Between the press releases landing in my inbox and emerging artists taking over every other video on my TikTok FYP, I keep stumbling into some of the best music I’ve heard in years. I’ve also been deliberately seeking out niche genres and finding artists within those scenes to support.

Naturally, that sent me down several extremely rewarding rabbit holes.

So, for this edition of Are You Listening Yet?, I’m sharing six incredible genres I had no idea existed, eighteen song recommendations from emerging artists I’ve been obsessed with, four artists who deserve a spotlight, and my May and June listening logs, AKA my Aural Immersion sessions.

Hopefully, by the end of reading this, you’ll leave with at least one new genre to explore and several new artists to add to your rotation!

I’m excited to get into it! But first…

Fresh Finds From the Listening Lounge

First, let’s dive into the artists that led me to discover some new genres because holy crap am I happy I found them!

Tulle’s Needles (Apocalyptic Circus Pop)

Spotify | Apple Music | TikTok | Instagram | Website

I didn’t know there was a genre called apocalyptic pop until I came across Needles, which Tulle describes as apocalyptic circus pop! That name immediately stood out to me and, naturally, led me to do some digging.

And here’s what I found: Norwegian artist Tulle describes her music as apocalyptic pop, which is a genre she created after previously referring to her work as death pop. She says her music lives somewhere between indie and alternative, with recurring themes of existential dread, endings, beginnings, grief, religion, folklore, and rage.

Her song, Needles, might be the clearest example of what that sounds like.

I adore when a song’s production aligns with its lyrics, and this song is a prime example of that. The track starts with an unsettling instrumental and then dives into lyrics: “I’m too emotional. I’m trying to keep it in. I need just a minute to breathe.” Both the lyrics and production convey the feeling of panic within the first twenty-five seconds of the song’s start, and as the lyrics delve into darker territory - “What if I never find peace? I’m getting shortness of breath and the room is getting smaller. I used to be so forgiving, but now the pain just harbours. I think I’m drowning, I feel it, my lungs are caving in,” - breathing becomes almost its own character within the track as well.

The lyrics keep returning to lungs, suffocation, shrinking rooms, needles in the skin, feeling someone standing too close…Anxiety-inducing, yes, but it reads less like someone describing anxiety and more like someone being trapped inside the middle of a panic attack while desperately trying to convince themselves they’re still okay.

The song paints a vivid image with both its words and its sound, which makes it all the more unsettling. And allows the apocalyptic circus pop label to make all the more sense.

And something else I love about the production - buckle in, I’m sure there’ll be a ton of production glazing as I discuss these first few songs, as is always the case with me - is how it never feels interested in offering relief. It never loosens its grip, and instead, it feels as if it keeps tightening the room around you as the production builds, the song grows louder, and the heartbeat-like pulse continues pounding in the background.

The song’s atmosphere feels theatrical without becoming too campy, dramatic without becoming melodramatic, and everything slowly closes in until even the repeated “I can’t breathe you’re too close, and I feel like I might choke” starts sounding less like a lyric being sung and more like a part of the production itself.

If you read my music posts often, you already know I’m a very visual listener, and there are always scenes playing out in my head or images flashing across my mind as I listen to any record. So, visually…Well, this song elicits a lot of images!

It sounds like it should be played in American Horror Story, and immediately makes me think back on Freak Show’s darker scenes. It also takes me back to the 2016 clowns terrorizing random people for no reason. And I’d be lying if I said this song didn’t sound like something that should be playing in an asylum or exactly how an abandoned hospital that looks very season one episode one of The Walking Dead-ish - or worse - looks.

But most of all, I keep imagining an abandoned circus after everyone’s gone home (because duh). The lights are technically still on, but they’re flickering. The audience disappeared hours ago. Evil clowns with makeup running down their faces, and some poor fool wandering through empty tents while something unseen follows just out of frame…

That circus imagery isn’t accidental, either. Tulle has built much of her artistic world around clowns, circuses, and existential symbolism, describing herself as an artist interested in “ends and beginnings” and creating an entire multimedia universe around those ideas. It’s safe to say she’s done a wonderful job of articulating her visual world within the lyrics of her music - without explicitly describing it each time, too!

And ironically, despite how heavy the subject matter is, I don’t think this song feels hopeless. It feels aware; like someone recognizing they’re spiraling in real time and narrating every uncomfortable second of it.

I also appreciate that it never tries to romanticize anxiety. There’s no poetic metaphor trying to make suffering beautiful. It’s sweaty palms, shallow breathing, and feeling trapped inside your own body. Sometimes that’s all there is.

If apocalyptic pop sounds like this, then consider me a fan!

Soundsbyhugo’s SAVEYOURSELF

I’m not going to lie, I think the contrast between the previous genre and this one is straight-up hilarious. We’re moving on from Tulle’s anxiety-inducing apocalyptic circus pop and jumping straight into the producer Soundsbyhugo’s Fantasy R&B, which sounds like the epitome of frolicking through fairyland most of the time.

Fantasy R&B is a very whimsical-sounding genre, I’ve found. It sounds like dilly-dallying, prancing, scampering, and getting into mischief. Or like collecting shiny little trinkets you found on the forest floor. It’s airy, sparkly, and it feels like it’s inviting you into an enchanted forest where every mushroom is probably sentient and every stream is glowing.

SAVEYOURSELF is a prime example, with its dreamy, weightless quality and spacious textures, which almost make it sound as if you’re floating. Instead of grounding you, this song makes everything feel slightly out of reach, almost like you’re chasing something that’s disappearing the closer you get to it. Like in a dream.

Visually, this song makes me picture someone wandering through an impossibly beautiful forest just after sunrise. Light pours through the trees, little particles float through the air, and everything looks magical enough to make you forget you're completely lost. It feels like Studio Ghibli meeting a fantasy RPG, or the soundtrack of someone who’s leaving their village with nothing but a backpack, a vague prophecy, and too much optimism.

Also, as soon as I heard it, I thought of The Girl Who Drank the Moon, despite having read it years ago. But this song really suits that book’s vibe.

Anyways, I’m rambling now, but I’ll just say that I also love how much space exists inside the production, the ambient texture, and how the song is dreamy without becoming sleepy, and immersive in the way fantasy games and films often are.

(I’d love to hear this track inside a cozy game, actually!)

Fantasy R&B has been around for a while, unbeknownst to me, and Hugo’s produced for artists like Brent Faiyaz, Kali Uchis, and Rels B, so if you enjoy their music, you’ll likely vibe with his work.

Rakiyah’s Ready or Not (Korean Rock)

Rakiyah is a multi-faceted talent, making alternative R&B music with dark fantasy aesthetics and the occasional Korean and Rock influences. The rock version of her song, Ready or Not, fits into all those categories!

Rakiyah’s built her audience through bilingual English and Korean music, and while she’s primarily known for alternative R&B, she’s been very open about wanting to incorporate more rock and pop-punk into her sound. She even cites Paramore as one of the inspirations she’s excited to finally let shine through. And as someone who also refuses to be boxed into one genre or aesthetic, I respect that immensely!

To me, the rock version of Ready or Not feels like exactly the kind of song you'd hear during the training montage of an anime protagonist who's finally decided they've had enough of being run all over and underestimating themselves.

Production-wise, I love how the guitars don't completely overpower Rakiyah's voice. They add weight and drive without sacrificing the dreamier qualities that make her music feel like her music. You can still hear the ethereal, almost magical quality she talks about wanting to bring into her work, even with the heavier instrumentation.

Visually, this song immediately puts me inside one of those cinematic fight scenes where the heroine has finally stopped running and decided to face her enemy head-on with a sword in her hand and wind blowing dramatically…during a stormy night, too! She’s bruised, exhausted, probably underestimated for most of the movie, and she’s finally about to prove everyone wrong.

I like the K-drama final-battle OST vibe this song gives off, too.

As for Korean rock, it’s a genre I need to get more into! I’ve enjoyed K-Alt music, but I could really stand to explore this genre more. I appreciate this song for bringing that to my attention, and I’m putting it on my music to-do list ASAP!

Madaí Chakell’s Say Something (Emo R&B)

Spotify | Apple Music | TikTok | Instagram | YouTube

This is one of my favorite entries on the list because I love when creatives are so experimental!

Atlanta artist Madaí Chakell actually coined the term “emo R&B” herself, describing it as the place where soul, pop, vulnerability, storytelling, and emotional honesty all meet. She’s talked about wanting to create a space where people who feel deeply can finally belong, and I think her song, Say Something, captures that mission beautifully,

To me, this song feels like the emotional equivalent of sitting in your car after an argument because you don't quite trust yourself to drive yet, and I really like how it feels like being frustrated rather than angry. It feels like wanting someone to meet you halfway and coming to the slow, unwanted realization that they probably won’t. The title itself ends up carrying so much weight. Say Something. It's such a simple request, but it immediately tells you everything you need to know about the relationship. Silence becomes the antagonist.

I love how restrained everything in the production feels. The instrumental leaves plenty of room for Madaí's voice to do the heavy lifting, and that's where the song shines. She has a voice that doesn't need an overly complicated production to communicate what she's feeling. You can hear the raw emotion sitting inside every line.

This song immediately makes me think of one of those rainy scenes in a coming-of-age movie where two people are technically standing right next to each other, yet somehow feel miles apart. Or a montage of a couple arguing and going to their respective homes, still stewing in anger, yet missing each other - but the frustration wins over every longing emotion, so they refuse to call or text each other even after picking up their phones to do so multiple times.

The song conveys melancholy without becoming melodramatic. And I genuinely hope more artists start experimenting with emo R&B - while giving Madaí her deserved credit, of course - because it feels like such a natural evolution of contemporary R&B, where emotional vulnerability isn’t just part of the songwriting, but it’s the entire atmosphere.

Robyn L’s Poseidon Complex (Siren Pop)

I may have been living under a rock this whole time, but it never occurred to me that siren pop was a thing - until I came across Botswana-born artist Robyn L!

Her music blends contemporary R&B, pop, mythology, and an almost ethereal femininity into something that feels less like a song and more like a character stepping out of the ocean. Her latest EP is even called I Heard a Siren Call, so it's safe to say she's fully committed to building this world, and I’m thankful for it, cause I love every bit of it!

The title Poseidon Complex gives you a pretty good idea of where the song’s headed. It’s drenched in Greek mythology, divine imagery, worship, and ocean metaphors.

“You make me feel like I’m a siren.”

“I’m ocean-dripping wet, is you Poseidon?”

“Now I got a God complex.”

The entire song plays with power in such an interesting way. Instead of the siren being the dangerous figure everyone fears, she becomes the one being worshipped. The mythology is less about monsters and more about confidence, seduction, and stepping fully into your own power.

Production-wise, I love how fluid everything feels. Nothing sounds rigid or overly sharp. The instrumental almost rolls forward in waves, giving the whole track a hypnotic quality that fits the siren concept perfectly. It doesn’t rush you anywhere. It lures you there.

And I appreciate the minor details included throughout the track that push it further into the oceanic theme. The harp-like shimmering glissando effect at around 0:27. The breathy, airy vocals that almost float rather than sit firmly on top of the instrumental. The shimmering high-end textures, which give the song a glistening quality, like sunlight dancing on water. The layered vocal harmonies that wash over each other, almost like multiple voices calling from different directions (very siren-like).

The lack of sharp percussion. The drums don’t punch through the mix very hard, which helps maintain that drifting, liquid feeling. The smooth transitions between sections - Nothing feels jagged or aggressive; everything flows into the next moment. The way - to my ear - the reverb makes everything feel spacious and submerged, almost like it’s echoing through a cavern or beneath the surface. And, of course, the drip sound around 2:38.

(I adore the attention to detail! And side note: I’m realizing just how pleasing I find aquatic-themed music to be because of how it often includes extensive detail like this. BTS’ Swim, Tyla’s Water, and now this! I’m eating good, and it’s exactly what I ordered!)

Visually...this song belongs underwater (duh).

I'm picturing glowing blue water, shimmering pearls, abandoned temples, bioluminescent sea creatures, flowing fabrics, gold jewelry, and swimming through ancient ruins. Or honestly? A siren casually lounging on a rock being fanned while ships mysteriously start changing course in the distance.

It sounds like a song that would be played in a movie following a young woman living in a modern-day underwater society. I love the mythical, enchanted, elegant yet modern atmosphere of the track.

What I’ve learned from listening to this is that I need to be listening to more siren pop immediately, and if there are more artists out there building entire sonic worlds around mythology, fantasy, folklore, and larger-than-life characters, I must hear them!

PAiDA’s PLANET KiLLER (Dystopian J-Pop)

Finally, we have Dystopian J-Pop, which I discovered through Houston-based artist PAiDA! I first found her through her (banger of a) song, SPACExARCADE, but I wanted to highlight PLANET KiLLER since it best fits the genre.

PAiDA describes herself as a “dystopian pop idol with a vendetta,” and honestly...what a sentence! She blends J-pop with future bass, future funk, kawaii aesthetics, sci-fi worldbuilding, and dystopian themes, creating a universe that feels like an anime, rhythm game, and cyberpunk apocalypse all wrapped up into one.

Even her social media leans into the lore, referring to her followers as “humans” while she broadcasts her signal from somewhere beyond Earth. And her website is space-themed, too, with her links floating around!

(My God, I love an artist who has good branding and truly commits to the bit. More of this, immediately, abeg!)

She’s not just making songs, but building a world through her music, visuals, social media posts, and everything in between. Naturally, I was further drawn to her for this reason!

Back to her music - PLANET KiLLER immediately sounds larger than life.

The production is bright, explosive, and deceptively cheerful. (Y’all know I love that!) The melodies are sugary and incredibly catchy, but underneath them sits a song about humanity, destruction, and quite literally asking: “Do you wanna be a Planet Killer?”

I love when artists hide darker subject matter beneath music that makes you want to dance, and PAiDA absolutely nails that contrast here. And the production is chaotic in the best possible way!

There are these huge future bass drops, glitchy electronic textures, rapid-fire vocal delivery, and bright synths that constantly feel like they're racing toward something. The instrumental almost feels like it's glitching in and out of reality, which fits the dystopian concept perfectly. Yet despite everything happening at once, it never becomes overwhelming. Somehow it stays incredibly fun.

This song immediately throws me inside a futuristic anime where the world ended approximately twenty minutes ago. Neon billboards still flickering, robots wandering around completing tasks that no longer matter, the sky turning a vibrant shade of purple…Half the city abandoned, yet somehow there’s still a magical idol concert happening in the middle of the apocalypse, complete with holograms, glowing weapons, and an audience that’s having the time of their lives despite everything.

It also, naturally, feels like a song that should be blaring from an ‘80s arcade game.

Overall, there’s a very colorful, trippy, psychedelic vibe that I love. If you’ve ever seen The Midnight Gospel show on Netflix, season 1, episode 3 of Bob’s Burgers, “Sacred Cow,” where Bob has a conversation with the cow while sitting on pink clouds with a blue sky in the background, or Season 3, episode 5 of Bob’s Burgers, “An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal” - the scene where Bob hallucinates the giant turkey - This song makes me envision scenes with the same fun, colorful, disoriented vibe as those.

And what I enjoy most about Dystopian J-Pop is how it takes themes that could easily become bleak and filters them through color, energy, and theatricality instead. Enough so that the end of the world somehow becomes cute, chaotic, and fun.

Needless to say, I’m officially fascinated by this genre, and I’ll definitely be digging deeper into PAiDA’s discography. Anyone who describes themselves as a “dystopian pop idol with a vendetta” has already convinced me to stick around.

The Listening Room Recommends

After discovering some fun genres, I went back to listening to some of my favorite songs from emerging artists lately. I’ve had these on repeat!

All the entries in this section are small artists I found on TikTok. DON’T sleep on TikTok when it comes to finding talented artists, and don’t skip over the ones who have small followings because they are releasing the GREATEST music.

Lalin’s Body

I’ve legitimately been listening to this nonstop for a month. It’s just such a catchy melody! If you enjoy melodic rap, you’ll like this.

Genres: Blends R&B, synth-pop, alt, and hip-hop.

Lost Girl’s Wild

This is a sensual track that keeps popping into my head because of its catchy tune and sweet vocals. I love it! If you like Ariana Grande or PinkPantheress, I feel like you’ll probably like this.

Genres: Electro R&B

Danny Singh’s Candy

Sigh

He went into the studio determined to make greatness and DID. There’s nothing else to say here, really.

This song has been living in my head rent-free since I first heard it a month ago. 🫩 (And if I don’t listen to this and the following two songs together each time, I’ll combust on the spot. They go really well together!) The smooth vocals and full production really make the track. I need to hear this everywhere. It needs to be on the radio getting overplayed to hell and back.

If you like Daniel Caesar, Giveon, Lucky Daye, or Brent Faiyaz, give it a listen.

Genres: R&B/Soul, pop

SliccMic’s Facecard!

This is ridiculously wavy; I love it so much. So catchy, so pleasing to my ears, such a vibe! Words can’t possibly describe how much I enjoy this song. It sounds like riding around with your head sticking out of the car window on a cool night, and I always love songs that give me that kind of feeling. It sits at the same table as 2 On by Tinashe #TOME!

If you like PinkPantheress, maybe FKA Twigs, and DEFINITELY Tinashe, you will adore this track.

Genres: Pop

Shawnie the Tsunami’s Distant

I love this song because it makes me wanna wine my waist! It’s so vibey, so smooth, and listening to it gives me the biggest stank face, which you know means it’s amazing. IT’S SO GROOVY, MY GOD!

Tens across the board, no notes.

Well, one note: This song will be stuck in your head for all the rest of eternity if you listen to it. But it’s amazing, so you won’t mind it!

If you like Destin Conrad, Brent Faiyaz, or Jhene Aiko, I’m sure you’ll love this.

Genres: Alt R&B/Soul

Onsra’s i could be your lover

Literally no idea what’s going on, but I’ve been relistening to Artemas’ entire discography daily for most of July. His spirit has possessed me or something, I guess. Naturally, my FYP is recommending me a lot of similar artists, and this is one of my favorites that I’ve come across! His sound is inspired by Artemas, Chase Atlantic, and Odetari, all of which I adore, so obviously, I’m a very happy camper right now. i could be your lover is my favorite of all his songs, and you’ll love it too if you enjoy any of the mentioned artists! It’s extremely catchy and I feel like it’s good for scream-singing in the shower.

Genres: Dark Pop, Darkwave, Alternative.

Stephen Dawes’ Optimist

Hey, so, I’m in love with Stephen Dawes, apparently.

I’ve been listening to so much of his music, and I feel like my ears have been blessed. I’ve once again been rewarded for scrolling through TikTok for way too long! This is one of my favorite songs from him (although it’s hard to choose), and if you like Harry Styles, Hozier, Joji, or Wallows, you’ll like it, too!

(If you like Sombr’s music, you’ll also enjoy his song, Hurt Me Better!)

Genres: Indie/alt pop

Tummyache’s Interstate DR

I had the pleasure of interviewing Soren of Tummyache for the Creative Spotlight (now known as the World Of) series, and we discussed this lovely song! It’s been stuck in my head ever since. I find it really calming, and I can’t explain why, but it sounds like a song that should’ve been in season three of The Walking Dead. Also, I love Soren’s voice! If you like guitar-centric indie rock, you’ll vibe with this.

Genres: alt, punk, grunge, Indie/art rock

Dram Fools’ Not Our Time

I also interviewed this duo for the series, and upon listening to their album, Whisky River, I found that this was one of my favorite songs from the project! I enjoy playing this whole album in the background while studying, working, or just relaxing and this is one of the songs that just makes the vibe feel right. It sounds like it should be played during a rainy night scene in a 90s movie where the couple is heartbroken and yearning for each other. If you like lo-fi music, I feel like you’ll enjoy this song and album.

Genres: R&B/Soul, Jazz

Zoe Ko’s Party girls don’t cry

I can’t scroll for ten seconds on TikTok without hearing this song, and I’m not mad at it at all. It’s so catchy, and it needs to be blaring through the speakers during a late-night drive following a trip to the club. Or at the club itself, of course. If you like Slayyyter, Bebe Rexha, or Charli xcx’s music, you’ll probably like this song!

Genres: alt/indie pop

FallLeaves’ Enter My Eyes

I’m a sucker for soft vocals and an addictive melody; what can I say? I found this artist while scrolling on TikTok (as per usual), and I’m so glad I did! This song is such a vibe, and I want to listen to it while lying in a field on a chilly, windy day with the sun shining on my face.

Genres: Afro-pop

Mia Denee’s Gravitational Pull

I love the chorus so much! And for some reason, the song feels nostalgic to me. It sounds like something I would’ve listened to in the late 2010s alongside 4 AM by Melanie Fiona, 2 On by Tinashe, and Memories Back Then by B.o.B, Kendrick Lamar, and T.I.

Genres: Alt R&B/Soul, pop

Journee’s Only One

A calm, smooth late-night contemporary song that I fell in love with as soon as I came across it! If you like Summer Walker, SZA, and Jhene Aiko, you’ll like this one!

Genres: R&B/Soul

proderics and melodybloom’s Wasted Time

Another one that is exactly the kind of vibe I love! It’s a fun, easy listen with beautiful vocals, and if you enjoy PinkPantheress, you’ll enjoy this!

Genres: alt/indie, dance, electronic

Mree’s Limbo

Another one that must be listened to while lounging in a field. Such a peaceful vibe with its indie-folk production and breathy, ethereal vocals. If you like The Marias, Clairo, Men I Trust, or Imogen Heap, you’ll vibe with this.

Genres: Alt/indie

Patrick Martin’s Only Good At Being Young

I loved this song from the second I heard it because it’s so energetic and fun! I can only imagine how amazing it sounds live. It would go hard at any party, too, for sure.

Now, walk with me here: If you like I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry, Beggin by Måneskin, or Fahrradsattel by Pisse, you’ll enjoy this song. (And if you think you don’t know the last song, go give it a listen because yes, actually, you probably do.)

Genres: Alt, rock

Creole Cuba’s Rage

This has become my new favorite song to turn on when I want to headbang. Black women x rock music >>>>>> I’m obsessed with the vocals and album artwork, too! If you enjoy WILLOW or Paramore, you’ll like this song.

Genres: Alt, indie, rock

Erin LeCount’s The Cinema

So glad I came across this song! Unsurprisingly, I find it quite cinematic! It definitely sounds like it belongs on a coming-of-age movie’s soundtrack. If you like Chappell Roan, Gracie Abrams, Lorde, or Florence + The Machine, you’ll like this song.

Genres: Alt/Indie

More From the Musical Universe

And if you’re looking to discover some even more incredible emerging artists, here are some special features - this AYLY roundup’s four spotlighted artists!

Maxine

An up-and-coming band, Maxine, recently released their EP, Borrowed, which is a banger! If you enjoy indie rock, shoegaze, and alt-country music, this is the EP for you.

Spencer Hoffman

Spencer released their album, Cherry Picker, back in March, and the video for one of its singles, Dandelions, in May. If you like alt folk and country music, you’ll enjoy this project!

Street Tampon

Emily Terzano, who is behind the Street Tampon project, released their first EP, Want, Wisdom, Activity, on June 12th, and it’s perfect for anyone who enjoys alt-rock and grunge music. It’s only three tracks, so it’s a quick listen, and definitely worth checking out!

Jenny Gillespie Mason

Jenny recently released her folk (and at times, synth/ambient-leaning) album, In the Safety of the Light, which includes eight tracks that one might compare to Judee Sill, Clairo, and Beck’s more cosmic, spacious folk music. If that sounds like your kind of vibe, check out the singles: Rungs of Love and Medicine of Light!

The Listening Log

In case you missed it and want to give a few more incredible emerging artists a shot, here’s all the music I listened to throughout the months of May and June, and during my Aural Immersion sessions - which you’ll now find in my Are You Listening Yet posts going forward!

🎤 = Song

🎵 = EP

🎶 = Mixtape

🪩 = Album

🎥 = Music Video

🗣📢 = Indie / Emerging Artist - Take extra care to check them out!!!

May

Every New Thing I Listened to (or Watched) This Month

5/2/26

• 🪩Midnight Sun: Girls Trip album by Zara Larsson - I wasn’t even expecting to listen to this but I’m glad I did! I only listened to the OG album once and don’t remember it, but I loved these remixes!

• 🪩Worst Girl in America by Slayyyter - Finally watched the visual album/listened to it. I liked most songs!

• 🎤🗣📢La Dimora by Outer World - This is an indie band who I’m writing a feature for them as part of the Creative Spotlight Series! I’m glad they reached out because I really enjoyed the song. It’s unique, and I’m interested in listening to more of their work!

• 🎤GOMF by Latto ft Glorilla - … I like the beat … the beat is hot! Lol

• 🎤Runway by Lady Gaga and Doechii - Meh. But they look great!!

• 🎤YCC by Cortis - An unreleased banger, much like Cheeseball! I like the yodeling, like, unironically.

• 🎤Drop Dead by Olivia Rodrigo - It may grow on me. I didn’t dislike it!

5/8/26

• 🗣📢made it! album by lucky day - I really enjoyed listening to this! It covers a lot of topics I think a lot of people in their late teens and early twenties who are still discovering themselves will heavily relate to.

• 🎵N0rth4evr - very cute, the beats are great!

5/9/26

• 🎤🗣📢Interstate DR by Tummyache - I adore this song. I’ve listened to it, like, ten times today. It will be stuck in my head for who knows how long. This is the first track of Tummyache’s upcoming fourth album.

• 🎤🗣📢empty house by she’s green - This is a gorgeous song with the most beautiful vocals!!! It’s part of she’s green’s upcoming EP, SWALLOWTAIL, which is out July 10th.

• 🎤🗣📢R.J.D / Tomka Ton by Fiver Trois - This is a double single that I enjoyed because it’s unlike what I usually listened to! I really liked Tomka Ton, particularly! These songs are part of Fiver’s upcoming LP, which is out July 10th.

• 🪩🗣📢A Shadow, A Dream by Hudson McVay - This album is sooo beautiful! Hudson has a beautiful voice, and I feel like I’ll be listening to this a lot over the next few weeks. For sure give it a listen if you enjoy folk albums with heart-wrenching lyrics!

• 🪩🗣📢Linen of Words by Annick Odom - This is another album that I enjoyed listening to because it’s so different from what I usually turn on. Sonically, it’s so interesting, which makes sense considering it’s described as “A kaleidoscopic collection of original songs and reworked traditional ballads, shaped by over 20 musicians from a wide range of musical backgrounds, including folk, jazz, classical, and experimental music.”

