Snarls have released a new single, ‘One Wish’, alongside an accompanying video. It’s taken from their upcoming EP In Heaven There’s Rainbows, which arrives on June 26 via Take This to Heart. Check out the vibrant, soaring track below.
“‘One Wish’ was written to remind you not only of that dream you had in your youth, but that you have to actively choose it,” the band shared in a statement. “All of us make sacrifices to be apart of this band in the world we live in. It is hard, but the vividness and saturation of our collective dream greatly outweigh the stressors of adulthood. We wanted to capture the child-like energy of chasing your heart’s desire by utilizing bright colors and sing-a-long scenes. You’ll notice the guitars got a lot grittier as well. None of this was on accident. We’ve been working incredibly hard on narrowing down what Snarls really is, as well as what we want to sound and feel like. We don’t like boxes, but we definitely are aiming to lean in a heavier direction. It’s safe to say that “One Wish” serves as a new anthem for the band. We have the belief that we can do this thing simply because we are together. The power of friendship, y’all. Try it.”
Ivy Knight is a New York-based singer-songwriter who grew up in Oakland, California. Her parents were tapped into different strains of alternative music: her dad brought her into the world of punk and experimental music early on, while her mom put on indie mixtapes in the car. That’s where we find Knight on the opening track of her debut album, Iron Mountain, where she sings, “You’re painting colors/ A picture for the sky/ The thin blue beads/ On the mirror while you’re speeding.” It becomes clear she’s absorbed those formative influences as deeply as she takes in her surroundings, her oneiric, often escapist imagery mirrored in frequent collaborator Deer park’s organic production. After a couple of blearier, stripped-back EPs, Feet of Mud and near the lake we forget to count the days, her first full-length homes in on subtly accented folk-rock, harking back to songwriters like Marty Robbins and Kate Wolf. If the vocal filters and synth flourishes position her as part of a new wave of alt-pop, they’re also just tools for her to blend into her own creative landscape, planting dreams into the earth.
We caught up with Ivy Knight for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight series to talk driving, getting into old folk music, collaborating with Deer park, and more.
Driving is kind of a motif on the record, and I saw that you’re working on getting your license. How’s that going?
Well, getting the driver’s license is not going well. I was taking driving classes from a driving instructor when I was living upstate. I think I had about 10 lessons, but he wouldn’t let me go on the highway, and he also wouldn’t let me brake, really, ever. He was in charge of the brakes. So I have a weird relationship with driving, where I know how to do it, I just don’t know how to brake, and I don’t know how to go on the highway. [laughs] It’s weird, because I grew up in Northern California, so people are shocked when I tell them I don’t know how to drive. Those are places that you definitely need a car to get around. But I’ve always been a public transportation girl. And getting driven around by other people – that’s a special thing for me, even though it really pisses off all of my friends that drive and have to drive me everywhere. But I love it. I love to just look out the window and not have to do any of the work. I love the idea of somebody else taking me somewhere, and I’m just along for the ride. When I lived upstate, that was a big way that a lot of my relationships with people developed – in the passenger seat of their car, driving to class or some lookout.
I was the same way, but getting comfortable going on the highway totally affected my relationship to music as a listener. There’s a different kind of freedom there. I’m curious if that’s something that excites you.
Totally. All of my escapism fantasies are of me driving, basically. I’m always like, “Eventually, I’ll drive and do some big cross-country road trip by myself.” I’m almost nervous because I’ve gone so long without driving that I wonder how it’ll change my relationship to the car, if I actually can drive. I’m worried in some ways it’ll take away from what I like about it so much. But I do think that getting more comfortable being in a position of control versus passivity definitely feels powerful, like something big could happen in that shift.
Do you mind sharing some of your earliest memories of listening to music in a car?
My mom had this – in my mind it’s a cassette tape, but that could be wrong. We had this purple Volvo when I was a kid that took cassettes, and she would make these mixtapes of the songs that she was liking at the moment. She’d also burn a ton of CDs. My memories of my mom when I’m a kid are of her just burning CDs. She would put together these playlists that, still, if I hear any songs off of them, it’s deeply nostalgic for me. She was really into Belle and Sebastian, and she really liked LCD Soundsystem. She had hipster music taste, which is really funny now, because I’ll hear this kind of music now in the context of it being topical or trendy, and I’m like, “That’s my childhood music.” But, obviously, you can’t say that to people, because it’s super annoying. [laughs] But she really liked Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, stuff like that. And then when the Strokes and Interpol was happening, she was really into them as well, which is also interesting, because she was in California, and she was raising a young kid, and somehow she was still being tapped in with the up-and-coming New York music scene. Which maybe speaks more to the fact that radio plays were kind of a bigger deal during that time, because you didn’t have social media in the same way. Maybe she heard it on NPR or something. But those are definitely my earliest memories of music, just being completely enchanted by it.
Later on, did that give you an impulse to maybe go further back in time and discover music that was older? To have a different kind of affection for songs that weren’t trendy even 20 years ago?
