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Monday, March 18th, 2024  

Issue #65

Issue #65 - Mitski and boygenius

Mar 01, 2019

Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of our new print issue, Issue 65, which is out now nationwide (on newsstands, in such stores as Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, and elsewhere) and available to buy directly from us here. The issue features Mitski on the front cover and boygenius (Julien Baker + Phoebe Bridgers + Lucy Dacus) on the back cover.

The issue also features interviews with Sharon Van Etten, Deerhunter, Foals, Kurt Vile, Julia Holter, Ladytron, Neneh Cherry, The Twilight Sad, Mew, Panda Bear, Cat Power, Piroshka, Julia Jacklin, Local Natives, Amanda Palmer, Anna Calvi, Hot Chip, TOY, Super Furry Animals, Cass McCombs, and Telekinesis, plus a tribute to Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit, and much more.

We realize it’s been a little bit longer than usual since our last print issue, but we put a lot of heart and soul into this one (as we always do) and trust that our patient readers will be satisfied with the results. For starters, the issue includes not one, but two cover stories. It’s the first time we’ve also had an artist on the back cover (instead of an ad), and thus a secondary cover story, since Issue 3 way back in 2002 when Beck was on the back cover and The Flaming Lips were on the front cover. We intend to continue to have back cover artists in the future. In the print version there are interviews with over 30 different artists and reviews of around 30 albums. Then the digital version of the issue (for iPads, iPhones, Macs, and PCs) features an additional nine interviews and 50 bonus reviews. Then the issue’s digital sampler includes downloads of 37 great free MP3s, with many of the songs coming from artists covered in the issue. So there is a lot to dive into.

Still not convinced to check out the issue? Then below are the full details on who is interviewed and what’s reviewed, along with pull quotes from most of the articles. The best way to see truly independent print music journalism thrive is to support Under the Radar by buying our print issues and subscribing.

FRONT COVER STORY

(Mitski photo by Koury Angelo)

Mitksi

For our in-depth 4,500-word front cover story article, writer Matt Fink spoke in-depth to Mitski about her acclaimed latest album, Be the Cowboy, which was #2 on Under the Radar‘s Top 100 Albums of 2018 list, as well as delving into her childhood and college years.

Fink also spoke to Patrick Hyland, a college classmate of Mitksi’s who would soon become her producer and closest musical collaborator, Peter Denenberg, head of the studio production and studio composition programs at Purchase College’s Conservatory of Music in Harrison, New York, where Mitski attended, and Phil Waldorf, who signed Mitski to his Dead Oceans label. Photographer Koury Angelo captured gorgeous images of Mitski exclusively for Under the Radar in Los Angeles.

To give you a preview, here are the opening two paragraphs of the article:

Mitski Miyawaki stands motionless as the music starts, her arms at her sides, hands open and arched outward with palms facing down as if she’s about to levitate. The drums and keyboards of “Nobody”the disco-tinged single from her latest album, Be the Cowboystart to percolate. This is a genuine dance anthem, full of defiant self-pity and longing, but she does not so much as shift her balance from her knee-locked pose. As the music swells her voice gains in intensity, her hands begin rising slowly, first in front of her as if bracing for impact, then rising even more as if pleading. As she repeats the song’s title over and over as the music fades, her hands cover her eyes, palms facing outward. In this instant, surrounded by her bandmates and an audience that roars in approval once the last note ends, she is as alone as the character in her song.

It’s December 21, a few weeks after she completed a sold out fall tour, including four consecutive nights at Brooklyn Steel, and Mitski is the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! This is her momentselling out 1,800-capacity rooms, profiles in GQ, an interview on The Daily Showand it all would have been more or less unthinkable even a year ago, back when she was best known for clever tweets and “Your Best American Girl,” the roaring single from 2016’s Puberty 2. Perhaps it’s appropriate that in an era defined by macro debates over political and cultural divisions that a 28-year-old who hails from nowhere and everywhere has managed to capture the zeitgeistat least part of itby making music that focuses on the micro of the individual. Finishing up her year in front of a national television audience is a fitting conclusion, one that many artists would use for a moment of reflection, but Mitski is no such artist.

