Pleasure is self-care – your first vibrator should be magical and unique. A vibrator is more than just pleasure, especially if it’s your first one(and first time). You probably will be having mixed feelings of curiosity and uncertainty – and how won’t you? It can feel pretty exciting, more like an interesting adventure, so you don’t have to worry about anything. With so many awesome styles, patterns, and materials, you can get easily overwhelmed: how do you find the best vibrator for your needs and don’t get lost in the chaos of variety? You might be a beginner, looking to chill and relieve some stress, or just looking to add a new level of enjoyment to your intimacy – anyway, choosing the right vibrator makes all the difference.
This guide will help you choose the ideal vibrator for you. Learn everything about materials, which are and feel the best, vibration modes, how to test a toy in-store, and even how to introduce it to a partner. Get some inspiration in this little guide, keep in mind all the important details and find your perfect match.
1: Understand What You Want From A Vibrator
A very good tip – learn more about different types of vibrators so you can make a better choice when you are ready. Make sure you know exactly what you want: what kind of stimulation you like or want to try. Some vibrators are made for external pleasure, others are for internal stimulation, and some do both at once.
What do you prefer: external, internal, or dual stimulation?
Clit vibrators – a must-have
Clit vibrators are one of the most teasing toys – ideal for everyone who loves a quick but intense experience – these enticing clit vibrators go from small bullet vibes to suction-based stimulators. The range is truly impressive, be sure that you will find the perfect clit toy for your sultry fantasies.
G-spot vibrators are amazing
G-spot vibrators have an ergonomic, curved tip that easily targets your sweet spot for the most intense, satisfying experience.
Rabbit vibrators – cute and teasing
Rabbit vibrators tease you simultaneously, the dual stimulation feature makes everything feel even more intense, teasing your clit and massaging your G-spot with incredible precision.
Dildo vibrators – so stimulating
Dildo vibrators look like any traditional dildo but with added vibrations for your G-spot. Many of them have realistic veins and texture for a more realistic experience.
If you don’t know what you like yet, a versatile toy with adjustable intensity and multiple settings can help you discover what feels best for you.
What do you prefer? Deep, rumbly vibrations or buzzy, surface-level stimulation?
The deep, rumbly vibrations travel further into your body, feeling like waves of pleasure pushing deliciously against your sweet spots.
The sexy, buzzy vibrations are higher-pitched, creating intense, surface-level tingling sensations on your clit.
What do you choose? A gentle, discreet massage or something more powerful?
If you live with roommates, family, etc or travel often, consider a small, quiet vibrator that’s easy to hide and makes less noise. You can just hide it in your bag or pocket and take it anywhere.
If you are really into powerful, wild sensations, go for a wand vibrator or even a realistic dildo with skinlike material; you will love it.
2: Consider Your Kinks, Fantasies And Desires
Your sexual preferences should play a role in choosing the right vibrator – don’t ignore what turns you on. Your vibrator should match your fantasies and desires. If you already know you have certain kinks or preferences, why not choose a toy that complements them?
Are you into teasing and edging?
If you love slow, build-up pleasure, look for a vibrator with pulsing or wave patterns rather than steady vibrations.
Do you enjoy deep, intense stimulation?
Consider a wand vibrator, pulsating dildo, or suction toy for a stronger sensation.
Do you like hands-free stimulation?
Wearable vibrators, such as panty vibrators or suction toys, offer discreet, hands-free pleasure.
Are you into bondage or submission play?
Remote-controlled vibrators are super cool, fun, and teasing. The best part is that you can let your partner take charge of your pleasure, even from a distance, surprising you with ravishing, unexpected intensities, driving you crazy.
No two people experience pleasure the same way, so choosing a vibrator based on what excites you is a great way to enhance your enjoyment.
Step 3: Buy Online But Visit A Store First
Don’t buy vibrators online if you are unsure how they work and feel. Visit a store and test it before buying; even if you plan to order online later, it’s better to check twice. Shopping online has tons of advantages – a wider selection, discreet shipping, and customer reviews – but there’s one thing you can’t do online: feel the vibrations and understand if you like it or not.
A good tip: Try the nose trick.
The tip of your nose is very sensitive. Make a small test and press the vibrator against your nose; it should feel pleasant (not overpowering) and likely feel great on your body. If it feels too strong or harsh, the vibration might be too intense for your liking.
