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Review Roundup: Brockhampton, Taylor Swift, Jay Som, Ghost Orchard

Konstantinos Pappis
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Review Roundup: Brockhampton, Taylor Swift, Jay Som, Ghost Orchard

In this weekly segment, we review the most notable albums out each Friday and pick our album of the week. Here are this week’s releases:

Album of the Week: Brockhampton, Ginger

Two members of Brockhampton (JOBA & Weston Freas) hugging each other on the street.Following the slight sonic detour that was last year’s Iridescence, Ginger sees Brockhampton combining the self-reflective, slightly melancholic mood of that album with the signature sound of the Saturation trilogy. The album opens with what might be the boy band’s most meditative and affecting single yet, ‘No Halo’: “I’m sure, I’ll find it/ No one help me when my eyes go red,” the chorus goes, while Dom and Merlyn open up about their experiences with depression on the verses. Things get even more emotionally charged on tracks like the stunning ‘Dearly Departed’, which deals with Ameer Van’s departure from the group following sexual abuse allegations: “What’s the point of havin’ a best friend if you end up losing him?” Kevin Abstract laments. There are still playful, upbeat moments here, like the exotic, infectious instrumental on ‘Boy Bye’, or the seamlessly flowing series of tracks that appear in the middle of the album – ‘Heaven Belongs to You’, ‘St. Percy’, and ‘If You Pray Right’ – the last of which is a top-notch Brockhampton banger, with its infectious brass section and hard-hitting lines. While the album hits a bit of a dud with the title track and ‘Love Me for Life’, it ends on a high note with the heartfelt closer, named after a new collaborator, Victor Roberts, who tackles his troubling history with the police: “I ain’t gon’ see my parents for ages/ All this erosion, no more protection/ Shit don’t feel safe/ What graduation? What degrees?/ What dissertation? What imagination?/ Imagine my whole world taken away from me.” On Ginger, Brockhampton embrace maturity more than ever before, without abandoning the qualities that threw them onto the map in the first place.

Rating: 8/10

Highlights: ‘No Halo’, ‘If You Pray Right’, ‘Dearly Departed’, ‘Big Boy’, ‘Victor Roberts’

Taylor Swift, Lover

Taylor Swift - Lover.pngUnsurprisingly, the first two singles of Swift’s seventh studio album are somewhat misleading. ‘You Need to Calm Down’ and ‘ME!’, as cartoonishly bad as they are, were bound to earn traction for the album, but they don’t represent what it’s about as a whole, both in terms of quality and attitude. Unlike her unsuccessful foray into modern pop with 2017’s Reputation, Lover has a light, airy quality that renders it one of Swift’s most enjoyable albums to date, as she remains mostly within her comfort zone, singing about new love in a series of simple, straightforward pop tunes. There are two main issues with the record: one, it is kind of a mixed bag, and it could have easily been Swift’s best record if half a dozen of its 18 tracks had been cut. Secondly, it is somewhat inconsistent in quality, mainly due to the fact that it alternates between a few producers. The tracks co-produced with Jack Antonoff are clearly superior, from the stunning ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’ to the atmospheric ‘The Archer’ and the sweet ‘Paper Rings’ (there’s also a welcome contribution from St. Vincent on ‘Cruel Summer’), while those by Joel Little are generally less good (with the exception of the ‘The Man’ and ‘Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince’, though that is mostly due to Swift’s smart songwriting). Still, it’s nice to see Swift mostly leaving the drama behind to look in the mirror and focus on the things that matter: “I forgot that you existed/ And I thought that it would kill me, but it didn’t/ And it was so nice/ So peaceful and quiet,” she sings on the opening track.

Rating: 6/10

Highlights: ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’, ‘Cruel Summer’, ‘The Archer’, ‘I Forgot That You Existed’, ‘Paper Rings’, ‘It’s Nice to Have a Friend’

Jay Som, Anak Ko

Image result for jay som new albumThe title of Jay Som’s new record means “my child” in Tagalog, and while it was inspired by a text she received from her mother, who often refers to her as such, it fits nicely with the mood of the album and the creative process as a whole. Often labeled a bedroom pop artist due to the intimate, home-made vibe of her music, the songs on the follow-up to her excellent 2017 breakout, Everybody Works, feel like they were treated with a comforting, motherly kind of care. But as dream pop goes, they are also impressively refined and polished in terms of production – look no further than the shoegaze-inspired ‘Superbike’ or the standout ‘Nighttime Drive’ – reflecting the kind of maturity that comes through in the lyrics. “I’m feeling like we’ve just begun/ Nothing’s ever good enough/ Tenderness is all I’ve got,” Duterte sings on the groovy ‘Tenderness’, while the heart-wrenching closer ‘Get Well’ sees her tackling alcoholism: “Get well/ I hope you can/ How do you find peace/ With a drink in your hand?”. Anak Ko may not be as sonically varied and exciting as Everybody Works, but it’s still a stunning work of dream pop to sink your head into.

Rating: 8/10

Highlights: ‘If You Want It’, ‘Superbike’, ‘Nighttime Drive’, ‘Tenderness’, ‘Anak Ko’

Ghost Orchard, Bunny

Screen shot 2019 06 26 at 17.57.05Ghost Orchard, the project of 21-year-old singer-songwriter Sam Hall, has assembled a truly unique sound that can best be described as lo-fi bedroom trap. Quite a departure from his earlier noise pop releases, bunny is more refined and mature, as Hall evocatively and interestingly fuses lo-fi production reminiscent of Sparklehorse, acoustic guitar melodies akin to the likes of Mount Eerie and Elliott Smith, and modern hip-hop-inspired beats a Brockhampton fan might enjoy. But unlike the epidemic of sad boys employing a similarly depressive sound, Hall sings about being in love and growing into adulthood in all its wonderful complexity with a sense of young innocence and hope, while his heartfelt lyrics are rendered even sweeter via his understated but earnest delivery. “Never heard my heartbeat quite like this,” he repeats on highlight ‘station’, his voice as warm as a blanket over a shimmering, driving beat. These tracks feel like little snippets, memories captured and repackaged with a romantic sheen of youthful nostalgia. It’s not hard to imagine Ghost Orchard releasing a classic album a few years down the road as he grows artistically, but he’s already come up with a singular and distinctly contemporary aesthetic.

Rating: 7/10

Highlights: ‘swan’, ‘bunny’, ‘station’, ‘puppy’, ‘ride’, ‘only’

MIU MIU’s Resort 2020 Collection

Ayana Torio
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MIU MIU’s Resort 2020 Collection

Miu Miu brings us a throwback vibe in their 2020 Resort Collection.

The show kicked off at Hippodrome d’Auteuil, a race track specifically for steeplechase racing. Jockey inspired Miuccia Prada’s Off to the race collection included elements that could possibly have come from the forties and sixties. This influence was displayed through the outfits, more specifically on the collar, the balloon sleeves, and the cinched-in waist. As well as through vibrant colours and playful prints.

Miuccia Prada played on the quirky hats that are supposedly helmets, which are hats stacked on hats. Prada also had fun with colours, using colour blocks on garments and the stripes motif — which is common to see on jockey’s uniform.

Any print is uncommon to see on the outfit apart from the usually chequered print. However, there is a nice twist in using relevant characteristics within racing, making it more exciting and playful.

The catwalk began with steeple horse racing, and then the show began. Each of the outfits presented were just as unique as the other — even in the styling of the outfits, the creative was clear. The overall show was joyus, playful and quirky.

It Happened One Night. 85 Years Ago.

Ash Valente
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It Happened One Night. 85 Years Ago.

Happy Birthday, It Happened One Night! I and many others adore this Frank Capra film, but why? The storyline is not uncommon. Rich girl runs away from Daddy and falls in love with a poor handsome devil. What does It Happened One Night have that made it the Oscar winner for Best Picture, as well as the world’s finest rom com? Clark Gable undressing? Yes, it has that. But also much more. There’s charm and laughter, wit and nuance, with little feminist-Marxist cherries on top. It all happened One Night. 85 years ago.

For those of you who have not seen this film, where have you been your entire lifespan? You’ve completely missed sweet, sensuous Claudette Colbert playing a deck-diving debutante! Ellen, daughter of a famous oil tycoon, has just jumped off her father’s yacht with plans to rejoin her sophisticated beau King Westley in New York City. Daddy disapproves of their elopement, a pre-film elopement being the first on many irregularities in this particular 1934 rom com. Our heroine is already married, and to an insincere aristocrat named King.

Enter Clark Gable, wickedly gorgeous as always, playing the role of drunken newspaper man, Peter. After heiress Ellen washes up at the Miami bus station, the two meet and become unwitting partners in a Northern-bound journey. He wants to use her love story to win his job back. She needs his help warding off thieves, repelling sleazy men, and handling everything from which her sheltered life has barred her. It’s a symbiotic relationship, with intrigue fanned by class difference, witty repartee, and the subtle heat of modern love.

Image result for it happened one night

Colbert and Gable entrance and delight all the way to New York, as they chase highway robbers, masquerade as a bickering country couple, and argue about the definition of a piggyback ride. The fuel that drives these two class-crossed lovers is a combination of Robert Riskin’s snappy screenplay and Capra’s multi-dimensional eye. It Happened One Night is no blissful, bright-eyed romance. It’s shadows behind curtains, overnight bungalows amid glowing lantern light, donut dunking, and socially acceptable innuendo.

Meanwhile, let’s not forget Riskin’s daring representation of common folk in the midst of a lover’s tale. Colbert and Gable are surrounded by figures of their time – an adulterous grease ball, a hungry mother and child, a gaggle of boxcar bums. These people (real people) weave It Happened One Night into a multi-dimensional depiction of life, both as it is and as it should be.

It Happened One Night is thoroughly real and, shall we say, modern? Some may disagree, as they watch Clark give Claudette a little spank, call her brat, threaten to break her greedy little neck. Upon reflection, however, the truth behind this seemingly misogynistic behavior becomes clear. The newspaper man challenges the heiress’ inexperience, treats her as his equal in stamina and nomadic strength. He shows her how the world world and her how to dunk a donut. Together, they bus ride and hitchhike their way to Ellen’s mature womanhood.

Last, but absolutely not least, among the film’s attributes is the sizzle, a sound you can still hear 85 years later. Clark leaning over Claudette as she lies in a pile of hay, Claudette clinging to Clark’s lapels in her sleep. Then there’s the white hot fire of suggestion. Riskin took advantage of the last pre-code years, but did so subtly. When Peter and Ellen share their first bungalow, she commends him on his ‘brilliant plan’. He declares he has no interest in her whatsoever, except as a news piece. He puts up their own Wall of Jericho, a blanket hung on line between their beds. A flimsy barrier. An intense temptation. And when the Wall of Jericho finally comes down… Well, we’re left to imagine what happens next.

It Happened One Night took society in its Oscar-winning hands. It’s been 85 years, and it still holds on. We laugh at the banter and the slapstick, the clever and the outright ridiculous. We smile among the friendly travelers, singing and dancing together on a bus from yesteryear. We shiver at the look in Clark Gable’s eyes, and we delight in watching a cloistered girl grow. It Happened One Night is a social ideal. A thrilling romance. A downright treat.

Miss June Present New Single ‘Anomaly’

Modestas Mankus
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Miss June Present New Single ‘Anomaly’

Miss June, a New Zealand band, just this week released their new single Anomaly. The single comes before the release of their debut album Bad Luck Party, which is due to come out on the 6th of September via Frenchkiss Records.

The band will be touring across the world, starting on the September 6th in San Fran Bath House in Wellington.

Full 2019 Bad Luck Party Tour Dates:

September 6th – San Fran Bath House – Wellington
September 7th – Galatos – Auckland
September 11th – The Vanguard – Sydney
September 18th – Maze – Berlin
September 19th – Blue Shel – Cologne
September 20th – Reeperbahn Festival – Hamburg
September 23rd – Cinetol – Amsterdam
September 24th – Trix – Antwerp
September 28th – The Flapper – Birmingham
September 29th – Yes – Manchester
September 30th – Headrow House – Leeds
October 1st – Poetry Club – Glasgow
October 2nd – Sneaky Pete’s – Edinburgh
October 5th – Tiny Rebel – Cardiff
October 6th – Port Mahon – Oxford
October 7th – Rough Trade, Bristol
October 9th – Latest Music, Brighton
October 10th – The Lexington, London
October 14th – Rough Trade – Brooklyn, NY
October 15th – Once – Boston, MA
October 16th – DC9 – Washington, DC
October 17th – Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA
October 19th – Velvet Underground – Toronto, ON
October 21st – Subterranean – Chicago, IL
October 23rd – The Basement – Nashville, TN
October 24th – The Earl – Atlanta, GA
October 27th – Bronze Peacock – Houston, TX
October 28th – Hotel Vegas – Austin, TX
November 1st – Valley Bar – Phoenix, AZ
November 2nd – Morrocan – Los Angeles, CA
November 4th – Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA

You can stream Anomaly via Spotify here. Find tickets for the tour here.

Chalk Strokes by Rohan Dahotre

Modestas Mankus
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Chalk Strokes by Rohan Dahotre

Rohan Dahotre, an Indian illustrator and artist who is known for illustrating the wildlife, some time ago presented a splendid series named Chalk Strokes. In this mini-series, Dahotre utilises chalk and pencil textures to develop cute illustrations of animals, perfect for children’s books and web stories.

Writing about the adorable series Rohan Dahotre stated: “Lately, I have been experimenting a lot on Photoshop. I am liking the chalk and pencil texture I am trying to achieve in all these illustrations, cause that is how I actually started drawing and colouring when I was a kid.”

Find more fantastic work by Rohan Dahotre here.

Sound Selection 068

Modestas Mankus
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Sound Selection 068

TSHA Moon

Coming in with a superb melody, ear-pleasing textures, and an overall production that will have you listening for weeks to come is TSHA. In the latest song, TSHA, a UK-based artist, explores a range of ear-grooving elements that makes it a standout track. Having released this fantastic track, we are eager to see what is next for TSHA.

More Giraffes Treehouse

Smooth vocals and memorable lyrics have become keywords associated with the music of More Giraffes. In their latest song, Treehouse, More Giraffes present a terrific production that hooks you in from the start. A beauty to end the summer.

UK Gaming Industry is Worth More Than Video and Music Combined

Our Culture Mag & Partners
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UK Gaming Industry is Worth More Than Video and Music Combined

According to a report by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), the video game sector accounts for more than half of the UK’s entertainment market. The industry is now worth £3.86 billion compared to video and music sales, which are worth £2.33 billion and £1.33 billion respectively.

Much of the game industry’s recent growth can be attributed to the success of three games in particular: Red Dead Redemption 2, FIFA 19, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. In 2018, these three titles managed to sell more than one million physical copies in the UK alone.

These figures do not take into account the success of mobile and free games such as Fortnite (which has more than 200 million players around the world), League of Legends, and Epic7. Despite decreasing PC and console sales in 2018, the number of players playing online games has continued to grow.

“Games are now truly mass market and a very important part of the entertainment sector,” notes Information Handling Services Markit head of games researcher Piers Harding-Rolls. “The flexibility of interactive content means it is unique in that it can be monetised in this way, which [gives it] an advantage over other forms of entertainment.”

Advancements in Gaming

Other than mobile gaming, there are several other factors that can be attributed for this massive growth of revenue generated by the UK gaming industry. One of which is eSports. This competitive gaming, usually done by professional players for prize money, is becoming a big business.

eSports News spoke to gaming host Paul Chaloner about the UK’s eSports industry, and he said: “I think five years ago, it was very depressing. We had a lot of work to do and a lot of very talented hard-working passionate people put a lot of effort into helping UK gaming.” He went on to add “[Now] we’ve got ESL UK, who are doing fantastic things in the UK and improving the quality of the tournaments and the broadcasts that they bring out.”

Chaloner is referring to the Electronic Sports League or ESL, an eSports organisation that is responsible for many competitions around the globe including Overwatch, Mortal Kombat, and Gears of War. ESL’s competitions are usually sponsored by giant game developers like Riot Games and Microsoft.

The popularity of eSports in the UK has generated a lot of revenue for the industry in the last couple of years. A guide to the eSports industry by Ladbrokes shows that the projected revenue in the UK will exceed $200 million (£159 million) by 2021. While the UK is some way behind Russia and Japan, it is a clear indication of how the younger generation is shifting away from passive activities like listening to music and watching videos, and more towards playing video games online.

Another piece of tech responsible for the rise of gaming revenue in the UK is the development of virtual reality (VR). VR gained recognition when the developer of the Oculus Rift started a Kickstarter campaign back in 2012, and managed to raise more than $2.5 million (£1.7 million) before being bought out by Facebook for $2 billion (£1.6 billion). Since then, many other notable titles like Doom and Skyrim VR have jumped on the bandwagon, and in the process generated more money for the industry. This is a good example of how the gaming industry is continuing to move forward and evolve.

Only time will tell whether the gaming sector can sustain its growth or not. Yet, with 5G on the horizon and video games becoming more advanced, it is likely that the gap between video games and music and video will widen in the near future.

Artist Spotlight: Tash

Konstantinos Pappis
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Artist Spotlight: Tash

At just 17 years old, R&B singer-songwriter Tash Palmer has already achieved so much. Born into a musical family – her mother was a guitar teacher while her father a bass player – Tash naturally started playing guitar and writing music very early on. Her debut EP VOLUME 1 was produced by Mark J. Feist, known for working with Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, and Little Mix, and has garnered 15 million collective streams across streaming platforms. Today she has released the video for her single ‘The Signs’, a sleek and evocative piece of R&B that sees Tash getting introspective: “I lost my peace of mind getting caught up in the silence/ Turn life worries in to hind, all the trouble’s in my sight,” she sings as the track opens.

We caught up with Tash for this edition of our Artist Spotlight segment, where we showcase up-and-coming artists and give them a chance to talk a bit about their music.

Can you recall the moment you decided you wanted to record music?

I was around 13-14 years old and I’d written a bunch of songs that I was quite proud of. That’s when I started googling studios in Sydney and how much it would cost, but I had no money.

If you had to name one artist who has inspired you the most, who would it be, and why?

It’s hard to name one but I’d have to say Noname – if you haven’t heard of her, she’s a rapper from Chicago. Everything she does from her unique concepts, poetic plays on words to her Stevie Wonder-like chord progressions has inspired my style of writing.

What is it like working with producer Mark J. Feist for your debut EP?

Mark and I work together really well. We both understand each other musically which makes our studio process really efficient but also really chill. For every song our process is very simple: I write the songs in my bedroom at home, and play them to him in his studio. We then record the vocals to a temporary guitar track and then he builds all the other parts around it. Our musical connection makes the time spent recording go pretty quickly. If we’re ever in the studio for longer than 2 hours then something is up.

What was your favorite moment while recording VOLUME 1?

Probably going back and listening to all the songs we recorded over the past year or so. When I was picking out the songs for Volume 1 I found a lot of old gems that I’d completely forgotten about, like “The Signs.” I don’t even remember recording that one.

Could you talk a bit about the idea behind ‘The Signs’?

The concept behind “The Signs” is the idea of being superstitious and speculating whether omens and myths have influenced the events in your life. At the time when I wrote it, I was probably having a weird week and started to contemplate whether it’s karma for something that I did. I don’t actually believe that black cats are haunted but I thought it would be an interesting concept to write about.

I love the line “I’m out of four-leaf clovers/ I’m superstitious enough to think that my day is over.” Could you explain how it came to you?

When I was writing “The Signs,” I tried to use as much symbolism relating to “bad luck” as I could. That’s how I came up with the idea of not having any four-leaf clovers – meaning I only have bad luck.

How was the experience of recording the video?

Making the video for “The Signs” was quite a fun experience. We basically drove around in an old sports car for 2 hours around Downtown LA. The director (Wesley Quin) is super good at what he does so we didn’t have to spend a long time shooting.

What’s next for you in the near future?

Definitely an album, and a bunch of more shows. I want to put out a much longer body of work. I’ve got a lot of songs that are ready to be heard but we’re waiting for the right time to share them. As for shows, I’m hoping to play a lot more. We’ve spent the last few months perfecting the live set and we’re definitely ready to do some bigger and better venues.

Albums Out Today: Brockhampton, Taylor Swift, Jay Som, Ghost Orchard

Konstantinos Pappis
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Albums Out Today: Brockhampton, Taylor Swift, Jay Som, Ghost Orchard

In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on August 23rd, 2019:

Two members of Brockhampton (JOBA & Weston Freas) hugging each other on the street.Brockhampton, Ginger: Following their 2018 release Iridescence, the self-proclaimed “best boyband since One Direction” is back with a new album titled Ginger out now via the band’s label Question Everything and RCA. In an interview with GQ, Kevin Abstract compared the album’s sound to OutKast’s ‘Hey Ya’, while the lyrics find the group taking themes of anxiety and depression “and putting it on a song that a bunch of people could dance to or something”. We’ve already heard the singles ‘I Been Born Again’, ‘If You Pray Right’, ‘Boy Bye’, and ‘No Halo’.

Taylor Swift - Lover.pngTaylor Swift, Lover: Divisive pop icon Taylor Swift returns with her seventh studio album and major label debut, Lover, out via Republic Records and Taylor Swift Productions. It features the lead single ‘Me!’ featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco, as well as ‘You Need to Calm Down’ and the title track. Swift has described the album as a romantic one, but “not just simply thematically, like it’s all love songs or something. The idea of something being romantic, it doesn’t have to be a happy song. You can find romance in loneliness or sadness or going through things in your life… it just looks at those things through a romantic gaze.”

Image result for jay som new albumJay Som, Anak Ko: Melina Duterte, better known as Jay Som, comes back following her 2017 critically acclaimed indie debut Everybody Works with Anak Ko, which translates to “my child” in Tagalog. The title was inspired by a text the artist received from her mother, saying “Hi anak ko, I love you anak ko.” It features contributions from Vagabon, Justus Proffit, Chastity Belt’s Annie Truscott, and Boy Scout’s Taylor Vick, as well as her bandmates Zachary Elasser, Oliver Pinnell, and Dylan Allard.

Screen shot 2019 06 26 at 17.57.05Ghost Orchard, Bunny: Combining elements of indie folk, bedroom pop, and hip-hop, 21-year-old singer-songwriter Sam Hall, aka Ghost Orchard’s follow-up to 2016’s bliss is out now via the Orchid Tapes label, an indie label known for showcasing innovative bedroom pop songwriters such as Soccer Mommy, (Sandy) Alex G, Emily Reo, Spencer Radcliffe, and Katie Dey.”‘bunny’ is also the nickname my partner calls me and the song kind of chronicles our start and the feeling of coming into adulthood and not really knowing what the hell you’re doing,” Sam Hall explains. “No one really tells you that growing up is hard. I’ll leave the rest up to the listener because I don’t want to say too much.”

Review: The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019)

Jake Helm
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Review: The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019)

If the 2016 adaptation of the hugely popular App store game was something nobody asked for, then a sequel based on an iPhone App, certainly wasn’t and would’ve been inconceivable prior to 2016 (or at least before the original took over $350 million at the box office). But yet this is 2019 – a multimedia, cross-platform age filled with sequels, remakes and everything in between.

Surprisingly, however, I’ll happily concede the sequel is actually wittier and more pleasurable than anyone would’ve expected. Despite an entire refreshing of the creative cohort of the first film – with television animator Thurop Van Orman boldly joining to lead the flock in his first feature assignment – this second looney-tunes-like adventure manages to strike a delightful balance between slapstick storytelling and sugar-coated visuals that could make it surpass the box-office intakes of the original and certainly ensure any audience member are left squawking with laughter.

Riding the cultural and financial triumph of the videogame, the original 2016 film conceived an island full of flightless birds that featured Red (Jason Sudeikis), a short-tempered outsider, rescuing the rest of the flock from the predatory egg-stealing green pigs from Piggy Island. The sequel begins in a similar vein by depicting Piggy Island and Bird Island engaged in a continuous, elaborate prank war. Instead of launching themselves as slingshot ammo, as they do in the game, the cinematic pigs and birds instead humorously adopt other approaches; including hot sauce bottles and balloons filled with crabs.

But this sequel really takes flight when the leader of the pigs, Leonard (the incomparable Bill Hader), insists that pigs and birds must put aside their prankish rivalry and become ‘frenemies’ to defeat a recently-discovered, “frozen, seal-infested” island that’s launching glacial cannonballs at their respective abodes. Their common enemy comes in the form of clan of eagles, led by Zeta (voiced by the superb Leslie Jones), who’s a spoilt purple ice queen that’s tired of the cold and yearns for the sun. “I’m putting myself first, because I worked hard for it, and I deserve it”, she cries as she makes her plans to conquer the islands for her private pleasure resort.

Having joined forces, Leonard and Red are joined by a formidable (but also problematic) ensemble that includes: existing sidekicks – speedily reckless Chuck (Josh Gad) and Bomb (Danny McBride); the fainthearted and ironically misnamed Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage); and the more advantageous to the group, newbie genius Silver (Rachel Bloom). Though this crew bolster the film’s humour, it is through them, particularly Silver, where the film’s overarching and notably relevant moral arises: that in order to save the world, Red must learn the value of teamwork, demean his brutish male ego and recognise a woman’s perspective.

Review: The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019)

While the film does try to maintain a concise narrative, it largely subsides in favour of a series of full-out comedy routines that are structured in a manner similar to slapstick comedies. A particularly humorous sequence involves the crew dressing as a bird in an attempt to steal an eagle’s ID card at a urinal which leads to an unexpected breakdance battle that has an even more surprising outcome!

Similar to its predecessor, the screen is literally filled with everything imaginable – from cameos by Awkwafina, Nicki Minaj and Pete Davidson to a subplot involving a trio of loveable hatchlings, who are voiced by the daughters of Nicole Kidman, Viola Davis, and Gal Gadot and act as perfect, comical diversions; in a manner similar to the nut-chasing squirrel sequences in the Ice Age series. But, admittedly not everything quite hits the mark and there are a number of feeble cultural references that I’m sure even kids will find tiresome, including: obnoxious dabbing; “resting bird face”; and at times an assaulting and tiresome jukebox soundtrack– such as 2013’s “Turn Down for what”.

But, in a cinematic age filled with (typically tedious) remakes, it’s difficult to condemn the crew’s effort and attempt at originality and thankfully, on the whole, the ineffective jokes are nullified by ones that will make you cackle (if only a little bit). Though It seems unfathomable to give a candy-coloured, garish sequel that’s based on a video game an equivalent score to a photorealistic Lion King remake, The Angry Birds Movie 2 feels like a welcomed relief that overturns expectation and at least attempts to push the boundaries.

Though on paper, this film feels like it never should’ve existed, this sequel is fantastically daft, voiced by a chirpy ensemble and, unlike the birds, many of the jokes do indeed take flight and some, to the green pig’s delight, will even leave you squealing!

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