Ohio quartet The Ophelias, composed of vocalist-guitarist Spencer Peppet, drummer Mic Adams, bassist-videographer Jo Shaffer, and violinist Andrea Gutmann Fuentes, made their breakthrough in 2018 with sophomore album Almost. Since then, the friends have welcomed individual growth and important changes – in fact, they now live in different cities – but unity and enthusiastic collaboration have remained a priority. Though in some ways less diverse than its predecessor, the indie rock band’s third album Crocus is an impressively cohesive and emotionally resonant project, a collection of lyrically candid and sonically intricate songs that deftly explores the many faces of heartbreak.
The title track makes for a piercing, complicated introduction to the album, with tender guitar strums welcoming the half-sung, half-spoken recollections of relationship snippets blurring the line between arbitrary and meaningful. The singer wishes their ex a bright future, yet not one free from an enduring nostalgic ache: “I hope that you can’t bear the thought of how my body looked the first time/ And I hope that maybe in your chest you’ll always get a little worked up about it.” The direct yet poetic lyricism that engulfs the entire album also serves as one of its strongest attributes. ‘Neil Young on High’, with floating harmonies delivered by Julien Baker, offers a warmer, more remorseful glance at a once-blooming relationship: “I regret never celebrating smaller victories that we saved/ I would do that part over,” Peppet mourns with a sharp vulnerability. Sting as they might, there’s an underlying thread of liberation carrying the raw confessions of Crocus; an openness that allows itself to unfold when there’s nothing left to lose.
Although the album’s lyrics constantly linger on the darker side, ‘Sacrificial Lamb’ quickly confirms that the band’s project is far from musically homogeneous. Picking up the album’s pace with clean drums and confident guitars, the track makes space for a warranted anger: “I am leaving your party, I’m not having fun anymore,” declares Peppet in a state of disappointment and self-loathing, before diving into the bouncy chorus, “At my best, I’m a sacrificial lamb.” Fuentes’ artfully layered violins, which stand out throughout the LP, add a sense of texture and brightness to the piece. ‘Vapor’, on the other hand, offers initially sparse production mixed with soothing, hypnotising vocals, steadily introducing strings, drums and keyboard that culminate in a hopeful, grandiose atmosphere. Something different altogether arises in ‘Spitting Image’, a country-like tune in which sunny violin and buoyant rhythms merge with an eerie, unnerving lyrical tone: “I was happy with the you in my head/ You cut cold and left me out for dead.” Much like in Almost’s ‘General Electric’, the track’s optimistic energy cloaks dark realities.
Gentle yet ominous “ha ha ha”s embedded in ‘Spitting Image’ are later echoed in ‘Biblical Names’, notably one of multiple songs on the record incorporating religious references. Peppet’s vocals hover atop the heavy, lethargic piano chords, repeatedly delivering the heart-breaking line “I know you loved me more than you said you did” in a dizzying, Mitski-esque fashion. In the second half of the album, the electric guitar, cymbals, and fast, punchy phrases on ‘Becoming a Nun’ following the slower tracks are refreshing and memorable, the quivering strings adding a horror-like dimension to the storytelling.
Crocus is an album that learns to embrace not just the heaviness of a break-up but the process of reflection that it often requires, whatever this may entail: destruction, regret, exhaustion, fondness. While slow and muted at parts, the project is worth a patient listen, not least for its dynamic instrumental arrangements. In their sentimental and at times brutal honesty, the songs stand as proof that no ending is ever one-dimensional, and that its aftermath can be both messy and beautiful.
Coldplay and BTS have shared a new music video for their recent collaborative single ‘My Universe’. The Dave Meyers-directed clip sees the two groups joining forces in an attempt to bring back music in a distant galaxy where it is forbidden. Check it out below.
‘My Universe’, which was co-written by BTS and Coldplay with production from Max Martin, is taken from Coldplay’s upcoming studio album Music of the Spheres. The album lands on October 15 via Atlantic and also includes previous singles ‘Higher Power’ and ‘Coloratura’.
Back in June, Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment. Today, the 49-year-old musician has announced that he is cancer free.
“Just saw my oncologist and I’m cancer free!!” Hoppus wrote on Instagram. “Thank you God and universe and friends and family and everyone who sent support and kindness and love. Still have to get scanned every six months and it’ll take me until the end of the year to get back to normal but today is an amazing day and I feel so blessed. Can I get a W in the chat?”
