VICE US - NoiseyMusic by VICEhttps://www.vice.com/en%2Fsection%2Fmusic%3Flocale%3Den_usenThu, 13 Jul 2023 10:31:12 GMT<![CDATA[The Story Behind 'Los del Espacio' ]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/epvpj4/los-del-espacio-documentalThu, 13 Jul 2023 10:31:12 GMT

Buenos Aires, Argentina. COVID is peaking, there’s a strict quarantine and eight young, famous musicians decide to move into a mansion with a swimming pool. In noisey’s recent documentary Los del Espacio, Argentinian producer Big One laughs: it was a “disaster”.

Mind you, the site of endless after-parties, clogged toilets and a broken door that no one ever fixed ended up becoming one of the most popular – and profitable – enterprises in urban music in Latin America.

The numbers speak for themselves. “Los del Espacio”, a collaborative song by Lit Killah, Duki, Emilia, Tiago PZK, FMK, Rusherking, María Becerra and producer Big One, has more than 96 million plays, while each artist’s individual plays extend beyond 300 million.

So how did they rise to such great heights? I spoke to Lit Killah about the house and his outlook on the future.

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Lit Killah.

VICE: How did the documentary come about?
Lit Killah: The idea for the documentary was mainly that we wanted to capture as many moments in the house as possible, like a behind-the-scenes. And then we said, “Well, it looks like we’re making a documentary.” We thought it was a historic situation. And then we looked for someone to do it, and obviously VICE was the best for the job, so we shared the idea.

**How did the song come together?
**Well, the eight of us lived together for a year. After the pandemic ended, everyone went to work on their own, and we no longer saw each other with the same frequency. But even so, we all said: “We’re getting together to eat, we’re getting together to play PlayStation, it seems like we’re doing everything but making music. Why don't we make music and please people?” And then we agreed. We set a date and we went into the studio and the song came out.

What did you learn from this period?
The lesson was: never do a song with eight people again [laughs].

No, the real lesson was that every effort has its reward, it seems to me, because it is so difficult to bring together eight artists of this magnitude, thinking that we are all super, mega positioned artists, and our time is basically limited. We all said at the same time, “Well, the only way for this to happen is for all of us to put our egos aside and not include the managers,” and we give the management the orders, so to speak, but we decide everything ourselves so there are no misunderstandings.

**When you had difficult moments, which I imagine happened, how did you manage to resolve them?
**Well, what I’m really grateful for is that this song came upon us all at a stage in which we were all positioned already and were a little more mature in terms of our artistic level, so we all know more or less when to give in in this type of thing. Each person has their own position. So if someone says “No, I think that’s how it should be,” you look to what the other seven have to say. It became a matter of voting in the end.

Are you all still friends? Do you continue to collaborate?
Yes, we still do. It was all born from friendship. We continue to collaborate fully. Soon, I’m going to release a song with Tiago, another with Duki. I already have a ton of things prepared, and they do too. We also made another song from the house. We’re going to continue collaborating because we’re all friends and all artists, and those collaborations will never end.

**What do you learn from the other seven?
**The era at the house was a time of musical nutrition for everyone; we learned from everyone. We all had a huge change. I mean, no one was the same before that house, literally, in terms of sound, in terms of the people we are now. In other words, it was a contribution and an instantaneous evolution for practically everything.

Whenever we were at the house or at the studio, someone would say, “Hey, look, what do you think of this song?” “I think this, or that.” And then you would correct it at the studio. Or someone showed a song and someone else would say: “I want to participate in that song,” and someone else would agree, and just like that, you would have a feat with three people, four people, and so on. It was also healthy competition. For example, Tiago would come up with a mega hit and I would say, “Uhhh, mighty song, I can't stay behind that,” you understand, so I would go to the studio motivated and would say, “I have to do a better song.”

Is there anything you miss from that period?
Yes, obviously, many things, but at the same time I feel that it lasted what it had to last. I mean, we enjoyed it a ton because it was during quarantine and nobody had shows, nobody had anything, so we enjoyed it fully and we made good use of those ugly quarantine times when no one could go out. And when the quarantine was over, everyone did their job, and even so, we all keep in touch. So in that sense, I think we did well in terms of time.

