Get Familiar With Teddy Swims If You're Not Already. This Guy Is Going To Be A Star.

This is Teddy Swims

If Post Malone and Chris Stapleton had a baby, that baby would look like Teddy Swims. 

He might not look like he has the vocal capacity of a deity, but he sounds like a combination of Fergie and Jesus. 

Step Brothers joke aside, this guy has fucking pipes. And I haven't been able to stop listening to him since I discovered him a couple months ago. And I haven't been able to stop listening to him since.

Hr grew up in Conyers, GA. Son of a football crazed family, he followed the path trying to make it on the gridiron. On the side he partook in his high school's musical theater club and developed a passion for singing and song writing.

He credits his father for putting him onto artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Keith Sweat and Al Green. He further diversified his musical abilities by branching out and joining and Atlanta-area post-hardcore band named Eris and leading the rock outfit WildHeart. He also performed Sixties soul covers with another group and Eighties hair metal songs with yet another.

In between all of this, he made ends meet by waiting tables at his neighborhood Chili's.

He began a Youtube page where he would post covers he did of everybody from George Strait to the Weeknd, and he started to attract a lot of attention.

The Teddy Swims project was born around 2019 when a producer friend, Addy Maxwell, suggested that Dimsdale come rap over some beats he had been making. “I was like, ‘Well, I’m not a rapper, but sure, we could give it a shot,’ ” Dimsdale says. “It was just a silly SoundCloud rap song.”

That was enough to land Dimsdale and Maxwell an opening slot on a nationwide tour. He adopted the stage name “Swims” from internet forum-speak, making an acronym for Someone Who Isn’t Me Sometimes — it was a way to perform in character if needed. “Teddy” came later and was a holdover from Dimsdale’s youth, thanks to his large frame. - RS

A boundaryless approach comes through in Dimsdale’s original songs, which blend elements of hip-hop, R&B, country, and classic soul.

He's got such a unique sound that your ears can't help but perk up when you hear that voice. 

He recently released a remix to his song "Broke" featuring Thomas Rhett, and even signed a deal to Warner Music.

I think this guy is destined to become big time, so if you're not listening to him already, get familiar with him now.

I discussed this in more detail on my favorite music podcast - "On The Guestlist"

We also debuted "Barstool Backstage" yesterday with our first episode guest, Lil Jon. Check it out here and on the socials

Here's everything that's happened the past two weeks in music.

POP 

- Billie Eilish released her sophomore album, Happier Than Ever to a ton of critical acclaim. The album is bookended by three standout records- it opens with “Getting Older” and closes with the one-two punch of the title track "Happier Than Ever" and the fearless “Male Fantasy.” 

Ahead of Happier Than Ever, Eilish teased the idea of jazz influences, and while the languid “Billie’s Bossa Nova” is a clear nod to a bygone era, it’s the first half of “Happier Than Ever” that could most believably be pressed onto a 7-inch record and spun in the background of a sun-soaked cocktail party. That is until the song shifts halfway through, dragging the listener back into the present, morphing into an explosion of a young woman’s righteous, valid fury.

It succinctly captures what Eilish excels at, in partnership with her brother, writing and producing partner Finneas: telling the truth, carving out an unexpected sonic path, and providing the perfect, cathartic lyrics to scream at a concert.

The album is cohesive almost to a fault — the trouble with locking in a singular sound that becomes intrinsically tied to your reputation as an artist is that some of the tracks can blend into one another, harder to distinguish as the album comes to a close. “Oxytocin” feels closest to what listeners might’ve loved about When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, and there are quieter moments with acoustic guitar that strip away trippy beats, but Eilish’s vocals tend to stay in that lower register for which she’s become known.

- The Weeknd has released the video for his pulsating new song, “Take My Breath.” It’s the first single from his upcoming album, which is the follow-up to his 2020 smash, After Hours.

- Lollapalooza was last weekend here in Chicago, Miley brought the house down on night one. She continued to showe off her continuing clout in the music business by bringing out a string of unexpected guest stars. Billy Idol joined her for Plastic Hearts track “Night Crawling” and a faithful rendition of “White Wedding” that energized the crowd. Next came Chicago’s own G Herbo for “Love Money Party,” followed by Wiz Khalifa & Juicy J for Mike WiLL Made-It’s “23.” She even brought out rising Australian star The Kid LAROI to perform his breakout single “Without You.” These cameos were so casual that Cyrus often introduced her guests as they exited the stage, as if they’d been too caught up in the moment to remember to exchange names.

