With Kali Uchis expecting her first child soon, 2024 is set to be a big year for her and Don Toliver. The first-time parents each have thriving musical careers that are sure to help them support their growing family, and from what we can tell, their discographies will only continue to grow. The Spanish-speaking icon reminded us of her linguistic abilities a few weeks ago on ORQUÍDEAS, which follows 2023’s Red Moon in Venus. As for Toliver, his Love Sick project from last year remains in rotation for fans, but they’ve been craving something new from him recently.
Thankfully, the Texas-born entertainer has heard our cries loud and clear. Ahead of New Music Friday (February 2), he came through with a fire new single, “Bandit,” and its accompanying visual. Not only does the ReidMD-produced beat sample indie rock icons Tame Impala, but it also includes an appearance from Uchis and her growing baby bump.
Don Toliver & Kali Uchis Unborn Baby Featured in His Latest Visual
“You ni**as ain’t fly, this s**t lookin’ dummy / I’m ’bout to gеt fried, I look like a mummy,” Toliver rhymes on the first verse. “I’m gettin’ this cash, it’s Monday through Sunday / I guеss you won’t talk if it ain’t about the money,” the genre-bending artist continues, making it clear he doesn’t play when it comes to stacking his bread. The song only hit DSPs on Thursday afternoon, but already, the video has thousands of views, with more rolling in by the minute.
Explore the captivating visual for Don Toliver’s latest release, “Bandit,” above. If you’re feeling the Cactus Jack signee’s new music, make sure to add it to your playlist on Spotify/Apple Music. Afterward, tap into his girlfriend Kali Uchis’ stunning vocals on her ORQUÍDEAS LP, which helped to usher in 2024 on a high note.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of May below.
Tame Impala — Lonerism (10 Year Anniversary Box Set)
Interscope
Tame Impala defined psychedelic rock in the early 2010s and Kevin Parker’s sophomore effort, 2012’s Lonerism, was a big part of that. The album turns 10 this year, so it’s being reissued as a 3-LP box set that includes goodies like a 24-page booklet and previously unheard demo sessions.
Before ABBA was ABBA, they were Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida. Under that name, they released their debut album, 1973’s Ring Ring. That was 50 years ago, and half a century later, the project has been pressed on vinyl for a fresh rerelease, giving a new generation the chance to experience the launch of an enduring phenomenon.
Sun Ra & His Arkestra — Space Is The Place: Music From The Original Soundtrack
Sundazed Music
Back in the ’70s, Sun Ra recorded the soundtrack for the movie Space Is The Place. It took decades for the soundtrack to get a proper release as an album, and now the definitive version of it is here with a new vinyl reissue. In addition to the album, this edition comes with the movie on BluRay and DVD, a tote bag, and a pizza box-style box to house everything.
The Exploding Hearts — Guitar Romantic (Expanded & Remastered)
Third Man Records
The Exploding Hearts ended tragically after three of the band’s members died in a van accident. They did manage one well-received album, though: 2003’s Guitar Romantic. Third Man Records just reissued the album as an “Expanded & Remastered” edition: along with the original remastered album are a few new mixes of select songs.
It feels like Lucy Dacus has been around for forever, but her breakout sophomore album Historian only just came out five years ago in 2018. She’s taking a moment to celebrate the project with a vinyl reissue, which is pressed on vibrant red vinyl and comes with Dacus’ first draft of the album art.
Daft Punk — Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary Reissue)
Sony
It’s really been ten years since Daft Punk released what would end up being their final album, Random Access Memories. While the duo is no longer active, they’ve been busy with a fresh reissue. There are a lot of goodies here, including an unreleased Julian Casablancas collaboration and some demos with Pharrell.
Death Cab For Cutie — Transatlanticism (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
Transatlanticism was an iconic release for Death Cab, so it’s worth honoring 20 years later. Vinyl Me, Please is doing so with a killer reissue, which is pressed on red marble vinyl and comes with a listening notes booklet from Sean Nelson, who contributed some vocals to the album.
Paul Simon is 81 years old and still trying different musically: His new album is totally acoustic and it’s one multi-section song that runs for 33 minutes. It’s quite the concept and one that’ll come across beautifully on a turntable.