• 🎵GREENGREEN by Cortis - I loveee this! I really enjoy Cortis’ music and how fun it is. They get really creative/experimental, at least for a K-Pop group, and it’s exciting to listen to. I’m not the biggest fan of “Blue Lips” but it may grow on me. Everytime I say I’m not a fan of something, it always does lol

5/17/26

• 🎤Sinking Feeling by LEAP - Banger, I’m so happy I found this!!!

• 🎤Karakuri by Maverick Mom - I love Japanese music so much!! Glad I found this song too.

• 🎤Cap by T3 Uptown - Catchy! Another one I found through TikTok, as per usual. I love that app idcidc

• 🎵Throwing Bows by Monaleo - I finally listened to this full mixtape and

• 🎥 TNT and ACAI by Cortis - Love their brand of MVs

• 🎥 Dance No More by Harry Styles - I loved this video, thought Harold served a lot of cunt, and the people who are criticizing him for not being “conventionally attractive anymore” are going to hell.

• 🎤Come Over by BTS - Finally listened to this full song outside of seeing BTS perform it. It’s so beautiful, and whoever decided to make it a hidden track that’s not available on streaming is going TOOOO HELLLLLL!!!

• 🎤Brorilla’s Diss - She can rap, idk. I hope she pursues a whole rap career after this idcidc

• 🎤Coconut Water by Trim - I like herrrr this is catchy and I’m rooting for Trim

• 🎤Girl Like Me by PinkPantheress - Love the video so much!! Catchy song

• 🎤D33P3R by Mike WiLL Made-It ft. Ludacris & Teezo Touchdown - Quite like this song, Teezo is gorgeous

• 🎤E85 by Don Toliver - Banger, I gotta finally listen to the full Octane album soon because I’ve been streaming Gemstone religiously for months now

• 🎤Hysteria by Bebe Rexha & Faithless - I don’t have many thoughts but I really like this

• 🎤New Religion by Bebe Rexha - Ditto

• 🪩🗣📢 Whisky River by Dram Fools - This is such a calming album to play in the background while working, cleaning, relaxing, or doing pretty much anything. It’s R&B/Soul with Jazz and Celtic elements infused, so naturally, it’s a vibe! I love how vulnerable the lyrics are - it sounds like a more old-timey kind of romance and heartache, which is really refreshing in the modern landscape.

5/18/26

• 🪩🗣📢 Heart in Mouth by Heart and Mouth - I really enjoyed this album! I Spy and TalkTalk are for suree my favorite tracks!!!

• 🪩🗣📢 THE GOLDEN WEST by August Gladstone - I’ve been enjoying listening to different kinds of music than I’m used to so much lately, and this is a great example of something so unique that I never would’ve come across on my own! I really enjoyed the listening experience.

• 🎤🗣📢Out of Water by GUS - This will be stuck in my head for such a long time, I can already tell

• 🎤🗣📢 Same Life by GUS - Really enjoy this song, especially the production

• 🎤🗣📢 Hands on Me by GUS - Genuinely my kind of music, I’m going to stream tf outta this

5/25/26

• 🎤🗣📢Body by Rain Lalin - Love this a lot

• 🎤🗣📢Wild by Lost Girl - Same here

• 🎤🗣📢Was It Real by Ben Rodrigues - Super catchy!

• 🎤Boompala by Le Sserafim - Fun

• 🎤Right Back by Karlee Girl

• 🎤Coconut by Sailorr - Love the melody

• 🎤🗣📢Needles by Tulle - absolute banger, holy crap?!?!?!?!?!

• 🎤🗣📢 nobody luv you by 黄烁庭ShootingWong - 🔥

• Stick With You by TXT - They don’t know how to make a bad song. Like, they couldn’t if they tried.

5/26/26

• 7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns by TXT - Exactly what I said about then yesterday.

• 🪩🗣📢 The Cost of Freedom by Koko Love - Words actually can’t describe how much I love this. I am soooo happy I heard this album! My kind of music fr.

• 🎵🗣📢quicksand by Simone Lidet - the most angelic vocals and sonically beautiful songs. I hope she blows up asap!!!! Her EP will be out on June 5th so hopefully by the time I post this. Stream it!!

5/31/26

• Hate that I made you love me by Ariana grande - everybody hating on this is tasteless and im glad I got it the very FIRST time.

• Everythang Pinka by Monaleo - cute song, even cuter video

• Motion Party by Bossman Dlow do Megan thee stallion - Megan slid as per usual. She’s never had a bad verse

What I’ve Been Listening to the Most

• Acai by Cortis

• YoungCreatorCrew by Cortis

• REDRED by Cortis

• Boat by Trim

• Celebrate by Le Sserafim (the fanmade extended hardstyle versions)

• D33P3R by Mike WiLL Made-It ft Teezo Touchdown & Ludacris - Lord, Teezo Touchdown done got me. I have been obsessed with both the song and the video for days now. RELEASE ME!!!

• Intro + Hooligan Live by BTS - That extended intro is literally addictive, I can listen to the first minute for like an hour straight. I think I might edit at least a ten-minute version of it to download to my phone?? Lol; I think I’m just obsessed with it because on top of it sounding good, it’s also such a theatrical instrumental that allows me to get deep into my maladaptive daydreams lmao

• Come Over by BTS - That first “You’ll never love me like the way you did before, but would you open up if I knocked on your door?” hits like crack every time.

• Flush ‘em, Wam Bam, and Putting Ya Dine by Monaleo - Flush ‘em is a banger, Wam Bam makes me giggle (love the violence! lmao), and Putting Ya Dine has been replayed at least ten times per month since it first came out. It’s never going to leave my head; I’ve just accepted it.

• Realer by Megan Thee Stallion (Apple Music Performance) - Literally same, I’ve had to relisten to this a million times per month since it came out years ago.

• Rather Be Blind by Etta James, Walk on By by Dionne Warwick, Hopelessly Devoted by Olivia Newton-John, and Bound to You by Christina Aguilera - They’re part of one of my quote-on-quote “Set lists” lmao I can’t listen to one without listening to the others.

Got Stuck In My Head Throughout the Month

• Better Off by Ariana Grande

• Everytime by Ariana Grande

• Goodnight n go by Ariana Grande

• Filthy by Justin timberlake… haven’t heard this in years why’s this in my head 😭

• I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash

• Past lives by Borns

June

Every New Thing I Listened to This Month

6/5/26

• 🗣📢🎵 - Borrowed by Maxine - I legit loved this way more than I expected to!

• 🗣📢🎵 - *Want, Wisdom, Activity* by Street Tampon - So happy I listened to this. It’s a short listen, and I really enjoyed it!

• 🗣📢🪩 - Boys Can Be, FEVER, and Five Star albums by Soorin - K-pop by an emerging artist. I listened to Soorin’s discography as I found her on Instagram and picked her as an artist to do a fan engagement case study on. I was so surprised to find her music is legit so good! Hah, idk what I was expecting, but it’s better than I thought it’d be! Sounds like something that should definitely be playing everywhere right now. Her voice is really beautiful, and the songs are cute.

6/6/26

• 🎤Too Easy by Tinashe - loved this

• 🎤Clean Sweep by Storm (Reid) - I like it.

6/14/26

• 🪩🎵No Labels by Yeonjun - Finally listened to this! It was an unexpected sound, and I loved every second of it.

6/22/26

• 🎵🗣📢 Something Borrowed by Blu Marsi - a vibe! I enjoyed it!

• 🗣📢Drown (Deluxe) by Frances Anderson - I enjoyed the vibe of this project, too! I love Frances’ voice and artistic style.

What I’ve Been Listening to the Most

• Walk Right Now by The Jacksons

• Threatened by Michael Jackson

• D33P3R by Mike WiLL Made-It, Teezo Touchdown, and Ludacris

• Body by Lalin

• hate that i made you love me by Ariana Grande

Got Stuck In My Head Throughout the Month

• Dance by Slayyyter

• Pinky Up by Katseye

• Into the Sun by BTS - my mom got me re-obsessed with the video of Jungkook doing that riff as soon as it had finally stopped running through my head at all hours of the day and night ahsksks

• TNT by Cortis

• Got Me Singing by Jaafar

• Telepath by Conan Gray

• Got Me Singing by Jaafar Jackson

• Sweet Dreams by Beyoncé

• Plot Twist by AtHeart

• you’re always on my mind by Artemas

• hate that i made you love me by Ariana Grande

So, that’s it for this Are You Listening Yet entry! I’d love to do these on a monthly basis, but hey, bi-monthly works, too. That gives me even more time to discover some amazing new music to report back 🫡 Until next time, thank you for reading!

Keep Reading

Throughout June, I posted eight more interviews with eight other incredible emerging artists.

I’m incredibly grateful to these artists for letting me take a step inside the worlds of their projects. Through working on their features, I’ve come to realize how much I truly value getting to connect with artists and learn about their projects on a deeper level, which has inspired me to expand the Creative Spotlight series into something even better - something that will allow space for deeper storytelling around artists, their art, and the worlds surrounding it.

Thus, the Creative Spotlight series will now be known as the World Of series!

Every project exists within the realm of its own unique world.

As a narrative strategist and fan engagement specialist for artists, I’m passionate about helping creatives shape those worlds and find meaningful ways to invite their audiences inside.

With the World Of series, I’m hoping to take readers beyond the finished project and into the stories, ideas, and lives of the people who brought each world to life!

To put it simply, World Of is an editorial feature series exploring the people, stories, ideas, and creative worlds behind the art.

Through interviews, artist profiles, project deep dives, origin stories, and other long-form features, the series will go beyond the finished product to look at what shaped it: the experiences behind the work, the choices made along the way, and the worlds the creators hope their audiences will not only enter, but make themselves right at home inside.

While World Of will primarily highlight musicians and emerging artists, it’s also open to writers, founders, designers, filmmakers, actors, developers, collectives, and other creatives with a story worth exploring.

And don’t worry; spotlighting emerging talent will continue to be one of the most important parts of the series!

I love discovering artists who are still building their audiences, finding their voices, and creating worlds that more people deserve the chance to experience.

Through World Of, I hope to give them space to be seen beyond a quick intro or promotional post, and to share the stories, ideas, and intentions behind what they’re creating.

Because people don’t fall in love with art alone. They connect to the human being who made it. Art draws people in, but it’s the story behind it that makes them stay.

Check Out All 9 Creative Spotlights

GUS’s single, Out of Water pairs bright, full-bodied production with lyrics that are much more bitter and wounded than the song’s energy might first suggest. What begins as a piano-born reflection on comparison after a relationship becomes something bigger and louder, carried by horns, strings, and the kind of theatrical release that makes heartbreak feel like a collective experience rather than a lone one.

The song is not interested in sounding as defeated as its emotional premise might suggest. Instead, it builds toward something more animated and alive, allowing frustration to turn into release without pretending the feeling underneath is simple.

That same emotional directness also points toward GUS’s upcoming EP, First Times, a six-song project about first loves and their endings. Across the conversation, GUS talks about writing as a way to dramatize despair, process what is happening in real time, and turn difficult experiences into something satisfying, fully developed, and - in his own words - awesomesauce.

In this Creative Spotlight conversation, GUS reflects on Out of Water, the upcoming First Times EP, working with Iain Berryman, and the live performances that continue to teach him how people receive his music!

This interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

Also available on MQTWorld.com

Big Feelings, Bigger Production: The Process Behind Creating Out of Water

At the center of Out of Water is a feeling that does not stay quiet. The song begins from a painfully specific post-relationship place, where every possible future connection gets measured against the person who came before, but its sound refuses to collapse under that weight. Instead, the track grows outward, becoming bigger, brighter, and more dramatic as the emotion behind it sharpens. That contrast between an upbeat sound and cynical lyrics is the clearest place to begin.

Out of Water pairs an upbeat sound with cynical lyrics. What compelled you to make the song have that kind of contrast?

GUS: That was a choice we made because this feeling I wrote about (the feeling that no one else would be as good for me as my ex) was so all-consuming, frustrating, and scary that I felt like yelling about it. The song grows with my contempt.

What does your songwriting process usually look like, and do you think about genre at all when you’re creating, or does that come after the fact?

GUS: My process is almost always me sitting at my piano at home and mumbling about things that are on my mind. I started playing the piano part you hear at the beginning of the song, and the rest all came out after I landed on the lyric “you’re why people don’t excite me anymore”. I never really think about genre because when it’s only me and my piano, they’re all kind of just...songs.

Do you tend to write from a place of reflection, or are your songs usually capturing emotions in real time?

GUS: It’s very much a mix of real-time and retrospective. Out of Water was the former.

And you worked with Iain Berryman on this track. What did he bring to it that changed the way you originally imagined it?

GUS: This was my first session with Iain, whose work I am a big fan of, and it was an exceedingly painless and enjoyable process. He brought an energy and life to the song, which was, before, a sad piano thing I wrote. When he went in, adding the horns and strings in the post-chorus, I was just sitting back in awe of how big and beautiful this song was becoming.

First Loves, Endings, and First Times

Because Out of Water was written from the middle of the feeling rather than at a safe distance from it, the song carries the intensity of a thought that has not fully settled yet. That immediacy connects naturally to the larger emotional world of First Times, which is a project built around first loves, their endings, and the growth that comes from having to make sense of both. But before getting into the EP itself, it was worth asking whether writing these songs helps GUS move on or keeps him inside that post-relationship world a little longer.

Gus’s response to the question?

“Writing about any kind of despair in your life helps so much because you kind of have to dramatize it for the sake of the song. You also have to decide exactly how you actually feel so you can pull from it, and that makes you process whatever is going on. Plus, when you write a song that you love, no matter what it's about, there's this immense satisfaction that comes from having turned it into something awesomesauce.”

That answer shows the exact emotional function of a song like Out of Water. The despair doesn’t just sit there untouched; it gets heightened, dramatized, and eventually turned into something GUS can understand differently because he made art out of it. That process feels especially important considering Out of Water is not just a standalone release, but part of a larger project where each song seems to hold a different piece of love, loss, and first emotional impact.

You’re currently rolling out toward an upcoming EP. How would you say these singles fit into the larger story or emotional arc of that project?

GUS: This EP is about my first loves and their endings. Every song is a different part of the story.

Without revealing too much, what feels different about this EP compared to your previous releases?

GUS: In the past, my bodies of work were very much focused on me. They were evidence of growing pains and asked a lot of questions about my place in the world. This project is also about growing, but it’s specifically about my first experiences of love.

And is there anything else you can or would like to reveal about your upcoming project?

GUS: I can excitedly share the title, which I have been wrestling with for a long time. The Project is called First Times and will be 6 songs about my first loves and their endings.

Live Performance and What the Crowd Reveals

While First Times is rooted in endings, the songs are not meant to stay frozen in the private world where they were written; they also have to survive the shift from personal memory into shared experience!

If the songs begin at the piano, they take on another life once they reach a room full of people. For GUS, performance is not just a way to present the work after it’s finished, but also a way to understand what is actually landing. The live space becomes its own kind of feedback loop, where the energy of the performer and the response of the crowd start shaping each other in real time. That makes the live show one of the clearest places to see how people connect with GUS’s music.

You’ve built a strong reputation as a live performer! What do you notice about how people connect with your music in a live space?

GUS: Playing live is my favourite thing on the entire planet. It has been such a valuable experience for me as an artist to be able to see firsthand how people receive the songs. I notice that people are really sensitive to the energy coming from the performers. If I am moved by the music, they will be too.

With that being said, is there a song that you’ve come to appreciate even more since performing it live?

GUS: What an amazing question! Yes, yes, yes, I am always surprised by which songs people gravitate to, and it shows me that I know nothing of what the people want. My song ‘Slips Away’ has this ability to capture a crowd in a way I haven’t seen in other songs in the set. I love when I am playing in a room of people who are not familiar with my music and watch the sea of bodies sync up when we play that song. Everyone starts swaying together, it’s amazing.

There is something so fitting about that image! A room of unfamiliar listeners slowly syncing up to a song together, when, across this conversation, GUS describes songwriting as something intimate and private, often beginning alone at the piano, but also as something that becomes bigger once it leaves that first space.

Out of Water may have started as a “sad piano thing,” but through collaboration, performance, and the emotional arc of First Times, it becomes part of a larger story about love, endings, growth, and the strange satisfaction of turning despair into something alive.

That is what makes this era feel so compelling. GUS is not writing from a place where everything has been neatly resolved. He is writing from the middle of the feeling, then letting the songs become the place where that feeling can stretch, dramatize itself, and finally crystallize.

Out of Water by GUS is out now, with the six-song EP First Times on the way.

Keep Reading

Koko Love’s debut album, The Cost of Freedom, is an indie alt-pop and alt-rock project that also happens to be loose, bright, impulsive, and alive - but underneath all that movement is a constant sense of questioning: what freedom actually means, what it costs, and what it feels like to keep choosing yourself when certainty would be easier.

The project seamlessly moves through anxiety, chaos, spirituality, resilience, self-reflection, and the messy euphoria of being alive - and the songs do not try to smooth those contradictions into something clean and digestible. Instead, The Cost of Freedom allows them to exist all at once, colliding rather than settling into one pre-established box.

That’s what makes the album feel so exhilarating! Well, that and the lyricism.

Koko’s writing often sits between surrender and self-awareness, embracing impulse while still trying to understand what it reveals. Songs like Jump Head First in the Fire and 24 carry that feeling directly, balancing humor, chaos, gratitude, existential reflection, and a real sense of…aliveness, all at once.

In this eighth Creative Spotlight conversation, Koko Love reflects on the freedom inside chaos, the cost of independence, and why The Cost of Freedom was ultimately made to feel like a breath of fresh air.

This interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

Also available on MQTWorld.com

Chaos, Duality, and the Cost of Freedom

Part of what makes The Cost of Freedom feel so alive is the way it refuses to separate emotional uncertainty from sonic freedom. The album moves quickly and openly, as if the songs are constantly deciding what they are in real time. That looseness is not just aesthetic; it becomes part of the emotional language of the record, especially in how Koko connects anxiety, chaos, and possibility.

Your album feels really loose and alive sonically, but underneath that, there’s a lot of anxiety, uncertainty, and questioning of self. Do you intentionally like to use sound to soften what you’re actually saying, or did this end up happening naturally as you were making the album?

KL: Funny enough, I don’t know if anyone will relate to this, but it’s often in times of deep anxiety or chaos that I feel the most free. Chaos has a negative connotation at its core, but really, chaos means anything is possible. Chaos means the status quo can be rewritten. So I think the sound of the album is just a pure representation of that.

A lot of the album feels impulsive and almost chaotic - acting first, thinking later. Do you see that energy as something you’re embracing, or something you’re trying to understand or outgrow?

KL: Definitely something I’m embracing. And I would say: act now, edit later. Creating a separation between the creative mind and the analytical mind. I’m still perfecting this way of doing things. It’s an ongoing learning process.

That relationship to chaos also gives the album its spiritual tension. On Jump Head First in the Fire, Koko writes from a place where gratitude, guilt, bad decisions, protection, and blessing all seem to exist at once. The song does not treat goodness as simple or freedom as easy, which makes its reflections on duality feel central to the larger world of The Cost of Freedom.

For this song, the lyrics “All those good things in my life, God is be conspiring for me to have a good time and now I’m wondering, how’s my karmic debt going cause I keep blundering but she keeps blessing me,” are really sensational! Would you like to explain more about the idea behind them?

KL: This song is about the balance of good and evil. It’s about duality, which is only real in the material and mental world. Beyond that, in the spiritual, there is no such thing as good and evil, I believe. God is ever forgiving. Unconditional love. Although down here on earth, it is very real. There are good and evil forces at stake. And I believe you’re not truly good if you’ve never had to choose. This song is about my reflections on the subject, and simply the duality of good and evil, I would say.

And I love “24” What would you say was the main thing that inspired this song?

KL: I’m from Montréal (Canada), where it’s cold as fuck most of the year. Anybody who lives here is a bit crazy because this weather could literally drive anyone insane. But on the flip side, I think it also builds character. Canadians are some of the strongest, most resilient people I know. And we have the blessing of seasons. Real. Distinct. Seasons. Not some LA bullshit. And I think that’s a blessing.

That kind of relationship to place - loving the harshness as much as the beauty of it -feels very on-brand, considering how important of a part duality plays in the album’s larger emotional world. 24 turns Montréal’s cold, seasonal intensity into something almost character-building, where discomfort becomes part of the atmosphere rather than something to escape. And in that way, the song also begins to touch on one of the album’s bigger questions: what it actually means to feel free when freedom itself can be difficult, demanding, and uncertain.

What does “freedom” mean to you at this point in your life, and what do you feel like it’s cost you?

KL: It’s being able to do whatever I want with the least amount of friction possible, whether it’s a project or simply going about my day. But like everything, freedom has a cost. Because freedom can be overwhelming. Freedom can paralyze. And it demands sacrifice. You usually have to give up certainty and comfort. At least that’s my experience of it, but I’m sure a lot can relate.

Live Energy and What Listeners Are Meant to Feel

For an album that carries so much internal tension, performance gives the songs another way to move. What feels reflective or anxious on record can shift into something more physical when shared in person. In that setting, the songs are no longer only about what Koko was processing while making them; they become something that changes depending on the room, the band, and the people hearing them out loud.

The songs carry a lot of internal tension, but I imagine live, they take on a completely different energy. How does performing them change the way they feel for you?

KL: It’s different every time. Whenever I have the privilege of playing with my band, it’s a totally different energy than when I perform solo, you feel me? But obviously, either way, it always feels great to share these songs with people in real life.

Despite the love of live performance, Koko’s favorite part of the process comes back to writing and collaboration. The album was made through a close creative chemistry with Soran, in a space described less like a studio and more like something sacred. That intimacy matters because even when the final record feels expansive, its foundation is still rooted in trust, instinct, and the act of making something with someone who understands the world you are trying to build.

What would you say was your favorite part of the album-making process, and why?

KL: Definitely the writing part. We wrote most of it at my best friend and producer on this record, Soran’s house. It’s our Shangri-La. It’s a sacred space. And our chemistry is very special.

And now that the album is out in the world, do you feel any closer to understanding yourself, or has it just opened up more questions?

KL: More questions, and so is the nature of life.

If you made this album again right now, what do you think would be different?

KL: I don’t know. Probably more cohesive sonically. My biggest critique of this record is that it’s a bit all over the place in terms of genre and influences. I would probably try to paint a clearer picture of who I am without overcomplicating the sound, you know? A lot of my favorite artists are really good at sticking to what they do best, and that’s something I really admire.

Interestingly, I admire Koko’s ability to make “all over the place” feel alive and energetic rather than unfocused! The album’s shifts in genre and influence feel connected to the same restlessness that runs through the lyrics: the desire to understand yourself, chase freedom, make mistakes, and still find something honest in the middle of it. That openness is part of what makes The Cost of Freedom feel so personal, and it also speaks to the kind of experience Koko hopes listeners have when they enter the album for the first time.

When someone listens to this album for the first time, what kind of experience do you want them to have? What do you want them to feel, know, or take from it?

KL: I want it to feel like a breath of fresh air. I want it to make them feel young again. Nostalgic. Existential even. Free.

That final answer captures the spirit of The Cost of Freedom well. The album is not trying to arrive at one clean conclusion about freedom, selfhood, or what it means to move through life with uncertainty. Instead, it leaves room for contradiction. Freedom can be joyful, while at the same time, being overwhelming. Chaos can evoke fear and simultaneously, a feeling of infinite possibility. And the journey to self-understanding can open up endless pathways to more questions.

Koko Love’s reflections make the album feel less like a finished statement and more like a living document of a particular state of becoming. It’s impulsive, searching, spiritual, messy, funny, and sincere, usually all at once. And that’s why it works.

The Cost of Freedom by Koko Love is out now.

Keep Reading

Heart and Mouth’s album, Heart in Mouth, is an alt-folk album with eleven tracks that resist settling into a single emotional or sonic space. Instead, the album moves between intimacy and distortion, creating something that feels both solid and unsettled at the same time.

Built through collaboration between Flynn and Soren Bryce, the album carries traces of different musical histories and approaches to songwriting, along with a willingness to let the songs evolve beyond their original form.

In this seventh Creative Spotlight conversation, Flynn reflects on the duality at the center of Heart in Mouth, the role of instinct in both writing and production, and how collaboration helped shape the project into something layered, dynamic, and ever-changing.

This interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

Also available on MQTWorld.com

At its core, Heart in Mouth exists in contrast. The project doesn’t choose between clarity and distortion, or structure and unpredictability. Instead, it holds both at once, which becomes a defining characteristic of the sound.

Heart in Mouth is described as something that sits between folk and something much harsher/more fractured. How did that duality become the foundation of the project?

FM: For me, it started from growing up playing bass in alt-rock / math-rock bands. Upon starting this project, I wrote many of the songs on acoustic guitar, which can be quite limiting sonically. During the recording process, we wanted to re-channel a lot of that initial inspiration.

That sense of duality doesn’t just define the sound of the record, but the experience of it. When asked, “What do you hope people feel after listening to your album for the first time?” Flynn’s answer is simple: “I hope that they are left in a different place within their head from before listening to the album.”

His answer is direct and straight-to-the-point in a way that contrasts with the lyrics heard across the album, which don’t always feel like they’re trying to explain something directly.

In I’ve Been, there’s a line about writing (“heavy ink from my mind”) that made me wonder: how much of your songwriting is about processing versus documenting?

FM: It really varies if I am being honest. I guess a healthy dose of both!

That looseness in approach carries into how meaning is constructed across the album. Not everything is overthought or overly structured!

And can you tell me a little about the story behind the title track?

FM: Having spent three days deep diving into the other tracks on the album, we decided to take a little break and have some fun. Soren made a beat, and I wrote some words, and we had the title track in 30 minutes!

With I Spy, the line “I feel it escaping me, and that is good” is really interesting! Would you like to break down some of the lyrics in this track?

FM: It was written whilst sitting by the window in my old flat in Shepherds Bush. I had a great view of a music venue, a pretty trendy bar, and a mosque. I didn’t think too much about the lyrics, rather, was just writing whilst people watching!

If the writing of Heart in Mouth leans into instinct, the production expands it. The album’s sound is built through layering, experimentation, and a tendency to reshape ideas long after their initial creation.

Which song’s production would you say is your favorite, and why?

FM: I would have to say I Spy. I really like all of the texture and layers; I think it really helps lift the song.

Were there any specific sounds, textures, or recording techniques that became defining elements of the album while you were working on it?

FM: Yes, a lot of the vocal textures are analog; for example, we used a radio speaker mic on a lot of tracks. DIY :-)

That focus on texture shows up again in how certain songs evolve over time, sometimes starting as something casual before becoming fully realized through production.

I’m really in love with TalkTalk’s production! Can you tell me a bit about how the song came together?

