On August 17, 2026, the first substantial effort to close the book on Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder began in Las Vegas. Duane “Keffe D” Davis is on trial after several years of claiming to be directly involved in the killing. Davis pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his attorneys claim his tales were fabricated for clout. But what is already a complicated trial is even more frustrating because several witnesses refuse to testify.

Suge Knight, who was in the car with Tupac when he was shot, publicly refused to be involved. As the only living eyewitness to the shooting, he has knowledge that could potentially end the trial swiftly. But he has since cited street code and his loyalty to Tupac as reasons for staying out of it.

Gang loyalty seems to be a common thread in this trial, as far as testimony is concerned. With the code of silence so pervasive, it will likely be difficult to get anyone to talk. Additionally, many witnesses have since left that lifestyle. They wish to leave that part of their life in the past.

On August 18, James McDonald was called to the stand. A former associate of Suge Knight, McDonald shared Knight’s view of the entire ordeal. He adamantly refused to testify, claiming he did not want to put Davis behind bars despite their mutual dislike.

Pervasive Culture of Silence Could Prolong Justice for Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur’s murder trial is only on its second day, and already there’s the potential for delays. The trial is expected to last about four weeks, but it’s anyone’s guess whether that will hold true.

“You better treat me as a hostile witness,” James McDonald told the court when he took the witness stand on August 18. Per a report from The Guardian, McDonald stated that the only reason he was there was due to a subpoena. Otherwise, it’s likely he would not have gotten involved. “Me or anybody else bringing up the dead is wrong,” he added.

McDonald’s only testimony was to reiterate that no one is going to talk. “I’m aware of a lot of things, things that was going on,” he said. “People ain’t talked about it in 30 years. Today ain’t one of them.”

He added, “I don’t want to send [Duane Davis] to prison, even though we don’t like each other.” McDonald then addressed Davis directly, who was seated behind his attorney. “I don’t want to send you to prison,” said McDonald.

Refusal, Hostility, and Loyalty Converge During Murder Trial

James McDonald is one of the former gang affiliates who has gotten out of the lifestyle and adamantly refuses to return. “I changed my life,” he said in court. “I’m raising my grandkids, teaching them never to be like their Pawpaw, and here I am, explaining to people what I used to be, and I’m not proud of that, I’m not proud of that at all.”

He added, “You’re asking me questions that can hurt [Davis], and like I told them, I’m trying to avoid to answer the questions.”

Speaking with ABC News in early August 2026 before the trial began, Suge Knight shared a similar sentiment. “To actually get on the stand, and point somebody out, it’s worse than taking a gun and shooting that man in the head,” he said. “Because if you shoot a person in the head, they die once. If you get on the stand and you snitch on that person, they die a million times.”

Photo by John Locher / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

The post More Witnesses Steadfastly Refusing to Testify Could Ultimately Stall Tupac Shakur’s Murder Trial appeared first on VICE.

The 2026 MTV VMA nominations have been released, and we’re crowding the halls like high school drama kids trying to see who scored the lead in the musical. Madonna tops the list with 11 nominations this year, beating her own previous record of nine. Taylor Swift has the second most nominations with nine of her own, then Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each with seven, then Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress, and Zara Larsson have five each.

Notably, past Video of the Year winners Grande, Madonna, and Swift are nominated for the big winner category once again. There are of course first-time nominees, some promising Best New Artist nominations, and the return of the Best Dance category after seven years.

But with all the announcements from the MTV VMAs, some categories are worryingly absent. Two big genre categories, to be exact. Best Rock and Best Afrobeats were not included among the nominees. They were included in last years awards, but not heavily featured during the broadcast.

It’s possible that these categories just haven’t been announced yet, and the nominations are on the way. However, a Billboard report claiming to be the full list is missing these two genres. Several other crucial categories are also missing. These include Best Pop Artist, Push Performance of the Year, Best Album, Video for Good, Best Long-Form Video, Best Group, and Song of Summer.

The MTV VMAs Caters to Mainstream Music, Which Means Fewer Subgenre Categories

Speculating on whether or not these categories have been axed won’t reveal any new information. Truly, we won’t know until we know. Still, it’s interesting to consider why the MTV VMAs would get rid of several categories that seem like they’d be pretty important for a music award show.

Generally, the award show format is a popularity contest for mainstream entertainment, and it’s always been that way. Plus, there’s absolutely no way for a single award show to represent every aspect of music and nominate without bias and satisfy everyone who has a stake in it. By design, popularity contests leave a lot of room for disappointment.

At the heart of it, the VMAs are awards for music videos. The best albums, artists, and performances are better represented by the Grammy Awards. Although the Recording Academy has its own problems. But for a music video award show to leave out nominations for two video-based categories like Video for Good and Best Long-Form Video is strange. All that, and we’re missing Song of the Summer? Perhaps the VMAs need to get their priorities straightened out.

I Want My MTV (To Reevaluate What They Think ‘Alternative’ Means)

However, there’s some good news. Looking at the full list of genre specific categories, the representation is pretty decent. Pop, Hip-Hop, Alternative, R&B, K-Pop, Dance, Latin, and Country is not a bad mix, all things considered. However, that also means we get Noah Kahan, Olivia Rodrigo, mgk, and Tame Impala next to Geese and Twenty One Pilots in the Alternative category.

