Tunde Adebimpe, the multi-hyphenate talent and critically acclaimed lead singer of the renowned band TV on the Radio, has announced his long awaited debut solo album. Thee Black Boltz will be released on April 18th via Sub Pop Records. The album is produced by Tunde Adebimpe & Wilder Zoby, and executive produced by Zoby, with additional production and contributions from Jaleel Bunton & Jahphet Landis (of TV on the Radio), and more. Showcasing his unique voice and visionary soundscapes, Thee Black Boltz is a nod to Adebimpe’s propensity to write and sing about the human condition – in all its forms, under all its stressors, both big and small. Thee Black Boltz is available for pre-order HERE.
Today, Adebimpe has shared the album’s vivid and introspective “Drop,” produced by Jahphet Landis. The song begins with beatboxing before its lyrics question: “ But will I feel it when I drop? / Restless hours / The ticking of a clock / On my life / And my life’s just a dot / On a timeline / And my soul / Is fading tonight.”
Thee Black Boltz is not a TV On The Radio album. But in a lot of ways, the excitement of doing something on his own for the first time ignited a similar spark in him as during the early TV On The Radio days. The songwriting process is the same, he says, but with his TVOTR bandmates, Adebimpe knows he doesn’t always have to complete his ideas. “I’ve been doing this thing with this group of people for so long, that I can just have a vague sketch of a concept and I know Jaleel or Kyp will have five brilliant ideas on where it can go,” he says. “But for Thee Black Boltz, I didn’t have that scaffolding to hang on. That was both terrifying and exhilarating.”
At the heart of the album is its title. It is his response to the macro unease of a post-pandemic world careening towards violent authoritarianism and the personal grief that has come from loss in recent years, specifically the sudden passing of his younger sister while making it. Thee Black Boltz is Adebimpe’s desperate grasping of small moments of joy amidst the dissonance and sadness, any way he can. Making this album, he says, was his way of processing everything: “It was my way of building a rock or a platform for myself in the middle of this fucking ocean.”
And thus, Thee Black Boltz. As he writes in his notebook, “The sparks of inspiration/motivation / hope that flash up in the midst of (and sometimes as a result of) deep grief, depression or despair. Sort of like electrons building up in storm clouds clashing until they fire off lightning and illuminate a way out, if only for a second.”
“Also,” he adds. “it’s a good name for a cool metal band, and I think that most people would describe me as akin to a very cool metal band.”
Sub Pop has teamed up with long-running Canadian punk icons Fucked Up for a 7” single featuring two brand new, exclusive songs. “Disabuse” and “Self Driving Man” are light-speed cuts of pure hardcore from Fucked Up. These tracks leap out of the speakers, bearing the indelible stamps of Pacific Northwest punk legends Poison Idea’s 1990 anti-oppression anthem “Discontent” and Japanese punk masters Paintbox’s “The Door.” Sitting at the chaotic crossroads of punk, hardcore, and grunge, the two songs are perfectly suited for a Sub Pop single, and there’s even a limited-edition alternate sleeve based on Poison Idea’s classic 1990 Sub Pop Singles Club 7”.
“Disabuse,” out now on all DSPs, is a song, Damian, the band’s singer, wrote for his daughter, who experienced bullying and intimidation. The B-side, “Self Driving Man,” wrestles the out-of-control automation of our world onto the pavement and into the abyss of faceless progress.
This 7” is now available for pre-order at megamart.subpop.com, Bandcamp, and all music retailers. The 7” is on emerald vinyl and includes a lyric sheet. Fans ordering directly from Sub Pop and the band can choose between the standard jacket or the limited alternate sleeve. Or they can - and should - order both!
On February 14th, 2025, Father John Misty’s I Love You, Honeybear, his internationally acclaimed second album, will be available as a single LP for its 10th anniversary along with a digital-only companion release of demos that were initially released on cassette in 2015. The digital companion piece (“I Love You, Honeybear Demos, etc.” ) also includes a solo acoustic performance of Nirvana’s ”Heart Shaped Box” recorded for SiriusXM during the …Honeybear cycle. While his excellent debut, Fear Fun, would “introduce” the world to the singer and songwriter, it was the love and brutal honesty showcased in I Love You, Honeybear that would elevate Father John Misty’s career. The album became his most successful release to date.