“[In] Be the Cowboy, there’s a realization that no one gives a shit that you’re sad, and you’re still sad. Your sadness is no longer profound, and you’re still sad.” - Mitski

“There’s this feeling that you have to progress to the next stage-do the bigger venues, do the better festivals. But I want to make sure that I’m making music because I want to make music. I want to make sure that’s the priority.” - Mitski

“I still have problems with my ego and have that thing where I need everyone to love me and need to be validated. It’s very scarythe thought that that will effect and maybe taint my music.” - Mitski

“I want my existence to matter. I want to be recognized so that my life doesn’t just disappear when I die.” - Mitski

BACK COVER STORY

(boygenius photo by Saverio Truglia)

boygenius

Boygenius appear on the back cover of the issue and Matt Conner and Max Freedman write an in-depth article on the self-titled debut EP from the trio featuring three acclaimed singer/songwriters: Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. We spoke to each member of boygenius about how the project came together, what they hoped to achieve with it, and how the experience has influenced their future music making. Saverio Truglia exclusively photographed boygenius for us in Chicago.

Here are the opening three paragraphs to the article, to give you a preview:

The term supergroup is primarily reserved for a band comprised of people well established at their craftsay, a quartet of recognizable rock stars. Although boygenius’ members have each released at most two albums, the term is already being regularly applied to the trio of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus.

Boygenius’ early supergroup status tells you all you need to know about the ascendant career trajectories of its members. Each singer/songwriter has earned heaps of indie buzz and critical acclaim on the strength of her captivating solo workall largely marked by witty insights, personal reflections, and vulnerable delivery.

From the earliest days of each artist’s career, both listeners and critics have grouped the three togetheramong other artists, who pretty much universally just happen to also all be womenthanks to these similar qualities and the artists’ simultaneous rise to indie prominence. All three developed a mutual admiration for the others’ work, and since they’re all currently at similar stations in life, they decided to turn a possibility to tour together in late 2017 into a full-blown project.

“[Julien] and I were both raised Christian…talking to her, seeing that she was engaged with her faith and outspoken about being queer…I just thought that she was really courageous.” - Lucy Dacus

“As women, especially younger women, we often have an expectation forced upon us of being hesitant or reserved or submitting to another’s ideas. Being in this environment where we could feel very valued and respected in sharing all of our ideas was a great learning process. I think it motivated us to be more forthright in our lives and our work.” - Julien Baker

“The biggest takeaway for me was feeling like I could really speak up in a roomthat my ideas were going to be received well. Because whether or not someone is respectful to me, I do a lot of apologizing for my ideas, which I didn’t do at all in the room with Lucy and Julien. It just made me a more vocal person with every project that I’ve done sinceeven in a live setting.” - Phoebe Bridgers

DETECTION

(Kurt Vile photo by Wendy Lynch Redfern)

The front-of-book Detection section features interviews with various musicians. It opens with an interview (by Matt Fink) and photo shoot (by Wendy Lynch Redfern in Charlottesville) with Kurt Vile on his most recent album, Bottle It In. There’s also an in-depth interview (by Conrad Duncan) and photo shoot (by James Loveday in London) with Neneh Cherry on her recent album, Broken Politics.

The Detection section also includes interviews with the following artists about their latest albums: Cat Power (by Matt Fink), Deerhunter (by Dom Gourlay), Foals (by Dom Gourlay), The Goon Sax (by Lee Adcock), Julia Jacklin (by Laura Stanley), Ladytron (by Dom Gourlay), Cass McCombs (by Jordan J. Michael), Amanda Palmer (by Stephen Axeman), Panda Bear (by Stephen Axeman), Piroshka (by Frank Valish), TEEN (by Lee Adcock), TOY (by Dom Gourlay), and The Twilight Sad (by Charles Steinberg).

“All these gut instincts that we have in our lives, as we get older society will punch them out of us.” - Cat Power

“If you’d asked me when I was 25, where I’d like to be when I was 54, I think I’m there, which is a nice feeling.” - Neneh Cherry

“I’m a committed asexual which might be hard for people to understand, but there’s nothing more amazing to me than coming home from a tour and being utterly alone except for the company of my dog.” - Bradford Cox of Deerhunter

“Life is for the individual pursuit of happiness, and yet all of these problems we face that cause us anxiety can’t be solved by an individual decision.” - Yannis Philippakis of Foals

“I internalized a lot of guilt about doing well and that kind of sucks because it means that you can’t be proud of yourself.” - Julia Jacklin

“We don’t create an album with the intention of it sounding like Ladytron circa 2006. It’s more about where we’re at [now] as musicians and writers.” - Helen Marnie of Ladytron

