A Certain Ratio Announce First New Album in 12 Years; Listen to "Always In Love"

A CERTAIN RATIO   ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM   ACR LOCO OUT SEPTEMBER 25   LISTEN TO “ALWAYS IN LOVE”

credit: Paul Husband

"...ACR made some of the most seminal yet underrated post-punk, avant-pop, and tweaked funk of an era filled with hybrid explorations…” – PITCHFORK   “… pioneering, criminally overlooked” – ELECTRONIC SOUND   “Cult punk funkateers” – UNCUT   A CERTAIN RATIO are back with a new album, ACR Loco. Revitalized by their most successful tour in over two decades, the band returned to the studio to record their first album in 12 years – due for release September 25 on Mute. Listen to the first single taken from the album, the poignantly beautiful “Always In Love”, here.   The new 10-track album will be released on CD, cassette, limited edition colored vinyl and digital platforms. The vinyl will be available in one of four colors: white, blue, red and turquoise, randomly packed, with each color of varying rarity. Pre-order ACR Loco here.   ACR Loco was recorded by the core line up of Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson with contributions from the ACR live line up – Tony Quigley on sax, Denise Johnson adds vocals and Matt Steele provides keyboards. Additional guests include Sink Ya Teeth’s Maria Uzor and Gemma Cullingford, Gabe Gurnsey (Factory Floor) and Manchester luminaries Mike Joyce and Eric Random.   “This album is a culmination of everything we've ever done,” explains Kerr. The album distills the different directions and styles that have run throughout the band’s career, one that began in the late ‘70s with Factory Records’ first ever 7” release. “Digging into the past for the boxset [ACR:BOX was released in 2019 on Mute] must have rubbed off on us and influenced the current album,” says Moscrop. “I think it helped spark up our imagination. It allowed us to work in some of the past as we move forward into the future.”   Keen on the joys of collaboration and sharing, it makes sense that adding the ACR touch to other artists via a series of reworks led to their latest album taking shape. Recent reworks of tracks for the likes of Barry Adamson, The Charlatans and Maps saw the band return to the studio to unpick those original tracks. “The reworks were crucial,” says Donald Johnson. “They got us back in the studio and forced a union and a bond. They allowed us to start getting a groove again.” Kerr mirrors this. “We love doing the reworks because it's just us doing our thing,” he says. “The three of us jamming is really the basis of it all. Once you get that groove there’s no stopping us.”   The first sounds from the album were heard earlier this month when “Friends Around Us (Part 2)” debuted after Tim’s Twitter Listening Party. This was followed by a limited edition 7” released in two parts across both sides of the vinyl, in homage to some of the great soul releases of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The 7” was available exclusively through the Love Record Stores Event to help struggling independent retailers.   Listen to Martin Moscrop discuss “Friends Around Us” in Mute Short Circuit (at Home) here. Following the success of their recent touring, A Certain Ratio have been nominated for the Best Live Act at this year’s AIM Awards. Voting closes on July 5. Vote here.   A Certain Ratio + Mute = Good Together   (hi-res) ACR Loco tracklisting 1. Friends Around Us 2. Bouncy Bouncy 3. Yo Yo Gi 4. Supafreak 5. Always In Love 6. Family 7. Get A Grip 8. Berlin 9. What’s Wrong 10. Taxi Guy Pre-order ACR Loco Listen to “Always In Love”   A CERTAIN RATIO: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC   MUTE: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

DIET CIG CONFIRMED FOR NOONCHORUS SHOW LIVE STREAM 8PM EST ON JULY 31

DIET CIG CONFIRMED FOR NOONCHORUS SHOW LIVE STREAM 8PM EST ON JULY 31   DO YOU WONDER ABOUT ME? OUT NOW VIA FRENCHKISS RECORDS https://orcd.co/dietcigwonder

(photo credit: Emily Dubin) Diet Cig have announced that they will be playing their first ticketed show in support of their recently released album Do You Wonder About Me? (Frenchkiss Records). The live stream will take place via the NoonChorus platform on July 31 at 8pm EST. 50% of the show proceeds will be donated between The Okra Project and these venues: The Masquerade, Cat's Cradle, Mississippi Studios, Neumos, 930 Club, Margin Walker, Casbah, Rickshaw Stop, Kilby Court. Tickets can be found here: https://noonchorus.com/diet-cig/.

