Interviews

Week in Pop: D.A. Stern, Mary Ocher, Natural Velvet

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While we strive for a more conscious & peaceful world, Impose’s Week in Pop presents an international array of upstarts that are evolving our perceptions of the creative arts. Bringing a host of breaking media exclusives, we present a quick glance at some of the week’s top headlines with news that Chvrches dropped the title of their upcoming album, Love is Dead available May 25 via Glassnote & dropped “My Enemy” ft. Matt Berninger from the National; 21 Savage, Offset & Metro Boomin dropped the video for “Ric Flair Drip” starring the Nature Boy himself, Ric Flair; DJ Khaled dropped “Top Off” ft. featuring JAY-Z, Beyoncé & Future; Natalie Prass announced the new album The Future and the Past available June 1 from ATO & dropped the video for “Short Court Style”; Prince apparently worked on Janelle Monae’s upcoming Dirty Computer album; DATAROCK dropped “Feathers & Wax” off Face the Brutality available March 9; Sevdaliza dropped “Human Nature”; What’s Your Rupture? signed BODEGA & dropped the “How Did This Happen?!” Nap Eyes dropped the Seth A Smith & Nancy Urich video for “I’m Bad” off of I’m Bad Now available March 9 from Paradise of Bachelors/You’ve Changed/Jagjaguwar; Synapson dropped the Mary Clerté video for “Hide Away” ft. Holly; Freedom Fry dropped the title track off their upcoming album debut Classic available June 1; Lorde’s Run the Jewels remix for “Supercut (El-P remix)”; Future dropped “I.C.W.NT”; YBN Almighty Jay dropped the video for “Takin Off”; Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders dropped the Jim Pillion video for “White Flag” off the upcoming Blue Poles available May 4 from Terrible Records; Kid Koala dropped “Five Foot Stomp”; Benjamin Lazar Davis from Okkervil River dropped “Right Direction” co-written with Kimbra; The Born Love dropped the Erik Bergamini video for “Colorful” off the Strange Days EP; Logic dropped the video for “Overnight”; Kelela dropped the Mischa Notcutt & Claudia Matè video for “Frontline”; Skooly dropped the Howard Ross video for “Habit” ft. 2 Chainz off the Don’t You Ever Forget Me EP; Tame Impala’s Jay Watson, oka GUM, dropped the Alex McLaren video for “The Blue Marble”; A Place To Bury dropped the Elizabeth Skadden video for “There’s Only One Of Us” off the album Pinned available April 13 via Dead Oceans; Ladytron announced a new album available in fall from Pledge & dropped “Animals”; Azealia Banks dropped “Movin’ On Up”; Iggy Azalea dropped the video for “Savior” ft. Quavo; Iceage announced the new album Beyondless available May 4 from Matador & dropped “Pain Killer” ft. Sky Ferreira & Richard Hell wrote an essay on the band; Jack White dropped “Over and Over and Over”; Lorde performed a new song in Milwaukee; Dr. Dog dropped the previously unreleased “Buzzing In the Light”; Courtney Barnett promotes marriage equality via cover of INXS’s “Never Tear Us Apart”; Laura Veirs dropped “Watch Fire” ft. Sufjan Stevens off the album The Lookout available April 13 from Raven Marching Band; Mouse on Mars dropped “Foul Mouth”; TMBG returned to Conan; Palace Winter dropped “Empire”; Unknown Mortal Orchestra dropped “Not in Love We’re Just High”; Yo La Tengo dropped “For You Too”; Dinosaur Jr. dropped “Hold Unknown”; The Lagoons dropped “Close My Eyes (And I Wonder)” off their forthcoming Escape EP available April 6; Moby dropped the video for “This Wild Darkness”; Zenizen, Madison McFerrin & Anna Wise announced the #LoveYourSelfTour; Jessie Ware announced tour; Against Me! announced their spring tour; Dead Meadow dropped “Nobody Home” off their new album The Nothing They Need beginning their tour today; Courtship. announced a summer tour with Night Riots; Phish announced the Curveball festival; Soundset Festival buzz; Levitation lineup buzz; Arroyo Seco Weekend lineup buzz; hype for the final Vans Warped Tour lineup; Metallica announced stateside tour; James Murphy & 2ManyDJs, aka Despacio, announced massive DJ sets; Big Sean postponed his tour; Slayer dropped “Early Days” from their documentary series; hear Chris Cornell covering Johnny Cash’s “You Never Knew My Mind”; Talib Kweli wrote an op-ed on white supremacy; Flea penned an op-ed on about addiction & the opiod crises; Brian Eno scored the Gary Hustwit documentary Rams; The Smiths graphic novel; Phil Elverum elaborated on his opposition to
signing autographs & more; YoungBoy Never Broke Again arrested; Norwegian black metal band Taake canceled tour after being called out for alleged racism & more; Spotify filed for a public offering; and our warmest thoughts are with Rick Ross & Oneida’s Kid Millions for an expedient recovery.
Moving ahead, it is now our pleasure & privilege to present the following world exclusives, insights & interviews from D.A. Stern, Mary Ocher, Natural Velvet, Desert, Fine China, Cool Calm Chrys, Drawing Boards, NoMBe, Motherhood, Wire Spine, featuring guest selections by Ed Schrader’s Music Beat & more—in no particular order.