Earlier this year, the big-deal dance producer Fred again.. and the long-established London grime star Skepta got together, joining forces with streamer PlaqueBoyMax to release a single called “Victory Lap.” That song was a massive hit, reaching #4 on the UK singles chart, Skepta’s best-ever showing. A random-ass group of rappers — Denzel Curry, That Mexican OT, D Double E, Hanumankind — appeared on remixes. Last week, Skepta and Fred again.. followed that single with another one called “Back 2 Back.” Today, the two of them release Skepta .. Fred, an entire collaborative EP that wasn’t announced ahead of time.

On Valentine’s Day, Frog shared 1000 Variations On The Same Song, our Album Of The Week. Now the prolific New York duo is already announcing its followup, The Count.

Almost exactly one year ago, newly minted pop star Sabrina Carpenter released Short N’ Sweet, her sixth album but her real-deal breakout. Now, she’s already back with another one. Carpenter has already gone through a cover-art mini-controversy around her new record Man’s Best Friend, and “Manchild,” the record’s one advance single, debuted at #1. Today, the whole album is out, and so does Carpenter’s grand and ridiculous video for new single “Tears.”

In the FromSoftware action RPG Elden Ring, you play as an anonymous, mute character belonging to a caste known as the Tarnished. You’re set loose in the Lands Between, a blighted world that has fallen into chaos. Your mission is to restore the Golden Order and become Elden Lord. In the beginning, you’re a weakling, with poor stats and worse armaments. The first bosses you encounter exist primarily to beat you into the ground, to humble you. The low chime that accompanies FromSoft’s signature “YOU DIED” animation burrows its way into your head through constant repetition. At some point, you realize that you can go somewhere else on the game’s massive, open-world map, so you do. You strengthen yourself in encounters with lesser enemies, and eventually, you return to smash that boss that gave you so much trouble a few hours ago. Repeat that process ad infinitum. That’s Elden Ring.

Jürgen Bartsch, co-founder of the long-running and influential German underground metal band Bethlehem, has passed away. Current Bethlehem singer Yvonne “Onielar” Wilczynska revealed the news of Bartsch’s death in an Instagram post, writing that he last a battle to an unspecified illness on Wednesday. In a note translated from German, Wilczynska says, “He died many times… But death was only temporary.” As of now, Bartsch’s cause of death and age are unreported.

In the past few days, the great Philadelphia hardcore band Jesus Piece has come apart in dramatic, contentious fashion. About a month ago, the Arizona festival One Big Party unveiled its lineup, which features “JE$US PIECE” high up on the bill. Earlier this week, Jesus Piece frontman Aaron Heard reposted the lineup, writing, “that’s me and the homies.” Twenty minutes later, Heard’s Jesus Piece bandmates David Updike, John Distefano, and Luis Aponte shared a joint statement, claiming that the band has broken up and expressing their frustration that Heard would launch another project under what’s basically the same name: “Anything you see associated with this name or similar, playing our music and using our art, is not related to anything we worked for over the last 10 years… To try and continue that without us or in spite of us, is a mockery of what we’ve done and tried to do.” Now, Heard has offered his response.

Upchuck are back with another ripper. The Atlanta punk crew announced their new Ty Segall-produced album I’m Nice Now last month, and “Plastic,” “Forgotten Token,” and “Un Momento” have served as electric previews. Now they’re unleashing “Tired.”

Denver’s Broken Record impressed us with their 2023 album Nothing Moves Me, and today the band announced its followup called Routine. The phenomenal lead single “T-60” is out now.

It’s a fucking tragedy, and I’m going to run through it right now as a personal lament. But first, the short version: Charles Bissell of the Wrens says we should not expect any new music from his post-Wrens project Car Colors. Gah!