The Rhino label has launched Rhino High Fidelity, a new series of high-quality vinyl pressings. They’re kicking things off big with reissues of The Cars’ self-titled 1978 debut album and John Coltrane’s 1964 release Coltrane’s Sound. The series will unveil two new installments every quarter, and all of them will be limited to 5,000 numbered copies.
Animal Collective started their journey to defining experimental indie music in the 2000s with 2000’s Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished, back when it was just Avey Tare and Panda Bear. There’s a new reissue and on top of the remastered album and new artwork, there’s also A Night At Mr. Raindrop’s Holistic Supermarket, a bonus EP containing five previously unreleased bonus tracks.
Yet “No More Lies,” his new track with Tame Impala out today, is his first song in three years. It’s quite a strong comeback, shimmering with a radiant atmosphere and hypnotic vocals: “You and I both know it’s harder than it seems / Love is a two-way street / I’m letting go because the both of us don’t need to drive / Baby, it’s one at a time,” Thundercat sings. Kevin Parker’s voice adds another layer of serenity: “I’ll just be on my own / I’ll just be home alone / My troubles are my own,” he croons.
“I’ve wanted to work with Kevin since the very first Tame Impala album,” Thundercat shared about “No More Lies” in a statement. “I feel that I knew that us working together would be special. I’ve been excited about this song for a long time and hope to create more with Kevin in the future.”
The track ends with a conflicted monologue, ending with the unreal lines: “It just looks like I don’t care / Because my emotions have been sanded off / I live in LA, sweetie, what do you expect?”
Listen to “No More Lies” above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Elvis, a new biopic about, yes, Elvis Presley is on the way soon, as it’s set to open on June 24. Ahead of then, though, Doja Cat has previewed the soundtrack with “Vegas,” the song she recorded for the movie that she dropped earlier this month. Now, we have the full scope of who else is involved with the soundtrack, as the list of musicians who recorded something for the movie was shared today.
Among that group is Eminem and CeeLo Green, who came together for a new song, “The King And I.” Right around when the list of participating artists was released, Eminem shared a 15-second clip of the film that offers a snippet of the song, which seems to be based on Presley’s iconic “Jailhouse Rock” riff.
Aside from Eminem and Green, the soundtrack also features “original songs and recordings” from Presley himself, along with the film’s star, Austin Butler. Beyond that, also involved are Ann Nesby, Alton Mason, Chris Isaak, Denzel Curry, Doja Cat, Gary Clark Jr., Jack White, Lenesha Randolph, Jazmine Sullivan, Kacey Musgraves, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Les Greene, Måneskin, Nardo Wick, Paravi, PNAU, Rufus Thomas, Shonka Dukureh, Stevie Nicks, Swae Lee and Diplo, Tame Impala, and Yola.
The world was given yet another intergenerational fantasy collaboration today in the form of “Turn Up The Sunshine,” starring the legendary Diana Ross and multi-talented Tame Impala. The uplifting track is loaded with a myriad of instruments, a huge chorus, and an opportune, palpable brightness that is well-timed for the impending summer. The Sun reported on the record last fall after a conversation with someone from Ross’s team, and it is now known that “Turn Up The Sunshine” is the lead single from the upcoming soundtrack for Minions: The Rise Of Gru.
“Turn Up The Sunshine” features songwriting contributions from Jack Antonoff, who is responsible for producing the entire album, in addition to Sam Dew, Patrik Berger, and the man behind Tame Impala, Kevin Parker. The seventies-inspired soundtrack will also feature HER, Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent, Thundercat, RZA, and Caroline Polachek, some of which will be trying their hand at covering classic songs from the disco era.
This release follows Diana Ross’ 2021 album Thank You, the 25th in her catalog, lead by the single “I Still Believe.” Tame Impala released The Slow Rush B-Sides & Remixes in February of this year featuring Lil Yachty, Blood Orange, Maurice Fulton, and more.
Over the weekend, teasers made it seem like Tama Impala and Diana Ross were perhaps making an album together. It turns out that’s only sort-of-but-not-really true: They are appearing on an album together, yes, but that album is the soundtrack to the upcoming Minions: The Rise Of Gru movie, the full tracklist of which has now been revealed.
Their contribution is a collaborative new song called “Turn Up The Sunshine.” The 19-track album mostly consists of covers, but other originals include “Cool” from Verdine White (of Earth, Wind & Fire), RZA’s “Kung Fu Suite,” and Heitor Pereira’s “Minions: The Rise Of Gru Score Suite.”