Tillman wrote the following for the album’s release: “I Love You, Honeybear is a concept album about a guy named Josh Tillman who spends quite a bit of time banging his head against walls, cultivating weak ties with strangers, and generally avoiding intimacy at all costs. This all serves to fuel a version of himself that his self-loathing narcissism can deal with. We see him engaging in all manner of regrettable behavior…
“My ambition, aside from making an indulgent, soulful, and epic sound worthy of the subject matter, was to address the sensuality of fear, the terrifying force of love, the unutterable pleasures of true intimacy, and the destruction of emotional and intellectual prisons in my own voice. Blammo” (Read full bio here).
Father John Misty’s I Love You, Honeybear debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It appeared on over 70 year-end lists for 2015, with “Album of the Year” honors from the likes of PASTE, Time Out New York, Under The Radar, GQ (UK), and Drowned in Sound with additional Top 20 placements from the likes of Billboard, Pitchfork, Stereogum, Exclaim, BBC, The Guardian, Entertainment Weekly, and Rolling Stone. The album would also earn “Best of the Decade” notices from the likes of Pitchfork, PASTE, NME, Aquarium Drunkard, and Consequence of Sound. Last week, I Love You, Honeybear made Rolling Stone’s The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century list.
The success of Father John Misty’s I Love You, Honeybear led to incredible late-night performances of album tracks “Bored in the USA” on The Late Show with David Letterman, “True Affection” on Late Night with Seth Meyers, “Chateau Lobby (#4 For Two Virgins)” on Later…with Jools Holland, “I Love You, Honeybear” on Conan, “The Ideal Husband” on Jimmy Kimmel Live’s outdoor stage, and “Holy Shit” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Father John Misty also earned a 2016 Brit Award nomination for “Best International Male Solo Artist” alongside Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and The Weeknd.
I Love You, Honeybear single LP edition is available to preorder worldwide from Sub Pop. LP preorders from Sub Pop Mega Mart in North America, Mega Mart 2 in the UK and EU, Father John Misty’s Official Website, and select independent retailers worldwide will receive the limited Loser edition on Pearlescent Red vinyl. There is also a Coke Bottle Clear vinyl available in Canada (all vinyl colors available while stock lasts!). As for the aforementioned I Love You, Honeybear demos, those will also be available on all DSPs on February 14th.
Also in February, Father John Misty will begin his international headline touring in support of Mahashmashana, his acclaimed new album from 2024, which begins February 12th in Chattanooga, TN at The Signal and runs through Wednesday, April 16th in London, UK at eartH Theatre (Rough Trade Outstore).
February 2025 North American Dates Wed. Feb. 12 - Chattanooga, TN - The Signal (FJM Only) Thu. Feb. 13 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern * [Sold Out] Fri. Feb. 14 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium * [Sold Out] Sat. Feb. 15 - Louisville, KY - Old Forester’s Paristown Hall * [Sold Out] Mon. Feb. 17 - Columbus, OH - Kemba Live! * Tue. Feb. 18 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore * Wed. Feb. 19 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE * Fri. Feb. 21 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall * [Sold Out] Sat. Feb. 22 - Boston, MA - MGM * Sun. Feb. 23 - Kingston, NY - Ulster Performing Arts Center * [Sold Out] Tue. Feb. 25 - Brooklyn, NY - Kings Theatre * [Sold Out] Wed. Feb 26 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre* Fri. Feb. 28 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia * [Sold Out] Sat. Mar. 01 - Washington, DC - The Anthem *
* w/ Destroyer
