Grade 2 have a lot to say, and ‘Talk About It’ is where they say all of it. The Isle of Wight punk trio, Sid Ryan, Jack Chatfield, and Jacob Hull, deliver their fourth album via Hellcat Records, a twelve-track chronicle of love, loss, and the grinding work of growing up inside a band. This is their most direct and emotionally honest record yet, and it lands hard.
The lead single “Standing In The Downpour” sets the tone immediately. Written like a conversation between old friends, it traces the arc from rowdy seaside-town adolescence to the harder work of finding your footing as an adult. It’s defiant without being cheap about it, a punk track with real texture and a hook that sticks. Grade 2 have always had the energy. Here, they’ve matched it with genuine songwriting depth.
The album title says everything. “It became ‘Talk About It,’ which sums up the whole album,” frontman Sid Ryan explains, “touching on every emotion that you feel while being in a band, from love to loss to personal turmoil to ambition. It’s a coming-of-age story about Grade 2 entering adulthood.” Twelve years since they first cranked amps as schoolkids, they’ve earned every word of it.
The band’s resume backs up the confidence. Festival slots at Rock am Ring, shared stages with Rancid and Slipknot, and a self-titled 2023 LP that announced them as one of modern punk’s most compelling acts. ‘Talk About It’ doesn’t rest on any of that. It pushes forward, harder and more focused than anything they’ve done before.
‘Talk About It’ is out now via Hellcat Records. Grade 2 hits Europe this spring, with dates running through June.
TOMORA has arrived, and the debut album ‘Come Closer’ is everything the mystery surrounding this project promised. Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers and Norwegian artist AURORA have made something genuinely singular here, twelve tracks that pull from wigged-out 1960s psychedelia and push toward sounds that feel built for decades that haven’t happened yet. The title track video is out now, and it delivers.
The duo didn’t exactly announce themselves quietly. TOMORA’s name appeared on the Coachella 2026 lineup with zero context, triggering immediate speculation. Then came “Ring The Alarm” in December, and the conversation shifted fast. SPIN, Brooklyn Vegan, and Stereogum all took notice, with Stereogum calling it “a high-octane build… urgent vocal swirls… seesawing between euphoria and panic.” DJ Mag flagged its “intense bass and beat oscillations capped with an infectious vocal hook.”
The album is out now via Capitol Records, available digitally and physically on CD, standard black vinyl, and a limited-edition colour vinyl LP. The duo describe ‘Come Closer’ plainly and perfectly: “We made it without obligation or expectation, just a joy in creation. It’s the sound where we meet, the landing zone of our musical escape pods.”
‘Come Closer’ doesn’t sound like a collaboration between two separate artists finding common ground. It sounds like a duo that locked into something real and chased it as far as it would go. The range across these twelve tracks is remarkable, from dancefloor-ready momentum to tender, beautifully constructed downtempo moments like “The Thing,” which surfaced early on the limited white label vinyl release.
Dancefloors and festival fields are already paying attention. ‘Come Closer’ is out now on Capitol Records.
The video for “How Can I” is out, and Micah McLaurin isn’t holding anything back. The soul-baring single now has a visual to match its emotional weight, a direct expression of what it means to hold onto yourself when the people closest to you refuse to see you clearly. This one hits differently.
Produced by Fernando Garibay (Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston, Kylie Minogue) and co-written with Poo Bear and Simon Wilcox, “How Can I” carries serious pop pedigree without losing its personal core. The track is already on Spotify’s All New Pop playlist and landed on Apple Music’s New Music Daily and New In Pop. McLaurin puts it plainly: “Being human comes in all shapes and shades, we all deserve to be happy and to walk in our own truth.”
The song builds on real momentum. McLaurin was featured in Spotify Wrapped’s Best of Fresh Finds Pop 2025, driven largely by the viral surge of his Latin-infused single “Remember Me,” which earned two official remixes from Majestic and Until Dawn, both hitting Music Week’s Pop Club Chart at number six. Before that, “Satisfied” and “Baboom” both cracked the Top 10 of the same chart.
McLaurin’s reach extends well beyond the studio. He’s collaborated with creative director Nicola Formichetti, designer Zaldy, producer duo PhD, and worked alongside brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, and Vivienne Westwood. That kind of cross-industry pull doesn’t happen by accident, it reflects an artist operating at a genuinely distinctive level.