As mentioned above, there’s going to be some disappointment when you’re dealing with a general music award show like the MTV VMAs. They cater to the mainstream, which means a lot of pop music and fewer, if any, subgenre categories. All told, this isn’t a bad spread. Just don’t expect to see Best Haunted Carnival Metal on the nomination list any time soon.

Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage

The post Did MTV Just Quietly Kill Off the VMA for Best Rock Video? appeared first on VICE.

During a show on August 16, 2026, Rob Thomas nearly took out his Matchbox Twenty bandmate Paul Doucette with a mic stand, and the moment quickly went viral. While playing the Illinois State Fair, Thomas swung his mic stand around his head mid-show. Unfortunately, he was unaware that the guitarist was right behind him.

With Doucette also unaware of the imminent danger, the mic stand caught him in the side of the head. Visibly in pain, he left the stage to get the injury evaluated. The band continued playing, as Rob Thomas was unaware that he’d just smacked Doucette. But a moment later, he expressed his regret.

“Every night I’m over here, and I’m throwing this goddamn thing around,” Thomas told the crowd in a fan-captured video. “It nailed him. Yeah, it nailed him hard. My best friend in the world, and I think I almost killed him, and I feel really bad about this.”

Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas Feels ‘Really Bad’ About Nearly Taking Out His Guitarist With a Mic Stand

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Troy ArmstrongPatton (@armstrongpatton)

As Paul Doucette was evaluated backstage, Rob Thomas placated the crowd. He asked fans to “give us one second” while Doucette got his bearings again. Considering how heavy mic stands can be, he most likely got his bell rung quite a bit. The acrobatics may be a typical move for Thomas, but this was probably the first time it had caused an injury.

“By the way, it felt like a really good idea right up until now,” Thomas told the crowd. “Throwin’ that s**t around! I feel like an ass.”

But he didn’t have to feel bad for very long. Doucette quickly joined the rest of Matchbox Twenty on stage again, complete with what looked like an alcoholic beverage. There’s nothing like a stiff drink after a blow to the head. Additionally, Doucette didn’t seem to hold a grudge about getting whacked in the noggin. Although he did scold his bandmate a bit.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve told you about swinging that f**king thing,” he told Rob Thomas. “I knew it was only a matter of time. It’s been 30 years!”

He added, “Now, admittedly I’ve been in the back for the first half of that, and maybe I’ve gotta go back there because it’s obviously safer.” Doucette did just that, staying far out of range of Rob Thomas, who joked if he was still in “the danger zone.”

However, it seems like the possibility of this incident being way worse than it was served as a lesson to Rob Thomas. “I’m going to be apologizing to you all month,” he told Doucette. He also added, “I think I know one thing I’m gonna stop doing.” Whether the lesson sticks is another story.

Photo by Jessica Sigmon Wallace/Getty Images

The post ‘I Think I Almost Killed Him’: Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas Nails Bandmate in the Head With Mic Stand Mid-Show appeared first on VICE.

Linda Bean Pardee, bassist with bands like Gang of Four, Orbit, and The Chelsea Curve, has died. Gang of Four’s official Facebook page broke the news to fans. “Such sad news,” the post read. “Linda almost came to Australia with us. A huge loss to Boston’s music scene and all who knew her.” Their post added, “All Together, Now: F**K CANCER.”

Pardee passed away on August 17, 2026, after a battle with cancer. She most recently played with Gang of Four from 2023 to 2024, and was allegedly going to join up with them again, according to the band. She was also a member of Orbit, who posted their own tribute to the beloved Boston-area bassist.

“We’ve lost our Soul Sister,” the lengthy post began. “We are heart broken with the sudden loss of Linda Bean Pardee. Linda was the heart and soul of ORBIT. She inadvertently propelled the band through her joy of playing music … Her presence elevated the band on so many levels.” The post also included condolences for Pardee’s family and other bandmates, noting, “They know how much of a joy it was to be playing music with her and our feeling this tragic loss.”

Pardee played with Orbit from 1999 until their final show in 2001, then again in May 2025 when the band reunited. She played more than 100 shows with Orbit across three national tours and several regional treks. Additionally, she played bass on three of their albums: the 2000 EP Tonedeaf, XLR8R in 2001, and Vapor Trails in 2020.

Tributes for Bassist Linda Bean Pardee Highlight Her Impact on the Boston Music Scene

Linda Bean Pardee clearly touched many lives in the Boston music scene, considering how many tributes are coming forth from those who knew and worked with her. More posts about Pardee’s influence came from musician Smitt E. Smitty, Boston-area rock publicist Michael O’Connor Marotta, and Light of Day Records.

Marotta described Pardee as “a whirling dervish of style and grace, a devoted friend to all she met, and an integral part of what makes the Boston music scene so spectacular … There is cool, and then there is Linda Bean Pardee cool.”

“To say Linda was a gift to all of us is the understatement of the universe,” Smitty wrote on Facebook. “I/we are still processing the loss of this magnitude … The only word that even comes close is love. Full on love and gratitude that we were lucky enough to know Linda and were blessed enough to have her in our lives.”

“Linda Bean Pardee was a giant in our Boston music scene and will be sorely missed,” wrote Light of Day Records on Facebook. “Even more importantly, she was a genuine, caring person who showed up to support others in the scene and beyond.”