**What’s next for you?
**I’m working on an album for next year. This whole year was a year of soul searching and frustration. I haven't been releasing a lot of my own music on my channel because I was in that search, but I think I already have it. Now, next year, I’ll come out with a more evolved album.

I haven’t been much of a reggaeton fan, but this year I tried to reach a more reggaeton sound, but not a generic one, like trying to find my own sound within that. It took me a lot and I didn’t feel that it was something that I liked 100 percent, and that’s when I started to make this new sound, and now I’m much more confident with these new songs.

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epvpj4Alejandra CuellarJamie CliftonDocumentaryLos del EspacioLit KillahNoisey
<![CDATA[Things That Surprised Me as a Brit at an American Festival]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/88xx7p/things-that-surprised-me-as-a-brit-at-an-american-festivalFri, 16 Jun 2023 13:21:53 GMTGovernors Ball 2023 had basically everything you’d want from a New York music festival: easy access from the subway, an Ice Spice set, Roberta’s pizza, Kendrick Lamar headlining, and ample shade for my delicate British skin.

I’d never been to Gov Ball before, but I heard from various people there that the festival’s new location, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, levelled it up from previous years – in part because of the abundance of trees and all the beautiful, dappled shade they provide.

Either way, this year was a lot of fun. Day one was very much Ice Spice’s day; almost everyone I spoke to said they were there for the Bronx native, with varying levels of giddiness.

The flag guy in the video above was incredibly sweet about finally seeing his crush in the flesh; the five shirtless creatine creatures with “ICE SPICE” written on their chests, who were running straight into people and screaming “MUNCH!” in their faces, less so.

Other Friday highlights: Joey Bada$$ breaking up a scuffle in the crowd by claiming one of the participants was his cousin, Michelle’s dance routines, Lizzo’s extended flute solo.

As previously mentioned, I am – for my sins – British. For this reason, I’m used to seeing people at music festivals drinking by roughly 9AM, K-holing by lunch, and feeding their laps a mess of coagulated noodles by sunset.

This kind of behaviour didn’t seem to be on the cards at Gov Ball. In fact, most of the party people I vox-popped stressed how important it is to stay hydrated at all times.

This is definitely true, of course – but it left me with an odd mix of shame and pride to consider that American 19-year-olds are broadly more responsible than the majority of British adults who enjoy watching live music in a field. More of those valuable insights in the video above.

Saturday highlights: KennyHoopla’s energy, Kenny Beats blasting Flowdan in the afternoon sun, Snail Mail’s mid-song banter, and Rina Sawayama’s set from start to finish.

As I was covering the festival, I spent a lot of time hurtling between areas to speak to artists and attendees, and occasionally topping up with $18 beers from one of the various bars. Until Saturday afternoon, that is, when I realised the bar in the artists’ area was free, and so decided to base myself there for the remainder of the weekend.

Conveniently, it was also easier to get around the site from the backstage area, which served me well on the Sunday, given the fact I still had a lot of hurtling to do.

Coast Contra played early doors to a still relatively sleepy crowd, but for me were one of the best acts of the weekend. Other Sunday highlights: the group of guys wearing balaclavas for Central Cee in 25 degree heat, spotting PinkPantheress without her trademark handbag, everyone around me losing their entire minds to Kendrick Lamar.

Governors Ball: 10/10, would go again.

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88xx7pJamie CliftonJamie CliftonFestivalsgovernors ballice spiceKendrick Lamaruk vs us
<![CDATA[New York City's Best Music Festival Is Back, Baby]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wxjj5q/governors-ball-govball-set-times-food-2023Tue, 06 Jun 2023 13:50:10 GMTDo you like Kendrick Lamar and iconic Brooklyn pizza joints? Ice Spice and alcoholic lemonade? Snail Mail and giant, globe-based water features? Good news: New York’s best music festival is back this weekend, and it’s got all that and more.

This year, Governors Ball has moved to Queens’ Flushing Meadows Corona Park, home to the Unisphere, that big old Earth statue surrounded by a ring of fountains – meaning once you’ve bought your tickets and filled both your mouth and your ears with all the good stuff at Gov Ball, you can head there and fill your brain with thoughts about the future of our planet.

But first: the music and the food.