April 2025 UK/EU Dates Thu. Apr. 03 - Oslo, NO - Sentrum Scene + [Sold Out] Fri. Apr. 04 - Stockholm, SE - Fållan + Sat. Apr. 05 - Copenhagen, DK - Copenhagen Opera House + [Sold Out] Sun. Apr. 06 - Berlin, DE - Huxley’s + Tue. Apr. 08 - Paris, FR - La Cigale + [Sold Out] Wed. Apr. 09 - Brussels, BE - Ancienne Belgique + Thu. Apr. 10 - Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg + [Sold Out] Sat. Apr. 12 - Edinburgh, UK - Usher Hall + [Sold Out] Sun. April. 13 - Liverpool, UK - Jacaranda Records Outstore [Sold Out] Sun. Apr. 13 - Manchester, UK - O2 Apollo Manchester + [Sold Out] Mon. Apr. 14 - Brighton, UK - Concorde 2 (Outstore) [Sold Out] Mon. Apr. 14 - Brighton, UK - Brighton Dome + [Sold Out] Tue. Apr. 15 - London, UK - Royal Albert Hall + [Sold Out] Wed. Apr. 16 - London, UK - eartH Theatre (Rough Trade Outstore) [Sold Out] Sun. Jun 22 - Leeds, UK - O2 Academy Leeds Mon. Jun. 23 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City Wed. Jun. 25 - Gateshead, UK - Glasshouse International Centre for Music Thu. Jun. 26 - Cambridge, UK - Corn Exchange Fri. Jun. 27 - Liverpool, UK - L’Olympia Sat. Aug. 23 - Galway, Ireland - Leisureland Sun. Aug. 24 - Dublin, Ireland - Collins Barracks (Wider Than Pictures) Tue. Aug. 25 - Belfast, UK - Ulster Hall Wed. Aug. 26 - Cork, Ireland - Cork City Hall Thu. Aug. 28 - Glasgow, UK - Barrowland Sat. Aug 30 - Birmingham, UK - Moseley Folk & Arts Festival Aug. 28 - 31 - Dorset, UK - End of the Road Festival
+ w/ Butch Bastard
Mahashmashana and its singles have also seen placement on “Best of 2024” lists from the likes of The New Yorker, Variety, The Ringer, Vogue, Under the Radar, Uproxx, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, The AV Club, PASTE, Consequence of Sound, PopMatters, GQ (UK), Philadelphia Inquirer, Pitchfork, New York Times, and more. Recently, Tillman sat for an interview with The Jokermen Podcast, which you can listen to here.
On March 28th, Bria Salmena will release her debut solo album Big Dog on CD/LP/DSP, with Royal Mountain in Canada and Sub Pop for the remainder of the world. Big Dog chronicles a story of transformation–a deeply personal exploration of resilience and a declaration of artistic independence forged through collaboration.
Long celebrated as the frontwoman of Canadian post-punk outfit FRIGS and as a vocalist in Orville Peck’s band, Salmena culminates her artistic evolution on Big Dog. Anchored by her commanding voice—alternately tender, raw, and defiant—the album traverses the terrain of vulnerability and connection, marking the arrival of an artist boldly coming into her own.
Big Dog’s sound hovers between worlds, it takes elements of hypnotic krautrock and shimmery shoegaze, opulent goth and pulsing darkwave, with a smearing of electronic textures for a sophisticated and often uncanny sound. Amidst this vast sonic landscape, Salmena’s potent lyrical imagery and vocals stand dead center, perfectly in focus.
Today, you can watch the captivating new video for the debut single “Stretch the Struggle”, directed by Gennelle Cruz & David May. Throughout the video, we are struck by its rebellious nature and the immediacy and power of Salmena’s performance. The surveillance motif that runs throughout the video mirrors Salmena’s own personal reckoning as she confronts the truths necessary to break free from what no longer serves her. Click here to watch.
For Salmena, it is impossible to unlink the personal journey represented by Big Dog from the collaborative relationships that went into its creation. Salmena worked with producer and multi-instrumentalist Duncan Hay Jennings in both FRIGS and Orville Peck’s band. Jennings, who is not only Salmena’s closest creative collaborator but also her closest friend, wrote Big Dog with Salmena over several years, during which Salmena was based in LA and Jennings in Toronto. Before Big Dog, the two gave classic and modern Americana songs a goth-y dream pop treatment on Salmena’s Cuntry Covers EPs.
Graham Walsh (Holy F**k, METZ, Debby Friday, Alvvays) helped the pair further refine their budding mix of rock and electronic music, while Meg Remy (of critically acclaimed experimental pop project U.S. Girls) focused primarily on Salmena’s vocals. Remy helped coax out the unforgettable performances that lie at the center of Big Dog through a series of cathartic meetings, pushing Salmena to dig even more deeply into the meaning of her lyrics and really think about different ways of using her voice. As Big Dog came together, it became apparent that Salmena’s songwriting had taken a raw and intimate turn, going well beyond her and Jennings’ work on their prior EPs. Big Dog features additional contributions from alternative rock icon Lee Ranaldo, who contributes guitar on the song “See’er.”
Salmena has announced an initial run of headline tour dates for 2025; see below for a full list of North American dates—further dates to be announced. Tickets will be on sale on January 17 (10 AM local time) and available via Bria Salmena’s official website.
