm up shows, May 2023

ABOUT blur

Since announcing their arrival with debut album Leisure in 1991, blur went on to revolutionise the sound of English popular music with seven successive UK #1 albums Parklife (1994), The Great Escape (1995), Blur (1997), 13 (1999), Think Tank (2003), The Magic Whip (2015) and The Ballad of Darren (2023) and a string of Top 10 singles, including two #1s with Country House and Beetlebum, helping to propel the band to mass popularity at home and abroad.

One of the biggest British bands of the last three decades, blur have released nine studio albums and collected ten NME Awards, six Q Awards, five BRIT Awards and an Ivor Novello Award, and played live to thousands of devoted fans across the globe. In 2010, the band released the Grammy-nominated documentary film ‘No Distance Left To Run’; with 1993’s ‘Starshaped’ their first documentary release, a film beloved by fans to this day.

‘The Ballad of Darren’, the latest #1 album from this most enduring of English bands, was released to critical acclaim on 21 July 2023, cementing blur’s position at the heart of British cultural life and influence for over three decades.

www.blur.co.uk