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Vampire Weekend Did Not Make a ‘Doom and Gloom Record’

On its fifth album, suffused with thoughts of 20th-century New York City, indie-rock’s pop maximalists get noisier - but it’s a journey out of negativity into “something a little deeper.” (NYT)

One World Is Ending but a New One’s Always Beginning

Ezra Koenig on the journey out of pessimism, swag secrets of the new Vampire Weekend album, copping Yohji and Margaret Howell bangers & more. (Blackbird Spyplane)

The Rockers Putting Their Blackness at the Fore of Hardcore and Punk

A growing movement of artists are embracing the music genre’s Black cultural roots. (The Guardian)

How Dweller Charts a Path Through Black Queer Spaces 

There are music festivals, and then there’s Dweller. The exuberant celebration of Black electronic music has grown into something of a community holiday for Black artists, music lovers, and dance-floor denizens alike. (Criterion)

Bb Trickz, the Trash-Talking Provocateur Changing the Face of Spanish Rap

A drill rapper with an ear for an absurdist one-liner and a ruthless perfectionist streak, Bb Trickz shows the killer instinct that’s made her Spain’s most wanted new hip-hop star. (Dazed)

Dancing on Air

Busting moves and teasing hair with YouTube's funnest time travellers.

(Catchdini)

The Oral History of Pitchfork

The inside story of the magazine everyone loved to hate. (Slate)

What Does Dying Sound Like? Music and the Near Death Experience

When Haitao Yang was shot in the head, it brought him to within touching distance of death, an experience that has profoundly influenced his music ever since, but he's not alone. Jak Hutchcraft investigates the bizarre and sometimes disturbing world of music and the near death experience.

(The Quietus)

Stage-Diver at an Early Nirvana Gig - Charles Peterson’s Best Photograph

"The energy at this show was chaotic. This guy scrambled to the top of the amplifier and leaped. I thought he was going to break his neck."

(The Guardian)

Call It the Glenjamn Effect. The Photographer Has Been Taking Us Inside L.A. Parties for 20 Years

These photos are a delicious slice into Glen Han’s late night experiences, from LeBron James cheesing with Tyler, the Creator at Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton show to Bella Hadid goofing off.  (L.A. Times)

Palace Cofounder Talks Gap Collaboration: “It’s Cool, Innit, Man?”

The UK skate brand brought its irreverent vibe to a slew of the mall brand’s iconic pieces. “We're not sat there scratching our heads on how to put three arms on a Gap hoodie to make it look new and different,” Palace’s Lev Tanju exclusively tells GQ. (GQ)

Meet Jessika Alexander, Athletic Trainer to Skateboarding’s A-Listers

"Someone had me pull up to Hollywood High with my table!" (Jenkem)

A Day in Life With Alexandra Sheehan and Alex Delany 

Meet Alexandra and Alex, both writers and artists. For our latest editorial, we asked them a few questions about their daily routines and how they like to spend their weekends. Last, we asked them for their hidden gems of New York. (Another Aspect) 

SNAKE Q&A 024: Charlie Morgan

Author, scholar on Ralph, Dondi, Santa Fe, and the rich-guy Manhattan thrift triangle. (SNAKE)

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The Church of Mannequin Pussy

The Philadelphia punk quartet discusses how longing, loneliness, and the raw ingenuity of producer John Congleton shaped the bold new album I Got Heaven. (Pitchfork)

Faye Webster Is More Than a Sad Girl Indie Star

Her new album Underdressed at the Symphony might be a breakup record, but it contains multitudes of emotion for the Atlanta singer-songwriter. 

(NME)

Kiss Kiss! Bang Bang!

