Release Roundup: Alphabet Soup’s AS

Experimental electronic duo Alphabet Soup released their “self-titled” debut EP AS on Friday morning after nearly a month of rollout.

The EP features a mixture of electronic and industrial hip-hop beats with vocals muffled under a slough of audio effects and distortion.

In the words of one member who aptly goes by Soup, “AS is about Alphabet Soup. The EP is an ode, in a way, to the artists and albums that Alphabet and I have fallen in love with over the years.”

Nearly every track, as notated by their Bandcamp, has another track along with it that the band used as inspiration in it’s creative process. On their Spotify, they also have a playlist called “A.S. Inspirations.” A comprehensive list of 10 tracks that both members used to fuel the creative fire of the record.

As of now the band has teased a physical release of their EP along with an accompanying music video for one of the songs.

Listen to AS right now:

Release Roundup: Isaiah Rashad The House is Burning

After waiting for a half a decade Isaiah Rashad is back with his third studio record The House is Burning.

In his cover story with FADER Isaiah Rashad detailed the struggles he encountered in the years following his second album The Sun’s Tirade. One of the primary factors leading to his prolonged absence was his struggle with alcohol addiction, which would eventually lead to his stay in the Dana Point Rehab facility.

“There wasn’t a whole bunch of recovery….I just went into the interviews and told n****s I fucked my life and health up,” Rashad told FADER.

If that wasn’t enough Rashad also became a irresponsible spender, draining his funds, and causing him to end up on a friends couch for a few months. “It was the quickest fall from grace I could ever imagine,” said Rashad.

Luckily, fans know how the story ends and Rashad’s meteoric rise to the forefront of hip-hop is more than welcome after his disappearance.

The record is supposed to be a more fun take on Rashad’s traditionally nostalgic production and self-conscious lyricism. Small departures into more traditional sounding hip-hop like his first single “Lay Wit Ya” occasionally dot the album as well.

With that being said, the record still follows a loose concept much like the rest of his discography.

“The world’s on fire. The water is polluted, there’s so much CO2 pouring into the ozone. But when you take it to a micro level…when your house is on fire, are you going to go into that bitch to get the personal possessions, or are you just going to trust in yourself and in God that you’re going to be able to bounce back?”

Listen to The House Is Burning now:

Mercedes-Benz Stadium embraces Kanye West’s extended stay

Super Bowl 53: Mercedes-Benz Stadium's 7 wildest features - SBNation.com

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium temporarily changed their name on Twitter to the “DONDA Studio at Mercedes-Benz Stadium” to reflect Kanye West moving his studio operations to the stadium exclusively.

It’s been five days since Kanye West premiered his tenth studio album DONDA to fans via his listening event at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Since the event took place West has missed his original announced deadline of July 23. In response, him and his team have locked themselves inside the stadium in order to finish the record. This includes the likes of Mike Dean, Digital Nas and Malik Yusef just to name a few.

However, the stadium has remained very supportive of his unexpected inhabitance. Aside from changing their name on Twitter, the stadium has also made a plaque for the impromptu studio which they revealed in a since-deleted Tweet.

Since then details have been quite muddy surrounding the release of DONDA. There have been a few photos that have surfaced of their current setup and living situation. Most infamous among them is a photo West posted on Wednesday morning which reveals he’s taken residence in a windowless locker room.

Since the DONDA team’s establishment in the locker rooms the Mercedes Benz Stadium is remaining closed until further notice.

Converse announces short film created by Tyler, the Creator

Converse announced on Instagram a “short film” written and directed by Tyler, the Creator dropping on Wednesday.

The caption of said post reads, “Tyler, The Creator is forever creating next. And we’re here for it. Dropping tomorrow: A short film 📹, written & directed by @feliciathegoat.”

Tyler is a longtime collaborator of Converse, having produced several shoe collaborations and other material for the brand since 2017 following the end of his partnership with Vans that ended two years prior.

