SAULT: Free

Just three months after releasing the powerful Untitled (Black Is), UK collective SAULT returns with their second album of 2020, Untitled (Rise). This new record imparts a more exuberant sound through upbeat disco, funk and even house elements, but the topics remain just as poignant—exploring race, resilience and rebellion. A standout from the album, “Free” begins with classic boom-bap, a super-funky bass line and a …

Studio Visit: Artist Michael Lotenero

Inside his Pittsburgh studio, the artist details the processes behind his "circular" portfolio

Faces find you in artist Michael Lotenero‘s Pittsburgh studio. They mark your arrival, watch you from the walls, peer from behind stacks of nature-inspired abstraction. In addition to the artwork, we were lucky to be greeted by Lotenero’s face when we visited, as he took us through unmarked drawers full of collage-like experiments. In his practice, Lotenero embraces the recognizability found in his otherwise abstract …

Tune-Yards: nowhere, man

Though most will notice a nod to the Beatles in its title, Tune-Yards’ first new single since 2018, “nowhere, man,” is not a cover; rather it’s a frenetic adventure into the soundscapes of the ’90s. Once again, front-woman Merrill Garbus mesmerizes with her seemingly unlimited vocal powers—allowing the song’s central message to ring loud and clear: “If you cannot hear a woman then how can …