“How Can I” lands as one of McLaurin’s most direct and affecting releases to date, a pop track with real emotional stakes and production that earns every second of its runtime. Watch the video now.
On May 8, rock ‘n’ roll icon Neil Diamond unveils Wild At Heart, a testament to his mastery and a remarkable third – and final – entry in his universally praised collaboration with producer Rick Rubin. Recorded initially at sessions for Diamond’s chart-topping Home Before Dark, this collection of ten songs features his signature passionate vocals and powerfully incisive lyrics surrounded by urgent yet stripped-down arrangements. Listen here.
Diamond initially teamed up with Rubin for 2005’s 12 Songs, hailed as “one of the most entertaining, satisfying albums Diamond has ever released.” The partnership went so well that Diamond was eager to work with Rubin again. 2008’s Home Before Dark was a tremendous popular success (his first-ever Number One album on the Billboard charts) and garnered widespread critical praise. PopMatters’ James Bassett echoed many of his colleagues’ sentiments when he hailed Home Before Dark as “an album of rare beauty, grace, and eloquence that captures Diamond in all his plain-spoken and big-hearted glory. And it is easily the most intensely personal release of his esteemed career.”
“My work with Rick was a labor of love,” Neil shares, “and I’m so gratified that these songs will finally be set free into the world to complete our trilogy of work.”
Recently revisiting this material, Diamond spent time fleshing out nine new songs to be released for the first time and closed the set with an alternate take of “Forgotten,” which initially appeared on Home Before Dark.
The unique set of songs on Wild At Heart (simultaneously archival and brand-new) will be released on CD, vinyl, and digital platforms via Capitol/UMe on May 8, 2026. Following the release of “Wild At Heart,” the album’s second track, “You’re My Favorite Song,” is out now. Listen to both tracks HERE. Limited edition colored vinyl and 2CD versions will also be available. Preorder and Listen to Wild At Heart HERE.
In anticipation of Wild At Heart’s release, digital Deluxe Editions of 12 Songs and Home Before Dark are now available and include the debut of bonus tracks previously available on limited physical releases.
Diamond immensely enjoyed collaborating with Rick Rubin and the all-star quartet he assembled for the Home Before Dark sessions: keyboardist Benmont Tench and guitarist Mike Campbell (both from Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers), along with ace session guitarist Smokey Hormel and guitarist Matt Sweeney (co-founder of the NYC indie rock group Chavez) and frequent Will Oldham cohort. “Working with these guys and having Rick’s ear made it a great deal of fun,” Diamond told Billboard in 2008. “It was magic.”
Revealing the spare but emotional resonance that are hallmarks of his work with Rick Rubin, Wild At Heart has marvelous cohesiveness drawn from material recorded over a handful of years ago. Accompanying his soul-baring lyrics and commanding yet vulnerable vocals, Diamond’s guitar, which he had rarely played on recordings, leads the unadorned arrangements, which involve mainly subdued guitars and keyboards.
Wild At Heart finds Diamond in a reflective, philosophical mood, but it is conveyed on a very human scale, so the songs come across as deeply personal. On “Shine On,” the singer advises his son to “never doubt in yourself” and “sing what you feel inside.” The terrific “You Can’t Have It All” remains presciently relevant today as Diamond asks: “What’s the matter with the world? Can’t everyone take care?”
A well-known master of love songs, Diamond adds several more to his canon with “The Secret You” and “You Still Look Good To Me,” while “Talking It To Death” and “Forgotten” explore the rockier side of love that is on the rocks. “You’re Getting To Me,” “You’re My Favorite Song,” “You Never Know,” and the title track contains classic Diamond hooks; however, the performances hold a warm intimacy that feels like he’s playing in your living room.
Neil Diamond’s illustrious career, spanning over five decades, has seen him sell over 130 million albums, placing him among the best-selling rock musicians ever. He has had 18 Top 10 albums and scored nearly 40 Top 40 singles, with ten reaching #1. His 1969 hit “Sweet Caroline” has continued its unbridled grip on pop culture and has become a permanent fixture at sporting events and a TV and film soundtrack favorite.
A GRAMMY Award-winning artist, Diamond is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He also has received two of the highest honors bestowed upon songwriters: the Johnny Mercer Award and the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award.
Additionally, Diamond has garnered the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award, NARAS’ MusiCares Person of the Year Award, and the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime of contributions to American culture. His achievements include a Golden Globe Award, 13 GRAMMY nominations, an American Music Award, an ASCAP Film and Television Award, and a Billboard Icon Award.
