Chris DeVille
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Posting indie nostalgia at @suchgr8heights
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Articles by Chris DeVille
5 Thoughts On Olivia Rodrigo’s Unraveled Tour
Olivia Rodrigo's Unraveled Tour rolled into Columbus last night for the first of two shows at Ohio State University's Value City Arena. Five quick thoughts on that: 1. This week Rolling Stone put out its list of the 200 greatest rock songs of the 21st century so far. It's ridiculous ragebait, but they weren't wrong to rank "good 4 u" so highly. Olivia Rodrigo is a rock artist at least as much as she's a pop artist.
Caroline Polachek Phones It In For Angèle’s US TV Debut
Before Belgian pop singer Angèle released her album Instinct two weeks back, she promoted it with singles including "Love Triangle," a collaboration with Caroline Polachek and SebastiAn. That's the song she chose to perform when making her US TV debut Wednesday night on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show. Angèle's performance was choreographed by (LA)HORDE and creative directed by Armand Croisonnier. It began with Angèle on a desk, looking like she had four legs.
Merry Halloween: A Scarily Early Guide To This Year’s New Christmas Albums
It happens every year: Before spooky season even really gets rolling, musical artists start announcing new Christmas albums. If you're the type of person who despises Christmas music, the early onset yuletide onslaught might fill you with terror, which makes it a perfectly perverse annual Halloween-week feature here at Stereogum. Here is this year's potentially frightening holiday rundown. Let's start with the album Stereogum's indie-leaning listeners are most likely to care about.
Caroline Polachek Phones It In For Angèle’s US TV Debut
Taylor Swift 3 hours ago Why Taylor Swift Is (Reportedly) ‘Furious’ About Those Wedding Photo Leaks cinemablend.com - Riley Utley • 3h It would seem she's got some bad blood now. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got married in Madison Square Garden on July 3.
Music Nerd Football Blog
Music Nerd Football Podcast Host Chris DeVille interviews musicians about their NFL fandom, sports, music, and whatever else comes up. A production of the Music Nerd Football Blog. Host Chris DeVille interviews musicians about their NFL fandom, sports, music, and whatever else comes up. A production of the Music Nerd Football Blog.
This Is The Kit – “Safety Valve” (Feat. Richard Dawson)
Kate Stables has been making thoughtful indie folk-rock as This Is The Kit for so long, and we can always count on her to deliver. She did so last month with "Skip A Stone," the lead single from new album Ghost Coat. The next single is a pensive duet with Richard Dawson titled "Safety Valve," and if you've paid attention to either of these artists over the years, the prospect of hearing them together is a must-click. This is a song dedicated to friends who come to your rescue. A helping hand.
My Chemical Romance Bow To Pressure From Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
My Chemical Romance are out on the road performing their 2006 classic The Black Parade for its 20th anniversary. As is the band's custom, the live show involves a great deal of pageantry, including a staged shootout involving fake Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders that took place at the Hollywood Bowl last Wednesday, then again on Thursday.
My Chemical Romance Bow To Pressure From Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
My Chemical Romance Bow To Pressure From Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders My Chemical Romance are out on the road performing their 2006 classic The Black Parade for its 20th anniversary. As is the band's custom, the live …
Album Of The Week: DIIV ZIRP!
DIIV showed up to work in their suits and ties. All throughout the campaign promoting their new album ZIRP! — in band photos, music videos, and even Zoom interviews — the members of the veteran indie band have been wearing some of the least fashionable business attire imaginable, an aesthetic frontman Cole Smith has described…
Sufjan Stevens Makes Rare Onstage Appearance, Readies New Christmas Song
For the past decade, Sufjan Stevens has not been a touring artist. After wrapping up his travels supporting Carrie & Lowell in 2016, Stevens gave two live performances in 2017 and two more in 2018, including his Oscars appearance. He hadn't been onstage again until last month. In the interim, he released six full-length albums, including the "proper" Sufjan LPs The Ascension and Javelin and various collaborative efforts and side projects.
evilgiane & Slimesito Announce New Album EVILSLIME 2 Out Friday: Hear “Georgia State”
Back in 2024, the influential Brooklyn rap producer and Surf Gang ringleader evilgiane (pictured) teamed up with Maryland rapper Slimesito for EVILSLIME, an 11-track project billed as an EP. This Friday they'll be back with EVILSLIME 2. We don't have many details on the new release yet, but we do have "Georgia State," the lead single. Produced by evilgiane and EERA, it's a dark, minimalist track with lots of ominous low end, and it lets every syllable from Slimesito shine through.
