News Roundup

Photo by Ashley Gellman.

This week has seen a lot of endings and beginnings both within my little sphere of music and outside of it. There've been new releases, music videos and, sadly, the Boygenius tour has come to an end although they certainly went out with a bang. 

First of all, Snail Mail's 'Valentine Demos' EP was finally released on Friday. This is a release I was really looking forward to as the previously released track 'Easy Thing' has such a beautiful soft folky vibe, which is something I really love paired with Lindsey's voice and killer guitar skills. My first full listen certainly didn't disappoint - somehow these demos manage to give a whole new layer of life to the tracks I know and love from last year's studio album. The slight lyrical differences and stripped back arrangements take the acoustic charm that I fell in love with on the studio versions of 'c. Et Al.' and 'Light Blue' and apply it to songs I could never have envisioned sounding that way, and it's stunning. Another standout was 'Headlock' which is one of my longtime favourites from the original album and getting to know this new version with the different lyrics which tell a totally different story has helped me fall in love with both versions even more. In the end, I made the decision to buy the full EP on vinyl because there is just something about this project. If you haven't listened to it already, I'd definitely recommend that you do especially if you happen to be aware of Snail Mail as an artist. 

A wider musical event that has been everywhere this week is the release of the new Beatles single 'Now and Then' and its music video. The song itself was constructed from one of John Lennon's 1970s demos which had proved technically difficult when the other two demos were released in 1995. However, using new AI technology it was possible to isolate John's voice from the demo and produce what is highly likely to be the last Beatles song. It was released as a double A side with a new mix of their debut single 'Love Me Do', and was accompanied by a music video which features the remaining Beatles playing alongside their younger selves and their bandmates (taken from old video). And, as brilliant as the song and music video are, it certainly raises some interesting questions about what could be possible in the coming years with AI, especially when it comes to posthumous releases. 

And, finally, the Boygenius tour has sadly come to an end. I know, I'm going to have to find something else to write about! The final show of the tour took place at the Hollywood Bowl on Halloween night, where the supergroup dressed up as the Holy Trinity and treated us to covers of a song from each of their respective solo catalogues. Undoubtedly, it was a fantastic show and one that I wish I'd been able to witness in person. The good news, though, is that we don't need to wave goodbye to this era just yet. The band have taken some photos for Hommegirl and will be appearing on SNL. Still, this conclusion to their live shows is a big deal and I'm going to miss hearing the stories of their antics at shows and reading new interviews and features. That said, hopefully the band will have the rest they deserve and each be back with some solo stuff and, dare I say it, another Boygenius album one day.