FM: After a great dinner at Middle Farm, we decided to have a jam and record it. At the time, it was fun, but we didn’t think anything of it. That is, until we were mixing, and Soren decided to reopen the file. From there, we pitched it down, recorded about 5 different layers of vocals, and the track made its way onto the record.

How did the collaboration between you and Soren come together, and what does each of you naturally bring into the sound that the other might not?

FM: We met when her band, Tummyache, needed a dep bassist for a show at the Shacklewell Arms. A friend put me forward for it, and we hit it off. After that, Soren invited me down to Middle Farm to record some of my own tracks, and the rest is history! Soren tends to handle a lot of the production, texture, and atmospheric side of things, whereas I tend to stick to the songwriting and lyric side of things. However, these lines are very blurred.

That lack of rigid boundaries carries directly into the album, where songwriting and production continuously shape each other. The result is a project that feels like it embraces uncertainty, allowing each track to exist as its own evolving piece within a larger, shifting whole.

Heart in Mouth by Heart and Mouth is out now.

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Drawing from folk traditions while bending them toward surrealism, humor, and existential reflection, August Gladstone’s album, The Golden West, was built from personal experience, literary influence, and the symbolic weight of American mythology. The album explores the tension between expectation and reality, dream and disillusionment.

In this Creative Spotlight conversation, August reflects on writing between tradition and modernity, building a world through imagery and metaphor, and exploring the deeper tensions at the heart of The Golden West.

This interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

Also available on MQTWorld.com

Between Tradition and Personal Voice, Myth and Disillusionment

August Gladstone’s work exists in a space that constantly shifts between the inherited and the invented. His songwriting draws from tradition, but never feels confined by it, instead using it as something to reshape, question, and move beyond.

Your work is rooted in older folk traditions, but also very surreal and modern. How do you balance your music existing in that space between past and present?

AG: Folk music carries a human core - a lineage of tradition, cultural memory - regardless of how you express it. At the same time, an artist's work is to recontextualize their lived experience - the traditions they've internalized. I love folk music because it allows for the recontextualization of cultural experience through personal ones. For my work, which is grounded in its lyricism, I twist folktales towards modernism without losing their core. I'm deeply inspired by the folk revival, the psychedelic revolution, and the history of wandering troubadours (from Texas to medieval Europe). I try to land somewhere between tradition, absurdity, and perspective.

You’ve written for other artists as well, so how does writing for others compare to writing something as personal and stylized as your own work?

AG: It’s a balancing act. I try to bring my personal style to everything I write (I imagine that’s what makes folks want me to write for them) and intertwine it with their style, their melody, their ideas. I love collaborating with other artists; it’s a privilege and a joy to build something in tandem. Ensuring a line of communication is paramount so that everyone gets what they want out of the partnership and the project is the best that it can be.

When I’m writing lyrics for someone else, I focus on the building blocks - language use and internal rhyme schemes that are transmissible across songs. When I’m writing for myself, I’m able to get a bit more lyrically experimental. I delve into stranger creative corners and embrace more cinematic, imagistic language within said poetic structure.

Across The Golden West, mythology is not treated as something distant or romanticized, but as something active and deeply tied to personal experience. The album uses familiar imagery to question the very narratives it comes from.

The Golden West pulls heavily from Western imagery and mythology. What drew you to that world as the foundation for this album?

AG: The Golden West arrived via a few avenues. A core concept of the album grew from my post-college exodus. I sojourned West following a dream and quickly learned, through a protracted existential crisis, how fragile those are. The West is an anglerfish luring seekers into its jaws with promises of riches, fame, happiness - everything golden. How can there be darkness in the golden land? How do we live meaningful lives in that hungry crucible? It’s a story of existentialism, of how dreams and expectations both serve and disrupt one’s life. The traditional Western myth is a perfect embodiment of that dissonance. You’ve got square-jawed heroes driven by manifest destiny, implacably thirsting for adventure, immune to failure, draped over a lawless, violent, unfair setting. We’re supposed to ignore the vulgarity of the world by holding faithful to these mythical idols.

On a less metaphorical level, I did a solo road trip through the badlands of several Western states last year, pulling off to enjoy massive, solitary swaths of deserts, mountains, and plains. I was incredibly inspired by America’s majesty, the ancient stories steaming off the Earth like a fog of ghosts. I was tearing through pulp Western novels from the 60s and listening to a ton of Townes Van Zandt, really sinking into his musical poetry. I wrote like a fiend on that trip, building those experiences and inspirations into The Golden West.

The Golden West also seems to question the stories we tell about America. What do you think those myths give people, and what do they obscure?

AG: There’s never been a more important time to question the myth of America. These myths have given the country carte blanche to enact a terrible history of bloodshed, one that’s ongoing. Historical American myths are so often rooted in power fantasy, in divine/moral right, and the assurance that we are the good guys. It circles all the way back to the Western tales I mentioned. This country is a golden-plated shadow. These stories give people comfort, security, and a strong self-belief, but in so doing, they obscure the violence, the inhumanity, and the truth behind it all. As America slips deeper and deeper into fascism, as our culture becomes one of instant gratification and mental dissolution, interrogating our ingrained beliefs is of paramount importance. It’s a major reason why I made The Golden West.

Playing With Language, Imagery, and Expression

At the center of August’s work is a love of playing with language, which is reflected in his lyrics and how they rarely describe something directly; instead, they build images that invite interpretation, creating a space where meaning is fluid instead of fixed.

You’re also releasing a companion poetry book. How do the written and musical versions of your work differ or allow you to express yourself differently?

AG: Yes! The big difference, to me, is in their ownership. The lyrics, when read, are open to one’s own interpretation, one’s own tone. Poetry is very intimate for that reason. The writer’s voice is tangled up with the reader’s in a kind of linguistic courting ritual. The musical versions are mine. August’s definitive expression of the words. Both are valuable and serve the work differently. One version offers the words, the other presents them. They’re born from the same place, but they have different effects. The book is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press in 2027!

And speaking of lyrics, what inspired the structure for Prayer for the Traveler, and would you like to break down the lyrics?

AG: If I remember correctly, I wrote the lyrics for Prayer on a Stairmaster in the Beverly Hills LA Fitness. It was written as a poem long before I had designs to turn it musical. Its repetitive structure invokes the feeling of a liturgical chant. I’m fascinated with how faith informs storytelling. Offering up a prayer for these mismatched archetypal characters is meant to bond us together, to inspire love, understanding, and equality on all levels, for the true great challenge in life, for everyone, is living it. I really like what we did sonically. The chant-like structure lulls you into comfort, with the keys and harmonica slowly building anticipation before the hellfire breakdown at the end makes it all explode.

And Talkin’ Wild West mixes humor, chaos, and critique of the American myth. How much of that song is rooted in personal perspective vs. cultural commentary?

AG: It’s a mix of both. It’s the most “modern” song on the album in subject matter. Structurally, it follows the path of the road trip I mentioned earlier, drawn from my notes. The song both embraces and critiques the cowboy aesthetic as well as the tall-tale braggadocio of Western myths. It implies the death of the cowboy at the hands of modernity while also searching for the core of that lifestyle and how it can be reformed to fit today’s world. I’m not a “real” cowboy. I’m a poet from New York. But in that admission, I feel myself get a lot closer to that cowboy truth than someone who’d wrap you up, try to sell you, on their fraudulent branded identity.

Your lyrics often feel surreal and almost dreamlike, especially in songs like Silverstrike. I love the vivid imagery you used here! How do you usually approach building that kind of visual/cinematic language in your lyrics?

AG: I never want to be grounded in reality. I loathe reality. Getting the chance to be absurd and strange in my writing provides a great escape from it. Starting my career in screenwriting, coupled with a lifelong fantasy/folklore obsession, led to imagery being my favorite literary device. I like exploring altered states of perception. I don’t really mean drugs by that; I mean spiritualism, fantastical encounters, the ancient motifs that appear in cultures across the world. It’s all such an exciting mystery. I want to touch that unknowability in my work. I strive for my images and metaphors to be multilayered. It’s one thing to present a startling image; it’s a whole other level to give that image symbolic meaning. I hope listeners have their own encounters with making meaning from my words. That, to me, makes an impactful, unforgettable song. It gives a listener agency to construct their own reality.

The Here and Now of Live Performance

Beyond the writing itself, the songs continue to evolve in performance, where structure loosens even further and something more contemporary takes over.

How does your music change in a live setting compared to the recorded versions?

AG: I live for live shows. My shows lean into raconteurism, plenty of banter and bits. I find interweaving stories and comedy amplifies the music. I experiment vocally during live performances, it makes every show different. When I’m playing with my band, The Maniac Orchestra, the songs take on a different energy. They start rockin’. It brings us to a really exciting level. We get to experiment with a retro, jam/psych rock sound alongside the folk lyricism. We always shoot to thrill. I dig what I’ve been discovering about the songs through that lens.

When someone comes to see you perform, what do you want them to leave thinking or feeling?

AG: I want them to leave feeling like they’ve seen something new, something different, something risky. I love performing so much, I get infected by the energy, I hope my audience gets wrapped up in it as well. The beauty of live performance is its imperfection, its unrepeatability. I want every show to be different. I want to discover something alongside the audience. I want my work to cut through commercialism; I don’t want it to be pop. I want it to be weird, warty, and human. I want the audience to feel more alive because of my show.

I also want them to think I’m handsome, charming, and talented. And I want them to Venmo me.

(I think that’s valid. You also don’t have to attend a live show to think August is handsome, charming, and talented, or to Venmo him. You could do all that now, you know. Venmo: @August-Gladstone)

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

AG: Thank you for these thoughtful questions! I’ve appreciated the chance to dig deeper into my work. You can listen to The Golden West on all streaming platforms. To get a comprehensive view of my work, visit my website, www.AugustGladstone.com. You can follow me on Instagram @NormalAugust for updates on shows and releases, and TikTok @AugustGladstone for live clips and works in progress. I’ll have a book coming out early 2027, some Golden West vinyls this year, and another album on the way... thanks for your time!

And there we have it.

What makes The Golden West compelling isn’t just its imagery, but the way it holds contradiction without trying to resolve it. August Gladstone moves between tradition and reinvention, sincerity and absurdity, myth and real-time, lived experience, allowing each element to exist without forcing it into something simpler or more digestible. The result is a striking, uniquely creative, and thought-provoking project that invites listeners to sit within the tension over the course of several full listens.

The Golden West by August Gladstone is out now across all major streaming platforms.

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Dram Fools’ Whisky River is not an album that settles into a single identity. Instead, it stretches outward across genres, textures, and emotional registers, pulling from jazz, R&B, American Songbook traditions, and Celtic influence without needing to belong to one space. What holds it together isn’t categorization, but intention: a shared commitment to letting each song become the fullest version of itself.

Formed during the pandemic, Dram Fools - Bob and Gavin - built their creative foundation through long stretches of writing and collaboration. Over time, those sessions evolved into something more ambitious: a 17-track album shaped by years of refinement and the contributions of over twenty musicians. What began as songwriting became something expansive, layered, and deeply considered.

In this Creative Spotlight conversation, Dram Fools reflect on their genre-fluid approach, the role of time and trust in shaping their work, and how Whisky River became a project defined by growth, detail, and creative partnership.

This interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

Also available on MQTWorld.com

A Sound Built Without Boundaries

Dram Fools don’t begin with genre; they begin with instinct. Their sound is shaped by influence, curiosity, and a willingness to let each song dictate its own direction. That openness carries directly into how they think about classification, collaboration, and identity as a band.

You’ve described your sound as hard to pin down, with jazz, R&B, American Songbook, and Celtic influences prevalent. Do you actively resist genre labels, or is that just a byproduct of how you create?

Dram Fools (Gavin): Genre confusion seems to be a byproduct of how we create! Neither of us resists genre labels, but both Bob and I have diverse musical influences that seem to influence the songs that we write. With Whisky River, our goal was certainly to showcase our breadth of songwriting, but also to include songs that belonged together, and that typified the vocal-centric “Dram Fools” sound throughout. Hopefully, we achieved that. I think so.

Dram Fools (Bob): Agreed. We don’t go out of our way to avoid genres. We just have eclectic tastes, and the music comes out how it comes out. The question of how to categorize it is not really an issue for us. People often ask what genre we are, but “Dram Fools” is as good an answer as I’ve come up with.

With 21 musicians featured across these 17 songs, collaborating with other people was obviously a big part of the album-making process. How important is working with other artists to you, and what overall impact did these collaborations have on the album?

Dram Fools (Bob): Gavin and I both wanted to record the best possible iterations of our songs that we could, and we heard in our heads what we imagined it could be. We were lucky to have brought in some really talented people. We both gave them clear ideas of what we were going for and also let their talent shine through. The talent of the musicians flowing and interacting with each other really elevated the project. Also, Gavin is talented enough to be able to score for the many instruments featured on the album and write specific parts that really brought our songs to new heights. We couldn’t play all the instruments we wanted to hear, and were delighted with our collaborations with all those talented people we brought in.

Dram Fools (Gavin): For a few years in the late 90s, I worked at a CTS Studios, a world-class orchestral recording facility in London, UK. This was both a blessing (I’m very comfortable with the recording process) and a curse (every time I record, I try to make it as polished and professional as we could in that place!). So when Bob said we should record the very best version of our music that we could, I was thinking, “Challenge accepted! Does he know what he’s just let himself in for?” But that meant we had long discussions about what instruments we were hearing on the different songs. I got busy arranging, we brought in the best local musicians we could find - we were super-prepared for the recording sessions. I did a bunch of editing, and the mixing nearly drove our engineer, Ron, crazy! But the result was everything we had hoped for. These songs could not have become what they are without the strings, brass, percussion, bagpipes, and everything else.

As a two-person band, how do your individual perspectives shape the final version of a song?

Dram Fools (Bob): Dram Fools is a collaboration, and there is always a back-and-forth process. We have been lucky to have largely shared the same vision for our songs, and any varied ideas about direction in a song have been aided by mutual trust and respect. All ideas are discussed, tried, and weighed with the mutual decisions arrived at with the goal of what works best for the song. Our egos have never been an issue.

Dram Fools (Gavin): I entirely agree. We’re very lucky that our close friendship has only got closer through the making of this album. But we’re also lucky that our skills are complementary. Bob is an incredible lyricist. He can write songs that I never could. But I am stronger in finding interesting chord progressions and arranging the music. From there, we both work in tandem to make the final result as good as it can be, and if I suggest tweaking some words or Bob has different ideas about the musical feel of a bridge, we work together. It has never been a problem.

You both come from very different musical and personal backgrounds. How does that show up in your work?

Dram Fools (Bob): I believe our different backgrounds have been a plus in working together. The Venn diagram of our skills have some overlap, but I believe our strength comes as much from the complimentary nature of our abilities and sensibilities as the similarities. We both bring different things to the table, and it really seems to work.

Dram Fools (Gavin): True. Though I will add that it causes Bob’s girlfriend Diane quite some amusement that we sing with such different accents. Here we are trading lines back and forth, but Bob’s from inner-city Buffalo while I’m from rural southern England. Tomayto, tomahto!

That contrast doesn’t just exist in their backgrounds, but in how the songs themselves evolve! Different instincts, different perspectives, and even different sensibilities are constantly being negotiated and reshaped over time.

You mentioned writing across the pandemic and then refining the material later. How did that time gap change the way you saw the songs?

Dram Fools (Gavin): I love this question. I think we quite regularly amazed ourselves that we kept finding ways to sculpt the songs over time that incrementally made them better and better. Given that we had been working on some of them for close to five years by the time we were in the recording studio, that’s a lot of tweaking! And often it was small stuff – change one word, harmonize one line where we previously hadn’t, that kind of thing. So the result was actually that the songs continued to feel alive and fresh for me, and I think that was really important when arranging them for recording. If we were not constantly motivated by our own material it would likely have come off as flat and uninspired.

Dram Fools (Bob): Yes. The process of time passing from the origins of our songs has benefitted them, and improvements and changes have occurred naturally and organically. There have been mutations that occur that just make sense, and changing things that weren’t necessarily immediately apparent enhanced the songs.

Letting the Songs Lead

Rather than forcing a singular tone or message, Dram Fools allows each track to develop on its own terms. That freedom creates a wide emotional range, where warmth, regret, humor, and reflection can coexist without needing resolution.

Across Whisky River, there’s a wide emotional range from love and warmth to regret and self-destruction. Was that contrast intentional when crafting the album, or did it naturally emerge from the songs?

Dram Fools (Bob): Good point in noticing that there is a range of emotional themes on the album. We let each song try to become the best version of itself, and the spectrum of feelings and themes was just a natural process of trying to be true to each song as it emerged and developed. There was never a master plan, other than trying to record the best possible iteration of each song.

Dram Fools (Gavin): “Write what you know” is extremely good advice. Most of the songs on the album tell a story that one or both of us have lived, and certainly that we can understand. So the content is real. For my part, Darkness into Light is the one song on the album where I wrote all the lyrics; it tells the story of the end of my marriage some years earlier. I knew for a long time that I needed to write that song, but it took years for me to do so. But it finally flowed when I was mentally ready. Contrast that with the irreverence and humor of I’m So Mad! So emotionally different, but still a real story.

That willingness to follow the truth of each song rather than impose a single emotional lens continued to shape how the album revealed itself over time.

Looking back now that the album is finished, do any songs feel different to you than when you first wrote them?

Dram Fools (Bob): Yes, and much of that comes from the terrific jobs that the talented musicians we worked with brought to the table. For example, the beautiful tenor sax/fiddle back and forth in Whisky River or the flugelhorn/clarinet conversations in November Song were revelations that happened in the studio. Also, the ability to add background vocals and sculpt the songs in post-production was transformative in sometimes subtle but important ways. The recording process was a revelation, as was turning the recordings into the finished product.

Dram Fools (Gavin): Bob’s answer is so gracious. What he meant to say was that the mixing process felt never-ending! But seriously, he’s right. While I had a very clear idea of what I was hoping for in the studio, I was blown away by what the musicians delivered. Probably the best example of a song ending up very different from how it was initially written is Morning, Noon, and Night. Bob actually wrote it many years ago, had the melody solid, and a pretty clear idea of what he wanted it to sound like in his head. But it took a LOT of work (and some straight-up mind-reading) for me to find the chords that he was imagining. If we ever got close to falling out about anything, that was probably the time! But after all that work, I knew it would have to be something special when we recorded it. So that’s the song where I scored 18 different parts to give it that orchestral sound. So much fun!

The Life Inside the Songs

If Whisky River is shaped by instinct and evolution, it’s ultimately defined by its details. Each song holds its own story and its own emotional logic - something that becomes clearer the deeper you listen!

Can you tell me a little about the story behind your name, Dram Fools, and behind your song, Whisky River?

Dram Fools (Bob): Our playing together and deciding to become a band occurred in the pandemic as a product of my girlfriend Diane and I both isolating, Gavin also isolating, and so the three of us deciding to “bubble.” We would get together on Saturdays, have dinner, play cards and board games, then around midnight Gavin and I would play music and drink Scotch until daybreak. Whisky was an element in our origin, and the drams (single servings of whisky) we consumed were a major factor in our process; thus, “Dram Fools.” The song Whisky River came out as it did without a moral in mind. I guess it does read as an ode to whisky as well as a cautionary tale, but without a pre-planned agenda.

Dram Fools (Gavin): It’s true. A terrible sleep pattern and copious Scotch whisky almost every Saturday night for five years might not sound like a recipe for success to everyone, but for us it worked! It didn’t hurt that Bob and Diane are both excellent cooks, so I’ve been eating extremely well every weekend, and continue to, to this day. After the pandemic I found myself in a new relationship, but fortunately my partner Donna, who is also a musician (she played the flute and piccolo for us on the album) took to our “Dram Foolery” like a duck to water. So the pattern continues, except now there are four of us, which gives us more options for card games!

That mix of sincerity and dry humor runs quietly through the project, showing up not just in the stories behind the songs, but in how they talk about them now.

What are each of your favorite songs from the album, and why?

Dram Fools (Bob): Damn! This is a really tough question. I love them all. Narrowing it to favorites, I would say Love Found Me (which I wrote for my girlfriend) because I love the feel and groove of it. I love Morning, Noon, and Night because it began as just a piano/vocal piece, but Gavin had the crazy vision of orchestrating it, as he mentioned earlier. I wrote the song while walking my dog one evening, and when I heard the first rough draft of what he had written, fully orchestrated, my eyes welled up, thinking of its humble beginnings and its transformation to the, in my opinion, sublime. Also Not Our Time. It started with me coming into the room at 3 a.m. and hearing Gavin playing this beautiful melody and asking what it was. He said, “Just some chords.” That was a major understatement! We recorded it on our phones, and I wrote some couplets that seemed to fit the feeling of the music, and I realized that the couplets had a story arc. I think it is one of the best examples of our musical chemistry at work and one of our best songs.

Dram Fools (Gavin): You may have noticed that Bob picks favorites like he picks whiskies—all of them! I feel his pain though. But to pinpoint one favorite with one clear reason, I will say Wait for the Sun. This one’s unique on the record because my mother Cindy, who lives thousands of miles away in the UK, wrote the lyrics. She sent them to me one day, saying, “Gavin, I think I’ve written a song, and I was wondering if you’d be interested in writing some music for it?” This wasn’t anything to do with Dram Fools, it was just a request out of the blue. Anyway, the music and words ended up coming together really well, so Bob and I started performing it together, and before we knew it, it was one of our stronger songs that we just knew had to be on the album. So I love how it came out with the string arrangement, but most of all, I love it because it’s a collaboration with my mother.

Is there a song that has the lyrics that you’re most proud of?

Dram Fools (Gavin): I already mentioned Darkness into Light, so this one’s all you, Bob.

Dram Fools (Bob): That’s also a tough question. I think maybe All We’ll Never Know might be a favorite, because of how it came together. Gavin wrote that haunting melody, and when I heard it, I had the image of a guy with his collar raised, walking in the cold. That image was the starting point, and I wrote that character’s story in about half an hour, and that was it. It was done, and seemed perfect. And Gavin’s vocal performance is amazing. I also think Writhe and Moan is kind of a sleeper. It’s an ode to sexuality and does exactly what I was trying to accomplish.

The Construction of Songs

If the emotional core of Whisky River comes from instinct and experience, the execution is just as intentional. Beneath the surface, the album is built through careful decisions, technical challenges, and a willingness to push songs further than they initially seem to allow.

Which songs were easiest versus most difficult to produce, and why?

Dram Fools (Bob): Because of its stark simplicity, All We’ll Never Know was easily the simplest. The most difficult was ABSOLUTELY The Legend of Dram Fools. We weren’t sure it was even going to be recordable, due to its incorporation of bagpipes, which are not exactly key-friendly, and the acceleration of tempo, which was no small challenge. Also, the crazed section of howling at the moon was an accomplishment. This self-mythologizing song was a lot to take on, but somehow, against all reason, it came together.

Dram Fools (Gavin): Absolutely. Legend (as we call it) was definitely the most complex. We debated for quite some time whether or not to even try using real bagpipes on the recording, or to just stick with the sound on my keyboard. But I had never arranged for or recorded pipes before, so it seemed like a fun endeavor! Unfortunately I had written the song in a key that the bagpipe drone doesn’t do. So first we tuned everyone else up to be in tune with the piper, had her (the bagpiper) mute the drone and play just the chanter for the melody line. Once that was done, I asked her to stand and just drone for six minutes on a separate track. Dolly was so sweet, but to that request she said, “Are you shitting me?” Well, she did it, we took that and pitch-changed it down roughly a minor third, and when we heard the tracks together for the first time, I knew that we would be able to make the whole song work. What a trip!

But even in their most technically demanding moments, the focus never drifts too far from the emotional center of the songs themselves - something that becomes especially clear in the more intimate tracks.

Halfway Home has some of the most beautiful lyrics! And it feels grounded in partnership and rebuilding, like finding stability in someone else. How did you approach writing a song that feels so steady and reassuring compared to some of the heavier themes on the album?

Dram Fools (Gavin): Definitely one for you, Bob!

Dram Fools (Bob): Thanks! That was a song I wrote initially with our talented bass player, Taylor Ricks, and his wife, Lauren, in mind. They perform as a duo, and I thought it might be something they would do. They never did, but Gavin asked if he might do a reimagining of it, which I was thrilled about, and I love the new melody and his arrangement of it. Sometimes, we’re lucky enough to find someone we can believe in and trust when we’ve been knocked down emotionally, and I think this song is an honest take on love and regaining ourselves.

And Love Found Me - In this song, love feels like something that happens to you rather than something you choose. Do you see love in this song as fate, coincidence, or something more?

Dram Fools (Gavin): Definitely another one for you, Bob, you old romantic!

Dram Fools (Bob): Interesting question. I absolutely feel that love is something that is beyond choice. You can’t manufacture it. It just happens. Whatever the ineffable process is, when it comes, love kicks your door down, and we can acknowledge it, but can’t make it happen. I don’t presume to know what is or isn’t fated, and coincidences may be involved. But it seems to be a mystical occurrence that we encounter, if we’re lucky enough to have it happen.

Now, Not Our Time, which is my favorite song on the album! It feels very final, but also conflicted, as if knowing something is over while still questioning it. How do you approach writing endings that don’t feel clean or resolved?

Dram Fools (Bob): It may sound weird, but my process of songwriting is more about trying to figure out what the song wants to be, rather than having a preconceived idea that the song conforms to. In Not Our Time there is a lack of resolution, but if it feels right for the song, then so be it. I love that song too, and there is a sense of the narrator both being conflicted and trying to go forward knowing there is a tough road ahead that can’t be ignored or avoided. You can’t always put a tidy bow on something, because songs, like life, sometimes lack a clear resolution.

Dram Fools (Gavin): I’m delighted that this is your favorite song on the album! It is absolutely one of my favorites, too, both to play and to listen to. As one of the first songs that we wrote together from scratch, I feel like it captures the essence of the Dram Fools writing and musical style, and I’m so happy with how the vocal harmonies came out in it. It came together relatively quickly, but we found very early on that it didn’t want to resolve back to the tonic. That would have undermined the whole emotion. So instead, we hang on that last chord for a moment, then launch right into Hold On which—though quite different in energy—is the sibling of Not Our Time. They have been performed together ever since! We like the contrast of the emotions like yin and yang: the end of a relationship that cannot work, followed by the energy and hope of a vibrant new one. And it’s a reminder that whatever happens, the future is ahead of us and there’s always more to live for.

What Remains

For all its detail, range, and complexity, Whisky River ultimately invites something simple: time. It’s an album built to be lived with, not just heard once.

So, what do you hope listeners take away from the album after sitting with it front to back?