Earlier this month he released his latest collaboration with Converse. Another take on the Chuck 70 model which uses the same flame pattern he created for his personal brand Golf Wang. However, this version uses different shades of yellow and pink flames instead, earning it the name “Yellow Flame.”

Furthermore, he also just released his sixth studio album CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST in June.

While it’s unclear if the film is related at all to his most recent releases Tyler himself maintains that it is not a short film.

In the comments to the aforementioned Instagram post Tyler said, “i wouldnt call it a short film at all but we did sumthn fasho.”

Whatever it may be, it could reveal more collaborations between him and the iconic shoe brand.

Aimé Leon Dore announces vintage garment collection

New York based fashion brand Aimé Leon Dore announced a “specially curated” collection of “vintage garments” releasing on their website this week.

Known for their high profile collaborations with brands like KITH and New Balance, Aimé Leon Dore is brining a “catalogue” of vintage pieces and also objects to their website.

The “Leon Dore” curation are items that as the brand puts it, “have been a source of reference and inspiration since its inception.”

In the photos shown on Instagram show the model wearing vintage sports jerseys, sweaters, and windbreakers. There also seems to be a selection of shorts, jeans and Carhartt double-knee pants. With that being said, pricing for these pieces is unknown.

The Instagram post emphasizes this is the first curation of vintage pieces, likely meaning this will not be the last.

The collection will be available Friday online at 11am EST on http://www.aimeleondore.com.

Yeezy Gap drops the “Round Jacket” in black available for pre-order in UK, EU and Japan

After the release of the previous blue “Round Jacket” a month ago, Yeezy Gap has released a new version this time in a black colorway, exclusively avalible in eastern regions.

Much like the previous jacket that was shock released on Kanye Wests birthday, this new black jacket was released on his late-mother Donda West’s birthday. It went live in the UK, EU, and in Japan at 10 P.M. local time for each area.

The jacket was offically permiered by West during his apperance at the Balenciaga Fall 2021 Couture event in Paris last week. He appeared in all black, including his now signature Harley Davidson full face mask.

Given that the jacket premiered in the East and that there was no foreign release of the original blue jacket, which was initially worn by Ye in LA, it’s possilble the jacket will not be sold in the United States. However, as of writing there has been no official statement on the probability of an official US release.

Prices for the Yeezy Gap jacket are ¥26,000 in Japan, €180 in Europe, and £160 in the UK. They’re reportedly made of the same recycled polyester material used for the last jacket and will ship during the Winter of 2021.

Release Roundup: Vince Staples Self-titled record

Vince Staples Believes He Deserves All The Grammys, But He Isn't Holding His Breath : The Record : NPR

Vince Staples releases his self-titled LP this Friday after a 3 year gap following his last album FM!

The eponymous record sits at just 22 minutes and features a very different sound than what most are used to hearing from the North-side Long Beach rapper. Opting for more melodic styles of rapping and beats with stronger production its a far cry from his old ways.

With that being said, since the release of his 2018 record FM! the rapper has remained relatively quiet music wise. In 2019, Staples released 3 singles alongside episodes of his short-lived comedy web series: The Vince Staples Show. However, only 2 episodes were officially released before the show was seemingly canned.

Afterward, there wasn’t much to hear from Staples, until a recent interview with GQ revealed that the rapper had been hard at work during his silence.

Not only is Vince Staples working on a new Netflix show, this one also bearing his name, he’s also planning on releasing two records the first being his self-titled and the next titled Ramona Park Broke My Heart.

While the second record has no official release date its clear that his titular record is not the last we will hear from him in 2021.

Listen to Vince Staples here:

Halsey releases album release date and cover for If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power

Halsey Unveils Cover For Fourth Studio Album, 'If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power'

Halsey revealed the album cover and release date for her upcoming Nine Inch Nails produced record If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, Tuesday morning on social media.