For New York breakouts Lip Critic, innovation is the only constant. As the four-piece unveil their debut long player for Partisan Records, Jen Long hears their story. (Line of Best Fit)

The Sickest Album of the Year

Kim Gordon on her incredible new LP, a cherished ‘80s Gerhard Richter piece, X-girl grails, & more unbeatable topics. (Blackbird Spyplane)

60 Songs That Explain the ’90s: The Complete Collection

After three-plus years and countless trips down memory lane, it’s time to end this chapter of ‘60 Songs.’ To celebrate the occasion, we’ve cataloged each episode, including website excerpts, interview highlights, and everything in between. (The Ringer)

A Conversation With Designer Benjamin Edgar Gott

We talk about Boxed Water, his love for Chicago, adopting a daily uniform, designing whatever he feels like, his friendship with Virgil Abloh, and more. 

(sprezza)

The Story of the Bar at the Birth of Street Art

A new book is documenting London’s infamous Dragon Bar with the artists who displayed, sprayed and played there. (Huck)

The 90s Skate Video That Changed the Face of Counterculture

Eli Gesner and RB Umali look back on the cross-pollination of East Coast skateboarding, hip-hop, and graffiti for Zoo York’s seminal Mixtape. (Huck)

This Old Ledge: Brooklyn Banks

Few plazas loom as large as The Banks. From the Bones Brigade to Harold Hunter, the sessions that sparked these clips are seared into our minds. Ted Barrow's back to highlight its significance. (Thrasher)

Epicly Later'd Is Back on VICE, Baby

Watch the first two episodes right here. (VICE)

Jenkem Mix 138: Late Nite Stars

The Texas-turned-New York crew went back to their roots with a chopped 'n' screwed mix of their own. (Jenkem)

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Why Are Pants So Big (Again)?

And what the latest swing from skinny to wide tells us about ourselves. (NYT)

How Our Legacy Became the Biggest Little Fashion Brand in the World

It’s been a cultish brand for years, but now Our Legacy is finding success that its founders never imagined - and facing a slew of new challenges. 

(GQ)

Inside Arc’teryx’s Explosive Growth - and Its Quest to Keep Its Soul

A frenzy for high-end outerwear turned the cult outdoors brand into a global juggernaut. But can Arc'teryx stay cool now that it's king of the mountain? (GQ)

Five Fits With: Vintage Expert Frank Carson

The owner of in-the-know NYC shop Leisure Centre opens up about his own approach to style. (Esquire)

Ellsworth Kelly’s Way of Seeing

Jack Stanley on the genius of a colourful pioneer. (Drake's)

“My Baby, Byline!”: Madeline Montoya on Creative Directing One of the Most Exciting New Publications 

Think you love magazines? Probably not as much as this New York-based art director. (It's Nice That)

Pay Attention to The Belair Lip Bombs

The Belair Lip Bombs already sound like the coolest band on the planet with their name and for good reason. (Monster Children)

Charli XCX Knows You’re Obsessed With Her

She's pop music’s fearless trailblazer, a committed experimentalist who’s navigated the music industry machine and kept her integrity intact. Now, Charli XCX is back with a rowdy, ravey record which laps up the drama of friendships, fall-outs and fame. (The Face)

Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes Turns 20 (Stereogum)

In Conversation: Rob Pennington of Endpoint

Thirty years later, this classic conversation from the original zine gets a fresh set of eyes - and the wistfulness in the room is palpable. (Anti-Matter)

Miles Davis and the Recording of a Jazz Masterpiece

Kind of Blue is the best-selling jazz album of all time. Here's what it was like inside the studio with Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans on the day they laid down one of the record's iconic tracks. (Esquire)

The 100 Best Needle Drops in Film and Television History

From Britney Spears in Spring Breakers to five seconds of Pharoah Sanders in The Sopranos, these are The FADER’s favourite musical cues. 

(The Fader)

BADBADNOTGOOD’s Alex Sowinski on Scoring Paris De Noche, a Film by Sagan Lockhart Starring Jahmir Brown, Carl Aikens, and More.

