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
Austra and the Politics of Pleasure (Under Quarantine)
Austra’s Feel It Break roared into my life in May 2011, during what turned out to be a second moment of major transition in my adult life. Having crossed the three-year mark in my first romantic relationship and realizing that … Read the rest
Listening to Holly Miranda During COVID-19
At the start of the fourth week of social distancing in the COVID-19 pandemic, I relistened to the recording for one of my favorite concerts of all time, the album release show for Holly Miranda’s The Magician’s Private Library at … Read the rest
Lana Del Rey, FKA twigs, and Careful Romanticism
2019 was a year—and the 2010s were a decade. The 2010s were a time of massive change and growth for me. Throughout the decade, I lived in four cities: Philly, Brooklyn, Austin, and New Orleans. I was affiliated with four … Read the rest