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Brennan Wedl Signs to ANTI- Records and Shares “Six O’Clock News” Cover Featuring Waxahatchee

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Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brennan Wedl announces her signing to ANTI- Records today with the release of a cover of the Kathleen Edwards classic “Six O’Clock News” featuring Waxahatchee.



“I first heard “Six O’Clock News” on the Cities 97 Sampler CD around 2003,” Wedl detailed. “There’s no doubt that this song shaped my songwriting voice. Originally written by Kathleen Edwards, “Six O’Clock News” is a story about the hysteria of gun violence in an American town. To record and sing this very contemporary story with Waxahatchee over twenty years later is a direct link to the very heart of why I play music. It’s an honor to be joining the ANTI- roster and I’m ecstatic to share what we’ve been working on.”

Originally from Minneapolis but now based in Nashville, Wedl was previously in the band Dazey & the Scouts, which garnered a dedicated following with their only LP ‘Maggot’. Now embarking on a solo music career playing “grungetry” – a combination of grunge and country, with an indie rock lilt to boot – Wedl’s “wistful vocals and fingerpicked acoustic guitar will feel nostalgic to anyone who’s left behind a traditional life to follow their dreams,” describes the Chicago Reader.

Upon hearing Wedl and Waxahatchee’s version of the song, Kathleen Edwards said: “I absolutely love this so much and am humbled that my song gets to live a new life with Katie and Brennan. 25 years ago, my audience looked a lot different than theirs does today – it’s incredibly cool to see young women love the songwriting that means so much to me, too.”

Wedl and Katie Crutchfield will continue to cover this song and others on the upcoming Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman co-headlining tour, which Wedl is opening, this April. All upcoming dates are listed below.

“Brennan and I really bonded over our mutual love for Kathleen Edwards’s music,” Crutchfield says. “It’s such a powerful song with timeless appeal and I’m just thrilled to get to release our take on it.”
 

Tour Dates with Waxahatchee & MJ Lenderman

April 13 – Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
April 14 – Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
April 15 – Richmond, VA @ Altria Theater
April 17 – Washington DC @ The Anthem
April 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met
April 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
April 20 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
April 22 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center – Wang Theatre
April 23 – Buffalo, NY @ University of Buffalo Center For The Arts
April 24 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre
April 25 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
April 27 – Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
April 28 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Riverside Theater
April 29 @ Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre
May 2 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
May 3 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
May 5 – San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
May 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Walt Disney Concert Hall

Death Cab for Cutie Announce 11th Album ‘I Built You A Tower’ and a Sweeping World Tour

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Today, indie rock titans and eight-time GRAMMY nominees Death Cab for Cutie – Benjamin Gibbard, Nicholas Harmer, Jason McGerr, Dave Depper and Zac Rae – announce their 11th studio album. I Built You A Tower, will be released on June 5 via ANTI- Records. The move marks the band’s return to their independent roots after 20 years on Atlantic Records. Produced and engineered by John Congleton and assembled from a mere three weeks of sessions, I Built You A Tower was recorded at Animal Rites in Los Angeles, as well as the band members’ homes in Seattle, Bellingham, Los Angeles and Portland. 

Alongside today’s album announcement, Death Cab for Cutie share the album’s propulsive first single, “Riptides.” “’Riptides’ is about the challenge of dealing with personal struggles as the world around us experiences tragedy and loss on an unfathomable scale,” says Gibbard. “And how when these two elements intertwine themselves in our psyches, it feels utterly paralyzing.” Listen to the song and watch its Jason Lester-directed video HERE.  

In recent years, Death Cab celebrated several historic milestones, including massive sold-out tours celebrating the 20th anniversaries of seminal releases Transatlanticism and Plans. Those tours were pivotal to the creation of I Built You A Tower, as behind the scenes, Gibbard weathered the greatest pressure of his professional life — fronting both Death Cab and the Postal Service on arena stages for hours a night — while struggling with the collapse of his personal life in the background. The strain felt too much for one person to bear, and the “tower” originated as a way to protect himself. “There’s this need to find a place in ourselves to put loss and grief,” he explains. “A place that can hold it so we can move on with our lives. But there are these moments where the trauma breaks out of that shell we created for it.”  

