On October 5, 1979, Blondie lit up The Midnight Special with a stunning performance of “Heart of Glass,” led by Debbie Harry in a striking blue satin romper. Between songs, Harry used the platform to denounce nuclear power and urge Americans to take control of their future. The band also performed “Dreaming,” making the appearance one of their most powerful live television moments.
Autoheart Reschedule North American Leg of ‘Heartlands’ Tour Following New Album Release
New York, NY (August 21, 2025) – Autoheart has had to announce a reschedule of the first leg of their upcoming North American tour for immediately after leg two. The new routing will run October 30 – December 11 [all dates below]. Tickets on-sale here. The band made the following statement regarding the rescheduling:
“We’ve got some tough news – due to logistical reasons totally beyond our control, some of the Heartlands Tour shows have had to move, a couple of venues have changed, and sadly a handful of dates couldn’t be rescheduled.
If you already have a ticket, and your date has been affected, you’ll hear directly from your venue or ticket seller. Refunds for cancelled shows will be automatic, and tickets for rescheduled dates will remain valid.
We’re so sorry for the disruption – thank you for sticking with us while we work this out. The tour is still happening, and we can’t wait to see you soon.”
The London indie-pop trio released their defiant and infectious new album Heartlands last week via their own O/R Records.
Heartlands is a journey into the world Autoheart has quietly built with their listeners – a sprawling, defiant, often dreamlike place imagined not just by the band, but by the community that grew around them.
It wasn’t meant to be a comeback album – but it does feel like a homecoming. A return to the band’s roots in live instrumentation: pianos, guitars, drums, and layered, choral vocals. A record you can play loud and take straight to the stage. Written partly on the road during their 2024 Love Me Love Me Love Me tour – their first live shows in over a decade – Heartlands was shaped by the energy of those nights and the rediscovery of what Autoheart had perhaps forgotten: this is what they were meant to do.
Jody Gadsden (vocals), Barney JC (guitars/bass) and Simon Neilson (piano/keys) began writing the record in transit – hotel rooms, soundchecks, long drives across unfamiliar landscapes. Then, almost as soon as the tour ended, they stepped into The Pool in south London – a cavernous, character-rich studio where artists like Florence + the Machine, Depeche Mode and LCD Soundsystem have previously recorded. The rest was completed at Urchin Studios, where they made much of 2021’s Hellbent. Self-produced and mixed by longtime collaborator Danton Supple (X&Y, Punch), the album feels both urgent and expansive – a full-band sound soaked in atmosphere, with a clarity that lets every vocal crack, piano chord and guitar hum breathe.
It’s also, notably, their most collaborative work to date. With the exception of “Lost” – a deeply personal track penned by Gadsden – nearly every song on Heartlands was co-written and shaped by the trio as a unit. The difference is audible. These are songs built to be played live. Songs that stretch and unfold. Songs that know they’re being heard.
Lyrically, the album is a kind of reckoning – a series of letters to younger selves, reflections on the invisible weight of growing up queer, and messages of solidarity for anyone still carrying that weight. Autoheart never fit easily into a scene. Too pop for indie, too indie for pop. Too gay when it wasn’t cool to be, and not quite gay enough – or the right kind of gay – to be embraced by the queer music world when it finally arrived.
Their first manager told them to hide their sexuality. They didn’t. Their second manager never showed them their streaming stats – and for years they assumed no one was really listening.
But someone was. And slowly, those voices made themselves heard. Emails and DMs turned into fan art, tattoos, cosplay, a Discord server – a quiet chorus growing louder, one message at a time. A fandom began to form – self-named the Heartheads – and in them, Autoheart saw something familiar: outsiders, weirdos, romantics, people who didn’t fit the mould. Some of the band’s songs – especially “Stalker’s Tango” – began to quietly explode, finding new life across anime edits, queer fan pages, and video platforms they hadn’t even posted to themselves. Suddenly, the band realised: people weren’t just listening. They were listening hard.
And so, in return, Heartlands became a kind of offering. A thank you. A creative exchange between band and fanbase.