Pardee was most recently a member of The Chelsea Curve. They supported U.K. band The Len Price 3 on a brief tour of New England in March 2026. These included clubs in New Hampshire, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York. The Chelsea Curve has not yet addressed Pardee’s passing, but the Boston music scene has clearly come together in support and mourning.

Photo by Mick Hutson/Redferns

The post Boston Music Scene Mourns Death of Rock ‘Giant’ Who Played With Punk and Alt-Rock Favorites appeared first on VICE.

On August 15, 2026, pro skate legend Tony Hawk vowed he wouldn’t quit skating until Interpol stops touring. The band kicked off their 2026 North American tour on July 31 in Denver, and were making a stop in San Diego where Tony Hawk introduced them to the crowd.

“It is my honor and privilege to introduce you to this band,” said Hawk from the stage at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. He then shared some memories of being a longtime fan, including first discovering their 2002 debut album Turn On the Bright Lights.

“I got to see them live for the first time doing a sound check at Jay Leno,” Hawk continued. Both Interpol and Hawk appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2004. “I was a guest on Jay Leno with them [and] they actually had my ramp behind the sound stage … I watched them play ‘Slow Hands’. They watched me do slow hand plants.”

Tony Hawk Draws Comparisons Between His Pro Skate Career and Interpol’s Legacy

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Interpol (@interpol)

Tony Hawk added to his introduction by noting the similarities between his career and Interpol’s. Although he began his pro skating career in the 80s and the band didn’t debut until 2002, he felt that he and Interpol experienced similar paths to success.

“I feel like we’ve had a similar trajectory this whole time. Neither one of us has quit doing what we love,” said Hawk. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m not going to quit skating until Interpol stops touring.”

After the show, Interpol made an Instagram post featuring a fan-captured clip of Tony Hawk’s introduction. They captioned the post, “From Leno in 2004 to now, thanks for riding with us [Tony Hawk].”

Notably, Hawk replied, “My wife said ‘slow handplants’ was lame but I say dad jokes are peak comedy.”

As a day-one Interpol fan, Tony Hawk definitely has something to look forward too soon. The band is releasing their ninth album, This Mirror Weighs a Ton, on August 28, 2026. It’s their first album since 2022, which landed at No. 178 on the U.S. charts. Fans are surely hoping for bigger chart success with this album, but the huge tour they’re embarking on might be enough to satisfy.

The tour continues through August, with their next show stopping in Brooklyn on August 26 for the CBGB Festival. Then, they’re heading to Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal, before coming back to the states on October 4 for a show in Boston. The remainder of October has them stopping in Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, and more before concluding in Nashville on October 17.

Photo by Katie Flores/Billboard via Getty Images

The post Tony Hawk Says He Won’t Quit Skating Until This Iconic 2000s Rock Band Stops Touring appeared first on VICE.

On the night of August 17, 2002, Justin and April Barber were walking along the beach of Guana River State Park in Jacksonville, Florida, after celebrating their third wedding anniversary. Justin would leave the beach with four gunshot wounds, but April wouldn’t leave at all. According to Justin, a robbery attempt on the dark beach turned deadly, ending in April’s death.

But as the investigation went on, Justin’s story started to unravel. Despite the alleged robber-turned-murderer, Justin became the primary suspect. In June 2006, when he was brought to trial for his wife’s murder, the 1988 Guns N’ Roses track “Used to Love Her” became the big red arrow pointing right at Justin.

The prosecution noted that Justin downloaded “Used to Love Her” on the day his wife was murdered. Incriminating lyrics include “I used to love her / But I had to kill her / I had to put her / Six feet under / But I can still hear her complain”. The song was actually written about Axl Rose’s dog at the time. But the defense noted that it was just one song out of 16 others Justin downloaded on August 17, 2002.

“Of 1,695 songs on his computer, 16 of which were downloaded on the afternoon of [April’s] death, and out of those, we were brought this one in the courtroom,” defense attorney Bob Willis said at the time.

1988 Track ‘Used to Love Her’ Used as Evidence Against Justin Barber in 2006 Murder Case

The years that led to April Barber’s death were fraught with stressors, criticisms, preoccupations with appearances, and Justin’s extramarital affairs. They were married young after just under a year together, and April’s younger siblings lived with them after they were married. The tension seemed to grow from there. When Justin’s work transferred him to Jacksonville, April stayed in their home in Georgia. They saw each other on weekends.

According to April’s friends and family, there were always potential warning signs. In 2001, he took out life insurance policies worth $2 million. On August 4, 2002, April confronted Justin about his cheating, threatening to end their marriage. Then, on August 16, she returned to Jacksonville for their anniversary. By the night of the 17th, she was dead. Her loved ones were immediately convinced Justin had killed her.

It took several years of detective work before there was enough evidence to take Justin Barber to court. This included his computer records. In February 2002, he searched “medical trauma right chest”. A week later, he searched “gunshot wound right chest”. He later searched “Florida divorce”. A few hours before April’s murder, he downloaded “Used to Love Her”. According to the district attorney, this was Justin’s way of psyching himself up to kill his wife.

