featured writeups
Inside A Once-In-A-Lifetime Rave At MSG (EDM.com)
“From the melancholic undertones of "Bleu (better with time)" to the glittering synths of "Strong", he (Fred Again..) offered an aching edge in contrast to the show's many raucous bangers. The full weight of 20,000 voices—including Skrillex's improvisational rendition over the mic—belting out the lyrics to "Delilah (pull me out of this)" truly put this incomparable event into perspective.”
Candy and Chaos: FMU’s Epic Launch Party (EDM.com)
“Sholler appropriately had to ring in the advent of her label with a Whyte Fang performance straight from the darkest depths of the underground. There's been a lot of chatter about the resurgence of the once-dormant alias—which started more than a decade ago—but even those keen to the aftershock of her debut show in L.A. last year would have been completely blown away by the intergalactic spectacle on display.”
A Look Into A Cosmic North Coast Music Festival (EDM.com)
“As you pass through the gates and take everything in—the sights, sounds, smells and palpable atmosphere—for the first time, it’s immediately apparent that the world you’re now in is completely different from the one surrounding the festival's grounds. Occupying what is normally a 28,000-seat soccer stadium and surrounding grounds in the middle of suburban Chicagoland, you wouldn’t be mistaken by believing you'd been transported to an entirely different world”
Bound By Sound: How FIFA Changed My Life (Wavelength Magazine)
“FIFA’s soundtrack has undoubtedly changed the course of my life. I went from a kid who struggled to develop an identity of his own to an (admittedly) pretentious indie head, and I couldn’t be happier. The coolest thing is that I know there are more people like me out there, and I can’t wait to hear their stories.” (pgs. 36-39)
WNUR’s Favorite Albums of 2020 (WNUR 89.7 FM)
“Over the years, we’ve seen an immense shift in Tame Impala’s sound from the grinding indie rock of his earlier releases to the psychedelic trip that was 2015’s Currents. However, The Slow Rush takes elements from all aspects of Tame Impala’s past and introduces us to what will hopefully be his future. Five years was certainly worth the wait for this instant classic, and without a doubt, it belongs on any album-of-the-year list.”
Porter Robinson @ Navy Pier (WNUR 89.7 FM)
“Lyrically, we see Robinson at a level of emotion that, combined with his sheer optimism, will leave you somewhere in between tears of sadness and tears of joy. It’s a very catchy song that will instantly get stuck in your head, evidenced by the fact that not a single person around me wasn’t screaming “Look at the sky I’m still here / I’ll be alive next year” at the top of their lungs.”
TOPS @ Empty Bottle (WNUR 89.7 FM)
“As she reached the highest of booming falsettos in the chorus amidst a cacophony of cheers and grooving bodies, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia. Maybe it was the disco ball hovering above or the ABBA-esque sound and style of the group, but it was as if TOPS had transported us to Montreal’s version of a 1970s discotheque, and I was more than here for it.”
Wild Nothing @ Thalia Hall (WNUR 89.7 FM)
“A lot of that newfound energy has to be attributed to Tatum, who seemed like a brand new person. Gone was the long hair and too-cool-to-groove attitude that was on display in 2018, and in was the frontman that played his songs like they were all brand new. The essence of “in the pocket,” as his head bobbed, feet tapped and hips swayed, ours did too.”
Passion Pit @ Riviera Theater (WNUR 89.7 FM)
“As the first “sleepyheeeeeaaaadddd” came to an end and the chorus breakdown began, he leapt off the surface and proceeded to dance along with the crowd. In front of them was the man whose effervescent tunes sparked impromptu dance parties for an entire generation of confused adolescents when they shuffled through their iPods, and now these same souls were mere feet away from that source of exuberance.”