Tour Dates Wed. Apr. 02 - San Diego, CA - Casbah Fri. Apr. 04 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy + Harriet’s Sat. Apr. 05 - San Francisco, CA - Make Out Room Tue. Apr. 08 - Seattle, WA - Madame Lou’s Wed. Apr. 09 - Portland, OR - Swan Dive Fri. Apr. 11 - Visilia, CA - Cellar Door Sat. Apr. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room Fri. Apr. 25 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Lounge Sat. Apr. 26 - Kingston, NY - Tubby’s Sun. Apr. 27 - New York, NY - Baby’s All Right Tue. Apr. 29 - Baltimore, ML - Metro Baltimore Wed. Apr. 30 - Richmond, VA - The Camel Thu. May 01 - Nashville, TN - The Blue Room Fri. May 02 - Cincinnati, OH - Southgate House Revival Sat. May 03 - Chicago, IL - Hideout Wed. May 07 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz PDB Fri. May 09 - Toronto, ON - The Great Hall
Big Dog is now available to pre-order from Sub Pop. LP pre-orders from the Sub Pop Mega Mart (North America), Mega Mart 2 (UK/EU), and independent retailers worldwide (excl CA) will receive the album on Orchid Vinyl.
More about Bria Salmena’s Big Dog:
Big Dog is a record of big emotions and big ambitions. Musically, it hovers between two worlds, gritty punk honesty always simmering below gleaming atmospherics, impossible to ignore. There are alternative rock touchstones—you’ll hear Live Through This, Kate Bush, Mazzy Star —and one genuine alternative rock icon in Lee Ranaldo, who contributes guitar to “See’er.” But there’s also a sleekness that’s just as much a callback to ‘80s coldwave as it is to ecstatic forms of dance music. The split effect can be eerie, as on the clanging “Rags,” a song that seems to groan and shimmer. It can be soothing as on the fractured pop song “Hammer,” Big Dog’s one true love song. Or it can be both at the same time as on the Mazzy Star-esque “Twilight,” the oldest song on the record and one that features a stripped back sound foregrounding its sense of naivety and surrender.
Salmena’s rich voice is ever-present, a constant warm glow within a mesh of mechanical sounds. It’s ever-present and impossible to ignore, whether Salmena is angelically harmonizing with herself, murmuring in her lowest registers, or pushing herself into an uncomfortable falsetto and staying there. “I just need it, need it, need it,” she repeats on “Stretch the Struggle,” a song about being suspended in that anguished moment between realizing something needs to go and actually letting it go, her voice slowly becoming subsumed in pulsing electronic beats and bubbling synths.
At its core, Big Dog is more than just a record about discovering who you are by processing painful experiences. It’s a record about discovering that you are never really alone.
Bria Salmena Big Dog
Track Listing: 1. Drastic 2. Backs of Birds 3. Closer to You 4. Hammer 5. Radisson 6. Twilight 7. On the Line 8. Stretch the Struggle 9. Rags 10. See’er 11. Peanut 12. Water Memory
Beginning January 13th in Fargo, ND, Alan Sparhawk of Low will embark on a mammoth run of dates supporting his acclaimed 2024 album, White Roses, My God, with newly announced shows in Australia from Feb 13th- Feb 15th. The January run will feature an opening performance from Circuit des Yeux.
White Roses, My God received praise from Stereogum, Pitchfork, Clash, MOJO, Uncut, The Line of Best Fit, Under The Radar, Brooklyn Vegan and The New York Times. The album was also #1 in Electronic Sound Magazine’s 2024 Albums of the Year.
