AMH lead singer and American Idol finalist Adam Ezegelian has shared a quick but utterly compelling snippet of Adele’s “Someone Like You,” recorded lying sideways on the couch and sounding absolutely stunning. The casual setting makes the vocal performance all the more striking, with Ezegelian’s voice cutting through with the kind of raw, effortless power that stops you mid-scroll and demands a full studio version happen immediately.
All The Damn Vampires Close Out Debut Album ‘VICECORE’ With Cinematic New Single “Sunset Over The Final Chapter” Featuring Miles Dimitri Baker
Los Angeles synthwave-meets-alternative-metal outfit All The Damn Vampires have released “Sunset Over The Final Chapter,” the closing track from their debut album ‘VICECORE,’ out now. The single serves a dual purpose: it formally introduces guitarist and official live member Miles Dimitri Baker (Ice Nine Kills) to the band’s fanbase, and brings the narrative woven throughout ‘VICECORE’ to its conclusion. A live performance video accompanies the release, trading the AI-generated visuals of previous singles for smoky, neon-drenched band footage spliced with cinematic shots of a young woman looking out over Los Angeles from the Hollywood Hills.
The track delivers everything that has made All The Damn Vampires compelling, vintage synthwave textures colliding with crushing alternative metal, industrial elements threading through the arrangement, and gut-punch beatdowns that land like emotional catharsis. Baker’s guitar solo is the centrepiece, dripping with emotion and technical firepower in a performance that will surprise listeners who know him primarily from Ice Nine Kills. Powerhouse vocalist Ryan Rose delivers one of his most vulnerable performances on the album, his classically trained voice cutting through the dense production with raw force. Baker is direct about the experience: “So stoked on this track and video finally coming out. I really like how the solo turned out and it’s awesome to be doing something not only with my friends, but musicians I respect.”
‘VICECORE’ was recorded over 18 months and entirely self-produced by founder, songwriter, and guitarist Davey Oberlin, with contributions from synthwave producer Sunglasses Kid on the title track and a guitar solo from Andy James on “Is This Love.” The album weaves together reimagined covers of Benny Mardones’ “Into The Night,” Whitesnake’s “Is This Love,” Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight,” and Cutting Crew’s “(I Just) Died In Your Arms” alongside original tracks, building a narrative Oberlin describes this way: “It’s up to the listener to pinpoint exactly what is being told. This song closes out the story with subtle direction, where we see ourselves walking away from a day that never seems to end, finally letting this next sunset be its last.” With over 12.7 million cross-platform streams, music featured in cult horror film Terrifier 2, and a collaboration with Avenged Sevenfold that debuted via a secret Fortnite puzzle, All The Damn Vampires have already carved out a lane entirely their own.
Manhattan Percussionist Nevaris Releases Live Dub-Funk-Afro-Latin EP ‘SoundSession’ Featuring DJ Logic, Will Bernard And More
Manhattan-based percussionist and composer AgustÃn Nevaris has released ‘Ninth Sun-Live,’ the first offering from his new ‘SoundSession’ EP, a live studio recording that combines dub, funk, Afro-Latin rhythms, turntablism, and extended improvisation. Captured in a single session on May 30, 2023 at Bill Laswell’s Orange Sound studio in West Orange, New Jersey (originally built for Franki Valli), the EP was recorded and mixed by James Dellatacoma and mastered by Michael Fossenkember at Turtletone Studios. No edits, no overdubs, no click track. Every instrument captured synchronously in real time by a nine-piece ensemble that includes DJ Logic, Jonathan Maron, Angel Rodriguez, Will Bernard, Peter Apfelbaum, Jojo Kuo, Lockatron, and Matt Dickey.