Diamond, who starred in the 1980 film The Jazz Singer, has seen his life and music turned into the hit Broadway musical A Beautiful Noise. The show debuted in New York City in 2022, and with over 650 performances and was one of the longest-running new musicals on Broadway since the pandemic. Beautiful Noise launched its first tour in 2024 and continues to tour across America with performances set to open in Australia in August, 2026.
In addition, Focus Features released Song Sung Blue on December 25th, a musical drama starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. Directed by Craig Brewer and based on a true story, the film follows two down-on-their-luck musicians who form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band. The movie has been a huge success, with Hudson receiving Oscar, SAG Actor Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations, and will be released via international streaming in late Spring.
Demi Lovato wasted no time. “Low Rise Jeans” is out now via DLG Recordings/Island Records, the first taste of ‘It’s Not That Deep (Unless You Want It To Be),’ the deluxe edition of her critically acclaimed ninth studio album, arriving April 24th with eight brand new tracks. The original ‘It’s Not That Deep’ landed with a Metacritic score of 82, making it the most critically celebrated record of her career.
The song arrived the right way. Lovato debuted “Low Rise Jeans” on the opening night of her It’s Not That Deep Tour in Orlando earlier this week, and fans at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. got the first look at the deluxe artwork on arena screens just last night. That’s how you build momentum, night by night, room by room, on a tour that already has people talking.
The track carries the same celebratory, late-night energy that made the original album connect so hard with audiences and critics alike. It’s confident, fun, and built for exactly the kind of first U.S. arena tour Lovato is running right now, her first in nearly eight years. The rooms are big, the setlist is strong, and the new music fits perfectly.
The It’s Not That Deep Tour, produced by Live Nation, continues April 18th in Philadelphia, with upcoming stops in Toronto, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles before wrapping May 25th in Houston. Eight new tracks drop April 24th. “Low Rise Jeans” is the opening argument, and it’s a strong one.
Cody Johnson has a new album coming and the story behind it is as country as it gets. ‘Banks Of The Trinity’ arrives June 26th via CoJo/Warner Music Nashville, and Johnson announced it with a social media post that reads like a short story about dirt roads, cream sodas, and the kind of childhood memories that don’t fade. The album cover features a photo of Lawrence’s Grocery Store, a place he used to ride his bike two miles down an old dirt road just to reach as a kid.
Johnson explains it directly: “When I heard the song ‘Banks Of The Trinity’ for the first time, it was like a portrait flashed in my head of memories I thought I’d forgotten. It took me straight back home to Sebastopol, Texas, where I grew up on the river.” That’s the emotional core of this record, and it’s already earning its place before a single note hits streaming platforms.
The first single, “I Want You,” is out now. It arrives on the heels of one of the most remarkable moments of Johnson’s career, closing out the 94th Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Stadium with 80,203 attendees, surpassing the legendary concert-only attendance record of 80,020 set by George Strait in 2013. Strait held that record for over a decade. Johnson broke it in front of a hometown crowd.
The momentum doesn’t stop there. Johnson received his third consecutive ACM nomination for Entertainer of the Year and his fourth consecutive nomination for Visual Media of the Year (“The Fall”) at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards. He’s also among the performers set for the 61st ACM Awards on May 17th on Prime Video. ‘Banks Of The Trinity’ drops June 26th.
nugs, the leading platform for live music streaming, today announced Play Dead, the Grateful Dead-branded app dedicated exclusively to hi-res streaming of the legendary Grateful Dead vault. Authorized by Grateful Dead Productions and developed in concert with Rhino Entertainment, the longtime stewards of the Grateful Dead catalog, Play Dead offers fans unprecedented access to newly transferred, mastered and enhanced live recordings from one of the most beloved and cherished archives in music history.
Play Dead offers Dead Heads unprecedented access to the Grateful Dead’s live legacy; bringing together for the first-time ever the Grateful Dead’s previously unreleased vault recordings in high-resolution audio, as well as releases previously only available on CD.
