King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard announced Wednesday (July 8) that their next album is coming soon, and that it will be a hard electronic project. Called Alien Metal, the project is set for release later this summer on the band’s own p(doom) Records and will be the Australian act’s 28th studio LP.

The news comes in tandem with Alien Metal‘s lead single, the spacey, acid-y, jungle-influenced “Level 5.” The video for the song was helmed by Australian director Hayden Somerville and features a cameo by Australian actor Vince Colosimo. Watch the “Level 5” video and see the album’s track list and cover art exclusively below.

Alien Metal follows the July 7 announcement that the band will play a “rave show” Under the K Bridge in Brooklyn on August 23. This set, which follows previous rave shows played by the band last year, will follow its three-night run at New York’s Forest Hills Stadium from August 20-22, with the August 22 show being a rave set and the other two nights being rock shows. The band is also bringing the second edition of its Field of Vision festival back to Meadow Creek in Buena Vista, Colo. on August 14-16. The festival is sold out.

Alien Metal has been in the works for years, with the band discarding many previous iterations of the project. “We’ve never scrapped so much material as we have for this album,” the band’s Stu Mackenzie says in a press release. “Entire albums, entire universes that were formulated, created, recorded, deleted and started again.” The press release continues that the project was finally unlocked during a late night jam session that went on for more than an hour,” “with every track on Alien Metal evolving from the same source performance.”

While the band’s 2023 album The Silver Cord explored electronic subgenres including ambient and acid house, Alien Metal goes to darker and more pummeling areas of the genre via techno, hardcore, ravey house and jungle. “Alien Metal goes really hard, but it also goes to really interesting places,” adds the band’s Joey Walker. “And it feels unique – it feels like us, still.”

Alien Metal track list:

Adam Sandler and his wife Jackie celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary in June, so the Happy Gilmore 2 star seems to know a thing or two about marriage. That’s why he was the perfect choice to officiate Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Madison Square Garden wedding last weekend, according to an unnamed source who spoke to People about the comedian’s pivotal role in the American royals’ star-studded nuptials.

The source told the magazine that Sandler, 59, said “yes right away” to the ask, adding that he was “incredibly honored to be part of such a special day.”

Andy Reid, Kelce’s coach on the Kansas City Chiefs, previously said that Sandler gave the happy couple some “really touching” advice and did a “phenomenal job” as officiant. “He said, ‘Kiss every chance you have, every day,’” Reid recalled. “‘Whether you’re going to bed or going to work or, you know, wherever, go ahead and kiss her.’ And I thought that was, in a simple way, in its simplest form, it really was touching.”

While a rep for Swift confirmed that Sandler led the ceremony at MSG on July 3, to date no other details about what he said to the couple, or what they said to each other, have emerged.

Sandler and his wife celebrated their 23rd anniversary on June 22 — with the actor going all-out with a “Love You Forever” skywriting message for the occasion —  which the source told People made him the “perfect person” to officiate the wedding. “He wasn’t trying to find the perfect words or make it this big production,” the source said. “He just wanted to speak from the heart and pass along a little wisdom that he’s gained from his own happy marriage.”

While Sandler might seem like an odd choice at first, he did share some screen time with Kelce on the set of Happy Gilmore 2, the cameo-filled sequel that featured a hilarious pop-in from the NFL tight end. They appeared to bond on set, with Kelce telling ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show in January of last year that Sandler is “every bit as cool off the screen as he is on the screen.” People noted that the admiration was mutual, as Sandler told Entertainment Tonight in July 2025 that Kelce was such a “gentle, nice guy and funny as hell,” likening him to some of the guys he grew up with.

“When I was with Travis, it reminded me of my buddies in high school and just being able to laugh and say the things you want to say,” Sandler said.

Even before they bonded on set, Sandler made Kelce sweat a bit in August 2024 when he went on the Super Bowl champ’s New Heights podcast and they discussed the baller’s romance with the world’s biggest pop star. Kelce noted at the time that Sandler had brought his daughters to the Eras Tour concert film premiere in October 2023 in Los Angeles, to which the comedian responded, “what a girl!“

Kelce had to agree, saying, “you know it, man. Best performer out here.” Sandler described how Swift’s music “means so much to our house,” saying that when his two daughters, Sadie and Sunny, were younger, they knew every word to every one of Swift’s songs. “I love what she had to say … what she meant to young girls, what she means to women, what she means to guys doing the right thing in life,” said Sandler, adding that Swift once “took her time” interacting with his daughters on the set of Saturday Night Live. “She just floors my family.” 