Tour Dates:
10/10 – Manchester, UK @ Rebellion [sold out]
10/11 – London, UK @ Oslo Hackney [sold out]
10/12 – London, UK @ Dingwalls
10/30 – Dallas, TX @ The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
10/31 – Austin, TX @ Antone’s
11/01 – Houston, TX @ Bad Astronaut
11/04 – Kansas City, MO @ recordBar
11/05 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
11/06 – Denver, CO @ The Summit Music Hall
11/07 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell
11/08 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Ballroom
11/10 – Calgary, AB @ Dickens
11/11 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Ballroom
11/13 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl
11/14 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theater
11/15 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
11/17 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone
11/19 – Ventura, CA @ Ventura Music Hall
11/20 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
11/21 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
11/22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Nile Theater
11/25 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
11/26 – Atlanta, GA @ The Loft at Center Stage
11/28 – Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
11/30 – Richmond, VA @ Canal Club
12/01 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl
12/02 – Somerville, MA @ Arts at the Armory
12/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live
12/04 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
12/06 – Lansing, MI @ Grewal Hall
12/07 – Toronto, ON @ Adelaide Hall
12/08 – Lakewood, OH @ The Roxy
12/10 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café
12/11 – Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
Heartland track list:- Indigo Chateau
- Denial
- Heaven Is My Destination
- Sad Divide
- Baby Bird
- Pearl
- Somewhere In The Singing Darkness
- Say That
- What Was I Thinking
- Lost
Paul van Dyk Showcases Iconic Roland TR-808 at Synthesizer Museum Berlin
Legendary electronic music pioneer Paul van Dyk exhibits his iconic Roland TR-808 at Synthesizer Museum Berlin. A piece of equipment synonymous with electronic music culture, Paul’s 808 is showcased at the museum for the next year, offering fans a unique look at one of his most prized machines.
Paul’s 808 has been an integral part of his studio setup and was used to create numerous hits, including ‘For An Angel’, and many more. A piece of his history and early experimentation, the machine represents both his roots in electronic music and the evolution of his signature sound over the decades.
Paul van Dyk comments, “This Roland 808 has been with me since the early days; it’s more than just a machine, it’s a part of my musical journey. From ‘For An Angel’ to countless other tracks, its beat helped shape my sound. I’m proud to lend it to Synthesizer Museum Berlin, where it can inspire the next generation of producers just like it inspired me.”
The exhibit not only celebrates Paul van Dyk’s long-standing influence on electronic music but also pays tribute to the instrument that helped shape the genre. Visitors to Synthesizer Museum Berlin will have the rare opportunity to connect with a pivotal artifact of dance music history, one that continues to inspire artists around the world.
Paul van Dyk’s Roland TR-808 is currently on display at Synthesizer Museum Berlin, where it will remain for the next year.
CBS Locks Five-Year Deal to Air American Music Awards Beginning May 2026
CBS and Dick Clark Productions (DCP) have announced a new five-year deal to broadcast the American Music Awards (AMAs) on CBS and stream the show live on Paramount+. The new agreement kicks off with the May 2026 broadcast.
Following this year’s top-rated broadcast, the 52nd American Music Awards will return with a must-see live show Memorial Day weekend, May 2026 from Las Vegas. More details to be announced soon.
The 2025 AMAs reached over 10 million unique viewers across its CBS premiere (Memorial Day, Monday, May 26) and encores on MTV (May 27), CMT (May 28) and BET (May 29). The CBS broadcast marked the show’s largest audience since 2019 with a +38% increase over its last live airing in 2022 on ABC.
Airing for the first time on Memorial Day, the 2025 AMAs kicked off summer and paid special tribute to U.S. troops and veterans from the all-new luxury resort Fontainebleau Las Vegas with host Jennifer Lopez. She returned as host for the first time in ten years and opened the show in spectacular fashion, delivering a breathtaking non-stop medley of 23 of the year’s biggest hits with her signature dance moves.
Performances included Icon Award recipient Janet Jackson, Alex Warren, Becky G and Manuel Turizo, Benson Boone, Blake Shelton, Gloria Estefan, Gwen Stefani, Lainey Wilson, Reneé Rapp, and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Rod Stewart.
Alicia Keys’ Landmark ‘MTV Unplugged’ Returns for 20th Anniversary Deluxe Vinyl Edition
Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings and AK Worldwide have announced the release of Unplugged 20th Anniversary, a deluxe 2 LP black vinyl edition of Alicia Keys’ landmark MTV Unplugged performance. Set to arrive on October 3rd, this special edition commemorates two decades since the intimate concert recorded live on July 4, 2005, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Keys’ original Unplugged performance made history as the first Unplugged by a female artist to debut at No. 1 and became the highest debut for an MTV Unplugged performance since Nirvana’s iconic session in 1994. The new edition brings that milestone performance back to vinyl, celebrating the classics from Songs in A Minor and The Diary of Alicia Keys alongside a cover of Brenda Holloway’s “Every Little Bit Hurts.”
