Amen Dunes – the project of New York City-based Damon McMahon – releases “Round the World,” the centerpiece of new album, Death Jokes, out May 10th via Sub Pop, and announces a summer North American tour. “Round the World” is the album’s nine minute penultimate track and follows the “delicately lilting stunner” (PAPER) “Purple Land” and “Boys,” “an exciting step forward for Amen Dunes” (FADER). The video sees McMahon collaborating again with director Steven Brahms, who also directed the videos for Freedom’s “Believe” and “Miki Dora.”
“A daring turn in a different direction” (NPR Music) for Amen Dunes, Death Jokes marks his first record since 2018’s Freedom (named a “best album of the decade” by Pitchfork). Death Jokes is a major departure, an ambitious electronic album that sees McMahon immersing himself in the electronic music he’d grown up with at raves and clubs but never imagined himself able to make. For the first time since the project’s incarnation in 2006, the spiritual reflections and meditations of Amen Dunes are turned away from himself and out sharply towards the world. Through samples and lyrics, the album plays like a scathing electronic essay on America’s culture of violence, dominance, and destructive individualism.
“Round the World” began to take shape with McMahon recording a voice memo in winter 2019 as he sang along to an improvised piano arrangement. The vocal came almost in full and was based around nine minutes of a constantly changing piano arrangement which took weeks to notate. McMahon couldn’t easily perform the piano part and tried to hire two different pianists to record it, but they weren’t able or willing. What first sounds like a heartbreak ballad — “Made up my mind/ I give up on you” — later warps into a ghostly dirge — “This world’s on fire/ Nothing seems true.” The haunted refrains of “round the world, round the world” and “let it rattle, let it rattle” sounded prophetic a few months later, when the pandemic took over around the world. The rest of the song features numerous samples, including a collection of Chilean protest recordings from the coup in 1973, a mash-up of Coil with Bill Monroe, Fairlight CMI string and horn, a slowed-down UK Garage track, and others. Country and folk music subtly appear throughout Death Jokes, and this song’s melody comes almost directly, and unconsciously, from the traditional song “There’s a Hole in the Bucket.”
One afternoon in July 2022 there was a massive thunderstorm in Woodstock, during which McMahon wrote and recorded the album’s title track, “Poor Cops,” and the final two minutes of “Round the World” all three of which contain the most significant samples on the record and speak most directly to the meaning of the album, which McMahon recently reflected on in the statement that follows:
Everybody wants everything to come so easily.
Everybody wants to be comfortable, but they’re so uncomfortable.
We have so much of everything that it means nothing.
We take so much that we get nothing at all.
Some of us find a way to have our voices heard, but most of us are just being used.
You think they’re hearing you, but they’re not.
You say be yourself, but you won’t break the rules.
Poor cops, don’t let them tell you what to do.
You would punch a lot harder if you stopped being so cynical.
Fuck when you fuck, punch when you punch, love when you say you love.
We talk about wanting inclusion, but we shout about it while we hide in our cells.
We talk about being manipulated, but we do so using their methods and means.
They want us to feel like we are heard, so they encourage us to attack each other.
They tell us self-obsession is self-expression.
You say no one cares about you, but you don’t care about them.
My songs are all death jokes, and will long outlive me.
They remind me not to take myself too seriously.
I barely wrote them anyway. So who am I kidding?
And when I break the rules and speak honestly to you because I love you, that joke might get me killed too.
There is more that’s tragic than what you think is tragic.
Wake up, live in love.
You say life is hard, but it’s a joke.
The world is not about to end, in fact it’s just beginning.
Following select shows in May and a summer tour of the UK and Europe, Amen Dunes will return to the US for an appearance at Pitchfork Music Festival in July and then embark on a North American tour in August. A full list of dates is below and tickets are on sale this Friday at 10am ET.
Today, musician and actress Suki Waterhouse releases “My Fun” and “Faded,” a pair of sparkling new tunes that are out now worldwide on all DSPs from Sub Pop.
“My Fun” is an exuberant, Stones-y pop jam, while “Faded” is a sweet midtempo ballad, and each features colorful, stop motion-style animation visuals from Callum Scott-Dyson (Iron & Wine’s “Anyone’s Game”).
Callum says, “We went with a vibrant, fun, and choppy card cut stop motion animated style for these two videos, inspired by Monty Python and other great cut-out animators. I really enjoyed making them and working with Suki. The songs had a nice differentiation in vibe, so I went with super saturated and bright for ‘My Fun;’ and then a little more washed out for ‘Faded.’”
