It was another hard pandemic year—and the pop music around us often reflected that. Our first full (calendar) year of the pandemic, pop both musically and narratively carried forward our feelings of anxiety and isolation but also yearnings for connection … Read the rest
Sleater-Kinney, Collective Loss, and the Long Pandemic
On June 10th, Sleater-Kinney took to Twitch to promote their new album, Path of Wellness. Now just Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein (plus whoever they record and tour with for a particular album), the broadcast focused on the musical—and … Read the rest
Dawn Richard and Songs of the South
In June 2011, I made a decision that would forever change my life: I broke up with a partner of over three years and mentally committed to getting back home to New York City as quickly as possible. Within six … Read the rest
Miley Cyrus and Reaching Back for Rock’s Past
In October 2013, I went on a first date that ended with me arguing about Miley Cyrus with someone I would never see again. Although it was already two months after Cyrus’s infamous set at the 2013 VMAs, the performance … Read the rest
Land of Talk and Loving During Crisis
It was January 2007 and I needed a new band to grow up with. Having returned to Philly from Sleater-Kinney’s “last” show in Portland, OR only five months previously, I was now left with a new (in name, at least) … Read the rest