Album Reviews

Florry
Sounds Like…
May 21, 2025 Web Exclusive
Someone forgot to tell the house band it was last call and lights out a few hours ago. And thankfully so. Each song on Florry’s latest, Sounds Like…, plays out bleary eyed and bled through.

Sports Team
Boys These Days
May 20, 2025 Issue #74 - The Protest Issue with Kathleen Hanna and Bartees Strange
Expect the unexpected, as post-punk pranksters Sports Team return with their third record, Boys These Days, and it’s their most strange and subversive offering yet.

Friendship
Caveman Wakes Up
May 16, 2025 Web Exclusive
The Dan Wriggins-fronted ensemble Friendship is back for their fifth album and second since signing with Merge.
News

Madeline Kenney Shares Music Video for New Single “Scoop”
May 21, 2025
Oakland’s Madeline Kenney has released the second single, “Scoop,” ahead of her new album Kiss From the Balcony, which is due out July 18 via Carpark. Check out the music video for “Scoop” below.
Interviews

Director Laura Piani and Star Camille Rutherford on “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life”
May 19, 2025 Web Exclusive
Director Laura Piani and star Camille Rutherford talk about the chemistry behind their new film, Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.

Supergrass on “I Should Coco”
May 15, 2025 Issue #72 - The ‘90s Issue with The Cardigans and Thurston Moore
To paraphrase William Shakespeare “Some are born Britpop, some achieve Britpop, and others have Britpop thrust upon them.” Supergrass definitely belong in the “thrust” column.
Pleased to meet you

Windser on His Self-Titled Debut Album and Finding His Place
May 16, 2025 Web Exclusive
Jordan Topf’s path to a solo career (he performs as Windser) travelled some well-worn trails, but with a decidedly unconventional twist.
Lists

Seven Music Documentary Films and Series From the Second Half of 2024 to Watch (and Three To Skip)
Jan 08, 2025
Halfway through 2024, we published a list of “Seven Music Documentary Films and Series From 2024 to Watch (and Three to Skip).” Another glut of music documentaries and series have been released since then including the superstar projects Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words (Prime Video), Luther: Never Too Much (CNN), Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken (Paramount+), Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (Hulu), Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour (Netflix), Elton John: Never Too Late (Disney+) and Yoshiki: Under the Sky (On Demand). If there is one takeaway from the overabundance of the biographical documentaries, it is that it’s best if the subject is not involved. The micromanaging of their story leaves viewers with a manicured and surface-level experience of the artist.
Although, the artist’s complete removal from the process can make a documentary spin into tabloid territory. There’s a lot of scandal on tap. Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter (Max) is the traumatic story of mental illness and sexual assault. While the latter is horrifying, the litigation is still underway. Why are the survivors on film talking about their experiences? Speaking of survivors, IMPACT x Nightline: Diddy’s Downfall (Hulu) is equally horrific and a far more disgusting explanation of the recent uncovering of Sean Combs’ abusive, and illegal actions during his entire time in the spotlight. Secret Life of Diddy: A Special Edition of 20/20 (Hulu) covers the exact same ground with many of the same talking heads journalists and individuals. On the positive side of hip hop, Tale of the Tape (Tubi) explores the world of mixtapes, the skill involved in making them, their impact on the culture and the legends of that scene. While the homemade quality of this short but deep unpacking is charming, it only speaks to people in that space and doesn’t go far in educating the uninitiated.
A brave director with a strong grasp on storytelling can create a compelling product that draws you in, whether or not you are interested in the artist or topic. But it feels like there is a positive correlation between the number of music documentaries released and how many of them aren’t worth pressing play on. Here are seven from the second half of 2024 that are worth watching and three not so much.—By Lily Moayeri
Live reviews
Deafheaven @ Irving Plaza, New York, US, May 14, 2025
May 21, 2025
Deafheaven brought their “Lonely People With Power” tour to New York’s Irving Plaza earlier this month with support from Gatecreeper
Blog

Get 50% Off the Last Great Indie Music Print Magazine – Just $2.49 an Issue
May 05, 2025
Under the Radar is the indie music print magazine that refuses to die. While many of our peers have shut down or gone digital-only, we’re still here—still in print, still 100% independent, and still without billionaire backing. Right now, print subscriptions are 50% off: in the U.S. just $9.99 for four issues, or $2.49 each (compared to our $7.99 newsstand price). Canadian and international four-issue subscriptions are also 50% off.
Current Issue

Issue #74
Feb 28, 2025 Issue #74 - The Protest Issue with Kathleen Hanna and Bartees Strange
Most Recent
- Madeline Kenney Shares Music Video for New Single “Scoop” (News) —
- Deafheaven @ Irving Plaza, New York, US, May 14, 2025 (Review) —
- Shearman, Guesswork, A Thing Woven @ The Bees Mouth, Brighton, UK, May 17, 2025 (Review) —
- Wednesday Share Music Video for New Song “Elderberry Wine” (News) —
- Sounds Like… (Review) —