Murderous Husband Used Guns N’ Roses Track to Psych Himself Up, But His Careful Plan Unraveled

Detectives pieced together Justin’s plan. He was going to shoot April, then himself, drag her to the car, and drive around looking for help, under the guise of a beach robbery. But evidence suggested that April ran, Justin attempted to drown her, then finally killed her by the boardwalk. His self-inflicted wounds derailed his plan further when he wasn’t able to get April’s body to the car. So he left her on the beach.

According to District Attorney Matt Foxman, “[Justin Barber] wanted the $2 million, he wanted sympathy for being shot, and he wanted to look like a hero who’d tried to save his wife. He wanted it all.”

In 2006, Justin was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He allegedly showed no emotion in the courtroom when the verdict was read. According to psychology experts, Justin Barber had all the classic symptoms of a sociopath.

Photo By Larry Marano/Getty Images

The post He Downloaded a Guns N’ Roses Song Hours Before His Wife Was Murdered. Then It Was Played at His Trial appeared first on VICE.

Everyone, get your crochet beanie and chunky owl necklace out of the donate pile. We’re talking about late-2000s indie pop, whether you like it or not. Are these the best indie pop albums of the late 2000s? I wouldn’t say so. But are they still pretty good considering all the other stuff that was coming out at that time? Yeah, they’re not bad.

‘Aim and Ignite’ by Fun.

A lot of us like to dunk on Fun. for being the quintessential Millennial indie pop guys. But they did give us “Some Nights” and “We Are Young”, which have aged into their cloying sentimentality pretty well. Before that, however, they debuted in August 2009 with Aim and Ignite. This album featured “Be Calm” as the opening track, which was sort of like a precursor to “We Are Young”.

The final chorus of “Be Calm” is the real heavy hitter. “Oh be calm, be calm / I know you feel like you are breaking down / I know it gets so hard sometimes / Be calm / Take it from me, I’ve been there a thousand times / You hate your pulse because it still thinks you’re alive and everything’s wrong / It just gets so hard sometimes / Be calm, be calm.”

‘Volume One’ by She & Him

Nothing says Spring 2008 like Volume One by She & Him. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward’s indie-twee-pop project didn’t make the most involved music. But its retro simplicity was what drew people in. Plus, the obvious flaws in Zooey Deschanel’s singing voice just added to the strange charm. I admit, I had both Volume One and Volume Two on CD and listened to them a lot. I was going through a twee pop phase, whatever.

The standout track on Volume One has to be “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?”. It’s a bubbly, cutesy little tune about liking someone a lot and wanting to hang out with them, but not wanting to make the first move. “Why do you let me stay here / All by myself / Why don’t you come and play here / I’m just sitting on the shelf”. As if saying, “Hey, why don’t you ask me out? I’m just sitting here with nothing to do!”

‘Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future’ by The Bird and the Bee

Indie pop duo The Bird and the Bee released their second album Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future in January 2009. This album is one of the better ones that came out of late-2000s indie pop with a hint of twee, and it holds up surprisingly well today.

That longevity has a lot to do with the layered styles on the album. For example, “My Love” is a quintessential 2009 romantic pop song, while “Witch” is a luxurious swirl of vintage style. By utilizing a range of stylistic elements, the duo created a timeless collection of indie pop delights.

Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic

The post 3 Late 2000s Indie Pop Albums That Just Scream ‘Slouchy Scarf and Mustache Tattoo’ appeared first on VICE.

💾

How is it that songs written to satirize mainstream success or criticize the music industry always seem to become so successful? The irony is painful, but the songs are just so good. Here are three songs meant as disses of mainstream music that ended up finding mainstream popularity.

“In Bloom” by Nirvana

“In Bloom” was released on Nirvana’s 1991 album Nevermind, re-recorded from an older song around the time Nirvana was first gaining traction in the underground grunge scene. The lyrics are critical of fans who don’t really listen to lyrics, which made its mainstream success so painfully ironic.

The chorus makes this abundantly clear. “He’s the one who likes all out pretty songs, and he / Likes to sing along and he likes to shoot his gun, but he / Knows not what it means / Knows not what it means and I say ‘Yeah'”. Its derisiveness is all right there, and yet “In Bloom” still became a huge hit.

“(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)” by the Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys released “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)” on their 1986 debut album. They wrote it as a parody of the 80s rock and roll lifestyle, nothing deeper than that. But instead of getting the tongue-in-cheek references to mainstream rock, fans saw it as an endorsement of the party boy persona. It’s possible that this made it much more difficult for fans to grapple with the experimental Paul’s Boutique.

As the lead single from Licensed to Ill, “Fight For Your Right” introduced everyone to the Beastie Boys. But, as MCA said in 2006, “we were just kind of making this dumb song that had to sit somewhere on the album.” If he had to choose a different debut single to represent them, he named “Slow and Low”, “Posse in Effect”, or “Hold It Now”. Undoubtedly three of the stronger tracks on that album.

“Hook” by Blues Traveler

Blues Traveler released “Hook” on their 1994 album Four, and the mainstream success of this single is probably the most painful of all. “Hook” does nothing to hide its derision for people who don’t listen to lyrics. “It doesn’t matter what I say / So long as I sing with inflection” are the opening lines of the song. It doesn’t get any clearer than that.