Dram Fools (Bob): I hope enjoyment is the big takeaway, but also I hope that the eclectic range of songs, the varied vibes and emotions - but all having a common center - give a sense of the love, creativity, and care for the quality of the music that went into creating the final product. Seventeen songs are a lot to take in, but hopefully the journey through the album is full of pleasant surprises for our listeners and rewards a close listen.

Dram Fools (Gavin): Mostly, I hope that listeners are pleasantly surprised and impressed by the album, and that they find a favorite song among the collection. It always fascinates me that so many people pick a different song as their favorite. A few months ago, we wanted to enter one song from the album into a local music competition, so we asked our listeners what their favorite cut on the album was to see if there was a clear winner. Nope. The votes were literally all over the place!

And what’s the first impression you’d like a new listener to have of your music?

Dram Fools (Gavin): I’d like the first impression to be, “Oh nice! Vocal-centered well-written songs!” But because I know how much thought and effort went into each song, I want the second impression to be, “Oh, I didn’t notice that before.” And the third to be, “And I didn’t notice that either…” and so on. If this album can continue to be a journey of discovery long after the first couple of plays, that would be a big success for me. One quick example: listen to Halfway Home. Did you notice the flute and bass having a conversation near the end? A good set of headphones helps bring out those nuances.

(I did, in fact, notice! It’s clear how much care Dram Fools pour into every detail within their songs, even when hearing the album for the first time!)

Dram Fools (Bob): I want the first impression to be that there is a variety of musical experiences and pleasure to be had here, and a lot to take in and enjoy. Much thought and feeling went into this, and hopefully, it rewards the listener who dives in.

I certainly think it does. What makes Whisky River compelling isn’t just its range, but the intention behind it. Dram Fools don’t force cohesion; they allow it to emerge, shaped by time, collaboration, and a willingness to let each song take the lead in deciding what it needs to be.

The result is an album that feels expansive and detailed without becoming overwhelming, and deeply human in the way it embraces both structure and unpredictability.

It’s an album I’ll be revisiting again and again, which is why I’m grateful for the kindness of Dram Fools in gifting it to me! I can’t wait to give it a play in my mom’s favorite old CD player, which I think is exactly the kind of listening experience this project invites!

Whisky River by Dram Fools is out now across all major streaming platforms.

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Tummyache, a band led by Soren Bryce, is as raw and unfiltered as ever as their latest single, Interstate Dr, marks the beginning of a new chapter: a record shaped by grief and the aftereffects of loss.

The project doesn’t shy away from difficult emotional territory, instead leaning directly into it. Written in response to the passing of Soren’s father, the song is dense with imagery - objects, actions, fragments - that feel both grounded and surreal. There’s a sense of movement throughout it, but also a looping, cyclical quality that mirrors the emotional experience it’s drawn from.

In this Creative Spotlight conversation, Soren reflects on the writing behind Interstate Dr, how grief reshaped her relationship to creating, and why community and connection remain at the core of everything Tummyache stands for.

This interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

Also available on MQTWorld.com

Interstate Dr: Exploring The Striking Imagery, Language, and Emotional Meaning Behind the Lyrics

The writing in Interstate Dr feels both direct and disorienting. Grounded in specific lines while still leaving space for interpretation. Much of that comes from the way Soren uses language: flipping familiar phrases, leaning into contradiction, and allowing imagery to carry emotional weight. Objects become anchors, phrases become tools, and meaning often sits somewhere just beneath the surface, waiting to be pulled apart and reassembled.

There’s a sense of accusation in lines like “you’re a thief and a liar.” Was this written toward a specific person or more of a feeling/state?

The whole record deals a lot with the grief of losing my dad two years ago. I suppose this line is directed at him, not in the sense of his actual being a thief or a liar, but to impose this idea that life was meant to be a ‘certain way’ and with him disappearing suddenly it was taken in an instant. Thieving me of the time I thought I had.

“Every free act and deed just goes over my head” suggests a loss of control or clarity. What were you exploring there?

Again, because this is mostly to do with my dad, this line is directed at how everything him or my parents did for me growing up without needing recognition or credit just went over my head, and I couldn’t appreciate it until it was too late.

“You will never crawl out from the kindness you killed” is a really striking line! Can you explain what it means, the idea behind it, and what “kindness” represents in this context?

I really like extended word play in lyrics, I think they can be quite a fun tool and I love putting words together that are usually used together in other situations. For example, ‘kill them with kindness’ is a pretty well known phrase. So taking that and flipping it on its head was really my intention here, exploring what that means to have the role reversed.

It’s this kind of reversal that makes the writing feel so layered! Language isn’t fixed; it’s something to be tested, stretched, and turned inside out. That same approach shows up again in one of the song’s more biting lines.

The line “eat the losers for breakfast, it all tastes the same” also stands out, and it feels very critical. Would you like to explain this one as well? What were you feeling or responding to when writing that?

I feel like this line is mostly directed at me, my false sense of bravado and hard exterior toward the external world, using cynicism and judgement as a coping mechanism to not have to interface with others or be vulnerable. “It all tastes the same” just evoking the idea that whether you’re negative or positive, the outcome is the same, so why are you really doing it the hard way round?

The line “there is a light at the end of it” could be interpreted differently, depending on who you ask. Is that line meant to be hopeful, or more uncertain?

I find that this line came very naturally in recording, as it wasn’t initially written to have any words in the outro. I feel like they are meant to elicit hope and the idea that there are other things to look forward to.

Even if it isn’t true, the idea that there is a light at the end helps you to keep moving forward.

The song seems to move between anger and numbness, so how do you navigate those emotional shifts when writing?

I find my writing reflects my general temperament as a person. I suppose the lyrics just reflect however I was feeling at the time.

That emotional fluidity carries into the way the song is constructed as well. The shifts aren’t just happening in feeling, but in how those feelings are expressed: moving from internal states into something more concrete and visual.

The imagery is incredibly vivid and feels very tactile but also surreal (needle, bread, train, etc.) Do you think in images more often than not when you write?

I would say I do think very visually when writing. I like to use objects as a tool of place and memory, and I feel that objects are very powerful reference points that everyone can picture or relate to. Everyone has their own relationship with different objects, and I think that’s a very interesting way of approaching lyric writing.

Grief, Creation, and the Upcoming Album

The upcoming record exists as a response rather than a plan - something that emerged out of necessity rather than intention. Instead of trying to define grief, it allows that experience to remain open yet deeply personal, and ever-evolving. Somewhere within that in-between space, creating becomes less about structure and more about expression. The music doesn’t attempt to resolve anything; it simply holds what’s there.

Your upcoming album explores the aftereffects of grief, so what felt most important to capture about that phase specifically?

I didn’t set out to capture it for any sort of sense or purpose; it was just the only way I was able to cope with what I was feeling at the time, and ultimately, a record came out of it.

There’s a sense that grief reshapes everything around it. How has it changed your relationship to creating?

I think the way it’s changed things is that it is just going to inevitably be part of everything I do or create. My dad was my number one supporter, and the idea that he won’t even be able to hear these things I’m so proud of creating now is quite hard, and changes the relationship to it once it’s released.

What do you hope listeners understand about grief after hearing this project?

I’m hoping they just have something that they can relate to and find some comfort in, knowing they aren’t the only ones feeling the way they are in their grief period.

With you as the central force behind Tummyache, but with rotating collaborators, how did that fluid structure influence the sound and identity of you guys’ upcoming album?

I would say the upcoming album is quite an anomaly because it was a lot less collaborative due to the nature of the subject matter. I really needed an insular space that felt small enough for me to explore and navigate these difficult emotions without too much external interference. However, overall, the amount of lovely people that have been involved with tummyache is such a blessing, and I feel super grateful to everyone who has ever lent me their talents and time.

Live Energy, Community, and Reimagining Connection

Beyond the recordings, Tummyache exists as a shared space that extends into live shows, community, and collective experience. While the songs may begin in isolation, they don’t stay there for long. What emerges live is something different: cathartic, communal, and rooted in connection.

You have a packed run of shows coming up. How does performing these songs live differ from recording them?

It’s really fun taking things out on the road because it’s quite cathartic, and it’s nice to see the response, especially to the more emotional ones, though sometimes it can be hard to relive the memories each day behind songs.

Your shows are described as spaces built around accessibility and mutual respect. What is the main thing you want people to feel when they’re in that environment?

I suppose I want everyone to feel that they are a part of something bigger than themselves and also just bigger than Tummyache. I really value community, and its power to heal a lot of things wrong with the world, so if all we can be is a vessel to create space for that to blossom, that would mean so much to me. We’ve managed to connect with a lot of like-minded beautiful people through playing music, and I hope it continues.

You emphasize community, care, and creative freedom over commercial goals. What does that look like in practice for you?

Well, to be blunt, it looks like being broke quite a lot of the time! But I do genuinely believe that these pillars are way more important than money. I just want us all to be on the right side of history and feel like we moved the wheel even slightly on making things more equal and fair for not just artists but any oppressed minority. DIY is a wonderful tool, but it can become quite tainted by insular, white, male-only bands, and it’s important for all of us to keep checks on that.

Soren isn’t sitting idly by, waiting for someone else to create a safe space for artists and minorities to connect, either. She’s taken the initiative to create a space for creatives to gather and build a future for art that doesn’t rely on digital spaces!

The Unplugged Artist Collective came from frustration with social media. What kind of space or connection were you missing that you wanted to create instead?

I am hoping to create a thought-movement that encourages people to question what they consume and start to step away from social media. I truly believe it is not beneficial to humanity as a whole, and we need to move more toward small, group-focused communities again. It’s not good for our mental health or our social health. Artists are particularly getting the short end of the stick, as they’ve become more and more commodified and less respected as important parts of an overall culture.

What do you think makes it possible for art and music to still exist meaningfully outside of digital spaces today?

I can only speak from my own personal lens, but I just do think that we all need that basic level of human-ness in the things we consume, otherwise we aren’t feeling our empathy or compassion. I feel that there is a strong desire for this within ourselves, even just subconsciously.

Through Interstate Dr, and the record it introduces, Soren Bryce offers something that feels both deeply personal and widely resonant: a reminder that even in isolation, connection is still possible through sound and through the spaces we choose to build together. That reminder is what makes the project so worth tuning into.

Interstate Dr by Tummyache is out now, with their fourth album Repeat in Reverse set to release in October 2026.

“I hope to catch anyone on tour and connect. Thank you so much for reading and listening.” - Soren

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Outer World’s music feels like something assembled rather than written - a collage of sound, texture, and influence that comes together in unexpected yet creatively genius ways. Built by Tracy Wilson and Kenneth Close, the project draws from decades of recorded music, blending cinematic soundtracks, global rhythms, analog textures, and experimental production into something that feels both nostalgic and completely new all at once. With Wilson’s long-standing history in indie music (including projects like Dahlia Seed and Positive No), that depth of influence feels totally natural.

Their latest single, La Dimora, released in collaboration with K Records and Courtesy Desk, leans fully into that sensibility. Sitting somewhere between psychedelic pop, experimental indie, and cinematic soundtrack, the track moves with the drama and tension of a vintage spy film, pulling from the lineage of artists like Ennio Morricone while still maintaining a distinctly modern edge. It’s playful and stylized, but beneath that surface is something more layered: a song that reveals itself gradually, piece by piece.

Across Outer World’s work, songwriting doesn’t begin with a fixed structure. It starts as fragments composed of different sounds, textures, and ideas that slowly take shape through experimentation. The result is music that feels alive in the way it resists being pinned down.

In this Creative Spotlight conversation, Outer World reflects on how La Dimora came together, their collage-based approach to songwriting, and what it means to create a space where sound can exist without rules or boundaries.

This interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

Also available on MQTWorld.com

Building La Dimora

Outer World’s music doesn’t come from a single place. It feels assembled, layered - and there’s a sense that each sound carries a history with it, and that those histories are allowed to exist together rather than be smoothed into something uniform.

That approach is especially clear in La Dimora, a track that pulls from cinematic references, global sounds, and unexpected sonic textures to create something that feels both nostalgic and completely new. What starts as inspiration quickly becomes something more fluid, shaped by experimentation and the willingness to follow wherever the song wants to go.

The press release leans into spy-film imagery. Was that concept present during the writing, or did it come later?

TW: We are huge fans of film soundtracks, especially those that lean into the spy & detective world. We even have a whole section in our record collection dedicated to that specific niche for no other reason other than we have brought so many home over the years that they really needed their own space. For “La Dimora” there was an Ennio Morricone song that inspired the bass line, and the song came together quickly after that. Some songs reveal themselves to you along the writing process, and by the end, the things that all sounded the most interesting with the bass line all mirrored the general spirit of a ‘60s spy movie theme. When it came time to create a video, it seemed natural to lean into that idea and bring that James Bond energy to life.

Your RIYL list is very eclectic! How do you actually translate such wide influences into something cohesive?

TW: That is a great question, and to be honest, it is hard to say whether we accomplished something that is, in fact, cohesive LOL. Both Kenny and I have voracious appetites for so many kinds of music from around the world. When we formed Outer World, it really changed how we listen to music, as there are so many layers in our songs. We stepped away from writing music on traditional rock band instruments and allowed ourselves the freedom to literally use anything we wanted to sculpt into a song. This means it could be a sound of something we captured on our phone, or the noise the needle makes at the end of a record when it is stuck in a groove. We write songs in a collage form, so it is a puzzle being put together without us knowing how or if the various pieces we have layered together will work. A lot of times our ideas don’t mesh, and we have to start all over again, but then sometimes there will be a magnificent accident, and a drum beat we liked from an Ethiopian funk record from the ‘70s blends perfectly with an Italian horror fuzzed-out guitar line. It has been so freeing to have no rules and to let our songwriting start as a shapeless mood board that slowly comes to life as we layer tracks and add instruments to the textural sounds, samples, and effects.

Collaboration, Expansion, and What Comes Next

Behind the sound of Outer World is not just experimentation, but history. Long-standing relationships, creative overlap, and a shared understanding that extends beyond a single project. Collaboration here doesn’t feel transactional, but instead, it feels cumulative, built over years of proximity, shared spaces, and mutual respect.

That same spirit carries into how the band approaches releases. La Dimora is not just a standalone track, but a glimpse into something larger, positioned between past influences and the future work that is still taking shape.

How did the collaboration between Outer World, K Records, and Courtesy Desk come about?

TW: There are so many layers to this story that span decades. I have known Calvin through the music industry since the mid ‘90s. I am a huge Beat Happening fan, love the catalog of music K has released over the years, have worked with the label through various music jobs, and we have remained in each other’s orbit all these years. Courtesy Desk started as an online record store I was running that was born from my new music newsletter, which I have been doing for the past 6 years. I closed my store this year due to tariffs making import records prohibitively expensive, but I continue to write about new music on Substack. When Outer World played with Velocity Girl a year ago, we created a limited flexi single, and this was the first Courtesy Desk release as our band’s own record label. We stayed in touch with Calvin throughout our recording process and are so honored he liked it enough to consider working with us. In the modern age, K tends to work with artists more in a collaborative spirit than in a straight record-label signing, so this is how Courtesy Desk came to join forces with K.

And what about future Courtesy Desk releases? Does La Dimora connect to a larger project (EP/album/era), or is it meant to stand alone?

TW: La Dimora is the first single from our upcoming new record, which will be announced in a few months. We really wanted new music to coincide with our Providence Popfest set this month, so we decided to release the song as a standalone track and a teaser to what is coming later in the year.

Performance and the Meaning of Outer World

Outer World exists as more than a sound. It’s also a space that can shift depending on how it’s experienced, whether through recording or performance. The same song can take on entirely different forms, expanding or contracting depending on how many people are involved, how it’s arranged, and how it’s felt in the moment.

That flexibility mirrors the Outer World project itself. Outer World is not just about music, but about escape, connection, and the possibility of stepping outside of yourself - even briefly - and into something freer and more expansive.

What does the name Outer World represent to you now, after building it over several years?

TW: I think for a lot of musicians, when you are performing a song, you are both at one with your body - tapping into your center, but also stepping out of the prison of your headspace where you are no longer an age, gender, race, and so on. I know I am my happiest and most at peace when I am singing and disconnected from all of the static and oppression that comes with being a human on this planet. Being Outer World allows me a safe space and escape that allows me to do and be anything I want with my love, best friend, and creative partner. I am so grateful to have a means of expression with my partner, where we can communicate without using words and just play with sounds. Outer World takes us out of this ridiculous state of affairs America is currently experiencing. As factions of the people close themselves off to other cultures out of fear and hate, we are fighting back against that mindset by weaving together, with love, diverse multicultural musical threads to find harmony and joy.

What do you want listeners to feel the first time they hear La Dimora?

TW: I love pop songs that, from a first listen, seem like a compact punch of drama and melody, but under the microscope, have a lot more going on. Sure, “La Dimora” is a nod to spy films and Italian soundtrack masters like Morricone, Piccioni, and Nicolai, but I am sure the first thread most listeners will pull on is the B-52s, who had many of the same campy influences as we do, and who also applied those Technicolor sounds to punk. I hope it is one of those songs people immediately feel drawn to because of its moody charisma, but with more listens, discover there is a lot more happening between the lyrics and non-lexical vocables that expresses big emotions without words. There are words of encouragement and guidance for those who feel helpless and voiceless, but the music tricks you into listening elsewhere, so we have buried the lead to a much more serious message tucked within it.

And finally, you have some shows coming up. How do you think this track translates differently live versus recorded?

TW: Our band performs in a few different kinds of line-ups, so sometimes there are 6 of us. We will be moving forward as a 4-piece for now, and lately Kenny and I have been performing as a 2-piece. With a full band, the song has so much energy and sounds huge - almost ominous. As a smaller group, its power is more fine-tuned and elastic. We are in an unusual position to be able to play live in different forms that each carry a different personality, spanning from bombastic to more of an intimate, strictly electronic-focused set.

That fluidity carries beyond the recording itself. The idea that a song can shift, expand, and take on entirely new forms depending on how it’s experienced feels central to what Outer World is building. It’s not just about how La Dimora sounds, but how it lives across different spaces, lineups, and listeners alike. In that way, the project becomes less about a fixed identity and more about possibility, where sound, influence, and expression are constantly evolving into something new.

La Dimora by Outer World is out now via K Records in collaboration with Courtesy Desk.

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As always, I listened to a lot of music and read a lot of Substack articles! Yay me!

Reading

Books

Unfortunately, my (book) reading streak ended in March, I think, and I haven’t picked up another book since then. I’ve just been reading Substack posts, and honestly, I haven’t been reading those the most :( However, March and April were both extremely stressful/depressing for me and now the clouds are beginning to clear and things are getting better, so hopefully I pick up reading more often again next month! For now, here are some of the Substack posts I’ve read:

Substack Posts

• Self-care online is performative by

• Aging Out Loud in a Youth-Obsessed Industry by

• If My Brain Had Rooms by

• The Concept Of A Start Date by

• PLIGHTS OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND by

• I FUCKING HATE YOU SUBSTACK GIRL by

• being in survival mode is ruining your life by

• The myth of overnight success by

• How to DETACH in 5 steps by

• What am I running towards? by

• What men find sexy is concerning by

• men are fixated with women profiting off of adult content because it’s the american dream they were promised by

• What 6 Months Without a Job Taught Me About Success by

• The Young Ho Revolution by

• Dead Jellyfish by

• CORTIS Creative Direction Analysis: Why They Feel Different by

• Evie’s Diaries, the Monthly Newsletter: The Art of Collage (Issue I) by

• how much luck could you create in 30 days? by

• The overwhelming urge to do absolutely nothing but the undeniable need to be extremely successful by

Movies & TV Shows

I only include this section to publicly shame myself, honestly.

I still haven’t watched a single thing. But I’m probably going to binge Euphoria in June?? Hopefully. And I desperately need to start a new anime, but I also need to finally rewatch MHA and see its final seasons…We’ll see!

Gaming

Steam is so goated. I got Beyond Two Souls for $1.99 when it’s usually $20! I may start playing in June. I have a strong urge to replay Telltale’s TWD even though I just replayed it from October of last year, though. We’ll see.

Also, I’m really sad that even the Katseye collab wasn’t enough to get me interested in playing DTI again. I think I’m just too busy, but I really wanna get back into it.

Music

My favorite part, as you know! I love music so much - honestly, listening to it consumes pretty much all my free time, in my defense (again).

It was a very good new music month for me! I ended up listening to so many emerging artists because of my Creative Spotlight series!!

Here’s a little guideline:

🎤 = Song

🎵 = EP

🎶 = Mixtape

🪩 = Album

🎥 = Music Video

🗣📢 = Indie / Emerging Artist - Take extra care to check them out!!!

Every New Thing I Listened to This Month

5/2/26

• 🪩Midnight Sun: Girls Trip album by Zara Larsson - I wasn’t even expecting to listen to this but I’m glad I did! I only listened to the OG album once and don’t remember it, but I loved these remixes!

• 🪩Worst Girl in America by Slayyyter - Finally watched the visual album/listened to it. I liked most songs!

• 🎤🗣📢La Dimora by *Outer World* - This is an indie band who I’m writing a feature for them as part of the Creative Spotlight Series! I’m glad they reached out because I really enjoyed the song. It’s unique, and I’m interested in listening to more of their work!

• 🎤GOMF by Latto ft Glorilla - … I like the beat … the beat is hot! Lol

• 🎤Runway by Lady Gaga and Doechii - Meh. But they look great!!

• 🎤YCC by Cortis - An unreleased banger, much like Cheeseball! I like the yodeling, like, unironically.

• 🎤Drop Dead by Olivia Rodrigo - It may grow on me. I didn’t dislike it!

5/8/26

• 🗣📢made it! album by lucky day - I really enjoyed listening to this! It covers a lot of topics I think a lot of people in their late teens and early twenties who are still discovering themselves will heavily relate to.

• 🎵N0rth4evr - very cute, the beats are great!

5/9/26

• 🎤🗣📢Interstate DR by Tummyache - I adore this song. I’ve listened to it, like, ten times today. It will be stuck in my head for who knows how long. This is the first track of Tummyache’s upcoming fourth album.

• 🎤🗣📢empty house by she’s green - This is a gorgeous song with the most beautiful vocals!!! It’s part of she’s green’s upcoming EP, SWALLOWTAIL, which is out July 10th.

• 🎤🗣📢R.J.D / Tomka Ton by Fiver Trois - This is a double single that I enjoyed because it’s unlike what I usually listened to! I really liked Tomka Ton, particularly! These songs are part of Fiver’s upcoming LP, which is out July 10th.

• 🪩🗣📢A Shadow, A Dream by Hudson McVay - This album is sooo beautiful! Hudson has a beautiful voice, and I feel like I’ll be listening to this a lot over the next few weeks. For sure give it a listen if you enjoy folk albums with heart-wrenching lyrics!

• 🪩🗣📢Linen of Words by Annick Odom - This is another album that I enjoyed listening to because it’s so different from what I usually turn on. Sonically, it’s so interesting, which makes sense considering it’s described as “A kaleidoscopic collection of original songs and reworked traditional ballads, shaped by over 20 musicians from a wide range of musical backgrounds, including folk, jazz, classical, and experimental music.”

• 🎵GREENGREEN by Cortis - I loveee this! I really enjoy Cortis’ music and how fun it is. They get really creative/experimental, at least for a K-Pop group, and it’s exciting to listen to. I’m not the biggest fan of “Blue Lips” but it may grow on me. Everytime I say I’m not a fan of something, it always does lol

5/17/26

• 🎤Sinking Feeling by LEAP - Banger, I’m so happy I found this!!!

• 🎤Karakuri by Maverick Mom - I love Japanese music so much!! Glad I found this song too.

• 🎤Cap by T3 Uptown - Catchy! Another one I found through TikTok, as per usual. I love that app idcidc

• 🎵Throwing Bows by Monaleo - I finally listened to this full mixtape and

• 🎥 TNT and ACAI by Cortis - Love their brand of MVs

• 🎥 Dance No More by Harry Styles - I loved this video, thought Harold served a lot of cunt, and the people who are criticizing him for not being “conventionally attractive anymore” are going to hell.

• 🎤Come Over by BTS - Finally listened to this full song outside of seeing BTS perform it. It’s so beautiful, and whoever decided to make it a hidden track that’s not available on streaming is going TOOOO HELLLLLL!!!

• 🎤Brorilla’s Diss - She can rap, idk. I hope she pursues a whole rap career after this idcidc

• 🎤Coconut Water by Trim - I like herrrr this is catchy and I’m rooting for Trim

• 🎤Girl Like Me by PinkPantheress - Love the video so much!! Catchy song

• 🎤D33P3R by Mike WiLL Made-It ft. Ludacris & Teezo Touchdown - Quite like this song, Teezo is gorgeous

• 🎤E85 by Don Toliver - Banger, I gotta finally listen to the full Octane album soon because I’ve been streaming Gemstone religiously for months now

• 🎤Hysteria by Bebe Rexha & Faithless - I don’t have many thoughts but I really like this

• 🎤New Religion by Bebe Rexha - Ditto

• 🪩🗣📢 Whisky River by Dram Fools - This is such a calming album to play in the background while working, cleaning, relaxing, or doing pretty much anything. It’s R&B/Soul with Jazz and Celtic elements infused, so naturally, it’s a vibe! I love how vulnerable the lyrics are - it sounds like a more old-timey kind of romance and heartache, which is really refreshing in the modern landscape.

5/18/26

• 🪩🗣📢 Heart in Mouth by Heart and Mouth - I really enjoyed this album! I Spy and TalkTalk are for suree my favorite tracks!!!

• 🪩🗣📢 THE GOLDEN WEST by August Gladstone - I’ve been enjoying listening to different kinds of music than I’m used to so much lately, and this is a great example of something so unique that I never would’ve come across on my own! I really enjoyed the listening experience.

• 🎤🗣📢Out of Water by GUS - This will be stuck in my head for such a long time, I can already tell

• 🎤🗣📢 Same Life by GUS - Really enjoy this song, especially the production

• 🎤🗣📢 Hands on Me by GUS - Genuinely my kind of music, I’m going to stream tf outta this

5/25/26

• 🎤🗣📢Body by Rain Lalin - Love this a lot

• 🎤🗣📢Wild by Lost Girl - Same here

• 🎤🗣📢Was It Real by Ben Rodrigues - Super catchy!

• Boompala by Le Sserafim - Fun

• Right Back by Karlee Girl

• Coconut by Sailorr - Love the melody

• 🎤🗣📢Needles by Tulle - absolute banger, holy crap?!?!?!?!?!

• 🎤🗣📢 nobody luv you by 黄烁庭ShootingWong - 🔥

• Stick With You by TXT - They don’t know how to make a bad song. Like, they couldn’t if they tried.

5/26/26

• 7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns by TXT - Exactly what I said about then yesterday.