- Taylor Swift will be dropping her Red re-recording on November 19th, and as she did with Fearless (Taylor’s Version), she’s now released a special “vault video” containing a hidden message about the album for her fans.

The code looks to be some kind of word search puzzle, featuring the names of bonus tracks to be included on Red (Taylor’s Version) as well as possible collaborators on the album. Swifties were quick to discover the words “Phoebe Bridgers” hidden in the message, plus “Better Man,” a song Swift originally wrote for Red but later gave to Little Big Town to record. (Swift performed it live at the Bluebird Cafe in 2018 as part of Bluebird, a documentary film tribute to the Nashville venue where she was discovered.)

“Sheeran” and “Stapleton” were also found in the word search, implying that Swift will be collaborating with both for the new album.

- Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have unleashed a new Silk Sonic single. Entitled “Skate,” the duo’s sophomore release is a certifiable summertime jam. 

- Lorde joined Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 to discuss her new song “Stoned at the Nail Salon” from her forthcoming alum ’Solar Power’ due out on August 20th. She tells Apple Music about the origin of the song and says it’s “definitely one of the quietest, most introspective, and internal moments” on the album. She tells Apple Music the song was inspired by the slower daily rhythm she savors at home in New Zealand between tours and discusses getting off social media, the last time she listened to her debut album ‘Pure Heroine’, looking forward to performing with a large band, and more. 

She also released a performance of “Stoned at the Nail Salon,” recorded with Jack Antonoff on the rooftop of Electric Lady Studios in New York City.

- On Tony Bennett’s 95th birthday, August 3rd, the singer and Lady Gaga released a rendition of the Cole Porter classic, “I Get a Kick Out of You,” from their upcoming collaborative album, Love for Sale, October 1st via Columbia and Interscope.

- Sammy Adams and I decided to get on zoom and rate the 5 different songs each week. Check it out, we call it "Cash Or Trash"

- Lizzo is kicking off a new era next week with “Rumors,” her first new song in two years. It’s due out Friday, August 13th via Atlantic Records.

- Multi-platinum pop phenomenon Bazzi stars in the new Christian Breslauer (Roddy Ricch, Doja Cat, Yungblud) directed video for his summer single “I Like That.”

HIP HOP

- Nas has released his 14th studio album, King’s Disease II. Serving as the sequel to last year’s King’s Disease, the 15-song project includes collaborations with Eminem, Ms. Lauryn Hill, EPMD, and more. Like its predecessor, Nas shared executive producer duties on the album with Hit-Boy.

- Despite reservations from Aaliyah’s estate, the singer’s music will finally start arriving on streaming services this month.

On Wednesday, Alliyah’s estate tweeted for the first time in months to share a statement criticizing the “unscrupulous endeavor to release Aaliyah’s music without any transparency or full accounting.”

- NBA star Kawhi Leonard has released a new video game to accompany Gunna and Polo G’s track “Waves,” which will appear on Leonard’s upcoming Culture Jam project.

- Jack Harlow has enlisted rising Memphis rapper Pooh Shiesty for a new song, “SUVs (Black on Black).”

- Joey Purp has returned with UpLate, his new mixtape dropping September 24th. He has also unveiled the first preview, “Outside,” and its accompanying music video.

- Two legends collide as Bad Bunny has linked up with bachata band Aventura for a new song titled “Volví.”

- Isaiah Rashad shared his much-anticipated sophomore album, The House Is Burning. 

The 16-track project contains features from SZA, Lil Uzi Vert, Smino, 6LACK, and Jay Rock. Other guests include Duke Deuce, Doechii, and Kal Banx. The majority of the songs are produced by either Banx or Devin Malik, with one track produced by Kenny Beats.

- To tease the release of his upcoming album Punk, Young Thug made a remote appearance on NPR for the latest edition of the Tiny Desk (Home) Concert series. He debuted four brand new songs for the occasion

- We are THIIIIIIIIIIS close to Kanye releasing Donda

- Travis Scott took to the stage at Rolling Loud Miami last Saturday night with a surprise in store for crowd: the live debut of his new song “Escape Plan.”