And though he’s been on stage and screen for nearly four decades, at the time Sandler admitted that he gets nervous around Swift because he doesn’t want to “f–king blow it for my kids and say something stupid” around her. Kelce assuaged his fears by assuring the Sand Man that Swift was “so grateful” for the actor and his family attending her premiere.

When Sandler gushed about the couple’s high-profile romance — which began in late summer 2023 — saying that his family was “high-fiving” anytime they saw Swift laughing with Kelce,” the football legend admitted, “you got me sweating over here.”

Kylie Cantrall is entering a new era with the release of her upcoming EP, Valley Girl Problems.

The Disney star’s latest project is set for release on July 24. Valley Girl Problems is an eight-track EP that marks a new chapter for the Venezuelan-American artist, as she continues to transition from her acting career and her role as Red in the Descendants franchise to becoming a household name in pop music. 

The EP’s lead single “Carrie Bradshaw” was released in April, while other tracks include “Grwm,” the title track, “Closet,” “Girls Like U,” “Yuck!” and two interludes titled “The Problem” and “The Answer.”

“I’ve always heard people say, ‘Write what you know,’ and that’s exactly what I did with this EP,” Cantrall said of the project. “Valley Girl Problems truly captures everything I’ve experienced over the last year and how I’ve embraced this new chapter of my life.”

Valley Girl Problems was produced by Tricky Stewart — known for working with artists such as Rihanna and Tyla — and written alongside Tayla Parx, who co-wrote the song inspired by the iconic Sex and the City character and is a hitmaking co-writer for Ariana Grande, Panic! at the Disco and more.

The release of Valley Girl Problems will follow Cantrall’s return to Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, a sequel to The Rise of Red, debuting July 16 on Disney Channel. The Disney production marks the fifth installment in the Descendants franchise, in which she portrays the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, played by singer Rita Ora.

Earlier this year, the actress and singer signed to Republic Records, in partnership with APG and Heroine Music. Last year, Cantrall released her debut EP, B.O.Y., which included the singles “Boy for a Day,” “Goodie Bag,” “Denim” and “See U Tonight.”

The Valley Girl Problems track list:

Ben Folds is giving fans a look at what might have been.

Folds, bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee are celebrating the 30th anniversary of Ben Folds Five’s self-titled debut album with the release of Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary), a newly remastered edition set to be released on Sept. 4.

The project pairs the original 1995 record with an unreleased version of the album titled Shelved First Attempt. The recently unearthed project is being previewed with the fan-favorite track “Underground (Shelved First Attempt),” available to fans on Tuesday (June 7).

“Here’s my 59-year-old self’s take on the album we made when I was 28: Overall, it’s good!” Folds writes in the anniversary edition’s liner notes. “It’s NOT the kind of record you’d hear produced these days. It’s pretty rough and tumble, mostly in a good way. And it’s emphatically unique. It’s from an era when you could still identify a band by the instrumentalists, before you’d even hear the vocalist.”

The “Shelved First Attempt” comprises tracks that remained tucked away for more than 30 years before Folds decided to resurface them from his personal archives. The recordings feature earlier versions of tracks such as “Underground,” “Julianne” and “Philosophy,” as well as “Boxing” and “Evaporated,” which appeared on the band’s 1997 album Whatever and Ever Amen. Other tracks within the collection include “Emaline,” “Dick Holster” and “Eddie Walker.”

Released in 1997, Whatever and Ever Amen’s release was the commercial breakthrough for Ben Folds Five, peaking at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 chart. “Brick,” one of the songs from the album, peaked at No. 6 on the Alternative Airplay chart, No. 11 on the Mainstream Top 40 and reached No. 19 on the mainstream Hot 100 Airplay chart.

Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) will be released via Capitol/UMe on CD and vinyl, while the remaster of the original album as well as the Shelved First Attempt will both be available to stream and download.