• 🪩🗣📢 The Cost of Freedom by Koko Love - Words actually can’t describe how much I love this. I am soooo happy I heard this album! My kind of music fr.

• 🎵🗣📢quicksand by Simone Lidet - the most angelic vocals and sonically beautiful songs. I hope she blows up asap!!!! Her EP will be out on June 5th so hopefully by the time I post this. Stream it!!

5/31/26

• Hate that I made you love me by Ariana grande - everybody hating on this is tasteless and im glad I got it the very FIRST time.

• Everythang Pinka by Monaleo - cute song, even cuter video

• Motion Party by Bossman Dlow do Megan thee stallion - Megan slid as per usual. She’s never had a bad verse

What I’ve Been Listening to the Most

• Acai by Cortis

• YoungCreatorCrew by Cortis

• REDRED by Cortis

• Boat by Trim

• Celebrate by Le Sserafim (the fanmade extended hardstyle versions)

• D33P3R by Mike WiLL Made-It ft Teezo Touchdown & Ludacris - Lord, Teezo Touchdown done got me. I have been obsessed with both the song and the video for days now. RELEASE ME!!!

• Intro + Hooligan Live by BTS - That extended intro is literally addictive, I can listen to the first minute for like an hour straight. I think I might edit at least a ten-minute version of it to download to my phone?? Lol; I think I’m just obsessed with it because on top of it sounding good, it’s also such a theatrical instrumental that allows me to get deep into my maladaptive daydreams lmao

• Come Over by BTS - That first “You’ll never love me like the way you did before, but would you open up if I knocked on your door?” hits like crack every time.

• Flush ‘em, Wam Bam, and Putting Ya Dine by Monaleo - Flush ‘em is a banger, Wam Bam makes me giggle (love the violence! lmao), and Putting Ya Dine has been replayed at least ten times per month since it first came out. It’s never going to leave my head; I’ve just accepted it.

• Realer by Megan Thee Stallion (Apple Music Performance) - Literally same, I’ve had to relisten to this a million times per month since it came out years ago.

• Rather Be Blind by Etta James, Walk on By by Dionne Warwick, Hopelessly Devoted by Olivia Newton-John, and Bound to You by Christina Aguilera - They’re part of one of my quote-on-quote “Set lists” lmao I can’t listen to one without listening to the others.

Got Stuck In My Head Throughout the Month

• Better Off by Ariana Grande

• Everytime by Ariana Grande

• Goodnight n go by Ariana Grande

• Filthy by Justin timberlake… haven’t heard this in years why’s this in my head 😭

• I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash

• Past lives by Borns

• Girls Cry 2! by Dina Ayada

Random Music Thoughts

Everyone’s experiencing Michael Jackson psychosis since the Michael movie came out, and I love that, but I’d just like to brag that #I have been obsessed with the small, tiny, mostly unknown indie artist, Michael Jackson, since 2009, and I’ve experienced this level of fixation on him ever since. Every 2 - 3 business years, I start to feel abnormally obsessed with him again. Last time was in 2024 or 2025 (can’t remember), when I went back to rewatch all his MVs in order. It feels nice to have the whole world collectively feeling #totallynormalandsaneandfine about him at the same time as me, finally, though.

Also, I loved Jaafar’s Got Me Singing when it first came out, and whoever told him he shouldn’t focus on music because his voice is too similar to Michael’s (or WHATEVER it was that they said) has got to croak IMMEDIATELY.

That’s all.

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A Shadow, A Dream feels like it was written in the space left behind after someone disappears – in the long, quiet aftermath where memory starts reshaping itself into something stranger and more permanent.

Released in March 2026, Hudson McVay’s debut LP is a haunting folk record filled with dreamlike imagery and deeply personal reflections on grief, love, and memory. Across the album, McVay blends intimate acoustic songwriting with ambient, atmospheric production that feels suspended somewhere between waking life and dreams.

The project explores the idea that the people we lose never fully leave us as long as they continue existing in our memories, songs, and inner worlds.

McVay first began sharing acoustic covers online before developing the “dream folk” sound that would define his own work. His debut album, which took over two years to complete, allows feelings to unfold slowly through recurring imagery and atmosphere rather than a strict narrative more often than not.

What makes A Shadow, A Dream especially affecting is how unguarded it feels. Nothing about the record sounds rushed toward resolution. Instead, Hudson allows grief to remain unfinished, cyclical, and alive. Something that consistently changes shape rather than disappears.

In this second Creative Spotlight conversation, Hudson McVay reflects on the process of releasing deeply personal music, how grief changed while making the album, and why memory itself became the emotional foundation of A Shadow, A Dream.

This interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

Also available on MQTWorld.com

Holding On, Letting Go, and When a Song Becomes Its Own

A Shadow, A Dream is not an album that rushes toward resolution. Throughout the record, grief isn’t treated as something to overcome, but instead, something that reshapes the way memory exists. Something that can soften, distort, and even preserve what’s been lost.

And the understanding that appears at the center of Hudson’s work – the understanding that grief doesn’t move in straight lines but instead expands, contracts, and resurfaces in unexpected ways - shapes not only the sound of the album, but the way Hudson approaches releasing something so personal into the world.

How do you know when a song about something so personal is “ready” to be released into the world?

A song never truly feels ready in the pursuit of perfection, and I often struggle to get it to sound like it does in my head. But they do get to a point where they grow into their own beings and don’t feel like mine to keep to myself anymore. At that point, I set deadlines and try to settle for 90% of what I was hoping for.

The idea that songs become something separate from yourself runs throughout A Shadow, A Dream. The album constantly feels caught between holding on and letting go, yet even in its most devastating moments, there’s still a tenderness to the way Hudson writes about grief, memory, and absence.

How has your understanding of grief changed while making this album?

It never ends. We just have to make it our own. And it’s so important to have someone to grieve to. A trouble shared is a trouble halved.

Writing as Process, Not Preservation

Across the album, writing feels less like documentation and more like survival. The songs don’t attempt to freeze emotions in place, but instead, they allow them to unravel and exist in their most immediate form.

That emotional immediacy shows up in the way Hudson describes his relationship to writing itself. Rather than treating it as something to refine or control, it becomes a place to land when everything else feels uncertain.

Do you find yourself writing more to process emotions or to preserve them?

Process. When emotions are high, the piano bench is a big hug. And there’s a quote from Fiona Apple that I really like:

“I only write when I’m angry or sad, because that’s when I just have to write... If I’m having a good time and I’m happy and things are going really well, why would I want to stop what I’m doing to go and write at the piano?”

How would you describe your voice as an artist at this point in your career?

I’ve never really thought about it. I’m not strategic with anything or ever trying to sound a certain way. I just enjoy creating something I can believe in and pour my heart into. I find the most fulfillment from that.

The Heart of the Record & What Remains After Loss

At its core, A Shadow, A Dream is not just about grief; it’s about what remains after it. The album repeatedly returns to the idea that memory itself can become a form of presence, something active and alive rather than something distant or fading. That belief shapes the emotional center of the record, allowing it to feel less like an ending and more like a continuation of connection, as was the goal.

If people could only take one thing away from listening to this album, what would you want that thing to be?

The idea that we keep lost loved ones alive in memory, in dreams, in song. If we’re still thinking about them, talking about them, and dreaming about them, they haven’t really left us. Each memory together is a seed they’ve sown. If you care for it, it will grow into something beautiful.

Of all the songs on the album, which would you say is the absolute closest to your heart, and why?

Chalk. Every lyric is a deeply personal reference or cherished memory. There’s a line towards the end about blowing a kiss through a doorway. It’s my last memory I have with my grandmother. She got sick a few months into the making of the album, and I flew home to see her a few days before she passed. As I left, we blew each other a kiss through her front doorway, knowing it was the last time we’d ever see each other. We were really close, living two houses down the street from each other my entire childhood. That final moment together is one of my most precious memories. The concept of the album is inspired by her. I’m always dreaming of her and sharing memories we made, and in that way, it feels like she’s still here.

And now that A Shadow, A Dream is out, how do you feel looking back on the version of yourself who created it?

I still feel like I carry that version of myself with me, but I look back feeling accomplished in how I was able to transform all of my grief into something bittersweet and beautiful. It feels like a reclamation.

The deeply human way in which Hudson approaches grief, not as something to escape, but as something to sit with, understand, and eventually transform, is refreshing.

This record doesn’t offer answers, but it does offer space to remember and hold onto what still remains when someone permanently leaves, and it becomes a reminder that connection doesn’t end, but simply changes form.

Listen to A Shadow, A Dream by Hudson McVay on streaming platforms now.

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Visualizers

Okay, first of all, I thought I should start with the two visualizers that made me want to write an article like this in the first place. While most of the visuals mentioned in this post came out this year, these are a year old - created before I even had a Substack to write about them on, but I remember watching them and thinking about how I wanted to write about them.

At the time, I actually wanted to write a rant about how sick I was of artists calling their most beautiful videos “visualizers,” since visualizers usually get significantly fewer views lol. I realize there’s a difference between MVs and visualizers, but back then, I was just irritated that I noticed so many artists making their best videos in quite some time, and said videos weren’t getting as much recognition as they deserved because they were labeled “visualizer.”

Jade’s It Girl

Jade is on a mission to make sure she’s serving cunt at all times, and she’s completing it very successfully. Being one of the few Americans who know ball (AKA, adored Little Mix since Wings came out), I feel really proud to say I impatiently waited a year for her album to come out and got my life when it did! During the wait, she delivered bop after bop, incredible visual after incredible visual, and It Girl was one of them.

When I first saw the video, I was simultaneously obsessed and pissed. It’s a simple visual, but I was really annoyed that more people weren’t going to see it - or hear the song, because it’s truly such an earworm that refuses to leave my head even now.

“My darlin’, you could never,” INDEED! YES MA’AM!

Halle Bailey’s Back and Forth

It’s been a while since I’ve seen any of Halle’s videos, so I don’t remember them, but I think this is the most beautiful video she’s ever made, seriously. She looks otherworldly beautiful, and the looks in this one are just stunning! To this day, I’m pissed we didn’t get more pictures of them!

It’s a Valentine’s Day Visual and definitely suits the holiday very well. I wish more people had seen this and heard the song (which I also think is one of her best) as well.

Side note: I genuinely think Chloe and Halle have the best voices out of practically anybody out right now. I’m annoyed that we don’t get much music from them, and that the music we do get is often…

Well.

Moving on.

Zara Larsson’s Midnight Sun: Girl’s Trip

Now onto the more recent visuals, first starting with Zara Larsson’s Girl’s Trip visualizers.

I’m so obsessed with these. Yes, they’re beautiful, fly, hot, and sexy - and yes, Zara Larsson is gorgeous, and these visuals are super aesthetic - but you know what else they are? ON BRAND!

When I think of artists who have super strong branding, I think of Doechii, Pink Pantheress, Sabrina Carpenter, and Zara. Am I crazy? Am I missing something? I swear it feels like practically no one has incredibly strong, cohesive, consistent branding the way they do, but I’m sure I’m just forgetting about or overlooking some other artists who do…If that’s the case, point me in their direction, for sure!

Leave a comment

But anyway, I just really adore how well-thought-out and consistent Zara’s whole rollout has been. She’s been killing it since Midnight Sun’s initial release last year, and I’m really happy to see her getting the recognition she deserves.

I adore the bright, carefree, feminine, summery visuals and how these visualizers feel like something a popstar should make.

Music Videos

PinkPantheress’ Stateside FT Zara Larsson

Naturally, I can’t not mention this video in a post like this. It’s also one that made me want to write this in the first place!

The London X (Euro)summer aesthetic coming together = chef’s kiss!

This is the song of the year #FORME, so it getting such an incredible video to go along with it made me so happy, and seeing two great artists with the strongest branding come together and do a video that suited each of their vibes so well made me nearly lose my mind!

I love it! I love how the visuals feel soft, fast-moving, and, of course, nostalgic. This video feels like something that would’ve played on Disney channel in 2009 - but that may be because it goes really well with Selena Gomez’s “Naturally” video.

Also, the styling in this video is just incredible! 10/10, no notes!

Tyla’s She Did It Again ft. Zara Larsson

I truly don’t even have the right words for this video. One of the most gorgeous videos I’ve seen in a while, and I’m obsessed with it. Zara and Tyla are so beyond beautiful, and this aesthetic suits them both.

I love the bright lighting, bare, glittery skin, the ! hair ! Everything.

I love how the dance sequences prioritize sensuality instead of overcomplicated choreography, and how the video never feels rigid because everything flows. The hair, fabric, camera movement, and body positioning - even the editing feels smooth instead of sharp.

I went into the video knowing I was going to love it because I love both artists and because it was being compared to Rihanna and Shakira’s Can’t Remember to Forget You and Beyonce and Shakira’s Beautiful Liar…You can never go wrong when that’s the kind of vibe you’re bringing to the function!

Also, we need Shakira X Tyla next!

FLO’s Leak It

I have not been Flo’s biggest fan lately due to their “Screwing other creatives over” controversies, so I admittedly didn’t go into watching this MV intending to like it, but I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it!

It’s been a long time since I last watched any of their videos, too, so I’m not sure, but this one feels like one of the best that they’ve made - probably top two!

I’m always going to live for a peak early 2000s girl group music video moment. It’s not even that they went digging super deep into the lovable, beautiful, wonderful, yet insanely overdone Y2K aesthetic’s nachos. But the video’s fierce, unapologetically iconic popstar vibes definitely come from tapping into the untamed energy of a group like the Pussycat Dolls.

The attitude of it all, the spectacle of it all, the tabloid aesthetics, staged chaos, paparazzi, fake scandals, over-the-top reactions - “Leak It” feels like the spiritual descendant of the kind of flashy, hyper-performative girl group videos that used to dominate television. Everything in this video feels intentionally excessive in the best way possible.

The styling is probably my favorite part. The fur, the makeup, the silhouettes, all mixed with the dramatic posing and camera flashes everywhere - well, yes! It feels expensive and unserious simultaneously.

And honestly, I miss when music videos let women look fun. FLO lean fully into being cunty, theatrical, and larger-than-life here, and that’s why the video eats.

Sabrina Carpenter’s House Tour

I don’t even have much to say here. It’s just fabulous. Sabrina Carpenter decided to start eating the other girls up one day and hasn’t looked back since. I truly cannot express how much I love her visuals. Whoever is helping her with her music videos needs to hijack the film industry and ban all other directors - just for a year or two, abeg!

I say this thinking specifically of the Manchild video, but back to House Tour - I love the old Hollywood glamour, hyper-femininity, and vintage visuals X modern internet humor of it all.

Sabrina’s biggest visual strength right now is that she understands camp without making everything feel like a parody. The visuals are playful and exaggerated, but they still feel aesthetically controlled instead of randomly quirky. I just love how cheeky, glamorous, and theatrical she and this video are. And I love how everything - all her MVs, concert sets, and other performances - is pretty to look at. Which sounds simple, but for a while, even that felt like it was becoming a lost art.

Good job, Sabrina (who I’ve loved since Girl Meets World and Eyes Wide Open and have wanted to blow up since the Singular Acts came out - and no, I won’t shut up about it!)

BTS’ Hooligan

The obsession I have with this song needs to be studied. It’s actually getting ridiculous.

And aside from the song being just totally on-brand for me and what I tend to like, if I had to think about why I like it so much that I can listen to it for two hours straight each day, I’d say it comes down to two reasons:

1. The extended concert intro into Hooligan has me in the strongest of chokeholds. I like to listen to that first minute so much that I do end up listening to it over and over again until, like, an hour has passed, and then I end up listening to the full song repeatedly.

2. The video is…So stunning to me?

I just really love the visuals, man, I don’t know.

It looks like some kind of dystopian action movie mixed with fashion campaign looks and anime villain vibes all blended together. It’s super cinematic.

BTS wearing all black, leather, fur, and an insane amount of chains is…Very pleasing to the eye, to say the least. And the MV’s coloring is so eye-catching. The red, the muted teal, the B&W filter.

The iconic model that appears just to serve in the middle of it. The chaos.

I love the massive sets, masked dancers, and huge formations included in the video, too. And maybe above all else, the smoky griminess and overall texture of it.

Also, honestly, the exaggerated seriousness of the visuals somehow loops back around into being fun. This MV fully commits to its own intensity, which makes it way more immersive.

It’s all just addictive. This video has literally become my cocomelon, and sits at the same table as Interlude: Shadow’s video. (And J-Hope’s Arson and More videos!)

Cortis’ RedRed

I feel like this video should have a ‘90s cinematic grainy film filter, but aside from that, it’s perfect.

I really adore Cortis and their whole vibe, from their music to their videos. I love the more “casual” and “just five kids making music together” branding they have. And I love the chaotic energy they’re known for as well.

RedRed’s visuals match that chaos and feel hyper-digital and aggressively stylish all at once.

The color grading is amazing; the strange framing choices make the video so exciting and unserious; and, above all else, it just looks like five chaotic guys hanging out, so it’s very on-brand.

I love any video that feels kind of outside of the box, and this one definitely does.

Also, this and Acai are literally never going to leave my head, and I’m totally fine with that.

Laufey’s Madwoman

Hudson Williams was there, Alysa Liu was there, so I, too, was there.

(Also, Megan from Katseye and Lola Tung were in this.)

I haven’t gotten into Laufey much aside from knowing probably three of her songs, including this one, but maybe I’ll get more into her one day, and until then, I’m at least happy I watched this video!

It was really bright, and really fun, and genuinely, it’s hard for me not to like a video that can be described that way.

BRING BACK COLORS, AND BRING BACK VIBRANCY.

I also really love the 60s aesthetic. I feel like 50s - early 2000s aesthetics are literally always going to eat. Not a single decade throughout that time period failed to have a stunning aesthetic! It’s just a shame about the other stuff from those eras, like, you know, the racism and homophobia and sexism, and other foolishness and all…But we’ve still got all those things now and no decent, totally unborrowed aesthetic to show for it…But I’m getting off track here.

Madwoman’s theatrical femininity, vibrant colors, and vintage styling make it an amazing video - alongside its warm lighting, intimate framing, and visual pacing, which actually allows moments to breathe.

It’s another video that feels like how I think a lot of videos nowadays don’t, but how at least most of them should: super cinematic, like watching a short film that tells an excellent story.

Monaleo’s Everythang Pinka ft Teezo Touchdown

I saw Monaleo and Teezo Touchdown and naturally, I got involved with that!

I adored this video. I’m a sucker for a cute pink aesthetic, which Monaleo is the queen of! Teezo Touchdown is starting to grow on me more and more and more - and I adore his cute, mischievous little face. He fit right into this videos aesthetic. Deep sigh as I think about how much I wish majority of men were comfortable enough in their sexualities to express themselves the way he does.

Anyway, I love Monaleo referencing and recreating Beyoncé’s Check Up On It video! That’s a classic, so you can’t go wrong with similar visuals.

All in all, this video was just a 10/10 for me!

Visual Album

There are so many visual albums I’ve been telling myself I’m going to watch for so long now - Jade’s That’s ShowBiz, Baby, most importantly! - but I haven’t. Yet I ended up watching Slayyyter’s since I wanted to listen to the album anyway!

Slayyyter’s WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA

I really like the (what I call) White trash meets glitz-and-glam aesthetic. I enjoyed the sparkly outfits, striking (hopefully faux) fur and camouflage attire, and the fireworks and flashing lights of it all. The indie-sleaze aesthetics, Tumblr-era party-girl iconography, grimy Americana, motel glamour, glitter, chaos, and cheapness presented stylishly… well… ate. Her visuals show that ugliness can be aesthetically compelling when styled correctly, and I’m here for it.

I don’t know anything about Slayyyter, but when Crank comes on, I get involved with that, and I’m glad I ended up watching her MVs!

Everything in them feels intentionally excessive and oftentimes self-destructive, which makes the videos feel less sanitized than most do. Even when something is glamorous, there’s still grime attached to it somewhere - smudged makeup, harsh flashes, aggressive editing - it all contributes to the feeling that the visual world is constantly teetering between mess, danger, and glamor. I’m drawn to juxtapositions, so of course, I liked this.

A lot of artists try to recreate early Tumblr-era aesthetics and fail because they make them too polished. WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA actually leans into the messiness that made those aesthetics compelling in the first place.

If I had to sum it up, I’d say these videos feel like leaving a motel - wearing a messy bun, glitter lip gloss, smudged makeup, a white tank top, and sweat pants - to go buy cigarettes and beer at 2 am. I FW it!

(Fake blood warning for 2 pics)

So, there we have it! A few visuals that I’ve enjoyed lately!

I’m for sure going to make more posts about MVs I love soon. There are some that I’ve watched during certain times of my life, and that feel super nostalgic - especially because of my viewing habits. I get hooked on the same handful of videos and end up watching them together over and over again for a few weeks to a month sometimes, and that just makes me miss them more when time passes. So, I should definitely write about some of those. And also, there are just some other super aesthetic videos that I need even more people to see! I’ll write about them soon.

Until then, thank you for reading! <3

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lucky break’s world feels hand-drawn, emotionally open, and slightly strange in the best way. Her debut album, made it!, released via Fire Records, was written between the ages of nineteen and twenty-three: those years where everything is happening, nothing feels settled, and the future can feel both impossibly bright and completely overwhelming.

Across the record, lucky break - the musical project of Emma Gerson - turns early-adult uncertainty into something vivid and melodic. The songs move through fear, heartbreak, imagination, hope, escape, and the slow work of finding your own voice. The album pulls from the sounds she grew up with, blending pop, country, 90s alternative indie, and the literary emotionality of artists like Fiona Apple, Pavement, Lucinda Williams, John Prine, Joni Mitchell, and Liz Phair.

But made it! is not only an album. It is also a world! lucky break has described the project as a character, a portal, a cartoon girl with a guitar, and an ever-expanding container for the feelings that come with making art. That sense of playfulness matters because the songs are often dealing with complicated, vulnerable things. They’re sad, funny, scared, and observant - and sometimes quietly ecstatic.

In this first Creative Spotlight conversation, lucky break reflects on what it feels like to release songs written by past versions of herself, how those songs have changed meaning now that they’re out in the world, and how Elliott Woodbridge and Jessica Thompson helped bring the record into its own universe.

This interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

Also available on MQTWorld.com

Looking Back at the Girl Who Wrote made it!

Written across several years, made it! holds more than one version of lucky break inside it. It’s not a snapshot so much as a little time capsule with each age carrying its own fear, strengths, and sense of urgency. And since the album is now out in the world, that distance allows for a different kind of reflection.

Now that made it! is out, how do you feel looking back on that version of yourself who wrote these songs?

There are many versions here: my nineteen-year-old self, twenty-year-old self, twenty-one-year-old self, etc. This record just keeps reminding me that everything changes, all the time. You might be stuck in a feeling and think it’s going to last forever, but in six months, you’ll be somebody totally different. It’s freeing to look back on these songs and think, “Oh man, I was so afraid back then. Why was I so afraid?”

How has your understanding of yourself changed since writing them?

I don’t know if it’s improved my understanding of myself now, but certainly it helps me understand my past self. Is that not such a funny little trick of life? Hindsight is 20/20, but the present is always completely foreign and strange. I guess that is what I have learned: whatever is freaking me out today will be something to laugh at tomorrow.

And what feelings have come up for you after releasing something so personal?

There are days when I would like to wipe myself from the internet forever and just be invisible. There are also days when I am just so relieved that it’s out there. Sometimes I feel proud, in flashes. Mostly, I just hope people who need the songs get to hear them. That is the best thing you could hope for: that whatever you make helps others.

A World That Changes Shape

The world around made it! is full of movement: hand-drawn art, zines, stickers, tour posters, and a character that feels both separate from and deeply connected to the person making the music. That flexibility shows up in the songs, too. The album does not cling to one clean identity; instead, it allows itself to keep changing shape. So does lucky break.

When asked how separate lucky break is from Emma Gerson as a person, her answer is simple and fittingly open-ended: “Up to you.”

That feels like part of the project’s charm. lucky break can be a person, a character, a world, a drawing, a feeling, or some shifting combination of all of them. That fluidity carries into the music itself, especially in how influence and identity are handled.

Your sound pulls from a wide range of influences, including Fiona Apple, Pavement, and Lucinda Williams. How do you keep your identity clear within that?

I don’t know if I have a set identity. I think I just get inspired by certain things, like the honesty in Fiona’s voice or the beauty of Lucinda’s poetry, and then I make a song. But I like to think my inspirations change all the time, so my work never runs dry.

And while on the topic of other artists’ influence on the project, how did working with Jessica Thompson and Elliott Woodbridge shape the final sound of made it!?

Elliott handled all the production, so he brought all the musical magic. Jessica mastered, so she made the tracks sound smooth and cohesive. Both of them together brought the songs into a universe of their own, and I am so beyond honored I got to work with them both.

You’re rightfully very proud of the project - I’m sure it’s difficult to choose, but what would you say is your favorite song from the album, and why?

Big Swing! Because it’s terribly, hopelessly sad. And because I mention my family dog, Bogie, in it -- he passed a few weeks ago. So, I love that he’s here, right at the top of the album.

Secret Lakes, Red Balloons, and the Child Inside

Some of the strongest moments in lucky break’s interview come when she talks about the emotional logic behind the songs. She often explains feelings through images: a secret lake, a red balloon, the child that remains inside you. It makes sense for an album that feels whimsical without ever being shallow, and that approach carries directly into Red Balloon, where feeling is translated into something symbolic and open-ended.

This is such a beautiful song. Do you see Red Balloon as more about escape or transformation?

Thank you! I’m so glad you like it. It depends on my mood. What do you think?

I think lucky break’s ability to let the meaning of things fluctuate depending on mood or circumstance is admirable, and something we could all stand to learn from.

In Camp Song, the idea of leaving behind “sunshine” because it brings you down is interesting. What does that represent to you?

Thank you for such close listening. Have you ever experienced something so precious that you don’t want it to be tainted by the outside world? Imagine you find a beautiful, secret lake full of fresh water -- but there’s a hydroelectric power plant down the road. You can tell some of your friends about the lake, but you run the risk of the hydroelectric power plant bosses finding out. If they find out, your beautiful secret lake is going to be absolutely ruined. They’ll dig tunnels straight from the lake to the plant, and the whole place will smell like sewage. When you find something as precious as a secret, freshwater lake, in this world of profit and pollution -- you can’t afford to let another soul know. That’s what the feeling is. That it’s too good to take with me, because if I do, it’s going to get killed.

There is a tension in that song between becoming “hard” and wanting to return to being a child. How do you reconcile those two sides?

And that is what I’ve been asking! I think the answer is that the child is inside of you all the time, and the way you treat it is ultimately how you end up treating yourself. So, you should probably try to listen to it. Be kind to it. Pay attention to it. And don’t be ashamed of it.