ROCK

- Guns N’ Roses have released the official audio version of “Absurd,” following their live debut of the reworked “Silkworms” song at Boston’s Fenway Park on August 3rd.

Gun N’ Roses performed at Boston’s Fenway Park on Tuesday, and during their set they delivered a reworking of a previously unreleased song they penned called “Silkworms.” It is now titled “Absurd.”

Guns N’ Roses have performed the original “Silkworms” as early as 2001 and it appears they have not played it since, as Ultimate Classic Rock points out. The track was reportedly written during the Chinese Democracy sessions.

- In addition to a supersized box set and a tribute album, Metallica will mark the 30th anniversary of their mega-selling “Black Album” this year with a podcast dubbed The Metallica Podcast.

In a tweet, the group said the first of eight episodes would be “coming soon,” but since the anniversary is next Thursday “soon” will likely be in the next week. In the teaser, the group refers to this season of the podcast, which is available for subscription via various podcast services, as “Volume One: The Black Album,” possibly hinting at future seasons about other records.

Weezer dropped a cover of “Enter Sandman” and it is pretty straightforward. Rivers Cuomo wails, he shreds, and he sounds very happy to be doing what he’s doing.

And since this is all leading up to the 30th-anniversary box set release of The Black Album, too, Metallica have also shared a never-before-heard live version of “Through the Never,” recorded in Sacramento on January 11th, 1992.

- Prince's long-awaited lost album, Welcome 2 America, was unveiled to the world. 

Recorded in 2010 and then mysteriously placed in the late musical icon’s vault ahead of his unforgettable tour of the same name, the 12-track studio set contains previously released singles “Born 2 Die,” “Hot Summer,” and the title track, as well as never-before-heard songs like “Running Game (Son of a Slave Master),” “Stand Up and B Strong,” and “One Day We Will All B Free.”

- The Killers have ANOTHER new album coming out next week. The upcoming record, Pressure Machine, is due out August 13th. It’s a concept record about life in Nephi told from the perspective of various townspeople that touches on everything from prescription drug abuse and poverty to crime, homophobia, and depression. Despite the bleak tone of the record, there are touches of hope and joy sprinkled throughout it.

- Dusty Hill, bassist and longtime member of ZZ Top, has died at the age of 72.

“We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX,” surviving ZZ Top band members Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard said in a statement.

“We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the ‘Top’. We will forever be connected to that ‘Blues Shuffle in C.’ You will be missed greatly, amigo.”

- Alice in Chains singer-guitarist Jerry Cantrell has announced his first solo album in 19 years. The legendary rocker will release Brighten on October 29th, and he’s shared shared the first single, “Atone,” as a preview

- Angels & Airwaves have shared “Losing My Mind,” the latest preview from their upcoming album, Lifeforms. It arrives with a goofy music video in which frontman Tom DeLonge plays a sleazy character trying to make it big on “Tic Tac.”

- Ozzy Osbourne has announced a 30th anniversary vinyl reissue and an expanded digital edition of his seminal 1991 LP No More Tears. The new releases both arrive September 17th.

- Duran Duran has released a new single, “More Joy,” featuring a guest appearance from Japanese rock band CHAI. The song will appear on the band’s upcoming 15th studio album Future Past, out October 22nd via Tape Modern for EMG.

- Finneas will release his debut album, Optimist, on October 15th via Interscope. The musician has shared the first single off the album, “A Concert Six Months From Now,” along with a music video filmed at the Hollywood Bowl.

The video, directed by Sam Bennett, sees Finneas moving around an empty Hollywood Bowl at night as he sings the emotive, acoustic song.

- Tom Morello has recruited Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder for a fiery rendition of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell,” the first single from the Rage Against the Machine guitarist’s upcoming all-star solo album The Atlas Underground Fire.

“Our version of ‘Highway to Hell’ pays homage to AC/DC but with Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder, brings this legendary song into the future,” Morello said in a statement. “One of the greatest rock & roll songs of all time sung by two of the greatest rock & roll singers of all time. And then I drop a shredding guitar solo. Thank you and good night.”

- Black Sabbath will canonize their seventh album, Technical Ecstasy, this fall with a super deluxe edition packed with bells and whistles that, as the cover art suggests, probably have unnatural feelings for each other.

The reissue, due October 1st, contains a remaster of the original, a remix by Steven Wilson, outtakes and alternative mixes, and live recordings from 1976 and 1977. It will be available either as a four-CD or five-LP collection.

- Slipknot have issued a touching statement on the death of founding drummer Joey Jordison, who passed away this week at age 46. The band also shared a tribute video of the late drummer on social media.

- Limp Bizkit rocked the classics and a new look for singer Fred Durst during their set at Lollapalooza over the weekend. They also treated fans to a recording of a new song, appropriately titled “Dad Vibes.”

- Ratt singer Stephen Pearcy has revealed that he’s been battling liver cancer for the past three years in a new interview.

Speaking with YouTube show “Laughingmonkeymusic,” Pearcy made the revelation about his health issues, stating that it was finally time to tell fans what he’s been going through and that “everything’s kind of copacetic now.”

- Dinosaur Jr. are the latest group to film a Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, and they recreated the magic of that iconic NPR room for it by way of dozens of cute tchotchkes and other pieces of pop-culture iconography.

- Italian hard rockers Måneskin have been drawing a lot of attention for their rousing new single “I Wanna Be Your Slave,” which has racked up over 26 million views since it came out a few weeks ago. Now, they’re celebrating that milestone by teaming up with the one and only Iggy Pop for a new version of the song.

- “Isn’t It a Pity (Take 27)” follows another unearthed Harrison track, “Cosmic Empire,” which will also be heard on the massive 50th anniversary edition of All Things Must Pass. The box set arrives August 6th, and it was executive produced by Harrison’s son Dhani Harrison. Pre-orders for it are ongoing now. You can also hear more recently unveiled work of Harrison’s on a recent Bob Dylan archival set.

- It’s taken him a few detours to get here, but at last, Jack Antonoff has released Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night, his first new album as Bleachers in four years. 

- Guitar company Gibson has launched its own record label, signing Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators as its first artist.

- The Knocks continue their streak of dance floor-primed singles with “Sound the Alarm,” featuring Rivers Cuomo of Weezer and Royal & the Serpent of alternative hit “Overwhelmed.

We actually got the chance to interview the guys, on "On The Guestlist". It was an awesome interview where we discussed the Knicks, the Knocks being 10 steps ahead of music trends, working with EVERYONE under the sun, and what the see in their future. Two of the coolest guys in music. Can't be happier for their success.

- Coldplay released the ten and a half minute closing track of their forthcoming album Music Of The Spheres (out October 15th).

EDM

- Paul Johnson, the Chicago producer and DJ whose ferociously melodic style of house music yielded a series of classic singles and inspired producers in his hometown and beyond, died on Wednesday at age 50, his agent confirmed. Rest In Peace to the legend.

- Miranda Lambert made her first foray into dance music with “Tequila Does (Telemitry Remix),” a tropical house update of the song she recorded for 2019’s Wildcard as well as her collaborative Marfa Tapes project.

- MØ has released her latest single, “Kindness,” an anthemic dose of dance pop dedicated to her fans.

- Martin Garrix broadened his production depth yet again on ‘Love Runs Out’ with Sasha Sloan, G-Eazy

- Tommy Trash and Kiesza have teamed up for their first single, “Tectonic.” Arriving via deadmau5‘s newly anointed hau5trap label, the one-off doesn’t just extend Tommy Trash’s return, but also serves as a “true representation” of where he is headed as an artist

- Nghtmre is continuing his melodic concourse with an indulging remix of ILLENIUM‘s “Heavenly Side” featuring Matt Maeson.

- Fisher is back and cheekier than ever with his eighth wide-release single, “Just Feels Tight.” Primed for wrist-flicking hilarity, the Aussie’s latest arrives in tandem with a remarkably absurd music video perfectly aligned with his brand.

- While Gryffin continues to hint towards his next single—assumedly “New Blood” from his Ubbi Dubbi set—he’s holding everyone over in the meantime. Reuniting alongside Kyle Reynolds, the “Best Is Yet To Come” duo has decided to break down their start-of-summer pairing with an absolutely stunning acoustic rendition.