I’ve never thought about it that way, but that seems totally right to me. I didn’t ever have the period of time where I was like, “Let me just get really into the 90s alternative now, because that’s an untapped world for me.” I know people that were raised on old folk and old country; that seems way more standard, especially for where I’m from in Northern California. So I definitely think that that was an untapped world for me, that I could develop my own taste in and find these hidden gems.
When did that start becoming curious about that world?
It’s pretty recent. I think it was in the past two years, probably. I was listening to a lot of new music through most of college. And then I think I hit a point where I was like, “Okay, something else.” I think that overlaps with finding ‘50s country trail songs, which is music that’s even older than the recordings.
That must have coincided with the making of this record.
Definitely. A lot of the music that I’d made previously was more like stripped-down bedroom stuff, and then I think for a second I was maybe leaning more into electronics. I’m definitely not afraid of electronics – I love incorporating electronic stuff into my music still. But I think that there was kind of a switch where I was like, “I would like to use banjos and cellos.” I was interested in the more acoustic stuff, and I definitely think either that sparked the interest in the older music, or the older music sparked the interest in incorporating that into my work. It’s hard to say what came first, but definitely the two are related.
You mentioned growing up in California. I wonder if, being based in New York, you’ve noticed certain ways that you hold nostalgia for your upbringing that feel unique or interesting to you.
It’s funny, I was thinking about this last night. When I was a kid, my dad played music, so I have a lot of memories as a kid being in these rehearsal spaces with him while he was practicing with his band. And now, the time I’ve spent in rehearsal spaces in New York, it’s the same thing. They smell the same, it’s the same vibes, but suddenly, I know the people. They’re the same age, or they feel more tangible. I also would go to shows with my dad a lot as a kid, and I remember the experience of being an audience member at a show. I was always so fascinated with how people were able to perform their music and remember their lyrics and their chords and see the before and after of the sound check and the breaking down. Everybody just kind of knew what they were doing, and it was this dance that I did not understand at all. And I think about it every time I perform now, where I’m like, “Wow, I’m a part of a long-standing tradition of live music, and now I’m getting to feel what it feels like to be that person up on stage.” It’s a really weird perspective shift, because I still will have it about myself sometimes. It’s really trippy.
Do you still get that fear, maybe before you get on a stage, where you feel like you suddenly won’t remember anything?
Completely. I don’t understand, really, how people are not terrified every single time that they go on stage. It is really scary to me. And I still don’t understand exactly how it doesn’t happen or it doesn’t happen as much; it definitely does happen in smaller ways. Also, now I realize that that’s why you make a setlist, and you can make notes on your setlist, and there’s ways that people kind of get around it. Whereas before, I thought you just kind of got up there and tapped into this ingrained knowledge.
What do you remember about those early show-going experiences?
My dad was in the punk, experimental world, whereas my mom was more twee hipster, so I got both sides of the hipster experience. [laughs] My dad would take me to punk shows, and I remember wearing earplugs. I remember one specific show that he took me to. His friends were in this legendary Bay Area ska band called the Uptones. We went to see their reunion show, and I fell completely asleep on a table in the corner. And I think about that sometimes, because to fall asleep during ska is really crazy to imagine, and I think it speaks to how not novel it was. I was literally just like, “This is a place you go with your dad. Your dad brings you to this show, and that’s a part of being a kid.” But it’s funny, because my first show that I ever went to on my own accord was One Direction. Maybe it also speaks to some desire to rebel for a while against the music taste of my parents, which only lasted so long. I definitely think it came full circle at the end. But my dad also took me to Survival Research Labs, which is a really cool Bay Area experimental noise performance where they build these giant robots that explode and hit each other. I’m so glad that I got to go and see stuff like this, even if I didn’t understand it at the time.
How did that compare to the feeling of going to shows on your own and discovering a scene in a different part of the country?
I feel like when you have a childhood memory of something, you fictionalize it. There’s a narrative to it. When I was in New York going to shows and stuff like that, it’s almost hard to not have the same sort of effect, where you’re looking at the people performing, and you’re like, “Oh, you are this version of this thing that I saw when I was a kid,” or trying to make it all fit together, if that makes sense. I’m like, “You guys would have been my dad’s friend.” I think it can get kind of meta in that way, where then you could go two ways, where you’re either like, “It’s beautiful that this thing has changed a lot, but doesn’t really change – there’s still some fundamental stuff that will always remain.” Or you can be like, “Oh my god, it’s all the same.” But it does feel really exciting to me, where it makes me feel like I’m grown up. Like I’m one of my dad’s friends, and I’m on the other side of it.
Was your relationship to songwriting something that changed when you moved? What were your attempts at making music like early on?
When I was a kid, like a lot of kids, I feel like I was making up songs a lot. I did these rock band camps where we would write songs, but I was really intimidated by the idea of songwriting until I was living in New York City. I moved to New York in 2021 or 2022, and I lived in the city for a year before I transferred to college upstate. But it was when I was living in the city that I started to actually write complete songs and record them. I would say that my songwriting has drastically changed since then. I’m sure a lot of people have this, but you look back on it, and you’re like, “It’s a little bit cringey.” Music that I have out, that people love, and it has a special place in my heart, but it’s hard for me to not be like, “No, now I’m doing the thing that feels the most authentic.” It’s funny to think about how that’ll change in five years, too. I might look back and be like, “Oh my god.” But it’s just part of growing and learning.