A judge has suspended Britney Spears’ father James “Jamie” Spears from the conservatorship that has controlled her personal and professional life for 13 years, The New York Times reports. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny, who granted Britney Spears’ lawyer’s petition, said: “The current situation is not tenable. It reflects a toxic environment which requires the suspension of Jamie Spears effective today.”
Jamie Spears and his attorney, Mathew Rosengart, petitioned to give up his role as conservator earlier this month. Spears announced he would be stepping down from the arrangement in August, saying that while there are no legal grounds for his removal, he is willing to cooperate with the court on a transition. Britney’s ongoing battle to be free from her conservatorship gained widespread traction earlier this year following documentaries and podcasts focusing on her story and the #FreeBritney movement.
Born in Alleghany County, Virginia and raised in the small town of Clifton Forge, North Carolina-based singer-songwriter Alexa Rose started singing and playing piano at an early age. After leaving home to study music at Appalachian State University, she honed in her songwriting with a pair of independent releases before landing a deal with Fat Possum imprint Big Legal Mess Records that resulted in her 2019 debut, Medicine for Living. Earlier this month, she returned with her latest full-length effort, Headwaters, which was written during the early stages of the pandemic and juxtaposes the Americana influences of its predecessor with intimate indie folk stylings reminiscent of Phoebe Bridgers or Waxahatchee. Though melancholy and reserved on the surface, the album’s nine tracks are packed with raw emotion, Rose’s natural knack for storytelling imbued with vivid detail and elevated by sweeping, gorgeous instrumentation. The pace seems at once calm and reflective while suggesting the richness of a life fraught with uncertainty and always in motion; rather than swimming against the current, Rose goes to the source of the river in search of something transcendent.
We caught up with Alexa Rose for this edition of our Artist Spotlight interview series to talk about her earliest musical memories, the inspirations behind Headwaters, and more.
A lot of the album revolves around growing up and your relationship to your hometown. In what ways did you reflect on your upbringing while making Headwaters?
I think that those subjects were surfacing because I was really thinking about the concept of a decade – it had been a decade since I graduated from high school and left home and all these big milestones were happening. You’re really forced to think about time when you’re you’re locked down at home, and re-evaluate how you’re spending your time and think about what you’ve been doing over the last however many years of your life. And so, I was just feeling really nostalgic. That’s what ‘Clearwater Park’ and ‘Wild Peppermint’ and a lot of parts of the other songs – there’s a lot of looking back on those times, but they were all about how those memories inform the present and the growth that comes out of everything that we experience. So I was writing about my childhood best friend and getting to her house and always remembering how to get there, and about my first love and mix CDs in high school and road trips when I was in my early 20s. Because I had nothing to do, I was just reflecting on those things and really trying to cultivate a story of how they play out now in my life, how it’s changed the course of the person I’ve become.
You were talking about that in the press bio, where you were describing that early memory of sitting under a streetlight and just talking with a friend. What do you remember about those conversations? Were you surprised by any of the memories that came up during that period of reflection?
I guess mostly I was reflecting on that feeling of freedom and carelessness that I think we all take for granted. And as we get older, we are able to go back into it and see it with different eyes. Especially in that moment, I just was thinking about the dead-end road that I grew up on. We lived in this little house at the end of it and we would go get cereal at night, just a pot full of cereal, and we would sit underneath the streetlight and we would eat just this huge pot, like 10 different kinds of cereal. [laughs] And I was just thinking about the carelessness of that, and how you get older and you have to work harder to cultivate that feeling of carelessness. But no, I don’t remember what we talked about. I just remember laughing a lot. Being goofballs, eating cereal at midnight.
Is music a way for you to cultivate that sense of carelessness and escape?
Yeah, absolutely. I think it always is, and I think it’s the main way that I find that feeling now in my current life because it’s a space where I can be anything and talk about anything. And it’s not just for me, it’s for other people too, and I can share that with whoever’s in the room with me. I feel like in a lot of ways, that’s what’s been able to keep me in that space for so many years, this music.
Do you mind sharing some early memories of you enjoying music?