The release will include a medley of “Goodbye/Butterflyz” and “How Come You Don’t Call Me” as bonus tracks recorded during the performance.
- Intro Alicia’s Prayer (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- Karma (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- Heartburn (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- A Woman’s Worth (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- Unbreakable (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- How Come You Don’t Call Me (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- If I Was Your Woman (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- Goodbye/Butterflyz (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- If I Ain’t Got You (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- Every Little Bit Hurts (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- Streets of New York (City Life) (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- Wild Horses (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005) (with Adam Levine)
- Diary (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- You Don’t Know My Name (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- Stolen Moments (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- Fallin’ (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
- Love It or Leave It Alone/Welcome to Jamrock featuring Damien Marley, Mos Def and Common & Friends (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY – July 2005)
Shudder to Think Announce First U.S. Tour in 17 Years After Spring Reunion Shows
After two rare, up-close performances at Los Angeles’ Permanent Records Roadhouse this spring – marking their first shows in over a decade – post-hardcore art rock pioneers Shudder to Think are ready to return to the road.
This fall the band will launch their first U.S. tour in 17 years on October 23 in Boston and conclude in Los Angeles on November 11. Along the way they will play in their hometown of Washington, DC on October 24 and New York City on October 25.
Ahead of the tour the band will head to Chicago for this year’s Riot Fest, performing on September 19. That night they will also play at the Cobra Lounge as part of the festival’s Late Night Aftershows.
As with their shows this Spring, the lineup will feature Pony Express Record-era bandmates Craig Wedren on lead vocals, Nathan Larson on guitar, and Adam Wade on drums alongside Clint Walsh on guitar and Jherek Bischoff on bass. Watch the band perform “X French T-shirt” live from their spring reunion shows in LA below:
SHUDDER TO THINK TOUR DATES
Sep 19 Chicago, IL – Riot Fest
Sep 19 Chicago, IL – Cobra Lounge
Oct 23 Boston, MA – Sonia
Oct 24 Washington, DC – Black Cat
Oct 25 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
Nov 07 Portland, OR – Star Theater
Nov 08 Seattle, WA – Barboza
Nov 10 San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar Music Hall
Nov 11 Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room Highland Park
Bones Owens Unveils Epic Title Track “Best Western” Featuring Yelawolf
Nashville-based troubadour Bones Owens returns with the centerpiece of Best Western is its title track, “Best Western”, an epic narrative that juxtaposes myths of the old wild West with a contemporary tale of a returning war veteran who takes to a life of crime as told in a mid-song Yelawolf rap. The song had its roots in a Georgia hotel of the same name, where Owens was staying while filming a western, Day of Reckoning, on location with Yelawolf.
“I had worked with him on several of his albums, and I wanted him to have a feature on mine,” recalled Bones Owens, who had shared his song files with him. He continues, “He thought it sounded like a GTO driving down a desert road at night. And he just wrote that verse and recorded it in 20 minutes, tops.
“But it turned out to work as this cyclical life story of someone on the fringes of society. And we often live that way as touring musicians. So I felt a kinship. It’s a modern-day version of the western movies I used to watch with my grandpa.”
Yelawolf adds “Bones Owens has been a friend of mine for a long time. Working with him again was nostalgic but brand new at the same time. He got better. He’s always been one of my favorite guitar players , But seeing him produce a record from top to bottom , playing every instrument was incredible. I just watched him navigate around the studio and jumped in .. I’m already looking forward to more sessions”
London Art-Rock Outfit Legss Release New Single “See No Evil” Ahead of Debut Album ‘Unreal’ Out September 12
London art-rock outfit Legss release new single ‘See No Evil’. Their eagerly anticipated debut album Unreal is out September 12th and will be supported by October tour dates.
Whilst remaining leftfield in spirit, there is a musical vulnerability to the latest iteration of Legss, and a newfound pop sensibility to their writing, which reflects a move to a more accessible sound. There is a security in inaccessibility, and shedding this cloak opens the band up to an earnestness at once exciting and nerve-wracking.
‘See No Evil’ is one of the best examples of this open-hearted approach – low slung chords underpin Ned Green’s soft vocals, before an impassioned refrain delivers the closest-thing to an earworm chorus in Legss’ canon. On the track, the band say:
“See No Evil is the sunniest song we’ve ever written, and probably the only in a major key. It’s our angsty late-summer pop anthem offering. Think souvenir painters sat on a bridge; time and all its borne away; open chords; open-door churches; Aerial M; the confluence of two rivers; sweaty palms.”