The chorus lays out the titular hook that brings you back. “Because the hook brings you back / I ain’t tellin’ you no lie / The hook brings you back / On that you can rely”. Sometimes, listening to and enjoying “Hook” feels a little strange, knowing exactly what it’s about. Because the hook does bring you back. That’s what made this song such a success. The lyrics may be a tear-down of mindless enjoyment with no substance, but “Hook” does exactly what it’s supposed to. It’s nothing short of utter genius.

Photo by Steve Eichner/Getty Images

The post 3 Satirical Songs Dissing Mainstream Success That Ironically Became Mainstream Successes appeared first on VICE.

💾

So, here’s the situation. You have a crush on someone and are thinking of asking them out. But every time you try to tell them, you get too nervous and chicken out. The words get stuck, you can’t speak, maybe you start sweating uncontrollably. You’re making a fool of yourself, is what’s happening. But don’t fret, because these three pop songs will do the work for you. Just, maybe work on those social skills in the meantime, huh?

“Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand released “Take Me Out” on their 2004 self-titled debut, and it became one of their biggest hits. Vocalist Alex Kapranos once described being inspired by a sniper standoff in the war movie Enemy at the Gates, which led to “Take Me Out”. Now you’re wondering how this song could guarantee a date, right?

Well, that standoff scene called to mind what occurs when two people like each other, but no one wants to make the first move. The stalemate, waiting for the other to do something. And so, we get a song with the lines, “If I move this could die / If eyes move this could die / I want you to take me out”. If you’re stuck in the mindset of “I know I won’t be leaving here with you”, maybe your crush feels the same. You’ll never know until you play “Take Me Out” for them.

“Crush” by Tessa Violet

Tessa Violet released “Crush” on her 2018 album Bad Ideas. This is a great song for those who like their pop with a little white-girl hip-hop, as the chorus has a great rhythm. Lyrically, “Crush” is everything it says on the tin. You got a crush, and it’s making you a little crazy.

“You make it difficult to not overthink / And when I’m with you I turn all shades of pink,” she sings in the second verse. This song is a bold one if you’re looking to reveal your feelings. Maybe don’t play “Crush” if you’re not totally sure the other person likes you. Especially with the lines, “And yeah it’s true that I’m a little bit intense, right / But can you blame me when you keep me on the fence, like? / And I’ve been waitin’, hopin’ that you’d wanna text, like”.

“I Really Like You” by Carly Rae Jepsen

The award for the best song in this exercise has to go to “I Really Like You” by Carly Rae Jepsen. Released in 2015 on her third album, the undeniable masterpiece E*MO*TION, “I Really Like You” is another song that does exactly what it says. But it does it in a way that makes it perfect for telling someone you really like them when your own words fail.

The chorus literally does all the work. “I really, really, really, really, really, really like you / And I want you, do you want me? Do you want me too?”. Play this for your crush if you’re too nervous to just ask, and your job is done for you. Jepsen did this once already with “Call Me Maybe” in 2012. But with “I Really Like You”, she took her place in the big leagues.

Photo by Bill McCay/Getty Images

The post Too Nervous to Ask Someone Out? All You Need Are These 3 Pop Songs To Guarantee a Date appeared first on VICE.

💾

We’ve been dutifully studying the Gen Alpha Melody in recent days, and there’s something about it that’s endearing in certain contexts. Hearing it in sequence is still mind-boggling, but in small doses, like these three songs, the Gen Alpha Melody is actually kind of cool.

“Ode To the Mets” by The Strokes

This one is a bit of a cheat, since I already like The Strokes. But the use of the Gen Alpha Melody in the 2020 track “Ode to the Mets” has a little more texture than a lot of the typical pop examples. One of the key elements of these songs comes in the melancholy lyrics, usually about heartbreak or losing someone important. “Ode to the Mets” does have a melancholy thread, but it’s much more introspective.

The melody also creates a throughline in the entire song, where the lyrics seem to surround the notes themselves. In many examples, the melody appears only in the chorus. But here, it’s woven so tightly with the lyrics that there’s almost no separating them. The melody becomes the skeleton that the song grows around.

“True Love is Violent” by Allie X

“True Love Is Violent” appeared on Allie X’s 2017 album CollXtion II, and the Gen Alpha Melody nestles neatly into her sludgy electro-goth sound. This song hits all the marks, with melancholy, personal lyrics about doomed love and the melody appearing heavily in the chorus. It’s a pretty straightforward use of the melody, but all the moving parts come together to make a decent song.

Where “True Love Is Violent” really shines is in the bridge, when Allie X puts all her power behind her voice. Then, she tumbles back into the melody, but the energy has changed. There’s a subtle layering there that brings everything together again.

“Soup” by Remi Wolf

“Soup” appeared on Remi Wolf’s 2024 album Big Ideas, and initially her use of the Gen Alpha Melody made a jarring transition into the chorus. But after listening a few times, I have to say it’s growing on me. More than that, the song itself is a departure from the standard heartbreak lyrics.

On “Soup”, Wolf is hoping for a healing love that sees her “brushing off the blood on my teeth”. The melody features in the pre-chorus, using the minor-key elements to create a nervous yet hopeful lead-up to the explosive chorus. Transitioning from that into the brightness of the chorus is a bit of a curveball, but one that serves the song well.

Photo by Jeremychanphotography/Getty Images

The post 3 Songs That Are Convincing My Millennial Brain That I Actually Like the Gen Alpha Melody appeared first on VICE.