Do you feel like you’re someone who needs to set a certain mood to get into that songwriting headspace? Going back to what we started talking about, do you tend to write when you’re in transit, or do you need to have your personal space?
I think I definitely have to be alone. Either alone or with Andy, who’s Deer park, who produced the album. Whenever I’m with him, I can usually tap into stuff that I don’t think I can tap into when I’m alone. But when I’m developing a song, if I’m stuck or something, I think of this grid of space that has objects from the themes that I’m interested in, and I’m like, “Let’s traverse this. We can walk through and see this theme, and then what about this object or this item?” Placing them in space physically, and then it gives me some structure to get to each thing. I’ve talked to other people before about this, and it’s funny, because I think that that’s more common than I thought it was. We all are doing some telepathic thing, where I’ve talked to other people, and they’ve been like, “Yeah, mine is I walk through a forest. I’ll see the things that I want to talk about.”
It’s such a visual way to structure things. People have this idea of introspective songwriting, but paying attention to your lyrics, it feels much more like looking outward and filtering the outside world. The phrase I’ve seen you use is to “turn up the saturation” on what you’re seeing. Have you become more conscious of the things that affect how you’re doing that?
I think that maybe it’s influenced by the media that I’m consuming at the time. That becomes part of that filter, where you can see a tree as being this divine, mystical, larger-than-life thing in a pleasant way, or you can see it in kind of a sinister, scary way. Maybe I’m leaning more towards that if I’m watching David Lynch at that time, versus if I’m listening to Marty Robbins or something. That’s a really good question. Maybe I don’t know fully, but I’m gonna think about this more.
So you’re generally not filtering out other kinds of media when you’re writing? It sounds like you’re tuning into them.
Yeah, definitely. I feel like I do that a lot if I’m listening to one particular artist and something about the songwriting is really speaking to me. I’ll try and write from their voice, which I think is common. I think a lot of people do that, and I get why people try to avoid doing that, but I also think there’s no way to avoid doing that. Even when you’re doing the opposite, when you’re trying to write as far from someone else’s voice as possible, you’re still influenced by their voice. So maybe just lean in and embrace it.
When you were talking about these objects that would fit into a theme, I thought about ‘Headlamp’, which feels like it creates a mood board for the whole album.
That was exactly what I was going for when I put ‘Headlamp’ first. That song changed so much over time. At first it was super stripped down, and then it was a kind of shoegaze song that had totally different drums. Then it became more stripped down again, and we added the banjo, which changed the whole thing again. But I think that, honestly, the decision to put it first was that I felt like the instrumentation felt closer to what I had dreamt of for a lot of the songs on the album. I also just love the drums in it, and maybe it gets people a little hooked. It’s a little more catchy, a little more dancey.
You keep things minimal production-wise, but there are all these moments where I feel like you and Andy will bring a core image of a song to life. It could be a certain phrase that’s illustrated in some way during an instrumental break, like the skyline coming on ‘Deep Blue’, the siren screaming on ‘Canyon’, or the water swirling on ‘Faith’. I wonder if that’s almost part of your collaborative language when you’re thinking of ways to flesh out a song.
That’s really interesting. Well, it depends on the song, because sometimes Andy will take more initiative, or sometimes he’ll give my notes and then he’ll have the final say. I might want something, and he’ll be like, “This isn’t gonna be right, this is gonna take you into this territory you don’t want to be in.” But with the examples that you gave – I think it was his choice to do that on ‘Faith’, and it was my idea to do the siren on ‘Canyon’, and the outro on ‘Deep Blue’ was maybe both of us. But that definitely is part of the process, especially if it’s a song where I don’t have a really specific idea of what I want to do with it, and I’m more open to being like, “Can you think of something that you think this needs?” I think that he can go crazy and do some lyrical stuff with the production.
Is it easier for the two of you to communicate by making parallels to other media, or does it feel more isolated?
I think it’s both. Sometimes I’ll have a really specific idea from another song that I’ve heard, where I’m like, “I want the vocals to sound like this,” and I’ll give him an example from real life. And then we change it and figure out how it’s gonna fit into the song. But I think that you definitely also enter a weird hive mind space when you’re recording and producing with someone else. We don’t always really talk while it’s happening. A lot of the time I’ll track something, and then he’ll just start messing with it, and maybe hit some key, where I’m like, “Yeah, that,” and then he’ll go crazy and expand on it in some really incredible way that I could never think of. It’s just making me so grateful for him.
The line “Blood is my witness” on ‘Headlamp’ seems to reverberate through the rest of the songs: ‘Swimming in Blood’, obviously, but also on ‘Canyon’, this idea of it as a marker of perseverance or survival. Could you reflect on that a little more?
A lot of the stuff on Feet of Mud and some on Near the Lake, I was writing from a much more passive perspective. It was writing about the things that were happening to me, and I think that the headspace I was in with a lot of the songs in this album was more about my own effect on my environment. I wanted to have more of my own control in the songwriting. But getting out of that passive voice and writing from a more empowered place – this is kind of assigning morality to it, and I feel more neutrally about it than it may come across, but I definitely think that the blood, the survival, the coming out of something was definitely something I was tapped into and thinking about a lot when I was writing this. Even with the driving, it’s the same thing; it’s taking ownership, being in the driver’s seat, literally.