The Flaming Lips Announce First Post-Steven Drozd Album The Teardrop Throbs : Hear “God Will Control The Werewolves”
The Flaming Lips announced a new album today, the long-awaited follow-up to 2020's . is out in January, and it marks two important transitions for the band. For one thing, it's coming out on Jack White's Third Man Records, making it their first album since 1990's not to be released by Warner. Not only is this the Lips' first indie album in 37 years, it's their first without core member Steven Drozd since 1991's Hit To Death In The Future Head .
The National Members, John Legend Appearing At Ohio Rallies For Dr. Amy Acton
The National have always been game for campaigning on behalf of the Democratic Party, especially in their native Ohio. Among other efforts, the band famously lent their Boxer opener "Fake Empire" to Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008, and they played a benefit show for Obama's 2012 campaign in Columbus. Now two members of the band are throwing their efforts behind Dr. Amy Acton's campaign for governor and Sherrod Brown's effort to get back in the US Senate.
A$AP Rocky Accused Of Plagiarizing Part Of AI-Assisted “Shroom Clouds” Video
The road to A$AP Rocky's Don't Be Dumb was long and bumpy, and that's continuing with the rollout for a presumed deluxe edition. Way back in 2021, Rocky previewed a song called "Mushroom Clouds." On Oct. 19, that song re-emerged as "Shroom Clouds," a new single with reggie and Jeremih expected to appear on an upcoming deluxe edition of Don't Be Dumb. A police car in the "Shroom Clouds" video says "30 Oct 2026," so fans think Disc 2 will drop this Friday.
Jay-Z Speaks Out Against AI And Disputes Reports Of Soft Ticket Sales: “Question Everything”
You may have heard Jay-Z chose himself to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Though we're still awaiting official word from the NFL, it's all but confirmed, and it will represent the culmination of a year-long victory-lap campaign celebrating his own legacy. Jigga's been spending this year performing a handful of shows in massive venues, intentionally surveying the full scope of his career.
The Seahawks Are Still Finding Ways To Rein Ken Walker In
Sunday night in Seattle, the Seahawks once again held back Ken Walker III from reaching his full potential. This time, he wasn’t even on their team. Behind a fierce defensive showing and another virtuoso performance from wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle sent the Chiefs back to Kansas City with their first loss of the season, prevailing 20-3 to improve their own record to 4-3.
Bruiser Wolf & Conductor Williams – “Ain’t Got Time”
When the distinctive Detroit emcee Bruiser Wolf and the boom-bap producer Conductor Williams team up, you know exactly what you're going to get. New single "Ain't Got Time" supplies it in abundance. Over an understated soul loop that feels like a smoky room, Bruiser applies his cartoonish enunciation to a subject worthy of key inspiration Too $hort: He's got money, not time, and he doesn't care if you love him, he just wants you to fuck him.
Mark William Lewis – “Adrenaline”
We've made it to New Music Friday, which means Mark William Lewis, the baritone Briton who became the first signing to A24 Music, has released the deluxe edition of last year's self-titled album. The expanded album adds five bonus tracks, four of which are firmly in the "bonus track" zone: Power Snatch's cover of "Spit," a "Still Above" remix by Taylor Skye, a dub version of "Petals" by the Mad Professor, and a live cut of "Ugly" from New York's Cherry Lane Theatre.
Panchiko Announce New Album Chimera Feat. billy woods, Mei Semones, Clarion, & More
One of the great lost media stories of the past decade is Panchiko, a band of British teenagers playing post-Radiohead alt-rock circa Y2K, whose one CD-R, 2000's self-released D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L, was plucked from obscurity and developed a very young, very online fanbase in the late 2010s. The members of Panchiko, who had long since moved on with their lives, learned about their cult following in 2020 and eventually reformed the band, releasing the comeback album Ginkgo in 2024.
