While You Were Away: New Music From WATERPARKS, The Return Of Judas Priest, Crosses And Robert Smith Team Up, And More
What’s the music news that’s got us buzzing this week? Crosses and Robert Smith’s collab single, plus new music from metal gods Judas Priest, and the return of WATERPARKS. All this and more on this week’s edition of While You Were Away.
Judas Priest returns with new single ‘Panic Attack’
Metal Gods Judas Priest are back! The band recently announced their 19th album, Invincible Shield. As a taste of what’s to come, the band have shared the record’s lead single “Panic Attack.”
Listen to the song below.
Invincible Shield, the follow-up to 2018’s Firepower, will arrive on March 8th via Sony Music. Pre-order it here.
FTC proposes plan to band hidden concert fees
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed a new rule that would ban hidden fees across various industries, including hidden fees for online concert tickets.
The rule would require businesses to disclose all mandatory fees on price listing and allow the FTC to “seek monetary penalties” from companies that don’t comply. The rule would also apply to paying utility bills, renting apartments, and booking hotels.
Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, shared a statement about the ban:
“From buying a concert ticket to booking a flight, hidden fees are a constant challenge for consumers trying to make informed decisions on big purchases. We must put an end to these surprise costs so that consumers have the transparency they need and deserve. This announcement from the Administration is an important step towards ensuring that the price you see is the price you pay.”
Let’s hope this is the first step in taking down the Ticketmaster monster.
Waterparks unleash new single ‘SNEAKING OUT OF HEAVEN’
Just six months after the release of their new album INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, Waterparks are back with brand new single “SNEAKING OUT OF HEAVEN.”
Watch the colorful video, created by frontman Awsten Knight and the band’s photographer Jawn Rocha, below.
Additionally, Waterparks have announced a 2024 North American tour. The 23-city “SNEAKING OUT OF HEAVEN” tour kicks off on February 26th in Seattle, Washington. See all the dates here.
††† (Crosses) team up with Robert Smith on new song ‘Girls Float † Boys Cry’
††† (Crosses), the electronic rock duo comprised of Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez, have shared their new single “Girls Float † Boys Cry” taken from their newly released album Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete.
The song sees the duo teaming up with one of Moreno’s biggest heroes, Robert Smith of The Cure. Talking about the song with KERRANG! Moreno said:
“It’s the saddest song on the record and I wrote some of those words during a dark time. I was in some sort of void where I was just unhappy. It reeks of loneliness and despair. One of the recurring words I realized while I was listening back is of going through this ‘maze’ — of trying to figure out my way through life.
It’s not as literal as that, but that’s a recurring theme. Some songs I talk about going through it, and sometimes I talk about it in the past tense, when I’m out of it. It’s a trip to sit outside of it all now and really trace where my head was at for each song. I love the music of ‘Girls Float † Boys Cry’ so much, but when I hear that song it makes me feel sad. I’m glad I’m not in that place anymore. But I wanted to finish it and, obviously, getting Robert involved in it was just like… Who else to get on a song like that? It worked out perfectly to have him sing some of those words along with me.”
Listen to the song below.
Tours on sale this week
††† (Crosses) will embark on a North American tour next year in support of their first album in nine years, Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete. The “Familiar World Tour” kicks off February 7th in Salt Lake City, Utah, and wraps up March 11th in Seattle, Washington. Tickets go on sale Thursday, October 19th. Get the details here.
Jamila Woods recently announced her 2024 tour in support of her upcoming album Water Made Us. The tour starts February 1st in Seattle, Washington, and runs through February 23rd in Woods’ hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Following this, she’ll embark on a UK/European tour in April. Tickets are currently on sale.
Thursday will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their seminal album War All the Time with a 2024 US tour where the album will be played in its entirety each night. The tour starts January 25th in Buffalo, New York, and concludes February 24th in New York City. Tickets are on sale now.
Tool will hit the road for a new run of US shows in early 2024. The tour launches on January 10th in Baltimore, Maryland, and runs through February 18th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Find all the details here.