I Built You A Tower is an album of reconciling with past selves in order to locate a new future. “The anniversary tours exorcised any nostalgia in our systems,” Depper observes. “We felt part of this powerful force greater than all of us and went into the studio with a sense of, how can we capture that feeling and put it into something new?” Harmer continues, “The whole experience of this record got us back to the earliest versions of this band: If the musicians in the room like what we’re working on, that’s enough. We reconnected with the confidence that comes with that.” As such, this is not the dreaded “return to form” narrative, but a reclamation of a core ethos that has run through Death Cab’s 30-year history.

The band recently announced a North American summer tour, which is on sale now. Today the band also announces a Fall UK/EU tour, with tickets going on sale this Friday at 10 am locally. These performances come on the heels of a historic, sold-out global tour in marking the 20th anniversary of Transatlanticism plus their universally acclaimed 10th studio effort, 2022’s Asphalt Meadows. See below to find a show near you. 

Tour Dates 

May 29 – Denver, CO – Outside Days 
July 10 – Minneapolis, MN – Armory * 
July 11 – Milwaukee, WI – Miller High Life Theatre * 
July 12 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park * 
July 14 – Cincinnati, OH – MegaCorp Pavilion * 
July 15 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion * 
July 17 – Philadelphia, PA – Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts ^ 
July 18 – Canandaigua, NY – CMAC ^ 
July 19 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre ^ 
July 21 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion ^ 
July 22 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek ^ 
July 24 – St. Louis, MO – Stifel Theatre # 
July 25 – Bentonville, AR – The Momentary # 
July 26 – Council Bluffs, IA – Harrah’s Stir Cove # 
July 28 – Sandy, UT – Sandy Amphitheater # 
July 29 – Sandy, UT – Sandy Amphitheater # 
July 31 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre # 
August 2 – Los Angeles, CA – The Greek Theatre # 
August 3 – Los Angeles, CA – The Greek Theatre # 
August 4 – San Diego, CA – Gallagher Square at Petco Park # 
August 6 – Las Vegas, NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas & 
August 7 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre & 
August 9 – San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands 
September 16 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Olympia Theatre 
September 19 – Manchester, UK – O2 Victoria Warehouse 
September 20 – Edinburgh, UK – Corn Exchange 
September 21 – Gateshead, UK – The Glasshouse  
September 23 – Bristol, UK – The Prospect Building 
September 25 – London, UK – Troxy 
September 29 – Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg 
September 30 – Brussels, Belgium – Cirque Royal 
October 1 – Berlin, Germany – Columbiahalle 
October 3 – Paris, France – Elysée Montmartre 

*with Jay Som 
^with Japanese Breakfast 
#with Nation of Language 
&with Lala Lala 

Sam Akpro and London Soul Trailblazer TYSON Deliver Nocturnal New Single “Wayside”

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Today, Peckham-born alchemist Sam Akpro shares a brand-new single/video for ‘Wayside’, featuring a guest turn from London soul trailblazer TYSON, available now on ANTI-. The single marks Akpro’s first new music since his acclaimed 2025 debut album ‘Evenfall’, a stunning document of his singular, prodigious talent. 
 
A dub-laced slowburner, “Wayside” marks some of the richest production work yet from Akpro and his close collaborator Finn Billingham, finding a nocturnal hinterland between trip-hop and neo-soul. It fuses off-kilter beats, washes of woozy bass and flashes of brass to Akpro and TYSON’s alternating vocals. 



 
“‘Wayside’ is about moving from one change to another & the feeling of isolation that brings,” explains Akpro on the song’s genesis, which aptly enough came to life shortly after the completion of ‘Evenfall’. Opting to carve out a new direction with the track, he linked up with TYSON at Billingham’s studio in Camberwell only for the session to be cut short by a fire in a neighbouring building. Continuing the process remotely, TYSON went on to finish the vocals from a studio in New York. The results speak for themselves. 
 
TYSON, meanwhile, adds: ”When Sam asked me to be on this track I was struck by how much the lyrics resonated with me, like they could almost be thoughts in my own head. So I felt like I could comfortably climb into the track. I suppose it’s about being frustrated with yourself and life, going round and round in what feels like the same place forever, but there’s something hypnotic, meditative and soothing about it. I hope my vocals lend to that.” 

The Role of Packaging Design in the Success of Cosmetic Brands

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By Mitch Rice

The beauty industry now evaluates products based on their visual appearance and tactile experience, which customers observe before using them. Packaging functions as more than a safety measure because it serves as the initial customer view and its unspoken narrative, which typically determines customer decisions. 