‘SoundSession’ marks the fourth collaboration between Nevaris and legendary bassist-producer Bill Laswell, and follows Nevaris’s 2023 debut ‘Reverberations,’ released via M.O.D. Reloaded, which drew praise from Carlos Santana, who called it “a work of supreme creativity.” Laswell was unable to participate in the recording for health reasons, with bassist Jonathan Maron stepping in to perform specific basslines Laswell had written. Nevaris is direct about what drove the session: “SoundSession is about playing together live without being stressed by ticket sales or a venue accommodating so many musicians. From the first notes, we could tell there was something good happening. And the recording documents it exactly as it was, with no overdubs or edits. Every note feels right from my perspective, exactly how it happened in real time.”
The record is also a deliberate statement about where music is heading. “People think everything is manipulated in the studio and a lot of it is. And everybody is talking about AI now. But we are moving in the opposite direction where everything gets more organic and raw with every project we work on,” says Nevaris. “There is nothing that can compare to the beauty of artists making work in its most organic form. It takes cats who can really play to pull it off. And it is a joy to play with every one of the musicians involved in this process.” A second studio album featuring special guests is already in the works for release via M.O.D. Reloaded later in 2026.
Garage-Psych Outfit The Velvet Tuxedo Ignite A Drop-Out Anthem With Blistering New Single “Buzz The Scuzz”
Hull’s garage-psych outfit The Velvet Tuxedo have released “Buzz The Scuzz,” a blistering new single recorded at Magic Garden Studios with producer Gavin Monaghan (Editors, The Sherlocks, Ocean Colour Scene, The Twang). The track opens with an eastern tambura drone and a swirling reversed-guitar line before the full riff tears through the speakers, driven by pounding drums, snarling vocals, and a valve-driven riff built to ignite a riot. It channels the wild electricity of The Who, the proto-punk bite of MC5, and the acid-drenched swirl of The Seeds, The Pretty Things, and 13th Floor Elevators, dragging all of it into the present with zero apology.
The phrase “Buzz The Scuzz” is the band’s own invention, a rallying cry that sums up their ethos: reject the plan, ditch the script, dig the fuzz, and follow your own road. Frontman Will Reid puts it directly: “Our drop-out anthem, two fingers up to conformity. It starts with that hypnotic drone and then erupts into something driving and defiant. It’s about breaking free from the conveyor-belt life we’re sold and choosing your own path really.” Listeners are already latching onto it as one of the most viscerally satisfying garage-psych singles to come out of the UK underground in recent memory.
The Velvet Tuxedo fuse 1960s Freakbeat, Garage, Psych, and R&B into a sound steeped in nostalgia but free from pastiche. Their reputation is built on explosive, high-octane live shows known for unpredictability, rawness, and a guitar-driven attack that hits with real ferocity. “Buzz The Scuzz” plants a flag for a band rooted in the spirit of ’68 and fully committed to pushing that energy into the present.
Alan Vega’s Landmark Solo Albums ‘Alan Vega’ And ‘Collision Drive’ Remastered And Reissued Via Sacred Bones Records
The Vega Vault Project and Sacred Bones Records have released remastered editions of Alan Vega’s self-titled 1980 debut and its 1981 follow-up ‘Collision Drive,’ now available on streaming services for the first time ever. Both albums have been remastered from the original tapes and faithfully re-released, preserving the raw intensity of Vega’s original recordings while making them newly accessible to listeners worldwide. A limited deluxe double LP edition of the self-titled album is also available, pairing the remastered original with a second disc of previously unheard early demos discovered in the Vega Vault by Liz Lamere and Jared Artaud, with tape transfers by engineer Ted Young and mastering by Josh Bonati.
Three newly available tracks anchor today’s update. The remastered versions of the twangy, guitar-driven “Kung Foo Cowboy” and the aching punk rockabilly “Magdalena 83” are now streaming, alongside a previously unheard demo of “Kung Foo Cowboy” available exclusively as part of the Alan Vega Deluxe Edition. These follow the earlier reveals of remastered ‘Alan Vega’ track “Ice Drummer,” accompanied by a video created by Douglas Hart of The Jesus & Mary Chain, and “Outlaw” from ‘Collision Drive.’ All three packages feature new artwork designed by Jared Artaud and Michael Handis, plus unseen photos and Vega’s original track sheets from his 1978 Suicide/The Clash Tour Notebook.
