Erica Campbell

Earlier this month Vampire Weekend returned to their hometown of New York City to play Madison Square Garden — one of their biggest NYC gigs since 2019. I wasn’t there. But don’t worry, I know exactly what happened.

From the surreal to the sublime.

Model and artist Benicio Bryant is ready to embrace his inner pop star and pine after one as well. In his latest track, "Popstar" he sings of an untouchable love on top of a vibrating beat. His first collection of tracks promises more odes to the genre and culture that have made him what he is today. Along with the single, and Popstar EP announcement, Bryant is premiering visuals for his new track today on PAPER.

The Vices' new track, “Before It Might Be Gone,” digs into pleasure and pain, escape and face feelings head-on. “It all started when I met someone who I thought was really special,” the band tells PAPER. “But, despite it all, she was genuinely happy. She dealt with her problems and faced them. That made me see a lot of other people who were all in some kind of pain but didn’t deal with it. So, I started to write about it.”

Last month, PAPER went to Nashville to find out firsthand what that change looked and sounded like. As part of Music City's inaugural Red Bull Jukebox, we sat down with Billboard No. 1 hit-maker Shaboozey

Mimi Webb’s been busy. Right after hopping off tour with the Jonas Brothers, she dropped a new single, “One Eye Open” a tantalizing track about falling for someone who pushes you to lose yourself and your innocence, leading the naive lover to a state of vigilance and self-love. The track comes complete with a mesmerizing, sultry video shot in Paris and directed by Claire Arnold — check out the visuals below.

JORDY is never afraid to express a big emotion. The popstar and TikTok sensation mined the depths of his heart and mind on his third studio album — SEX WITH MYSELF — through euphoric bits of big pop swings. Today, he’s expanding on his diaristic album with a deluxe version, SEX WITH MYSELF AND IT LASTS LONGER, that has five additional songs, all which explore the highs and lows of JORDY's tumultuous inner world.

The first time I saw Vermont post-punk band Thus Love, they were playing at a beachside bar and restaurant called Rippers at The Rockaways. I didn’t know who they were at the time, but when I saw lead vocalist and guitarist Echo Mars saunter onto the makeshift stage with the same air I assume Bowie used to bring into rooms, I was mesmerized. It was incredible. The moment felt straight out of a movie: the sand, the music, the Fourth of July fireworks, the equally explosive and sparkling performance coming from the stage. For a moment — a drum hit, a gritty guitar chord, the sensation of tripping and falling into a stellar band you just discovered — I was totally sold on the American Dream.

Amyl and the Sniffers launch their third album, Cartoon Darkness, with the blistering opener, “Jerkin’.” On it, frontwoman Amy Taylor spits, “You’re a dumb cunt, you’re an asshole/ Every time you talk, you mumble, grumble/ Need to wipe your mouth after you speak, ‘cause it’s an asshole.” As the track rams in, walls of spiraling distortion and clashing percussion punctuate her Australian accent: “You are ugly all day, I am hot always,” Taylor defiantly shouts. The accompanying

Blame it on the natural thermal pools, ample wine, native soup dishes, or the fact that the land of ice happens to be the home of the kindest people on earth, but Iceland, for all its rumored coldness, is indeed a place of extreme warmth and all-encompassing cool.