Why start in-store?
You can test different vibration strengths.
You can see the size and shape in person.
Many stores have helpful staff that is ready to guide you.
Once you know what you like, buying online from a trusted retailer like EdenFantasys lets you explore a larger selection and better prices.
Step 4: Never Skip on Lube – Ever.
Don’t underestimate the power of lubricant. A good lube makes the biggest difference – and here’s why. Lubrication makes everything go smoother, feel more intense, and more pleasurable. Even if you think you don’t need it, a little goes a long way.
Best lubes that you should try:
Water-based lubes are super inclusive and safe for all toys, non-sticky, and easy to clean.
Silicone-based lubes are ultra-slick but can damage silicone toys – better save it for anal sex.
Coconut oil even – a great natural lube alternative, but not compatible with latex condoms. Sex toys, on the other hand… perfect!
Why is lube so important?
It reduces friction, preventing irritation.
It enhances pleasure, making every sensation feel better.
It keeps toys in better condition, reducing wear and tear.
Think of lube as an essential sidekick to your vibrator – it makes everything better.
Step 5: Invite Your Partner To Join Your Sexy Game
Bring a vibrator into your relationship and bedroom – this experience can bring you closer than ever, elevate your sexy games, and make you feel more connected. If you’re in a relationship, buying a vibrator doesn’t have to be a solo mission; including your partner in your little play can be a game changer for your relationship.
a) Make it part of foreplay.
Looking through vibrators together can be exciting and a turn-on.
b) Choose a toy you can both equally enjoy.
A couple’s vibrator or remote-controlled toy can add a playful element.
Normalize pleasure in your relationship.
Don’t think that if you use a vibrator, you’re replacing your partner – it’s all about exploring pleasure together and making things even more enjoyable.
Step 6: When Is The Perfect Time To Buy Your First Vibrator?
A sensitive yet important topic: how young is too young for a sex toy? This is a fairly common question but one that is rarely discussed. If a teenager or young adult is curious about vibrators(sex toys in general), they are probably approaching sexuality healthily and curiously, and that is okay; it’s natural. However, despite their curiosity, it is best to refrain from selling these products to them until they reach the age of 18.
18+ customers only
Sex toy stores and websites follow legal regulations to ensure responsible purchasing.
Masturbation is something normal
Having an open, non-judgmental conversation can lead to a healthier relationship with intimacy and self-image.
The best approach? Normalize the discussion and provide accurate, age-appropriate information.
Choose Your First Vibrator Wisely – Discover Your Body
The first vibrator is a big moment for everyone. It feels like undiscovered adventures and possibilities that are about to change your life, helping you learn more about your body and what feels best for you. It is an incredibly empowering experience.
Take your time, explore without rushing, and find what works for you. Whether you want to relax, jazz up your sexy time, or just have fun with your lover or partner – vibrators can do everything you want. Remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all – what matters is finding the vibrator that’s right for you.
WritePapers.com is not your average essay writing service. Forget the image of faceless writers churning out generic essays. WritePapers offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to guide you through every stage of the writing process.
Their expert writers can help you create a solid outline that will set you up for success. And, of course, if you’re facing a deadline that seems impossible to meet, they can craft a complete, high-quality essay tailored to your specific requirements, ensuring it aligns perfectly with your assignment guidelines and academic level.
This review takes you behind the scenes of our late-night adventure, from our initial interactions with their surprisingly responsive customer support team (who were incredibly helpful despite the late hour) to the moment we received the final product.
We’ll delve deep into the quality of the essay, examining its originality, clarity, and adherence to academic standards. Ultimately, we’ll uncover why we believe WritePapers could be a game-changer for students juggling the endless demands of academic life, providing a reliable and supportive resource that empowers them to succeed.
The 3 AM Essay Emergency: WritePapers to the Rescue!
Forget a simple inquiry; we decided to throw WritePapers the ultimate challenge – a full-blown essay emergency in the dead of night. Could WritePapers truly be the academic lifeline they claimed to be? And what about the writers themselves – were they nocturnal geniuses ready to tackle any topic at a moment’s notice?