The success of cosmetic brands depends on their ability to create effective packaging design solutions. A well-designed custom cosmetic box helps build trust by improving how customers perceive the product’s quality and reliability at first glance. These design elements also help create a connection with customers, which goes beyond the product itself.

Why First Impressions Count Now More Than Ever

The moment a customer first sees a cosmetic product, their brain begins to process the visual information. Customers can provide product evaluations through visual assessment without reading any text. 

People experience intense emotional responses during their first visual interaction with a cosmetic or beauty product. Packaging needs to maintain a clean appearance because this characteristic reflects the sophistication of its design. 

The appealing design of product packaging attracts consumers, which leads them to purchase specific items.

Packaging as a Reflection of the Brand’s Personality

Cosmetic brands have personalities, some of which may be perceived as luxurious and elegant, while others are young and fun. Be it lipsticks or face powder, packaging can reflect a brand’s personality.

The brand does not always have to emphasize its messages through marketing; instead, it may do so by expressing its personality through design. Packaging makes recognition easier, as customers instantly associate the look with the product.

And this is when personalized makeup packaging comes into play.

The Experience Begins before Using the Product

It’s not just about what’s inside;  it’s about everything that goes with it. The moment the customer gets his/her hands on the package, he/she starts interacting with the brand.

This interaction can include even the following tiny details:

  • The feel of the box when it’s held
  • The ease of opening the package
  • The way the product is presented inside
  • The sense of care and thought behind the design

These elements come together to create an emotional moment. When the experience feels special, customers remember it, and that memory influences whether they return.

Protection That Builds Trust

While design attracts attention, functionality builds confidence. Cosmetic products need to be protected from damage, especially during shipping or storage.

A well-designed custom cosmetic box ensures that:

  • The product remains safe and intact
  • There is no leakage or breakage
  • The quality is preserved until it reaches the customer

A properly functioning product will increase the customer’s faith in the brand as well. This means that the organization respects not only the product itself but also its customer.

Designing Products Based on Valuable Customer Attributes

Modern customers are more conscious of their decision-making process. Besides focusing on the functionality of the product, consumers are also concerned with the production process and packaging.

Brands that consider such attributes within their packaging will have an easier time attracting their target market. One way to do this is by:

  • Utilizing reusable or environmentally friendly materials
  • Avoiding unnecessary packaging layers
  • Keeping designs simple and meaningful
  • Choosing responsible production practices

Thoughtful choices like these make customers feel more confident about their purchase. Packaging becomes a way to communicate responsibility and care.

Differentiating When Everyone Looks Alike

Cosmetic products come into a very competitive market environment. Products tend to have similar advantages, and hence their packages become one way to differentiate themselves from each other.

Attractive and well-designed packaging can attract consumers at first sight. It can make the product seem higher quality than its rivals, make it more dependable, or more attractive than competing products.

Businesses often choose custom product boxes because it allows them to get a customized design according to their product’s specific needs, while adding unique elements that help their products stand out on shelves crowded with similar products from competitors.

Packaging as Part of the Marketing Journey

Packaging doesn’t stop working once the product is sold. In fact, it continues to play a role in how the brand is seen and shared.

In today’s digital world, packaging often appears in:

  • Social media posts
  • Product reviews and unboxing videos
  • Online product images
  • Customer-shared content

Good packaging leads to higher chances of being shared. This provides the brand with some free exposure, enabling it to reach out to more people without extra work.

Building a Permanent Relationship

Cosmetics are very personal items. They can be applied to achieve different purposes, like expressing oneself, boosting one’s confidence, or improving activities performed during the day. The package plays a significant role in this process.

With packaging that is well-thought-out and aesthetically pleasing, there is the creation of a bond with the consumer. The brand makes the consumer feel understood and appreciated.

It is through such a connection that loyalty to the brand will be created.

Conclusion

Cosmetic packaging design exists as an essential element that determines the success of cosmetic brands because it goes beyond its visual function. The design of custom cosmetic boxes creates permanent brand recognition through its three functions, which include product security and the development of customer emotional connections with their products.

Cosmetic packaging design is of extreme importance in the current competitive business landscape. Conclusively, cosmetic companies can achieve better outcomes by considering custom cosmetic boxes.

Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.

Foxwarren and Dan The Automator Reimagine “Strange” in a Hazy, Intergalactic New Remix

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A member of Handsome Boy Modeling School and Deltron3030, producer of Gorillaz’ debut album and a contributor to dozens of film and television scores, Dan The Automator brings his hazy, intergalactic-inspired West Coast hip hop sensibilities to this catchy rendition.  
 
