Jude Noel

1 week ago | daily.bandcamp.com | Jude Noel

FEATURES Salem 66, Lost Queens of College Rock By Jude Noel · May 29, 2025 It’s no secret that Boston, Massachusetts, was a hotbed for college rock in the latter half of the ‘80s, spawning acts like Dinosaur Jr., Pixies, and Galaxie 500. While you’d be hard pressed to find a fuzz-pedal-stomping band that doesn’t name at least one member of that wave among their influences, one of the most forward-thinking groups of that period still remains unjustly overlooked.

2 weeks ago | pitchfork.com | Jude Noel

Even the most unemployed Opium acolyte would have difficulty parsing the layers of context that surround Playboi Carti’s latest surprise music video: a manic, self-sampling collaboration with YoungBoy Never Broke Again paired set to a montage of blurred iPhone self-shots, Impact-font sloganeering, and a strobing, thumbnail-sized image of YB.

2 weeks ago | daily.bandcamp.com | Jude Noel

FEATURES Remembering Cola Boyy, King of Oxnard Indie By Jude Noel · May 22, 2025 Photo by Jazmin Garcia As far as West Coast cities go, Oxnard, California is not a household name. Sixty miles northwest of Los Angeles, it’s best known as the world’s strawberry capital, producing massive quantities of the fruit with the labor of underpaid workers. It is less appreciated, however, as a countercultural hotbed. Madlib and Anderson .Paak were born in the city.

2 weeks ago | pitchfork.com | Jude Noel

Nearly 10 minutes pass before you hear a single snare drum on Chuckyy’s I Live, I Die, I Live Again. The 19-year-old Chicago emcee rose to street-rap prominence last year on the strength of a Lil Durk cosign and his keen appropriation of the diabolical drill beats favored by Philly artists like Skrilla and Ot7Quanny, but his sound was distinct: pared-down choral, Blumhouse-slasher instrumentals that put sharp focus on his deadpan performances.

1 month ago | see-saw.fun | Jude Noel

interview — 7 min read I’ve yet to attend a show that’s come close to matching the adrenaline rush I experienced during Fruit LoOops’ set at Santamania 2023. Dressed in matching referee’s stripes, the Cincinnati noise rock outfit intentionally faded into the background of their own performance, providing the live soundtrack to an unsanctioned, matless wrestling match staged on cold concrete.