I didn’t really grow up feeling like I had any kind of technical proficiency in music, in a lot of ways. That was a good thing, because I think it enabled me to be really creative and find my own way of making noises. And I remember when I was a kid, we always had music on. My mom would listen to Billie Holiday – one of the first things I remember is listening to Billie Holiday – or she would play Raising Sand, which was an album that Alison Krauss and Robert Plant released. I feel like I was hearing songs that would come back later, and I would learn that those songs were so rooted in Americana and traditional music. But you don’t really need this long list of great records – you really don’t need to have this Rolodex of influences, you just need to hear a couple things. And so I remember hearing those things and being really… I just loved to sing, and so I just was singing and I was really shy about it and uncomfortable with it. But it really was a gift to learn from a young age and from a young age have something that I really loved to do that I felt connected with, that I could carry into my life now and will always be doing, hopefully.
What made you more confident in your singing?
I don’t know exactly. I was sort of a theatrical kid and I really loved acting, and I think that acting presented a way for me to express those things without being myself. It was easier to get up on a stage and be someone else. And then gradually, I just sort of bridged that gap. I didn’t really perform out – sometimes I would play covers and I’d go play at a little winery near where I grew up, and I was still just figuring out who I wanted to be when I got up in front of people and it was uncomfortable for me. And now, I’ve just learned how to be myself in front of people, and I feel the best when I just get up and perform and I’m just being this dimension of the same person who I am all the time.
What was it that inspired you to start writing and making your own music?
It was really random. I just sat down at the piano one day and I started writing a song. I think I may have always written little songs when I was a kid, but nobody ever really showed me how to do it. And in that way, I always [laughs] – I just really like to reiterate, whenever I talk about this, how much I don’t know what I’m doing. And I really don’t believe there’s a correct or incorrect way to go about writing, and there’s a lot of different schools of thought with songwriting, but I have never really looked at it that way. Just because, I mean, everything I’ve ever written or done is just a total expression of how I feel in the moment. So I just sat down at the piano one day and I was just, like, tinkering, and a melody came to me. I’d love to sing, so I was singing melodies with whatever I was playing and then put words to it. And that’s still – I’ve tried to have a method about it, and just for me personally, it doesn’t work as well. So I’m still out here, not knowing what I’m doing. [laughs]
Making this record and looking back on that time in your life now, do you feel like you have a new perspective on you who were as a person?
I just would look back and think that I was learning, I was still figuring out who I am, and I’m still figuring out who I am. Life is just so full of change, and we think we get to a certain point and it’s like, “Oh, this is who I am now, I’ve reached it.” But really, it’s just so unpredictable, and we’re not actually in control of any of that. And so we just continue to adapt and change as long as we’re here.
I think at that point, if I were to look back on myself 10 years ago when I was really just starting to write songs, I would see myself trying to package it in a certain way and have this sense of identity that was like… I don’t know, it always came from a pure place, but I was less aware of that fact, and now that I’m aware of that fact, I find that there’s more ease in writing, and I’m not trying to think about who’s ever going to hear the song, or is it a good song, does this make sense to other people. It’s like, does it make sense to me? Do I connect with this? Because maybe there’s a line that’s more intelligent or you think sounds more cool or academic, but you just don’t connect to it, and what you really want to say is the simple line, that like, your heart is broken. And if you connect to that line, and when you sing it and play it you really feel it, that’s what the line should be.
It’s interesting that you mention identity, because I wanted to bring up this one line on the album: “I want to be the same person but I feel myself slipping away.” It has this directness that you’re talking about, but at the same time, I was thinking that it could either be about the person that you were back then, or it could relate to the need to retain a sense of identity more generally.
Yeah, absolutely. To me, it applies either way. I felt like in a literal sense, when I wrote that line, it was about this one specific scenario and somebody who I don’t keep up with as much anymore, but I also really felt it very presently in that moment. All of life is just trying to cobble together this identity – especially now, with everything being on the internet and with social media, constructing an identity has become really important to us, but we’re so multifaceted. You can’t really consolidate everything into this one identity that you’re going to have forever. You can have pieces, but… Yeah, so I feel that all the time. I feel that every day.
Was that sense of self something that you wanted to explore more with this album?
Yeah, I think so, because when I was writing this album I was really grappling with that whole concept. I was like, who am I now that I can’t tour and play shows, which is the thing I’ve been focused on for several years now? Who else am I aside from this one thing that I have really cemented is my identity? But there’s more to that, and I was definitely searching for those other pieces while I was writing the album.