“It was a pleasure to work on the Foxwarren remix,” said Dan The Automator of their collaboration. “It (the track) just made sense to me and I hope that comes through in the final mix.” 
 
Last month Foxwarren shared electronic avant-pop artist Helado Negro’s warmly pulsing remix of their song “Yvonne”. Listen to it HERE. Describing his approach to the song, Negro explained: “I wanted to create a sense of wistful dancing—a mellow bump of bouncing bass, subtle dissonance from the rearranging of the strings, and asymmetrical shapes in the phrases. A smoke screen of soft reverbs and hard-to-hold chords. Andy’s voice has a texture of its own, a beautiful landscape from a distance, and is full of delightful surprises as you listen closer.”   
 
‘2’ became an uncanny revelation for Foxwarren, a rock band allowing itself to be sampled in order to become something else. They warped and pushed the florid folk-rock of their past until it evolved into a song cycle about the vagaries of love, where voices sampled from the past commingled with songs that sparkled with the power of their collective imagination in the present. It is a fun and surprising record, where boundaries between genre and song are constantly blurred.  
 
By himself, Shauf has already had a stellar career; his reputation built not only by the sweetness of his melodies and sharpness of his words but also his inability to rest with past success. Foxwarren, especially here, is a crucial part of that ongoing process, but ‘2’ represents something even more significant—five friends now nearing the end of their second decade making music together, pushing against what they’ve learned how to do to venture somewhere new. It is the sound of friends who trust each other, cutting themselves loose from their past and their preconceptions to have some fun with a sampler and the very idea of songs.  

Son Little Takes His Soulful New Album ‘CITYFOLK’ on the Road With an Extended World Tour

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Son Little has a new album, ‘CITYFOLK,’ and the story behind it is as compelling as the music itself. The songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, whose real name is Aaron Livingston, followed a deep curiosity about his ancestry south to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where he connected with two-time Grammy-winning Alabama Shakes member Ben Tanner to record the album at Tanner’s home studio. What started as voice note demos with subtle instrumentation evolved through drum machine beats and live sessions with a drummer, bassist and horn players into something rooted in the musical richness of the Shoals. “I realized, in moving here, that my mother’s people all came from this area,” Little explains. “Sometimes the spirits will guide you to a place when you don’t even know why you found yourself there.”

The recently shared single “Cherry” captures the album’s emotional range well, drifting through hazy memories with a tenderness that sits comfortably alongside Little’s catalog of over 250 million streams. He’s toured with Black Pumas, Kelis and Mumford & Sons, appeared at Newport Folk and Bonnaroo, and collaborated with The Roots and RJD2. This world tour puts ‘CITYFOLK’ in front of audiences across the US, Europe and beyond, with a June East Coast run newly added to dates already underway.

Son Little Tour Dates:

April 8 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso

April 9 – Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Annabel

April 10 – Brussels, Belgium @ Le Botanique Orangerie

April 11 – Hamburg, Germany @ Betty

April 13 – Berlin, Germany @ Frannz Club

April 14 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Cafe V lese

April 15 – Warsaw, Poland @ Jasmine

April 17 – Cologne, Germany @ Yard Club

April 19 – Brighton and Hove, UK @ DUST

April 20 – Bristol, UK @ The Croft

April 21 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall

April 22 – London, UK @ Jazz Cafe

April 25 – Paris, France @ Alhambra

May 21 – Honolulu, HI @ Blue Note Hawaii

June 10 – Kansas City, MO @ Knuckleheads

June 12 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club

June 13 – Spring Green, WI @ The Shitty Barn

June 14 – Chicago, IL @ Garcia’s

June 17 – Toronto, ON @ Great Hall

June 19 – Woodstock, NY @ Bearsville Theater

June 20 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair

June 23 – Washington DC @ The Atlantis

June 24 – Westport, CT @ Levitt Pavilion

June 25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

June 26 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s

July 10 – York, PA @ Appell Center

Twisted Sister Announces First Shows With Sebastian Bach Stepping In for Dee Snider This Fall

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Twisted Sister have announced their first shows with Sebastian Bach fronting the band, four dates this fall in Alaska, Oklahoma and Canada. Bach steps in for Dee Snider, who recently resigned from the group due to complications from degenerative arthritis, forcing the cancellation of the band’s planned 50th anniversary tour. The lineup alongside Bach includes founding guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda, bassist Russell Pzütto and drummer Joey Cassata.