To find out, we launched a surprise attack on their customer support team at 3:00 AM, an hour when most people (including most essay writers, we assumed!) were sound asleep. We’ve all been there – desperately seeking online help in the middle of the night, wondering, “Can I pay someone to do my homework?” only to be met with robotic replies or the echoing silence of an empty inbox. But with WritePapers, something remarkable happened. In a few minutes, a real, live human responded, ready to assist with a level of friendliness and helpfulness that banished any lingering sleepiness.
To our surprise, the agent patiently and expertly navigated our inquiries, showcasing their impressive roster of WritePapers writers with diverse academic backgrounds and expertise across a wide range of subjects. They even offered insights into the writers’ writing styles and areas of specialization, going above and beyond to ensure we found the perfect match for our hypothetical essay crisis.
WritePapers.com Takes on the Unexpected: Exploring the History of Surfing Culture
To truly test the versatility of WritePapers.com’s writers, we decided to veer off the beaten path and delve into a fascinating niche: the history and cultural impact of surfing. We envisioned a 3-page essay tracing the evolution of surfing from its ancient Polynesian roots to its modern-day global phenomenon. We requested a college-level writing style, a 5-day deadline, and a specific focus on the role of surfing in shaping counter-culture movements. The cost of this deep dive into surfing history? A surprisingly reasonable $46.
Now, we know what you’re thinking – surfing? Isn’t that a bit…unexpected for an academic paper? Exactly! We wanted to see if WritePapers.com could handle a topic that demanded both historical research and an understanding of cultural trends.
We contacted other writing services, requesting quotes for the same surfing history essay with the same specifications. Once again, WritePapers.com proved to be the most budget-friendly choice, demonstrating its commitment to providing high-quality writing at accessible prices, even for those venturing into less conventional academic territory.
Catching the Perfect Wave of Quality: WritePapers.com Delivers Authentic Human Expertise
The moment of truth had arrived. Is WritePapers legit? It definitely is. When the completed essay on the history of surfing culture landed in our inbox, we were immediately impressed by the writer’s ability to not just chronicle events but to capture the spirit and essence of surfing.
They didn’t just list dates and names; they painted a vivid picture of surfing’s evolution. From the ancient Polynesians riding waves on wooden boards to the rise of modern surf icons, the essay weaves a compelling narrative, highlighting the cultural significance of surfing in different societies. It explored how surfing became intertwined with spirituality, social status, and even warfare in ancient Hawaii. It traced the sport’s journey across continents, examining its role in shaping youth culture and environmental activism.
Beyond the engaging storytelling, the essay was clearly well-researched. It referenced primary sources like early travelogues and ethnographic studies, alongside modern surf publications and interviews with influential figures in the surfing community.
But in an age where AI can generate text in the blink of an eye, originality and academic integrity are more crucial than ever. We were relieved to find that WritePapers.com takes these concerns seriously. They provided us with a plagiarism report confirming the essay’s originality, assuring us that we were riding a wave of authentic human creativity.
Furthermore, they assured us that the essay had been thoroughly checked for AI-generated content, guaranteeing that it was crafted by a human expert with a passion for the subject. This commitment to human expertise sets WritePapers.com apart, proving that when it comes to capturing the nuances of culture and history, human writers still reign supreme.
WritePapers.com: Riding the Wave of Academic Success
Our experience with WritePapers.com? Nothing short of excellent. Concerned about costs? WritePapers.com offers competitive rates that won’t wipe out your student budget, all while delivering top-notch quality. And the essays? Original, insightful, and meticulously researched, just like our deep dive into the history of surfing culture.
But WritePapers.com goes beyond just churning out papers. They’re committed to helping students succeed with integrity. Need proof? They provide plagiarism reports and utilize AI detection measures to ensure every essay is authentic and human-generated.
Why struggle through your academic journey alone? WritePapers.com is like having a seasoned surfer guiding you through the waves of academic challenges. They offer a winning combination of affordability, quality, and support, making them an invaluable resource for students at any level. Don’t just take our word for it – explore their website and discover many WritePapers reviews on why this is the top choice for students who value both academic excellence and integrity.
Let’s be real—writing essays can be a total pain. Whether it’s a research paper, a persuasive essay, or some random analysis of a book you barely skimmed, it’s always stressful. That’s why more students are turning to writing services for help.