“The live version is the real version. The album is the dead static object birthed from a live music background.” - Cass McCombs

“The things that people will really respond to are the honest, vulnerable, fallible moments of your life, not your fucking picture of your martini on a beach.” - Amanda Palmer

“I do feel that you can’t open yourself up to really positive experiences without opening yourself up to really negative experiences or feelings.” - Panda Bear

“I thought, ‘If I don’t do this, I’m never going to do any music ever again probably. So I might as well have one last throw of the dice.’” - Miki Berenyi of Piroshka

“However you relate to the music, I hope that people seek that solace in music that we make. That’s why I listen to music.” - Kristina “Teeny” Lieberson of TEEN

“We spent such a long time agonizing over this record, especially those songs that went through so many different versions. That’s why it’s a much more detailed record than any of its predecessors.” - Tom Dougall of TOY

“People keep telling me they play more EDM and pop and hip-hop at all of the festivals-that’s fine with me. If one day I’m not invited to as many festivals, I’ll just play clubs and come back to the festivals later.” - Kurt Vile

16TH ANNUAL ARTIST SURVEY

For Under the Radar‘s 16th annual Artist Survey we emailed some of our favorite artists a few questions relating to political, social, and cultural issues of the last year, as well as some quirky and personal queries. We asked them about their favorite albums of the last year and their thoughts on various notable 2018 news stories involving either the music industry or world events, including the deaths of Scott Hutchison, Stan Lee, and Anthony Bourdain, as well as the U.S. midterm elections, the #MeToo movement, climate change, Kanye West cozying up to President Donald Trump, and the potential rise of artificial intelligence.

Some other questions included:

Be honest, did you Floss in 2018? (Meaning the dance craze, not the dental care.)

Which Muppets character are you most like and why?

What’s your favorite birthday party memory from childhood?

When you die, do you think you’re going to the Good Place or the Bad Place?

What’s been your most surreal experience in the music industry?

The print Artist Survey section includes responses from Anna Calvi, Ezra Furman, Frances Quinlan of Hop Along, Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, Kelcey Ayer of Local Natives, Jonas Bjerre of Mew, Miki Berenyi and Michael Conroy of Piroshka, Julia Cumming, Jacob Faber, and Nick Kivlen of Sunflower Bean, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, and Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu.

There are also two pages of bonus quotes from additional artists, including members of Au Revoir Simone, Bernice, The Beths, FIDLAR, Frontperson, Guerilla Toss, Hinds, Mass Gothic, Moaning, Ra Ra Riot, and Teleman, as well as solo artists Brandon Coleman, Doe Paoro, Ioanna Gika, Robyn Hitckcock, Palehound, and Charles Watson.

“My Aunt was a bit crazy and when I was eight years old she came to my birthday party dressed as a witch and had a sword.” - Anna Calvi

“The rich are killing the poor, of today and tomorrow.” - Ezra Furman

“I still to this day have nightmares about disappointing my mom.” - Frances Quinlan of Hop Along

“[Kanye West] seems confident but I am confused by his views and do not agree with them. I am confident he is confused.” - Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip

“Some people will deny [climate change] even after they’re on fire in a snowstorm.” - Kelcey Ayer of Local Natives

“Our audience consisted of elderly people having dinner. I think most of them felt it was all a bit loud. After we played, a woman came up on stage and gave us each a white rose.” - Jonas Bjerre of Mew

“I gave [the Floss dance] a go but my kids told me to please stop.” - Miki Berenyi of Piroshka

“I think human creativity and love are not at the risk of being lost, even with the growth of artificial intelligence.” - Julia Cumming of Sunflower Bean

“Low point [of 2018]: Having to push my finger into the eye of a stray pit bull to get it off my wrist and the bite making it impossible to play guitar for two months.” - Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu

MAIN FEATURES

(Sharon Van Etten photo by Ray Lego)

Our main features section includes an in-depth four-page interview and photo shoot with Sharon Van Etten about her acclaimed new album, Remind Me Tomorrow, and the challenges of balancing parenting with her music career. Mike Hilleary conducted the interview, with exclusive photos in New York by Ray Lego.

There’s also an in-depth four-page interview and photo shoot with Julia Holter about her acclaimed recent album, Aviary. Conrad Duncan conducted the interview, with exclusive photos in Los Angeles by Ian Maddox.

