[Download] Charli XCX's 'Heartbreaks And Earthquakes' Mixtape

On the same day that she's released her You're The One EP, Charli XCX has unveiled a companion release of sorts in the form of a continuous 21-minute mixtape titled Heartbreaks And Earthquakes. The mixtape is a collection of Charli XCX's own tracks and remixes, as well as her adding vocals on top of songs by artists such as Drake and Blood Orange. As well, their are a few remixes of Charli XCX songs from other musicians, including a remix of her lead single "You're The One" by Odd Future duo The Internet and featuring verses from Odd Future member Mike G. Stream the entire mixtape below, and head over to Charli XCX's official website to download it for free.

[Listen] Charli XCX - "You're The One"

Charli XCX released her new You're The One EP today, and she's uploaded the titular track on her Soundcloud for everyone to stream. Included on the EP is "You're The One," previously released track "Nuclear Seasons," as well as several remixes. Give the song a listen to see if it's something you'd like to purchase, and if so, you can head over to iTunes to do just that.

[Listen] Passion Pit - "I'll Be Alright"

Passion Pit have followed up their lead single "Take A Walk" with another track from their forthcoming sophomore LP titled "I'll Be Alright." The song is as dreamy and upbeat as Passion Pit songs have always been, with an interesting blend of glitchy segments thrown in there to stir up the mix. Check it out below.

Passion Pit's sophomore album Gossamer is out on July 24th via Columbia Records, and yesterday the band announced tour dates, which you can check out here.

[News] Bloc Party Announce Intimate Rehearsal Gig Competition

Fresh off the back of their newly announced album, Four, Bloc Party have now unveiled details of a very special rehearsal gig in which they'll debut new material along with playing some of their classic hits. To be in with a chance of being at the show head over to the band's official facebook page. 5 winners will be chosen, each are then allowed to bring a guest to the show which takes place at "a legendary London venue" on Monday, June 18th. I've applied, have you?!

Four is released on the 20th of August via Frenchkiss Records.

[Listen] The Ballantynes - "Misery" & "Stay"

Since forming in September of last year, Vancouver gospel/soul outfit The Ballantynes has been making significant headway with their limited but fantastic repertoire. After dropping their debut 7" single "The Message"/"The Railtown Abbey" last December, the seven-piece has been touring, faced off against Vancouver's own Nardwaur the Human Serviette, and are even set to appear at this year's Sled Island Festival in Calgary later this month.

Now, the group are gearing up for the release of their next release, a brand new 7" single titled "Misery"/"Stay," which is set to drop on June 19th through La Ti Da Records. For the next week, the two-song single will be available to stream through The Ballantyne's Bandcamp page, so give it a listen below.

Make sure to follow the band on both Facebook and Twitter, and pick up their debut single here.

[Review] Dot 2 Dot Festival Manchester

A 4 day weekend. A rarity in anyone's yearly calendar, not this year if you're in the UK. Thanks to the Queen! God Save her and all that. What better way to spend part of it than at a must on the local gig calendar, Dot to Dot Manchester. It's is a funny event really taking place across three cities in total over three separate days. Manchester was the final stop for the bands who'd sweated their music into Nottingham and Bristol the previous two days. Manchester's gigs this year had introduced some new venues adding to previous years' fun times. Large venues like The Ritz and Sound Control were  staple but new kids on the block Zoo had been added to the mix making for a smaller more intimate feel at a few sets. It takes place across 5 venues all reasonably close together just off of Oxford Road right in the City centre, handy, Sound Control also had 3 levels which was an added bonus for ticket holders. Why? My main concern was going to be getting from place to place and then getting back into venues. What if they were too full? What if the stage I wanted to get to was unavailable?!

Turns out, the main place I wanted to be was at the aforementioned Sound Control. After picking up my wristband I was at The Ritz and heard the familiar sound of Bastille ringing through the venue so quickly headed to enjoy an albeit short but sweet set. The band actually ended up playing two sets after Summer Camp cancelled, I only caught one set but they filled the room with ease packing a large punch for a band so young.

After Bastille I headed down to the place I wanted to witness some musical magic for the majority of the day, Sound Control. First up as I walked through the ground floor and headed up to the awkwardly shaped Club room was Clock Opera who's album I absolutely loved. From the rather large crowd they'd drawn in I think a lot of people eddied too. A highlight of the set for me was "Lesson No7" as the beat kicked in the floor slowly started to bounce in time. Wonderful.

