Max Richter is always beginning
After revolutionising and democratising art music, composer and pianist Max Richter has his sights set on aligning classical and electronic into one universal language with his new album In A Landscape, writes Sophie Leigh Walker for this week’s cover feature.
Composer, producer, postminimalist, popstar, Richter is the leading iconoclast of the contemporary classical world, a trojan horse who dared to revolutionise an old world from within. Who else could reimagine Vivaldi and unveil it at Berlin’s techno mecca, Berghain? Could as capably blend with the Marrinsky Ballet as he does Black Mirror? The swell and retreat of a symphony has commanded our hearts for hundreds of years, but when Richter melded that sound with once impossible electronic textures - creating space where there was only excess - he introduced a new way of feeling.
His ninth album, In A Landscape, arrives after a tenure spanning over two decades which began in ridicule and crests with being one of the most popular and influential composers of all time. “This record does have a thematic sort of spine,” Richter explains, “which is about this idea of putting things in strong contrast to one another – polarities – into relationships which are fruitful, interesting and elevating. I wanted to do that because it allowed me to talk a little bit about the world.
“A lot of what I do is driven by a sense of what’s out there right now, and right now we are polarised in all kinds of ways: societally, politically, and in terms of distribution of resources, all those things. But also, we’re divided against ourselves psychologically by this wonderful immersive Internet we’ve created. We’re in a position where two people who have a mild disagreement can’t even communicate properly with each other, which is really sad, right? I think this is something creative work can comment on and take a position on, and I guess the record is trying to seek harmony between disparate elements.”
Read the full profile now over on Best Fit.
The stars are aligning for Toro y Moi
On his eight album as Toro y Moi, Hole Erth, Chaz Bear calls for a more conscious way of living. Veering into alternative rock with an arty collage of spectacular collaborations with friends such as Don Toliver, Kevin Abstract and Death Cab for Cutie’s Benjamin Gibbard, Hole Erth interrogates how music and pop culture have wormed their way into how we understand and talk about almost everything in our lives. It's an album hyper critical of stardom as it traces an unnamed character flailing through the music industry.
“It’s a bird's eye view of this journey,” explains Bear. “You have to fight the dragon, save the princess. There’s a through line of this person seeing all these different corners of success and what it comes with. You have to dodge shady people, shady situations – it’s about how they try to hold onto themselves through all these interesting pit stops.”
As much as we use pop culture to define our times, pop culture is also defining us. “The entertainment industry is a really interesting one,” says Bear. “It can really build up cities like Austin. Or take Hollywood, for example, that was an entire city built for entertainment.” Recent single "Hollywood” may suggest as much, but Bear assures me he isn’t completely anti-LA. “People ask me if I hate LA, but I don’t!” he says, laughing. “The song is more about holding onto yourself when you go there to work. LA will make you – or enable you – to lose yourself and lose sight of what you want.” I ask if Bear has managed to slay the Hollywood dragon and save the princess during his 14 years in the music industry. “That’s the thing!” he laments, “I don’t know if you can.”
The introduction
Starting today, each week Best Fit will be bringing you a series of mini-interviews with artists on the come-up - and it’s happening exclusively on Substack. To kick things off, we present to you RYL0
Name: RYL0
Age: 26
Hometown: Somerset, New Jersey
Your sound / project in 5 words
Underground Approach to Radio Dance Pop
How you started making music
I grew up as a vocalist, either doing musical theater or competitive a cappella but I didn’t start making my own music until I was in college studying Cinema & Media Studies. I started writing and producing entirely on my own with Garageband in 2018, but at that time I just saw it as a really positive creative outlet while in school. I didn’t even watch any tutorials – I was just being super intuitive about everything I was doing and it gave me a huge sense of artistic confidence. I got addicted to the process of making something completely from scratch and then being able to share it, so I started releasing under the name RYL0 in 2019 and I’ve only gotten more obsessed with making music since.
Your 3 pop icon idols
Sun: Charli xcx / Moon: Tinashe / Rising: Halsey
What it takes to be a “pop star,” in any sense
In the traditional sense, “pop star” is pretty synonymous with an untouchable amount of fame, wealth, and rigor. That’s still true to an extent, but now that celebrity culture has been so flattened and demystified with social media, being a “pop star” in 2024 is way more about the energy than an actual title with qualifications. I’m a fully independent artist that doesn’t have many resources compared to the label pop girls. I still serve like a label pop girl because I know how to give Pop energy.
