AltPress Weekly: chloe moriondo cover, Architects, Turnstile and more
We’re very excited to reveal the first installment of AltPress Weekly, designed to give you the lowdown on the things we want you to check out. Each week, we’ll cover new releases and old songs, rising artists and your favorite stars. Along the way, we’ll highlight everything from breaking music news to bargain bin discoveries, and take you from cover launches to the deep cuts that are waiting to be found.
This week, we’ve got a lot of news in and out of Alternative Press. It’s Pride Month, and AltPress is proudly celebrating with our LGBTQIA+ staff, friends and allies. We’ve launched our Pride digital exclusive cover story, and throughout the month, we’ll continue to explore the important ways LGBTQIA+ artists are transforming music and society more generally.
Read more: KennyHoopla and Travis Barker shine on ‘SURVIVORS GUILT: THE MIXTAPE//’
There’s plenty more happening this week, as well. We’ve released the latest installment of our Artist Friendly series, along with the usual supply of artist interviews, lists, exclusives and premieres. Without further ado, here are 8 things we want you to check out this week.
Pride Month Digital Exclusive: chloe moriondo
For our digital exclusive story, Marianne Eloise spoke with chloe moriondo following the May release of her Fueled By Ramen debut Blood Bunny. (If you haven’t heard it yet, check out your soon-to-be-discovered personal theme song, “I Eat Boys.”) During the interview, moriondo spoke with confidence about her identity, her journey of self-acceptance and her sense of responsibility to her LGBTQIA+ fans. She also emphasized the need to make music that not only conveys her personal sense of self in an authentic way, but also resonates with LGBTQIA+ people on a deeper level. In this way, she represents a new generation of artists, proudly working to transform the music industry into a more inclusive space.
Artist Friendly: Good Charlotte x New Found Glory x Simple Plan
Last month, we launched a special presale for pop-punk legends Simple Plan and New Found Glory’s newly rescheduled Pop Punk’s Still Not Dead tour. In our latest Artist Friendly chat, Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden caught up with Pierre Bouvier and Jordan Pundik ahead of the run. What started as a simple catch-up turned into a deeper conversation about the changing nature of pop-punk music. The three artists reflected on the process of aging as musicians, as well as the strange experience of having a multi-generational fandom. After realizing that the trio were all around the same age, they discussed what it would have been like if they had met in high school. The end result is something we can only dream about for the time being: a pop-punk supergroup for the ages.
Alternative Press playlists
If you haven’t seen them yet, you need to check out our newly updated Spotify playlists! We’ve completely overhauled our page, adding five brand new lists. Moving forward, we’ll be keeping you up to date on the biggest hits and emerging artists.
For die-hard alternative fans, check out our Top Alternative playlist, updated weekly to cover all of the major alternative tracks and releases. Additionally, our New Alternative list brings you rising stars and fresh cuts, while AltPop Essentials covers everything related to alt pop. Hot on the heels of our debut Power Issue: Women Rising, Top Women Empowerment Songs covers everything from riot grrrl icons such as Kathleen Hanna to Meet Me @ The Altar, who are jump-starting a new era of powerful rock music that centers women and people of color. Rounding out the group is Future Of Alternative, brought to you by AltPress and Mutant League Records, a guarantee that we’ll always be thinking about what’s coming next.
Architects debut AltPress cover story
For issue 393, Architects made their U.S. magazine cover debut. You can read Joe Smith-Engelhardt’s interview with the band here. During the interview, the band speaks on two issues that are inseparable for them: the need to progress stylistically as artists and the need to use their platform to build a better world. With their ninth studio album, For Those That Wish To Exist on Epitaph Records, the band have launched a new musical era. They continue to redefine metalcore, incorporating unique melodic and textural devices to craft a more dynamic sound. (Give a listen to their orchestral version of “Animals” to see how far they’ve really gone!)
Ahead of their North American tour, the band also continue to sound the alarm about the dangers of climate change, issuing a warning that becomes more and more urgent with each passing day. If you haven’t checked out issue 393 yet, it also highlights artists including Claud and Zoe Wees, and additionally continues our advocacy for inclusivity through AP&R, the resurrected AP Recs column and more new music now.
Bad Suns, “Heaven Is A Place In My Head”
At Alternative Press, we can’t get enough of new music. While we’ll always have our eye on breaking music news, premieres and other music drops, we wanted to shout out a few additional things this week. Last week, we published AltPress Editor In Chief Paige Owens’ 10 Topics interview with Bad Suns’ Christo Bowman. Pulled from issue 394, the feature highlights a range of issues, from songs Bowman wishes he’d written to dream tours, essential items he’ll never hit the road without and more. If you haven’t heard it yet, Bad Suns’ new single “Heaven Is A Place In My Head” is a jam. Setting propulsive instrumentals over buoyant drums, the track constructs a euphoric setting for the perfect daydream.
List: 11 LGBTQIA+ artists who changed the genre
Here at Alternative Press, we love lists. Lists help us sort our priorities, they help us consider the things we’re most passionate about and they help us fill in gaps in our knowledge. Recently, we’ve covered a wide range of topics, including next gen trap metal artists, bands we’d love to soundtrack the future of Marvel and essential solo and side projects. In the midst of Pride Month, we wanted to shout out Tim Stegall’s list of LGBTQIA+ artists who changed the course of punk history. With detailed historical expertise, Stegall chronicles the journey of punk, from pioneers such as Jayne County and Pansy Division to Laura Jane Grace and Cher Strauberry, who are continuing to lead the genre into a new decade. Woven into the narrative is a story about how these artists challenged the limits of punk and helped transform it into a voice for progressive social change.
Tennis System, “Autophobia”
On their latest single “Autophobia,” featuring Hundredth’s Chadwick Johnson, Tennis System speak to the difficult feelings that accompany a dying relationship. The term autophobia refers to the fear of being lonely, something that can often keep us in situations that we’d otherwise try to get far away from. With a warmth of sound to keep you feeling snug and comfortable, the band provide a means for facing that daunting fear of loneliness and finding comfort with who we are. The single also features “Truth Hurts,” which goes even deeper into capturing difficult feelings through sound. The song creates a wholly distinctive texture, pairing the grinding pulses of noise punk with the pillowy soft sound washes of shoegaze. As a whole, the single constructs a world of sound that matches the complex emotions they explore.
Turnstile, “MYSTERY”
Turnstile recently made a comeback with “MYSTERY,” the first release from the Baltimore act since 2018’s Time & Space. The new track is unique for exploring mystical themes within a driving rock template. Opening with atmospheric synths, the song gradually gives way to hard-hitting guitars. Even so, the song continues to play with contrasts, using moments of loud and soft to create a sense of wonder and openness to the unknown. The group has also announced screenings for their short film “TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION.” While the film will appear across the country, it is currently slated for a June 26 premiere at Brain Dead Studios in Los Angeles. The event will be free and open to the general public on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Let us know in the comments below what you were most excited about this week in alternative music! Make sure to check back next week for the second installment of AltPress Weekly for more new music now updates and releases.