💾

The grunge genre is surprisingly good at producing catchy songs. Of course, the well-known bands are still relevant because they made such great songs, and it’s difficult to single out the best of all time. But, we tried anyway, and the results feature some grunge classics.

“Plush” by Stone Temple Pilots

Stone Temple Pilots released “Plush” on their debut 1992 album Core, with one of the most recognizable and catchiest choruses in grunge. STP was pretty good at writing hooks in general, and it’s difficult to choose just one from their discography. But “Plush” stands out for its longevity despite almost unintelligible lyrics.

Overall, “Plush” was huge for the band, even though critics at the time found it derivative. Still, it was the first alt-rock song to top the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. Additionally, it earned Stone Temple Pilots an MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist in 1993, and the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. Now, it’s considered a staple of grunge, but it took a while to earn that respect.

“Even Flow” by Pearl Jam

“Even Flow” appeared on Pearl Jam’s 1991 debut album Ten. Another grunge band that has had a profound effect on alt-rock, Pearl Jam has an almost endless catalog of iconic choruses to choose from. But the tried-and-true “Even Flow” is never a disappointment.

However, diehard fans know that the original version of “Even Flow” actually was a disappointment, at least to the band. In 1992, they re-recorded a version that was eventually used in the music video (the concert footage by Josh Taft, not the strange zoo footage by Rocky Schenck). The updated “Even Flow” pleased the band a little more than the first. Either way, it’s still a rousing grunge classic.

“In Bloom” by Nirvana

“In Bloom” was released on Nirvana’s 1991 album Nevermind, and the chorus is pure Cobain derision and cynicism. It was originally written around 1989 about the vapid, shallow people who were flooding the underground scene. Re-recorded in 1991, it translated perfectly to Nirvana’s increasing mainstream visibility.

The chorus of “In Bloom” is so successful, however, that it becomes tragically ironic. It’s so catchy and memorable that people earnestly sing along, despite the sneering lyrics about not knowing what the song really means. Unfortunately, that was a byproduct of Nirvana’s success.

Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns

The post 3 of the Best Grunge Choruses of All Time appeared first on VICE.

💾

Hayley Williams released new music with a project that’s not Paramore, so we should probably check if Paramore fans are doing OK. Meanwhile, Power Snatch’s EP 2 dropped on August 12, 2026, six months after EP 1 appeared on Bandcamp. Williams formed Power Snatch with producer Daniel James, possibly around 2025.

The four-track EP features addictive lo-fi, bedroom pop, electro-indie beats and hooks, layered under Williams’ hazy vocals. In a way, it’s reminiscent of her solo debut Petals for Armor. Williams seems to experiment with softening and blurring her vocals outside of her work with Paramore. There, she’s notably sharp, crisp, and almost brash.

After years of that Paramore style, it’s nice to hear Williams branching out and exploring all her musical interests. But of course, Paramore fans need to go through the regular ritual of speculating whether or not the band has broken up for good.

Over on the Paramore subreddit, fans posted a discussion of Power Snatch’s new EP. With the release of a second set of songs, fans are now wondering if this is Hayley Williams’ new band. Does Power Snatch herald Paramore’s demise? Why didn’t Zac Farro’s solo project inspire the same panic? Could it be that Williams, as a musician, is simply doing whatever she wants to do and it’s really not that deep?

Hayley Williams and Daniel James’ Second Ep for Power Snatch Earns High Praise From Fans

An initial discussion began in February when EP 1 dropped. The post asked point-blank, “so what’s the deal with Power Snatch???” and the responses were surprisingly not as doom-and-gloom as expected. Not like they were when Williams dropped her latest solo album, and Paramore wiped their social media presence for a bit.

Commenters brought up other bands who had side projects while still in their primary group. These included Davey Havok and Jade Puget of AFI, Dan Campbell of The Wonder Years, Stephen Christian of Anberlin, and Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park.

“It seems like this new collaboration goes back to at least July 2025, so it’s probably something they’ve been working on/planning/talking about for a while now,” one person commented. “It’s very possible to have more than one project going at a time.”

Meanwhile, on Bandcamp, supporters are showering Power Snatch’s second EP with praise. “Incredible. Astounding. Infatuating,” one user wrote. Another commented, “Forever in awe of the pure talent. Thank you for bringing real music back. Thank you for writing about what everyone is thinking. And for giving us all a safe place to feel our emotions in their fullest form.”

It looks like Paramore fans are going to be OK after all, and Hayley Williams is hitting it out of the park once again with this latest creative project. Still, you gotta love it when the top comment on the Power Snatch discussion is an edited image of Lenny from The Simpsons updating a sign reading “0 Days Without Speculation On Paramore’s Demise”.

Photo by Valerie Terranova/Getty Images

The post Someone Check on Paramore Fans: Hayley Williams Just Released an EP With New Side Project appeared first on VICE.

Anya Taylor-Joy became widely known for her role as chess prodigy Beth Harmon on The Queen’s Gambit, but would you guess that she’s a raver at heart? She definitely doesn’t make it obvious just by looking at her. But in an interview for the September 2026 issue of Elle magazine, she admitted that she’s always been drawn to intense experiences.