This empowering idea of beginning again is so central on ‘Beacon’, and I noticed you have a tattoo of the word “hope” in capital letters on your arm.
Yeah, that was a central idea that I was writing with: the hope, coming out of something on the other side stronger, but to still account for the bloodshed or the wounds along the way. Thinking about that as part of the process to get somewhere.
Were you surprised by the way that hope came out?
It makes a lot of sense when I think about it now. Where I was when I wrote or recorded a lot of it, it wasn’t really that I felt like I had made it out. When I was writing a lot of it, I was still kind of in the trenches of it, but it was more a manifestation or an affirmation, this escape. The amazing thing about music is that you can kind of make something like that real, because you can turn it into this real object, essentially. It’s about justifying something to myself, or maybe trying to prove something to people in my life, people who are influencing the music or whatever. But I think that it’s nice, because I feel like I’m in a completely different place in my life now than when I wrote a lot of the songs, and I’m glad that that hopefulness stayed. I feel a lot more at peace, and I’m actually in some of those places that I was hoping to be in, which I think speaks to the spiritual power of music.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
A content creator has publicly alleged that Velo, the fast-growing social app gaining visibility through Product Hunt, failed to pay for sponsored content delivered as part of a brand partnership earlier this year.
According to the creator, who chose to remain anonymous, the agreement involved producing short-form promotional videos for Instagram and TikTok in exchange for payment to be issued immediately after publication. The creator says the content was delivered on time, approved, and posted according to the agreed campaign schedule.
The payment, however, allegedly never arrived.
The creator claims that after following up, representatives from Velo acknowledged the delay and stated that payment was being processed. Two weeks later, the invoice remained unpaid. Since then, the creator says repeated attempts to contact the company through email, Instagram direct messages, and TikTok have gone unanswered.
The creator also alleged that messages sent directly to Velo co-founders Ajay Kumar and Sourav Sanyal were ignored after the content went live.
“The sponsored posts remain live and continue benefiting the brand, while the invoice remains outstanding,” the creator said in a written statement shared online.
The allegations have not been independently verified, and there is currently no public indication that the experience reflects how Velo handles all creator partnerships. The creator emphasized that the account represents a personal experience rather than a broader accusation against the company as a whole.
Still, the situation has renewed discussion around a recurring issue within the influencer marketing industry: creators delivering content before securing stronger payment protections.
Industry professionals often advise creators to formalize partnerships through signed contracts, require partial upfront payment, and include clauses allowing sponsored posts to be removed if invoices are not paid within a specified period. Documentation of all communication, including payment assurances made after deadlines pass, is also widely recommended.
The creator behind the allegations encouraged others who may have had similar experiences with Velo to come forward privately and stated that efforts to resolve the matter directly with the company remain ongoing.
Velo has not publicly responded to the allegations, and neither Ajay Kumar nor Sourav Sanyal have issued public statements regarding the matter.
Look around your closet. Chances are, you’ll find a pair of jeans staring back at you. They’re classic, comfy, reliable, basically the uniform of adulthood. We all know how sacred the hunt for the perfect pair is, it could take years, but everyone ends up with it. That very pair might have guzzled more water than you drank in your entire life, bathed in chemicals you wouldn’t let near your coffee, and burned enough energy to make your electricity bill cry in a corner.
How Much Water Did Your Denim Drink?
A pair like that drinks roughly 3,800 to 7,500 liters of water in its life cycle. And most of it is actually virtual water, meaning it’s spent growing the cotton, long before the jeans exist. Those little white balls are basically hungover water addicts, drinking more than the garment itself will ever need.
Now, imagine if those cotton balls weren’t such water hogs. Planted in rain-fed fields, watered smarter, and treated with a little respect, a pair of jeans could sip half as much water, or less. Some factories even recycle most of what they use, closed-loop systems that turn yesterday’s dye bath into today’s denim. Rivers might even forgive us.
This Pair Runs on Energy… and CO₂
Your jeans aren’t just thirsty, they’re a walking bundle of carbon emissions. The washing, drying, distressing, and heat needed to get that “perfect lived-in look” leave a footprint of roughly 30–35 kg of CO₂ per pair. That’s about the same as driving 150 kilometers in a standard car or powering your laptop for 10 years. Every. Single. Pair. And that’s only the production and finishing, add your own laundry, and the numbers climb even higher.
But it doesn’t really have to be this way. Factories could run on renewable energy, and fancy finishing techniques like ozone or laser fading cut energy use dramatically. And for you? Cold washes, less frequent laundry, and air-drying can slash your jeans’ CO₂ footprint by a third, all while they still look perfectly destroyed.
Faded, Bleached, Poisoned
Almost everyone owns their perfect pair in shades of “slightly different blues”. That faded perfection is achieved by soaking the jeans in poison, literally. Synthetic indigo, bleach, softeners, all dumped in huge volumes, often untreated. In some production hubs, wastewater contains heavy metals and toxic dyes that could make local waterways and ecosystems be mistaken for tie-dye experiments. Then there’s the so-called gray water footprint, the water needed to neutralize all the chemicals our jeans soak in, and it can actually exceed the water used to make the fabric itself.