But not all of them are worth your money. Some are downright scams, while others produce papers that sound like they were written by a robot. That’s why we decided to take another look at WriteaPaper, a service that’s been around for a while and has apparently changed a lot in 2025.
The big question is—are these changes for the better? We gave it a test run, and let’s just say we were not disappointed. WriteaPaper actually impressed us in ways we didn’t expect. If you need someone to write my term paper for me, this service might be worth considering.
What’s New with WriteaPaper?
Over the years, Write a Paper has made a name for itself, but it’s clear they’ve been working hard to make the service even better.
First off, their website got a serious upgrade. It’s faster, easier to navigate, and it just looks more modern. Finding the right service, placing an order, and even tracking your paper in real time is now ridiculously simple.
Another major upgrade? Security. We all know that using essay services can feel risky, especially if you’re worried about your personal info getting leaked.
WriteaPaper stepped up its game by improving encryption and privacy settings. Now, ordering a paper feels way safer, which is a huge relief.
The Ultimate Test: Ordering a Research Paper
Okay, now for the fun part. We wanted to really put WriteaPaper writers to the test, so we picked a topic that was, let’s just say, out of the ordinary. We ordered a 10-page research paper for a history class with the topic: The Role of Pigeons in Ancient Warfare.
Yup, pigeons. We gave the writer a deadline of five days and some pretty detailed instructions. We expected something decent, maybe a basic historical overview. But what we got? It was so much better than we imagined.
The writer didn’t just summarize some textbook facts about how pigeons were used for communication. They dived deep into ancient military strategies, explaining how pigeons played a crucial role in espionage and how they were even used to spread false information. They found sources we didn’t even know existed, like old military manuals and translated historical texts.
The best part? The paper wasn’t dry or boring. It had personality. The writer used engaging examples, like a story about how pigeons were used in the Siege of Orleans to send secret messages, and even compared ancient pigeon tactics to modern drone warfare.
It was one of those papers that made you actually want to keep reading. We didn’t just get a research paper; we got an eye-opening take on a weird but fascinating subject.
Are WriteaPaper Writers Actually That Good?
After that experience, we had to admit—Write a Paper really has stepped up its game when it comes to their writers. The level of research, writing quality, and originality was beyond what we expected. It’s clear that they’ve tightened their hiring process and are working with even better professionals.
Another thing we noticed? Their plagiarism checks are way more advanced now. Every paper goes through a deep scan to make sure it’s at least 96% original and no AI is involved in writing. Ours passed with flying colors. So, if you’re worried about getting flagged for plagiarism or AI use, you can breathe easy.
Legitimacy Aspects
With all the essay scams floating around, it’s natural to ask: is Write a Paper legit? Based on our experience, absolutely. Instead of getting lazy once they got more customers, they’ve actually improved.
Their policies are clear, they stick to their promises, and they offer free revisions if you’re not happy with your paper. Plus, their customer support is always available, which is a lifesaver when you’re on a tight deadline.
One thing to note—this isn’t the cheapest service out there. But honestly? You get what you pay for, and the prices are still in the affordable range.
What Do Customer Reviews Say?
We’re not the only ones who noticed the improvements. Write a Paper reviews from other students are mostly positive, with people praising the service for its higher-quality writing, better customer support, and timely deliveries.
Of course, no service is perfect. Some students mention that the pricing can be a bit high, but they also acknowledge that the quality is top-notch. A few complaints come from students who needed their papers in impossibly short timeframes, which is understandable. Overall, though, WriteaPaper seems to be keeping its customers happy.
Is the Service a Reliable Option in 2025?
If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “I need someone to write my papers but don’t know which service to trust,” WriteaPaper is worth considering. After testing it out ourselves, we’re convinced that it’s one of the most reliable services out there right now.
Between their improved security, better writers, and expanded services, they’ve proven that they’re not just another essay mill. They actually care about delivering quality work. Whether you need a last-minute essay, a full research paper on a bizarre topic, or even help with calculations, WriteaPaper has stepped up and delivered.
Final Thoughts
So, what’s the verdict? WriteaPaper has definitely improved in 2025. From better writers to improved security and an easier ordering process, they’ve made changes that actually benefit students. The paper we ordered on pigeons in warfare was proof that their writers could handle weird, niche topics and still produce amazing work.