Playing the Songs Out Loud

After so much of made it! began in private - written through fear, change, heartbreak, and self-discovery - the live show becomes another kind of transformation. The songs leave the bedroom, the notebook, and the studio, becoming something shared. That shift raises a different kind of question:

You have some shows coming up. What excites you most about playing these songs for an audience after writing them in such a personal space?

I love playing for people! I’m just so excited to play my songs to anybody who wants to listen. When I sing, I like to imagine the whole room full of golden light. I think it makes people feel good.

And what do you want people to feel when they come to one of your shows?

Whatever they need to feel.

That answer is quite on-brand.

After an album full of changing feelings and ongoing transformations, lucky break does not insist on one reaction. Instead, she leaves space for the listener to feel what they need, take what they can, and find themselves somewhere within the songs.

made it! by lucky break is out now via Fire Records.

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Credit to @btslyrictranslations and Genius for English lyric translations!

Flashing light warning for three GIFs used in this post! (Gifs posted under The Tracks: out of love, Heaven, and LOST!)

And sorry for the hoards of pics - this is one of the posts I made with some galleries in it but I didn’t realize gallery pics just show up vertically on mobile 😭 for a better reading experience, view on desktop or in browser!

In 2024, Namjoon of BTS decided to drop one of the top three albums of the entire year.

On May 24th, 2026, it was the second anniversary of it.

I’d been listening to it at least once a month, almost every month, since it was released, but in May I listened to it even more often than usual, and naturally, I wanted to write up an album report for it!

So, here we are!

The Album

Right Place, Wrong Person is Namjoon’s second studio album, following the iconic and somehow already four-year-old Indigo. The album includes 11 experimental tracks that are near and dear to fans’ hearts because of how raw they are, often mirroring the frustration, curiosity, self-questioning, and other vulnerable emotions Namjoon has become increasingly open about over the years.

Namjoon’s music has always been personal, incredibly eloquent, poetic, and overall emotionally open, but this album takes his honesty and artistry to the next level. It was the first solo project of his in which his artistic freedom was on full display, if you ask me, and it was also his second solo project after BTS’s forced hiatus due to military enlistment - released while he was serving.

Namjoon described a need to be “completely free and honest” in this project, and that goal was more than achieved. His desire to be completely vulnerable can be felt throughout every track!

The Sound

Sonically, the album is an intentionally discordant alternative record infused with songs of multiple genres: hip-hop, jazz, punk, R&B, indie/alt-pop, and it has some electronic textures. Plus more. All of which appear across the 34-minute preview of Heaven - I mean the 34-minute project. Yet, it still feels totally coherent!

(You see when you’re Kim Namjoon…!)

It’s described as a “diary-like, emotionally-exposed” album, including spoken-word verses with husky vocals, lyrical rap, asymmetrical production, and a lot of experimental mood-setting. But if the album had to be summed up simply, it’s an alternative hip-hop and art-pop project with hints of indie rock and a lot of introspective songwriting.

(Even simpler: It’s a banger!)

The Creation

It makes sense that the tracks showcase so many colors and sides of Namjoon because of how the album came together in the first place. According to Wikipedia, Namjoon described the album as a project that was originally envisioned as “10 tracks about different people and situations,” and said that the title and concept came out of a hiking trip conversation with creative director San Yawn about being “in the wrong place.”

He worked with a large range of producers (despite BTS haters and some alleged “Fans” clutching their pearls and acting all shocked and appalled by them doing the same thing for ARIRANG, as if it’s some kind of brand new practice or something, but whatever), who fall into the “Team RM” close-knit creative collective, as they’re framed in Namjoon’s right people, wrong place documentary. Some of these producers include Mokyo, JNKYRD, Unsinkable, Nancy Boy, Qim Isle, Kim Han-joo, Jclef, No Identity, Supreme Boi, Sojeso, Rad Museum, Domi & JD Beck, Oh Hyuk, Moses Sumney, and Namjoon himself, among others.

(And side note: Beyonce and BTS - two of my favorite artists of all time, two of the most successful acts of all time, two of the most history-making, record-breaking, creatively ambitious entities of all time - are some of the most criticized people for working with “too many” songwriters and producers. Should I write a rant about how stupid it is to criticize creatives for taking inspiration from or wanting to work with other creatives? Or about how clearly these two acts are doing something right, considering how they’re leaps and bounds ahead of literally everyone else, and rightfully so, because look at the material…? I’m going to avoid being snarky for the rest of this post - for the most part - but my God, nothing makes me feel more feral than incredible artists getting dragged for the ways in which they decide to make their art!)

The Tracks

You may be wondering when I’ll stop glazing Namjoon and this album and finally get into each of the tracks. Well, the glazing isn’t going to stop, but let’s get into each of the tracks, INDEED!

Right People, Wrong Place

This is an alt hip-hop and experimental pop track that can be described as disorienting and confrontational. It immediately introduces the misalignment and alienation aspects of the album with an addictive repetition of the album’s title.

Such a simple track, so…Well, as I said, addictive. I love the repetition, the raspy vocals Namjoon is known for, the passionate shouts in the back that kinda act as a warning of what you’re about to get yourself into. Same feeling as a soda being shaken up, gradually getting fizzier and fizzier until you finally open it and it explodes everywhere.

Also, I really feel like what I said in my ARIRANG Album Report applies here:

As mentioned, that’s one of the best feelings I think an album opener can give you, so kudos to the BTS members for managing to make me feel like that twice!

Nuts

Words cannot describe to you how much I adore this song.

It’s a funk-leaning alt-pop and hip-hop song that’s slightly unhinged and a tad bit melancholic. The lyrics highlight instability, dissatisfaction in a relationship, and discomfort that keeps shape-shifting instead of resolving.

I adore the funky bass, the “Pro rider, hoo hoo hoo hoo rider” is iconic and lives in my head rent-free at all times, I’m obsessed with the production at the end getting grittier and more distorted, and I love the clean transition into the next song!

As is tradition by now, I can’t seem to go one single album report without mentioning how I tend to credit the increase of clean transitions in albums to Beyonce’s Renaissance because it seems to happen way more often since she released that. Thank you, Beyonce, for being you, and thank you, Namjoon, for making excellent music, too!

out of love

This song is super sharp, bitter, and filled with anger - something that made me scream like a maniac when I first heard it.

BTS are too kind, mature, and professional for me. I want them to get nasty and violent more often. They deserve to talk their shit! I appreciate how Namjoon vents in this song, and how abrasive it is.

Also, I memorized the lyrics to the first verse, and only the people who know me must know how impressive that is. Despite listening to music constantly, I never seem to be able to remember a song’s lyrics without it playing. Probably something to do with my intense love of production and vivid maladaptive daydreaming through each song I play. I tend to listen to music through visuals. So, Namjoon making a song that managed to cut through the noise of my own visual mind - and so addictive that I listened to it a thousand times upon release - is incredible.

What a legend he is!

Domodachi

This is a playful, jazzy, alt-rap song which is a bit looser and more lighthearted than the album’s other tracks.

Namjoon, unsurprisingly, rapped his ass off.

“Imma stay cool when they come up with the new shit.” IKTR.

Little Simz, who featured on the song, rapped her ass off as well!

Truly, I don’t have much to say here. I just think this is an incredibly fun earworm, but honestly, that’s downplaying how much of a vibe it is, and how amazingly it fits into the album. It’s another one that flows wonderfully into the next track!

? (Interlude)

This is described as an exploratory, open-ended, percussive-driven, musically conversational track. And you wanna know something else about it?

My brain truly didn’t register that this was an interlude during my first few listens. Yes, the track is mostly instrumental and has no singing or rapping, just talking. However, it’s genuinely one of my favorite tracks from the album (well - they all are, because they’re all amazing. But you know what I’m saying!)

Namjoon’s voice is so calming, I could listen to it for all eternity. The way he pronounces words is just so pleasing to my ear - and I’m a big fan of the experimental jazz in this transitional track. I’m starting to want a full jazz album from him, and I don’t even listen to much jazz…

Just putting that out there.

(Also putting it out there that I’ve had the pleasure of writing a Creative Spotlight feature for Dram Fools - an indie duo whose album, Whisky River, has elements of jazz here and there. The feature should be coming out in a few weeks, so check back!)

I also think people who can make music are just magical. This song sounds like curiosity and ambiguity personified, which I think was the goal, and the fact that you can make a song sound like a feeling is just…

I love music, man.

Groin

This raw and profane alt hip-hop track is both comedic and openly combative. Exasperated and raw. Self-assertive and self-accepting. In it, Namjoon rejects being boxed in (to the perfect idol image) and accepts that he, at times, has “fucked it up.”

Genius sums up the inspiration behind this song quite well:

“In a video called “교환앨범 MMM (Mini & Moni Music) – RM” with bandmate Jimin which was uploaded on BTS’ official Youtube channel “BANGTANTV”, RM explained that after releasing his previous album “Indigo” in November 2022, he got involved in multiple frustrating incidents and controversies in a short time, which led to him deciding to resolve his anger through “Right Place, Wrong Person” after a conversation with close friend and member of “alternative Kpop group” Balming Tiger, San Yawn.

Some of these incidents include controversy over BTS’ military enlistment, others include violations of his privacy e.g. details of a private conversation with the chief monk at a visit of the Buddhist Hwaeomsa Temple being publicly disclosed without his permission. Another incident entailed a Korail (Korean Railroad Corporation) employee being found to have looked up his private information, including booking details, his address and phone number 18 times since 2019.

There were also several incidents that caused outrage on social media, e.g. he was accused of islamophobia after posting Frank Ocean’s “Bad Religion” on Instagram Stories, faced backlash after accidentally posting a picture of him smoking on Instagram stories, several dating rumors etc.”

I vividly remember feeling like defending Namjoon online wasn’t enough and that I needed a Glock during this era. Getting canceled for being a grown man who was smoking, and having a literal monk leak his private conversation…To this day, if I ever were to catch said Monk in person, it’d have to be on sight!

If you can’t trust a damn Monk, who can you trust?!

Before I go getting riled up all over again, let me remind myself of my favorite emotional support lyrics, which happen to also be from this song:

Get your as out of trunk

You walk like a duck, bitch

To this day, I bust out laughing every time I hear this. And to this day, I still don’t know what could’ve possessed him to say such an insult, but thank God he did! This is still one of my favorite vocal stims!

Heaven

Song so good I had to use the same gif twice. Further proof that the album is cohesive, I guess.

This is a soft, hazy, alternative rock and dream pop track that has also been described as dreamy shoegaze, which should tell you all you need to know.

The song sounds like its title, and I’m genuinely so sorry to tell you this, but you have to listen to it yourself because words alone aren’t enough.

I’m serious.

I said listen to it!

Such a chill song, so incredible. I love when Namjoon gets into his singing bag (all the rapline, honestly). 10/10, NO NOTES!

Also, a lot of people who look down on K-pop or pop music in general and listen exclusively to alt and indie music realized Namjoon was nothing to be played with upon hearing this. (The song and the whole album). I’m glad they finally woke up to him - his music is truly extraordinary. Watching people realize his talent in real time in the weeks following this album’s release was honestly so satisfying!

LOST!

Song so good I had to use the same gif thrice, actually.

Truly the best song ever made, like, I’m so sorry. It just doesn’t get better than this for me.

You know it’s serious as Hell when I start spamming gifs…

Anyway, this is one of the rare songs with lyrics that I paid attention to from the very first listen.

I kid you not, I couldn’t listen to this song without bursting into tears by the middle of it for a solid year.

Mind you, this is one of the vibiest songs ever! But for there were a lot of things that made me emotional when listening this.

1. Namjoon’s situation at the time. The constant invasion of privacy, the way he - I repeat - quite literally couldn’t even trust a monk with his private information, the way he had a million hate trains against him, one after the other. It felt like too much for any human to bear, even to me, an outsider looking in through occasional tweets and news headlines.

2. The thought of how difficult idol life seems. “I never been to club before, I hit the club.” At thirty, he was saying he’d never been to a club before. I found it so sad. Not because you must attend a club before 30 - I’m 25 and never been, and I’m sure there are plenty of 30+ year olds who haven’t either - but because idols are expected to never do anything. No hugging, kissing, dating, smoking, clubbing, sometimes no cursing - no matter if they’re twenty or thirty. No “imperfection.” It’s sad, whether it’s the life they “signed up for” or not.

3. Too relatable. I, too, felt goddamn lost while listening to this for the first time, and still today. I, too, had never been to club before, though I still haven’t. I couldn’t and can’t relate to the “I never felt so free before,” which is cause for crying as well.

The song just sucker punched me from all different directions, for all different reasons. I love it.

Don’t let my overemotion fool you, though. I don’t think most people felt sad listening to this - it’s not supposed to be a crying song. It’s something you can definitely vibe to in a club, and it’s super wavy in the way I’m always obsessed with.

It’s also 2/3 of the songs here that you must listen to, with no other choice in the matter.

I said listen!

Around the world in a day

Lengthiest sigh ever heard

The excellence continues.

Soulful, groovy, expansive, haunting, distant, and searching. All words used to describe this song.

I love words. I love adjectives. As mentioned earlier, I love it when songs feel how they’re supposed to, too.

This is such an excellent track that, like all the other songs on this album, pulls the entire project together. I seriously don’t think there’s a single song that could’ve been left off that wouldn’t have been missed. The album would’ve felt incomplete without any one of them (which is why you should listen to the full thing, but whatever, what do I know aside from everything).

Namjoon is so cool. I love him experimenting with different genres on this album so much.

And the best line in this song is definitely, “Bitch that’s that shitttt.”

Yes, exactly, Kim Namjoon!

ㅠㅠ (Credit Roll)

Even the damn credit roll is excellent.

The Recording Academy is going to have to journey into the deepest, darkest depths of Hell for not nominating this for Album of the Year.

This is a tender, reflective, epilogue of an interlude, and it’s just beautiful. What else do you want me to say?!

Come back to me

Bro, here we go, bro. Bro, here we go, bro. Oh my God.

There was just genuinely and truly no good reason for him to go into the studio and make such greatness. Like, he didn’t have to make something so phenomenal, but he did. For no reason other than that he could, I guess.

A six-minute and twenty-nine-second song released at the peak of the two-minute TikTok music takeover, mind you. And somehow, it feels like a two-minute track. I need a twenty-minute extended version, actually.

This is 3/3.

LISTEN TO IT OR ELSE!

This is a very laid-back acoustic pop track that Apple Music perfectly described as a “six-minute slow-burn exhale.” Its lyrics are resigned, accepting, and the epitome of surrender. Of trying to understand suffering, and reaching for a return to self without pretending to have certainty. To me, it’s a track that embraces imperfection and finally agrees (after much fighting) to live with it.

The most soothing, comforting, beautiful song in existence. Every second of it is art. Also, to me, it has a kinda 90s romcom vibe. I just wanna slow dance in slow motion in the middle of a club where everyone else is partying wildly to it.

This is a comfort song, and one that I turn on when I wanna break down and have a really long sob session. Not because it makes me sad, but because it comforts me through my sadness, and listening to such a beautiful song reminds me that there is beauty in the world, even in my darkest moments.

Plus, Namjoon’s voice really soothes me, and he, of all people - with all his imperfections and mental health struggles, which he’s been so open and honest about - seems like someone who would understand my pain if I were able to bear my soul to him. So, listening to his music - and particularly, this song - when I’m drowning in despair feels like turning up at a best friend’s house at 3 am because I’m too sad to be by myself.

Parasocial as Hell, but…

This is a song I’ve listened to in the complete dark to soothe myself to sleep so many times.

Kim Namjoon, you can truly do no wrong. You need to be kissed on the forehead until your foreskin falls off.

(That was a typo, but I thought I’d leave it there. Perfect place to end the Come back to me glazing, I think.)

Truly, this has to be one of my favorite albums of all time, one of the greatest of 2024 (Perhaps even of the first half of the 2020s), and it’ll certainly always hold a special place in my heart. If I had the dictatorship I deserve, everyone would have to listen to this at least once, but probably a thousand times. Not that anyone would mind - I was genuinely miserable in the weeks following the album’s initial release whenever I attempted to listen to anything else. Literally, what else is there to do after listening to this project aside from starting it over and listening to it again?

It gives me the same vibes as Harry’s House in the sense that it sounds like the kind of album you should listen to while skipping around - and eventually lying down - in a field of flowers during a solo picnic.

(And speaking of Harold, I’ve been trying to get around to writing an album report for Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, since it came out. Plus, I want to revisit Harry’s House*, which is also forever going to have a special place in my heart. Maybe I’ll write one of those next!)*

If I could find it without scrolling for hours and wasn’t 100% sure I said a hundred embarrassing things during the course of it, I’d include the voice note I sent to one of my best friends about the album when it first came out. But since I can’t do that, I can at least (of course) leave you with my ranking!

Song Ranking:

1. Lost

2. Nuts

3. Out Of Love

4. Come Back to Me

5. Heaven

6. Right People, Wrong Place

7. Around the World in a Day

8. Domodachi

9. Groin

10. ?

11. ㅠㅠ

Keep Reading

Okay, the title is a bit unhinged, but it’s how I feel.

A few months ago, I was scrolling through TikTok looking for indie artists to listen to, as always, and as always, I discovered some incredible music.

Here are five of my favorites (along with my usual slightly unhinged visual, vibe, and sonic interpretations) in case you’re always on the lookout for new artists to support as well!

Jai Leprince’s ROCK ‘N ROLL!!!

ROCK ‘N ROLL!!! is a Punk song by Jai Leprince, released on December 21st, 2025. Jai is an up-and-coming independent artist who got their start in the arts through dance and later went on to do musical theater before starting to make their own music.

In his Rockstar Diaries series, he stated, “I wanna preface what I mean when I say rockstar because I’m not just talking about making music. I mean ALL of it. I mean creating an artistic world and a platform where I’m uplifting marginalized voices and bringing awareness to certain social issues that are seen as taboo.”

@jai.leprinceLittle bit of a longer video but I wanted to actually introduce myself and my story a bit #independentartist #rockstardiaries #theaterkid #dancer #originalmusic

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Jai recently released their EP, on April 3rd, 2026. Go support!!!

Stream the EP on Spotify

Music Links

Website

Instagram

TikTok

Starting with this song because I’ve been obsessed with it since I first heard it, ROCK ‘N ROLL!!! by Jai Leprince is a punk/rock song written and produced by Jai Leprince of Dancepunk Records.

It’s a track that hits fast, loud, and physical, and it’s the kind of song that feels built for bodies on the dance floor before being built for meaning (which is not at all a bad thing!) There’s no introspection or emotional unraveling to be heard here; this is a record that belongs inside the speakers of a crowded room with bad lighting and people packed too close to each other.

Speaking of which, there’s a very specific visual world attached to it, too.

Someone getting ready in front of a mirror. Eyeliner that’s been smudged on purpose. A chaotic party scene shot in slow motion. Flashing lights, bodies moving out of sync, someone standing on furniture they probably shouldn’t be on. A night that’s already gone too far but keeps going anyway. These are the kind of images that flash through my mind as I listen to it.

The song’s lyrics are quite visual, too, and the language feels stylized, almost dressed up. There’s a sort of fashion to it.

“I got these girls so obsessed. Might rock a blue sequin dress. Face card is holy, it’s blessed. Line up my men like it’s chess.”

“I want a pink limousine. So bitches know where I been.”

“Leopard print, medicine, giving you adrenaline.”

The theatricality is hard to ignore.

The track feels cinematic and braggadocious in the best, most intentional way all the way through.

Filled with short, punchy lines delivered with a cadence that leans more into attitude than storytelling, the persona behind the song feels unapologetic, a little exhibitionist, and maybe even slightly antagonistic. The repetition of “sex, drugs, rock and roll” drives that even further.

It feels mantra-like. Chantable, almost hypnotic, and just abrasive enough to feel intentional. And it’s repeated in a way that makes 2 things clear: 1. that the point isn’t to convince you; it’s to dare you to disagree. 2. That the voice wants a reaction rather than understanding.

This song doesn’t ask you to feel deeply; it asks you to feel bold, and a little cocky - and it creates this space where rules feel optional and being watched feels like part of the appeal, not something to avoid. It’s all movement and friction. Pulling in, pushing back, daring someone to look away, and then making it impossible. There’s sexuality running through it, but not in a soft or intimate way. It’s more confrontational, more of a harsh “look at me” than a gentle “come closer.”

The chorus lands less like a melody and more like something you’d yell with a group of strangers you suddenly feel too comfortable with. It doesn’t invite you to sit with it. It pushes you to move, to react, to do something you might not fully think through. It’s also bold enough to be a little polarizing. Not everyone’s going to like it, but it doesn’t seem interested in being liked by everyone.

The final swell pushes everything a little further. More climactic, more exaggerated, overall larger than life, just like the rockstar persona itself is. So, it’s very fitting.

This song is a 10/10 if you ask me, and I’ll be streaming it until the end of time.

Swank Mami’s MC69

This song has a totally different vibe, and I’m also very obsessed with it!

I love a song that makes me feel like a pretty girl with a Maddy Perez kind of attitude, wearing glitter lip gloss and the cutest pastel pink outfit in the world. Kinda (maybe) a niche aesthetic (not really), but that is exactly the kind of energy this song has. I added it to my Pretty Girl Music playlist immediately upon hearing it! It’s also a song that fits right in with PinkPantheress and NewJeans music, if you ask me.

MC69 is rhythmic, confident, slightly dismissive, and assertive, yet not aggressive.

It sounds like the kind of track you and a group of girls would listen to (scream-sing in the mirror) while getting ready to go out. It definitely gives queen of self-validation, main character vibes.

“I already said so-so-so-so, no-no-no-no, that don’t work for me.”

This is a lyric that repeats throughout the track, which gives it an unbothered and untouchable kind of feel. The voice in the song feels fully self-assured in a way that doesn’t need to prove itself. There’s no chasing, over-explaining, or negotiating because it’s not trying to get you on board. It assumes you either are or you aren’t, and it’s fine either way. It sounds like a stylish dismissal - moving past people who try to overstep boundaries, swatting them away unapologetically. At least, that’s how it feels to me.

The repetition in the track feels chant-like and purposeful (frankly, I consider it an affirmation-heavy song and that’s why it’s also on my manifestation music playlist!)

It also sounds like a song you’d listen to while driving in a pretty mustang at night with the music blaring a little too loud, or in a women-only space with a female DJ. Just immaculate vibes.

DIONJALA’s Whirlpool

This is another song I fell in love with as soon as I heard it, perhaps because it’s another one that reminds me of NewJeans. Sonically, with its soft vocals planted over a quick tempo, dance-worthy beat, and its R&B, hyperpop, and bedroom pop influences. And in how it feels. Soft, immersive, and a little hypnotic. It leans into melody and repetition in a way that (fittingly) pulls you in.

The whirlpool metaphor really carries everything. The sense of going in circles, unable to get out, is embedded throughout the song’s structure. It swells, settles, then swells again, and the track is repetitive in an obviously intentional way. I like how the song’s production mirrors and even reinforces the emotional loop one might go through in a relationship like this, over and over again. Plus, aside from the looping, you can also hear the reverb, which kinda sounds like something echoing back at you instead of moving forward.

Emotionally, this is a track that’s a lot heavier than it sounds at first (which I always adore in a song!) It feels like being in something you already know isn’t good for you, but being past the point of trying to fix it and instead just staying and watching it play out.

”Like a whirlpool drawn to you, pulling me under, pulling us under. From the whirlpool’s point of view, caught in the blunder. Out of air, pullin’ me out of sight. I knew I couldn’t swim, I’ll keep trying with all my might. I feel the waves crushing me, I hear the sounds of our defeat. Our lungs are full, we’re feeling the heat. We realized there’s no escape.”

Lines like “I knew I couldn’t swim” and “Our lungs are full” don’t come across as panicked as they could, but instead, they feel accepted - as if the realization already hit a while ago and now the voice of the song is just sitting in it. “There’s no escape” doesn’t feel like fear; it feels like a conclusion.

That’s what makes it hit harder. It’s not about trying to survive; It’s about the moment you stop trying.

The calm running through the song, which contrasts with its lyrics, continues with lines like “Merrily we lay, feel our hearts decay,” which should feel dramatic but instead feels peaceful.

I like how the voice of the song is emotionally self-aware, but still stuck. What can I say? I’m a sucker for any “Hey Ya,” by Outkast kind of situation in a song. This track has the same “Y’all don’t want to hear me, you just want to dance” vibe.

In the sense that…you could literally be getting ready to go see someone you know you shouldn’t be seeing and playing this in the background while you do. It definitely feels like a doing-your-makeup-before-a-bad-decision song. But it’s also the kind of track you’d have blaring in your headphones at 2 AM.

All in all, I think a lot of people will relate to this song and instantly recognize the kind of situation it conveys: not the dramatic version of heartbreak, but the quieter one where you already know how it ends and stay anyway.

Sam Cliffe’s City Lights

City Lights is a house song that was released on October 17th, 2025, by Sam Cliffe, a German-born platinum music producer who produces for other artists as well. His most-streamed song currently is “Tongue Tied.”

@cybrangels_loop #cybergirl #neofuturism #cybercore #aesthetic

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I literally got addicted to this song because of the above TikTok!

I spent an insane amount of time searching for it, and it was so worth it because I still listen to it nearly daily!

This song feels like hanging halfway out the car window, flipping your hair in slow motion, with glitter smeared all over your cheeks - very season one Euphoria, if you ask me. Not that it sounds like a song that’d be on the Euphoria soundtrack, but it for sure makes the glitter-soaked, neon-lit aesthetic visuals flow into my mind’s eye.

There aren’t a lot of lyrics, but the ones there are really set the scene: “Cause you and I, you and I, me and you catch a light, start a fight, getting high like a summer night…”

Also, I think this song belongs in a coming-of-age movie montage.

The production doesn’t feel aggressive or overwhelming, but there’s something very nostalgic about it, which I love. It feels connected to that era of Tumblr-coded nightlife romanticization, when everything was blurry, glittery, emotionally messy, and filmed on somebody’s iPhone 6.

Yet at the same time, it feels futuristic and very cybercore-esque. (But I probably feel that way mostly because of the visual in the TikTok I attached!)

Overall, I’d say this is (obviously) a city-at-night type of song. A rooftop song. A dancing-without-thinking song. I love it!

Juzawni’s Better Off

Finally, there’s this beautiful song that sounds like it should be playing in an angsty YA movie.