Next up was some fun from 2:54 who were playing in the loft. They'd been getting a fair bit of attention on the blogs and from the likes of Zane Lowe and radio so I was pretty giddy for the set and I wasn't disappointed. Their echoey twangs filled the loft with an ease and elegance. Next up was a really intriguing act: Pure Love. A band fronted by Frank Carter, the previous lead singer of Gallows and a man I'd seen cause carnage in the past at the likes of Sonisphere and Leeds festival. He knew how to make some noise yet this new project is a popper affair. The loft was pretty quiet for the set in all honesty which led to Frank immediately jumping the barrier and planting his mic stand right in front of me. He commanded the attention of the room with the actions of a man in a hardcore band, the music has changed but his presence has not. A great set from a band with a future if they play their cards right. Only downside was he tried to start a circle pit at one point, the crowd weren't the circle pitting type and it led to Frank hitting me in the face with his bottle of cider. Luckily, I like cider.

Finishing up a day of truly great music in Soundcontrol's Loft was Cloud Nothings, Wavves and Pulled Apart By Horses. One band I like a lot while two of those bands I adore. Cloud Nothings set was a gentle yet noisy affair and a nice little bit of relaxation from the energetic performance Pure Love had offered half an hour prior not to say these guys didn't have energy but the main event for many in the room was still to come. Nathan Williams, frontman of the surf-punk band Wavves wandered on stage to set up his kit, strat in hand a few minutes later his band joined him and without a word the intro to "King of the Beach" filled the air and damn it was loud! I don't know if previous sets had sensitised my ears to the levels but it was a wall of fuzzy goodness. I like it loud and the next 45 minutes was a joy to watch with tracks from his two albums and EP, Life Sux being played one after another.

Pulled Apart By Horses followed Wavves and after the two days prior they looked a little rough prior to the set, I spotted Lee their drummer watching Wavves contently from side of stage. The boys took to their slot on stage and bloody delivered a knock-out blow after a day of already great music. Tracks like "V.E.N.O.M." and "Punched a Lion In The Throat" were sang back at them as the crowd all bounced as one. From the rowdiness and the state of my shoes/t-shirt by the end of the set I must say I'd had a great day and the event was a well oiled machine. It managed to showcase some great new emerging talent along with some more established acts. For a music fan and avid gig goer I'd recommend the day in any of the cities to everyone. Roll on D2D2013 I say! Onwards and upwards. 

[News] Passion Pit Announce Fall Tour

With their highly anticipated sophomore LP Gossamer dropping on July 24th, Passion Pit have a busy year ahead of them. Their summer is already full of tour dates and festival appearances, including one-off shows with both Justice and Hot Chip, the band has decided that a fall tour is in order. Starting on September 11th, the Massachussetts outfit will be back on the road for two full months, performing at fifteen cities across North America. Check out their full tour schedule after the jump, with newly added dates in italics.

Passion Pit 2012 Tour Dates:
06/22 – Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion
06/23 – New York, NY @ Governors Ball Music Festival
07/15 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bunbury Music Festival
07/16 – Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
07/17 – Knoxville, TN @ The Valarium
07/19 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
07/20 – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
07/21 – Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival
08/03 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08/05 – Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Music Festival
08/07 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheater *
08/09 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Twilight Concert Series
08/10 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Festival
08/18 – Tokyo, JP @ Summer Sonic
08/19 – Osaka, JP @ Summer Sonic
08/21 – Singapore @ Esplanade Concert Hall
08/24-26 – Reading and Leeds, UK @ Reading and Leeds Festival
09/09 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl #
09/11 – Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
09/12 – Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Convention Center
09/14 – Arlington, TX @ College Park Center
09/15 – Austin, TX @ The Backyard
10/18 – Raleigh, NC @ Disco Rodeo
10/19 – Charleston, SC @ Music Farm
10/20 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
10/22 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
10/26 – Oxford, MS @ The Lyric
10/27 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
10/29 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
11/01 – Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater
11/02 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oa Music Theatre
11/06 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
11/14 – Columbus, OH @ LC Pavilion

* = w/ Justice
# = w/ Hot Chip

[Listen] The Weeknd - "Our Love"

The Weeknd has decided to release a previously unreleased track titled "Our Love," a song originally recorded in 2009 with the help of production group The Noise. A snippet of it appeared on The Weeknd's The Noise EP, but now you can hear the track in full. The song, which was produced by T-Minus, is miles away from the drug and sex-fueled subject matter of his recent works, focusing more on love itself and wholly embodying a true pop style. Check it out below.

(via Earmilk and Plex).