Factories could stop treating rivers like chemical dumping grounds. Low-impact dyes, enzyme washes, closed-loop treatment, and proper wastewater management could cut most of the pollution. We can’t personally clean a river, but we can buy from brands that disclose water treatment and chemical standards, and if you really crave that fading vintage look, just go second-hand. Jeans still perfect.
The Little Threads That Conquer Oceans
Every time we toss our jeans in the wash, they’re shedding tens of thousands of tiny fibers. Some studies put it at 50,000 per load. These little threads don’t just vanish, they go through sewage, end up in rivers and oceans, and carry along dyes, chemicals, and even pesticide traces. Fish eat them, snow in the Arctic eats them, tap water probably drinks them too.
But they don’t have to be global troublemakers. Factories could pre-wash the denim, use fiber-capturing filters, or coat the threads to stop shedding. Wash smart at home, cold, gentle, minimal detergent, microfiber-catching bag, and you cut their empire in half.
Maybe we slow down. Second-hand finds, a little respect for laundry day, and a curious glance at what our favorite brands are really up to. Or maybe even pay a little extra for something that actually lasts. Jeans already survive our roughest years, it would be nice if one survived our whole life. I want to swear on a pair like my mother swears on that 1996 one.
Financial literacy is a cornerstone of sound financial decision-making, impacting families across various socio-economic backgrounds. Understanding the dynamics of raising children and the associated financial burdens is essential for effective budgeting and planning. The Rocket Mortgage’s Parents and Kids Report offers valuable insights into these dynamics, revealing that many parents find the cost of raising children exceeds their expectations. This article will explore how analyzing this report can enhance financial literacy, offering actionable insights for families to better manage their finances.
Analyzing Rocket Mortgage’s Parents and Kids Report for Better Financial Insights
The Rocket Mortgage report highlights key areas where families can improve their financial strategies. One such area is budgeting for family dynamics, which is crucial for managing unexpected expenses. The report provides data that can help families anticipate and plan for these costs, much like a Family Limited Partnership (FLP) systematically organizes family wealth. By understanding patterns in spending and saving, families can develop more effective budgeting practices, aligning closely with their financial goals.
Utilizing the report’s insights, families can also explore tools like Educational Savings Accounts (ESA) and 529 College Savings Plans to better prepare for future educational expenses. The report’s data encourages proactive financial planning, ensuring that families are not caught off guard by the rising costs of education. This approach can significantly reduce financial stress, providing a clearer path to achieving long-term financial stability.
Key Financial Literacy Lessons from Rocket Mortgage’s Study
Rocket Mortgage’s study underscores the importance of financial planning in the context of family growth. A critical takeaway is the role of custodial accounts under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA), which provide a structured way to save for a child’s future. These accounts can be instrumental in teaching children about money management from an early age, fostering financial literacy that will benefit them throughout their lives.
Moreover, the report emphasizes the need for SSN verification to protect against identity theft, a growing concern as children become more digitally active. Parents can use this information to implement measures that safeguard their family’s financial information, ensuring that their children’s financial futures are secure.
Utilizing Data from Rocket Mortgage to Boost Family Financial Education
Family financial education can be significantly enhanced through the strategic use of data from Rocket Mortgage’s report. By focusing on succession planning, families can better prepare for the future, ensuring that wealth and responsibilities are transferred smoothly to the next generation. The report offers insights into how families can integrate financial literacy into everyday learning, making it a part of the family culture.
Additionally, understanding the role of a Trust Protector can be crucial in managing family trusts and ensuring that financial goals are met. This role involves overseeing the administration of a trust, ensuring that it aligns with the family’s long-term financial objectives. The report’s findings can guide families in selecting the right individual for this role, enhancing the effectiveness of their financial strategies.
Strategic Approaches to Improving Financial Literacy with Rocket Mortgage Insights
One strategic approach highlighted by Rocket Mortgage’s insights is the use of Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRT) to manage tax liabilities while supporting philanthropic goals. This dual benefit not only helps in reducing taxes but also instills a sense of social responsibility within the family. By analyzing the report, families can identify opportunities to incorporate charitable giving into their financial plans, promoting both financial literacy and community involvement.
Furthermore, the report suggests the importance of Family Office Management as a holistic approach to overseeing family wealth. This involves creating a centralized structure for managing investments, taxes, and other financial matters, ensuring that all aspects of the family’s financial life are aligned and efficiently managed. The insights from Rocket Mortgage can guide families in establishing or improving their Family Office Management practices.
Analyzing Rocket Mortgage’s Parents and Kids Report provides families with actionable insights to improve financial literacy. By understanding the financial challenges associated with raising children, families can better plan and manage their finances. The report’s data supports the development of comprehensive financial strategies that include budgeting, education savings, and succession planning. As families apply these insights, they not only enhance their financial literacy but also secure their financial future. Embracing these strategies ensures that families are well-equipped to navigate their financial journeys with confidence.