The section concludes with a tribute to Scott Hutchison, the frontman of the Scottish band Frightened Rabbit who tragically took his own life last year. For the article we spoke in-depth to Grant Hutchison, Scott’s brother and Frightened Rabbit bandmate, about Scott’s long-term battle with depression and what he meant to his fans. We also spoke to James Graham of The Twilight Sad and Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai, both members of fellow Scottish bands who also knew Scott. In addition, we interviewed Frightened Rabbit’s former manager Storme Whitby-Grubb. Matt Connor wrote the article, which features a new illustration of Scott Hutchison by Elena Johnston.

“One of the things that one of my friends touched on when I sent her the record for her opinion because she knows me better than most people, she just was like, ‘For you being in such a good place I was not expecting this dark of a sound. This is not the record that I thought a mother was going to make.’” - Sharon Van Etten

“Everything about having a kid is justyou’ve just got to roll with it and what makes him happy and ask, ‘How can we all thrive?’ And apparently we thrive in chaos.” - Sharon Van Etten

”[Aviary is] a little bit medieval and a little bit Blade Runner.” - Julia Holter

“I think all art is political in a way. That was something I didn’t think about in the past and I think that was just naive of me.” - Julia Holter

“I obviously saw firsthand Scott’s depressionhow he dealt with it and struggled with it. There was a part of me that kind of knew that this was how I would say goodbye to him, you know? But nothing can really prepare you for that happening.” - Grant Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit on his brother Scott Hutchison

“When you went to a Frightened Rabbit gig you didn’t just get music; nine-times-out-of-10 you got a Scott stand-up show as well. I loved going to gigs where he played on his own and would tell stories in between songs.” - James Graham of The Twilight Sad on Scott Hutchison

“In music, life can be quite lonely for some people and I think there has to be more support for people who need help.” - Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai on Scott Hutchison

“He’s not an icon of suicide. We want it to be one of hope and compassion and love.” - Grant Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit on his brother Scott Hutchison

(Julia Holter photo by Ian Maddox)

THE END

For our regular last page feature, The End, we ask a different artist the same set of questions about endings and death. Telekinesis (aka Michael Benjamin Lerner) is this issue’s participant. Lerner discusses how he’d like to die, what song he’d like played at his deathbed, his concepts of heaven and hell, his favorite endings to movies and books, and how two feuding British brothers initiated his favorite band breakup.

“I’d love for [my death] to be on the eve of an epic storm, like sideways rain and wind and cold, so I could hear the rain beating down on the roof.” - Michael Benjamin Lerner of Telekinesis

REVIEWS

Around 30 albums and DVDs/Blu-rays are reviewed in the issue, including reviews of releases by:

Beirut
Better Oblivion Community Center
James Blake
Cherry Glazerr
Stella Donnelly
Du Blonde
Steve Gunn
Juliana Hatfield
Helado Negro
Julia Jacklin
Ladytron
Lambchop
The Lemonheads
Cass McCombs
Methyl Ethel
Amanda Palmer
Panda Bear
Piroshka
Jessica Pratt
Sleeper
Sneaks
Spielbergs
Strand of Oaks
TEEN
The Twilight Sad
Sharon Van Etten
Weyes Blood
Xiu Xiu

DIGITAL SAMPLER

Each issue comes with a digital sampler that is a free download and includes up to 37 complimentary MP3s. This issue’s digital sampler includes tracks by:

Amanda Palmer
C Duncan
Cass McCombs
Cherry Glazerr
Daniel Brandt
David Allred
Delicate Steve
Dizzy Box Nine
Frontperson
Girlpool
The Goon Sax
Hogz in Dandyland
J Mascis
Jaakko Eino Kalevi
James Yorkston
Jessica Pratt
Julia Jacklin
Juliana Hatfield
Ladytron
Lala Lala
Lost Under Heaven
Mitski
Murray A. Lightburn
Neneh Cherry
Piroshka
Rustin Man
Sharon Van Etten
Sneaks
Steve Mason
Strand of Oaks
TEEN
Telekinesis
TOY
The Twilight Sad
Weyes Blood
Y La Bamba
Yak (Feat. J. Spaceman)

DIGITAL MAGAZINE INTERVIEWS

The digital version of the issue (for iPads, iPhones, Macs, and PCs) also features extra interviews not found in the print magazine, as well as additional full-page photos from our photo shoots for the issue. There are bonus articles on Black Belt Eagle Scout, Jon Hopkins, J Mascis, Peter Bjorn and John, Jessica Pratt, We Were Promised Jetpacks, and Young Jesus. There is an additional The End interview, this time with John Grant, who answers our questions about endings and death. Plus we present the full in-depth Q&A interview with Bradford Cox of Deerhunter.