As for the covers, they’re all of songs from the ’70s, coinciding with the movie’s setting. Selections include St. Vincent doing Lipps, Inc’s “Funkytown”; Thundercat doing Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like An Eagle”; Phoebe Bridgers doing The Carpenters’ “Goodbye To Love”; and Brockhampton doing Kool & The Gang’s “Hollywood Swinging.”
Check out the Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) art and tracklist below.
Decca
1. Diana Ross — “Turn Up The Sunshine” Feat. Tame Impala
2. Brittany Howard — “Shining Star” Feat. Verdine White (Earth, Wind & Fire cover)
3. St. Vincent — “Funkytown” (Lipps, Inc. cover)
4. Brockhampton — “Hollywood Swinging” (Kool & The Gang cover)
5. Kali Uchis — “Desafinado” (Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto cover)
6. Caroline Polachek — “Bang Bang” (Nancy Sinatra cover)
7. Thundercat — “Fly Like An Eagle” (Steve Miller Band cover)
8. Phoebe Bridgers — “Goodbye To Love” (The Carpenters cover)
9. Bleachers — “Instant Karma!” (John Lennon cover)
10. Weyes Blood — “You’re No Good” (Linda Ronstadt cover)
11. Gary Clark Jr. — “Vehicle” (The Ides Of March cover)
12. HER — “Dance To The Music” (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
13. Tierra Whack — “Black Magic Woman” (Santana cover)
14. Verdine White — “Cool”
15. Jackson Wang — “Born To Be Alive” (Patrick Hernandez cover)
16. The Minions — “Cecilia” (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
17. GEM — “Bang Bang” (Nancy Sinatra cover)
18. RZA — “Kung Fu Suite”
19. Heitor Pereira — “Minions: The Rise Of Gru Score Suite”
Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is out 5/20 via Decca.
A few months ago, it was reported that Tama Impala and Diana Ross (aka one of the best lead singers of all time) were working on a new song together, with a source telling The Sun at the time, “Diana might be 77 but she is determined to push musical boundaries and challenge herself. She loves reinvention and melting genres together. She’s really excited to work with Tame Impala and is ecstatic with the track — she can’t wait for fans to hear it.”
Now it appears the two got along so well that they’ve actually made an entire collaborative album.
NME reports that some posters started showing up in London over the weekend which seem to tease a full-length project from Ross and Tame Impala. The colorful poster teases something that’s “coming soon,” produced by Jack Antonoff, and that features Tierra Whack, HER, Brittany Howard, Jackson Wang, Bleachers, Phoebe Bridgers, GEM, Heitor Pereira, Weyes Blood, Kali Uchis, Verdine White (of Earth, Wind & Fire), Thundercat, Caroline Polachek, RZA, St. Vincent, Gary Clark Jr., and Brockhampton.
This comes after Ross released Thank You, her first album of new original material since 1999’s Every Day Is A New Day, in November 2021. Antonoff and St. Vincent contributed to that project, too.
Generally taking place in the thick of summer, the Lousiville, Kentucky-based Forecastle Festival will be going down over Memorial Day Weekend in 2022. Taking place at Louisville’s Waterfront Park, the long-running fest is noted for being on the edge of the Ohio River, but also offering sweeping views of the downtown skyline. Now coming into its 20th anniversary, Forecastle has always featured a stellar lineup to match its unique setting, and this year’s fest is no different.
Headliners for each of the three days day include Jack Harlow on Friday, Tame Impala on Saturday, and Tyler The Creator on Sunday. Joining them on the eclectic bill of top notch rock, electronic, and hip-hop acts, are Phoebe Bridgers, Porter Robinson, Earl Sweatshirt, Rüfüs Do Sol, Clairo, 6lack, Wale, Black Pumas, Still Woozy, and a lot more.
Besides going down on a new weekend this year, Forecastle is introducing a reshaped footprint. The Ocean Stage is now fully tented and located on the Wharf. The new-look site overall promises smoother transitions from stage to stage as attendees course through the grounds. Also keeping with year’s past, $3 of every weekend pass sold will benefit the Forecastle Foundation, which preserves and protects threatened ecosystems in Kentucky and beyond.
Tickets are available now via an SMS presale here and general on-sale begins this Thursday, January 6 at noon ET at the same link. Check out the full lineup poster below.
Forecastle Festival
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