This Friday, among many others, you’ve got Michelle, Joey Bada$$, Diplo, Haim, Lil Uzi Vert and Lizzo. Saturday: KennyHoopla. Syd, Rina Sawayama, Koffee and Lil Baby. And Sunday: PinkPantheress, Central Cee, Pusha T, Lil Nas X and Kendrick Lamar.

Set times are below, to help you avoid any clashes.

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Across the entire weekend, there’s food from New York institutions like Roberta’s and The Halal Guys; seafood from Lobster Joint and Luke’s Lobster; mouthwatering Mexican from Taqueria Diana and El Toro Rojo; sweet bits from Van Leeuwen ice cream and Fan-Fan Doughnuts, plus so much other genuinely amazing stuff I’ll leave you to salivate through on the Gov Ball website.

To kick the whole thing off, we’re throwing a Gov Ball After Dark party at Brooklyn’s Cafe Erzulie, featuring DJ sets from Angel + Dren, Eden, and Moochie. Doors are at 11PM and the tickets are free. If you’re over 21, click here to put your name on the list.

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wxjj5qVICE StaffJamie CliftonHip Hop 50governors ballmusic festivalNew York
<![CDATA[Here’s What You Didn’t Know About The History Of Reggaeton—& Why It Matters]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/z3475w/reggaeton-gFri, 30 Dec 2022 18:26:36 GMT“You can’t talk about New York without talking about reggae,” says Gabriel Garzon-Montano, an up-and-coming recording artist with multicultural roots. “It’s a global force in music, and it’s here to stay.”

Growing up in Brooklyn in the early aughts, Garzon-Montano says he heard reggaeton everywhere. And as he got older, that influence only spread — both publicly, and personally. But for him, appreciating the genre isn’t just about listening to the music, itself — it’s about understanding its roots. “To understand and respect reggae, we have to go back to its origination — to the Afro-Latina culture that put it on the map and made it a global phenomenon,” he says.

From its Jamaican dance hall beginnings, to its Panamanian influence, to the American censorship and criminalization of the genre, reggae’s history is as multifarious and colorful as the music itself. Which is why we’re partnering with Expedia to explore the ways reggae’s influence has traveled across oceans and cultural borders in this installment of The Beat, It Travels.

“At its heart, reggaeton is the soundtrack to fighting oppression,” says Garzon-Montano. “It’s inherently political. It speaks truth to power, whether tackling issues of classism, colorism, systematic racism, or respectability politics.”

Catch the video above for a closer look at the rhythmic, global phenomenon that is reggae — and how it came to be.

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z3475wEliza DumaisBranded StaffMusicreggaerecording artistsNoisey
<![CDATA[We Celebrated the Future of Hip-Hop at Art Basel Miami]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7zyem/we-celebrated-the-future-of-hip-hop-at-art-basel-miamiFri, 09 Dec 2022 16:00:00 GMTNot every day at Art Basel Miami 2022 was sunny—but every night was hot as hell, thanks to a bustling roster of star-studded events, brand activations, afterparties, after-afterparties, and jam-packed dive bars with all the spill-out from all the aforementioned fun. And man, it feels good that VICE got to be part of the Miami nightlife mix.

Our three-day Not A Test event brought together a group of boundary-pushing hip-hop artists to perform alongside thousands of pieces of modern and contemporary visual art from around the world. Plus, the crowd was hot—like, impeccably dressed, immaculate vibes, “Oh shit, I should have asked for their Instagram handle!” hot.

Together, these creators, audience members, and a lucky few VICE employees got to get down and celebrate the future of hip-hop: a future that’s global, that defies norms and expectations, that creates diamonds under pressure. And, obviously, we photographed all of it—so here are a few of our favorite snaps from the balmiest event VICE threw this year.

NIGHT ONE: DONOVAN’S YARD, SMINO

Kicking off an event that’s supposed to showcase the future of hip-hop is an intimidating prospect—especially on a Wednesday night. Luckily, the dynamic duo of DJs from Donovan’s Yard, an LA-based collective known for getting the party started, were more than up to the task.

Donovan's Yard
Donovan's Yard. Photo by Elliott Ashby

In a set sponsored by CashApp, with free drinks a-flowing and blunt smoke gently wafting through the air, they lit up the outdoor dance floor—and made it look easy, too.