Diet Cig have been compared to tornadoes, firecrackers, and lightning storms, and described as genuine, unapologetic, and down-to-earth. Do You Wonder About Me? Is the follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimed Swear I’m Good At This. The new record marks a more intentional, self-assured Diet Cig; not only in Luciano’s radically intimate, acerbic lyrics, but in the duo’s sound as well. Luciano and Bowman moved to Richmond, VA in the summer of 2017 as a place to “hide out and make music,” and it was there that they wrote Do You Wonder About Me?, Diet Cig’s ode to growing up.  Leading to the album Diet Cig shared the album’s lead single “Who Are You?” and Rolling Stone declared “Diet Cig reject lame apologies with ‘Who Are You?” further noting the “fuzzed-out earworm of a chorus.” Uproxx included it in their “Best New Indie Music This Week” column and Stereogum called it "fuzzy and chiming and sing-songy" Earlier this spring The New York Times took note of the band’s Alex Luciano’s vocals declaring, “the sweet clarity of her voice riding verses that seethe and rumble with a ferocity that harks back to the Who.”   ***   “'I will never hate myself/The way you want me to,' Alex Luciano informs her absent ex, with the sweet clarity of her voice riding verses that seethe and rumble with a ferocity that harks back to the Who. She’s airily polite — 'I’m thriving, thanks for asking' — but the music isn’t."   The New York Times on “Thriving” "There’s certainly more shine on ‘Thriving’ than their previous LP. It’s a ringing, slightly campy ode to the dichotomy of seeking self-sufficiency and strength while simultaneously wanting someone else to acknowledge that you’re, well, thriving." Consequence of Sound "Musically it’s a gleaming churn with guitars that remind me of a moment when indie rock was adjacent to post-hardcore, topped off by some of Alex Luciano’s most startlingly beautiful vocal melodies." Stereogum on “Thriving "with their signature powerful guitar chords and crashing cymbals, ‘Night Terrors’ gives fans a look into the band’s new era." Uproxx (“Best Of The Week” inclusion) “Quite a comeback...the real powerhouse of this track is the drums, which launch the atmosphere headlong into weightlessness...meek vulnerability in the daintiness and girlishness of the vocals add an irresistible sweetness.” Stereogum on “Night Terrors” "It’s safe to say Paste is glad to see Diet Cig back in action..." Paste "a zippy pop-punk anthem delivered earnestly with crisp power chords and solid melodies." Mxdwn on “Night Terrors” "Diet Cig is the perfect dose of pop-punk. ‘Thriving’ is a song that puts all their principles front-and-center, from their dedication to crunching guitars to Luciano’s deceptively delicate vocals, which are a Diet Cig hallmark." Grimy Goods "Diet Cig has always managed to present bite-sized nuggets of power pop that stick with you, but ‘Thriving’ is the band at their best." The Grey Estates "The song perfectly displays the cohesion Diet Cig is known for while amplifying the punk duo’s ability to have fun with just about any subject matter." Wild Honey Pie on “Night Terrors” The power of Diet Cig comes from the way Luciano and Bowman bolster these themes with affirming positivity in the form of delightful, explosive anthems." - NPR "loud, blunt, and totally fun." - Under The Radar "infectious indie-rock perfection" - NY Newsday

Do You Wonder About Me? Track list:  1. Thriving 2. Who Are You? 3. Night Terrors 4. Priority Mail 5. Broken Body 6. Makeout Interlude 7. Flash Flood 8. Worth The Wait 9. Stare Into the Sun 10. Night Terrors Reprise

Find Diet Cig here:   WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TIK TOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

MADELINE KENNEY Shares New Single "Double Hearted"

MADELINE KENNEY SHARES NEW SONG + VIDEO  CHECK OUT “DOUBLE HEARTED” NOW Sucker's Lunch out July 31st on Carpark Records

Photo Courtesy of the Artist

Early praise for Sucker’s Lunch:  “The playing, the mixing, the production, the SINGING and especially the songwriting are what absolutely slay me on Sucker’s Lunch. If you want to put an album on and have it carry you up, like a helicopter with blades that look and feel like grass, but are as solid as steel...that carry you up over yourself, play this record. Just make sure you are ready.” - Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) “Kenney has once again created a microcosm of a record to get lost in - each song a different constellation composed of shining observations” - Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso) "...deft and graceful..." - The FADER "’Sucker’...contains more of Kenney’s signature vocal drops (which appeared all over her lush 2018 album Perfect Shapes) and a woozy guitar-pop sound that she does better than just about anyone else." - Paste

Oakland, CA artist Madeline Kenney recently announced Sucker’s Lunch, her incredible third LP that she co-produced with Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack of Wye Oak. A few weeks ago, she released the album’s lead single “Sucker” featuring Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner on vocals, and today she shares the album’s second single, “Double Hearted,” alongside an amazing video. Kenney audibly loses her mind throughout the song, where the playful arrangement and lyrics spark a firestorm of heartache and wild abandon. Listen to the song and check out the video via Consequence of Sound.