As the project’s reissue becomes available, the group is set to reunite for their first live performances together in more than 13 years next year.

Preview the Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) CD tracklist:

DISC 1 – BEN FOLDS FIVE (REMASTERED)

1. Jackson Cannery
2. Philosophy
3. Julianne
4. Where’s Summer B.?
5. Alice Childress
6. Underground
7. Sports & Wine
8. Uncle Walter
9. Best Imitation of Myself
10. Video
11. The Last Polka
12. Boxing

DISC 2 – BEN FOLDS FIVE (SHELVED FIRST ATTEMPT)

1. Underground
2. Julianne
3. Uncle Walter
4. Alice Childress
5. Evaporated
6. Dick Holster
7. Philosophy
8. Boxing
9. Emaline
10. The Last Polka
11. Eddie Walker

One thing about Jim Jones? He’s good for a quote.

The Harlem rapper popped by the No Funny Sh– podcast recently and was asked about the Verzuz challenge he made toward his fellow Diplomat Cam’ron back in May. And while he acknowledged that the challenge was just him trolling a little bit, Jimmy also said that he feels like he has one of the better discographies in New York rap history.

“I got a better catalog than over 90 percent of the rappers out of New York City in history,” he said confidently. “Not to be like…there’s been a lot of rappers in New York, but I got real gold records, more than one of them, like albums and sh– like that. You dig? I got real platinum singles and sh– like that.”

He added: “Some of your favorite rappers don’t have nothing platinum. That doesn’t make me better than anybody and sh– like that, but statistically I got a hell of a catalog. I mean, from every album that I put out, I got a dope a– single, especially in New York. In New York, hands down, I know I got 20 records.”

Jim made headlines this time last year when he defended himself after a podcast clip of a college student saying the Dipset member was more relevant than Nas went viral. However, during an interview with the legendary Angie Martinez, Jones admitted that he didn’t realize how many fans the Queens rapper still has after his comments received massive pushback from the hip-hop community.

You can watch Jim’s full conversation with No Funny Sh– below.

Peppa Pig is in the middle of some major beef — or should we say pork? — after seemingly shading Clairo in a new Pitchfork interview, which has motivated Charli xcx and PinkPantheress to mobilize on the “Bags” singer’s behalf.

The hilarious “drama” started Tuesday (July 7), when the cartoon character participated in the music publication’s “Over/Under” video series. When asked whether she thinks Clairo is over- or underrated, Peppa threw some bombastic side-eye at the camera and said pointedly, “I don’t know her.”

Of course, fans in the comments and online immediately clocked Peppa for the shady response, inciting Charli to join in and show her support for her fellow musician. “Let’s f— her up,” Charli wrote alongside a screenshot of Peppa’s comment in a text to Clairo, who shared the message on X.

PinkPantheress got involved after seeing that Peppa had also spoken about her in the Pitchfork video, declaring the “Stateside” artist “underrated.” “Does she like animals?” Peppa had added. “Maybe she would like me, because I’m pink too. And everyone likes me.”

But while the porcine protagonist’s comments about her were positive, Pink loyally responded on X, “ain’t sh– sweet until you put respect on clairo.”

If you’re wondering to yourself why Peppa Pig would diss Clairo, you may not have seen the singer/songwriter’s own “Over/Under” episode in 2019. At the time, Clairo was asked to rate Peppa, and she said: “Can I tell you something about Peppa Pig? She’s 7’1″ … she’s the tallest pig in the world. I’mma say underrated, just because I don’t know any taller pigs.”

“If she’s 7’1″, how tall is her mom?” Clairo had continued at the time. “How tall are all the other pigs? Who’s keeping track? What are the proportions of this whole show?”

Even though Clairo said she was underrated, it’s possible that Peppa interpreted her comment about her height as a jab and remembered it seven years later when it came time to make her own appearance on the Pitchfork series.

Or maybe Peppa was telling the truth and she actually doesn’t know Clairo — although she is a fan of a lot of other singers. “Pop stars make the best music,” Peppa added in her video. “I like Rihanna, P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Sabrina Carpenter, Britney Spears, Olivia Rodrigo, Beyoncé, Cher, Dua Lipa — oh, and Shakira! One day, I’ll be the biggest pop star ever.”