Is it the cheapest assignment writing help service out there? No. But if you care about quality and reliability, it’s absolutely worth it. Whether you need a well-researched paper, some extra academic support, or just a safety net for tough assignments, WriteaPaper is proving that it’s one of the best options out there.
If you’re on the fence, we’d say—go for it. You might be surprised at how good the results can be!
TikTok has quickly become the world’s favorite short-form video platform to showcase creativity and connect with a global audience. If you can grow your TikTok audience fast it can open doors to new opportunities, whether you’re promoting a brand, building a personal following, or just having fun.
With the right strategies, you can increase followers in no time and create content that truly resonates with viewers. This guide will share simple, actionable tips to help you stand out and achieve fast growth on your account. Let’s dive into the most effective techniques to boost your presence and succeed on TikTok!
Proven Ways for Building a TikTok Audience Quickly
1. Understanding TikTok’s Algorithm: The Key to Audience Growth
TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes content that keeps users engaged, such as videos with high watch time, shares, likes, and comments. When your video performs well in these areas, it’s more likely to be featured on the “For You” page, which is where most users discover new creators.
The key is to grab attention quickly—your first few seconds matter most. Focus on creating visually appealing content or starting with an intriguing hook to keep viewers watching. Additionally, encourage interactions by asking questions or responding to comments, as this signals the algorithm to promote your video further.
2. Optimizing Your Profile for Maximum Visibility
Your profile is often the first thing people check after seeing your content, so making a great first impression is key. Start by choosing a clear, eye-catching profile picture that reflects your personality or brand. This helps users remember you.
Your bio should be short and engaging, clearly explaining who you are and what kind of content you create. Use emojis or a call-to-action, like “Follow for daily tips!” to encourage users to connect. Adding a link to your other social media accounts or website can also boost credibility and allow followers to engage with you on multiple platforms.
3. Understand Your Target Audience
Knowing your audience helps you create content that resonates with them, increasing engagement and encouraging more followers. Start by identifying key factors such as their age, interests, and location.
Research what topics or trends your audience engages with the most. Check the comments, hashtags, and videos they interact with to get a sense of their preferences. Tailor your content to match their interests, whether it’s entertainment, education, or inspiration.
When viewers feel your content speaks directly to them, they’re more likely to like, comment, share, and follow. Focus on what your audience wants to see, and you create a stronger connection with them, which is key to building a loyal and growing follower base.
4. Grow Your Followers
One way to grow your TikTok audience fast is to give your account an immediate boost by increasing your follower count. This creates a snowball effect, attracting more organic followers who are drawn to the social proof of a high follower count.
When you buy TikTok followers from Media Mister you kickstart your growth and make your account stand out, speeding up your progress to more influence and eventually, faster monetization.
This method is particularly effective for new accounts looking to gain traction or for creators aiming to build credibility in a competitive niche. It’s a quick, strategic way to amplify your TikTok presence.
5. Share User-generated Content
When you encourage your followers to create videos related to your brand or theme, it boosts engagement and builds a sense of community. For example, you can launch a hashtag challenge, ask followers to duet your videos, or create contests that inspire creativity.
Reposting user-generated content on your TikTok profile shows appreciation for your audience and highlights their involvement. This makes followers feel valued and motivates others to participate, knowing they might be featured. It also allows new viewers to see authentic interactions with your brand or content, which increases trust and credibility.
6. Building a Community and Connecting with Your Audience
When you connect with your audience, you turn casual viewers into loyal fans. Start by engaging with your followers through comments—respond to their questions, thank them for their support, and join conversations to show you care about their opinions.
Live videos are another great way to build deeper connections. Use them to interact in real-time, share behind-the-scenes moments, or answer follower questions. You can also create polls or ask for feedback in your videos to make your audience feel involved in your content.
This sense of community not only boosts engagement but also attracts new followers who want to be part of your growing fan base.
7. Consistency and Timing: The Secrets to Long-Term Success
Regular posting keeps your account visible, ensuring your content stays fresh in your audience’s minds. Aim to post at least once daily or follow a schedule that works for your niche to maintain interest and engagement.
Equally important is knowing when to post. Analyze your audience’s activity patterns using TikTok analytics to determine when they’re most active. Posting during peak hours increases the likelihood that your videos will be seen, liked, and shared.