Paris De Noche, a new film by Sagan Lockhart starring Jahmir Brown and Carl Aikens and filmed by Naquan Rollings, is a well constructed combination of skateboarding, music, tone, and defined visual identity.

(Monster Children)

Mind Field, Jake Johnson and Music With Animal Collective

A quick conversation with Animal Collective about their music in skate videos. (Jenkem)

Sean Pablo on His Recent Move to EDGLRD

When Sean Pablo hit the scene in Supreme’s “cherry”, he and his cadre of friends ushered in a new era of skateboarding. (Monster Children)

BLOCK ROCKERS VOL. 3

Block Rockers is photographer James Hartley's ongoing portrait series of New Yorkers seen on the street, playing music through their boomboxes and outdoor speakers. When the portraits are made, the song they're playing is noted, and later mixed with field recordings made around the city. The images, songs and recordings combine to create a visual mixtape of the city. More here.

STATE YOUR BIZ

State Your Biz, Volume 1: Select business cards from the Marvin Gardens archive featuring the likes of Stussy, Triple 5 Soul, PNB Nation, Supreme and more.

(Via Storage Based)

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How Cam’ron Built a Sports-Media Mini Empire With It Is What It Is

The pugnacious Harlem rap legend now hosts the most unfiltered hour of commentary in sports with his onetime arch-rival, Mase. But even as he trolls harder than ever - yes, that’s football correspondent O.J. Simpson - Killa Cam is slowly embracing a surprising new philosophy: Love and friendship conquers all. (GQ)

How ‘Mellow Grime’ Edits Are Pushing UK Music Forward

For nearly a decade, grime’s vast musical tapestry has been reimagined by a host of beatmakers determined to test the capabilities of the genre. From the soulful to the hard-hitting, this growing subsection of the sound - known as mellow grime - incorporates everything from R&B to drill in its makeup, and has seemingly ramped up in the last couple of years, serving to give those old enough to remember grime’s classics another way of appreciating them, while introducing it to new ears. (TRENCH)

Jawnino Is Embracing the Chaos

South London MC Jawnino's low-slung rhymes and heady, experimental productions are pushing grime to thrilling new places. (Crack)

In Conversation: Mike Bingham of Spiritual Cramp

After six years, Spiritual Cramp made a deceptively complex debut album worthy of the wait. Mike Bingham has been working on himself for at least as long. It turns out he's deceptively complex, too. (Anti-Matter)

Live Forever: Oasis’s Definitely Maybe, 30 Years On

The Manchester band released their debut album in 1994 and changed the course of music history forever. Writer Jon Savage, who saw them perform four times that year, remembers a pivotal moment in British pop, culture and politics. (Esquire)

How Cassettes and Tape-Trading Shaped Hip-Hop’s Early Years

These tapes and the underground, tape-trading economy played a vital role in documenting and spreading the music nationwide. (Spin)

What Was The Village Voice?

The Freaks Came Out to Write is an oral history of America’s most important alternative weekly. (NYT)

Room Service by Michael McGregor

A study of elegance, decadence, and travel, the snapshot drawings featured in Michael McGregor’s new book Room Service capture and preserve the small, fleeting moments cherished during travel. (Juxtapoz)

Herb Sundays 103 & 104: IDEA

Angela Hill and David Owen of London's book and curio empire, IDEA, come forth with a serious haul. (Herb Sundays)

Jenkem Mix 137: Citi Bike Boyz

Complete with a curated tracklist denoting what time of the week listening should occur. (Jenkem)

HANA VU - CARE

RAPPER'S DELUXE

Organised chronologically from the 1970s to present day, Rapper's Deluxe offers a visual and cultural analysis of how hip hop has changed the world. Through photographs, art, advertisements, books, magazines, album covers, film stills and more, Rapper’s Deluxe is a highly curated collection of America's hip hop culture. 

Read more about the book here.

A GRAND DON'T COME FOR FREE

Mike Skinner photographed by Ewen Spencer for The Streets album A Grand Don't Come For Free, 2004.

