LINKED UP 064

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 Co-founder 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)

LINKED UP 063

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)

LINKED UP 062

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)

Buddy Duress, Who Came Off the Streets to Find Stardom, Dies at 38

He was a homeless heroin dealer when the Safdie brothers put him in their movies, and the critics raved. But the recklessness that gave his acting authenticity thwarted his career. (NYT)