“I was really into the riot grrrl scene and grunge music. I learned how to play guitar on ‘Doll Parts’ by Hole.” - Katherine Paul of Black Belt Eagle Scout

“I would like to die riding the newest most bad-ass gigantic roller coaster in the world [at age] 95.” - John Grant

“A lot of our focus has been hijacked. We’ve gotten used to scrolling away and checking between multiple windows and not staying with one idea.” - Jon Hopkins

“We’re always thinking about darker days here [in Sweden], because when it gets darker, it’s really dark.” - Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John

“The length of my records isn’t a statement, but I do think it’s a bit of a thing to make super long records these days. My aim is to only include the music that I think is essential.” - Jessica Pratt

“We put all this shine on the songs to try to get some radio hits and it ended up being the exact opposite. We ended up with songs that were really weak that didn’t sound or feel like us.” - Adam Thompson of We Were Promised Jetpacks

“For us, the band is supposed to be in some ways a group therapy/friendship session, or like a book group.” - John Rossiter of Young Jesus

DIGITAL MAGAZINE REVIEWS

The digital version of the issue also features around 50 bonus reviews of albums and comic books/graphic novels not found in the print magazine, including reviews of the latest releases by the following:

The 1975
Blood Red Shoes
boygenius
Broods
Buke and Gase
Chain Wallet
Michael Chapman
Gary Clark Jr.
Criminal Hygiene
The Dandy Warhols
Angelo De Augustine
Deerhunter
FEELS
FIDLAR
Foals
Girlpool
Hand Habits
Julia Holter
Homeshake
Emily King
Mike Krol
Laibach
Le Butcherettes
Steve Mason
Mono
Kelly Moran
Bob Mould
Muse
Night Beats
Pavo Pavo
Pedro the Lion
Pom Poko
Royal Trux
Rustin Man
Swervedriver
Tallies
Telekinesis
The Telescopes
Tim Presley’s White Fence
Tiny Ruins
TOY
Jeff Tweedy
William Tyler
Kurt Vile
Ryley Walker
Weezer
XXL
Yak

Click here to buy the print version of the issue.

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Click here to support us on Patreon.

Interviews
16th Annual Artist Survey: Anna Calvi
16th Annual Artist Survey: Ezra Furman
16th Annual Artist Survey: Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals
16th Annual Artist Survey: Kelcey Ayer of Local Natives and Jaws of Love.
16th Annual Artist Survey: Mew
16th Annual Artist Survey: Piroshka
16th Annual Artist Survey: Sunflower Bean
16th Annual Artist Survey: Xiu Xiu
Amanda Palmer on “There Will Be No Intermission”
Black Belt Eagle Scout on “Mother of My Children”
Cass McCombs on “Tip of the Sphere”
Cat Power on “Wanderer”
Deerhunter on “Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?”
Deerhunter on “Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?” - The Full Interview
Foals on “Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1”
Foals on “Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1” - The Full Interview
Jessica Pratt on “Quiet Signs”
Jon Hopkins on “Singularity”
Julia Holter on “Aviary”
Julia Jacklin on “Crushing”
Kurt Vile on “Bottle It In”
Ladytron on Their Self-Titled Album
Mitski - The Under the Radar Cover Story
Neneh Cherry on “Broken Politics”
Panda Bear on “Buoys”
Piroshka on “Brickbat”
Sharon Van Etten on “Remind Me Tomorrow”
TEEN on “Good Fruit”
TOY on “Happy in the Hollow”
The End: Telekinesis
The Goon Sax on “We’re Not Talking”
The Twilight Sad on “It Won/t Be Like This All the Time”
Tiny Changes to Earth: The Lasting Legacy of Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit
Young Jesus on “The Whole Thing Is Just There”
boygenius - The Under the Radar Cover Story

 

Reviews
Additional Futures EP
Beware of the Dogs
Cartoon Roots & Cartoon Roots: The Bray Studios – Animation Pioneers
Eraserland
Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1
Shanghai Red
The Jerk [40th Anniversary Edition]
The Modern Age
The Weatherman Vol. 1
There Will Be No Intermission
This (is what I wanted to tell you)
This Is How You Smile
Titanic Rising
Ye