What are the other pieces that you were thinking about?
In addition to just my experience, I was thinking about all the people who have informed my experience, and their journeys, their identities. And I was also thinking about my family and my grandparents and great grandparents, how different life was for them, and the juxtaposition of my own experience and what I’ve been able to do in the world based on my privilege. So I was writing about my great grandparents and the sense of place that I’ve always felt from their story, especially because I live in western North Carolina and there’s a lot of sense of place in the mountains and there’s a lot of history here, family history for folks who’ve been here several generations back. And really, the concept of staying in one place and really having an attachment to it that informs your identity, versus what’s more common now and what has definitely been my experience with just moving around a lot and not really feeling completely rooted in one place. And having this big open future of “Where will I end up?” instead of just really cherishing one place and knowing that you’re going to be there and thinking about how that’s a really, really special part of identity for people who have that experience. Which hasn’t been my experience so far, but I kind of would like it to be. It just doesn’t seem like that’s been in the cards for me yet.
Another line I wanted to ask you about is “You know it gets harder to hear myself over all this humanity,” because it sort of feels like it comes from that place of wanting to focus your energy on other people, which makes it harder to focus on yourself.
Yeah, absolutely. The whole song is about that place of calm, trying to remain in that, but also trying to not to remain in that for yourself but so that you can be of service to other people and you can be present. Not because you don’t want to know about them, but because you want to be able to comfort people or be a positive person in the world and not let any of that get to you, to where you just feel completely broken down. But it’s like, we do – I mean, how can you not, just if you’re paying attention? And I think that I am at my core just really kind of a softie, you know, I’m just a gentle person. And I feel like I’ve always been kind of quiet and I just want to make something gentle and share it with people, but the world is really loud. And it can be hard to be soft because in order to protect ourselves, we have to be hard sometimes. And it’s really important to remain in touch with that softness that’s underneath all of that stuff, that shell we have to build up to protect ourselves. So that line was me trying to fight for that, that quietness and that softness that I think is inside everybody, and we all just navigate it differently and have different sensitivities to it.
On the song ‘Haywood’, you sing about playing music as “some kind of religion.” What is it, do you think, that keeps you faithful?
The way it feels… The way it feels if I’m alone and I sit down and play a song, or, more importantly and closer to my heart, the way it feels in a room of people. The way that it can just jolt you out of whatever you need to be jolted out of. That song was kind of inspired by this guy who was playing fiddle on the corner when I was leaving this venue, and he just had his back to people and he was playing for his own enchantment, I guess. He was so in the moment with what he was doing, and I think that image encapsulates that without having to describe it any further. Because it’s just that feeling of being able to get totally lost in something where you feel seen and you feel safe and you feel like, you know, you’re being yourself. And that’s what keeps me in it. And it’s not just – it’s like, you can be yourself, and you can show other people how to be themselves; you can make other people feel seen. Because that feeling is contagious.
The Weather Station has released the deluxe edition of her most recent album Ignorance. The expanded version includes live and piano renditions of select songs from the record, as well as the previously unreleased tracks ‘Look’ and ‘Better Now’. Ignorance (Deluxe) is out now on digital streaming platforms, with a 2xLP set arriving on November 19 via Fat Possum. Check out ‘Better Now’ and ‘Look’ along with the full deluxe album below.
“I wrote ‘Better Now’ in Banff, Alberta, in stolen moments as I was teaching songwriting and writing for myself,” Tamara Lindeman said in a statement. “It’s all just true; the mountains, the piano, the first line, the pain of being hurt and the joy of being alright anyways.”
Of the deluxe edition of Ignorance, she added:
Whenever you make anything, you have to leave things out; it’s a critical part of the process, but a painful one nonetheless. I’m glad to have the opportunity to revisit the paths not taken, and allow some of them out after all; quiet versions of songs that were redirected into rhythm, two of the songs we recorded but left off the album, and some live versions of the songs that have come to be since the recording. It has been overwhelming to have this album be so lovingly received, and it is wonderful to have the space to release more of it into the world.
David Bowie‘s lost 2001 album Toy, which leaked online back in 2011, is finally getting an official release. It’s set to arrive on January 7, the day after Bowie’s birthday, via Rhino. Today’s news comes with the announcement of David Bowie 5: Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001), the latest in a series of archival box sets chronicling the artist’s career. Listen to a radio edit of the Toy song ‘You’ve Got A Habit of Leaving’ below.
