Today, Wednesday, September 27th, DEBBY FRIDAY is sharing “let u in,” a new, drum ‘n’ bass-tinged pop single, available worldwide on all DSPs through Sub Pop. The track, recorded in Melbourne during her Australian Winter tour supporting her 2023 album GOOD LUCK, is co-produced by FRIDAY and frequent Wicca Phase Springs Eternal collaborator, Australian electronic music producer and vocalist Darcy Baylis.
The “let u in” single follows the release of GOOD LUCK, FRIDAY’s acclaimed Polaris Music Prize-winning, full-length debut. The album features the singles “SO HARD TO TELL,” “I GOT IT,” “WHAT A MAN,” and “HOT LOVE,” which was co-produced by FRIDAY and Graham Walsh (METZ, Holy Fuck) at Candle Recording Studio in Toronto, and mastered by Heba Kadry in New York.
Her international tour schedule in support of GOOD LUCK and “let u in,” resumes October 27th in Chicago at Sanctum at Thalia Hall and currently runs through December 14th in Montreal at Le Ritz. Please find a current list of confirmed dates below.
Fri. Oct. 27 - Chicago, IL - Sanctum @ Thalia Hall Fri. Nov. 03 - Manchester, UK - Homobloc @ Yes Pink Room Sat. Nov. 04 - Brighton, UK - Mutations Festival Tue. Nov. 07 - Oslo, NO - BLA Wed. Nov. 08 - Copenhagen, DK - Rust Thu. Nov. 09 - Stockholm, SE - Brooklyn Bar Fri. Nov. 10 - London, UK - Thirdman London Sat. Nov. 11 - London, UK - Pitchfork London (@ Roundhouse) % Wed. Nov. 15 - Brussels, BE - Fifty Lab Wed. Dec. 13 - Toronto, ON - Velvet Underground Thu. Dec. 14 - Montréal, QC - Le Ritz % w/ Yaeji, Jessy Lanza
Of her SXSW appearances, Rolling Stone raved: “Welcome to Planet Debby: If you wandered into the back room at Empire Garage and Control Room at the right moment on Thursday afternoon, you found yourself in the middle of an interstellar rave in full swing. Toronto experimental artist Debby Friday was onstage, performing a thudding electro-rap song with hints of Azealia Banks and Donna Summer… Leaping off the stage into the small crowd, she demanded that they come closer — “I need your energy!” — and kept on chanting, in a long vamp that bent space and time. It was the kind of serendipitous moment that makes SXSW one of the best places in the world to discover a new favorite.”
GOOD LUCK is available now worldwide from Sub Pop. LP purchases from megamart.subpop.com, Mega Mart 2, select independent stores in North America, the U.K., and E.U., and FRIDAY’s live shows will receive the limited Loser edition on metallic silver vinyl (while supplies last).