Watch Peppa’s full episode of “Over/Under” below.

Eddie Vedder did his part. The Pearl Jam frontman was in the house at Lumen Field on Monday night (July 6) for the anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup match between the U.S. and Belgium. The Seattle native and his daughter Olivia got a little face time when the cameras swung to them during the game, but it was a crowd-hyping move the singer pulled off during a second-half hydration break that brought a roar from the sold-out stadium as the U.S.’s chances appeared to be dwindling.

With the U.S. down 3-1, the Fox cameras swung over to Vedder, 61, who promptly chugged his entire beer, with suds dripping down his face onto his shirt, before hoisting the can onto his head in a silly gesture that hyped up the crowd. Perfectly on cue, the stadium P.A. swelled with the sounds of PJ’s 1991 debut single, “Alive,” which, unfortunately, did not adequately describe the state of the American side, which seemed overmatched for much of the game and limped out of the round of 16 following a humbling 4-1 loss.

Vedder is better-known as a baseball fanatic — specifically his beloved Chicago Cubs — but his appearance at the World Cup game helped bring some joy to an otherwise rough night for the team whose prospects were slim at best against a Belgian side that had only given up four goals to date during their run to the round of 16.

There was hope that the return to the lineup of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun after his one-game suspension due to a red card in the previous game was put on hold thanks to a controversial phone call from President Trump to his friend, FIFA president Gianni Infantino might lift the U.S. to victory. Despite the howls of protest from non-U.S. soccer fanatics about the highly unusual decision, the Belgians had the last laugh, as Balogun was not much of a factor in the game.

Belgium celebrated by posting a pointed message on X after the match: “Overturn this.” They also took a little swing at Trump on their way off the pitch, with the Belgian side gathering at one end of the field to swivel their hips and pump their arms in a mocking tribute to Trump’s signature awkward “Trump Dance.”

Despite the crushing loss, Vedder appears to be enjoying a rare summer break, as Pearl Jam are not scheduled to play any shows until a Sept. 27 appearance at the singer’s Ohana Festival in Dana Point, Calif., which will be their first gig since the departure of longtime drummer Matt Cameron last summer.

Dave Grohl has heard plenty of great albums. But when asked to name a “perfect record,” one Pixies classic immediately came to mind.

In a new interview with BBC 6 Music, the Foo Fighters frontman named Pixies’ 1988 album Surfer Rosa as one of the records he considers perfect, praising its production, songwriting and vocal chemistry.

“I love that record so much for a lot of reasons,” Grohl said. “One, that it was produced by the almighty Steve Albini. And it was maybe the first album to become popular and showcase his incredible engineering sonic technique.”

Produced by Albini and released as Pixies’ debut studio album, Surfer Rosa became a defining alternative rock release, pairing jagged guitars, sharp dynamic shifts and surreal lyrics with the vocal interplay of Black Francis and Kim Deal.

Grohl pointed to that combination as part of what made the album so enduring for him.

“[Black Francis], the singer of the Pixies, was an amazing lyricist,” Grohl said. “His lyrics were just… they kind of teetered back and forth from abstract intellectual to things that just sounded so absurd and almost like dumb in a way.”

He continued, “His voice and Kim Deal, their two voices together, it was just such a wonderful blend. And it was unusual at the time. They really did sort of coin this specific dynamic and the simplicity of it was really powerful.”

Grohl’s admiration for Surfer Rosa is hardly surprising, given the Pixies’ widely acknowledged influence on the loud-quiet-loud dynamics that helped shape alternative rock in the late ’80s and ’90s. Nirvana, in which Grohl played drums, were among the bands often associated with that lineage, while Foo Fighters have carried elements of melodic noise and hard-charging guitar rock into their own catalog.

The Foo Fighters leader ended his praise with a simple measure of the album’s staying power.

“That record I’ve probably listened to 10,000 times, and I still love it,” Grohl said. “I could still listen to it every day.”

Grohl’s comments arrive as Foo Fighters continue their latest era behind Your Favorite Toy, the band’s 12th studio album. Released in April, the album followed 2023’s But Here We Are and marked the band’s first studio album with drummer Ilan Rubin.