Kacey Musgraves Announces Middle Of Nowhere Vol. 2: Tex Mex Tapes : Hear Two Tracks
Kacey Musgraves redirected her focus to her small-town Texas roots on this year's excellent Middle Of Nowhere. One dimension of that exercise was an embrace of Tex-Mex sounds, including a dip into the regional Mexican subgenre Norteño on the Willie Nelson duet "Uncertain, TX" and performing shows with teenage mariachi musicians. Now she's diving all the way into that sound on a Middle Of Nowhere companion album. Out in January, Middle Of Nowhere Vol.
Kacey Musgraves Announces Middle Of Nowhere Vol. 2: Tex Mex Tapes: Hear Two Tracks
2 hours ago With four soldiers missing, Haiti’s new Gang Suppression Force, already off to a rocky start, is facing its first crisis. The skies above the slums and hills of Port-au-Prince are buzzing with helicopters. Some of them are manned by a team of Salvadoran soldiers, medics and technicians who fly with …
Adéla Makes Her Late Night TV Debut On Fallon
Arguably this year's biggest breakout pop star is Adéla. The Slovakian former ballerina and Dream Academy dropout is a dedicated student of the art of pop stardom, and her debut album Prima has spun off a pair of extremely fun slow-rolling hits, the soul-looped, spoken-word R&B jam "Nicole Kidman" and "Ain't In LA," more or less a clone of "We Can't Stop" by her childhood inspiration Miley Cyrus. The album tracks are worth hearing too.
Adéla Makes Her Late Night TV Debut On Fallon
7 hours ago Think ’90s-inspired staples you’ll wear on repeat. Since early September, I’ve had the ultra-catchy lyrics “Babygirl in control, I feel like Nicole” from Adéla’s viral hit Nicole Kidman looping in my head, and I’m not mad about it. The actress has been the talk of the town lately, and her fashion …
Charli XCX Cast In Martin Scorsese’s What Happens At Night Alongside Leonardo DiCaprio & Jennifer Lawrence
Alongside music guy John Cale and fashion guy Marc Jacobs, Martin Scorsese represented motion pictures on the cover of Charli XCX's new album Music, Fashion, Film. (Charli herself joins in on the special edition CD cover, viewable above.) Now he's added the pop star to the cast of his upcoming movie. Charli will add to her suddenly prolific list of acting roles by appearing in Scorsese's What Happens At Night, Variety reports.
Natalie Bergman Announces New EP I Killed A North American Songbird : Hear “White Oak”
Natalie Bergman from Wild Belle has been carving out a solo career in the 2020s. My Home Is Not In This World, her album for Third Man Records last year, presented an immensely pleasant blend of retro pop, soul, and folk sounds. It bodes well for I Killed A North American Songbird, the new EP she announced today — as if that title alone was not enough to pique your interest. The five-song project will be out in a couple weeks.
Daft Punk’s Iconic Pyramid Stage Is Becoming A LEGO Set
If you're looking for proof that adults comprise a significant portion of LEGO's customer base, here it is. Daft Punk have announced a partnership with the building block brand that will span "product, content, and brand experiences." Despite the corporate language accompanying the announcement, the partnership arose organically.
Westerman Announces New EP Reception : Hear “L/C”
If you liked A Jackal's Wedding, good news: Westerman is readying a companion release. The new four-song EP Reception is sourced from the Athens, Greece-based artist's sessions with producer Marta Salogni, but according to Westerman they differ from the main album in important ways. Here's his evocative explanation: These songs were recorded as part of a larger whole in winter on an island in the middle of Lake Iseo in a newly acquired building without heating, in the snow.
Being Dead – “Man Or Myth” & Aquarium”
Austin indie rockers Being Dead seem ready to follow up their breakout 2024 album EELS. The band is back today with news that they've signed to Polyvinyl Records, and although we don't have any news on an LP, they're sharing their first two songs for the label. "Man Or Myth" and "Aquarium" are prime examples of Being Dead's modern take on Summer Of Love psychedelia.
Brandon Flowers Debuts Solo Song “Diamonds On Black Velvet” That Was Cut From The Last Killers Album
When Brandon Flowers made a country solo album in Nashville, he did it with producers Jonathan Rado and Shawn Everett, the same guys who worked on the last two Killers albums, 2020's Imploding The Mirage and 2021's Pressure Machine. Those records saw the Killers lean into their heartland rock side, perhaps laying the groundwork for the path Flowers would walk down with Thrasher this year. Now, a song left over from those sessions has made its way into his solo show.