Toy was recorded shortly after Bowie’s 2000 Glastonbury performance alongside Sterling Campbell, Gail Ann Dorsey, Earl Slick, Mike Garson, Holly Palmer, Emm Gryner, Lisa Germano, Gerry Leonard, and Cuong Vu. “Toy is like a moment in time captured in an amber of joy, fire and energy,” the album’s co-producer Mark Plati said in a statement. “It’s the sound of people happy to be playing music. David revisited and re-examined his work from decades prior through prisms of experience and fresh perspective — a parallel not lost on me as I now revisit it twenty years later. From time to time, he used to say “Mark, this is our album” — I think because he knew I was so deeply in the trenches with him on that journey. I’m happy to finally be able to say it now belongs to all of us.”
Toy is also included in David Bowie 5: Brilliant Adventure, along with Black Tie White Noise, The Buddha Of Suburbia, Outside, Earthling, hours…, a collection of non-album singles and B-sides called Re:Call 5, and more.
People are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of good health and fitness. It’s no surprise considering it impacts every element of daily life. As a result, there has been a massive increase in the number of people looking for natural supplements and methods to improve their overall health.
The idea of using CBD as a dietary supplement has caught many people’s attention. CBD offers a simple yet effective way to improve mental and physical health while being 100% natural.
There are several different ways CBD can be used as a supplement, including oils, topicals, and pills. However, no CBD Product has attracted as much positive attention as CBD edibles. They offer people a fun, convenient, and effective way to enjoy CBD every day.
Why are so many people choosing CBD edibles, and what can you expect from the very best CBD edibles on the market?
Why Are CBD Edibles So Popular?
CBD edibles work particularly well for people with busy lives. One of the primary advantages of choosing CBD edibles over other CBD products is that they are super quick and straightforward to use.
CBD edibles are often appealing to people who are new to the world of CBD as they feel much less clinical than options such as capsules and oil tinctures. Often CBD edibles are designed so that they can be eaten in place of a regular snack. For instance, swapping a chocolate chip cookie or chewy candy for a CBD gummy is a great way to incorporate CBD into daily life.
The fact that CBD edibles look just like regular food also makes them ideal when consuming CBD out and in complicated situations. So, whether you are at work or on public transport, you can avoid any unwanted attention.
Benefits of Using CBD Edibles
An increasing number of people are looking to add CBD into their regular diet as a supplement. This is largely due to better awareness and research into its potential health benefits.
Research has shown that using CBD supplements daily can positively impact both mental and physical health. Some of the leading reasons for using CBD include pain management, reducing anxiety, improving quality of sleep, and being a natural anti-inflammatory.
CBD edibles can also manage long-term health conditions, reducing symptoms and making daily life a little easier. Studies have found that CBD can help to reduce the frequency of seizures in people with epilepsy, for example. CBD is also commonly used to manage arthritis as it is an anti-inflammatory.
Whether using CBD edibles as a general health supplement or managing a particular health condition, here are six expert tips to get the most out of every bite.
Top Tips For Getting The Most Out Of CBD Edibles
#1 Opt for Enjoyable Products
CBD edibles are designed to be beneficial and delicious. It is, therefore, best to choose products that you know you will enjoy. When new to CBD, it is best to think about the foods you already eat and find CBD alternatives, whether that be gummies, cookies, or protein powders.
If you already snack on regular gummies throughout the day, then CBD gummies might be a great alternative.
#2 Try Lots of Different Flavors
One of the many different great things about CBD edibles is that there are so many options to choose from. Trying lots of different flavors is a simple way to keep CBD edibles feeling fun and something to look forward to each day.
#3 Variety Is Key
CBD edibles work best when they are incorporated into a person’s regular diet as a snack. Finding different edibles that work for different situations and times of day is a simple way to ensure that a consistent amount of CBD is consumed each day.
For example, CBD cookies might be perfect for a workday afternoon but not be so easy to fit in during the weekend. Other options like CBD-infused coffee or gummies could be a great alternative for weekends to keep the body’s CBD levels consistent.