What people are saying about DEBBY FRIDAY: “The Nigerian-born, Toronto-based singer and rapper Debby Friday’s ambitious, charismatic album “Good Luck” is one of my favorite debuts of the year so far…She’s a shape-shifting, swashbuckling dynamo journeying through different tempos and genres, always on a heroine’s quest for self-discovery.” “The Amplifier” - THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Her first full-length is sweaty and determined, eager to deliver on its teeth-chattering beats with a feverish intensity. The influences are obvious, but the ways that Debby Friday crashes those sounds together are not.” “Album of the Week” - STEREOGUM
“GOOD LUCK is an assured and frequently surprising debut that feels like a trip into the lascivious, eclectic wormhole of Friday’s world – and with so much to take in, and so much fun to be had, you won’t want to leave.” 8/10, CRACK
“There’s an extraordinary elasticity across GOOD LUCK’s masterful production that makes repeated listens not just enjoyable but irresistible.” “8/10, Album of the Week” -LOUD & QUIET
“[Her] most fully realized set of songs to date. The abrasion and urgency of her early EPs remains, but the 10 songs here lean more heavily toward the pulse of the club—and often a vampiric underground den at that…Friday more openly embraces pop on her debut album, but rarely does so outside the presence of the shadow and mystique her music so often casts.” “Album of the Week” - TREBLE
“DEBBY defies easy categorization, mixing rap, electro, post-punk, industrial, techno and more into a glitchy, bruising and bitcrushed blend that is fiery, magnetic and all her own.” [GOOD LUCK] - BROOKLYN VEGAN
“Imagine you walk into a club and there’s industrial playing, then the next track is house, the next cybergoth, and the next alt-pop. Maybe that would sound like sonic whiplash — but in the world of DEBBY FRIDAY, that’s all possible, and the club is bumping… The Nigeria-born-Toronto-based DJ-turned-recording-artist just released her first album with Sub Pop, GOOD LUCK, and it’s an expansive display of her influences, from heavy rock to alt-R&B. Fans of Azealia Banks, JPEGMAFIA, SZA, Yves Tumor, and even Nine Inch Nails could all find themselves at home in her world. And soon enough, with her innovation and confidence, it seems like the rest of the world will, too.” “The Rising Artists You Need To Know” - ALTERNATIVE PRESS
“On Friday’s previous EPs, 2018’s Bitchpunk and 2019’s Death Drive, she reveled in messy synth-punk exuberance. That energy is amped-up on GOOD LUCK…Packed into a succinct, live-wire 33-minutes, GOOD LUCK is testament to how effectively Friday can capture life in all its dense, unpredictable emotions.” - CHICAGO READER
“An explosive, pounding, relentlessly calisthenic dance-floor banger with attitude to spare. A pulsating beat flickers like a strobe light as Friday and Chris Vargas of the duo Pelada, appearing here as Uñas, trade braggadocious bilingual verses. ‘Let mama give you what you need,’ Friday shrieks before calmly assuring, ‘I got it.’” [“I GOT IT”] “The Playlist” - THE NEW YORK TIMES
“In contrast to the pulse-quickening tempos and noisy synths of her past music, her production is deft and graceful, with a skipping beat and cascading backing vocals. ‘Lady Friday/All you do is rеbel,’ Friday chastises herself—tough talk against a fragile, gorgeous sound.” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] “Best New Track” - PITCHFORK
“One of the young year’s most audacious bangers” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - BILLBOARD
“Hyperpop can sometimes come off as abrasive but in the hands of Canadian singer DEBBY FRIDAY it’s soulful, even elegant.” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - NYLON
“A graceful entrance into yet another territory: lush R&B”[“SO HARD TO TELL”] “Now Playing” - NPR MUSIC
DEBBY FRIDAY GOOD LUCK
Tracklisting: 1. GOOD LUCK 2. SO HARD TO TELL 3. I GOT IT (feat. Uñas) 4. HOT LOVE 5. HEARTBREAKERRR 6. WHAT A MAN 7. SAFE 8. LET U DOWN 9. PLUTO BABY 10. WAKE UP
As their wildly successful co-headline tour continues to sell out multiple nights at venues from Madison Square Garden to the Hollywood Bowl, The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie have today announced Everything Looks Closer From Far Away: The Exhibit Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Two Landmark Albums: The Postal Service’s Give Up & Death Cab for Cutie’s Transatlanticism, an exclusive exhibit opening September 29th and running through October 29th at KEXP’s Gathering Space in Seattle which is open Monday through Friday from 7am-6pm and Saturday through Sunday from 8am-6pm.
Everything Looks Closer From Far Away is a unique and unprecedented deep dive into the worlds of The Postal Service’s Give Up and Death Cab for Cutie’s Transatlanticism, two records that began life as the indie rock soundtrack of 2003 and have since become RIAA Platinum-certified classics celebrated on a current 20th anniversary tour of North American arenas and amphitheaters. Bringing it back to where it all began, the pop cultural time capsule will feature murals, artifacts, large-scale installations, an in-depth timeline of both records and more.
