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Paris-Born, San Francisco-Raised Singer-Songwriter Lolo Zouaï Announces Album ‘Reverie’ and Drops “Holding On”

Eric Alper
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Paris-Born, San Francisco-Raised Singer-Songwriter Lolo Zouaï Announces Album ‘Reverie’ and Drops “Holding On”

Lolo Zouaï returns with her most personal and fully realized music yet. The Forbes 30 Under 30 artist and songwriter announces her third studio album ‘Reverie,’ due April 24 via Because Music, alongside new single and video “Holding On,” a deeply felt track about the tension between grief and the desire to move forward. Filmed in Lacanau, France and directed by Alex Acy, the video is a love letter to friendship, written in the wake of losing her best friend Hanna in 2021.

That loss sits at the heart of ‘Reverie.’ Lolo took years to pause, grieve, write, and rediscover the meaning behind her music, and the album reflects every moment of that journey. Production moves fluidly through alternative R&B, hip-hop, pop, and Arabic influences, creating dark, sensual, cinematic textures, while Lolo sings equally in French and English, threading her Algerian roots, Parisian upbringing, and San Francisco adolescence into something that feels genuinely unlike anything else in the current landscape.

The album features French-language collaborations with Dinos on “Les Mots,” Lous and the Yakuza on “Lemon Squeeze,” and Disiz on “Coquelicot,” alongside the previously praised lead single “3AM in San Francisco,” which earned coverage from Rolling Stone and The FADER for its effortless fusion of airy vocals and punchy trap production. Beyond her own releases, Lolo’s songwriting credits include NewJeans’ “Right Now” and tracks on H.E.R.’s Grammy-winning self-titled album. With over 600 million streams, world tours supporting Dua Lipa and headline runs of her own, and fashion collaborations with Nike, Dior, Chanel, and YSL, she has built one of the more quietly essential profiles in modern music.

‘Reverie’ arrives April 24.

‘Reverie’ Tracklist:

  1. Holding On
  2. Angel, Give Them Hell
  3. 100
  4. Les mots (feat. Dinos)
  5. Baggy Jeans
  6. Drive
  7. Hiver, j’espère
  8. Toute seule à la plage
  9. Lemon Squeeze (feat. Lous and the Yakuza)
  10. Coquelicot (feat. Disiz)
  11. 3AM in San Francisco
  12. Tu me manques
  13. Desert Rose pt. 2 [COLORS SESSION]
  14. Si j’avais des ailes

Newcastle Alt-Rockers The Pale White Drop Third Album ‘Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century’ and New Single “Absolute Cinema”

Eric Alper
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Newcastle Alt-Rockers The Pale White Drop Third Album ‘Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century’ and New Single “Absolute Cinema”

The Pale White are moving as fast as the world they’re writing about. Newcastle alt-rockers Adam and Jack Hope release their third studio album ‘Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century’ via End of the Wall Recordings, alongside new single “Absolute Cinema,” a love letter to cinema culture and the slow erasure of communal experiences that once defined it. It’s their most expansive record yet, blending the anthemic punch of classic rock with the urgency and edge of modern alternative, arriving as a deliberate counterweight to their softer sophomore album ‘The Big Sad.’ Listen here.

“Absolute Cinema” opens the album’s argument with a specific memory. Adam Hope recalls going to the pictures as a kid in the mid-2000s with a tenner, enough for a film ticket, fast food, and bus fare home. “The cinema has become just another inanimate object crying for help as we navigate through this century,” he says. The song nods to Martin Scorsese as the automatic barometer for genuine cinematic ambition, sharp, anthemic, and landing with real conviction.

The album’s title frames the broader thesis. Technology is accelerating while humanity feels increasingly frozen in place, the Hope brothers argue, turning people into mannequins in their own lives. “We humans have now in fact become the inanimate objects,” Adam says. Written and recorded entirely back home in the northeast, ‘Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century’ embraces the total creative freedom the duo discovered making ‘The Big Sad,’ no outside producers, just the two of them pushing their sound as far as it’ll go.

The UK headline tour continues this week with shows in London, Bristol, Manchester, and Newcastle, wrapping with a Bearded Theory Festival appearance in May.