JAWNINO - IT'S COLD OUT

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The College Dropout Turns 20 (Stereogum) 

Why Was The Grey Album Such a Big Deal 20 Years Ago?

The headline "Underground Rap Producer Remixes The Beatles" might get 40 retweets in 2024. Why would we be interested in hearing a guy whose only claim to fame was a Jemini album chop up samples of the canonical greatest band of all time? We have AI for that! But 20 years ago it was a daring, bold proposition, especially when combined with some acappellas from Jay-Z's recently-released "final" album. (Inbox Infinity)

Conversations: Jean Dawson in LA

Jean is a super inspiring person in my life & consistently makes me want to work harder. We always joke that most interviews musicians get to do follow a very cookie-cutter line of questioning like “How do you like tour?” or “what’s it like working with xyz artist?” so, before the show we sat down to do our own interview - hopefully to give a different perspective and opportunity to get to know Jean Dawson as a person a little better. 

(Reese Cooper)

SNAKE Q&A 022: Joint Custody

Smorgasbord Records business card, Bobby Liebling, Saarinen, Stimulators. (SNAKE)

Artists “Make LA Graffiti History” by Painting on Abandoned High-Rises

“Shit is a skyscraper playground,” said one artist who helped tag at least 27 stories of an unfinished luxury development. (Hyperallergic)

Remembrance, Loss, and Rhubarb at Gallerist Tony Cox’s New Playhouse

Tony Cox, the impresario behind the elusive Club Rhubarb, launches an ambitious satellite gallery that's just as hard to find (but worth it). (Artnet)

How a Book Publisher Started an Olive Oil Empire: An Interview With Theopilos Constantinou

Art books? Olive oil? An unlikely pairing done with creative precision. (sabukaru)

Skateboarding and Soccer With New York City’s Chinatown Soccer Club

Meet the club of skaters, artists and notable locals that have casually played soccer together for the last 20 years. (Jenkem)

Con Edison Banks: A History

The place we’ve come to call the Con Edison Banks is, as you may know, a famous skateboard spot located just outside the entrance to New York City's largest power plant facility at 31st St and 20th Ave in Astoria, Queens. (Village Psychic)

Five Favourite Parts With Ben Kadow

If you ever wondered what possesses someone to, say, 5050 the bench on the Houston median depicted above, or boardslide the knobbed rail on Forsyth Street while everyone else is hurling themselves down the stairs - you can rest assured that the answer is a crossroad between Anthony Pappalardo and Jason Byoun ;) (Quartersnacks)

The Drake's Revue: Christopher Fenimore

The photographer on life on the North Fork, a special watch and how he spends a day in NYC. (Drake's)

RENE RICARD 1979-1980

Rene Ricard 1979-1980 is the first collection of American poet and artist Rene Ricard’s poetry, first published by the Dia Art Foundation in 1979.

SPICE - 26 DOGS

Monday morning mood music.

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How Do You Make a Weed Empire? Sell It Like Streetwear

Berner, the San Francisco rapper, has built a legal-weed empire out of his black-market past - and blurred the lines between the two. (NYT)

How Turnstile Designed the Band's First-Ever Converse Sneaker Collaboration

The Baltimore hardcore heroes on their inimitable style and putting two stars on the legendary One Star shoe. (GQ)

Inside the Weird, Shady World of Click Farms

Jack Latham’s new photobook, Beggar’s Honey, is an unflinching look behind the curtain of the endless stream of content that dominates our lives. (Huck)

Can Everyone Be a Tastemaker?

The cult newsletter Perfectly Imperfect - known for tapping downtown scenesters, influencers and “it” girls for their personal recommendations - has a new platform where all can share their tastes. (NYT)

Bottom Line With Chris Black

Chris Black needs no introduction. As co-host of the popular podcast How Long Gone, partner at Public Announcement and brand consultant at Done to Death Projects, Chris is at the forefront of culture today. We sat down with him to talk about what he does, providing powerful experience, and the bottom line. (Acre)

My Internet: Brynn Wallner

The Dimepiece founder might lean into Linkedin this year and get rich. 