The historic Give Up/Transatlanticism 20th Anniversary Tour will land at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena (right next door to the exhibit) for two sold out shows on October 6 and 7.
Praise for The Postal Service & Death Cab for Cutie Give Up/Transatlanticism 20th Anniversary Tour
“Dream double bill” – VARIETY
“Peak millennial nostalgia, in the best way” – PITCHFORK
“…bright and cathartic…” – BOSTON GLOBE
THE POSTAL SERVICE // DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
Give Up/Transatlanticism
20th Anniversary Tour
SEPTEMBER 2023
26 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom # – SOLD OUT 27 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom # – SOLD OUT 28 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom # – SOLD OUT 30 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater & – SOLD OUT
OCTOBER 2023
1 – Grand Prairie, TX – Texas Trust CU Theatre Grand Prairie & – SOLD OUT 3 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre & – SOLD OUT 4 – Las Vegas, NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels & – SOLD OUT 6 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena & – SOLD OUT 7 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena & – SOLD OUT 9 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre – UC Berkeley & – SOLD OUT 10 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre – UC Berkeley & – SOLD OUT 11 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre – UC Berkeley & – SOLD OUT 13 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl & – SOLD OUT 14 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl ^ – SOLD OUT 15 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl % – SOLD OUT 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl @
# w/ Special Guest Warpaint & w/ Special Guest The Beths % w/ Special Guest Built to Spill @ w/ Special Guest Iron & Wine ^ w/ Special Guest Pedro the Lion
On Friday, November 17th, 2023, Sub Pop will release Iron & Wine’s Who Can See Forever, an accompanying live record to a film of the same name. Captured by director Josh Sliffe at Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, North Carolina, the soundtrack features nineteen songs from the twenty-plus-year career of singer-songwriter Sam Beam. Having found inventive ways to re-invent his catalog live over the years, Who Can See Forever offers new and fresh versions of Iron & Wine songs, including “The Trapeze Swinger,” “Boy With a Coin,” and “Naked As We Came.” Initially intended as a live concert film, the film evolved into a visual portrait capturing Beam during a creative outburst that earned him four Grammy nominations in four years. Like his music, the film touches on universally personal themes as Beam tackles managing his personal and professional life as an artist. Taken as one, the soundtrack and film are a fascinating first-time glimpse behind the scenes of Iron & Wine.
Who Can See Forever is produced by Sam Beam and was recorded by his long time live sound engineer Jelle Kuiper, mixed by Matt Ross-Spang at Southern Grooves in Memphis, TN, and mastered by Richard Dodd in Nashville, TN.
The Who Can See Forever documentary concert film will be screening in theaters in select cities this Fall/Winter before platforming to streaming services in ‘24. Dates are forthcoming.
Preceding the soundtrack’s release, Iron & Wine will perform at the Hollywood Bowl with The Postal Service and Death Cab For Cutie on Tuesday, October 17th, 2023. Additional live dates will be announced soon.
Iron & Wine Who Can See Forever Soundtrack
Tracklisting: 1. The Trapeze Swinger 2. Boy with a Coin 3. Woman King 4. Thomas County Law 5. House by the Sea 6. About a Bruise 7. Sodom, South Georgia 8. Last Night 9. Monkeys Uptown 10. Wolves (Song of the Shepherd’s Dog) 11. Grace for Saints and Ramblers 12. Dearest Forsaken 13. Glad Man Singing 14. On Your Wings 15. Passing Afternoon 16. Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car 17. Naked as We Came 18. Call Your Boys 19. Muddy Hymnal
CHAI — the beloved Japanese quartet of identical twins MANA (vocals/keys) and KANA (guitar), plus drummer YUNA and bassist/lyricist YUUKI — present their new single/video, “GAME,” from their forthcoming self-titled album out this Friday, September 22nd on Sub Pop. CHAI — unlike previous albums — was written on the road, with the band finding time to record in the days between shows at Grand Street in New York, Ometusco Sound Machine in Mexico City, and Stones Throw Studio in LA, where “GAME” was recorded. Working in studios with vast collections of gear allowed them to experiment with aesthetics as-yet-unheard on a CHAI album. Case in point, CHAI recorded “GAME” with the sole intention of writing something listeners would recognize as new wave, riding a house synth line and minimalist production.