With Play Dead, listeners can experience:
Exclusive access to newly transferred, mastered and enhanced recordings from the vault, streaming in hi-res
New vault releases every Tuesday, curated by David Lemieux and mastered by David Glasser
CD-only releases now streaming for the first time, including the “Dave’s Picks” series
Previously released live recordings presented in both hi-res and chronological order by performance date, a first in Grateful Dead history
“Play Dead kicks off the largest tape transfer project in the history of rock ‘n roll. We are pulling tapes off the shelf of the vault and transferring them at their highest resolution to date, and mastering in the studio for the first time,” said Brad Serling, Founder and CEO of nugs. “These tapes were in the room with the band each night, and Play Dead will be the official hi-res streaming home of the vault, browsable chronologically in the order the music was performed. Working with Grateful Dead Productions and Rhino, we are giving listeners unprecedented access to 30 years of live recordings, via one of the greatest live archives ever assembled, with new discoveries coming every single week.”
To mark its debut, Play Dead includes 20 previously unreleased shows from the vault, with two new releases every week, offering fans a constantly expanding window into the band’s live evolution.
“Play Dead is the most complete way we’ve ever been able to share the vault,” said David Lemieux, longtime Grateful Dead archivist and legacy manager. “These recordings capture the band’s journey night by night, and bringing them together in chronological order, with newly transferred and mastered audio, gives fans an entirely new way to experience this music. There’s always more to discover in the vault, and I’m excited to share something new every Tuesday.”
Designed for both lifelong Dead Heads and new explorers alike, Play Dead transforms the way fans connect with the Grateful Dead’s unmatched live history, offering a persistent, curated journey through decades of performances, now available at an audio quality geared towards audiophiles.
“Rhino has been proud to steward the Grateful Dead’s catalog for decades,” said Mark Pinkus, President of Rhino Records. “We’re excited to help Grateful Dead bring the vault to life through nugs and Play Dead, giving fans an official new way to experience these legendary live recordings with the care and sound quality they deserve.”
Play Dead is available through several subscription options, giving fans the flexibility to stream the vault on its own or seamlessly through nugs:
Play Dead standalone subscription: $9.99/month or $99.99/year
Play Dead Add-on for existing nugs subscribers (available directly in the nugs app): $4.99/month or $49.99/year
Play Dead x nugs Bundle (for new customers, with built-in savings): $17.98/month or $169.98/year, starting at a $7 monthly savings for first-time nugs subscribers for the first year
Play Dead app is available on the App Store and Google Play for iOS and Android and on the web at playdead.app. Full subscription details, eligibility, and plan information are available at playdead.app.
SOMBR just made 2026 significantly more exciting. The GRAMMY-nominated 20-year-old New York City superstar has released “Potential,” a brand new single arriving with a cinematic music video directed by Gus Black, hot off a Coachella performance that had fans stretching to the outer edges of the field. He wrote every word of it himself, the way he does with everything.
“Potential” follows “Homewrecker,” which marked SOMBR’s fifth Billboard Global 200 entry, fourth Hot 100 placement, and his highest first-week debut yet. It’s a trajectory that shows zero signs of levelling off. The new track was teased live at Coachella last weekend, and the full video is out now. Variety called him “the new prototype for the modern rock star,” and nothing about “Potential” argues otherwise.
The arena tour announcement lands just as hard. The 39-date You Are The Reason Tour kicks off July 22nd in Mexico City and runs through November, hitting legendary rooms coast to coast with support from Interpol, The Last Dinner Party, Tom Odell, Dove Cameron, Balu Brigada, King Princess, The Hellp, and Hannah Jadagu. Two nights at Madison Square Garden in his hometown of New York City are on the schedule, with the second date added due to immediate demand. Red Rocks also gets a second night for the same reason.
SOMBR’s rise has been relentless. “Back to Friends” charted for 52 weeks on the Hot 100, hit number one on Spotify globally, ruled Alternative Radio for five weeks, and reached number one on U.S. Pop Radio more than a year after its release. His debut album ‘I Barely Know Her’ produced three Top 20 hits on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Hot 100. A Best New Artist GRAMMY nomination, an MTV VMA win for Best Alternative, and a Coachella surprise appearance with Billy Corgan performing “1979” rounded out a stretch that would define most artists’ entire careers. SOMBR is just getting started.