Two women in bikinis at Art Basel Miami
Photo by Elliott Ashby

Audience members were able to get up close and personal—more on that later—with all of the artists, thanks to a just-elevated stage in the backyard of the Carl Fisher Clubhouse.

Shot of the party crowd at Art Basel Miami
Photo by Elliott Ashby

The night capped off with a final CashApp-sponsored performance: Smino, who wooed the crowd with his signature blend of R&B velvet and punchy yet personal bars. Hips swayed and Stories were shot to be viewed by jealous friends at home.

Smino performing at Art Basel Miami
Smino. Photo by Elliott Ashby

Then, right when the function hit a fever pitch, the show ended at a respectable 11:00pm—just in time to let attendees get a good night’s sleep. Or, more likely, hit the next Art Basel-adjacent event on their list.

Three people posing at Art Basel Miami
Photo by Elliott Ashby

NIGHT TWO: PRETTYBOY D-O, SUDAN ARCHIVES, UNCLE WAFFLES

Thursday night’s Expedia-sponsored lineup took Not A Test’s audience on a trip around the world with performances from hip-hop pioneers with African influence threaded through their music. And that music’s influence on the crowd? Steamy, to say the least!

Prettyboy D-O performing at Art Basel Miami
Prettyboy D-O. Photo by Elliott Ashby

Nigerian rapper Prettyboy D-O hopped onstage for what he claimed was his first live performance—something I need to fact-check, because the charisma oozing off the stage seemed like it was coming from a seasoned pro.

Two women dancingn at Art Basel Miami
Photo by Elliott Ashby

After firing off a few cheeky love songs and a playful callout rap, Prettyboy vacated the stage, and Sudan Archives ascended. In a bodysuit, leather thong, and unspeakably chic mullet, she graced attendees with raunchy love songs laced with swagger and—what else?—a fucking violin solo. My old orchestra teacher is foaming at the mouth with jealousy.

Sudan Archives performing at Art Basel Miami
Sudan Archives. Photo by Elliott Ashby
Uncle Waffles DJ'ing at Art Basel Miami
Uncle Waffles. Photo by Elliott Ashby

Finally, South Africa-based DJ Uncle Waffles closed out the night with a set that electrified the crowd with a mix that was chock full of rhythmic African instrumentals and thrumming, bumping bass. Each artist brought their own flavor to the lineup, but they all had one thing in common: It was impossible to stand still while they were onstage.

NIGHT THREE: THEY HATE CHANGE, 454 + PIG THE GEMINI, JPEGMAFIA

Parting is such sweet sorrow—but the last night of Not A Test, hosted by Marc Jacobs, was anything but sad.

Clermont Twins at Art Basel Miami
Photo by Elliott Ashby

Between a guest list that raised the bar for cool, a trio of ultra-talented acts, and the timing (penultimate night of Basel!), it was destined to be iconic—and I think we delivered.

They Hate Change DJ'ing at Art Basel Miami
They Hate Change. Photo by Elliott Ashby

Tampa rap duo They Hate Change kicked the night off with a high-energy DJ set, bouncy raps backed by hyperactive club beats that felt tailor made for the Miami mindset—sexy, maximalist, up, up, up!

454 Pig the Gemini at Art Basel Miami
454 + Pig the Gemini. Photo by Elliott Ashby

Fellow Floridians 454 and Pig the Gemini kept the party electrified when they took the stage. The brother-sister duo (how sick is that?) riled up the crowd with the dynamic, playful tracks—a mix of solo material and their collaborative work—that keep them both on your coolest friend’s current party playlist.

454 performingn at Art Basel Miami
454. Photo by Elliott Ashby
Pig the Gemini performing at Art Basel Miami
Pig the Gemini

Finally, JPEGMafia—who isn’t from Florida, but told me he feels a kinship with the state’s “degenerate” reputation—closed out the night with a set that took him off the stage and into the crowd.

JPEGMafia performing at Art Basel Miami
JPEGMafia. Photo by Elliott Ashby

The rapper and producer, who’s notorious for his deeply weird, highly experimental approach to hip-hop, was the perfect act to close Not A Test. Fresh off a tour with Turnstile and Snail Mail, Peggy gave the audience what all audiences kind of want: the chance to personally connect with the talent in all their loud, sweaty glory.