There’s so much space around everything, production-wise. The beat feels like it exists to support the mood instead of trying to overpower it, and even the vocals in this track feel isolated, which aligns with the song’s lyrical content:

“I need you closer, but I know you’re already gone. I’m tired of sleeping on my own, and I want you back home, but I know you’re better off alone, and I hate the way you lead, lead me on. You got my attention, but you don’t give affection, and I hate the way you lead, lead me on. Cause you know that I want you, but you don’t want me to want you. And I want you back home, but I know you’re better off alone. And I hate the way you lead, lead me on. And I hate the way you lead, lead me on.”

I love how the production and lyrics feel on par with the theme of loneliness in that very specific way, where someone is technically there but emotionally nowhere to be found. I like how direct the writing is, too. Short lines, emotionally uncluttered, no overcomplicated metaphors trying to make the pain prettier than it is - Better Off feels like the epitome of the exhaustion and the quiet ache you feel when a relationship has completely drained you, and this style of lyricism really adds to the melancholic atmosphere the song creates.

Sometimes you love someone who benefits from your feelings more than they return them, and it feels like you’re shrinking your own needs just to keep that person close a little longer. You know you deserve better, and still cannot stop wanting the person anyway.

I really appreciate how this song feels like a lying-on-the-floor-staring-at-the-ceiling-at-2AM-while-thinking-about-that kind of track.

That’s all for now! I hope you find one of your new favorite artists here.

As always, I needed a place to write my thoughts about the art I’ve been consuming recently - plus, I’m getting contacted by a lot more artists lately - so I thought it’d be a good idea to start this series and have a proper place where I can highlight my favorite emerging acts!

I genuinely hope you’ll check them out and comment to let me know who some of your own favorite indie artists are.

Thanks for reading!

Keep Reading

Reading

Books

Unfortunately, this is yet another month where I didn’t read any books. I’m determined to get back into my reading habit in May, though!

Movies & TV Shows

Once again, I failed to watch any new movies or TV shows. Five months into the year where I’d set the goal to watch a new movie per week, and I’ve still yet to watch a single one…

*Deep sigh*

In my defense, though, technically I have watched something new this month: BTS’s ARIRANG Concerts! I watched Day 2 of the Goyang concerts and have continued watching it nearly every night since the night they did it! I’ve caught a few moments of their other concerts through TikTok lives, too. I’ve just been super into watching live performances lately.

Music

My favorite part!

It was a pretty good new music month for me, I think.

Every New Thing I Listened to This Month

4/4/26

• Business & Personal Intro by Latto - … nice song, everything else aside.

• Recently Deleted by Flo - I liked the video more than the song, but I’ll have to relisten

• Too Deep by dvsn - I didn’t have many thoughts on this one

• Younger You by Miley Cyrus - None of the similar songs top Younger Now for me, but it’s nice

4/9/26

• Finally watched the Hooligan MV by BTS - quickly became my favorite MV of the whole year!

• Pinky Up by KATSEYE - I actually love bad music, but even I don’t like this as much as I usually like bad music. I like the production toward the end. - Later Edit: I still don’t love the song, but I don’t dislike it, and I’ve grown more fond of it since it reflects a recent trend in K-Pop that I’m enjoying a lot, which is more rave-esque music.

4/10/26

• House Tour by Sabrina Carpenter MV - excellent, excellent, excellent, excellent. We need artists to be more like Sabrina when it comes to branding, performances, and MV quality.

• American Girls by Harry Styles MV - meh. Neither the song nor the video is my fave, but I like them at the same time.

4/11/26

• I watched a live stream of BTS’ Day 2 ARIRANG world tour concert and it’s become my addiction! Love it. The live versions of Hooligan and Run BTS >>>>>>>>>> the super long version of idol >>>>>>>>>

4/18/26

• Midnight Sun Spotify Live Room version by Zara Larsson - excellenttttt

• 2.0 and swim live at pier 17 & Hooligan Netflix performance rehearsal are great live performances

4/20/26

• Can’t Stop by TXT - they literally refuse to ever make a bad song

• Commas, Little Miss, and Tweak by Girlset - probably not my type of music. But I’ll relisten!

• Not Me by Illit - I was NOT expecting this to become my new obsession but it has. Love the video, LOVEEEEE the song

• Bolaji by Ro$ama ft Monaleo - banger

• She Did It Again by Tyla ft Zara Larsson - im upset one of the best music videos of the year was done for this song of all songs. I’m very upset that I don’t like the song. I’m sure it’ll grow on me though. - EDIT: Later me here, I take it all back and curse the name of the past version of me who didn’t get this song. It’s a banger and it’s stuck in my head constantly now. I KNOW YOU WANT ME, I KNOW YEW DEWWW!!

• Tears by Sabrina Carpenter - I finally watched the MV. Excellent!

• YUNNNN by Stunna 4 Vegas ft Monaleo - Monaleo ate as per usual

• PTP remix by Babyfxce ft Monaleo - DITTO

• Dracula by Tame Impala (Jennie Remix) - nothingburger.

• Potential by Sombr - Glad im not one of those people who hates sombr. I enjoy his music a lot whenever I hear it.

• Madwoman by Laufey - meh. Love the video though!

4/25/26

• BOAT remix by Trim ft YKNiece, BunnaB

• Celebrate by Le Sserafim - Love the song but it’s another that falls victim to the music industry (especially the Kpop industry’s) refusal to let songs be longer. The hardstyle part literally lasted like five seconds so what was the point including it? And the entire song feels like it’s building to a grand part toward the end but never reaches it or if it does (like the hard style) it doesn’t last long enough and makes it feel anticlimactic. I’m so tired of Kpop songs being ruined by the refusal to allow them to reach the 3:30 or 4:00 minute mark. I don’t mind 2 minute songs when they suit the music but some songs NEED to be longer…I can’t wait for the 2 minute trend to die.

• Crank, dance, beat up Chanel$, cannibalism, and old technology by slayyyter - I enjoyed these songs, i love how much music lately feels so loud, so much dance music, so much rave music, etc. And I love when an artist creates a visual world and even a visual album, which I had no idea Slayyyter did, but now that I do, I have to watch it in full/listen to the album in order lol

• REDRED by Cortis - Cortis is another group that can do no wrong for me so far. This video is chefs kiss i love the vibe. I love the song, it’s really catchy.

• It’s Me campaign film by ILLIT - not really a song? But I watched to find out who the short haired girly was and it’s Moka!! She ate (they all did)

• Ss by Ken Carson - finally heard this outside of TikTok. It’s good but I’ll always hear “WHAT THE FAAAA” at the beginning when listening lol

4/27/26

Getting up to no good by Artemas - FINALLY listened and it was excellent food as always. He refuses to make bad music! The only album/mixtape I listened to this month, sadly. :(

What I’ve Been Listening to the Most

• Hooligan by BTS

• RUN BTS ARIRANG Concert Version

• IWH2BMX & Nocturnal by Flo

• Leak It by Flo

• NOT ME by Illit

• She Did It Again by Tyla ft Zara Larsson

• Celebrate by Le Sserafim (the fanmade versions that extended the hardstyle portion)

Got Stuck In My Head Throughout the Month

• Touch It by VVS

• Cocky AF by Megan Thee Stallion

• Perfect Night by Le Sserafim

• HOT by Le Sserafim

• MC69 by Swank Mami

• Welcome to My World by Aespa

• Dis-ease by BTS

• Touch by KATSEYE

• Carry Out by Timbaland ft. Justin Timberlake

• Billie Jean by Michael Jackson

• Putting Ya Dine by Monaleo

• Motion by Megan Thee Stallion

• NOT ME by Illit

• Outside by Enhypen

• Who Me by Megan Thee Stallion ft Pooh Shiesty

Random Music Thoughts

• Hot by le sserafim and impacto by enjambre remind me of each other at the beginning

• Maybe I’m insane but I’ve realized I return to Ice spice’s debut album semi-frequently (at least once every three months or so) and not even purposefully - usually just wanna hear one song but then I have to hear all the rest. I think this is proof that a good producer can make even the worst music feel like the best. The beats are just crazy and make the whole album flow so well and absolutely bang. I don’t hate Ice’s rapping either. It’s fun, simple, and (no shade) stupid. I like it - but of course I always have said I really like “bad” music. It serves its own purpose, for sure.

So, that was my media consumption of the month for April! Excited to see what May brings. March and April were both stressful months for me, and when that happens, I can’t really enjoy as much new media as I’d like. I hope I get the chance to take in a lot of new albums in May, get back to reading, and maybe watch something new!

Keep Reading

This is part two of my Be So Serious series, which I am thinking of as my unofficial pop culture catch-up group chat where I show up to talk about the current discourse, mess, and celebrity shenanigans. So, basically, just overanalyzing internet nonsense. As mentioned in part 1, BSS series posts are a lot less researched/polished than my other posts, so please forgive any errors. But with all that being said, please take this as an open invitation to tell me what you’ve been seeing and hearing lately, too. Doesn’t have to be anything directly related to this post - just whatever pop culture or internet mess that’s been on your radar because I’m nosy and I wanna know about it, too.

Leave a comment

There is a lot going on in K-Pop lately, and I don’t know if things are always this chaotic or if I’m just paying more attention to it lately, but holy crap. It’s a lot.

NCTzens speculating that Mark of NCT left the group to pursue Christian music-making. BlackPink Jisoo’s brother (for legal reasons, allegedly) abusing his wife and sexually assaulting another woman. Enhyphen and former member, Heesung, seemingly hating each other. Jackson Wang putting belt to ass on Twitter. The NewJeans situation remaining just as confusing (and upsetting) as ever. Groups not getting paid and leaving their companies as a result…

Obviously, there’s a lot to cover here, so let’s not waste time.

Starting with a few situations that I haven’t been paying the most attention to but just #noticing…

I-dle‘s 2026 “Syncopation” World Tour in North America Was Canceled

This must be really disappointing for the fans who planned on attending, but the North American tour dates were yoinked suddenly, on the 17th. Apparently, tickets for the shows weren’t selling, which is unfortunate, but it makes sense, given that even level 200 tickets were going for $300. Mind you, I-dle really hasn’t done many promotions in North America in the first place, so…

On the bright side, since a jury ruled that Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly and overcharged the heck out of fans, hopefully, some much-needed changes will be made in how tickets are priced and sold…Eventually. Maybe attending concerts will become more affordable again, instead of people having to make a choice between buying a ticket to see their favorite artist or paying their rent.

Nobody’s Getting Paid, Apparently

Back in March, nine of the ten The Boyz members (all, aside from New) sent a formal contract termination notice to their company, Big Planet Made, alleging that the agency hadn’t paid them for activities since July of 2025.

VIVIZ and singers Lee Mu Jin and BE’O also requested termination of their contracts with the same company, alleging they haven’t been paid since last year either.

I don’t know much (or anything, really) about these artists or this company, but I’m assuming the company is broke and unable to pay their artists right now? Or they’re greedy and somehow thought they could get away with not paying four of their artists? That one seems less likely…

Or does it?

Companies really be trying it these days.

I’m not really familiar with how situations like this usually turn out. Will the groups stay together and find another agency? Will they have to disband? And why did only nine out of ten of The Boyz members terminate their contracts?

I don’t know, but I hope things work out for everyone.

Jackson Wang Ain’t Playing

I truly don’t even go here, but the neighbor’s argument is definitely sounding good asfk.

So basically, what happened is this: Jackson posted a clarification tweet on April 16th about his image, basically saying he has always been transparent in his solo work, has not changed, and that his project, Magic Man 2, already explains the different sides of him. This seems to be in response to criticism he’s been getting, even from fans, due to his upcoming SEX GOD project and how his image has been more overtly sexual lately.

Some of his “fans” started replying, saying that his current “sex god” branding is forced, immature, or a sign that he is “spiraling.” One of them said that if he were “truly himself,” he would stop pushing the “sex god” persona, claimed he had not healed from alleged GOT7-era trauma, and told him that at 30 he should “start settling down.”

Jackson replied, stating that he doesn’t have trauma and sarcastically saying that maybe he should “settle down or release an album just about me drinking tea in a library.”

Then there was more back and forth between him and overstepping fans, with him eating one of them up for being delusional and saying what has now become one of my favorite quotes and vocal stims so far: “Imma be on u even if im 72. U not getting away with this.”

It really sits at the same table as, “y’all know I’m Canada down,” and this queen:

Some are arguing that Jackson should get off Twitter, or that there’s genuine concern about him and his shift into more sexually explicit content matter. As I said, I don’t even go here, so I can’t really speak on that. But I will say that seeing any K-Pop idol clap back at fans makes me clap, cheer, hoot, and holler.

Usually, I argue that celebrities who feel the need to come online and clap back at stans are annoying, especially when they do it constantly - and I know even public figures have a right to speak up for themselves, but when it’s a constant battle between a literal celebrity and a stan account with 50 followers, it’s tiring. I do wish some celebrities would just get offline and focus on being…Well…Rich and famous, instead of searching their names on Twitter and arguing with whichever loser said something negative about them most recently.

But all that being said…I feel pretty much the exact opposite about K-Pop idols. They tolerate a heinous amount of bullshit, both online and face-to-face with antis, sasaengs, and boundary-disrespecting fans in public, and they very rarely get to say anything about it. The hate, harassment, disrespect, and straight-up inhumane treatment of idols is so normalized that their entire industry is built with protections and considerations for the fans who subject these idols to it in mind. And I’ve seen idols apologize for everything from being 30 and choosing to get married, going out clubbing with their friends, and daring to date during pre-idol times to refusing to smile as they were vehemently berated and not bowing to reporters often enough while in the midst of getting mobbed…

Going off on parasocial stans on Twitter is not enough, give Jackson Wang and every other idol a gun.

Give All the Women In Korea A Gun, Too.

Trigger warning for Domestic violence and sexual assault here - to skip this part of the post, find the next PNG.

Kim Jung-Hoon, who is the CEO of health brand Biomom, the older brother of BlackPink member, Jisoo, and who is involved with Blissoo, which is the entertainment agency managing Jisoo’s solo activities, is (for legal reasons, I’ll say allegedly) a scumbag.

First of all, when doing research about his recent legal trouble, I came across articles from back in 2025, which were reporting that he had been accused of secretly filming women without their consent and sharing the videos with acquaintances.

One of the victims shared, “One day, I had a sexual relationship with him at his home. I later found out that he had recorded the act using a hidden camera. I couldn’t believe it. What made it worse was learning that he had shown the video to his acquaintances and even bragged about having multiple recordings of different women.”

Jung-Hoon denied the claims and said they were “completely false,” while Blissoo issued a statement acknowledging the situation and claiming they were “currently verifying the facts.”

I doubt much came of the alleged verification of the facts because it seems Jung-Hoon is still apparently involved with the company.

Now, a year later, Jung-Hoon is in even more trouble.

It was reported on April 16th that he was arrested for attempted sexual assault after purchasing a meal voucher with a female streamer, inviting her to his home while promising not to make any sexual advances toward her, and then proceeding to make sexual advances toward her anyway.

This turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg, as Jung-Hoon’s wife allegedly came forward with further abuse allegations, which surfaced around April 19th. Alongside graphic photos of bruises, she stated that he forced her into sexual acts even when she didn’t want to, demanded that she throw out her shorts and skirts since he didn’t want other men looking at her in them, installed cameras in their home without her permission to keep track of when she came and went, commanded her to call him every ten to thirty minutes when she was out, didn’t allow her to exchange more than a few messages with her friends and family at a time, dictated where she was allowed to go, and much more.

This repulsive man and every stan on Twitter trying to use this situation as a drag against Jisoo is going straight to Hell. And I agree with those who argue that she shouldn’t be held accountable for his actions, the same way no woman should be held accountable for the despicable men they just so happen to be related to’s actions. However, some people are (rightfully) concerned by Jisoo’s lack of response to the situation, and it is starting to look (more than) questionable on her part.

Allegedly, Jung-Hoon has a history of abuse and sexual assault dating back to 2018 (although I couldn’t find anything regarding that time period while writing this). At the very least, he did have the incident with him allegedly recording women without their consent last year. And allegedly, this is his second marriage, with his previous wife having also been a victim of his abuse as well.

While it seems his current wife initially wrote a statement saying that Jisoo and their family shouldn’t be blamed for Jung-Hoon’s actions since they didn’t know what was going on, she later allegedly liked a comment about Jisoo likely knowing about his abusive tendencies since his first marriage ended due to him mistreating his wife.

This change in tune seemingly comes after guards from Blissoo showed up at the victim’s house to threaten her, as she stated on her Instagram.

Again, for legal reasons, this is all alleged, but assuming it’s all true, this is really terrible, and I hope that man ends up in prison where he belongs - and that Jisoo speaks out (beyond just her company’s legal representatives claiming her brother has no involvement with the company) because staying silent on a matter like this is crazy.

Hopefully, the victim will get the justice she deserves, too!

Edit: Since writing this, more responses have come out. Take everything with a grain of salt since I haven’t had time to look further into it, but:

• Allegedly, Jisoo and her family cut ties with Jung-Hoon after the incident in 2025

• Apparently, Hung-Joon claimed to be the CEO of Blissoo when that wasn’t true?

• Allegedly, Jisoo paid 10 million won to have her brother’s name removed from her series, Boyfriend on Demand, after his 2025 incident.

NewJeans…Sigh

Not wanting to end the article on such a heavy note, I guess I’ll continue with a few more stories. Starting with NewJeans.

Sigh.

Every time I think about NewJeans, I get sad. I genuinely still don’t know why things had to turn out the way they have with them. I’ve always pretty much stayed out of whatever they had going on with Min Heejin and ADOR - all I’ve known is that they’ve had a legal battle that’s prevented me from getting good, new Newjeans music for over a damn year, and it’s a shame. But here’s a summary of what’s happened, to my understanding:

In April of 2024, HYBE audited ADOR (an independent record label and subsidiary of HYBE Corporation) and accused ADOR’s CEO, Min Hee-jin, of trying to seize control of the label. Min denied that, and it escalated into a very public issue that turned into a broader battle over NewJeans’ future, management, and creative direction.

In August of 2024, Min was removed as ADOR’s CEO; NewJeans openly sided with her, and the conflict escalated further when Hanni, a member of the group, later testified before South Korean lawmakers about alleged workplace mistreatment.

In November of 2024, all five members announced they were leaving ADOR, saying trust had broken down and citing mistreatment, while ADOR insisted that their exclusive contracts remained valid through July 2029. The members tried to move forward independently under the name NJZ, but ADOR went to court to stop it (and succeeded).

Then, in March of 2025, the Seoul Central District Court granted ADOR’s request for an injunction (so, they effectively blocked the NewJeans members from pursuing commercial activities without the label’s consent), and in April 2025, a Seoul court also dismissed the members’ objections to that ruling. Then the group announced a hiatus after performing at ComplexCon Hong Kong.

Then, in November of 2025, it was announced that all five of the NewJeans members had returned to HYBE. Wonderful or terrible news, depending on who you ask. Me? I was hoping it meant the issue had been resolved and good music was being brought back to me soon. But nope. That was not the case.

Literally a month later, on December 29th, it was announced that ADOR had terminated Danielle’s contract. One of my two favorite members, mind you, and the best voice in the group, IN MY OPINION.

So, this was heartbreaking for me and obviously all the other fans who thought a miracle had been performed and that we were going to get NewJeans back, after all.

Frankly, I stopped caring about a NewJeans comeback after this moment. It’s truly no shade to the other girls who are so talented as well, and who I enjoyed just as much as Danielle, but after a member who’s been around for anything more than, like, a month is removed from a group, it’s automatically a chop for me.

All I can think about is how awkward, stressful, and straight-up painful it must be behind the scenes, for both the members who remain and those who’ve left. And that’s even with groups who split amicably or by choice - but Danielle didn’t even have a choice in the matter.

I wonder how the other members feel about this, whether the members having problems with each other (or really, their parents having problems with each other) behind the scenes is true, and how they’re moving forward while dealing with this decision, which doesn’t seem to be their own. And, of course, I hope Danielle herself is holding up as well as she can given these crappy circumstances.

I also have to wonder why the other girls are sticking around when one of their members has been axed. It’s always easy to go to the immediate thought of, “if you love that member so much, why aren’t you standing in solidarity with them and ending your contracts, too?”

But that thought is ridiculous when you really think about it. It’s not like getting out of a contract is easy (clearly), and I don’t think the girls have much power in the situation. The whole thing is just unfortunate and has left a bitter taste in my mouth, even as someone who was a casual fan of NewJeans and paid close to no attention to their legal battle as it was going on. Because what do you mean HYBE is still trying to sue this girl for millions, and even when Min Heejin offered to forgo her 18 million dollar court win in exchange for HYBE dropping the lawsuits against her and NewJeans?

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

On January 12th of this year, Danielle released a livestream addressing fans, stating that she “fought until the end” to stay with the group and has “no regrets.” She later opened her own Instagram account on the 15th and posted a letter to her fans.

Then came February 12th, when a court ordered HYBE to pay $17.7 million dollars to Min Heejin, which is the money she was willing to forgo as long as HYBE dropped the lawsuits against her, NewJeans, and even some ex-employees and fans. HYBE declined. Which was not a good look for them.

I’m not a “company hater” nor a” company stan” as Kpoppies call it, but this made me dislike the company a whole lot more. A 20-year-old kid (yes, kid) being millions in debt to some fuck-ass company is ridiculous. I would have loved to see her spared here.

On April 11th, Danielle made her second Instagram post on her birthday, featuring a demo of new music. Then, on April 13th, three of the NewJeans members - Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni - were spotted in Copenhagen, Denmark, with staff. Which led to fans questioning where Minji (the second of my two favorite members in the group) was.

Minji has been silent and out of the public eye, for the most part, since the group returned to ADOR - and she’s, apparently, still in talks to return to the group, yet after all these months, nothing has been set in stone.

Sigh.

It’s truly bad for me.

Listen, I truly do wish all the best in the world to the other members, but if NewJeans is going to be a trio, they can truly keep it. Honestly, if they’re going to be a quartet, they can keep it, too. I want all five members or nothing, and again, I can’t help feeling this way about literally any group that goes through member changes. If a group is introduced to me one way, I don’t really want to have to adjust to it being another - and again, it’s mostly because I can’t help thinking about what must be going on behind the scenes.

If nothing is locked in with Minji yet after all this time, then how is her relationship with the other girls? I imagine things might be awkward between them - or maybe the girls want Minji to rejoin them, and the company is causing problems, in which case I imagine the girls aren’t too happy to be there right now, and I just feel like, at this point, them working with ADOR must be like a hostage situation. Clearly, they can’t leave even if they wanted to without getting sued to bits and pieces, likely blacklisted, and at the very least, stuck not being able to do music the way they want to.

I don’t understand how they were able to return to the company at all, in the first place, following their prolonged legal battle. It’s got to be awkward as Hell between them and all the other artists (…Sigh…we didn’t even get into what went down between them and the other artists), and between them and the staff, too. How do you even go back to having an amicable relationship with anyone after that? I can’t imagine we’ll be seeing any TikToks with them and other group members any time soon…

And are they just secluded from all the other ADOR/HYBE artists or forced to face them every day when they go into work? I genuinely can’t fathom it. Did they have to go around apologizing to everyone when they came back or something?

And I don’t know what the healing process could look like for them behind the scenes, whether they’re actually back on good terms with the company and want to be there, or if they simply returned because they had no other choice, and they’re dreading every minute they have to be there.

I wonder if the five members - or even just the three whose spots within NewJeans seem the most secure at this point - are even on good terms or if they’re just colleagues who can act cordially at this point.

I wonder - if they even reach the point of releasing new music and resuming activities, which at this point, I will believe when I see it - what their promotions are going to look like. Are they just going to act like none of this ever happened and refuse to acknowledge past members? How are they going to respond to fans constantly bringing up Danielle - because I’m sure they will. When is the comeback even going to come? What is the music going to sound like from now on? Are they going to do a whole rebrand and completely change NewJeans sound and style? If so, again, they can keep it…But if they don’t, it’ll just feel like a new and unimproved, totally incomplete version of NewJeans trying to dig into the former, better version of NewJeans’ nachos, and that’s not going to go over well.

Then again, I don’t want to judge prematurely. Maybe whatever the new version of their group looks like will be great in its own way. They could make fans fall all over again. Of all the newer K-Pop groups to debut in recent years, they’re one of the most talented with the best music, after all (if you ask me) so if anybody could pull off a successful comeback after all this mess, I guess it’s them.

But genuinely believing they will come back feels silly, at this point. I wouldn’t be shocked if the rest of the members were let go, sued, or God knows what else before the next single can come out…

And as for Danielle, I’m glad she’s working on new music, but how’s she going to release it? Is she planning to sign to a new label? Is that even possible? Literally, how is she going to deal with her lawsuit? Is there even a small possibility that she could return to ADOR and just rejoin NewJeans?

I don’t know.

I have so many questions and zero answers. And frankly, the only thing I know for sure is this: NewJeans will never return to what it was from 2022 - 2023, which is such an unfortunate thing that I will literally never get over. They were great, and they could’ve gone on to be even greater. I legitimately think they had some of the best music of literally any group out at the time. They had a fresh look and sound, and they were so fun. There’s no telling what they would’ve accomplished if not for all…This.

I will delusionally assume that somehow things can magically be resolved and they’ll all come together again to deliver a full-length album with absolute bangers on it from start to finish. But until that day comes, I will be continuing to react like this every time I think of them

I have so many questions and zero answers. And frankly, the only thing I know for sure is this: NewJeans will never return to what it was from 2022 - 2023, which is such an unfortunate thing that I will literally never get over. They were great, and they could’ve gone on to be even greater. I legitimately think they had some of the best music of literally any group out at the time. They had a fresh look and sound, and they were so fun. There’s no telling what they would’ve accomplished if not for all…This.

I will delusionally assume that somehow things can magically be resolved and they’ll all come together again to deliver a full-length album with absolute bangers on it from start to finish. But until that day comes, I will be continuing to react like this every time I think of them:

Enhyphen Mess

Then there’s Enhyphen, who had member Heeseung’s exit from the group announced on March 10th, which sent their fans - the engenes - into a frenzy. Heeseung is staying with BELIFT - the group’s company, another subsidiary under HYBE - to prepare a solo album. The official reason given was that, after in-depth discussions about the members’ futures and the team’s direction, Heeseung had his own distinct musical vision and the company chose to respect it.

But if you know anything about K-POP, you know how odd this situation is. Members pursue solo careers alongside group activities all the time, which yes, seems exhausting, but it’s the way things go most of the time. Leaving to go solo - and staying with the same company the group is under, at that - is a bit…eyebrow-raising, to say the least.

When the news came out, engenes responded by starting a petition (that passed 1 million signatures within a short timespan) calling for Heeseung to be allowed to do solo work without leaving ENHYPEN, protest trucks were sent to HYBE, (as is the norm in K-POP, so much so that people have started joking that they wish they’d thought to start a truck company in Korea a few years ago, and I feel the same), and the fandom spread OT7 messaging through the hashtag, #ENHYPEN_IS_7.