You Are The Reason North American Arena Tour Dates:
July 22 – Mexico City, MX – Pepsi Center
July 26 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater
July 27 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater (NEW DATE)
Sep 29 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Oct 1 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Oct 2 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
Oct 6 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
Oct 7 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
Oct 9 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
Oct 10 – Los Angeles, CA – The Kia Forum
Oct 13 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena
Oct 14 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena
Oct 16 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
Oct 17 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Oct 18 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Oct 20 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Oct 22 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Oct 24 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena
Oct 25 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center
Oct 27 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Oct 28 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Oct 30 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
Oct 31 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
Nov 1 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
Nov 3 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
Nov 4 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Nov 6 – Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Nov 7 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Nov 8 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
Nov 10 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Nov 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
Nov 13 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
Nov 14 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
Nov 16 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Nov 18 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Nov 19 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena
Nov 21 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Nov 23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Nov 24 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden (NEW DATE)
2026 Festival Dates:
April 18 – Coachella (Weekend Two) – Indio, CA
May 24 – BottleRock Napa Valley – Napa, CA
July 30 – Lollapalooza – Chicago, IL
August 1 – Osheaga Festival – Montreal, QC
August 11 – Sziget Festival – Budapest, Hungary
August 13 – Syd For Solen – Copenhagen, Denmark
August 14 – Øyafestivalen – Oslo, Norway
August 15 – Way Out West – Gothenburg, Sweden
August 16 – Flow – Helsinki, Finland
August 20 – Openair Gampel – Gampel, Switzerland
August 22 – Lowlands – Biddinghuizen, Netherlands
August 23 – Pukkelpop – Hasselt, Belgium
August 26 – Rock En Seine – Paris, France
August 28 – Electric Picnic – Stradbally, Ireland
August 29 – Reading Festival – Reading, UK
August 30 – Leeds Festival – Leeds, UK
September 1 – Superbloom – Munich, Germany
September 11 – Fono Festival – Quebec City, QC
September 12 – Sommo Festival – New Glasgow, NS
The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a brand new set of residents, and they’re considerably furrier than Aerosmith. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets opens May 26th, reimagining the iconic launch coaster as a chaotic Hollywood premiere anchored by Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem. The concept is ridiculous in the best possible way, and it’s going to be an absolute blast.
The soundtrack is the centrepiece. A rotating setlist of five high-energy Muppet covers and original tracks features contributions from Def Leppard, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Questlove. That’s a genuinely stacked musical roster for a theme park attraction, and it lands with the kind of energy the ride demands.
The pre-show is pure Muppet chaos. Disney’s first-ever Scooter Audio-Animatronics figure anchors a frantic scene where Scooter and a team of penguin engineers desperately try to shut down The Electric Mayhem’s jam session and get everyone into their limos before missing the concert entirely. From there, guests race across a Muppet-twisted version of Hollywood in a very fast limo, the scenery delivering Tinseltown landmarks with maximum absurdity.
The courtyard transformation completes the package. Muppet tycoon J.P. Grosse has taken over G-Force Records, giving the iconic red guitar marquee a psychedelic new paint job. Sharp-eyed guests will spot cameos from Awkwafina, Danny Trejo, Darren Criss, John Stamos, Neil Patrick Harris, Travis Barker, Yvette Nicole Brown, Wayne Brady, and Weird Al Yankovic woven throughout the experience.
Tribeca Festival turns 25 this year and it’s not holding back. Running June 3–14 in New York City, the 2026 edition announces Sara Bareilles, Peter Frampton, Mumford & Sons, The Lox, Magdalena Bay, and Noga Erez & Ori Rousso for exclusive post-premiere performances across the festival run. The lineup is deep, the stakes are high, and the music programming alone makes this essential.
The festival opens June 3rd with the world premiere of Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial VS That’s the Weight of the World), directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, followed by a special performance from Earth, Wind & Fire and The Roots. That’s an opening night that sets a nearly impossible bar, and the rest of the festival rises to meet it.
Closing Night, presented by OKX and 10 Lives Studios, delivers the world premiere of Alicia Keys: Girl From Hell’s Kitchen, directed by Tribeca alum One9, a love letter to New York City from one of its most celebrated voices, followed by a personal appearance from Keys herself. The 118-feature lineup includes a record 103 world premieres across the full run.
The music video slate adds another layer entirely. Linda Perry’s “Beautiful” directed by Sara Gilbert, Jack White’s “Archbishop Harold Holmes” starring John C. Reilly, Benson Boone’s “Mr. Electric Blue,” and 5 Seconds of Summer’s “Everyone’s A Star” all feature. Programmer Sharon Badal has assembled something genuinely eclectic and worth exploring film by film.
