While You Were Away: Mark Hoppus’ New Book, RIP Tito Jackson, New Album From The Darkness, And More
Another Monday means a new edition of While You Were Away. This week, we’re remembering Tito Jackson, rocking out to new music from Bear Hands and The Darkness, getting excited for Mark Hoppus’ new memoir, and more.
Tito Jackson, member of The Jackson 5, dead at 70
Tito Jackson, singer and co-founding member of The Jackson 5, has died. He was 70 years old.
His family broke the news in a statement late Sunday, September 15th. “It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being.” Entertainment Tonight reports Jackson died after suffering an apparent heart attack.
Tito and his brothers found worldwide acclaim as The Jackson 5. The group went on to release four No. 1 singles – “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There” — becoming the first act to accomplish such a feat. In 1975, the brothers moved from Motown to CBS/Epic. Because Motown owned the name The Jackson 5, the group changed their name to The Jacksons.
Post Jacksons, Tito released two solo albums, Tito Time and Under Your Spell in 2016 and 2021, respectively.
Our thoughts go out to Tito’s family and friends during this difficult time.
The Darkness announce new album ‘Dreams on Toast’
The Darkness have announced their eighth studio album, Dreams on Toast, out in March 2025 via Cooking Vinyl. In anticipation of its release, they shared lead single “The Longest Kiss.”
“Misty Orchards! That’s not my porn name, that’s the kind of scenery that I love,” said Justin Hawkins of the track. “I awakened to such a vista in the delightful Scottish highland town of Nairn on the morning that inspiration for ‘The Longest Kiss’ lyric struck. I was bleary eyed and locked in an unending embrace with my (mid)life partner. Weird that I can still sing, but that’s a testament to the resilience of humans, especially lead singers.”
He continued: The music itself is a piano-led composition, the chorus of which my brother and I came up with after he’d taken a long time to empty his bladder during some impressive pub endurance. The verses were transposed from a song I’ve been working on for decades as part of a musical about the collapse of the Lowestoft fishing industry, called ‘The Collapse Of The Lowestoft Fishing Industry.'”
Listen to the song below. Pre-order Dreams on Toast here.
Bear Hands share ‘depressing new song’ ‘Dialtone’
Bear Hands gives us another taste of their upcoming album with new song “Dialtone.”
Described by the band as their “depressing new song,” it doesn’t sugar coat what it’s about with frontman Dylan Rau singing “my depressions like a dialtone/pretty sure im gonna die alone/pills and powders going up my nose/ok OD getting hard to breathe now.”
Listen to the song below.
Bear Hands’ new album, The Key to What, comes out on October 19th.
blink-182’s Mark Hoppus announces new memoir ‘Fahrenheit-182’
blink-182′s Mark Hoppus has announced the details of his new memoir Fahrenheit-182, out April 8th, 2025.
Co-written by Dan Ozzi, the book details Hoppus’ journey with blink-182, navigating the music industry, and his 2021 cancer battle.
A blurb from HarperCollins reads: “This is a story of what happens when an angst-ridden kid who grew up in the desert experiences his parents’ bitter divorce, moves around the country, switches identities from dork to goth to skate punk, and eventually meets his best friend who just so happens to be his musical soulmate.
“Bassist, songwriter, and vocalist for renowned pop-punk trailblazers blink-182, Mark Hoppus, tells his story in Fahrenheit-182. A memoir that paints a vivid picture of what it was like to grow up in the 1980s as a latchkey kid hooked on punk rock, skateboards, and MTV; Mark Hoppus shares how he came of age and forms one of the biggest bands of his generation. Threaded through with the very human story of a constant battle with anxiety and Mark’s public battle and triumph over cancer, Fahrenheit-182 is a delight for fans and also a funny, smart, and relatable memoir for anyone who has wanted to quit but kept going.”
Pre-order the book here.
Tours on sale this week
Deftones will be touring North America next year with The Mars Volta and Fleshwater. The trek kicks off in Portland, Oregon on February 25th and wraps up in Boston, Massachusetts on April 8th. See all the dates here.
Metal titans Metallica have extended their “M72” tour into next summer. The new 21-date leg starts on April 12th at Las Vegas’ Sick New World Festival and wraps up with a two-night stint in Denver, Colorado on June 27th and 29th. Pantera, Limp Bizkit, Suicidal Tendencies, and Ice Nine Kills will join select shows. Get all the details here.
A Perfect Circle, Primus, and Puscifer will hit the road once again for the “Sessanta V2.0” tour coming to cities they missed the first time around. The tour kicks off on April 24th in Palm Springs, California, and concludes with a show in Auburn, Washington on June 7th. Find tickets here.
LCD Soundsystem have announced another hometown residency in November and December 2024. The band will play 12 shows over three weekends at Queens’ Knockdown Center with a different opening band every night. The new shows starts on November 21st and run through December 15th. Get all the details here.