North America: Mon. Jan 13 - Fargo, ND - The Aquarium @ Wed. Jan 15 Bozeman, MT - The Rialto @ Fri. Jan 17- Seattle, WA - The Crocodile @ Sat. Jan 18- Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios @ Mon. Jan 20- San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall @ Tue. Jan 21- Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room @ Wed. Jan 22- San Diego, CA - The Casbah @ Fri. Jan 24- Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge @ Sat. Jan 25- Denver, CO - Bluebird @
Australia: Fri. Feb. 13 - Sydney, AUS - Oxford Art Factory Sat. Feb. 14 - Brisbane, AUS - Crowbar Sun. Feb. 15 - Melbourne, AUS - Northcote Social Club
Europe/ UK: Fri. Feb. 21 - Zurich, Switzerland - Bogen F Sat. Feb. 22 - Geneva, Switzerland - Antigel Festival Mon. Feb. 24 - Munich, Germany - Ampere Tue. Feb. 25 - Berlin, Germany - Lido Thu. Feb. 27 - Paris, France - Petit Bain Fri. Feb. 28 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix Club Sun. Mar. 2 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Doornroosje (Red Room) Mon. Mar. 3 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso Wed. Mar. 5 - Brighton, United Kingdom - Chalk Thu. Mar. 6 - Bristol, United Kingdom - The Lantern (Bristol Beacon) Fri. Mar. 7 - Manchester, United Kingdom - Band on the Wall Sat. Mar. 8 - Glasgow, United Kingdom - Room 2
North America:
Wed. Mar. 26 - Bloomington, IN - The Bishop Thu. Mar. 27 - Knoxville, TN - Big Ears Festival Sat. Mar. 29 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl Mon. Mar. 31- Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle Back Room Tue. Apr. 1 - Washington, DC - Atlantis Fri. Apr. 02 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere Thu. Apr. 03 - Boston, MA - Sinclair Fri. Apr. 04 - Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom Sat. Apr. 05 - Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA Mon. Apr. 07 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tue. Apr. 08 - Detroit, MI - Loving Touch Wed. Apr. 09 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall Thu. Apr. 10 - Minneapolis, MN - First Ave (w/ Mount Eerie) Fri. Apr. 11 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall (w/ Mount Eerie)=
Europe/ UK Wed. May 28 - Liverpool, UK - Arts Club Thu. May 29 - London, UK - EartH Fri. May 30 - Portsmouth, UK - Wedgewood Rooms Sat. May 31 - Utrecht, Netherlands - TivoliVredenBurg (Cloud Nine) Mon. Jun. 02 - Turin, Italy - Spazio211 Tue. Jun. 03 - Rome, Italy - Largo Venue Wed. Jun. 04 - Bologna, Italy - Express Festival (Locomotiv Club) Thu. Jun. 05 - Milan, Italy - Unaltrofestival - Magnolia Sat. Jun. 07 - Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Festival Mon. Jun. 09 - Madrid, Spain - Sala El Sol Wed. Jun. 12 - Porto, Portugal - Primavera Festival Tue. Aug. 05 - Copenhagen, DenMar.k - Lille Vega Mon. Aug. 11- Cambridge, UK - Jun.ction 2 Tue. Aug. 12- Newcastle, UK - The Cluny Wed. Aug. 13- Nottingham, UK - Rescue Rooms Thu. Aug. 14- Norwich, UK - Norwich Arts Centre
@ Circuit des Yeux
“‘Get Still’ is built from synthetic pieces — deep sub-bass, electronic drums, Alan Sparhawk’s voice so heavily Auto-Tuned that it no longer sounds recognizably human. In its gooey melody, you can still hear some ghost of Low’s beauty. Here, Sparhawk pushes the electronic explorations of Low’s late-period records way beyond reason, finding something weird and powerful in the process.“Get Still” is built from synthetic pieces — deep sub-bass, electronic drums, Alan Sparhawk’s voice so heavily Auto-Tuned that it no longer sounds recognizably human. In its gooey melody, you can still hear some ghost of Low’s beauty. Here, Sparhawk pushes the electronic explorations of Low’s late-period records way beyond reason, finding something weird and powerful in the process.” - STEREOGUM
“…the distorted vocals were put through T C Helicon C-1 hard pitch pedal, and the disorienting results are surreal, but also intensely emotive. You’re left with the sense of someone grappling with absence, the space in his life leaving a colossal void; somehow, amidst all this, Alan Sparhawk is still moving forwards, and the will to continue make ‘Get Still’ a gripping experience.” - CLASH
“…this is a record that ultimately finds Sparhawk turning pain into a kind of spiritual beauty”-Uncut ‘Album of the Month’
“…viscerally inventive within its closed sound world: snaking, slurred, and often anarchically fun.”- Pitchfork
“Like almost everything Sparhawk creates, it is beautiful, but also very heavy, as you might expect, with grief at its core.”- Brooklyn Vegan
“White Roses, My God is a glance at Sparhawk’s musical sketchbook that’s somehow both unrehearsed and constructed with care, enjoyable and unknowable, as transient as it is profound. It may be somewhat unexpected in form, but its compelling content should come as no surprise” - Under the Radar
“…minimalist and elegiac, at once teasing, fracturing, and stumbling upon emotions through the means of vocal manipulation and technological rigidity ” -Our Culture
“Made by Sparhawk entirely on his own, White Roses is the sound of someone searching for his voice, a new way to articulate the love they shared and all that is missed.” - The Quietus
Alan Sparhawk White Roses, My God
Tracklisting: 1. Get Still 2. I Made This Beat 3. Not the 1 4. Can U Hear 5. Heaven 6. Brother 7. Black Water 8. Feel Something 9. Station 10. Somebody Else’s Room 11. Project 4 Ever