The Crew comes up just short in electrifying U.S. Open Cup final
2020 file photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons A trophy? For the Crew? In 2026? It almost happened. Wednesday night at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, Columbus came excruciatingly close to winning the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. In the final of America’s oldest domestic soccer tournament, the Crew played St. Louis City SC to a dead heat for 120 minutes.
Chris DeVille, Author at Matter News
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Dowsers – “Dogwood” & “Three Forks Of Cheat”
The new North Carolina/Illinois sextet Dowsers brings together members of some of the best bands in the experimental folk-rock underground. The personnel: Courtney Werner and Evan Morgan (Magic Tuber Stringband, Weirs), Austin Cash (solo artist, Nathan Smearage), Oliver Child-Lanning (Weirs, Sluice, Fust), James Gibian (Beak Trio), and Alli Rogers (Alli Blois). As a person who has blogged many an excited blog post about acts from that world, I was delighted to learn about this crew.
Ben Folds Five Announce Reunion Tour
Ben Folds Five are reuniting for their first tour in 14 years. The sardonic piano-rockers got together for a one-off hometown show at the storied North Carolina venue Cat's Cradle in 2023, but they haven't hit the road together since their last reunion tour wrapped up in 2013. The occasion for the outing would appear to be BFF's recent deluxe reissue of their 1995 debut album, though maybe Folds has more time on his hands since leaving the Kennedy Center last year.
Angine de Poitrine Announce Massive 2027 World Tour
Angine de Poitrine are the band of the moment, or at least band of the moment. The costumed microtonal math-rockers have a zany, eye-catching look and a sound to match, and their glow-up this past year — including a Polaris Prize win, the emergence of tribute bands, and encounters with the likes of Shania Twain — suggests they've been giving a lot of people something they didn't know they wanted.
Bassvictim Announce New Album Peace + War : Hear “White Flag”
The prolific UK duo Bassvictim continue to create mesmerizing music at the intersection of indie-sleaze-era electronics and twee bedroom pop. After showing off their softer side on this year's ? EP, they dropped the new single "Jagódki (Blueberries)" in September. It turns out that was the lead single from a new album dropping in two weeks. Peace + War spans 19 songs, an epic scope to go along with an epic title.
Wendy Eisenberg Releases Surprise New Companion Album Wweennddyy Eeiisseennbbeerrgg
Factoring in Wendy Eisenberg's solo material and various collaborations, their collected output is all over the map: from skronking rock to intimate folk, from pop structure to experimental abstraction. On their acclaimed self-titled album this year, Eisenberg leaned into their singer-songwriter side. But there's more than one way to approach those songs.
Album Of The Week: Josh Johnson Animative
I can't say how those embedded deep within the jazz world feel about it, but for outsiders like me, the genre has been going through an extremely exciting phase. All throughout this decade, the Chicago record label International Anthem has essentially functioned as an A24 for jazz, curating a dazzling array of prestige projects that...
claire rousay & zander raymond Announce New Album something good : Hear “can’t we have both”
Fun fact: If you subscribe to Thrill Jockey's Substack, you sometimes get to hear new music before anyone else. Last week the label quietly announced something good, a new album-length collaboration from LA "emo ambient" hero claire rousay and multi-disciplinary artist zander raymond, whose music shares rousay's interest in found sound and painfully gorgeous drone.
Dominic Fike Shares New Single “Pangea,” Earns First Top 10 Hit With 8-Year-Old “Babydoll”
Dominic Fike is in crunch time of the rollout for a new album, but like so many musical artists today, he's finding his greatest success from deep in his catalog. "Babydoll," a track from his 2018 EP Don't Forget About Me, Demos, caught a wave of popularity on TikTok this year and has since caught on at radio. Today the song rises to a new peak of #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Fike's first top 10 hit.
Hot Chip Announce New Album A Long Way From Kansas : Hear “Random Violence”
A new Hot Chip album? Wicked! More like The Wizard Of Oz, actually. The veteran British synth-pop greats will return in January with A Long Way From Kansas, their Dorothy-and-Toto-themed ninth LP. When it arrives, it will be the first Hot Chip album in almost five years, though they dropped the career-spanning comp Joy In Repetition last year and have stayed busy with their solo ventures. Beth Ditto and Eddie Chacon both guest on the new LP.