Her fourth album was initially teased a week ago with a billboard and revealing the official title and production credits given to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

The medieval style cover features her and a child sitting atop a throne with sharp arches all seemingly pointing at her. She is adorned in a Victorian dress open at the top exposing her bare chest and on her head sits a golden crown.

According to Halsey herself the cover is very personal and expresses her feelings about pregnancy and breastfeeding. She writes: “This cover image celebrates pregnant and postpartum bodies as something beautiful, to be admired. We have a long way to go with eradicating the social stigma around bodies & breastfeeding. I hope this can be a step in the right direction!”

She continues with this same mindset while explaining the concept of her new record. As she puts it the album is not only about the “joys” of pregnancy but also the “horrors.”

“It was very important to me that the cover art conveyed the sentiment of my journey over the past few months….  The idea that me as a sexual being and my body as a vessel and gift to my child are two concepts that can co-exist peacefully and powerfully,” explained Halsey.

While the cover came as a shock to some fans, but many others were quick to point out that it bared a major similarity the “Melun Diptych” by Jean Fouquet. A painting depicting a “breast-feeding Madonna.” Something that was intentional by Halsey as the painting was a profile picture she used for an alternate account used to tease the album before its official announcement.

If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power will release on August 27, 2021.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRCFhAHt6J6/

ScHoolboy Q confirms new music in Twitter spree

ScHoolboy Q Announces Tour | Pitchfork

During a small tweeting spree on Monday afternoon, ScHoolboy Q confirmed to fans he would “put music out.”

ScHoolboy Q has not released a full length project since his record CrasH Talk released in 2019. Aside from a few singles and features the rapper has remained tight lipped on future releases until today.

After a nearly two month period of relative silence ScHoolboy Q went on a short Twitter binge spanning about 9 tweets. It began with a short tweet from Q that simply said, “I feel good today.”

Fans immediately wrote back asking questions provoking the TDE rapper, many of which were about new music.

Q would initially only respond to a few fans who had sent photos of tattoos they had gotten as tribute to his work as well as a tweet in response to frequent collaborator, Tyler, the Creator.

Afterward, ScHoolboy Q would begin humorously responding to other responses his initial tweet garnered.

One fan said, “Tell Kendrick to drop then.” To which Q obliged.

Another asked, “You’re dropping another album right Q?” Which he sarcastically responded with, “Naw ima full time twitcH streamer. Wats rap?”

Fed up, one user responded to this tweet with a video of him on stage and a caption that read, “cmon dawg like dont you miss performing.”

Shortly after, ScHoolboy Q tweeted back, “My last sHow in da states befo COVID… Yea ima put music out.”

Q would further confirm this sentiment in a response to another frustrated Twitter user saying, “Damn… ok ima come back”

The spree would come to a close with one final tweet from the LA rapper stating, “I’m Headed to tHe gym CuHz ima bad one. Peace”

As sudden as it started it was over, and the rapper would fade back into the depths of the internet.

Halsey teases new album produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Halsey Updates on Twitter: "iamhalsey: If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power The FOURTH album by Halsey Produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross… https://t.co/pSJBx8uCL9"

Halsey revealed the title of her new fourth studio album: If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power via a billboard Monday morning.

Along with the title the singer also announced that it would feature exclusive production from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails.

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are the only permanent members of Nine Inch Nails and most recently won a Golden Globe for best original score for their work on Pixar’s Soul.

Both Nine Inch Nails and Halsey made identical posts announcing their collaboration along with a small snippet of a currently unnamed track.

The billboard in the post is located in L.A. on Sunset Boulevard intersecting with San Vincente Boulevard. It was found thanks to cryptic Instagram post made from an account associated with Halsey which released the coordinates of the billboard.

The account called called “iichliwp,” an abbreviation of her album title has been in use since late May and will likely continue to reveal more information about the album overtime.

As of now, there is no official release date for If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power.