At every turn, DOLO TONIGHT is determined to take his craft to new heights – literally. In 2021, the LA-by-way-of-Jersey artist made history with his single “Higher,” filming the Highest Altitude Music Video in the Western Hemisphere from the basket of a hot air balloon. This skyscraping success came on the heels of his breakout “Too High,” which launched him into the top five of Spotify’s Top 100 Breaking Artists in 2019 and cemented Dolo Tonight (real name Jonah Rindner) as one of the underground’s fastest-rising names. Not bad for a University of Maine food science dropout who bailed on becoming a flavorist (“Did you know you can basically make grape flavor out of plastic gloves?” he asks with a laugh) to chase his musical dreams at the behest of both his parents and college professors. These blessings led to collaborations with Grammy-winning producer and engineer Michael Ashby (Cardi B), a deal with the legendary Epitaph Records, and a global fanbase drawn to his magnetic personality and shapeshifting musical style. That upward trajectory is once again on display on Dolo Tonight’s debut EP for Epitaph, LIFE’S A PARTY THEN YOU’RE DEAD. The six-track set evolves the hip-hop-heavy sound Dolo amplified on 2021’s Back To Earth EP (Asylum) in favor of what he calls “anti-pop,” rooted in the fundamentals of popular music but subverted in all the right ways as he and his Baggage Claim collective of writers and producers twist convention and catchy choruses into an intoxicating, sun-soaked blend of indie, alternative, rock, and hip-hop. “Anti-pop is all about messing around with structure and sounds and being a little more experimental,” the 24-year-old explains. “When we were putting this EP together, we would ask ourselves, ‘What would someone normally do in this situation?’ Then we would do the exact opposite.” Like the musicality underwriting them, the songs on Life’s A Party And Then You’re Dead tell the stories of those a little left of center: the wanderers (“Tucson”), the dreamers (“Pennies”), the outcasts (“People Under the Stairs”) – the people Dolo feels a particularly special kinship toward. He’s been there before, busking and hustling his way to his dreams, and he’s built his musical world to be universally accepting. If life is indeed a party, everyone is invited to the one Dolo Tonight is throwing. It extends beyond just the music as well. While Dolo is absolutely giddy at the prospect of bringing his new EP to audiences during live shows, he’s equally enthused about expanding the stories he’s telling. Whether it’s the short film he developed and shot as a companion to the EP, a series of Roblox concerts, or simply using the iconic eye of Wes Anderson to inform his art’s aesthetic, he’s determined to continue connecting with fans in fully immersive ways. “My ultimate goal is to build a world and create a space that people can endlessly explore,” he enthuses. “You can take the music at face value, but there’s always a next step I’m working toward. I’ve got a vision for everything that’s all connected. It’s like seeing someone drop a wrench in a Spider-Man movie and then pick it up later in a Doctor Strange movie to connect things. Basically, I’m trying to make the DCU: the Dolo Cinematic Universe.” XX
Royale Lynn brings a signature blend of hard rock and country to life with fearless ambition. A small-town girl turned Nashville singer/songwriter, Lynn grew up with Avril Lavigne and Breaking Benjamin in her CD Walkman and makes music with gutsy abandon and charm. Lynn’s songs resonate with folks equally cozy at Stagecoach Festival or Sonic Temple. Heralded by Billboard as “a ferocious newcomer with ceiling-scraping vocals,” Royale Lynn’s boundary-smashing amalgamation of hard rock and country demonstrates the growing appetite for her brand of genre-bending. “I know there are a lot of people who grew up in the country that love rock, and vice versa,” Lynn reasons. “I want to bring together a community of people who embrace being different and who are open to talking about mental health in small towns.” That coming together is already well underway, as evidenced by the success of self-released singles like “Six Feet Deep” (which blew up on TikTok and Instagram) and “Redneck Rockstar.” Over one million people around the world listened to Royale Lynn on Spotify alone in 2023. “Six Feet Deep” acquired over 20 million social media views between Facebook reels, Instagram and Tik Tok. It shot to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Sales chart. The earnest resolve, huge hooks, and catchy melodies of songs like “Rocket Man,” and “Runs in the Water” are undeniable. She played dozens of shows in 2023, including support slots with Luke Combs, Eli Young Band, and Jarrod Niemann, as well as a slew of headlining gigs across the country. In November 2023, she signed a worldwide deal with Epitaph Records. The sky’s the limit as Royale Lynn shares more of her music and herself with the world. “I just want to create,” she says. “If I sound more rock on some days and more country on others? Who cares? Why stay in a box? I won’t stay in a box. It’s just not something I can do and remain authentically myself.”