Minneapolis hip-hop pioneers Atmosphere, composed of rapper Slug and producer Ant, have shared a new track off their forthcoming album today. “Bigger Pictures,” Slug’s honest reflection on his life, is about “zooming in, continuing to figure out who I am by looking at where I’ve been.” The track is accompanied by an equally raw video directed by director, writer, and producer Tazbah Chavez, known for her work in numerous popular TV series, including Reservation Dogs, Rutherford Falls, Accused, and more. Atmosphere’s new album, So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously is out May 5th via Rhymesayers Entertainment. Pre-order the album HERE.
“Bigger Pictures” follows previously released new single “Okay” which was praised by Stereogum, Consequence, Brooklyn Vegan, 2DopeBoyz, and Flood who wrote that “Atmosphere balance optimism, pessimism, realism, and all other -isms on their latest single.”
The duo recently announced Summertime 2023, a North American tour with Slightly Stoopid, Sublime with Rome, and The Movement. Just announced this week are additional headlining dates, including shows in Anchorage, Alaska with DJ Abilities, Sa-Roc, HEBL this June and a headlining date at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 17th September. They will be joined on the Colorado date by Danny Brown, Souls of Mischief, The Grouch & Eligh w/ DJ Fresh, Mr. Dibbs and Breakbeat Lou of Ultimate Breaks & Beats. Atmosphere currently holds the record for the most sold out shows at Red Rocks for any Hip Hop artist with nine sold out shows since 2011. See all new tour dates below.
Ahead of the summer dates, Atmosphere will embark on their European Tour, The ConTour, with openers HEBL and ZooDeVille, returning to the US for appearances at Cali Roots in Monterey, CA, and Fiddlers Green in Greenwood Village, CO.
Pre-order / pre-save So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously here, and check out exclusive t-shirts, sweatshirts, youth clothing and limited edition vinyl variants available at atmospheresucks.com.
“Boyhood” centers around Binoy’s adolescence and prompts the question of what we would say to our younger selves.
The project explores themes of masculinity, family turmoil, and queerness in an attempt to navigate and heal old wounds. A hallmark of Binoy’s work is the fluidity with which he hops genres, meandering from Indian-infused synth pop to meditative alt rock as he weaves his lyrical tapestry. In late 2021, Binoy
co-produced “Boyhood” with renowned producer, friend, and multi-instrumentalist
Arthur Besna. Among the artists and musicians Arthur has worked with include XYLØ, Madison Rose, and Paula Jivén.
A little about Binoy:
Born and raised in Kenya to Indian and Sri Lankan immigrant parents, Binoy is a singer / songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer with an affinity for cinematic pop music. Being raised around an amalgamation of cultures enabled Binoy to a variety of sounds and musical perspectives not often found in Western music.
Shaped by idols including Taylor Swift, Fleetwood Mac, and Mika, Binoy uses his songwriting abilities to authentically represent his experiences and feelings as a queer person of color.
Connected is the lead single from Aspects. Featuring the inimitable Blu, whose previous collaborations feature J Dilla, Madlib and The Roots to name a few alongside the super lyrical bi-lingual force that is Napoleon Da Legend.
Connected is a deeply personal track, exploring connection in different ways. Blu speaks on faith and love, with Napoleon expressing his love for life, emotional resilience and overcoming barriers. The duo are joined on Vice beat’s soulful production by JabbaThaKut on scratches, Mac Lloyd on guitar and bass, and Thalassic on saxophone.
This track introduces the broader aims of “Aspects”, exploring connection in a wide variety of ways through a backdrop of Hip Hop blending live instrumentation with a Boombap aesthetic.
Aspects will be released via HHV on the 26th May with the launch party on the 24th at Lost Horizon in Bristol.
The artwork has been created by Nearski, the super talented Japanese designer, who is a regular feature for High Focus Records and many more.
Connected is outnow- https://vicebeats.lnk.to/aspects
Rising London pop force April Jai offers sultry vibes in “Stop Fighting It” – the latest in
a string of singles from the independent artist. Fusing moody, lowkey synths with pulsing drum machine rhythms, “Stop Fighting It” explores the confusion of blurred boundaries in relationships and the unspoken desires of wanting to be more than friends, but the potential implications of changing
those dynamics – coming to a fiery finish as the production builds with raging guitar riffs and elevated synth work. April Jai made the following statement about the track: “If you’ve ever been in a situation where you’ve had a ‘friend’ who’s definitely more than a friend then this song is for you. It’s my way of saying that us girls don’t have to wait around for the other person to make the first move when it’s so clear that you both want more. Think of this as your spicy ‘friends to lovers’ female empowerment song.” Making a name for herself on the London pop scene with her chilled production style
and emotionally heavy lyrics, Jai’s TikTok viral hit “It Ends with Us” saw her rack up almost 500K streams for the release on Spotify; meanwhile, “Stop Fighting It” emerges as Jai’s first release since her sold-out headline show in December at London’s Troubador – proving her potential to translate online viral attention into a real-life fanbase.
With a growing catalogue of heartfelt releases under her name, like November’s pop- rock flavoured “Not Like the Movies” and 2021’s “Chose to Stay”, April Jai’s personal pop numbers matched with her natural storytelling abilities sees her continuing to attract listeners from around the world, tapping into the ups and downs of navigating through life and relationships. Now ready to continue her natural progression into the upper sphere of the pop world, “Stop Fighting It” is another intriguing and catchy effort from the Scottish native – April Jai is undeniably one to watch.
Queens, New York based rock outfit King Falcon have released their new song ‘Cadillac’ on Mascot Records. Melding indie-rock adventurousness with Classic Rock swagger, King Falcon’s ultra-catchy songwriting recalls artists like Black Keys, Cage The Elephant, Tame Impala, The Killers, Royal Blood, and Beck.
‘Cadillac’ was produced by Marshall Altman (Citizen Cope, Matt Nathanson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Mark Broussard) and mixed by 12-time Grammy-nominated mixing engineer and producer Mark Needham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Fleetwood Mac, The Airborne Toxic Event). The song is brimming with earworm-worthy guitar riffage, a soaring chorus, soulfully melodic lead vocals, and vibrant indie-rock atmospherics.
In talking about the genesis of “Cadillac’, King Falcon’s Michael Rubin says “My best friend has had this 1957 Cadillac Eldorado parked in his garage for as long as I’ve known him. Every single time that we saw each other, I would pester him about trying to get it started so we could take it for a joyride. The car hadn’t moved in years – but it wasn’t in bad shape or anything, it had just atrophied as all mechanical things tend to do when they sit around unused and unloved”. He continues “One day I decided to take matters into my own hands. I showed up at his house with a couple of tools and a can of starter fluid and before you know it, we were cruisin’ down the boulevard in this unregistered Cadillac with 40 year old tires. Totally unsafe and illegal, but it was the single most fun I have ever had riding in a car. That old Caddy turns WAY more heads than any new Lamborghini or Ferrari! The second I heard the engine roar to life I knew that this was a special moment that I wanted to write about. The song came together after about 8 days of sitting in front of my computer screen listening to the bass part on loop (much to the chagrin of my neighbors). I felt that the song had to embody the coolness of the moment but also the excitement and danger of driving around in a 5000 pound car with crappy brakes and no license plates”.
Email: neill@outloudculture.com
