From rock n’ roll godmother Sister Rosetta Tharpe to grunge singer Tina Bell, there have always been Black rock music artists. Pop-punk and alternative rock are no different. To celebrate Black History Month and the kickass contributions of Black rock artists, here are 10 Black pop-punk and alt-rock artists you should listen to year-round. Fefe Dobson The Canadian pop-punk singer Fefe Dobson released her self-titled debut album in 2003, which spawned hits that included “Take Me Away,” “Bye Bye Boyfriend,” and “Everything.” She would follow that album with 2006’s Sunday Love and 2010’s Joy. The latter was especially notable for… Read more »
Today at noon, the popular modern rock station WHFS 99.1, founded in the 1960s and owned by Infinity Broadcasting, was reformatted to become “El Zol.” The new station features salsa, merengue, bacchata, Caribbean and Central American dance music in a Spanish-language format. “This is the first top 10 market that we’ve done this in,” said Karen Mateo, director of communications at Infinity. “We’re looking to expand into this marketplace and this is the first station that we’ve done this with.” El Zol is targeted at the growing population of Spanish-speaking residents in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, almost 10 percent… Read more »
As the music world mourns the death of Johnny Cash-who passed away on the morning of Friday (September 12), at the age of 71-artists from every genre of music are paying their respects to the legendary Man In Black. Guitarist Danny Lohner, who has played with Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle, shared his thoughts with LAUNCH on Cash’s recent cover of the Nine Inch Nails tune “Hurt.” “Johnny Cash’s version blew me away,” Lohner said. “He has such a great character voice…that video is so moving and so well done, and with his wife watching him as he… Read more »
From 2011 to 2014, there was one social media niche that defined the music taste for young people and became the go-to platform for tastemakers: Tumblr. It was the birthplace of the indie sleaze aesthetic, soft grunge teens in Dr. Martens, tights under denim shorts, oversized flannels, emo black and white photography, Jeffrey Campbell Litas, and American Apparel basics. Back then, we curated our blogs with the same precision required on today’s Instagram feeds. With this brooding, indie fashion look came an edgy side of music that was fully loaded with personality and grit. We relished in fan fiction and… Read more »
Halloween is essentially alternative and goth person Christmas. It has everything: Spiders, ghosts, creepy clowns, horror movies galore, sick playlists, and of course, Reese’s Pumpkins—the best shape of all. If you’ve been looking through social media, you’ve definitely seen amazing costumes this year, including multiple iterations of hippo starlet Moo Deng, music video and festival-inspired Chappell Roans, Beetlejuice fits in honor of the new film, and much more. Of course, our favorite alt-rock stars showed up and showed out this year with classic Tim Burton-inspired costumes all the way to blockbuster movie looks. Hope you all had the spookiest and… Read more »
Hopeless Records just added a new artist to the label. On October 30, they welcomed Comastatic to the Hopeless fam. Hailing from Zurich, Switzerland, vocalist Mattia Di Paolo and guitarist Jules began their Comastatic journey back in 2022. Melding raw, soaring choruses with electronic-tinged urgent rock melodies, Comastatic crafts an unforgettable modern alt-rock experience. Most recently, the rising act shared singles “COMA” and “Misery” in 2024, but we are excitedly anticipating their label debut. Hopeless Records assures followers, “More exciting news [is] on the way.” Additionally, Hopeless Records has definitely been on a roll with adding cool new talent to… Read more »
Nashville-based alt-rocker and producer Letdown. has revealed the tracklist for his upcoming debut album, Be Ok, set to be released November 15 via Big Loud Rock.
Have you ever met someone who listens to pop but has an unexpected infatuation with heavy metal, too? It’s a plot twist that proves that “range” in music consumption is possible in a world full of gatekeepers and genre boundaries. This range extends beyond music fans. Underneath the guise of mainstream music stardom, some of our favorite pop artists have underground projects to experiment within the depths of metal breakdowns, screams, and unrelenting riffage. True artistry knows no bounds and sometimes even pop artists need a break from their typical musical formulas. Here are three beloved mainstream household names who have… Read more »
Trash Boat is hopping across the pond this November to headline their first tour throughout the U.S. and Canada. The UK-based alt-rockers are bringing out Downswing and Crooked Teeth as support for the Heaven Can Wait North America Headline Tour. The tour kicks off on November 2 at Sacramento’s Goldfield Trading Post and wraps up on November 24 at Chicago’s Subterranean. Ahead of tour kick-off, Trash Boat is releasing their fourth studio LP Heaven Can Wait on October 4 via Hopeless Records. You can hear a taste of the record via their recently-released singles “Delusions Of Grandeur,” “Liar Liar,” “Break You,”… Read more »
alt. is finally back with their first new offering of 2024, “Conversations That Hurt” via Resist Records and SharpTone Records. Preceded by 2023’s heavy-hitting, alt-rock debut LP ABEYANCE, the Australian act shows off their vulnerable, softer side on their latest release. “‘Conversations That Hurt’ is about the freshness of a breakup. It’s hard to move on and all you can think about is wanting them back when you know it’s not meant to be,” says vocalist Daniel Cullen-Richards. Uniquely, this track also showcases a few Aussie music legends. The track was co-written with Dream On, Dreamer’s Callan Orr and Trophy Eyes‘ John Floreani.… Read more »