While Madeline Kenney’s debut album was produced by Toro Y Moi’s Chaz Bear and her second record by Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner, Madeline has enlisted Wasner to produce this record yet again, but this time with Andy Stack (Wye Oak) collaborating as well. The trio carefully co-produced and constructed the songs on Sucker’s Lunch in a few compact sessions in Durham, Oakland and San Francisco, and the album finds Madeline bounding toward the unknown. Throughout the record, she expands on the idea of what a love song could be – a little more cautious than exuberant, more nuanced than blazing devotion. Sonically, Sucker’s Lunch expands upon Kenney’s earlier, guitar-driven sound – a definitive step forward from an artist adept at communicating universal sentiments in a voice unmistakably her own. Pre-order Sucker’s Lunch, out July 31st on Carpark, HERE.

MADELINE KENNEY SUCKER’S LUNCH CARPARK RECORDS JULY 31, 2020 PRE-ORDER 1.Sugar Sweat 2.Picture of You 3.Jenny 4.Tell You Everything 5.Sucker 6.Double Hearted 7.Cut the Real 8.Be That Man 9.White Window Light 10.Sweet Coffee   “I’m not interested in something easy or immediately apparent,” Kenney says. “My experience writing these songs wasn’t easy, it was painful and difficult. I was terrified of falling in love, and as much as I’d like to write a sticky sweet song for someone, it doesn’t come naturally to me. Instead I wanted to explore the tiny moments; sitting alone in my room guessing what the other person was thinking, spiraling into a maze of logical reasons to bail and finding my way out again. When I spoke with friends about the theme of the ‘idiot’, it became apparent that everyone understood that feeling and was relieved to hear it echoed in someone else.”   Thematically, Sucker’s Lunch sees Kenney soberly contrasting the risks and rewards of falling in love, eventually deciding to dive headfirst into her own foolishness and relish in the unknowing. The tracks explore new love from every angle – “Picture of You” is a soundtrack-worthy lamentation of never truly knowing what someone has been through (“growing up is so hard, I don’t know why”) while tender vulnerability shines on “Tell You Everything” (“When your eyes say ‘we’ve had a day, love’, I get to fall in”). “Cut the Real” pairs synth drones with syncopated lyrics to work through a depressive mind state, and the near-devotional “White Window Light” accepts uncertainty as a beautiful gift.    Stack and Wasner’s rhythm section trace circles around Kenney’s off-kilter guitar, with verdant curls of synths, saxophone, and complex harmonies. The resulting songs are immediate and deeply moving, somehow feeling familiar while they defy expectations at every turn.    Sucker’s Lunch shines in its ability to speak the strange, ambiguous, impossible truth – nothing less than a balanced meal for the wise fool in us all.

Previous praise for Madeline Kenney: “As just a first taste of Kenney and Wasner's work together on Perfect Shapes, ‘Cut Me Off’ already feels like an assured leap forward.” - NPR Music  “On 'Perfect Shapes', Kenney builds a comforting space for her own reflection and growth. It reflects a welcome boost in confidence, Kenney at last stepping onto the pedestal of her own design." - Pitchfork "Perfect Shapes is restless and smart, taking often-surprising, always-pleasing paths to pop bliss." - Rolling Stone “"Madeline Kenney goes bright, unabashed pop on the dazzling lead single from her forthcoming, Jenn Wasner-produced sophomore LP Perfect Shapes, due this October.”- Gorilla vs. Bear "[Kenney has a] talent for writing distorted, blissful pop with urgent undercurrents" - The FADER "Perfect Shapes is a special product – one with soundscapes that feel cosmic as Kenney’s guitar tones lean into other worldly synthesizers and a unique combination of vintage drum samples mixed artfully with live percussion. It may diverge from Kenny’s debut album, but it’s the mystical sound that she felt compelled to explore in the studio." - Billboard “[Night Night at the First Landing] as a whole is frequently gorgeous. It’s a promising beginning: Kenney’s built her early career on taking well-worn touchstones and managing to wring something new out of them, making them her own in the process.” - Stereogum (Best New Bands of 2017) "The record is built on soft, unobtrusive percussion, clear-as-dawn guitar chords and bass notes, spacious synthetic flourishes that appear in part thanks to producer Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak, and Kenney’s effortless, wispy vocals. The instruments ring out for a second or two after each note is struck, and the echo effect gives the songs a kind of drifting ease, and Kenney sounds both comfortable and assertive." - Bandcamp "A series of swampy soundscapes, Perfect Shapes is a melding of dream pop and art rock, equal parts soothing and jarring. Though Kenney released her debut LP just 13 months ago, she already appears to have a swarm of new ideas, flaunting a matured outlook and promptly swerving past the sophomore slump."- Paste "Madeline Kenney’s first album...was an introspective but open-hearted release of enormous promise, showcasing the singer’s captivating voice and knack for a razor-sharp lyric. If that record was all promise, her just-announced follow-up, Perfect Shapes, seems likely to be the realization of that potential." - Consequence of Sound "Listening to Perfect Shapes is a dream, one that you won’t want to wake up from." - BUST  "An underbelly of guitars, keyboards, and electronics is mixed with upbeat and curious rhythms, shifting around the animated vocals forming songs that are peculiar, rhapsodic, and intellectually stimulating." - Under The Radar

