Crayon Pop thinks they’ll mesh well with Lady Gaga
HONG KONG (AP) — Korean pop newcomers Crayon Pop are set to make waves again after Lady Gaga announced the quintet will open for her on her upcoming North American tour.
The young Koreans shot to fame with the viral music video for “Bar Bar Bar.” Their signature move for the video was alternating jumps in a straight line.
The performers, dressed in red skirts and white helmets, believe their uniqueness will go well with Lady Gaga’s style.
“Just like Crayon Pop, Lady Gaga has a lot of unique performances and clothing, and I think that is very special. Our members’ favorite song is “Poker Face,” said Choya.
Apart from rehearsing for the tour, which opens in late June, Crayon Pop will be working on improving their English.
“We are learning and practicing English. We are preparing to show you more of our unique style,” said Gummy.
Crayon Pop was in Hong Kong on Sunday to meet fans and perform. Two beloved bands have each announced new albums. The Pixies said Monday that a new record, “Indie Cindy,” would compile three recent EPs and singles into a single long-player. The album, produced by longtime collaborator Gil Norton, will be released April 29 on the band’s own label, Pixiesmusic, in a variety of formats.
“New music seemed like something we just had to do; we just couldn’t continue to go out and tour without anything new,” drummer David Lovering said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “So the talk evolved into writing and recording, and we’re all very happy with the way everything worked out.”
The EPs have earned mixed reviews at best. The Los Angeles Times’ Mikael Wood described “EP-1” thusly: “After touring its classic material for several years as a kind of hipster oldies act, the hugely influential alt-rock band finally put out some new music last September in the form of the four-song ‘EP-1.’ The only problem? It wasn’t any good.”
The band’s lineup has also seen turmoil. Founding bassist Kim Deal left, then the group fired her replacement, the Muffs’ Kim Shattuck, and has yet to announce a permanent replacement.
Meanwhile, the indie-blues duo the Black Keys have an LP of entirely new tunes on the way.
“Turn Blue” is the eighth full-length from the group, whose 2011 album “El Camino” went platinum and made them major stars. “Turn Blue” is scheduled for a May 13 release on Nonesuch Records.
The band produced the album with Danger Mouse, and it’s a marked departure from the fiery riffage of the Black Keys’ past records. Lead single “Fever,” which is out now as a paid download or as part of an album pre-order, has a disco-inspired beat and a heavy coating of vintage synthesizer.
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