#4 Check Ingredient Lists
Not all CBD edibles are made to the same quality standards. Like with regular foods, it is always a good idea to check the ingredients of edibles to know exactly what you are eating. This is particularly important with baked goods and gummies to monitor the amount of sugar being consumed.
#5 Consider CBD Drinks
Edibles drinks are another great option for working CBD into busy routines and have the added benefit of helping you stay hydrated. Popular options include infused CBD coffee, herbal teas, and energy drinks.
#6 Compare Different Brands
Different CBD brands offer other edibles, and so it is worth checking out a few different options when shopping. Some brands, for example, sell a wide range of CBD gummies but no infused baked goods, while other brands might have an extensive selection of CBD cookies but limited gummies.
The world of cannabis products is confusing enough without another entirely new class of potential cannabinoids entering the market.
Delta-8 THC, however, is definitely worth getting used to as a new product. Milder, safer, and, best of all, legal, Delta-8 THC is not only going to become something really incredible in its own right, but it is also perfect for beginners. This is the reason why so many people are looking for Delta-8 for sale all over the country. The growing demand for compounds containing products makes them available at many online retailers such as CBD2Heal, Dr. Ganja online CBD shop, Hemp Heros, as well as in some legit physical stores and pharmacies.
Here’s why Delta-8, especially Delta-8 gummies, is not only great on its own but is even better for brand new cannabis users.
What is Delta-8 THC?
Delta-8 THC is another type of cannabinoid found within the cannabis plant. An isomer of regular THC, Delta-8 is basically just a sort of cousin to regular THC. It has some very similar effects and is even molecularly similar to it enough for them to be mistaken for one another, but it is still different.
It is these subtle differences that make it incredible for the purpose of introducing cannabis to newbies.
Much Lower Risk of Any Possible Side Effects
One of the big reasons a lot of new people are starting to use Delta-8 THC is because of its fundamentally lower risk of side effects.
Although the science is murky and a bit inconclusive, some studies have found that Delta-8 THC has a lower risk of inducing many of the unpleasant side effects commonly associated with THC.
Lower amounts of nausea and a reduced frequency of paranoia or anxiety combine to make Delta-8 THC a potentially safer alternative to regular THC.
This is a massive deal for newcomers to cannabis, as unpleasant side effects are obviously one of the big turn-offs for getting into the wonderful world of cannabis.
Massively Milder Effects
This feature is one of the things that are great for cannabis newbies but maybe not so great for the more experienced users out there.
Delta-8 THC is not only famous for low incidences of side effects but also much milder effects.
While the specific effects of Delta-8 THC are the same as regular Delta-9 THC, the high is a lot less intense.
The precise reasoning for this isn’t yet fully understood, but it would appear that Delta-8 THC triggers the cannabinoid receptors in the endocannabinoid system a lot more gently.
Another reason is that Delta-8 THC tends to affect both the CB1 and CB2 receptors, whereas Delta-9 THC primarily affects the CB1 receptor. This makes the high less psychoactive and “heady,” allowing for a more balanced, calmer experience.
As a result, Delta-8 THC is more likely to produce feelings of relaxation and calm. However, it doesn’t act as a sedative and most users don’t find the experience to be overwhelming.
Whether that is a good or a bad thing is entirely up to the individual, but it is definitely an excellent thing for newcomers.
Legal & Thus Way More Accessible
By far, the most significant benefit of Delta-8 THC to both newbies and experienced users alike is the fact that Delta-8 THC is actually legal.
While there certainly are some slight discrepancies in places like the USA, due to differences in individual state laws, at a federal level, Delta-8 THC is legal.
This is primarily because of the Farm Bill of 2018 that ensured hemp’s status as a legal crop. Since Delta-8 THC is different from Delta-9 THC, it’s considered a different cannabinoid and, therefore, falls under the legal umbrella of CBD and other cannabinoids.
It is worth bearing in mind that, despite its present legality, things could always change. It is possible that exclusions for Delta-8 THC could be brought into law in an effort to continue the strange and seemingly endless war on drugs in the USA.
However, the chance of that happening is reducing significantly as the years go by. Over time the administration is gradually becoming more liberal and generally accepting.
Final Thoughts On Why Delta 8 is Perfect for New Cannabis Users
It is hard to convince people to start using cannabis products when there is so much misinformation out there, as well as people actively fighting against it.
This fundamental fear surrounding all things cannabis-related makes trying to appreciate and try out cannabis a considerable challenge for many.