mkenneymusic.com | madelinekenney.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/mkenneymusic Twitter @mkenneymusic | Instagram @mkenneymusic

BLACKPINK’S “HOW YOU LIKE THAT” SHATTERS YOUTUBE RECORD FOR THE BIGGEST 24-HOUR MUSIC VIDEO DEBUT OF ALL TIME

BLACKPINK’S “HOW YOU LIKE THAT” SHATTERS YOUTUBE RECORD FOR THE BIGGEST 24-HOUR MUSIC VIDEO DEBUT OF ALL TIME

 

VIDEO ALSO BREAKS YOUTUBE RECORD FOR

MOST VIEWS IN 24 HOURS

 

“HOW YOU LIKE THAT” HITS #2 ON SPOTIFY’S GLOBAL TOP 50

 

DEBUT PERFORMANCE LAST WEEK ON THE TONIGHT SHOW

STARRING JIMMY FALLON

 

 

LISTEN TO “HOW YOU LIKE THAT” HERE

 

With their mind-blowing new video “How You Like That,” BLACKPINK have smashed the YouTube record for the biggest 24 hour music video debut of all time with over 86 million views. The video also broke the YouTube record for most views in a 24-hour span and set an all time record for the biggest YouTube Premiere with over 1.6 million peak concurrents. Released last Friday via YG Entertainment/Interscope Records, the South Korean superstar quartet’s long-awaited new single debuted at #5 on Spotify’s Global Top 50 and has since made it’s way to #2. In addition, “How You Like That” now marks the fastest video in YouTube history to hit 100 million views. Check it out HERE. 

 

Produced by TEDDY — who co-wrote the song with R.Tee, 24, and Danny Chung — “How You Like That” instantly shot to the top of the Apple Music charts in 64 countries, amassing 7.5 million global streams on Spotify and Apple Music the very first day of its release. Along with hitting #1 on the Spotify charts in seven markets around the world, the trap-pop anthem reached the top 50 in a staggering total of 28 markets.

 

In addition, watch the superstar group perform “How You Like That” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this past Friday HERE and play the “Try Not To Laugh Challenge” with Jimmy HERE.

 

ABOUT BLACKPINK:

 

Since first bursting onto the scene in 2016, BLACKPINK have redefined the possibilities of K-pop, transcending all categorization and ascending to global stardom. With their unstoppably catchy single “DDU-DU DDU-DU,” the South Korean quartet broke the record for highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 debut by an all-female K-pop act, while its head-turning video surpassed 10 million views in just six hours and racked up 36.2 million views in one day.

 

Discovered by YG Entertainment, BLACKPINK is comprised of JISOO, JENNIE, LISA, and ROSÉ: four immensely charismatic vocalists, dancers, and burgeoning fashion icons. Released in 2016, their debut “SQUARE ONE” quickly proved their crossover power; in 2018, “SQUARE UP” climbed to #40 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Billboard World Albums chart. Several months after “SQUARE UP” hit the charts, YG Entertainment and Interscope Records announced a global partnership for BLACKPINK, paving the way for the group’s international breakthrough. With their EP Kill This Love arriving in April 2019, BLACKPINK further boosted their popularity by successfully completing a world tour and becoming the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella, the largest music festival in the U.S.