‘Alan Vega’ arrived in 1980 at the same moment Suicide released their second album, ‘Suicide: Alan Vega and Martin Rev.’ Vega wanted to dig deeper into his own sonic identity, fueled by rockabilly, early rock and roll, and his enduring love for Elvis Presley. The album came together after Vega crossed paths with Phil Hawk, a young Texan artist who had tracked him down at a party at the Drawing Center in New York after seeing him perform with a boombox at Max’s Kansas City. Vega described Hawk as a “blonde Elvis” and was immediately drawn to his raw, intuitive playing style.
Vega arranged and produced the entire record himself, deconstructing the drums by recording each part individually and combining electronic and acoustic sounds played live. He directed Hawk on specific guitar riffs until he found exactly the sound he was after. The result was a fiercely singular album, minimal and maximal at once, rooted entirely in Vega’s artistic vision. ‘Alan Vega’ includes the timeless “Jukebox Babe,” the blues-soaked “Kung Foo Cowboy,” and the melodic yet plaintive “Ice Drummer,” with its marching drums and tasteful harmonica solo.
‘Collision Drive’ followed in 1981, recorded in the same New York studio as its predecessor. Where the debut was a minimalist masterpiece, this record pushed further, ditching drum machines for a live drummer and enlisting a hard rock band to expand Vega’s palette. “Alan was always reinventing himself,” says Jared Artaud, co-producer and creative director of The Vega Vault Project. “Sonically, this album is more dynamic than his first. ‘Collision Drive’ offered a different view of Vega’s artistic vision.” The album channels street life, science fiction, politics, comics, love, and the mysteries of the universe, from the fiery political fury of “Viet Vet” to the proto-punk mantra of “Ghost Rider.” Its track “Outlaw,” with its cry of “more more more, more for the poor,” is said to have directly inspired Billy Idol’s iconic refrain in “Rebel Yell.”
Liz Lamere, Vega’s longtime collaborator, wife, and the leader and co-producer of The Vega Vault Project, speaks to what made his work endure. “Alan’s music thrived on interpretation. He believed the meaning of his songs belonged to the listener. His lyrics painted emotional and conceptual landscapes but he resisted explaining them. He always wanted the listener to bring their own experiences, imaginations, and emotions into what listening to his music and words meant to them, and ultimately that openness is part of its power.” That philosophy runs through every note of both records and speaks directly to why they have remained cult cornerstones of outsider rock for more than four decades.
Vega’s debut set off a ripple effect in New York’s music scene that reached far beyond the underground. Mark Ronson, Jim Jarmusch, LCD Soundsystem, Trent Reznor, Bruce Springsteen, The Flaming Lips, Billy Idol, and countless others have cited his solo work as a direct influence. These reissues recapture his raw, electrifying vision at its most uncompromising, making both albums essential listening for anyone serious about the roots of art-punk and experimental pop.
Grammy Winners Steep Canyon Rangers Release “Circling The Drain” And Hit The Road With Steve Martin
Grammy-winning North Carolina sextet Steep Canyon Rangers have released “Circling The Drain,” the latest single from one of bluegrass and Americana’s most consistently vital bands. Opening with the declaration “feeling strong as a speeding train flying full steam ahead,” the song sets the tone for a year the band is treating as a full-throttle chapter. More than two decades into their run, the Rangers show no sign of easing up, in the studio or on the road.
Bassist Barrett Smith puts it plainly: “2026 is lining up to be a very exciting year for the Rangers. We’ve got a great touring schedule coming together that includes a lot of our favorite festivals and venues. The band feels as fun and strong as it’s ever been. The vibe is good, and we’re all very excited about another great year of making some good music together for our people.” Part of that schedule includes rejoining Steve Martin and Martin Short for their music-filled stage show, with several dates on the run marked alongside the comedy legends.