If you weren’t lucky enough to catch any of these performances, don’t worry—we gathered all of these artists together because we think they represent the next great evolutionary stage of hip-hop, so we think you’ll have plenty of time to catch them in the future. Just, you know, not at an event as cool as ours.

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n7zyemKatie WayDuncan CooperElliott AshbyHip-HopArt BaselMiamiart basel miami 2022not a testJPEGMAFIASminosudan archivesuncle waffles454donovan's yardthey hate changeprettyboy d-ocashappExpediamarc jacobs
<![CDATA[Atlanta’s Upchuck Is a Force of Self-Preservation in Punk Music ]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/epzknp/upchuck-our-skin-music-videoFri, 28 Oct 2022 16:07:23 GMTOn stage, Upchuck’s performances are in-your-face and unrelenting, but in conversation, the band is a centered, charged circle of grounded connection. Their origins lay in their experimental DIY days in their hometown Atlanta, skateboarding, rolling silverware, and smoking cigarettes at college parties. Together, they’re a kinetic force of youth and enthusiasm, churning out brutally honest, boisterous tracks that blur the lines between psych rock, punk, and hardcore. Right before hitting the road for a few October tour dates with The Paranoyds, Upchuck found the time to have a welcoming conversation with Noisey about the new music video for their song “Our Skin.”

A powerful single from their debut album Sense Yourself, “Our Skin” is an anthem for the unheard and fittingly seals the album as the closing track. The song’s music video is a reflective time capsule of the band’s first few years, combining footage shot by friends and fans. Lead guitarist Mikey, rhythm guitarist Hoff, bassist Armando, drummer Chris, and vocalist KT formed back in 2018, and with only a few demos out and no existing social media presence quickly became a must-see in the Atlanta rock scene. Hoff recounted playing a 21+ show without being 21 themselves, “and it went crazy.” With no sort of formal marketing in place, through word of mouth, grit, and hard work, Upchuck earned friendships and accolades from their peers, including indie rock staple cinematographer and camera operator Ian Cone, who opened up his studio to the band and has since filmed a lot of their shows.

Upchuck’s Sense Yourself album cover, shot by Nathan Davenport, shows singer KT with a brutal bleeding cut right above her left eyebrow—the source of a scar she showed to Noisey. The singer has no hard feelings towards the shopping cart that inflicted the wound, reminiscing on a “lit” show that the scar ensures she’ll never forget. The “Our Skin” music video includes footage from that raucous evening, along with cameos from the band’s good friend, Atlanta songwriter Faye Webster, and visuals filmed on their most recent tour with Amyl and The Sniffers.

Reflecting on writing the debut album, the band described how seamlessly in sync they all were. As KT put it, describing their lead guitarist, “Mikey literally understands and can potentially hear not necessarily specifically what I'm going to say, but how I'm going to say it and how I'm going to feel about it.” The camaraderie is palpable as Hoff, Mikey, and KT reminisce on playing chaotic show venues, singing and shredding on top of washing machines. Hoff told Noisey, “I would say all these songs have a good portion of that 10,000 hours that you're supposed to have”—or, more accurately, “10,000 tears,” Mikey jokes.

The album is an ode to protection of self and the importance of taking up space. KT emphasized the personal process of understanding herself and others by maintaining empathy, while simultaneously setting boundaries to avoid draining forces in society. She offered the following advice, “Once you understand yourself, you can understand others. Depending on who you are, empathize, sympathize. It's just that easy.” Upchuck has a low threshold for fakeness, and “Our Skin” drives that sentiment home with KT repeating the lyrics, “I’m sick of it.” In their songs and at their shows, Upchuck are actively working towards a more inclusive community where self-discovery is integral, and unabashed creative minds—like theirs—can make a name for themselves.

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epzknpJackie PalazzoloDuncan CooperMusic Video PremieresPunkBandATLANTAupchuck
<![CDATA[Taylor Swift Knows Jack Antonoff Is an Evil Genius]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jgpav7/taylor-swift-knows-jack-antonoff-is-an-evil-geniusFri, 21 Oct 2022 20:03:06 GMTTaylor Swift is the pop star who launched a thousand ships (and at least half of them are gay): the songwriter-chanteuse whose every social media post fans pore over like they’re trying to break the Zodiac Killer’s cipher. Today, Taylor Swift released her latest album, Midnights, to the collective ecstasy of everyone I’ve ever met. 

“It's her most 'mature' sounding album in part because it is so consistent,” my editor feverishly typed into Slack, even though, lowkey, nobody asked. I’d sent him a video of a person plowing through the tracklist and immediately identifying Jack Antonoff’s fingerprints all over the record. It was made by Caleb Gamman, a video producer who hails from New Zealand, showed off his ear as he blind-identified every Antonoff-produced song on Midnights, usually in just a few seconds. Watch below and try not to let your jaw hit the floor:

My editor had a slick response to the critique that this musical cohesion is a bad thing. “This boring production style is a good way to showcase lyrics because it puts her voice front and center.” I’m paraphrasing, but… uh, thanks! So, who’s right?

It’s true that most of the production on Midnights was helmed by none other than Jack Antonoff, who basically credits Swift with kickstarting his career as a producer in the first place. It’s the eighth album they’ve worked on together, but not everyone is a fan. In fact, one man—the very hater in the video above, which went viral soon after Midnights dropped—told VICE he has a negative physical reaction to Antonoff’s signature sounds, one that’s sharpened into a sort of sixth sense.

“My musical background is high school music, and that’s where it stopped… so I have no right,” Gamman said to me on a Zoom call, laughing. And yet: “When that music comes on, my heart rate gets elevated. I'm like, There's something about this that I’m not liking. I can intellectualize it, but really it’s just like, Oh no, that’s Jack.”

Upon closer inspection, Antonoff’s sound can be reduced to a few factors—factors that Gamman’s fine with in piecemeal in the work of other producers like Francis and the Lights, A.G. Cook, or Calvin Harris. He broke down the Antonoff sound like this:

  • Vocal clarity
  • The same drum samples
  • Stereo separation/expansion
  • Detuned oscillators
  • Reverb
  • Breathy vocals
  • Busy instrumentation except in the vocal range
  • Smooth electronic bass
  • Pitched drums
  • “He'll low-pass anything”
  • Digital harmony/vibrato
  • A really clean vocoder
  • "Christian music" harmonies
  • Digital tinkly stuff

“There's elements that I like,” he said. “But then when they're all together, there’s something about it that’s slightly dissonant and just a little bit off-putting.” 

Gamman said he discovered the sonic pattern that informed his viral video around four years ago, when more and more artists he was a fan of began working with Antonoff in rapid succession. “I was a big fan of Carly Rae Jepsen and early Taylor Swift, sort of around 1989; Kevin Abstract, St. Vincent, some of Lana Del Rey's more early stuff, like Ultraviolence. Then, all of those artists went on to work with Jack Antonoff, and I couldn't stand any of those albums.” The more he works with high-profile musicians, the more his sound gets worked into songs that people love. “It spirals,” he said, a little mournfully.

Personally, I’m inclined to agree with my editor that Antonoff’s production is a decent way to showcase an artist’s lyrical ability. It’s like a pop-rock-dance-rap hybrid that doesn’t really fall under one genre or another, making it probably the least offensive formulation for the largest number of listeners. To my deeply untrained ear, it’s a musical wallpaper situation: When it’s really loud, I might find it grating, but otherwise it kind of just blends into the background, making it easy to pop an Antonoff-produced track onto a playlist without radically shifting the aural mood.

Plus, there’s obviously something swirling through public opinion when it comes to Antonoff himself. The man spent years dating Scarlett Johansson and Lena Dunham when he was, at most, the guy from fun. He elicits gushing quotes from the artists he works with, like Swift, who described him as “an absolute joy” in a 2017 profile of him for the New York Times, adding that “His excitement and exuberance about writing songs is contagious. That’s why everyone loves him.” Lana Del Rey touched on an accessible quality in his music that lets it be whatever an artist wants: “His chords are so classic that I could sing anything to them,” she told the New Yorker earlier this year.

None of that matters to Gamman, who said his beef with Antonoff is strictly sonic—he has nothing against the man himself. There are even a select few works from the producer that he finds palatable. “Norman Fucking Rockwell was OK,” he told me. And then, later, over Twitter DM, he added that, “I once heard ‘Foreign Girls’ on a broken speaker system and I thought it was great, then I listened to it with the left channel working and it has this insane sax line running through the whole thing… I think the Spotify mix at least, if you only use the right headphone it’s a nice minimal song. But then, that left channel is pure Jack.” Which, on Midnights, means the production is just non-distracting “digital tinkly stuff”—aka, a perfectly chosen backdrop for the lyrics that Taylor Swift’s fans came to freak out about in the first place.

Katie Way is a senior staff writer at VICE. Follow her on Twitter.

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jgpav7Katie WayDuncan CooperPOPtaylor swiftmidnightsJack Antonoff
<![CDATA[Happy Halloween: Here’s a Bunch of Spooky Music That Isn’t “The Monster Mash”]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4axbvj/spooky-music-halloween-playlistThu, 20 Oct 2022 13:00:00 GMTIf you wind up at a house party for Halloween this year, I can almost guarantee you’re going to hear the same songs you heard at the party you went to last year, and the year before that, on and on and on, all the way back to the first October night you ever spent dressed up and drunk with a bunch of your friends. I’d bet, like, $20 that whoever’s hosting will put on:

  • “Thriller” by Michael Jackson 
  • “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder
  • “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker, Jr.
  • “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon
  • “I Put a Spell on You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
  • And, of course, “The Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers

Don’t get me wrong: These songs are Classic, and Fun, and Good. But we’ve all heard them about a thousand goddamn times at this point. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a change. Which is why I spent the past week putting together a playlist of spooky, woefully underplayed, high-energy songs you can really boogie to. 

Behold: 

This thing’s got a lot going for it. Girl groups like Martha Reeves & The Vandellas singing about witches. A proto-punk song about turning into a “teenage goo goo muck,” whatever the hell that is. Weird bands with freaky names (e.g. Curtis & The Creepers, Frankie Stein & His Ghouls, Sharkey Todd & The Monsters) who seemingly only ever made music about Halloween. Everything on here is pretty old—the kind of stuff you might hear at a sock hop in the 1950s or 60s—and it all fucking rips.

If you’ve made the brave and laudable decision to host a Halloween party at your place, throw this bad boy on and watch the room go nuts. If, instead, you’re simply attending one as a guest, consider hijacking the aux, surreptitiously connecting to your friend’s Bluetooth speaker, or otherwise feloniously wresting control of the music and blasting this playlist at full volume, front to back. Your buddy might get mad at you—at first. But by the time you’re 30 seconds into the opener (“Witch for a Night” by Sugar Pie Desanto, which goes so, so hard), you’ll have everybody on their feet, dancing with abandon, and your host will have no real choice but to say “fuck it” and let you do your thing.

You might be thinking, Huh. This playlist is only 55 minutes and 42 seconds long. No one’s ever thrown a party that lasted 55 minutes and 42 seconds. This, my friends, is intentional. Admittedly, there’s a limit to how long you can really keep a party going with music like this. Assuming most people in attendance pregamed the affair, they’ll all be drunk about an hour in, and they’ll just want to listen to Doja Cat or whatever. A few may even demand to hear the classics: “Monster Mash,” “Thriller,” et al. Oblige them. When they wake up the next morning all hungover and foggy-headed, they’ll remember that you, a gracious, benevolent, and tasteful music czar, got everyone dancing to a bunch of old-school spooky stuff they’d never heard before and then hit them with nothing but bangers. With any luck, by the time Halloween rolls around next year, you’ll be back on DJ duty, tasked with bringing the motherfucking house down again, as only you can.

Drew Schwartz is a senior staff writer at VICE. Follow him on Twitter.

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4axbvjDrew SchwartzMari UyeharaPlaylistsHalloweenPlaylistspookySoulmonster rockrockabillyPartythe monster mash
<![CDATA[jessa’s “TUFF” Is a Cute Corrective to Fairy Tale Love Stories]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/y3pqvg/jessas-tuff-is-a-cute-corrective-to-fairy-tale-love-storiesThu, 06 Oct 2022 15:51:03 GMTAs a clever songwriter from the Bronx, jessa knows about spinning a heartbreaking story into a funny and relatable pop song. Presently living in Astoria, Queens, jessa is making music that feels like home, which she says is a marriage between alt R&B and indie pop. “I love guitar-forward music,” she told Noisey. “All my uncles and my grandpa played guitar, so I think it’s in my blood to love the sound.”