Thankfully, Delta-8 THC is just now starting to not only become popular but wildly available as well. With Delta-8 THC, newcomers can dip their toes in the water of cannabis and see what they think.
It is not only legal and thus free of so much of the danger and fear commonly associated with taking anything related to cannabis, but it is safer as well.
Experienced cannabis users will obviously prefer to try and steer clear of Delta-8 THC due to its much weaker effects. However, we can all appreciate the usefulness of Delta-8 THC in helping new cannabis users finally feel free to try it out for themselves.
Hemp plants have been at the forefront of the natural health and wellness industry for a while now. Much of the attention has focuses on the cannabinoid CBD and its many potential health benefits.
While CBD remains one of the most talked-about and popular supplemental cannabinoids, the industry is starting to see a shift in its attention. People are becoming interested in many of the other healthy cannabinoids found in hemp plants. Delta 8 THC, in particular, has caught many people’s attention and is quickly becoming one of the most exciting products of the year.
There are a variety of ways that delta 8 THC can be enjoyed and benefited from. Much like with CBD, popular options include oil tinctures, capsules, and gummies. One option that has attracted a great deal of attention is the idea of vaping delta 8 THC, something that has long been a popular option for consuming CBD. Today, such products are so widespread that you can even buy Delta 8 carts online.
So, what exactly is delta 8 THC, and what can be expected from the best delta 8 cartridge vape products?
What Is Delta 8 THC?
Delta 8 THC is just one of around 60 different types of THC and one of the hundreds of compounds found in the hemp plant. The group of compounds known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is most commonly known for its intoxicating effects.
Most people are not aware that there are different types of THC and that each one causes slightly different effects when consumed. The most common and known about THC is delta 9 and is the compound that has the most impact on recreational cannabis products.
Delta 8 THC shares many of the same features as delta 9 and, as a result, can cause many of the same positive psychoactive effects. The main difference between the two compounds is the placement of their double carbon bond. This difference in placement means that delta 8 has a much lower potency level.
Why Use Delta 8 THC Cartridges and Vaporizers? What Are the Benefits?
The lower potency of delta 8 means that its effects are much milder than those associated with cannabis and delta 9 products. This makes delta 8 products appealing to people seeking a less intense high or who find that they have a low THC tolerance and often negatively respond to delta 9 THC.
Not only can delta 8 cause the fun intoxicating effects of THC, but early evidence supports the idea that it also has a number of potential health benefits. People are increasingly looking to delta 8 as a health and supplement product similar to how people use CBD to experience its many potential health benefits.
One of the most popular ways to enjoy delta 8 is in the form of a flavor-enhanced vapor that can be inhaled. The idea of vaping is not a new one or one that is limited to delta 8. Vaping has long been an alternative to smoking cigarettes and is enjoyed for the flavor-packed experience it can provide.
Delta 8 has become many people’s THC of choice as its effects are mild and tend not to be too long-lasting. While these features might seem negative at first, they are ideal for anyone looking for a mild high that wants to avoid the overwhelming feeling that delta 9 can often cause, such as sedation.
Are Delta 8 THC Vape Cartridges Safe?
The U.S. Cannabis Council recently carried out a study looking into the safety of delta 8 vape products. The study focused mainly on safety regulations and whether these were always being met across the industry.
The study results found that not all delta 8 vape cartridges on the market met the required safety measures and checks. Several products did not meet the regulations for THC set out in the 2018 Farm Bill. There were also several products tested that contained potentially harmful contaminants.
Products containing unlicensed thickeners such as vitamin E oil were found on several occasions. The study concluded that while there are hundreds of safe delta 8 vape products available, caution should be taken when shopping from unknown brands and retailers.
Purchasing Delta 8 Vape Products
Delta 8 is still a relatively new product and one that has caused a great deal of hype. As a result, the delta 8 industry has quickly become oversaturated, with many brands looking to profit from the sudden trend. The U.S. Cannabis Council’s study has highlighted the problem with this and how it has caused some worrying quality issues.
This does not mean that people should be put off trying delta 8 vape products, but instead that a certain level of caution is needed when shopping. It is always best to opt for established and well-reviewed brands. Products from brands such as PureKana and Premium Jane are just a few of the options that are sure to provide rewarding and effective results.