The tour stretches coast to coast through late May, hitting California for a five-day run in March, swinging through the Southeast with a stop at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and wrapping things up close to home at the Amphitheater at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Mills River, North Carolina on May 29.
Steep Canyon Rangers Tour Dates:
February 28 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
March 4 – Saratoga, CA – Montalvo Arts Center
March 5 – Berkeley, CA – Freight & Salvage
March 6 – Santa Barbara, CA – Lobero Theatre
March 7 – Arroyo Grande, CA – Clark Center for the Performing Arts
March 8 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
March 13 – Washington, DC – DAR Constitution Hall
March 14 – Hershey, PA – Hershey Theatre
March 20 – Live Oak, FL – Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park
March 21 – Duluth, GA – Red Clay Music Foundry
March 22 – Nashville, TN – Schermerhorn Symphony Center
March 26 – Parker, CO – Parker Arts, Culture & Events Center
April 11 – Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theatre
April 12 – Birmingham, AL – BJCC Concert Hall
April 25 – Cleveland, OH – KeyBank State Theatre
April 26 – Cleveland, OH – KeyBank State Theatre
May 8 – Stoughton, WI – Stoughton Opera House
May 21 – Auburn, AL – Ham Amphitheater – Auburn University
May 29 – Mills River, NC – Amphitheater at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
Post-Punk Rockers Charm School Cover The Damned’s “New Rose” As ‘Skadenfreude Ploy’ EP Arrives
Charm School, the post-punk outfit led by Louisville-born, LA-based multi-hyphenate Andrew Sellers alongside longtime collaborators Matt Filip, Drew English, and Brian Vega, have shared a cover of The Damned’s classic “New Rose” as a teaser for their EP ‘Skadenfreude Ploy,’ out now. The EP was tracked and mixed by Mike Bridavsky at Russian Recording (known for work with Deerhoof and Built To Spill), with additional production and mixing by Solomon Krause-Imlach in Los Angeles, and mastered by Greg Obis at Chicago Mastering Service, co-owned by Bob Weston of Shellac.
Sellers came up in Louisville’s underground music scene, absorbing the catalogs of local legends Slint, Crain, and Rodan alongside the output of Chicago’s Touch & Go and Drag City labels. That education led him to figures like Steve Albini (Big Black, Shellac), Will Oldham (Palace Brothers, Bonnie “Prince” Billy), David Grubbs (Gastr Del Sol), and John McEntire (Tortoise, The For Carnation), layered with post-punk from PiL, Swell Maps, and The Fall, and post-hardcore from Fugazi and Nation of Ulysses. The result is a sound that is distinctly his own while wearing its influences with confidence.
‘Skadenfreude Ploy’ (yes, spelled that way) picks up where their 2025 debut LP ‘Debt Forever’ left off, diving deeper into humanity’s collective tortured psyche and the confounding realities of life in a technocratic hellscape. AI looms large across the record, as do modern life’s manipulation traps, increasingly ubiquitous and increasingly inescapable. If there is a throughline, the band puts it plainly: “Reality is becoming increasingly blurred with something we don’t even have the words for yet.” Listeners drawn to sharp, satirical, crushingly loud rock with genuine philosophical weight are finding plenty to sink into here
Pink, Metallica, Tina Turner, Britney Spears And More Get The Funko Pop Treatment In Early 2026
Funko is rolling out one of its most ambitious music lineups in years, with a wave of new Pop figures dropping through early 2026. The releases span rock, pop, hip-hop, and country, and several are tied directly to iconic music video moments. Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” figure and Kane Brown’s signature look are available now, along with AC/DC’s ‘Powerage’ and Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Bark at the Moon’ Pop Album releases. Notorious B.I.G. arrives as a deluxe figure seated on a throne in a red leather suit, gold crown, and signature cane, shipping sometime in January.