Her interest in rave culture began at 15 years old, she said, after years of ballet training. The rigidity of classical ballet didn’t work for her anymore, and she needed somewhere to break free. “That’s a pretty good split of my personality, to be honest,” said Taylor-Joy. “Ballet class and deep, dark techno.”

For her 30th birthday, she described pulling a party together in two days for a Wednesday in L.A. She gathered 200 people in one place and threw her own “culty” warehouse rave. Her friends DJed “pretty intense techno,” she said, “which I realized is not everyone’s cup of tea, but they got into it.”

According to Taylor-Joy, she partied that night until 1:30 in the morning, got two hours of sleep, then woke up and went to Coachella. After that, she went back to L.A., packed, and headed out on a cross-country road trip. That’s the intensity with which she approaches every aspect of her life and work, she explained. So, it kind of makes sense that she’s into heavy, dark, feel-it-in-your-chest EDM.

Anya Taylor-Joy Describes Living Among the Rave Culture in Berlin as ‘The Healthiest I’ve Ever Been’

But Anya Taylor-Joy hasn’t limited herself to just listening to intense techno. In 2015, she was featured in the music video for Skrillex’s remix of GTA’s “Red Lips”. It’s definitely not the heaviest techno remix ever, but that’s not what people go to Skrillex for, is it? However, it still served to shine a spotlight on Taylor-Joy, as she made her major film debut in The Witch that same year.

While filming The Queen’s Gambit, however, Taylor-Joy experienced one of the “healthiest” times of her life. She credited that to living in Berlin for six months, and submerging herself in the rave culture there.

“In Berlin, it doesn’t have to be unhealthy,” she said in a 2022 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. “So my version of it, which I genuinely think was the healthiest I have ever been, was I would wake up on a Sunday, I’d have brunch, I would go to the club, I would dance for about eight hours, not talk to anybody, go home, eat a bowl of spaghetti, and wake up at four o’clock in the morning and go to work.”

Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP via Getty Images

The post From Chess Prodigy to Raver? You’d Never Guess That This Actress Loves ‘Deep, Dark Techno’ appeared first on VICE.

Kathleen Hanna and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz have released their first song together, and it’s a Justin Bieber cover. The punk rock pair recorded a cover of Bieber’s 2016 song “Let Me Love You”. It will appear on the Contra-ICE compilation album, ICE OUT. The benefit album features 47 tracks of unreleased songs, spoken word, and comedy.

This selection of tracks was curated by the non-profit organization Build Art Make Change (BAMC). The organization’s founder, Dali Colorado, released a statement about the powerful album.

“Contra-ICE is not only an album,” the statement began, per NME. “It is not only a collective, it is a cultural infrastructure built to support frontline organizations, amplify immigrant voices, and mobilize creatives who believe that love is not passive; it’s organized.”

A major theme of the compilation seems to be “love over fear,” which Colorado mentioned in the statement. The album also features tracks from Fred Armisen, Adrian Quesada, Tom Morello, Jello Biafra, and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, Tropa Magica, and more.

Kathleen Hanna and Ad-Rock’s Justin Bieber Cover Transforms Into a Sugary-Sweet Pop-Rock Jam

This cover of “Let Me Love You” takes Justin Bieber and puts him through a bubble-grunge machine. The result is Kathleen Hanna’s familiar vocal style transforming a thumping pop song into a twee-adjacent rock jam. It’s sweet, simple, and hits just right. But the transformative power of its production also adds a heartfelt note to lines like “Never let you go / Never let you down”.

Hanna and Ad-Rock’s Bieber cover was produced by longtime Beastie Boys collaborator Mario Caldato Jr. Additionally, it features contributions from Money Mark, Fredo Ortiz, and Frank Figueroa.

Notably, proceeds from the album will go directly to “frontline powerhouses,” as mentioned on the Bandcamp page. These include the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and Unión del Barrio “to defend labor rights and protect community-built wealth.”

Physical album copies are available to pre-order on Bandcamp or SoundsGood. ICE OUT will release on October 2, 2026, as a digital album, double LP vinyl, and CD. More information about Build Art Make Change can be found on the organization’s website.

Photo by Rabbani and Solimene Photography/Getty Images

The post These Married 90s Icons Covered an Unexpected Pop Song for a Benefit Compilation Album, and It’s a Must-Listen appeared first on VICE.

💾

Christina Aguilera released the stunning pop ballad “Beautiful” on her 2002 album Stripped. The anthem for inner beauty represented the overall theme of the album, she said, which had her baring her soul above and beyond her previous pop fare. But as much as Aguilera resonated with the track, she wasn’t the original songwriter.

That credit goes to Linda Perry, vocalist for 90s one-hit wonder 4 Non Blondes. The band released one album in 1992 before parting ways, only to announce a reunion 30 years later. In the time since, Perry has done solo work, but has mostly been a writer and producer.

Perry discussed “Beautiful” during an April 2026 appearance on the Go With Elmo Lovano podcast. Despite Aguilera’s success with the song, Perry clarified that she didn’t actually write it for the pop star. It began with an idea on the piano while she was living in San Francisco, and evolved after she moved to Los Angeles.

Detailing her creative process, Perry noted that she often lets melodies and words flow naturally. She described it as if she’s pressed play on a song in her head and is just copying it down. That’s exactly what happened when she came up with the lyrics to “Beautiful”.