(Embedded)

Leo Fitzpatrick: 20 Year Issue

Leo did this interview and claimed that he visits an average of forty five galleries on a normal outing. (Monster Children)

Bandsplain’s Yasi Salek Will Always Be a Teen at Heart

Salek on her RHCP spiritual awakening, growing up with blink-182, and borrowing a pair of Courtney Love’s pajamas. (Alt Press) 

In Conversation: Ian Shelton of Militarie Gun

In life and in lyric, Ian Shelton is working on a version of self that balances truth and compassion. Making the process public, he explains, is a punk value. (Anti-Matter)

AM Radio: January 2024

The best new hardcore and community-made music, updated monthly for Anti-Matter. (Anti-Matter)

How New Order Embraced Ibiza’s Anything-Goes Energy on Technique

Released on 30th January 1989, New Order’s fifth album is a sun-flushed pinnacle of dance rock, directly inspired by the hedonistic energy of Ibiza’s burgeoning club scene of the time. 35 years on, with the help of the album’s engineer Michael Johnson, Ben Cardew reflects on its legacy, and its influence on the acid house era. (DJ Mag)

ROOM SERVICE

"Room Service compiles over 100 snapshot drawings on hotel stationary from around the world by artist Michael McGregor. The Los Angeles-based artist's vibrant, gestural drawings explore luxury, leisure and travel-capturing and preserving small moments while roaming."  

Available here.

RIP HANS FEURER

Check out more of Hans Feurer's work here.

ERIC ELMS

An ode to Dante's Divine Comedy for Carhartt Milan’s store opening.

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Attention Deficit Disorder Prosthetic Memory Program 

ADDPMP is a shape-shifting encyclopaedia of cultural and cognitive human knowledge networks by ILL-STUDIO and GENERAL_INDEX. After Paris, Miami, Tokyo, Venice, London and Berlin, ADDPMP presented its latest instalment at Spazio Maiocchi, in Milan, featuring new installations and performances. With this new edition, it’s time to ask its founder Thomas Subreville of Ill-Studio some questions. (Slam Jam)

Is Skateboarding Still a Subculture?

GQ columnist Chris Black talks to Patrick O’Dell about the return of the great skate show Epicly Later’d and why we can no longer tell the jocks apart from the skaters. (GQ)

Riding the Subway With New York’s Most Wanted Train Surfers

We met up with some of NY's notorious subway surfers to try and go beyond the cheap thrills and understand why they are literally risking it all. (Jenkem)

Elizabeth Goodspeed on Juergen Teller and How We Understand “Flawed” Images

When his shoots for W Magazine were released last week, one online viewer lamented: “Why is he employed?” Taking in history, technology and taste, our US editor-at-large explains the world’s most divisive photographer. (It's Nice That)

Cheryl Dunn: 20 Year Issue

Cheryl Dunn is into keeping things. (Monster Children)

Militarie Gun Are Doing It Faster

Vocalist Ian Shelton catches his breath and seeks perspective on a plan coming together. (Alt Press)

Nine Songs: Evan Dando

Having seen everything from roadkill in Boston mosh pits to a new generation of pop star on Martha's Vineyard, The Lemonheads chief manufacturer Evan Dando walks Will Yarbrough through one song for each of his nine lives. (The Line of Best Fit)

Favourite Rap, 2023

As previously promised, I will not be doing sprawling unannotated hundred song rap lists anymore but still I did listen to and enjoy several new rap songs in a year when many men my age tried to pretend that there were no new rap songs left for anyone to enjoy and I just wanted to make some messy notes on a few favourites before I forget about them forever. (Noz)

CHANCE LORD

Sticker collage by Chance Lord aka GUESS.