“GAME” might be the perfect distillation of CHAI’s ethic, as it urges listeners to keep moving through this life with joy and passion. Following an empowering trail of singles — the “Barbie-ready” (The FADER) “NEO KAWAII, K?,” the “breezy, groovy” (Stereogum) “PARA PARA,” plus the “fun, catchy” (Cool Hunting) “WE THE FEMALE!” — “GAME” continues CHAI’s streak of immediate, uplifting music. The accompanying “GAME” video is a tongue-in-cheek, ‘80s-indebted romp, directed by Cameron Lew.
Of the video, Lew adds: “CHAI blends chaos and positivity in the best way, and so I wanted to create a video that showcases exactly that. And what better way, then to show them frantically delivering their music, movements, and mindset directly to their fans. It was such a fun experience directing this video, the way the girls are in sync with one another is insane. Not your ordinary delivery service: Come along as the girls hand over packages that will take their fans (and some skeptical patrons) on a musical journey.”
Of “GAME,” MANA adds: “Winning isn’t the goal, it’s the strategizing and challenge that matters♡ So it doesn’t matter if you lose. Take that loss and turn it into an even better strategy! Life’s a game! We made the video with our lovely friend Ginger Root♡ It’s fun and NEO KAWAII♡ As long as you’re living, you can play the game as many times as you want. Be honest to your heart, don’t take it too seriously, and live life.”
Unlike their acclaimed 2021 album WINK, this self-titled collection of songs finds CHAI returning to their roots, drawing inspiration from their Japanese cultural heritage and the music that raised them. Realizing that message applied to people outside of fans in Japan (who screamed in delight when MANA shouted “NEO KAWAII!” into the mic) made CHAI consider what other facets of their upbringing might resonate with audiences outside of their home country. Each CHAI album borrows aesthetic inspiration from specific musical movements, and on CHAI, the quartet wanted to make direct comparisons to city pop, a Tokyo-born sound popularized in the ‘70s and ‘80s. City pop was a Japanese take on Western lounge music, borrowing from jazz, boogie, funk, and yacht rock to create a sound that straddled two cultures; but for CHAI, city pop was just the music of childhood.
Of the album, Mana says: “This is CHAI! The genre is CHAI! CHAI’S BEST CHAI POP! We declare to live as Japanese women♡ If this album gives everyone a little more confidence in living how they want to live, that is the right answer we have been looking for⭐ Listen, feel. You were all NEO KAWAII BABIES from the moment you were born. If you can’t catch up with us, you’ll never feel the NEO KAWAII♡ Are you ready for CHAI?? ⭐”
This Saturday, CHAI will begin their North American tour at Flipside Festival, followed by stops in Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington, DC and more. Full dates, including UK and EU shows, are listed below and tickets are on sale now.
Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering stars in this deliciously macabre and chilling new video for “Twin Flame,” directed by Ambar Navarro. In a dual role, Mering portrays a yearning soul wandering the empty halls of a dark castle after her mysterious husband has ridden off on horseback into the night. What does she find hidden amongst the castle walls? Is her spiritual nemesis, haunting her every move, trying to warn her?
“Twin Flame” is a standout from her acclaimed album And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, out now on Sub Pop.
On Saturday, September 9th, Weyes Blood opened Proenza Schouler’s Spring 2024 Fashion Show in New York City, walking in the show and writing an original composition for its soundtrack (see Vogue Sep. 9th, 2023).