“My Fun” was composed by Suki Waterhouse, Natalie Findlay, and Jules Apollinaire, with lyrics by Waterhouse and Findlay, and produced by Apollinaire. “Faded” was composed by Waterhouse, Raj Jain, and Peter Labberton, with lyrics by Waterhouse and Jain, and produced by Jain, Labberton, Eli Hirsch, and apob. Both songs were mixed by Blue May and mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis Studios.
“My Fun” and “Faded” will be on her forthcoming album, due out later this year.
Suki Waterhouse will perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this Friday, April 12th, closing out the Gobi Stage at 10:30 pm. She will play again on Friday, April 19th (set time and stage TBD).
Later this summer, she’ll appear at Seattle’s Day In Day Out on Saturday, July 13th.
Suki Waterhouse has been working nonstop as a musician since the 2022 release of her Sub Pop debut, I Can’t Let Go. She followed the album with the standalone single and official video for “Nostalgia” and the Milk Teeth EP (featuring the Gold-certified single “Good Looking,” which went viral on TikTok and peaked at #1 on Spotify’s Viral USA Chart). In 2023, Suki released the single and official video for “To Love,” the song “Everyday’s A Lesson in Humility,” a summery collaboration with Belle and Sebastian, and in August, joined Local Natives on a reimagining of their single, “NYE.”
Last year, Suki played to some of the largest crowds of her career in South America (Lollapalooza in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile), the US (Governor’s Ball, Ohana, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits Festivals), and Mexico (at Corona Capital). Suki also starred as Karen Sirko in “Daisy Jones & The Six,” the Emmy-nominated Amazon Prime Video limited series based on the popular book by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Please join us in celebrating these winning Losers!
Hundreds of impressive applications came across our virtual desks this year, which made finding our Loser Winners no easy task. Our Looser Chooser (TM) scholarship committee spent hours reading through an exceptional bunch of applications and at the end of a very difficult decision-making process, the committee has come up with three ultramega-OK, life-affirming scholarship winners. Congratulations to the winners and a huge, heartfelt thanks to all who took the time to apply, you have inspired us beyond belief!
In no particular order, we are thrilled to present our Loser Scholarship winners:
Lilianna from Richland, WA’s application stood out to us due her dedication to her community. From starting a charity with her mom (shoutout to the Little Fence of Hope!) to pursuing a student teaching internship, Lilianna has been positively impacting her community from a young age and has inspired us all. As if that wasn’t enough, her artwork is amazing as well! We’re so happy people like you exist in the world. Give it up for this Loser!
Hayden is a producer and rapper from Portland, OR. We could feel Hayden’s love of music radiating from the tracks he sent us. We were blown away by how much he does: rapping, producing, directing, acting, writing, etc. His passion was evident by the track by track descriptions he sent us in addition to his essay. We can’t wait to see how far his drive and creativity takes him. Congrats Loser!
Elliott is a musician and visual artist from Camas, WA. We loved hearing how Elliott was inspired by the local music scene in his area. We thought his visual art, inspired by punk zines, was absolutely killer. We were psyched to hear that Elliott is running a school-wide talent show in hopes of fostering a community of “Losers” at his school. We have no doubt that Elliott has a bright future ahead of him. We’re thrilled to call him a Loser Winner!
For those losers who didn’t win this year, thanks for playing, we loved your applications too, and know many of you will go on to inspire us in your future endeavors.
Sub Pop is currently accepting resumes from energetic, responsible, detail-oriented, and dependable candidates for a Full-time sales clerk, mornings (6 am start time/benefits) and a Part-time sales clerk, nights and weekends (temp) at our terribly impressive store at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. This guy.
Responsibilities include:
• Greeting and assisting customers in a friendly manner. • Full compliance with Sea-Tac operation rules and strict TSA regulations and restrictions. • Efficient handling of cash and credit card transactions. • Ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively. • Availability to work nights, weekends, and holidays. • Assisting in organizing and restocking the store. • Maintaining the general appearance of the store. • Contributing to the team retail effort by accomplishing related tasks as needed.
Qualified candidates will have:
• Previous experience in the retail environment. • Knowledge of the Sub Pop catalog, Pacific Northwest music, the Seattle music community, and the City of Seattle. • A friendly and enthusiastic disposition with customers and staff. • Strong and clear communication skills. • A general understanding of retail Point of Sale systems. • Flexibility in schedule and willingness to work early or late hours.
Store hours 7am-9 pm everyday / 6 am-9 pm starting June 1st
Salary: $20.00 an hour
Benefits: Competitive pay, flexible scheduling, paid time off, holiday pay, store discount, growth opportunities, and more!