Still not using free AI tools for Shopify brands? Discover options that can put you at an advantage.
You most probably know that strong visuals, polishedlistings, and consistent marketing campaigns are key to standing out in a crowded market. And if you are a Shopify store owner who still spends loads of money on professional photography and editing software, or does all-nighters enhancing product photos and writing product descriptions, you are missing out. In fact, competitors are already outpacing you.
While your method still works, it might not be the most suitable option given today’s demands. What if I told you that there are free AI tools for Shopify brands that let you get more sleep, pay less, and create better? Feels hard to believe at first. But statistics show that around75% of marketing organizations have already adopted AI, either through full implementation or active experimentation.
Whether you are operating a one-person store, a growing team, or a full-size business, free AI tools for Shopify brands help you multiply capabilities, achieve professional branding, and sell more with fewer resources.
Five Free AI Tools for Shopify Brands
Simfa
Among all the free AI tools for Shopify brands on this list,Simfa stands out as a multi-functional AI toolkit. As the app itself says, using it is like stepping into the ultimate creative lab. Instead of relying on separate tools for editing, enhancing, and writing product content on Shopify, Simfa streamlines workflows into a single system. In the same way, it removes technical barriers, allowing store owners to instantly create content that looks professional and campaign-ready. This is especially valuable for businesses that need to produce social media content, ads, andproduct images at speed and at scale.
Key Features:
Advanced image generation, editing, styling, and transformation
Automated video color grading and transformation
Dedicated e-commerce tools for product image enhancement, background removal, and description creation
Dynamic staging presets for multiple product categories, including furniture, fashion, electronics, jewelry, cosmetics, food, and beverages
Shopify Magic
Shopify Magic is Shopify’s very own built-in AI assistant. It is a suite of free tools designed to help merchants manage everyday store tasks. Shopify Magic also uses Large Language Models to deliver personalized content with less human effort.
Key Features:
AI-powered product descriptions
Automated email marketing and customer support
Image editing tools for product photo enhancement
AI admin navigation
ChatGPT
Unlike other free AI tools for Shopify brands, ChatGPT is a generative AI chatbot that specializes in the writing process, generating captions, ideas, and SEO content within minutes. At the same time, it can generate images from user prompts. ChatGPT is commonly used by e-commerce brands for content creation and marketing support.
Key Features:
Content creation for ads, blogs, and SEO pages
Multi-purpose writing support across e-commerce workflows
AI-assisted brainstorming for branding and campaign ideas
Wiser AI
Wiser AI focuses on improving the performance of Shopify brands through personalization and data-driven strategies. Compared to others that help with content creation, this app boosts sales. It creates a fully optimized upsell and cross-sell ecosystem.
Key Features:
AI-driven product recommendation for better conversions
Performance tracking based on analytics
APIs for integrations and personalization
Kive
Completing the options of free AI tools for Shopify brands is Kive, a platform that creates product shots and on-brand visuals using AI. It is most useful in maintaining structure and consistency in visual planning. Kive enables faster creation with presets, streamlined high-creative workloads with automated features, and precise results with smart technology.
Key Features:
Brand asset management for consistent visual identity
High-end visuals generation and editing
Prompt library for saving and sharing the best instructions with teams
Final Notes
AI tools continue to power the Shopify ecosystem. Nowadays, several free AI tools for Shopify brands that specialize in different parts of operations are at everyone’s fingertips. It is up to you whether you want to stick with lengthy methods or tap into these advanced tools to unlock new creative and marketing possibilities.
The choice is really up to you. But to make the right pick, select the option that helps you build faster content pipelines, test more ideas, and maintain consistency across platforms. And on the list, Simfa offers a clear edge with multiple features, from visual capabilities to writing and beyond. If you want to achieve faster production and maintain high-quality output, Simfa is the tool to start with today.
May brings singing birds to townhouse balconies, blooming trees to city parks, traffic to local coffee shops, striped shorts to sandy beaches, and Demi Moore to the French Riviera. Which can only mean one thing: the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is here, and with it comes an alarming amount of black, sequins, and trails. Last night was the festival’s official kickoff, the opening ceremony, followed by the premiere of La Vénus Électrique (The Electric Kiss). Good thing that kiss was electric because fashion, for the most part, wasn’t. Yet, we’ll always pick and choose our favorites, not everyone spent the evening losing battles against satin.
The model arrived in head-to-toe white, pairing a long-sleeved Stella McCartney gown with Pasquale Bruni diamonds and a perfectly coordinated hijab, while a smokey eye and glossy lips completed the look.
And where there’s white, there’s black. Bel stepped out in a sculptural Pierre Cardin dress from Fall 2024, with a coordinating hat and softly bronzed makeup. No Cannes red carpet is physically capable of operating without at least one dramatic black silhouette.
Emily may be in Paris, but Sylvie has just moved further south. Leroy-Beaulieu turned to Saint Laurent, Spring 2026, to be exact. The star walked out in a voluminous purple gown, layered with ruffles and styled with Pomellato jewelry.
Negga turned to Spring colors too, lace and sparkling fringe included. The actress opted for a custom Dior evening dress, paired with toasty makeup and a natural lip, with the colors slightly shifting under the Mediterranean sun.