Consistency builds trust with your followers, showing that you’re committed to delivering quality content. Combining this with strategic timing boosts engagement and helps your videos reach more people.
8. Run Giveaways and Contests
These events create excitement and encourage users to engage with your content for a chance to win a prize. To participate, followers are often required to like, share, and follow your account, which increases visibility and interaction.
Giveaways work best when the prizes align with your audience’s interests. For example, if your niche is fitness, offering workout gear as a reward will attract relevant followers. Announce the contest with an engaging video and use clear instructions, like asking participants to tag friends or use a specific hashtag.
This strategy not only boosts your follower count but also brings in a more active audience eager to participate. The buzz created by contests can attract new viewers, turning them into long-term followers.
Conclusion
By using these proven methods, you can increase your visibility, attract new viewers, and turn them into loyal fans. Success on TikTok isn’t just about posting videos—it’s about building connections, staying active, and keeping your content exciting.
TikTok rewards creators who stay consistent and interact with their community. Whether you’re just starting or looking to expand your reach, applying these techniques will help you gain followers quickly and build a strong presence on the platform. Start today and watch your audience grow!
Jiawen (Jiji) Wei, born in Guangzhou, China, is a multidisciplinary artist based in London. Her work explores emotions through non-verbal communication, constructing narratives beyond words. Combining photography, found objects, digital processing, and traditional painting, she captures fleeting emotions and layered experiences. Her work often showcase in London, Barcelona and abroad.
Jiawen Artistic Practice in the Context of Her Generation
Jiawen using visual storytelling to bridge gaps between different identities and perspectives. Rooted in the unique lens of Jiawen, her work offers a deeply intimate yet universally relatable exploration of identity, belonging, and resilience.
Recently at Queerfest Norwich 2025, Jiawen present her Polaroid photography series: One-Shot Realities: Polaroid Nights in London’s Queer Underground. Jiawen’s work offer a powerful testament to visibility and self-expression, we can see intimate moments of the lives of the London queer youth community, Jiawen with her Polaroid, capturing their intimate moments, struggles, and celebrations.
One-Shot Realities showcases her expertise in Polaroid photography, with images that exude a warm, slightly blurred texture, enhancing a sense of nostalgia and the fluidity of nighttime emotions. The young londoners in her lens reveal their true selves in both public and private spaces. Soft lighting and gentle contrasts create an intimate yet subtly distant atmosphere. Jiawen crafts psychological spaces, making the viewer feel as if they are witnessing silent conversations between the subjects and their surroundings.
Her work serves as both a personal testament and a broader commentary on visibility, identity, yet full of emotions andresistance. Seeing her work fully exhibited in a free and open environment for the first time was profoundly moving—an experience of being understood, accepted, and truly seen.
Amidst the labyrinthine alleys of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, Jiawen’s solo exhibition emerges as an intimate dialogue between imagery and identity. As a young photographer her lens captures more than just faces—it unveils inner landscapes and fragmented memories. In this exhibition we see Jiawen presents a series of portraits and urban scenes that explore themes of identity, marginality, and the loneliness of urban existence. Her visual language oscillates between the personal and the universal, creating a poignant meditation on displacement and belonging.
A Gaze of Solitude, an Echo of the Collective
Jiawen’s photography is not just a personal artistic pursuit—it is also a reflection of contemporary discourses on marginality and migration. In an era where young artists increasingly address diasporic identity and cross-cultural belonging, Jiawen’s work stands out as a deeply personal yet widely resonant exploration of these themes. Through her distinctive lens, she documents the ways in which Asian immigrants, queer individuals, and creative minds navigate their presence within European metropolises.
Strays, Photography, Barcelona, 2024
This exhibition marks a significant evolution in Jiawen’s visual language. Her commitment to experimenting with form, light, and cultural symbolism has resulted in a body of work that feels both intimate and expansive. His previous works often positioned her as an observer, but in this exhibition, she becomes a participant, embedding her own emotions into the images.
Where the Private Meets the Collective
Jiawen’s photography is a personal archive of memories, yet it also serves as a mirror to broader societal emotions. Her images—solitary figures, fractured urban corners, distant gazes—compose a poetic narrative of young individuals searching for a place to belong.
Perhaps, in the end, belonging is not a fixed destination but an ongoing process—one that Jiawen masterfully captures in light and shadow, in presence and absence.
