Don’t Look Back in Anger: Clipse, Oasis and the State of Brotherly Love

The return of two sets of brothers speaks to something we all need

When I saw posts online saying that Liam and Noel Gallagher hugged at the end of the first Oasis reunion gig in Cardiff this summer, I felt the journalistic need to fact-check. Fact-checking a hug sounds ridiculous, but given the number of insults and vitriol these two have thrown at each other over the years, it felt necessary to confirm it really happened. (As the New York Times reports, it did happen.)

Noel once called his brother “a man with a fork in a world of soup.” And when Noel didn’t show up for the red carpet premiere of the Oasis documentary Supersonic, Liam chided that his brother was “probably eating tofu while having a face peel. Isn’t that right, man of the people?” And these are some of the tamer, PG-rated insults they’ve slung back and forth. After they broke up Oasis in 2009, hopes of a reunion seemed unlikely – or, at the very least, unsustainable. And yet, now they’re hugging on stage. Knock on wood, they can keep it going.

It feels serendipitous that Oasis would return around the same time as another incredible brother duo – Clipse. Brothers Pusha T (Terrence Thornton) and Malice (Gene Thronton) came up in Virginia, going from selling dope to selling records and creating a sound uniquely their own. Of course, they had some help here by the influential production duo The Neptunes, helmed by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. (Ironic and tragic to all of this, Williams and Hugo disbanded officially in 2024 and are no longer on speaking terms.) The group’s hits hit like an explosion. The (literal) pounding beats of “Grindin’” through the psycheldic samples and rhymes of “When The Last Time,” the cool side-eyeing of “Mr. Me Too.”

Unlike with Oasis, there’s always been a clear mutual respect between Malice and Push. Even when Malice opted to step away from Clipse following his conversion to Christianity, Push never spoke ill of his brother or vice versa. Clipse never officially broke up, but they were largely inactive beginning in 2010 following the release of 2009’s Til the Casket Drops. Push, of course, kept going forward in his solo career, dropping arguably some classic records of his own with Daytona and It’s Almost Dry (I would even argue My Name Is My Name as well). Malice has stayed active as well, releasing multiple solo records and writing a memoir.

We lost Oasis and Clips around the same time, and as fate would have it they’ve also returned at the same time as well. Oasis is back with a world tour and Clipse are not just touring but just put out an incredible new album, Let God Sort Em Out. Is it something in the air? I’ve been so captivated by both of these momentous returns. In an era of constant reboots, remakes, and reunions, lately I’ve felt jaded to all these ideas. And yet, these two comebacks have me thrilled. It’s hard for me to think of another reunion that might live up to this that hasn’t already happened. Talking Heads? Fugazi? We already got Outkast once which felt like a blessing.

But it feels like there’s something more here beyond just the excitement of having these two landmark groups back. Two groups of brothers who move about the world with such confidence and exuberance. I keep thinking about the brotherly ties within both groups. In how no matter the circumstances, whether they’re cool with each other or calling each other “tofu boy,” that they can’t shake loose of one another. These ties that bind them are too strong, the histories too deep. It makes it seem that, in retrospect, these reunions were inevitable. It’s a lot harder to stop being brothers than it is to stop being in a band. But the music is such a pivotal bond both with the Gallaghers and the Thornton.

Lately, I’ve been finding myself getting into rabbit holes watching interviews of both groups. To be honest, I mostly just run the Oasis ones back to laugh at the new ways they invent to take the piss out of each other. But the recent Clipse interviews have especially moved me. Push and Malice have been hitting the press hard. And, if you don’t know, Push has a lot to speak for. In the last few years, he’s found himself embroiled in some high-profile beefs – most notably his battle with Drake that led to the game-changing diss track “The Story of Adidon” that you could argue paved the way for Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” Push even throws shots at other artists on the new Clipse album too. But when he’s pressed to speak for his actions, or rather when Malice is asked to speak on how he handles Push’s actions as a Christian man, Malice gives variations of the same answer: I stand with my brother.

Every time Malice says that, I feel a sense of pride. I’m not even in their family, but that brotherly love is infectious. That they can seemingly exist in different worlds yet come together in this group and make their different perspectives work, and then take it a step further by sticking up for each other. For Push too, he remarks on how he respects his brother’s decisions and life choices (though he admits to loving when he can get him to curse).

