The late, great Lester Bangs once wrote that we will never again agree on anything as we agreed on Elvis. And he was basically right until Lil Nas X came sliding down the stripper-pole to Hell. Oh, 2021. You rocked us like a damn sociopath. What an insanely exciting, emotional, and reinvigorating year for music. […]
A pair of rappers pulling off the best Tom Tom Club sample since Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy” (G Perico & Rucci), an iconic New Wave band trafficking in tongue-in-cheek nostalgia (Duran Duran), a blackgaze act embracing their love of vocal harmony (Deafheaven), and psych-rockers using the shopping mall as a metaphor for capitalist greed (My Morning […]
Back in June, SPIN published The 30 Best Albums of 2021 (So Far), rounding up everything from mainstream rock to experimental hip-hop. Six months later, we’re back with our year-end recap — and it’s interesting how, even though the stylistic balance has stayed consistent, the picks themselves haven’t. While this list also covers a lot of […]
Fresh off her monster breakthrough year, Olivia Rodrigo announced that she’ll be in hitting the road in 2022 in support of Sour. The tour will take place in venues in North America, the UK, and Europe. Rodrigo is set to perform in over 40 major cities, kicking off on April 2 at the Bill Graham […]
When the nominees for the Grammys were announced last month, Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent received nods for Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour. The trio were credited as songwriters on the album. On Sunday, the Recording Academy announced on its website that the trio’s nominations were removed from the Album of the Year category. On the Grammy’s […]
Sometimes you’re the windshield; sometimes you’re the bug. This bit of philosophical wisdom was imparted to me long ago by a guy whose name I don’t remember, nor can I recall the breakup. I suspect that in this case, I was the windshield. Indeed, sometimes a romantic breakup feels like ballast thrown overboard so your […]
Already the winner of the Push Performance, Olivia Rodrigo made her VMAs debut with a performance of “good 4 u.” She entered the stage in grand fashion, coming from the sky before launching into her pop punk-infused song. Watch her entrance below. Rodrigo was accompanied by a slew of backing dancers (all wearing masks) as […]
Yet another controversy has roped in Courtney Love but this time in a small online skirmish over artistic thievery aimed at a photo for ascending pop singer Olivia Rodrigo’s recent livestream of her debut album, Sour. Love accused Rodrigo of ripping off Hole’s 1994 Live Through This album art, without permission or notice, to add […]
Best Album lists tend to earn all the internet hype — it always feels like a somewhat serious, academic endeavor, adding to the pantheon of OK Computers and To Pimp a Butterflys. But Best Songs lists are weirder, messier, even more challenging on a nuts and bolts level. (When was this song released? When was […]
Being a teenager still fucking sucks and Olivia Rodrigo is here to tell us all about it. That’s really the thesis of Sour, the pop ingenue’s impassioned, sassy and highly satisfying debut album. Sure, it’s largely a break-up record as Rodrigo explores the waves of sorrow, anger and confusion that follow a heart-stomping loss of […]