Hellstar built its reputation on bold graphics and a relaxed silhouette that fits naturally into streetwear culture. Hellstar sweatpants show up consistently because the brand has strong visual identity – the graphic look is recognizable without being loud in the wrong way. Brand visibility matters in this space, and Hellstar has it. The relaxed fit and heavy-weight feel add to the appeal. It’s a piece that reads as deliberate, not just comfortable.
How Do Hellstar Sweatpants Fit?
How do hellstar sweatpants fit – this comes up a lot, and the answer depends on what you’re going for.
The default hellstar sweatpants fit is relaxed. Not oversized, not slim – somewhere in between that still looks intentional. Most people find them true-to-size for a comfortable, easy silhouette. If you want a baggier drop through the seat and thigh, sizing up one works well.
Length runs on the longer side for most models. If you’re shorter, that’s worth factoring in – the hem can bunch at the ankle, which affects how clean the overall look is.
Comfort is consistent. The waistband sits well, the fabric has weight to it. These aren’t thin loungewear – they hold their shape through a full day of wear.
How to Style Hellstar Sweatpants
Keep the top simple. A plain tee or basic hoodie lets the sweatpants carry the outfit. A hellstar sweatpants outfit built around a graphic-heavy top usually ends up competing with itself – the bottom already has enough going on.
Sneakers should be clean. Low-profile silhouettes in neutral tones work better than technical runners or heavily branded footwear. The goal is balance, not contrast.
Outerwear keeps it easy – a plain coach jacket or minimal puffer sits well without adding visual noise. One accessory is fine. More than that starts to overcrowd a look that’s strongest when it stays focused.
Popular Silhouettes and Styling Direction
A few silhouettes come up regularly. Hellstar pants in relaxed and baggy cuts are the most common – wide through the leg, relaxed from waist to hem, best worn with a fitted or cropped top to keep proportions in check.
Hellstar flare sweatpants and hellstar flared sweatpants sit differently. The flare kicks out below the knee, which changes how you pair them. Avoid chunky sneakers here – a cleaner, lower profile shoe works better with the wider hem.
Men’s hellstar pants tend to run with more length and room through the seat. The silhouette is meant to look easy, not tailored – that’s the point.
How to Spot Fake Hellstar Sweatpants
Knowing how to spot fake hell star sweatpants saves you from a bad purchase. A few things to check before buying.
Print quality is the first signal. On real pieces, graphics are crisp and consistent – edges are clean, not blurred or uneven. If the print looks slightly off or the colors bleed, that’s a problem.
Stitching should be tight and even throughout. Check the waistband, leg seams, and any embroidered details. Loose threads or inconsistent tension are red flags.
Label details matter. The tags on Hellstar pieces have specific font and layout. Compare product photos carefully against known reference images – differences in text size or placement are easy to spot once you know what to look for.
Seller reputation and return policy tell you a lot. If a seller has no return option and limited product photos, that’s worth taking seriously. Hellstar joggers and sweatpants appear on a lot of third-party platforms – verify the source before committing.
Final Thoughts on Hellstar Sweatpants
Hell star sweatpants work well in streetwear when the fit is right and the outfit stays balanced. Pick the silhouette that suits your proportions, keep the rest of the look clean, and run through the basic quality checks before buying. That’s really all it takes.
There’s so much music coming out all the time that it’s hard to keep track. On those days when the influx of new tracks is particularly overwhelming, we sift through the noise to bring you a curated list of the most interesting new releases (the best of which will be added to our Best New Songs playlist). Below, check out our track roundup for Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
The Strokes – ‘Falling Out of Love’
The Strokes have dropped the second single from their first album in six years. ‘Falling Out of Love’ follows last month’s ‘Going Shopping’, and the band will debut it live on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how they pull that off; not only is it a midtempo ballad that drags on for over six minutes, but Julian Casablancas’ vocals are also heavily filtered.
The Mountain Goats – ‘Charlie Sheen Reaches Out to the Feds’
‘Charlie Sheen Reaches Out to the Feds’ is a delightful title for a lead single, and I’m happy to report that the Mountain Goats’ just-announced album, Days, has plenty more where that came from. It’s hooky and driving, and as John Darnielle notes, “Most songs here are in major keys but don’t let that fool you. If you do let that fool you I have a bridge to sell you; there is nothing on the other side of the bridge. Still, you shouldn’t let that deter you. Who am I to tell you what kind of bridge you need, or where the bridge you need should lead? Nobody, really. Nobody at all.”
Tove Lo – ‘I’m your girl right?’
Tove Lo has shared a new single called ‘I’m your girl right?’. It’s taken from her forthcoming album, Estrum, arriving September 18.
Hovvdy – ‘Try Try Try’
Hovvdy are returning with a new album, Big World, which is led by the bleary yet propulsive ‘Try Try Try’. “When it comes to the music, there’s literally never questions between Charlie and me, only answers,” Will Taylor commented. “We can always show up and not have to worry about the music, and that continues to amaze me.”
Eartheater – ‘Paradise Rains’
Eartheater has announced a new album, beautifully titled Heavenly Body: If I’m the Bottle You’re the Message, set for release on July 12. Exploring themes of pregnancy and motherhood, the album features co-production from TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek and a guest appearance from Oklou. The wondrous, mercurial ‘Paradise Rains’ is out today. “‘Paradise Rains’ is a song about buying back my childhood farm after being estranged from it for 20 years,” Alexandra Drewchin said in a press release. “I conceived my baby the day we first stepped back on the property. So many memories, good and bad, were resuscitated being back, and calloused tensions dissolved and got washed away by the showers of deep love with my new little family.”
Alex Cameron – ‘Red Hook Rain’
Alex Cameron is back with news of his fifth studio album, Late to Set, arriving July 24. The throbbing lead single ‘Red Hook Rain’ was “written on the edge of a hurricane with the sky shaking like the heads of so many disapproving Gods,” per a press release.
mmj – ‘nobody knows’
mmj is the new solo project of Megan James, one half of Purity Ring. Having signed to Captured Tracks, today she’s shared the project’s first single, ‘nobody knows’. It reminds me of the direction the members of Let’s Eat Grandma, another indie pop duo, have taken on their solo efforts this year: more subdued but no less hypnotic. “‘nobody knows’ is close to the sun for me. It resonates a little differently every time I play it,” James said of the track. “The opening line is: ‘nobody knows a fallen star from wildfire ash raining down on the yard.’ It presents the ways we know so little, but also the things we deny and can see if we choose to, and what we should see and be in order to survive in this place; what we deserve to have and be as individuals and collectively. ‘nobody knows’ is circular, a fractal glimpse of humanity in the span of a song. I hope you feel it.”
Sari Lightman – ‘The Way I Saw You’
Sari Lightman, who cut her teeth in the projects Tasseomancy and Lightman Sisters with her twin sister, Romy, has announced her solo debut. The Way I Saw You, out June 26, was produced by Meg Duffy (Hand Habits, Perfume Genius) and features Pat Kelly (Perfume Genius, St Vincent), Aaron Otheim (Mega Bog), Jesse Quebbeman-Turley (Buck Meek, Cherry Glazer), and Evan Cartwright (Cola, U.S. Girls). The delicate, inward-looking title song was inspired by Eve Babitz. “A journalist sits across from the writer Eve Babitz, decades into Babitz’s reclusive period after an accident left her disfigured,” Lightman reflected. “She yearns to be remembered the way she was in her writing – sensual and carefree. To live in the rose, immortal, blossoming inside a body of work. There is a lot to be said about an Artists’ myth when in reality, the human experience is much messier, undignified – not to mention the cruelty pelted onto beautiful women as they age. Instead I went down a theological rabbit hole with the rose. I thought about Dante’s Paradise and all those feminine saints stashed in the petals, like an exquisitely scented sexy hotel. ‘Let Eve live here’ I thought.”
Brian Fallon – ‘Not Bad For New Jersey’ and ‘Better Before’
Brian Fallon, frontman of the Gaslight Anthem, has served up a pair of new tracks, ‘Not Bad For New Jersey’ and ‘Better Before’. “‘Not Bad for New Jersey’ is my way of celebrating what I do and where I’m from,” the New Jersey-based artist explained. “I wrote that song looking back on my life the way you do after almost ending up in a crash – like, ‘How did I make it through that?’ I really could’ve busted myself open somewhere along the way, but somehow I’m still here, and I’m still in one piece.”
Jacques Greene – ‘What You Say’ [feat. umru]
Jacques Greene has joined forces with umru for an exhilarating new tune, ‘What You Say’. “Working with umru seems to follow a certain pattern,” Greene remarked. “He comes to the studio in Montreal, the track materializes out of thin air as quickly as we can keep up, and the results ignite inspiration in me for months to come. ‘What You Say’ was made in my studio last year, and it has stayed with me as a lightning bolt on my hard drive. Freshhhhh energy into 2026.”
Baby Rose – ‘But, Nvm’
Baby Rose has detailed a new album, YEARNALISM, which will be released on July 10 via Secretly Canadian. The striking, laidback lead track ‘But, Nvm’ comes with a video directed by Amaya Segura and Rae Blackman.
Hovvdy are back. The duo of Will Taylor and Charlie Martin have announced their new album, Big World, which drops on August 14 via Arts & Crafts. Its first offering, ‘Try Try Try’, is hazy but upbeat, arriving alongside a Michael Rees-directed video. Check it out and find the album cover and tracklist below.
The band worked on the record with longtime collaborator Ben Littlejohn. “The last record felt like such a generous offering: a double-album, deeply personal, you can literally hear me crying on some songs,” Martin said in a statement. “With this one, we wanted to take on the challenge of making something more concise and to the point, and give the fans something that feels like a shorter but more exciting ride.”
“When it comes to the music, there’s literally never questions between Charlie and me, only answers,” Taylor added. “We can always show up and not have to worry about the music, and that continues to amaze me.”
1. Life So Wide
2. Way Down
3. JJ
4. What I Had
5. Blast
6. Starry
7. Try Try Try
8. Junk
9. You Will Go Far
10. Give It Away
11. Untitled
12. Wannabe (Radio Queen)