‘Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century’ Tracklist:

  1. Moth in the Headlights
  2. Float Away
  3. Göbekli Tepe
  4. Absolute Cinema
  5. Oh Brother
  6. Medusa
  7. Carpe Diem
  8. Mannequin
  9. This Fascination
  10. Disappoint Me
  11. All I Have To Do Is Dream

The Pale White Upcoming Live Dates:

April 14 – 100 Club, London

April 15 – Rough Trade, Bristol

April 16 – Yes Pink Room, Manchester

April 17 – Boiler Shop, Newcastle

May 23 – Bearded Theory Festival

George Birge and Luke Bryan Saddle Up for Modern Cowboy Anthem “Ride, Ride, Ride”

Eric Alper
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George Birge and Luke Bryan Saddle Up for Modern Cowboy Anthem “Ride, Ride, Ride”

George Birge knew exactly who this song was for. The Austin-born, Nashville-based country hitmaker releases “Ride, Ride, Ride” featuring five-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan, a cut-to-the-bone modern cowboy anthem about choosing endurance over escape. Co-written by Birge with diamond-certified hitmaker Tyler Hubbard, producer Casey Brown, and Parker Welling, the midtempo powerhouse is out now and impacts country radio Monday.

The story behind the collaboration is as good as the song itself. Bryan heard “Ride, Ride, Ride” backstage after a show when Birge played it for him unprompted. “I loved the message and just thought he and the other writers had knocked it out of the park,” Bryan says. “The next morning he asked me if I wanted to be on the song with him and I honestly didn’t even hesitate.” That immediacy shows up in the recording. Bryan’s earthy vocals slide naturally into the track’s second verse before the two trade lines at the bridge, building toward a gut-punching crescendo that earns every second of its emotional weight.

The song simmers with brooding intensity from the first bar, narrating a barroom encounter with an aging cowboy whose hard-won wisdom cuts straight through the noise. It’s a song about staring down the storm rather than running from it, and it arrives at exactly the right moment. “It’s a message I think a lot of people could use right now,” Birge says. Produced by Casey Brown, the track forgoes false optimism for something considerably more durable.

“Ride, Ride, Ride” follows a run of serious momentum for Birge. His breakout “Mind On You” hit number one at country radio, followed by a second number one with “Cowboy Songs,” a Billboard Hot 100 entry with “It Won’t Be Long,” and a collaboration with Brantley Gilbert on “Small Forever.” The Cowboy Songs Tour is underway now.

Rock Sister-Trio The Warning and Grammy Winner Carín León Unite on “Love To Be Loved”

Eric Alper
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Rock Sister-Trio The Warning and Grammy Winner Carín León Unite on “Love To Be Loved”

The Warning and Carín León didn’t just cross genres, they tore the walls down entirely. The rock sister-trio from Monterrey, Mexico release “Love To Be Loved” today via Lava/Republic Records, a collaborative single and music video that blends country, rock, and pop with the kind of ease that only happens when the chemistry between artists is completely genuine. It also marks a historic first for fresh Grammy winner Carín León, his first-ever collaborative release sung entirely in English.

The track was co-written by The Warning alongside Teddy Swims, Rob Grimaldi, Anton DeLost, Boy Matthews, and Neil Ormandy, with Grimaldi and DeLost producing. Carín opens the song with an emotionally charged verse, his heartbroken delivery resting against crunching power chords and The Warning’s thick, Richter Scale-worthy rhythm section. Vocalist and guitarist Dany Villarreal then carries the chantable chorus with real force. The result is a song that feels fresh rather than calculated, two distinct worlds finding genuine common ground.

Carín puts the collaboration in its proper cultural context: “I deeply admire The Warning, a band that reaffirms to me that Mexican music and Mexican rock are far from dead, they’re more present and stronger than ever.” The Warning echoes that sentiment, noting that working with a fellow Mexican artist made the creative push even more meaningful. The cinematic video drives the feeling home, setting Carín and the sisters in a gritty dive bar where card games and pool games distract from the real search underneath: love.

“Love To Be Loved” is also available as a limited edition 7-inch single. With The Warning confirmed as NFL Mexico special guests at the Super Bowl, and more music promised for 2026, this collaboration arrives as the opening move in what looks like a significant year ahead for the Monterrey rock sisters.