Youth Lagoon is back with a new album, Rarely Do I Dream, following up 2023’s Heaven Is a Junkyard. A string of singles arrived ahead of the release, including ‘Speed Freak’, ‘Football’, ‘Lucy Takes a Picture’, ‘My Beautiful Girl’, and ‘Gumshoe (Dracula From Arkansas)’. For the new LP, Trevor Powers drew inspiration from a shoebox of home videos he discovered in his parents’ basement, which prompted him to start incorporating them into his music. The end result blurs the line between memory and nostalgia. “What I was really consumed with was how much I could zoom in on my actual history,” he explained. “I wanted to really make someone feel like they were inside my living room in 1993, but rearrange the furniture a bit. Something about combining that level of hyperreality with fairytales of devils and detectives weirdly felt like the truest way to immortalize these pieces of my family.”
On Gut, his first Baths album in seven years, Will Wiesenfeld set out to make music “from the stomach” as opposed to writing from the heart. The results are equal parts visceral and vibrant. “I think about men, and sex, quite literally all the time,” he explained. “To make a new album that felt like an actual honest effort meant exploring this fact further than I’ve ever been comfortable with, with no regard to personal embarrassment or relatability… I’m sketching my strongest and most pervasive feelings out quickly and treating their roughness as gospel, then exploring them in greater detail with the added sheen of time and perspective. I ended up not just writing about sex but also about personal shortcomings, dreamless living, harmful fantasies, and dissonant self-identities, things I also think about all the time.”
Devi Mambouka, who records as Masma Dream World, has released a haunting, transcendent new album called PLEASE COME TO ME. It follows the experimental artist’s 2020 debut Play at Night. “In 2013, I heard a voice that said I was supposed to make Masma Dream World, and I don’t have to worry about anything,” Mambouka said in our Artist Spotlight interview. “They’re going to tell me how to do the sounds. They’re gonna direct it. And I didn’t believe them until the EP came out, and people responded to it. At some point, you can’t doubt anymore. You’re just doing it. With those sounds that you’re talking about, is that specific or not – it’s like there is something that organizes this world, and I try to surrender to it.”
After her impressive pair of QWERTY EPs, Saya Gray has come through with her debut full-length, SAYA. While the Japanese-Canadian artist’s approach remains captivatingly unconventional, the album format makes way for a more cohesive and focused body of work. In a statement, Gray explained. “I move fast. Transition quick, hit change! My documentations have barely kept up. My mind & body caught up for this album. I had to calm down for this record. I had to document the clean up. Remnants as I move from places, people & patterns. We only have ourselves at the end of it all! This is a record for your transitions (emotional, spiritual & physical), for your heartbreaks and journeys from point A to B. An album to drop the shit you don’t want and to pick up what you need.”
Connecticut-based band Anxious are levelling up on their sophomore album, Bambi. The follow-up to 2022’s Little Green House is ambitious and relentlessly anthemic, as evidenced by the early singles ‘Head & Spine’, ‘Counting Sheep’, ‘Some Girls’, and ‘Never Said’. The album is named after one of the original discarded ideas for the band’s name. “The idea that Bambi should have been the band name sort of turned into this sentiment that got carried onto the LP,” Anxious vocalist Grady Allen explained. “Bambi is the band we could have been, that I want us to be–and I think the record is that.”
Patterson Hood, Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams
Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams is Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson Hood’s first solo album in 12 years. It features collaborations with Waxahatchee, Wednesday, and Lydia Loveless, which are some of the record’s most affecting songs. The Decemberists’ Chris Funk produced the album, which also includes contributions from The Decemberists’ Nate Query, Kevin Morby, Brad and Phil Cook, Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin, David Barbe, Stuart Bogie, Patterson’s DBT bandmates Brad Morgan and Jay Gonzalez, and more. “This record has all these kind of unintended themes,” Patterson shared. “I don’t know if that was anything I set out to do as much as it just kind of worked out that way. You know, there are a lot a lot of happy accidents in this record.”
Sam Fender’s third LP, People Watching, has arrived. Following 2021’s Seventeen Going Under, the album was produced with Markus Dravs and The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel, who only bolsters the Newcastle songwriter’s heartland rock style. Wistful and rousing, it pays homage to Fender’s late friend and mentor Annie Orwin, inspired by his visits to her palliative care home near the end of her life.