The next wave hits in February and March. Reba’s figure as Fancy Rae Baker from her 1991 “Fancy” video, draped in a mink coat and holding the gold heart locket her mother gave her, ships in early to mid February. Pink follows in early March in her show-stopping “Lady Marmalade” ensemble from the 2001 video and 2002 Grammy performance, complete with neon-pink hair and a black top hat. Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It” figure and Britney Spears’ “Work Bitch” Pop, which features a speech bubble reading “You better work, B!tch!,” both ship at the end of March. Metallica’s four-piece 72 Seasons set, featuring James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Robert Trujillo, and Lars Ulrich in their black and yellow ensembles, ships around March 9. Rob Zombie, decked in full skeleton face paint and his western goth hat, was expected to ship at the end of January.
Tom Petty’s ‘Full Moon Fever’ Pop Album captures the Florida native in his relaxed white button-down and black jacket against the album’s signature pink, orange, and blue color scheme, released January 10. Rounding out the announced lineup, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” video-inspired figure, featuring her vintage pirate blouse and denim Daisy Dukes, is expected later this year. Pink is also available as a Funko web exclusive in her “So What” look, chainsaw in hand. Across the board, this is one of the strongest music Funko runs in recent memory, and collectors are already paying close attention.
$uicideboy$ Drop Explosive “Bloodsweat” Video From Surprise Christmas Album ‘Thy Will Be Done’
$uicideboy$ released the music video for “Bloodsweat,” a standout track from their surprise album ‘Thy Will Be Done,’ which dropped on Christmas Day with zero advance promotion and immediately hit number one on Apple’s Rap Album Chart. The album pulled in over 30 million Spotify streams out of the gate, marked their sixth Top 10 debut on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and sent eight tracks onto the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Physical copies on vinyl and CD arrive March 6 via G59 Records and all retailers.
Directed by DILL35MM, the “Bloodsweat” video transforms the backwoods of New Orleans into a full-scale spectacle. A customized hearse converted into a monster truck crushes cars under exploding fireworks in a scene that is as unhinged and adrenaline-fueled as anything the duo has put their name on. The New Orleans roots are front and center, and the result is exactly the kind of over-the-top visual statement that has made uicideboyuicideboy uicideboy one of the most distinct acts in independent hip-hop.
‘Thy Will Be Done’ follows 2025’s ‘Thy Kingdom Come,’ which debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and earned the duo their fourth number one on both the Hip-Hop/Rap Albums and Independent Albums charts, positioning them as one of only two independent artists in Spotify’s Top 10 Most Streamed Rappers of 2025. Their annual Grey Day Tour ranked as the number four highest-grossing hip-hop tour of 2025 according to Billboard Boxscore, trailing only Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s Grand National Tour, Tyler The Creator’s Chromakopia Tour, and Nelly’s Where The Party At Tour.
Black Veil Brides Release Cinematic New Single And Video “Certainty” Ahead Of Upcoming Spinefarm Album
Black Veil Brides have kicked off the new year with “Certainty,” an emotionally charged new single accompanied by a striking music video, and a preview of their upcoming album via Spinefarm. Directed by George Gallardo Kattah, whose credits include Chelsea Wolfe and Maneskin, the video was filmed on tour in Colombia and carries the visual intensity of an A24 production. It is already drawing serious attention as one of the band’s most compelling visual statements to date.
The song draws its inspiration from the film Conclave. “The concept of ‘Certainty’ is central to this record and appears throughout the album,” explains Biersack. “The song was inspired by the film Conclave, particularly its reflections on religious certainty and how rigid belief systems can become prisons of our own making. When certainty hardens, curiosity, growth, and the willingness to change become impossible. Much of today’s political and social discourse exists inside these echo chambers of absolute belief, and that tension drives the narrative of this record.”
The song itself came together fast. “This was the final song written and recorded for the album,” Biersack adds. “It started from an idea Jake sent over, and it came together quickly over the course of a few days. It felt essential both narratively and musically, capturing the overall tone of what we’re aiming for.” As for the video, Biersack is unequivocal: “His interpretation of fear and pride as biblical twins is stunning, and the visuals are incredible.” With the album still to come, “Certainty” sets the tone for what Black Veil Brides are building toward.