Alt-Metal Pioneers Kittie Announce European and UK Summer Tour With Crypta, VEXED, Split Chain, and Harpy

Eric Alper
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Alt-Metal Pioneers Kittie Announce European and UK Summer Tour With Crypta, VEXED, Split Chain, and Harpy

Kittie are heading back to Europe and the UK this summer, and the Canadian alt-metal pioneers are bringing serious company. The landmark return to Germany and the UK features Brazilian death metal trio Crypta and British deathcore trio VEXED on select German headline dates, while Bristol nu-gazers Split Chain and underground goth sensation Harpy provide support across the UK shows. The tour also weaves through a strong run of festivals including Wacken Open Air, Alcatraz, Bloodstock Open Air, Brutal Assault, Motocultor, Rock The Lakes, and Reload Festival. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 6 at 10am GMT.

The European run follows a strong start to 2026 for the alt-metal veterans. Kittie recently released ‘Spit XXV,’ an EP celebrating the 25th anniversary of their Gold-selling debut, featuring a remix of “Spit XXV” by NOWHERE2RUN, the project of Jami Morgan of Code Orange. The release on Sumerian Records signals a group fully re-engaged with their legacy while pushing it forward into new territory.

Stateside, Kittie hit Sick New World in Las Vegas on April 25 before joining the Summer of ’99 and Beyond Festival in Tinley Park on July 18, sharing the bill with Limp Bizkit, Cypress Hill, Sevendust, Hoobastank, Magnolia Park, Sleep Theory, and The Pretty Wild. On August 8 they support In Flames alongside Bleed from Within in Saarbrücken.

Kittie 2026 Tour Dates:

April 25 – Sick New World, Las Vegas, NV

July 18 – Summer of ’99 and Beyond Festival, Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL

July 29 – Wacken Open Air, Wacken, DE

July 31 – Full Rewind, Lobnitz, DE

August 2 – Garage Saarbrücken, Saarbrücken, DE (w/In Flames, Bleed from Within)

August 4 – Colos-Saal, Aschaffenburg, DE (w/Crypta, VEXED)

August 5 – Brutal Assault, Jaroměř, CZ

August 5 – TBA, Munich, DE (w/Crypta, VEXED)

August 6 – Alcatraz, Kortrijk, BE

August 7 – TBA, Cologne, DE (w/Crypta, VEXED)

August 9 – Bloodstock Open Air, Walton-On-Trent, UK

August 10 – TBA, Manchester, UK (w/Split Chain, Harpy)

August 11 – TBA, London, UK (w/Split Chain, Harpy)

August 13 – Motocultor Festival, Carhaix-Plouguer, FR

August 14 – Rock The Lakes, Cudrefin, CH

August 15 – Reload Festival, Sulingen, DE

August 16 – Dynamo Metal Fest, Eindhoven, NL

Alt-Rockers MX Lonely Release “Anesthetic” and Debut Album ‘All Monsters’

Eric Alper
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Alt-Rockers MX Lonely Release “Anesthetic” and Debut Album ‘All Monsters’

MX Lonely dig into the dark with purpose. The Brooklyn three-piece release their debut full-length album ‘All Monsters’ via Julia’s War Recordings alongside new single “Anesthetic,” a grunge-streaked alt-rock track that vocalist Rae Haas describes plainly as “a love song to the addict, an ode to feeling highs and lows rather than searching for something to numb the pain.” The accompanying music video, directed by Owen Lehman, captures the shift from desolation to visceral power that defines the song’s emotional arc.

‘All Monsters’ is the album MX Lonely have been building toward since forming out of AA meetings, where Haas, guitarist Jake Harms, and bassist Gabriel Garman first connected. Entirely self-recorded, the album captures the live, immediate, analogue energy of their shows across eight tracks that tackle gender dysphoria, addiction, codependency, shadow work, and the internal monsters that make you feel like a bad person. “ALL MONSTERS is about, instead of killing yourself, killing your monsters,” Haas says. The cavernous guitars, soaring vocals, and hulking low-end stretch into the longest songs the group have ever made, including the haunting seven-minute closer “Whispers In The Fog.”

