Topic: Music

Music news, from stadium-filling icons to the artists shaping the charts this week, covering new releases, reissues and the interviews and anniversaries that put a record's story in context. It ranges across genres and eras, so a look back at how a soul classic or disco anthem came together sits alongside coverage of what's charting or making headlines right now.

Beyond the music itself, this is where the people and decisions behind it get examined: why a band turned down a big break, how a songwriter settled on a lyric overnight, or what a veteran musician makes of the industry and the world today. There's also room for the wider culture around music, from touring and nightlife to the health and social benefits some readers get from it.

Taken together, it's a mix of nostalgia and the present tense, useful for anyone who wants to understand not just what's playing now but the stories and decisions that shaped the music they already know.

  • ‘The Pitt’ Fans Shouldn’t Miss This Forgotten Medical Drama

    Collider recommends Fox’s 2014 teen medical dramedy Red Band Society to viewers who enjoyed The Pitt, arguing that both shows prioritise people and relationships over medical procedures. Set in a paediatric hospital ward, the cancelled series depicts teenagers with serious illnesses building friendship, identity and a sense of family during long stays in hospital. Red…

  • Every Baby Boomer Alive Remembers These 3 Classic Rock Jams From 1960

    The article highlights three rock-and-roll songs from 1960 that it says remain especially familiar to baby boomers: Roy Orbison’s “Only The Lonely (Know The Way I Feel)”, Dion’s “Lonely Teenager” and The Ventures’ “Walk, Don’t Run”. It presents them as examples of the period when rock and roll was developing towards the sound later known…

  • From TikTok to signing with Kesha, Boy Throb say they’re for real – and serious about a US visa

    Boy Throb, a four-member boy band that grew through TikTok, are campaigning for US authorities to approve an O-1 visa for singer Darshan Magdum, who remains in India while his bandmates perform in America. His remote appearance at a New York concert, where fans chanted “Visa!”, has made the immigration application central to the group’s…

  • 3 Unlikely Music Legends Who Beat the Odds

    The article highlights three musicians whose careers succeeded despite obstacles that might have seemed prohibitive. It presents the Beatles’ rapid breakthrough in the United States, Dolly Parton’s rise from poverty, and Tony Iommi’s adaptation after a serious hand injury as examples of persistence reshaping music history. – The Beatles overcame the difficulty faced by earlier…

  • The 1969 album Ray Davies called years ahead of its time: “I saw the future”

    The article revisits The Kinks’ 1969 concept album *Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)*, which Ray Davies reportedly regarded as unusually forward-looking. It argues that the record’s examination of British identity, class, migration and national decline has gained new relevance, making its themes seem more prescient than they did on release.…

  • Watch Olivia Rodrigo join Smashing Pumpkins on “Thirty-Three” at Lollapalooza

    Olivia Rodrigo joined Smashing Pumpkins on stage at Lollapalooza to perform the band’s song “Thirty-Three”. The guest appearance brought together a contemporary pop star and a major alternative-rock act, making it a notable moment from the festival. The performance was led by Smashing Pumpkins, with Rodrigo contributing during the rendition of the track from the…

  • Paul McCartney Helped Elvis Costello Write This Hit Single From 1989

    Elvis Costello’s 1989 hit single “Veronica” was co-written with Paul McCartney and appeared on Costello’s album Spike. The song matters for pairing two major British songwriters and for addressing Alzheimer’s disease through an upbeat, defiant pop song rather than a sentimental ballad. Costello conceived “Veronica” as a tribute to his grandmother, whose condition involved periods…

  • 35 Years Later, This Game-Changing Album Made Rap-Rock Impossible to Ignore

    Anthrax’s 1991 version of Public Enemy’s “Bring the Noise” is presented as a landmark rap-rock track, bringing hip-hop and thrash metal together in a way that made the crossover impossible to dismiss. The collaboration mattered because both genres had faced criticism as mere “noise”, while the song demonstrated their shared energy, political potential and cultural…

  • The Story Behind The Song: How Paul McCartney and Wings discovered the world wasn’t tired of ‘Silly Love Songs’

    Paul McCartney wrote ‘Silly Love Songs’ for Wings in response to critics who dismissed his songwriting as overly sentimental after the Beatles. The song became a major commercial success, demonstrating that audiences were still receptive to direct, romantic pop music and reinforcing McCartney’s confidence in his post-Beatles work. Released in 1976 on Wings at the…

  • 4 Songs From the 1970s That Made You Wish You Were at the Beach

    The article highlights four 1970s songs chosen for their ability to evoke a relaxed beach atmosphere. It presents the tracks as nostalgic summer listening, ranging from Jimmy Buffett’s beach-bar imagery to mellow soul and soft rock, while noting that some lyrics are not explicitly about the coast. – “Margaritaville” — Jimmy Buffett (1977): a long-running…