In 2023, Bauhaus’ Daniel Ash told us about his supergroup Ashes And Diamonds with Bruce Smith (Public Image Ltd., the Pop Group) and Paul Spencer Denman (Sade, Sweetback), and today it’s finally here. The band is announcing their debut album Ashes And Diamonds Are Forever, and their debut single “On A Rocka” is out now.
Indie rock oddballs Vundabar made fun tunes out of sad circumstances on their March LP Surgery And Pleasure. Today, the Boston band is back with a new outlandish earworm called “Big Bad Bubble Boy.”
The great Sinéad O’Connor had a brief, tumultuous run as a pop star in the late ’80s and early ’90s before the media and the American public turned on her. She went on to a long, eventful career before passing away in 2023 at the age of 56. Before her death. O’Connor told her own story in a memoir and a documentary. Now, inevitably, a Sinéad O’Connor biopic is in development.
Some shit is going down. We’re looking at a brewing feud between Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain, our two greatest creators of expansive torch songs about American malaise. Last night, Del Rey shared a minute-long teaser for a new song, describing it as “Track 13” and tagging Jack Antonoff, the producer of the new album that she’s been working on for a while. The opening lyric: “Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post.” What is she talking about
Over the past week, you, the readers of Stereogum, have cast your votes to determine this year’s Song Of The Summer — and if I may say so, you have voted well. Today, we’re ready to reveal the results of the poll. Check out the top 10, and a graphic listing our past 15 years of winning tracks, below.
The new Taylor Swift album rollout is in full swing. Yesterday at 12:12 a.m., the pop star announced The Life Of A Showgirl, the followup to 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department, and teased an appearance on New Heights, the podcast her boyfriend Travis Kelce hosts with his brother Jason. She didn’t reveal much; she didn’t share the release date, and the cover artwork was blurred out. Tonight, she went into greater detail on the new episode of the podcast and shared the cover artwork (pictured above), the release date, and the tracklist.
Neil Finn is beating the erectile dysfunction allegations. The Crowded House frontman was the unfortunate victim of an AI-generated newscast video, where a fake version of him shared a heartwarming but false story about becoming a father at the age of 67 after overcoming ED. The band has debunked the whole thing.
In The Alternative Number Ones, I’m reviewing every #1 single in the history of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks/Alternative Songs, starting with the moment that the chart launched in 1988. This column is a companion piece to The Number Ones, and it’s for members only. Thank you to everyone who’s helping to keep Stereogum afloat.
“Wicked Game.” Whatta song. I imagine covering it is a somewhat daunting task, and yet, the sultry sleeper hit made famous by Chris Isaak has been a staple of Natural Wonder Beauty Concept’s live shows for a while now. Today the duo of Ana Roxanne and DJ Python have shared a studio recording of their “Wicked Game” cover, marking their first release since their 2023 self-titled debut album.