“I went, ‘I am beautiful / No matter what they say,’ and then I was just like, ‘No, I am not beautiful, I can’t say that, I don’t think that,'” she recalled. Perry held her hands up as if the revelation made her physically leave the piano at the time of writing.

Linda Perry Recalls Struggling With the Idea of Beautiful, Successful Christina Aguilera Singing a Song About Insecurity

Perry continued, “I think quite opposite, I’m actually a weird, strange-looking human being and I would never put myself in a ‘beautiful’ category.” She then touched on a detail that many fans of the song have also experienced.

“You know, I’m so hard on myself,” she said. “I’m never good enough, blah blah blah. And a statement like ‘I am beautiful’, for some reason for me it sounded like when you say I am beautiful, that means you have all this confidence. That’s you’re stunning, your brain is clear, your heart is pure, there’s no damage. I don’t know why, but that’s what beautiful represented to me at the time. Because I don’t think I’ve ever used the word before.”

Perry initially didn’t want to finish the song. But she made herself do it, and by attaching “you” and “we” to being “beautiful”, she felt better about it. However, she didn’t do anything with the finished song, even though she felt that “this could be an important song for me.” She thought it could “be the way I introduce myself as a solo artist.”

But the song sat for about a month, until Christina Aguilera came along. Perry played “Beautiful” on the piano in her house while Aguilera was meeting with her, just to break the ice. Immediately after she finished, Aguilera asked for a demo and the lyrics.

“I’m like, ‘Why?'” Perry recalled. “She said, ‘Because I want to do that song for my album.’ And I’m thinking in my head, ‘You can’t sing a song that says I am beautiful because you are beautiful.'”

She continued, “So I was all f**ked up with this because it was opposite of everything the song actually is.” That’s what Linda Perry thought at the time, anyway. She turned out to be totally wrong.

‘Oh, It Is Her Song’

Linda Perry wasn’t sure about Christina Aguilera singing “Beautiful” for her album, but they made a demo to test it out. Aguilera brought a friend to Perry’s home studio, and as she was preparing to lay down her demo vocals, she turned to her friend and said quietly, “Don’t look at me.”

A light bulb went off for Perry. “I got chills,” she recalled, “And I said, ‘Oh, it is her song. She’s just as insecure as I am, she just has a nicer look than I do.’ And then it all made sense, what the song was about.”

She added, “It was about wanting to feel that, you know, I am beautiful. Stop telling yourself you’re not, don’t let other people tell you you’re not. We are, we are, we all are, you know? There’s a beautiful beauty in all of us in some way or form. But we are bringing [us] down.”

The epiphany about “Beautiful” also led Linda Perry to an epiphany about her career trajectory. “At this moment I realized either I’m going to be an artist, or I’m going to be a producer, but I can’t do both,” she said. “And for some reason the universe presented it that way to me.”

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The post Why This 1993 One-Hit Wonder Gave Christina Aguilera Her 2002 Smash Hit, ‘Beautiful’ appeared first on VICE.

💾

Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker developed a crippling fear of flying after he was involved in a plane crash in September 2008. He’d flown to South Carolina from L.A. to perform with DJ AM, aka Adam Goldstein. But according to Barker, as he was leaving his house, his three-year-old daughter Alabama could not be consoled.

“She’s like, ‘Dad, don’t go!’ She’s bawling, and she doesn’t usually do that,” Barker said during an August 2026 appearance on Jay Shetty’s podcast On Purpose. “She’s like, ‘The roof’s gonna come off, the roof’s gonna come off!’ and I’m like, ‘What is she talking about?’ To the point where I went back in the house and I was like, ‘What’s going on, baby?'”

Even at three years old, Alabama sensed something was wrong, said Barker. Later, when he was preparing for a last-minute flight back to L.A. on a small private plane, he sensed it too.

“I was like, ‘Something feels off.’ I even told my dad, ‘If something happens to me, please make sure the kids are taken care of,'” Barker admitted. “I was saying way too much. All the signs were there.”

He added, “Now older me would just say, ‘I think I’m not gonna get on the plane.'”

Travis Barker Recalls Near-Fatal Plane Crash in Upcoming Documentary

Travis Barker did get on the plane in 2008, however. During takeoff, a tire burst, and the debris damaged the plane’s brake system. This caused the plane to skid off the end of the runway and break through the airport barrier fence. It crossed South Carolina Hwy 302 before crashing into an embankment. Then it caught fire. Barker and Goldstein were the only survivors.

The two pilots were killed, along with Barker’s assistant Chris Baker and his bodyguard Charles Still. It took almost an hour for firefighters to get the flames under control. Both Goldstein and Barker suffered severe burns and had to have skin grafts. Goldstein emerged on fire, but quickly extinguished the flames with stop, drop, and roll.

Barker recalled running and ripping his clothes off in an attempt to extinguish himself at first. Eventually, stop, drop, and roll put out most of the flames. But he was left burned over 65 percent of his body. He recovered in the hospital for 11 weeks, but also developed PTSD from the incident and a debilitating fear of flying. Barker didn’t get on a plane again until 2021.

Photo by Christopher Polk/WWD via Getty Images

The post This Pop-Punk Drummer’s 3-Year-Old Daughter Had a ‘Premonition’ Before His Near-Fatal Plane Crash appeared first on VICE.