The singles leading into the album set the tone precisely. “Big Hips” earned praise from Stereogum, FLOOD Magazine, and Chasing Sundays for its portrayal of trans adolescence through seasick indie rock and fuzz-riff eruptions. “Shape Of An Angel” explored addiction and codependency. “Return To Sender” interrogated the impossibility of controlling others’ perceptions. Together with “Anesthetic,” they sketch a record that moves between murky creep and full-intensity catharsis without losing its emotional thread.

MX Lonely have been on the road supporting ‘All Monsters’ since February, with the North American tour now wrapping up its final dates through early April.

‘All Monsters’ Tracklist:

  1. Kill the Candle
  2. Big Hips
  3. Shape of An Angel
  4. All Monsters Go To Heaven
  5. Blue Ridge Mtns
  6. Anesthetic
  7. Return to Sender
  8. Whispers In The Fog

Charlie Nieland and Joe McGinty Unveil “Making of Today” Video From ‘Stories From The Borderlines’

Eric Alper
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Charlie Nieland and Joe McGinty Unveil “Making of Today” Video From ‘Stories From The Borderlines’

Charlie Nieland and Joe McGinty pull back the curtain on one of the most beautifully realized songs on Nieland’s acclaimed album ‘Stories From The Borderlines.’ The two NYC veterans share the “Making of Today” video, a behind-the-scenes companion to Alex Dar’s devastating and hopeful stop-motion clip for “Today,” a hymn of loss and acceptance that transforms personal darkness into a universal meditation on the beauty of the finite. The new video walks through how the collaboration came together, including studio footage and McGinty’s deep dive into the extraordinary keyboard collection he brought to the session.

The pairing makes complete sense. Nieland had been singing in McGinty’s long-running NYC performance series “The Loser’s Lounge” and had him as a guest on his podcast “An Embarrassment of Prog” before the two connected musically. When “Today” needed something more than Nieland’s own keyboard parts, he asked McGinty to create layers with the feel of the semi-obscure Jon Anderson/Vangelis song “So Long Ago, So Clear.” McGinty fired up a remarkable array of vintage and new instruments, including a Freeman String Symphonizer, Moog Muse, Oberheim Xpander, and Therevox ET 5, bathing the track in what Nieland describes as “a unique glow that really elevated the feeling of hope and sadness.”

‘Stories From The Borderlines’ is out now and drawing serious attention. Named Artist of the Year by The Manc Review, Nieland brings decades of production and writing credits to the project, including a UK Gold record for his work on Blondie’s ‘Greatest Hits Sight & Sound,’ a Top 10 Billboard Dance Chart position with Debbie Harry’s “Two Times Blue,” and film and television work including scoring the feature film ‘The Safety of Objects’ and Showtime’s pilot episode of ‘The L Word.’ The album presents a visceral blend of post-punk, glam, dream pop, and progressive rock across eleven tracks, with additional contributions from drummer Billy Loose, guitarist Dan McAssey, and Staten Island rapper spiritchild.

Nieland performs tonight at 503 Social Club in Hoboken, NJ alongside Renee Maskin and Karyn Kuhl.

‘Stories From The Borderlines’ Tracklist:

  1. Cease To Turn
  2. Brutalist Monuments
  3. Win (feat. spiritchild)
  4. Drown
  5. Hypnotized
  6. Back To Life
  7. Redshift
  8. Sentinel
  9. Shame
  10. Today
  11. You Fell Down

Mastodon Head to Europe and the UK This Summer With Loathe

Eric Alper
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Mastodon Head to Europe and the UK This Summer With Loathe

Mastodon are taking their heaviest show yet across the Atlantic. The Grammy-winning Atlanta alt-metal titans announce a European and UK summer tour kicking off June 3 in Prague, featuring a mix of headline shows and major festival dates across more than a dozen countries. English nu-metalcore group Loathe join on select headline dates. Tickets are on sale now.

The tour arrives during a significant transitional moment for the group. Founding lead guitarist Brent Hinds departed and subsequently passed away, leaving a void that Canadian guitarist and songwriter Nick Johnston has stepped in to fill both live and in the studio. According to guitarist Bill Kelliher, Johnston has been actively involved in writing and recording Mastodon’s as-yet-untitled new album, the follow-up to their Grammy-nominated 2021 double album ‘Hushed and Grim.’ The European run will give audiences their first extended look at where Mastodon goes from here.