Mind you, while Heeseung’s departure was announced on March 10th, the group had fan calls scheduled for March 11th, which added to the oddness of the situation. This had already, of course, felt like a very sudden announcement, and the timing of it didn’t help. It only added to the ever-growing suspicion that something abrupt or messy must’ve happened behind the scenes.

Fans were (obviously) watching the fan calls for signs of how the remaining six members felt, and coming to the conclusion that the members looked tired and heartbroken, which…Valid.

But after these calls, as a few days passed, the fandom pretty much split, with some saying Heeseung’s departure was forced or mishandled, and others insisting that people should just accept and respect the decision and let all seven Enhypen boys move on.

And a good portion of people, both inside and outside of the fandom, think there’s tension between the six members and Heeseung behind the scenes. When the news was first announced, some videos that showed just how much of Enhyphen’s songs were sung by Heeseung went viral (and it was a lot - so much so that some people were asking literally who was going to be doing the singing now that Heeseung was gone), and some people wondered if he left because he figured since he sang majority of the lines in their songs, maybe he should just go and have a solo career singing songs that he liked more instead.

A lot of people are speculating that the other members and Heeseung couldn’t stand each other, which is why Heeseung chose to exit. This narrative became more prominent during one of the March 11th fan calls, where another member of the group, Jay, commented about not wanting to upset fans again and doing well “after what happened,” which some people read as subtle shade toward Heeseung. Then there were fan-call clips where Jay appeared to laugh when a fan said they were worried about him. And there was also Sunghoon using the new OT6 chant. And a ton of other minuscule moments that, frankly, people are overanalyzing to bits and pieces.

Honestly, all we can do is speculate and jump to our own conclusions based on what little “evidence” we have. Me personally? I don’t know much about this group, but everything I’ve learned about them over the years makes it easy for me to believe that maybe there were some internal issues that led to this decision to split. They were formed through the 2020 Mnet survival reality show I-LAND, and any time a group is formed through a show like that, there are usually issues.

All I’ve seen of them over the years has been moments of them being mildly problematic or making fun of the “sunshine member,” Sunoo for his weight or whatever else. Don’t take my word for it - I barely remember the situation. I simply remember that there was controversy surrounding that, and what I saw of it was enough to give me the ick and get me out of the group before I could really get into them. But that was a few years ago, hence, I don’t even remember. Maybe they actually love each other and get along great, especially as they’ve gotten older? Who knows.

Anyway, as of the latest news, Heeseung’s new stage name, EVAN, was announced, and the reaction to that was hilarious. Very much, “ain’t nobody calling him Evan,” which got a chuckle out of me.

Another recent update is that Enhypen is going on a 2026–2027 “BLOOD SAGA” world tour. Which, holy crap, it feels like everybody and their mother is doing a 2026-2027 world tour.

And then…There was Jay addressing comments during his live:

I don’t have anything to add to this conversation. I don’t even go here - but I’m watching the situation with half-interest and hoping things work out for both the members and the fans.

Also - I do stream Love-Dazed, Future Perfect, Bite Me, and Outside. Those might be the only songs of theirs that I’ve heard, and I enjoyed them all. So, thanks to them for their contributions to my Apple Music Library!

NCT Missing Mark

And this is what made me decide to write this post (well…Really, it was the KATSEYE and Manon situation, but we’ll have to talk about that another time).

This was truly the straw that broke the camel’s back because WTF? Mind you, I don’t even stan NCT, but this is a bit sad even for me! Back in 2020, when I first discovered BTS and thought I’d get into other groups the same way I got into them, I was definitely a fan of NCT during their Kick It and Punch eras, and what I remember most from that time was seeing Mark Lee everywhere. Him and Johnny - always together.

Mark was the leader of NCT Dream, and a member of damn-near all the NCT sub-units. He was even in the sub-unit, SuperM (a super group), and I distinctly remember seeing them perform on Nickelodeon’s All That reboot in 2020. Which is pretty irrelevant, but while I’m talking about him, why not mention it?

Anyway, Mark is - or was - one of the most employed people of all time, and one of the first members (if not the first member) most people think of when they think about NCT. So for it to be announced that he was leaving NCT on April 3rd - MIND YOU, LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER HEESEUNG LEFT ENHYPEN - was insane.

I logged onto Twitter at 6:30 am, saw that news, and should’ve known then that the rest of my month was going to be pure shit. It was literally a forewarning.

His contract with SM and NCT was up on April 8th, and he didn’t renew it. The company said the decision came after long discussions about his future activities, and that he would end all NCT activities. Mark then posted his own letter, and described the move as something he had thought about carefully, said he was scared of the next step, and emphasized gratitude toward the members, the company, and fans.

His departure from the group, at least from what I’ve seen, hasn’t been nearly as messy as Heeseung’s departure from Enhypen. At least, not in the same way. There was a viral video of one of the NCT members crying tears of agony while NCT performed at their last show together, prior to the announcement. And it seems clear that the members are going to miss Mark terribly, but are supporting his decision.

With how overworked SM artists, in particular, are - and how much Mark, in particular, has had to do with seemingly no breaks - to me, it came as a shock, but at the same time, it was no wonder he was deciding to exit. I figured he probably was worn out, but that was just my first assumption, and I don’t know if there’s any truth to it. Then my second assumption was that maybe the hate he gets has been getting to him. In the past year or two, the amount of hate he’s been getting has been insane. But then again, that’s usual for K-POP idols (unfortunately).

But according to some NCTzens, he may have left to…Start a Christian music career?

He’s apparently extremely religious, and the Good Friday/Easter-season proximity to his departure further fed the already rapidly-circulating speculation that he might’ve left because he wanted to start a gospel music career.

There were posts circulating that pointed to religious imagery, including claims about a cross seen behind him at an event and older clips/photos of him singing in church-like settings. People were even saying he might retire to be a pastor. And as ridiculous as it may sound as you’re reading it right now, while I was going through the posts, it was lowkey kinda looking like some points were being made.

Unfortunately, every last one of the tweets I’d saved to link was either deleted or the person’s Twitter was suspended. So, I’m assuming the other NCTzens were not fans of this narrative, and thus, got the people that were posting those things up outta here.

So now the source for the fact that this was a widespread rumor during the time of his announcement is just trust me bro.

So…Yeah…Whew.

It’s a lot.

And this is obviously not even everything going on.

I was initially going to write about the Manon and KATSEYE mess here, which was my main reason for even writing this post. But that situation alone will require, like, a full post to cover, so I’ll get to it some other time.

Then there’s Bang Si-hyuk, AKA Hitman Bang, who was the founder of the record label, Big Hit Music (the iconic label of BTS prior to it becoming HYBE, which Hitman Bang is now the chairman of), and his legal issues. I’m not going to lie; I have no idea what’s going on with him - I don’t know what it is with me and my inability to care about legal issues within K-POP - but all I know is that it’s giving he’s going to prison. I think it’s something to do with money or fraud, or money and fraud? I don’t know.

Then there is Cha Eun-woo’s tax scandal which, again, is something I know nothing about. Best of luck to him, I think. Or not, if he’s done something horrible. But I think maybe he just didn’t pay his taxes? You couldn’t pay me to care about somebody not paying their taxes.

And interestingly, the big four idol companies - HYBE, SM, YG, and JYP - are reportedly making #interesting moves. There was the news that they’re in talks to create a giant joint global festival, which some local media have described as a “Korean Coachella-style event.” Which is interesting since, obviously, these companies have been rivals for the longest, and now they’re in talks to collaborate on something so major - while simultaneously dealing with high-level scandal after high-level scandal.

Also worth noting - although I could’ve mentioned it in NewJeans’ section - that apparently, 4 YG producers followed NewJeans on Instagram on the same day? Although I’m not sure how true it is, and the linked tweet doesn’t show much. But that’s interesting, if true, considering that NewJeans are ADOR artists.

So, there you have it. Clearly, a lot is going on in K-POP World, and there’s literally no telling what will happen next. Let me know if I missed anything because with the rate at which new mess pops up, I can’t keep up with it all, and I’m sure I did!

Keep Reading

Also, ARIRANG gives me carnival vibes, hence the graphics. Just walk with me - I’ll explain it later in the post.

OVERVIEW

ARIRANG is a defiant post-enlistment comeback album that was released on March 20th, 2026, four years after BTS were forced to take a hiatus to fulfill their military duties. The release of this 14-track, 41-minute-long, identity-driven project comes after two months of songwriting and recording sessions with other collaborators - like Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, Mike WiLL Made-It, Artemas, Diplo, Flume, and many more - in LA during the summer of 2025.

Grounded in Korean cultural identity with strong heritage symbolism ingrained throughout - from the meaningful Arirang folk song sampled in the opening track to the clever lyrics that subtly point out the xenophobia Bangtan have faced and consistently reference various significant facets of Korean culture - This album simultaneously reaffirms BTS’s identity as proud Koreans who feel prideful of their roots while highlighting a split in identity at the same time.

The Korean cultural symbolism heard and felt throughout the album contrasts with the global-pop production, multiple Western collaborators, and fusion of Western rap, pop, house, and psychedelic influences. ARIRANG’s stylistically hybrid identity is also evident in the way the album is split into two parts, separated by the symbolic track No. 29.

While the first half of the album is full of harsher, rap-heavy, more performance-driven and club-centric tracks, the songs after No. 29 are melodic, reflective, atmospheric, and more pop-infused.

The result is an overall theatrical, ceremonial, layered, and immersive album experience - one that seems to be quite polarizing. Some critics and fans alike love it; others claim it feels like a rushed, disingenuous disappointment of an album. While some fans feel it brings back the essence of “old BTS,” others argue that the heavy use of Western collaborators, the “lack” of emotional depth, and a split in cohesion result in a feeling of a half-put-together album made with trend-chasing in mind instead.

My thoughts?

Well…

If You Miss “Old BTS” But Don’t Like ARIRANG…Why?

Before we get to the best part of this post (the track-by-track analysis), we’ve gotta talk about the “Old BTS” missers and why they aren’t satisfied with this album.

Personally, I don’t really follow critics too closely, so I can’t speak much on their takes, but as for the portion of the fandom who’ve, for years, been loud about “missing the old BTS and BTS’s old music,” I’m a bit confused about what’s not to like about this album, in that sense.

I can understand why the split structure might not work for everyone, even though I personally enjoy it - and although the argument that it doesn’t make any sense, especially for BTS, feels a bit odd, considering they’ve done similar things on previous albums, although to a lesser and not-so starkly contrasting extent.

And I can also see why others would argue that some of Bangtan’s earlier work felt more emotionally cohesive and lyrically compelling - because I’m not arguing that ARIRANG is their absolute best body of work thus far (they make excellent music, so what can I say? The competition is fierce.)

But the arguments that this album is completely shallow and lacks depth, that it isn’t lyrically compelling or emotionally meaningful at all, or that it “doesn’t even feel or sound” like BTS is very confusing to me as someone who’s listened to every one of their albums, in order of release, and each from top to bottom - on multiple occasions.

We’ll discuss the lyrics during the track-by-track analysis (because what do you mean this album is “lyrically weak?!”), but let’s talk about the similarities between ARIRANG and BTS’s older projects first.

The rap-heavy portion of the album took me straight back to the 2 Cool 4 Skool and Dark & Wild eras. Listening to the first half of ARIRANG had me grinning from ear to ear as I thought about how proud 2013 Bangtan would be if they could see 2026 Bangtan, who are just the cooler, richer versions of them.

Then there’s the fact that ARIRANG reflects the HYYH, Wings, and Love Yourself eras through its nuanced treatment of deep-seated issues.

Walk with me here: I, like many people, really enjoyed Dynamite, Butter, and Permission to Dance, but there were some people who disliked those eras since they were “too cookie-cutter,” “Too Westernized” (since they were all-English songs), and shared no deep, personal message.

Admittedly, this criticism irks me because when BTS released their album, BE - which I still think is one of their best albums to date - after Dynamite and a while before Butter and PTD, it didn’t get nearly as much of the love and recognition as it deserved from a lot of Army. Often, the same ones who complain about the “lack” of emotional content within the previously mentioned songs.

Be is easily one of BTS’s most introspective, raw, and authentic albums, with songs like Blue & Grey - which talks about depression and still hits hard to this day - and, of course, Dis-ease, plus Life Goes On, which cover burnout and perseverance.

It’s an album that covers difficult topics and contains emotional depth, through and through. It’s also an album that BTS very clearly poured their hearts and souls into during the height of the pandemic - which is what some people claim to be missing from ARIRANG. Heart and Soul.

And yet, BE - which seems to be the epitome of what some fans would like to see Bangtan “return to” these days - was paid dust when it was first released and is still paid dust to this day.

And ARIRANG, which consistently prioritizes showcasing the tannie’s Korean roots through culturally rich lyricism, traditional motifs woven into the production, prominent unofficial national anthem sampling, layered symbolism, and multiple references to their heritage - plus returns to the much-desired in-depth, emotionally-driven lyrical content (that some have been asking for them to return to for years, and which includes themes such as: loneliness, pressure, feeling like outsiders wherever they are, the paradox of fame, constant doubt, resilience, and more) … Is somehow apparently still too cookie-cutter, not deep enough, and does not resemble the “old” BTS who “talked about important issues more often,” and “had a different, better sound.”

My confusion remains prominent as I wonder what the difference in sound - between BTS’s older versus newer work - that people speak of actually is.

If anything, to me, this album sounds like BTS’s discography summed up in 13 tracks.

(Which, given how vast their discography is, can create problems in and of itself. And I can definitely see how that might not land with a lot of people, sure. But to say it doesn’t sound anything like them?)

Based purely on sonic similarity and/or vibes:

Body to Body belongs right beside ON, Idol, Intro: Persona, and Dionysus, if you ask me.

Hooligan fits right in with the Cyphers and the likes of Baepsae, interlude: shadow, and UGH.

(The dark, intense, and dystopian visuals in the MV look exactly like something early BTS would’ve done if they’d had more than five dollars and a dream to work with. And if I had to assign this song to a member, quite obviously, it would be Mr. Min Yoongi AKA Agust D. It fits right alongside his songs, Daechwita and Haegum.)

Aliens after Interlude: Shadow goes CRAZY. They are siblings.

FYA naturally joins the Burning Up (Fire), Outro: Ego, Mic Drop, and Not Today party.

Swim is literally Black Swan’s fraternal twin sister.

Merry Go Round feels directly related to Blue and Grey, Spring Day, and Jamais Vu #TOME!

Like Animals fits right in with Love Is Not Over, Fake Love, and (perhaps a reach, but it makes all the sense in the world to me) Save Me.

they don’t know ‘bout us has the same kind of vibe as 134340 and House of Cards - a sexy one. (Unless, of course, you actually know House of Card’s lyrics…But still.)

One More Night, Just Dance, Make It Right, Stay, and Telepathy sit at the same table. And this is the most Jungkook song ever.

Please is easily the most “old” BTS-coded song on the album, if you ask me. It very naturally meshes with Like, Coffee, Just One Day, Hold Me Tight, and more.

The list goes on and on.

With all this being said, if you’re someone who still “misses the old BTS” after the release of this latest album, I would genuinely like to hear from you. What kind of music do you want to hear from them that would satisfy your craving for the old them? Because if this album doesn’t, I don’t know what will, and I don’t even say that to be shady. I’ve been legitimately trying to figure out the answer to this question and cannot, so I’d like to hear your perspective.

Leave a comment

Otherwise, let’s get to my favorite part: taking a close look at each track individually!

A Look at Each Track

Body to Body

The album starts on a high note with a great song that serves as an immediately addictive intro.

According to Apple, “it’s a percussive opener about ‘skin to skin’ togetherness, and its big formal trick is the shift from electric pop into a pansori-style ‘Arirang’ passage. That makes it both a crowd song and the album’s identity thesis in miniature.”

I think that’s the perfect way to describe it.

I’m in love with the production, the beat, and the distorted “I need, I need, I need, I need” vocals throughout - and honestly, words can’t describe how surreal it is to hear all seven of their voices on one brand new, never-before-heard track after their extended hiatus.

I’m not going to spend the entirety of this article annoying newer fans or casual listeners by going on and on about how much this album means to the Army who’ve been here for years and spent years waiting for BTS to return from their forced hiatus.

But I will do it just this once.

Obviously, anyone who listens to the song can enjoy it, but unless you sat through the 2022 Festa “celebration,” multiple enlistment notices, and the most depressing Bangtan Bombs of all time (the Military Entrance Ceremonies) - unless you impatiently waited each month to receive a video message from Seokjin (who was thoughtful enough to record them all before enlisting to ensure Army would hear from him each month), burst into tears upon reading one of Namjoon’s heartfelt, poetic, downright Shakespearean Weverse letters, or let out longing sighs while staring at the military release countdowns he posted quite frequently - unless you had your hours-long Jungkook karaoke lives ripped away from you for 18 months, and instead, were left only with constant news of his private information being leaked by insistent stalkers, celebrated Jimin’s album release while simultaneously worrying about how he was adjusting to an atmosphere that required him to behave in the traditionally masculine way he usually strays from, suffered over a year of a Yoongi drought only to hear from him when he was forced to apologize for one of the most overblown “scandals” ever - unless you felt like you were shot in the chest upon finding out that Taehyung’s beloved dog, Yeontan, had passed away while he was enlisted (as you’d suspected might happen right from the start, and still felt like just as much of a tragic punch in the gut regardless) and spent an abnormal amount of time wondering whether Hobi’s smile would be just as bright once he was released as it had been when he’d entered - I don’t think you can enjoy this song to the fullest extent.

After six years without a full-length, traditional studio album, four years without any new OT7 album at all, four years without an OT7 performance, and two and a half years of parasocial as Hell, yet decidedly human worrying, yearning, and worrying again throughout the total duration of all seven of their enlistments - finally we have a new album to sink our teeth into and new performances to watch.

Perhaps because of all that I just listed, to me, this song feels like being sucked into the album before it officially starts. In the same way that it feels when you’re just getting buckled into a rollercoaster, and the ride abruptly starts. Suddenly, you go from complete stillness to being flung into motion as the rollercoaster darts forward into a dark, black tunnel where you can’t see anything. It takes a while for your eyes to adjust, and it’s scary for those few seconds, so you’re screaming your head off, but eventually it turns into laughter because you realize you like the rush and this ride is fun.

That’s exactly what this song feels like - like that adrenaline rush, that heart-pounding sensation, and the excitement you feel before you adjust to the ride and enjoy the rest of it (or in this case, the rest of the album).

For this reason alone, I think it’s a great intro. I think that is the best possible feeling you could get from the song that starts an album.

And again, hearing all their voices together is incredible. I love Namjoon’s deep, raspy, often described as honey-like voice, and how unique it is from everyone else’s.

(He really rapped his ass off throughout this track and all the rest of the album, unsurprisingly.)

And you can’t talk about unique voices without bringing up J-hope, either. He delivers cheeky lyrics in the grittiest, most creative, sometimes unconventional ways. I’ve never really been able to describe his voice in a way that serves it any justice, because it’s so unique, and I’ve never heard one like it before. But his voice stands out immensely. When he starts rapping, it’s like I’m standing at attention immediately. He has such a distinctive and powerful evocative voice that you can’t help but pay attention when he starts rapping.

But while J-hope’s voice is naturally higher-pitched than Namjoon’s, yet still quite raspy and gritty, Yoongi’s voice (as deep as it also is) often sounds very smooth and clear in comparison, which makes it super distinctive in its own way.

The rapline’s voices are most prominent throughout this song and the rest of the rap-heavy tracks in the album’s first half, but the vocal line’s voices stand out throughout the song, too.

(After such a long time, I feel like a dog with its ears at attention as I seek out the sound of everyone’s voices anyway.)

Jin sounds like the Siren he is and Jimin’s voice is just so…Jimin. MESMERIZING. Jungkook’s voice is so smooth and clear in a way that is just so beyond pleasing to the ear, and Taehyung’s voice is the kind you want to swim in and happily drown in, too.

The highlight of the track, though, comes from outside of their voices and in the form of the ARIRANG sample prominently heard towards the end of it.

ARIRANG is a folk song that is very important to Korean people. An unofficial national anthem, a resistance anthem, and a song whose many iterations usually cover themes of sorrow, longing, separation, reunion, resilience, and unity, this culturally significant record is estimated to be over 600 years old.

Including it in the title track of their first album in years - one that comes after they’ve achieved a level of success in the West that none of their counterparts have been able to achieve to this date (not for lack of trying), and after they’ve faced criticism for “trying too hard to get Western validation” - sends an extremely important message: They are Korean, and they’re proud of who they are and where they come from. They haven’t forgotten their roots and will not leave their “Koreanness” behind just to appeal to the xenophobic Western industry.

Good ! For ! Them !

After understanding the meaning of it, even I feel emotional and filled with pride when I hear it and see them performing it. I can’t imagine how much it must mean to the Korean people!

Hooligan

One thing I love is some chaos, so naturally, this was immediately my favorite song upon first listen!

It’s aggressive, it’s theatrical, it sounds psychotic - a Joker-esque track that sounds like the epitome of a maniacal, totally unhinged villain losing their mind - there’s not a single world in which I wasn’t going to love this song.

The beat, the sound of swords clashing, the chopped-up strings, the deranged laughter…I always say I love music with #SOUNDS™, so I adore this track.

(The music video is legitimately one of the best of this year, too, if you ask me. Along with Flo’s Leak It and Sabrina’s House Tour…God, I love when people put actual effort into their MVs!)

They came HARD on this one, and I love when they do things like this. I’m obsessed with the way they truly infuse their voices into every element of their songs, too. Like, when Namjoon’s voice was interpolated in the beat of he and Megan Thee Stallion’s Neva Play, or when Hoseok’s voice was made to sound kinda like a motorcycle engine in Run BTS, adding to the overall “badass biker” sound of the track.

And like with many of BTS’s songs, while I enjoy the vibe each of the members brings to it, Hoseok’s voice definitely steals the show for me. Again, I think he just has one of the most unique voices I’ve ever heard, and he knows how to play with it so well.

Yoongi’s - No, Agust D’s - laugh though…whew! This song accompanies his songs Daechwita and Haegum very well, as stated before.

And spoiler alert, but one of the later songs, Merry Go Round, (for obvious reasons) gave me a strong carnival vibe upon first listen, but as I continued relistening to the album (way too many times), I realized that a lot of the songs could fit well with that kind of vibe, and this is one of them. There is a strong crazy clown or demented jester kind of energy present here. I love it!

Aliens

The beginning of this mid-tempo Mike WiLL Made-It-produced banger gives me “Daegu hood” vibes - like I’m very much holding my purse close while walking through a dark alley in the hood I once thought Yoongi was from.

(IYKYK!)

The first half of the album is loud as Hell. It BANGS and comes out the gate swinging with hip hop/rap-heavy songs with thumping basslines and striking beats - exactly the kind of songs that I’m always most interested in hearing when listening to an album for the first time. So, I love that in this album, those songs come first. It’s the fastest way to hook me, after all.

And upon first listen, it was at this point that I realized the hype theme would continue for an extended period, which had me ascending yet again.

For me, this is the song with the strongest lyrical content so far, as well. None of the members were playing around on this track - the rapline decided it was time to rap as if their lives depended on it.

Both the title and lyrics support themes of difference, distance, and feeling like more of an outsider than anything else.

Yoongi opens the song with a verse that includes the lyrics, “We were born different, seven aliens. They’re jealous of us, those civilians,” and the most addictive line delivery imaginable.

Hoseok’s - (J-Hope’s…forgive me if you’re unfamiliar with their different names. I’m trying to stick to just one for each of them!) verse comes next, including the lyric, “Oh my god, do I look too funny?” which made me pause the song to start jumping and screaming because I know that’s TF right!

The line calls out the blatant racist and xenophobic rhetoric they have to hear from small-minded imbeciles who mock their Asian features and style in such a simple yet effective way. I love it! Especially since it’s immediately followed by the line, “Well, so what, just move for me.”

I KNOW THAT’S RIGHT!

MOVE OUT THE WAY, YOU RACIST LOSERS!

Let me be calm, though.

Anyway.

Jungkook’s “If you wanna hit my house, take your shoes off, yeah we aliens,” is one of the next standout lines for me, yet another example of them acknowledging and being proud of their culture, regardless of what anyone has to say about it.

Then here comes Namjoon rapping his ass off yet again.

“It goes let me, honey, talk about the business/ Everybody know now where the K is. How far will this go, shit, you still throwing curses? Thanks for the blessings in disguise. Pardon, Mr. Kim Gu, tell me how you feel. I’m the only one who speaks English, but that is how we kill. You guys with your crazy big eyes, I hope you say ‘Are they for real? For real?’”

Those first two lines alone nearly took me out, given Namjoon’s delivery. The rest of the verse proceeded to take my breath away as well. I love when BTS realize they’re BTS and start talking their sh*t!

The line about Kim Gu is pretty significant, too. From BTS_Translation’s site: “Kim Gu was a prominent activist and leader of the Korean independence movement. In his autobiography, Kim expressed his hopes for Korea to become a cultural superpower, a country that gained strength not through force or invasion but through the noble strength of culture. RM previously quoted Kim’s hopes in his speech at the 2019 E- Daily Culture Awards.”

Excellent. What more is there to say?

FYA

The transition from Aliens to FYA is so smooth - and if you’ve read any of my other music writing, you know I always feel the need to thank Beyoncé for bringing this back with her album, Renaissance.

I still don’t know if it’s just me, but I seriously don’t remember so many albums having such smooth, audibly pleasing transitions in recent years until she came out with that masterpiece. So thank her for that, because I LOVE a good transition between songs.

Anyway, I don’t think I liked this song the most when I first listened to it, and it’s still not my favorite from the album, nor do I have many meaningful thoughts about it, but I get it now, even though I didn’t get it the first time (#GROWTH!).

It’s a fiery pop-rap and club-pop track that does, in fact, make me want to vogue and duck walk - and clearly I’m not the only person who feels that way because there have been tons of videos flooding TikTok of people doing exactly that to it.

So, BTS made this song for the girls and gays, confirmed!

It’s super high-energy and makes me wanna dance, swing my hair around, release my inhibitions, and feel the rain on my skin inside a hot, sweaty club.

And it’s definitely one of those songs that work best during live performances. So far, I’ve attended the first three concerts of BTS’s ARIRANG World Tour (from the comfort of my bed, via livestream links posted to Twitter), and this song really adds to the hype atmosphere BTS leans into during its particular section of the concert.

2.0

Another one with an excellent transition from the previous song!

Now, let me explain how this song makes me feel. A story in four parts: