Is it that sweet? I guess so.
Random thoughts on sometimes having thoughts and sometimes not.
Several times over the months since we last published something, I’ve thought about writing. Heard a song I liked, thought a movie was cool — “Hmm, I can write about this.” Nope. Didn’t happen. Alas, all that time passing, here we are! Literally, this is it. That’s all.
I’ve been trying to reassemble my brain and my sleep schedule post-marathon. I feel really great and at the same time, weird. That feeling when you accomplish something and now it’s just done. Empty calendar squares are mildly anxiety inducing now. The post-marathon blues were real but now I’ve just been running for fun, which is cool and still crazy to me that sometimes I just wake up now and go for a run. I’ve had weeks where I feel lethargic but look forward to running. Crazy!
I’ve also taken time to reconsider my relationship with writing and working in service. I used to let these things define me. It’s a tough cookie to crack because in certain ways, they do and always will. Not everyone writes leisurely or wants to work in service. Simple observation! I’m not sure what it is exactly — obviously — but I’ve been taking more time to think what these things mean exactly. Am I writing to express my self? To share? Both? Same with service. Am I doing this for me or for the person on the other side of the counter? Can it be both? Does it really matter?
We apologize for the radio silence the past few months. I’ve been trying to work on both life and work stuff and Kevin has been doing the same. We’ve texted each other a few times over that time where conversations basically go, “Ha, blogging, am I right?” No promises over frequency of these until someone gives us both $3 million and we take the Right Drugs to officially Fix Our Brains forever. I’d settle for $50k, if that means anything to any affluent readers.
Here’s some stuff I’ve been into recently. If you guys have any suggestions for music or movies you think we’ll enjoy, please send them our way. Hope you guys — our beautiful readers — have been doing well.
Charli xcx, BRAT
BRAT is Charli’s most honest album, and because of it, potentially her best. “No style, I can’t relate / I’ll always be the one,” she so cooly, so calmly croons on opener “360” — maybe the the best single of her career? “360” is simple, bouncy, catchy. She hits a pocket of singing that’s almost-like-but-not-quite-rapping like Pop 2’s “Porsche.” It doesn’t matter whether you know who Julia Fox is or if you believe she’s actually any cool when Charli sounds so cool singing “like an icOoOon.”
I guess a part of me was still grated by the horrible rollout for CRASH that I might’ve groaned when she told Vogue, “This album is going to be confrontational.” I figured it was just normal lip service from a normal album rollout in 2024 but “Von dutch” as the first single turned out to be just that.
“Club classics” isn’t my favorite song on the album on its own, it perfectly captures the album’s essence. Over a super minimal bounce beat, she makes her intentions clear, “I wanna dance to me / I wanna dance to A.G. / I wanna dance with George / I wanna dance to SOPHIE.” Charli isn’t just writing songs for us or to us, we’re getting a glimpse of the person behind the mask. There’s no games being played here, just a frustrated artist speaking plainly over some of the best dance music this decade has seen. (“Girl, so confusing” is definitely about Lorde, by the way.) I wondered whether or not Charli would ever be on that Vroom Vroom or Pop 2 wavelength again. We don’t have to wonder any more.
Side note: I love love love that Pitchfork got Meaghan Garvey to review BRAT for them. Her write-up for Pop 2 is one of my favorite reviews they’ve ever put out and this one didn’t disappoint either.
Speaking of good dance music…
Had no idea Jamie xx was dropping new singles so I was very happy to discover “Baddy On the Floor.” I wasn’t sure how serious I was when I said dance music was making a comeback after Peggy Gou blew up last year but at this point? Yeah, we might be outside this summer.
I’m still trying to unpack Charlotte Day Wilson’s newest album, Cyan Blue. She has one of the most special voices in music today but I’ve always found her songwriting at times underwhelming. Still, it’s a great album and worth a listen. “Canopy” is one of my favorite singles of recent memory. Somehow, it’s both a campfire folk song and a Destiny’s Child deep cut.
Action Bronson released “Nourish a Thug,” his first song since 2022’s Cocodrillo Turbo and the first single for his new album Johann Sebastian Bachlava the Doctor. Incredible name. There’s an insane line here where he rhymes “two dykes” with “Francis Ngannou fight.”
evilgiane & Slimesito, EVILSLIME
We really need to talk about the work evilgiane is doing right now because by my calculation, he hasn’t missed in years now. Love that even after last year’s cosigns from Kendrick and Earl, he’s still doing really great underground shit like this. Definitely my favorite work Slimesito has done since 2022’s Dedication. It’s the most danceable drill music ever!
Jessica Pratt, Here in the Pitch
Caleb rightfully corrected me when I blindly categorized this as a folk record when it’s so clearly bossa nova. Incredibly airy, delicate, sad yet tender, falling asleep on a hot summer day. Jessica Pratt’s voice is soothing, like a hand on your shoulder. Might be the vibes record of the year.
Evil Does Not Exist (2023)
The most entrancing film I’ve seen in a theater. I watched this at Burbank 6, the one in the mall, on a Monday afternoon after an opening shift. It was the literal last theater in the place and it was the smallest screen I’ve ever seen in an AMC. There were legit five people there and one of them left after 20 minutes.
A really beautiful piece on corporatism that also explores our relationship to nature. It’s probably Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s most heavy-handed film but it’s fascinating against the backdrop of his slow burning style. The film itself isn’t a slow burn per se but the tension he creates with framing and long shots is chef’s kiss. The opening shot which pans through a forest runs for several minutes; I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience.
Seems like the run for this film is ending but if you live in a big city and an indie is screening it, run and go see it. This was kind of like the opposite end of a spectrum where the other extreme is TENET in IMAX: loud, kinetic, vivid. Evil Does Not Exist is quiet, static, yet still vivid. It draws you in. It doesn’t “pull you in” like other films do but without noticing, you’ll find you’ve been absorbed into it.