Her new song “TUFF” is a revelation, with warm riffs and smooth falsetto vocal runs. Describing it, the 26-year-old spoke about her music-filled childhood, coming of age in the 2000s, and revisiting her youthful expectations of love and romance—it’s all about “healing your inner child, balancing your expectations, and grounding yourself,” she said.

She wrote “TUFF” with Raffaella Meloni, an artist she’s known for 20 years. “It was the first song we’ve written together,” jessa said. “Raffaella is one of my closest friends, so she was in a unique position, as a cowriter, to help me bring aspects of our childhoods to life in the song.” The two mused over Y2K nostalgia and early teenage millennial drippings, from Butterfly clips to Crocs and Claw Machines, which they included in the song’s music video, recorded on an iPhone at the Mall of America in Minnesota.

“We have these lofty expectations growing up, and it’s easy to romanticize and fantasize,” jessa said, remembering a conversation she had with Rafaela, who also shot, edited and directed the music video. “The conversation that took place right before we wrote this song was about how in the media we consumed as kids, and all the fairytale endings were so unrealistic. Like, Lizzie McGuire going to Rome and meeting Paolo but ending up with her best friend who was there all along,” she laughed. “I love The Lizzie McGuire movie, love Hilary Duff, but how dare she?”

In navigating adulthood, jessa has revisited her childhood expectations with grace and humor. She addresses them with patience, reflecting on what she has learned as she’s allowed her own fantasy and reality to co-exist. “Being tough,” jessa said, means keeping it all in perspective, a task we’re all learning and navigating daily. “Sometimes what you want doesn’t really align with the boundaries you know are good for your mental health,” she said. “To me, being tough is learning how to respect your own boundaries and other people's boundaries, it is a process I'm still learning.”

With each of her songs, jessa is dancing at the intersection of humility and happiness over alternative pop and R&B beats. “TUFF” follows her previous single, “I Can’t Stop Crying.” Both tracks introduce more honest and emotional songwriting from jessa, but “TUFF” is a confident smile amidst new levels of vulnerability. Looking to the future, jessa plans on evolving and finding lyricism in the routine aspects of life. “I’m excited to write differently and constantly change, and tap into less emotional things, just different aspects of life,” she said, “like taking care of yourself and what it feels like to be in your 20s and trying to be an independent and self-sufficient person.”

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<![CDATA[Watch an Exclusive Trailer for ‘Meet Me in the Bathroom,’ a Doc About NYC’s Early 2000s Rock Scene]]>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/g5v8pq/meet-me-in-the-bathroom-trailer-premiere-movieThu, 06 Oct 2022 13:00:00 GMT

Watching Meet Me in the Bathroom, a new documentary about the explosion of New York City’s indie rock scene in the early 2000s, is an almost transcendent experience. You’re taken inside the dingy bars, shitty apartments, abandoned warehouses, and DIY venues where the defining bands of that era were born. You get to be there when Karen O and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs first meet. When the Strokes play one of their earliest shows at the Mercury Lounge. When Interpol records their first album, Turn on the Bright Lights. When James Murphy writes “Losing My Edge,” LCD Soundsystem’s first single. As it all unfolds, it feels like you’re actually living through it: like you stepped inside of a time machine, emerged in Lower Manhattan in 1999, and somehow lucked your way into this scene as it blossomed, flourished, and eventually, crushingly, fizzled out.

Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace—the directors of Meet Me in the Bathroom, which was inspired by Lizzy Goodman’s book of the same name—tell the story of that time in music history through interviews with the people at the heart of it, including Karen O, Zinner, Murphy, TV On the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, Kimya Dawson and Adam Green of The Moldy Peaches, and more. The directors got their hands on a trove of never-before-seen archival footage, much of it taken on camcorders by members of those bands, their friends, and folks at their shows.

Meet Me in the Bathroom, which was produced by XTR and Pulse Films (a part of VICE Media Group), will have premiere events in LA on October 27 and in New York on October 30, ahead of opening in limited release on November 4. It’s then coming to theaters nationwide—for one night only—on November 8. You can buy tickets for a showing in your city here. You’ll also be able to stream the documentary on Showtime starting November 25. Ahead of its release, check out an exclusive first trailer for Meet Me in the Bathroom above.

Drew Schwartz is a senior staff writer for VICE.

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