Oasis, as of time of publishing, have yet to give an interview since reuniting. And maybe that’s for the best at the moment. Right now it’s been all about the joy of just seeing them together enjoying themselves. No throwing insults, no throwing things at each other’s heads. For all the turmoil and brawls they’ve been through, when they come together they create something transcendent. Noel’s words sung through Liam’s mouth just feels even more poetic. Two halves of the same whole. Oasis have always thrived on these dichotomies. That the brothers could be so crass and then turn around music that could at times be braggadocios and then others so deeply moving and affecting. For every “Supersonic” and “Rock ’n’ Roll Star,” there’s a “Don’t Look Back in Anger” or “Live Forever.”

Thinking on this made me think of that common ground of family between all of them and how it’s come up in their music. “Live Forever” was penned as a tribute to their mother. Imagine the pride she must’ve felt seeing her sons achieve so much (when they weren’t trying to kill each other). And the lyrics from that song, particularly the chorus, “Maybe you're the same as me/We see things they'll never see/You and I are gonna live forever.” A message like that is something priceless.

On Let God Sort Em Out, Clipse pull a move unlike any they have yet – tenderness. The album is full of bangers, stellar brags, and insane rhyme schemes. But instead of leading with this, they open the album with “The Birds Don’t Sing.” The brothers lost their mother in 2021 and their father in 2022. They pay tribute to their parents on the song, Push taking a verse about his mom and Malice for his father. The tone is so different from where we left the group in 2010. It’s a peek into their inner lives, to the people who made them. The connections that bind them both.

Even though the circumstances with the Gallaghers and Thorntons are different, their returns and reconciliations feel inspiring to me. And, man, we could really use some examples of that right now. In how divided the world feels in so many different ways, so much that we can’t even agree on what’s real and true. Social media, family strains, politics, worldviews, all always in opposition. Seeing Clipse and Oasis return feels like a rarity. But it’s proof that it’s not an impossibility. Reconciliation is possible. When’s the last time you heard it like this?

Stray Thoughts

LISTENING: Seiji Oda - HUMAN + NATURE

I love the energy of the Bay Area, especially Oakland. Any time I find myself down there, it feels like a second home. Maybe it’s the weather — kind of like Seattle but a little brighter — that feels familiar. But really, it’s the spirit of the artists and the people that gets me.

When someone described Seiji Oda as “lo-fi hyphy,” I knew I had to check it out (only to find out he literally has an album called lofi // HYPHY). Two genres I love fused into one? Say less. And of course, it delivered.

Oda’s music pulses with the energy I associate with the Bay, even reworking classics from Trunk Boiz and the immortal Mac Dre. The record is fun and joyful, but there’s a peaceful, glowing calm running through it too. Oda uses field recordings — of nature in the Bay, of crowds and parties — to ground the songs in place. It creates a kind of dreamlike transcendence, especially as each track flows seamlessly into the next. It's rare to find a record that feels this fun and rapturous while also tranquil and soul-searching. Right now, this is my go-to summer album.

WATCHING: Superman (2025)

I have mixed feelings about this one. It’s overstuffed with characters and plot threads, it rushes to kickstart a whole “universe,” and it falls into some James Gunn-isms — humor that felt a bit off-tone for Superman. Walking out of the theater, I was probably more down on it than I am now. Over time, I’ve softened. The flaws are still there, but I’m more willing to appreciate what it does get right.

For starters, the casting is pitch-perfect. I loved the brightness of the aesthetic, the sense of physical weight to Superman’s battles, and — let’s be honest — the dog is great.

But the reason I want to spotlight it here is because it’s one of the rare pieces of pop culture right now that dares to be earnestly optimistic. That matters, especially with this character. Superman has become one of my favorite heroes over the years, partly because so many people find him boring or “too good.” But what makes Superman compelling is watching a good person navigate hard choices. His greatest power isn’t strength or heat vision — it’s his conviction. His belief in doing the right thing, even when it’s hard. That’s what this movie understands.

I totally get the superhero fatigue. The idea of yet another shared universe is exhausting. But I hope this film’s spirit — its clarity, its belief in a better tomorrow — cuts through. These are complacent times. It’s heroic to stand up for your values. That message, delivered by one of our most enduring cultural icons, feels urgent and necessary right now.

20th Century Ambient is Coming in November

My upcoming book, 20th Century Ambient, is now available for pre-order! If you’ve been enjoying the blend of music deep dives and comics in Another Thought, I think you’ll really love this.

“Through text and comics, 20th Century Ambient searches through ambient music's recent history to unearth how the genre has evolved and the role it plays in our daily lives.”

It’s out November 13, 2025 from Bloomsbury Books. Don’t miss your chance to reserve a copy now.

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