Anyone can be a pop star if they want to be. I was never a popstar until I started calling myself one, and then it’s like I suddenly became a popstar overnight. The whole D-I-Y Popstar thing is a foundational part of the hyperpop world, so it felt really natural to claim it fully once I first got involved in the scene in 2020.
Up next this week….
Another week, another New Music Friday. Over at Best Fit, we’ve been particularly excited about the release of It’s Nothing from Dolores Forever, a group joyfully carving out their place at the top of the alt-pop landscape. Also out now is Five Dice, All Threes, the rocking latest studio album indie legends Bright Eyes; Aún no existía Beatrice, the silky and sweet first EP from Teo Planell; Jamie xx’s second solo album, In Waves; Katy J Pearson’s eclectic Someday, Now; the debut album from rising country star Kassi Ashton, Made From The Dirt; The Vandalist by crossover rapper Noga Erez; a new cut from Julian Casablancas + The Voidz, Like All Before You; and Hysterical Strength, the scrappy first LP from UK-based DEADLETTER.
From the archive
With a new album out today, scores of indie fans will turn back to Bright Eyes, perhaps the saddest (and certainly one of the best) of the sad-boy bands to ever do it. The road for Bright Eyes and frontman Connor Oberst has been fruitful, if not always easy. Today from the archive, we’re looking back to July 1, 2000, when Bright Eyes were still relatively fresh on the scene. In an early magazine appearance with NME (cover pictured above), Oberst spoke to journalist Keith Cameron about the strange trappings of fame. As written at the time:
A hardened veteran of the US tour routine, his recent London debut was a wild affair: seated behind his guitar and piano, Oberst resembled a teenage runaway singing hysterical tales of heartbreak and dysfunction. At times he looked on the verge of tears – and the awestruck audience felt much the same.
"In general, I like performing," he says, sipping a Bloody Mary in a pub near Hyde Park. "Probably the most uncomfortable place for me to play is Omaha. 'Cos everyone there knows me and knows about... shit."
Indeed, Bright Eyes' songs are overwrought and almost ridiculously unhappy. In a quavering drawl suggestive of a gothic Elliott Smith, Conor sings of lives assailed by mania, people doing bad things to themselves and each other. The extent to which his work is autobiographical is a moot point.
Find these hidden gems and more tucked away in Rock’s Back Pages.
Something Old, Something New
Every week, we share recommendations from the Best Fit community on two iconic records — one from the past, one from the present. This week, country singer-songwriter Kate Vogel offers her thoughts on Sasha Sloan’s Only Child (2020) and Kelsea Ballerini’s EP Rolling up the Welcome Mat (2023).
Sasha Sloan's Only Child really moved me, especially being released during the pandemic. I remember listening to "Hypochondriac" on repeat for weeks. The way she flips the idea of sickness and worry into something beautiful about love and caring for a partner was touching. She captured the feeling of wanting to take care of yourself because now there’s someone you don’t want to lose. Her airy, organic production paired with deep, captivating lyrics creates a magical experience. Her melodies are so memorable, and themes so relatable. "House with No Mirrors" is such a powerful concept—it really made me reflect on how much my appearance affects my self-worth. There’s a raw vulnerability in her words that reaches deep, expressing feelings I often find hard to face. She voices the truths our hearts are too afraid to confront, and that connection makes her music so impactful.
Kelsea Ballerini's Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (2023) really resonated with me. The album is filled with clever lyrics that capture the complexity of processing a breakup with someone you loved deeply. "Blindsided" was an instant favorite because it perfectly encapsulates that feeling of begging for someone to make an effort, only for them to act shocked when it all falls apart. I really connected with "Leave Me Again," which beautifully explores the journey of returning to yourself after a relationship, recognizing how much of yourself you lost trying to make a relationship work. The production is stunning, and the lyricism is outstanding ("Just Married"). To me, this album stands out as one of the most raw and personal works in modern country music. It feels like Kelsea poured her heart into every track, and I appreciate how beautifully she navigated such difficult emotions in a public situation.
Kate Vogel’s album soft is out now
Listen to the week in new music by following our Discovery playlist
Dropping at midnight every Thursday, follow our playlist for a taste of the best new music from the most exciting breaking artists – 20 new tracks, top-loaded from the last five days in music and on repeat in the Best Fit office right now.
Leading the selection this week are new tracks from High Vis, little bit, HONESTY, Teo Planell, and coverstar Nara’s Room.