Duffy has taken another step back into music with a secret London concert. The Welsh singer performed an intimate show at Hoxton Hall on Sunday (July 5), marking her first full concert in roughly 15 years.

The performance followed a fan ballot announced last month, with the venue kept under wraps until the day of the show.

The “Mercy” singer, born Aimée Anne Duffy, invited fans to apply for the small-capacity event in June, telling followers that she planned to perform new music.

“I’m doing a secret intimate gig in London on the 5th July, next month, and I would love nothing more than for some of you to attend,” she wrote at the time. “It’s only small capacity so we can only select a few, but really looking forward to it. I will sing some new songs.”

While a full set list has not been made public, one fan wrote on X that they were “front row” to hear Duffy perform “Warwick Avenue” live, adding, “That voice is insane!”

The London show comes as Duffy continues a gradual return to public life after years away from the spotlight. In May, she shared a photo from a recording studio on Instagram and wrote, “If only I could find the right words to explain how much I’ve missed you all. Working on coming back to you.”

Duffy rose to global prominence in 2008 with her debut album, Rockferry, and the breakout single “Mercy.” The album won best pop vocal album at the 2009 Grammy Awards, while Duffy was also nominated for best new artist and best female pop vocal performance for “Mercy.”

Her second album, Endlessly, followed in 2010, after which she largely stepped away from the music industry. In 2020, Duffy publicly shared that she had been drugged, kidnapped and sexually assaulted, later explaining that the trauma was the reason for her long absence from music and public life.

Earlier this year, Disney+ announced an upcoming Hulu Original documentary, which will follow the singer as she shares her story in depth. The project is produced out of the U.K. and will feature access to Duffy, along with interviews with friends, family and music industry figures.

Yungblud has received support from fellow musicians and celebrities after sharing an emotional post about online criticism, industry skepticism and accusations that he is an “industry plant.”

The British artist, born Dominic Harrison, opened up on social media after headlining Bludfest in Králové, Czechia, where he became visibly emotional onstage in front of thousands of fans. In a lengthy caption, he said he debated whether to share the clip because he did not want the moment to seem performative, but ultimately decided to post it because “this is what happened and it’s genuine.”

“To be truthful. Recently, I’ve been really struggling,” Yungblud wrote, adding that after leaving the stage feeling elated, he later had “a breakdown” alone in the shower.

He went on to describe the difficulty of processing major career moments in an era where artists are expected to move quickly from one milestone to the next. “Being an artist in this day and age is so strange because everything moves so quickly,” he wrote.

Yungblud also addressed the criticism that has followed him throughout his rise, writing that “the amount of hate and disbelief” from strangers online and “bitter musicians” had weighed on him. He said all he had tried to do over the past decade was “spread love, build something I believe in and unify people in a safe space.”

The rocker also referenced a recent Blunt Magazine article that pushed back on the “industry plant” discourse surrounding him, writing that he felt validated by the piece.

The musician ended the post by thanking his fan community and acknowledging that he needs time to process the pace of his career before moving into his next chapter.

“To all my beautiful community reading this I just want to let you know how lucky I feel to have you all,” he wrote. “What an honour it is to spend this life with you.”

The post drew supportive messages from across the rock and entertainment worlds. Slayer and Exodus guitarist Gary Holt rejected the “industry plant” label in the comments, writing that an industry plant “cannot do what you did at Back to the Beginning,” referring to Yungblud’s performance at last year’s Black Sabbath-linked event.

Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian also praised the performance, writing, “I stood side stage at BTTB and watched you breathe rarified air the way you elevated ‘Changes.’ You’ve earned it all Dom. Cheers brother.”

SZA offered a brief message of support, writing, “Rooting for you,” while actors Alyssa Milano and Charisma Carpenter were also among those responding. Milano praised Yungblud for allowing fans into his heart, while Carpenter said the post made her want to discover his music.

The moment comes on the back of a genuinely significant run for the artist born Dominic Harrison. His 2025 double album Idols debuted at No. 73 on the Billboard 200, while his collaborative EP with Aerosmith, One More Time, released in November, reached the top 10 of the Billboard 200 and hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Albums chart, marking his first U.S. top 10.