Later that evening, she delivered an incredible performance at New York’s Madison Square Garden, opening Beck and Phoenix’s “Summer Odyssey Tour.” She joined the two headliners on their joint single “Odyssey” and Beck’s “Lost Cause.”
Weyes Blood’s headlining “In Holy Flux Tour” continues in support of And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, with a show on Friday, September 27th in San Francisco, CA, at The Warfield.
On Wednesday, October 4th, Weyes Blood will headline a special hometown show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles with Perfume Genius.
The “In Holy Flux Tour: The Resurrection,” a run of UK and European shows, will begin Saturday, October 28th in Lisbon, PT at LAV Lisboa ao Vivo and run through Tuesday, November 14th in Nottingham, UK at Rock City.
Weyes Blood will head to South America for shows on Friday, November 24th in Santiago, CL at Fauna Primavera and Sunday, November 26th in Buenos Aires, AR at Primavera Sound. She will also perform on Wednesday, November 29th at Mexico City’s Auditorio Blackberry.
Weyes Blood will be supported on the “In Holy Flux Tour” headlining dates in the US by Sub Pop labelmate Lael Neale (September 27th). In the UK and Europe, Weyes Blood will see support from Vagabon (October 31st-November 15th), Núria Graham (October 28th-30th), and Ichiko Aoba (November 8th and 13th).
Wed. Nov. 08 - Paris, FR - Pitchfork Music Festival (Salle Pleyel) $ =
Thu. Nov. 09 - Antwerp, BE - De Roma $
Sat. Nov. 11 - Glasgow, UK - Old Fruitmarket $
Sun. Nov. 12 - Leeds, UK - O2 Academy Leeds $
Mon. Nov. 13 - London, UK - Pitchfork Music Festival (Eventim Apollo) $ =
Tue. Nov. 14 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City $
Fri. Nov. 24 - Santiago, CL - Fauna Primavera
Sun. Nov. 26 - Buenos Aires, AR - Primavera Sound
Wed. Nov. 29 - Mexico City, MX - Auditorio Blackberry
$ w/ Vagabon
% w/ Perfume Genius
! w/ Lael Neale
+ w/ Núria Graham
= w/ Ichiko Aoba
For up-to-date information on tour dates and tickets, please visit WeyesBlood.com/tour.
Weyes Blood has been captivating audiences with the “In Holy Flux Tour” stops in support of…Hearts Aglow, around the globe.
MOJO says of her recent Glastonbury set, “Her cosmic Carpenters soundworld, a floating white robe and some typically strangeifying visuals by Adam Curtis for ‘God Turn Me Into A Flower’ make this an early peak of the day.” The Times of London offered this, “A poised mix of chamber pop, psychedelic folk, and hypnotic cabaret…. Summer bride meets sorceress.”
Weyes Blood’s And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow is available on CD/LP/CS/DSPs from Sub Pop.
What people are saying about Weyes Blood’s
And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow:
“Stunning…”
NEW YORK TIMES
“A masterpiece.”
★★★★★ - SUNDAY TIMES CULTURE
“One of the year’s most breathtaking records.”
“One fantastic tune after another.”
“Album of the Week” ★★★★ - THE GUARDIAN
“…Through stark truths and dreamy poetry, brushes against big ideas about our broken world and quiet apocalypses of her own: it’s an ecosystem of intimacy, in its power to
redeem and to destroy.”
NPR MUSIC
“Utterly contemporary and original.”
9/10 - LOUD & QUIET
“…A record of remarkable consideration. Magnificently composed. Feeling like a timeless classic.”
9/10 - THE LINE OF BEST FIT
“…Her grandest, most elegant work to date.”
9/10 - UNDER THE RADAR
“An idiosyncratic set of love songs and secular hymns with lushly orchestral arrangements.”
8.4/10, “Best New Music” - PITCHFORK
★★★★★ - NME
“Her voice alone is worth preserving humanity for.”
9/10 - UNCUT
“And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is intricately put together, with Mering mirroring the sentiments of in head-bending arrangements.”