Twinned with their signature world-building aesthetic, the new direction is reflected sonically by drummer Louis Grace, who co-produced the album with Balazs Altsach (Ugly, Katy J Pearson, Broadside Hacks) – set to be distributed by The state51 Conspiracy.
Action/Adventure Announce New Album ‘Ever After’ and U.S. Headline Tour, Share New Single “URL”
Pop-punk powerhouse Action/Adventure is back with their most ambitious release yet: their brand new album, Ever After, out October 24th via Pure Noise Records. The record marks a bold new chapter for the Chicago-based band, pairing their signature high-energy riffs and soaring hooks with deeper storytelling, unapologetic emotion, and the urgency fans have come to expect.
To celebrate the announcement, the band have released the new single “URL,” accompanied by the official music video.
Formed in 2014, the group, Blake Evaristo (lead vocals), Brompton Jackson (vocals/guitar), Adrian Brown (drums), Manny Avila (bass), and Oren Trace (guitar), first broke through in 2020 when their debut TikTok video, “Barricades,” went viral, spotlighting the obstacles they faced as an all-BIPOC band within the pop-punk scene. They followed that moment with 2021’s Pulling Focus EP and their 2022 Pure Noise debut, Imposter Syndrome, a record that, despite its title, proved their place as one of the genre’s most vital and distinctive voices.
Ever After builds on that foundation. Confident yet self-aware, the album acknowledges the struggles of balancing art with everyday life, and the pressures of following up a breakthrough debut.
With producer Alan Day (Four Year Strong, Knuckle Puck) at the helm, the band pushed themselves creatively, recording at Ghost Hit Studio in Springfield, Massachusetts. The result is eleven songs that chart a journey through doubt, perseverance, and renewal.
The record also features a handful of notable collaborations: Dan Lambton (rationale., ex-Real Friends) lends his voice to “Something Isn’t Right Here,” Armor For Sleep’s Ben Jorgensen co-wrote and appears on “Background,” and UK artist Noahfinnce joins the band on “Go Directly to Jail. Do Not Pass Go. Do Not Collect $200,” a track critiquing systemic inequities.
The band have also announced a headline tour this October, in support of the forthcoming album Ever After. The run will see the band hitting cities across the U.S. with support from rising acts Diva Bleach and Not My Weekend. The tour launches on October 23rd in Denver and wraps on November 21st in Urbana. Full dates below. Tickets on sale August 22nd.
Ever After Track Listing:
1. Dayterror
2. Disaster / Peace
3. Floortime
4. Something Isn’t Right Here ft. Dan Lambton
5. That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime [AMV]
6. Big Al Dente
7. Spiral
8. Seconds / Centuries
9. Real Juicer Hours
10. Background ft. Ben Jorgensen
11. Go Directly To Jail. Do Not Pass Go. Do Not Collect $200 ft. Noahfinnce
12. URL
13. Daydream
Tour Dates:
10/23 – Denver, CO @ Skylark
10/25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ DLC Quarters
10/27 – Seattle, WA @ Vera Project
10/28 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
10/30 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
10/31 – TBA
11/01 – Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
11/02 – San Diego, CA @ Voodoo Room
11/04 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
11/06 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
11/07 – Houston, TX @ Bronze Peacock
11/08 – Dallas, TX @ TX Tea Room
11/10 – Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
11/11 – Jacksonville, FL @ Hard Love
11/13 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hell)
11/14 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings
11/15 – Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall
11/16 – Amityville, NY @ AMH
11/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Warehouse on Watts
11/19 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
11/20 – Detroit, MI @ Lager House
11/21 – Urbana, IL @ Gallery Art Bar
Best Boys Return With ’90s-Tinged Indie Rock Single and Video ‘Pull Up’
Bi-Coastal indie rock duo Best Boys return with their latest single, “Pull Up,” a gritty, groove-heavy single that blends raw vulnerability with defiant swagger. Paired with a stylized music video to bring you back to the ’90s nostalgia of home movies, this track drops fans into a hazy late-night world of mischief and electric tension, a space where boldness and vulnerability collide.
Building on their signature fusion of alt-rock grit and electronic-laced indie rock, “Pull Up” signals a fearless step forward for Best Boys. The song’s sharp production and magnetic hooks unfold like the soundtrack to a midnight fever dream, equal parts danger and desire.
The music video pulls from both underground culture and surrealist cinema, reminding you what it’s like to travel across the country in the late ’90s. With visuals that will remind you of your youth and an after-hours trip to a house party, the band leans into a world that’s intoxicatingly stylish yet unpredictably real, a view of the underbelly of our country.