Spoiler alert: the above video for Polly Scattergood's seven-minute+ new single, "Red," is part two of a five-part short film she'll be releasing this Spring. We've included part one here as well....
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#songoftheday / #amlistening = ADAM JENSEN: “INMATE 8576”
"Lost my head inside this cell / I'm all alone / This place is hell," sings alt-pop/electro-pop singer/songwriter Adam Jensen on his powerful new single, "Inmate 8576." It's the first new song we've heard from Mr. Jensen in quite some time and...
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#songoftheday / #amlistening = POPPY: “ANYTHING LIKE ME”
"You shouldn't be anything like me," pop star turned heavy metal kid Poppy sings insistently on her ferocious new single, "Anything Like Me," which finds her sounding not unlike a female Marilyn Manson. "I'm sorry for what I've become / Because I'm...
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#songoftheday / #amlistening = Yael Naim – “How Will I Know” (Live at Studios Ferber)
There's a strong foreboding feeling to French-Israeli singer/songwriter Yael Naïm's new single, "How Will I Know," for which she's just released a devastating live video recorded at Studios Ferber....
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FIRST IMPRESSION REVIEW: HALSEY’S MANIC

by Michael McCarthy Today, the 17th of January 2020, marks the release of alternative pop singer/songwriter Halsey’s highly-anticipated third album, Manic. The first single from the LP, “Without Me,” was released back in October 2018, so to say this album was a long time coming is an understatement. Granted, at the time “Without...
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YOUR BRAVE BOTANICALS: AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN BUSH

interview by Michael McCarthy Late last year I posted something on Facebook about wanting to replace some of my prescription medications with natural alternatives and a few of my friends commented and asked if I’d tried kratom, something I wasn’t particularly familiar with. I had seen it before, however, at a local convenience...
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#songoftheday / #amlistening = ROBBIE WILLIAMS: “TIME FOR CHANGE” + ALBUM REVIEW
This year Robbie Williams finally did something I've been waiting for him to do for over 20 years: he released a Christmas album, appropriately entitled The Christmas Present. Not only that, it's a double album. If you get the deluxe edition,...
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It’s a #premiere! It’s a #songoftheday! It’s “The Stones” by Ismay!
Today we are pleased to exclusively premiere Ismay's delightful and ethereal musings about very rare, glow in the dark stones that a friend once showed them. As they discuss in our interview below, they were a new type of stone, unlike anything they'd ever seen before....
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#songoftheday / #amlistening = BAR BRUTAL BAND: “SPECIAL TERMS” DEMO
Bar Brutal Band, has just released a spot on new single, albeit in demo form, called "Special Terms," which I simply had to share with you. It's just too good for me not to. ...
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ROLLING ON: AN INTERVIEW WITH FRANKIE BANALI OF QUIET RIOT

interview by Michael McCarthy The following interview with Quiet Riot drummer, songwriter and bandleader Frankie Banali was conducted on October 22nd, 2019, the day after he made the following announcement via metal podcaster Mitch Lafon’s Facebook page: <<I just want to let all of my friends and fans know what’s going on with...
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INTERMISSION (WE SHALL RETURN)

Hey there! In case you haven’t noticed, I’m taking the month of October off from Love is Pop. I sent out an alert on social media, but I admittedly forgot to post something here on the site. There are two big reasons for the break. 1: I need this time to work on...
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DISCOVER A SUPERSTAR IN THE MAKING: AN INTERVIEW WITH MICKY JAMES

interview by Michael McCarthy When I went to see Phantom Planet at The Sinclair in Cambridge, Massachusetts on the 19th of September, I couldn’t have cared less about whoever was going to open the show. I’d been a big fan of Phantom Planet for around 15 years and had never seen them live...
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UP TO TEN: AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL SWEET OF STRYPER AND SOLO FAME

interview by Michael McCarthy What can I say about the great Michael Sweet that I haven’t already said? This is Love is Pop’s sixth interview with the extremely talented, super busy Stryper frontman/songwriter/co-lead guitarist and solo artist. We love the guy here at Love is Pop HQ and he’s always such a joy...
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#PREMIERE / #SONGOFTHEDAY WITH INTERVIEW: MICHAEL RIDER’S “CAPITAL”

review by Michael McCarthy Today I’m delighted to premiere Manhattan-based dream pop singer/songwriter Michael Rider’s new protest anthem, “Capital.” From its punchy main beat to its layers and layers of instrumentation and subtle vocal samples, which glide along under Rider’s lead vocals like a surfboard under his feet, its production is complex enough...
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PREMIERE / INTERVIEW: KATRINA STUART’S BLUE ROSES

interview by Michael McCarthy “All your blue roses don’t mean a thing,” sings Los Angeles-based singer/dancer/model/actress Katrina Stuart on her haunting new single, “Blue Roses,” an R&B and pop hybrid about someone hurting you and trying to fix it with flowers (or, I imagine, other material things). “You can take your pretty flowers...
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