Hot Chip Announce New Album A Long Way From Kansas : Hear “Random Violence”
A new Hot Chip album? Wicked! More like The Wizard Of Oz, actually. The veteran British synth-pop greats will return in January with A Long Way From Kansas, their Dorothy-and-Toto-themed ninth LP. When it arrives, it will be the first Hot Chip album in almost five years, though they dropped the career-spanning comp Joy In Repetition last year and have stayed busy with their solo ventures. Beth Ditto and Eddie Chacon both guest on the new LP.
Charli XCX Brings Out Chappell Roan, PinkPantheress, & Adéla At The Forum, underscores Brings Out Jane Remover
Charli XCX spent the weekend playing two nights at the Forum in LA, and she brought along friends. Both Saturday and Sunday's shows featured special guests, with even the opening act getting in on the surprise cameo action. Halfway through Saturday's gig, Charli's 2025 Primavera co-headliner and "Apple" girl Chappell Roan manifested to sing early career hit "Boom Clap," the song's first appearance on this tour. Roan seemed like she was extremely happy to be there.
Worldpeace DMT’s Stick Around For Tea Is Not Your Father’s Laptop Twee
A band name like Worldpeace DMT comes with certain associations. When it first crossed my screen, I assumed the London duo made some kind of bleary-eyed art-school scumbag music. In reality, last year's debut album The Velvet Underground & Rowan was a sampledelic shout-along pop album that landed bandmates Leo Fincham and Rowan Miles on the vanguard of the so-called laptop twee movement.
Worldpeace DMT's 'Stick Around For Tea' Is Not Your Father's Laptop Twee
11 hours ago Veteran musician Billy Joel has revealed he's been banned from performing and he's selling off his beloved collection of motorbikes because he's "not allowed to drive" anymore since being diagnosed with neurological condition hydrocephalus.
Saya Gray, quickly, quickly, Aminé, & More Share New Songs For The Movie Version Of Colin Meloy’s Wildwood
The stop-motion animation studio LAIKA adapted Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy's youth novel Wildwood, set in a fantastical version of Portland, into a feature film. Last week, we heard "The Better Part Of Bravery," a new Decemberists song that plays over the end credits in the movie. That song will be on the official Wildwood soundtrack along with the original score by Dario Marianelli, all of which is dropping next Friday along with the movie.
Stream LA Power-Pop Band Exploding Flowers’ New Album Alphabet Window
Exploding Flowers is a cool band name, and fortunately it's not concealing an uncool band. On their new album Alphabet Window, out today via Spain's superb Meritorio Records, the veteran LA combo plays power-pop that will appeal to fans of the Chills, the Soft Boys, or the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, sometimes fuzzy but never less than crystal clear in its creative vision. The band name might imply a certain aggression, but this band's approach is more about careful contemplation and control.
DOJ Sues Scalper For Illegally Buying 18.5M Tickets — Including 7,624 To One Beyoncé Show
The name REPS & Co suddenly seems appropriate because those guys are going to need representation for their company. The San Diego-based ticket broker has been sued by the US Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission for allegedly profiting richly off of illegal scalping practices, The Hollywood Reporter reports. According to the lawsuit, REPS & Co executives violated federal laws to resell tickets for more than $120 million in profit.
The Story Behind Every Song On @’s New Album Autosmile
The Philadelphia duo @ have been beguiling listeners with their time-bending approach to folk music ever since forging their collaboration during the early days of the pandemic. With Autosmile, their second full-length and first for the storied 4AD label, they push their hypermodern yet timeless songcraft to new heights, exploring darker corners of their sound without ever losing sight of the light.
U2 Share “The Greatest Show On Earth,” Announce First 2027 Tour Dates
The last single we heard so far from U2's forthcoming Carnaval De Luz, "Silencio," was a crunchy rock song that suggested this band is still trying (and failing) to rewrite "Vertigo." Fortunately, their new one out today is not like that.
June McDoom – “Human Angel”
At the end of the week, after years of impressive EPs, New York's June McDoom will release her full-length debut album Follow The Light. She's thus far showed off her proclivity for dream-state folk via the singles "Without You" and "Get Out Of My Life." Now comes "Human Angel," a song that merges acoustic balladry with regal Kate Bush sophistipop and a subtly kicking drum part that makes the most out of stuttering syncopation and breakbeat-worthy fills.
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