- DJ Snake disperses first solo single of 2021, ‘You Are My High”

- Sam Feldt and LateShift ask the hard questions about love in new single, ‘The Riddle’

- GRiZ takes listeners on a psychedelic adventure with his seventh studio album, ‘Rainbow Brain’

- Elephante inches closer to release of sophomore album with ‘Holy Ghosts’

- B-Case and Robin Schulz try, but ultimately ‘Can’t Buy Love’ in new single

- deadmau5, Lights return with alternate version of ‘When The Summer Dies’

- Nora En Pure unlocks summer tour ID— ‘Won’t Leave Your Side’

- ZHU offers a ‘summer anthem for the kids,  ‘Monster’

- John Summit, Vintage Culture re-up Sofi Tukker’s ‘Drinkee’ with burning tech-house spin

- Claude VonStroke teams with Walker & Royce for two-track ‘Enthusiasm’ EP

COUNTRY

-  Tenille Arts joined Morgan Evans to discuss her latest single, "Back Then, Right Now," growing up in a small town, country music in Canada, and explains why performing on The Bachelor was the most awkward moment of her career. She also discusses her song “Somebody Like That” being the first number one country song to be produced, written, and performed by an all-female team. Every other week on Country Wide Radio, Morgan brings his global perspective to the Apple Music Country airwaves, showcasing performers you’ll love from all over the world.

- Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have been cast as the heads of the Dutton family in the upcoming Yellowstone origin series 1883. The Western period drama, to stream on Paramount+, tells the backstory of the Duttons — whose subsequent offspring John Dutton becomes the flawed protagonist of Paramount Networks’ popular ranching drama Yellowstone.

The country music couple will star opposite Sam Elliott, whose character leads a group of families from Texas to Montana in search of a better life. Presumably, the Duttons are among those striking westward. Taylor Sheridan, who co-created Yellowstone with John Linson, is the creator of 1883.

- Nashville singer-songwriter Adia Victoria will release her new album A Southern Gothic in September. Co-produced by Victoria with Mason Hickman, the album will arrive September 17th and includes appearances by Jason Isbell, Margo Price, and the National’s Matt Berninger.

- Carly Pearce is issuing an expanded full-length version of her EP 29, which came out in February. The performer’s 29: Written in Stone will be released September 17th and includes the ode to Kentucky and country music “Dear Miss Loretta,” featuring the great Patty Loveless.

- Adia Victoria will release a new album on Sept. 17, she announced on Wednesday (Aug. 4). A Southern Gothic is the singer-songwriter's third full-length album.

- Mitchell Tenpenny's new single "Truth About You" stops just short of naming names. "Yeah, you told your friends, you told your mama / That I'm the root of all the drama / But we both know why this ended / Girl, I caught you red-handed," he sings to close the second verse.

- Jimmie Allen and Brad Paisley took to the open road in the music video for their new collaborative song "Freedom Was a Highway."

- There two new Zac Brown Band songs. The band honor their roots in a pair of new songs, "Stubborn Pride" and "Paradise Lost on Me."

- Sam Hunt, Ingrid Andress Unite for 'Wishful Drinking' | 

- After dropping several hints this year that new music could be on the way, Billy Strings is officially making his move: His third studio project, following the Grammy Award-winning Home, is due out on Sept. 24. The album is titled Renewal.
https://youtu.be/25LtHZ4q_6E

- Dierks Bentley has officially unveiled his new single. The veteran country singer tapped Breland and Hardy for a collaboration on a fun new track titled "Beers on Me."

- With "Buy Dirt," Jordan Davis shows that he doesn't subscribe to a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" theory of life. His new collaboration with Luke Bryan is a sharp pivot away from the mostly fancy-free, melodic, uptempo hits he's delivered to radio over four years.

- Jon Pardi has stepped out of his cowboy boots and dived into rock 'n' roll, offering his take on Metallica’s “Wherever I May Roam.” The unexpected cover of the metal band’s classic comes from The Metallica Blacklist, a collection of covers of some of the group's biggest hits.

- Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood's "If I Didn't Love You," is a midtempo duet full of heartache. Both sides of this former relationship are having trouble moving on — because each still loves the other.

- Brandi Carlile's voice soars — this time, in heartbreaking fashion — on her new song. "Right on Time" finds things falling apart, not as they should but as expected.

If I missed anything, or for submissions, please hit me at dante@barstoolsports.com