Weyes Blood is sharing a new video for “Andromeda” from her acclaimed 2019 album on Sub Pop Titanic Rising in celebration of the album’s five-year anniversary.
The long-lost video was partially filmed in 2018 and wasn’t completed until 2024. Directed by Natalie Mering, Ambar Navarro, and Colton Stock. “Andromeda” stars Mering in multiple dimensions - as an astronaut and a mysteriously omniscient alien riding a meteor.
“Andromeda” is from Titanic Rising, Weyes Blood’s massively acclaimed 4th album, which ended up on over 100 year-end critics lists in 2019 and would further receive “Best of the Decade” inclusion from the likes of The AV Club, Brooklyn Vegan, PASTE, Pitchfork, and Uproxx. Titanic Rising has sold over 157k (consumption) since release, with “Andromeda” being streamed over 80 million times, making it Weyes Blood’s most popular track to date. Watch her Glastonbury performance of “Andromeda” filmed for BBC Music now.
Weyes Blood’s most recent release is the equally acclaimed 2022 album And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, also available now from Sub Pop.
Praise for Weyes Blood’s Titanic Rising: “Titanic Rising is a revelation.” ★★★★★ - MOJO
“She combats dread through empathetic songs that are propelled by a masterful understanding of lush, ’70s pop harmonics.” “The 200 Best Albums of 2010s” - Pitchfork
“For someone with a documented predilection for idiosyncrasy and experimentation, she sounds completely at ease in these songs, and ready for bigger things ahead.” “#1/The 50 Best Albums of 2019” - PASTE
“It’s a beautiful and potent mix, one Mering deftly subverts with hints of madness.” “25 Best Albums of 2019” - NPR Music
This past weekend, musician and actress Suki Waterhouse made her Coachella debut, headlining the Gobi Stage to a massive crowd of adoring fans. She premiered new songs live, delivered a spot-on Oasis cover, and even gave an adorable gender reveal on stage. You can now watch a live performance of “Faded,” her new song released last week worldwide on Sub Pop.
Of her Coachella set, Billboard said, “…She was embedded in one of the more luxurious sets the Gobi tent has likely ever seen (the aesthetic could perhaps best be described as “English teatime in the park”). In addition to performing fan-favorite tracks like “Johanna” and “Nostalgia” as well as newer songs like “Faded” and “OMG,” the singer-songwriter surprised the crowd by debuting a pitch-perfect cover of Oasis‘ “Don’t Look Back in Anger” so solid even the Brothers Gallagher themselves may have approved.”
Suki Waterhouse will perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, again closing out the Gobi Stage on Friday, April 19th.
Suki Waterhouse’s “Faded” was released with the ebullient “My Fun” late last week. Teen Vogue called the songs “vibey, summery, and chilled.” Rolling Stone said “‘My Fun’ is a laidback spring stunner, while ‘Faded’ is a mellow rocker backed by acoustic and strings. It features one hell of an opening from Waterhouse.” Meanwhile, PASTE included “My Fun” in its “Best New Songs” column, saying, “Beached out and carefree, Suki’s feel-good lyrics gleam through the bubblegum-sweet production.”
“My Fun” was composed by Suki Waterhouse, Natalie Findlay, and Jules Apollinaire, with lyrics by Waterhouse and Findlay, and produced by Apollinaire. “Faded” was composed by Waterhouse, Raj Jain, and Peter Labberton, with lyrics by Waterhouse and Jain, and produced by Jain, Labberton, Eli Hirsch, and apob. Both songs were mixed by Blue May and mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis Studios. “My Fun” and “Faded” will be on her forthcoming album, due out later this year.
Later this summer, she’ll appear at Seattle’s Day In Day Out on Saturday, July 13th.
Suki Waterhouse has been working nonstop as a musician since the 2022 release of her Sub Pop debut, I Can’t Let Go. She followed the album with the standalone single and official video for “Nostalgia” and the Milk Teeth EP (featuring the Gold-certified single “Good Looking,” which went viral on TikTok and peaked at #1 on Spotify’s Viral USA Chart). In 2023, Suki released the single and official video for “To Love,” the song “Everyday’s A Lesson in Humility,” a summery collaboration with Belle and Sebastian, and in August, joined Local Natives on a reimagining of their single, “NYE.”
Last year, Suki played to some of the largest crowds of her career in South America (Lollapalooza in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile), the US (Governor’s Ball, Ohana, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits Festivals), and Mexico (at Corona Capital). Suki also starred as Karen Sirko in “Daisy Jones & The Six,” the Emmy-nominated Amazon Prime Video limited series based on the popular book by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