The itinerary is stacked. Festival appearances include Download Festival at Castle Donington, Hellfest in Clisson, Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Copenhell in Copenhagen, Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, Nova Rock, and more. Mastodon also bookend the run with appearances at both iterations of Sick New World, in Las Vegas in April and Fort Worth in October, making for one of their most expansive touring years in recent memory.

The collaboration with Lamb of God on “Floods of Triton” has added further momentum heading into this run.

Mastodon 2026 Tour Dates:

April 25 – Sick New World, Las Vegas, NV

June 3 – O2 Universum, Prague, CZ (headline, w/Loathe)

June 5 – Rock am Ring, Nürburg, DE

June 6 – Mystic Festival, Gdańsk, PL

June 7 – Rock im Park, Nürnberg, DE

June 9 – Komplex, Zurich, CH (headline, w/Loathe)

June 11 – Nova Rock, Nickelsdorf, AT

June 13 – Into the Grave Festival, Leeuwarden, NL

June 14 – Download Festival, Castle Donington, UK

June 16 – Garage Saarbrücken, Saarbrücken, DE (headline, w/Loathe)

June 17 – FZW, Dortmund, DE (headline, w/Loathe)

June 19 – Hellfest, Clisson, FR

June 21 – Graspop Metal Meeting, Dessel, BE

June 22 – Docks, Hamburg, DE (headline, w/Loathe)

June 24 – Copenhell Festival, Copenhagen, DK

June 25 – Huxleys Neue Welt, Berlin, DE (headline, w/Loathe)

June 27 – Rock Pod Kameňom, Snina, SK

June 28 – Tvornica Kulture, Zagreb, HR (headline)

July 3 – Rock Imperium Festival, Cartagena, ES

July 4 – Resurrection Fest, Viveiro, ES

July 5 – Evil Live Festival, Lisboa, PT

October 24 – Sick New World, Fort Worth, TX

Hip-Hop Legends De La Soul Bring “Different World” to The Tonight Show in a Performance Worth Stopping For

Eric Alper
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Hip-Hop Legends De La Soul Bring “Different World” to The Tonight Show in a Performance Worth Stopping For

De La Soul took the Tonight Show stage and performed “Different World” with the kind of grounded authority that only comes from three-plus decades of doing this at the highest level. The clip is streaming now, and it’s a reminder that few acts in hip-hop history have maintained their artistic identity as consistently or as gracefully as this group. “Different World” suits the moment and the room, and the performance carries genuine warmth without sacrificing an ounce of edge.

RZA Unites the Juice Crew for the First Time in Decades on ‘Bobby Digital Presents: The Juice Crew’

Eric Alper
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RZA Unites the Juice Crew for the First Time in Decades on ‘Bobby Digital Presents: The Juice Crew’

“This is a super duper dynamite blast”!  Hip-hop history comes full circle as RZA, the iconic, visionary artist and founding architect of the Wu-Tang Clan, has united one of rap’s most influential collectives, the Juice Crew, for a brand-new project; Bobby Digital Presents: The Juice Crew.

The reunion project, curated and produced by RZA, marks the first official Juice Crew release in decades — bridging two of the most influential crews in hip-hop history together in a generational meeting of mastery, message and movement.  Bobby Digital Presents: The Juice Crew collaboration both celebrates and preserves the roots of the trend-setting crews, while introducing their raw, uncompromising artistry to a new generation.

Formed in the mid-1980s under the guidance of Marley Marl, the Juice Crew helped define the early golden era of rap, with members like Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, MC Shan, Roxanne Shanté (who was recently honored by becoming the first female rapper to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 67th Grammy Awards Ceremony), Masta Ace, Craig G, and Biz Markie (RIP) and Grandaddy I.U. (RIP).  The crew’s influence continues to echo through generations — and now, with RZA at the helm, that legacy evolves into a brand new chapter.

Bobby Digital Presents: The Juice Crew re-imagines the Juice Crew sound through RZA’s cinematic lens, blending his signature production with the crew’s storytelling mastery. The result is a project that stands as both a tribute and a testament — a reminder that true hip-hop never fades, it evolves.

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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