The pairing came together after SiriusXM’s Eddie Trunk suggested Bach for the role, prompting a private rehearsal that French describes as immediately convincing. “Sebastian came in and just nailed it,” French told Trunk on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation. For anyone still skeptical, French points to Bach’s existing recording of “You Can’t Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll” on Spotify as proof of concept. Additional shows beyond these four are expected to be announced as the band continues its 50th anniversary year, and none of Bach’s solo dates are affected by the Twisted Sister commitments.

Twisted Sister with Sebastian Bach 2026 Tour Dates:

September 4 – Palmer, AK @ Borealis Theatre

September 12 – Durant, OK @ Choctaw Grand Theater

October 8 – Niagara Falls, ON @ OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino

October 10 – Windsor, ON @ The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor

Riley Green, Jon Pardi and Tucker Wetmore Headline the Inaugural Country Splash Festival in Cabo

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Country Splash is doing something that hasn’t been done before. The inaugural edition of the first multi-day country music festival held directly on the beach in Cabo San Lucas debuts Labor Day Weekend, September 4-6, with Riley Green, Jon Pardi, Tucker Wetmore and Diplo headlining. The supporting lineup includes Dasha, LoCash, Cameron Whitcomb, Dee Jay Silver and more, with additional artists still to be announced.

This isn’t a standard festival setup. Paradisus Los Cabos serves as the host resort and festival grounds, with additional accommodations available at properties including Las Ventanas al Paraíso (A Rosewood Resort) and Montage Los Cabos. Beyond the nightly Main Stage performances, the weekend includes a daytime Pool Party with country DJ sets, sunset acoustic sets, artist-led wellness experiences and Diplo’s beach yoga. Hotel packages bundle four nights of accommodation, round-trip airport transfers, premium open bar access and festival entry. Villa packages layer on private chauffeurs, personal concierges and chef service. Pre-sale for hotel and villa packages begins April 14 at 10am PT, with general sale opening April 15 at 10am PT.

Mexican Alt-Pop Star Siddhartha Brings the “Tú y Yo y Tú” Tour to Five U.S. Cities This August

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Siddhartha is heading back to the United States. The Mexican singer-songwriter has announced the Tú y Yo y Tú Tour, a five-date Live Nation-produced run hitting Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Chicago and New York City this August. Presales are underway, with general on-sale beginning Friday, April 10 at 10am local time.

The tour arrives in the middle of a productive creative stretch. New single “Escápate Conmigo” follows “Tú y Yo y Tú” and “Abrázame,” three releases that are collectively mapping out the emotional terrain of his upcoming 2026 album. Siddhartha recently debuted the new material live at Tecate Pa’l Norte in Monterrey, one of Latin America’s most significant festival platforms for rock, pop, indie and urban music. His catalog, which includes 2016’s ‘Únicos’ and 2022’s ’00:00,’ has established him as one of the most influential voices in Mexico’s indie and alternative pop scene, and these U.S. dates give North American audiences a chance to hear where he’s headed next.

Siddhartha 2026 Tú y Yo y Tú Tour Dates:

August 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater

August 7 – San Diego, CA @ Observatory San Diego

August 9 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren

August 16 – Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium

August 18 – New York City @ Palladium Times Square

Saliva and Thousand Foot Krutch’s Trevor McNevan Team Up on Powerful New Single “Cope”

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Saliva are back with “Cope,” a new single featuring Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch, out now via Judge & Jury Records. Produced by Cameron Pierce Mizell (Machine Gun Kelly, Sleeping with Sirens) and Luke Fiadino, the track pairs Bobby Amaru’s crisp rap cadence with McNevan’s soaring vocals to deliver something that consciously echoes the sonic territory of Saliva’s No. 1 modern rock hit “Always” and their No. 2 mainstream rock hit “Your Disease.”

Both Amaru and McNevan share a genuine passion for reaching people struggling with addiction and personal demons, and that mutual commitment shapes every line of “Cope.” “It’s for every kid who feels too much, thinks too hard, and is just trying to make it through the noise,” says Amaru. McNevan adds that the song captures the moment of hitting bottom and realizing the only way forward is surrender. That’s not easy territory to navigate in a rock song, but “Cope” handles it with honesty and directness.