Welcome back to Pop Loser! This week in music news, the Black & Loud Fest lineup dropped, Peppa Pig shaded Clairo (sigh), and Lorde deemed AI glasses “not sexy.” Power ballad queen Bonnie Tyler died unexpectedly at 75. And I’ll share the song that makes me want to punch a hole in drywall.
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This Week in Music:
This week in Strangerland, contributor Dave Segal wrote about the new local music you shouldn’t miss, including drops from the self-proclaimed “digital folklore” project Terror/Cactus and ambient artist Walkingstick.
The Black & Loud Fest lineup has dropped, with highlights like viral singer-songwriter Iniko, local alt-rock band King Youngblood, and legendary percussionist Cyril Neville (of the Meters and the Neville Brothers). The festival was launched in 2022 by King Youngblood’s Cameron Lavi-Jones and Down North’s Anthony Briscoe with the goal to “honor the broad spectrum of Black creativity, showcasing how integral these contributions have been to defining American music and culture at large as part of a living culture that evolves, expands, and embraces alternative Black artists.” The fourth annual fest will take place at Neumos (and its sister venues Barboza and the Runaway) on August 29. Tickets are on sale now.
More music festivals that won’t break the bank: Belltown Blast, Linda’s Fest, and the Seattle Pop Punk Festival also revealed their 2026 lineups. You can attend them all, plus Black & Loud Fest, Den Fest, and Hildagard Fest, for the same price as one bottle of water at Coachella, probably.
Show L7’s Jennifer Finch some love. On Monday, legendary grunge band L7 shared that their longtime bassist Jennifer Finch is currently undergoing treatment for brain cancer. “Unforeseen complications have required Jennifer to undergo multiple surgeries that have resulted in physical limitations,” reads a press release. If you’ve ever found catharsis in Finch’s sludgy basslines or empowerment in her barefooted “slob girl” persona, make like Kathleen Hanna and Garbage (the band), and donate to the GoFundMe to help cover her medical expenses and additional at-home care.
Madison Square Garden is reportedly tracking queer celebrities. According to a recent report from Wired, the NYC arena has kept an extensive database on famous performers and guests, noting their assumed risk level, sexual orientation, and racial identity. Among those listed are Phoebe Bridgers, Ricky Martin, and Geese’s Emily Green. The investigation by Wired journalists came after a hacker collective published the documents last month. Following the piece, a representative for Madison Square Garden gave a statement to Pitchfork, writing, “Wired’s reporting is inaccurate and false. MSG is pursuing legal remedies.”
Peppa Pig on Clairo: “I don’t know her.” Look, I wasn’t initially going to give this my attention because it’s such a clear gimmick to make us care about Pitchfork. That being said, I’ve found myself riveted by the aftermath. The cartoon pig appeared on Pitchfork’s Over/Under interview series, where she shared her love of PinkPantheress, hatred for after-parties, and ignorance regarding shoegaze. However, once asked about bedroom pop star Clairo, Peppa responded with “I don’t know her,” seemingly referencing legendary shade Mariah Carey once threw to Jennifer Lopez.
Charli xcx on Peppa Pig: “Let’s fuck her up.” In response to the children’s cartoon, Clairo shared a text exchange with her friend Charli xcx, who suggested that they “fuck her up.” PinkPantheress also chimed in, tweeting, “ain’t shit sweet until you put respect on clairo.” This is a developing story.
Tell ’em, Lorde! During her set at Madrid’s Mad Cool Festival on Thursday, Lorde shared some of her thoughts on festival sponsors Ray-Ban Meta. “Increasingly in our world it gets harder and harder to know what is real,” she said while skipping around the stage. “You don’t know if someone is wearing sunglasses or if they’re wearing those fucked up fucking… Can I just say, for the record, ‘fuck the glasses.’ Don’t get the glasses. Not sexy.”
RIP Bonnie Tyler. Tyler’s family announced on Thursday that the Welsh power ballad queen died unexpectedly at the age of 75 after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery. Since hearing the news, I’ve listened to “Total Eclipse of the Heart” approximately five million times. You should do the same.
Music Events Worth Your Hard-Earned Money This Week:
Hilary Duff, La Roux, Jade Lemac July 15, White River Amphitheatre, 7 pm, all ages
Ella Mai, Ama, Girlfriend July 16, WAMU Theater, 8 pm, all ages
Alice Bag July 17, Black Lodge, 7 pm, all ages
Deep Sea Diver, Nation of Language July 18, Remlinger Farms, 6 pm, all ages
The Lostines, Kinsey Lee, Sequoia July 19, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+
Pavement July 19, Woodland Park, 6 pm, all ages
The Songs That Keep Me Up at Night:
“Goodbye to All That” by Jess Williamson
Jess Williamson’s Time Ain’t Accidental has been in my regular rotation since it was released two years ago, and while the album truly never gets old, I’ve been waiting with bated breath for her to release new music. “Goodbye to All That” is her first single from her upcoming album, A Mile South of Heaven (out October 9), and takes inspiration from the Joan Didion essay of the same name. The result is breezy, emotive, and ideal road trip music. For fans of: Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, and being so lonesome you could cry.
“In the Mouth a Desert” by Pavement
It’s pretty rare that I like angry music made by men, but Pavement’s moodiest, whiniest songs make me feel like a 16-year-old boy about to punch a hole through drywall, and I’m okay with embracing that. I couldn’t even tell you what this song is about, but the depressed, fed-up delivery transcends its lyrics. See Pavement at the Woodland Park Zoo this Sunday.