Other albums out today:
Tate McRae, So Close to What; The Murder Capital, Blindness; Pissgrave, Malignant Worthlessness; Nina Garcia, Bye Bye Bird; Nao, Jupiter; Yazz Ahmed,A Paradise in the Hold; Jules Reidy, Ghost/Spirit; Eem Triplin, Melody of a Memory; Emile Mosseri, Trying to Be Born.
Blackpink’s JENNIE has teamed up with Doechii for a new single called ‘ExtraL’. It’s the latest preview of her forthcoming debut album Ruby, following the Dominic Fike collab ‘Love Hangover’. It arrives with an accompanying Cole Bennett-directed video, which you can check out below.
Ruby will be out March 7 via ODDATELIER/Columbia. It also features guest spots from Dua Lipa, Childish Gambino, Kali Uchis, and more.
Fontaines D.C. have released a new single, ‘It’s Amazing to Be Young’. It’s a sprightly, wide-eyed song in the vein of the band’s Romance closer ‘Favourite’, and it will be available on limited edition 7” vinyl featuring a new B-side called ‘Before You I Just Forget’. It arrives with an accompanying music video directed by Luna Carmoon. Check it out below.
“‘It’s Amazing To Be Young’ is a song that was written in the presence of a newborn child — Carlos’ child. It sounded more like a lullaby or a music box then, but with the same lyric — ‘it’s amazing to be young,'” the band’s Conor Deegan III explained in a statement. “The feeling of hope a child can give is profound and moving, especially for young men like us. That sense of wanting to create a world for them to grow up in happily. It’s a feeling that fights against the cynicism that can often overtake us in the modern world. So we wanted to declare which side we were on — it really is amazing to be young. We are still free, and want to make that feeling spread. We want to protect it for the others around us, and maybe in doing that, can also help protect it for ourselves.”
About the music video, Carmoon said: “I love this new track — it’s one of my favorites Fontaines have done and I love that I got to complete the trilogy of videos for it. It was all natural and kind of a surprise that the three videos came together. I’ve got to work with such a beautiful team and was really given the space and breath to create the worlds that automatically came to me when hearing the music. I feel like we’re living in this weird time where romantic love is being pushed to the side, and sex and love is unvirtuous and no longer what people want to see. I don’t believe that at all. I love that these two people have fallen in love with themselves, and I wanted to see them fall in love with each other. I planted the seed after I did the carjitsu video (‘In The Modern World’) and then I had a couple of days to write the video for ‘It’s Amazing To Be Young’. There are a lot of odes to Santa Sangre it. It also reminds me of my first short film Shagbands.”
Masma Dream World is the experimental project of Devi Mambouka, who spent her childhood in Gabon before immigrating to the Bronx. Her father hailed from the indigenous Bahoumbou tribe of Gabon, while her mother is Bengali and Cantonese from Singapore. Before it became a way of invoking a world of spirits and ancestors as Masma Dream World, singing was, for Mambouka, a means of communing with nature. The name of the project alludes to a dream she first had when she was six, in which she walked through a nightmarish landscape, lost in a veil of smoke and darkness; demons erupted at the sound of her voice, but what terrified her the most was that it was a voice she couldn’t hear. In America, Mambouka began a new kind of musical and spiritual journey, getting deep into meditation, Hindu mysticism, and Vedantic texts. After making waves with her 2020 debut Play at Night, she’s now releasing her latest album, PLEASE COME TO ME. Sounding by turns meditative, tortured, and exultant, it transmutes the abyssal language of devotion and the divine feminine through cavernous electronics, spine-chilling noise, and a powerful voice that succumbs to forces beyond her control. It makes the void sound like an embrace, and the embrace immortal.
We caught up with Masma Dream World for this edition of our Artist Spotlight interview series to talk about the origins of the project, her spiritual journey, meditation, and more.
It’s been five years since the release of Play at Night. How has your philosophy around Masma Dream World evolved since then?
There is definitely a link to it, and it’s kind of continuing the conversation between the spirits and I, however they want to deliver their message to the world. I very much don’t take ownership over it because it’s not possible to make music like this without some sort of weird guidance. I would say the big shift is that when Play at Night came out, it was 2020. It was during the pandemic, and I remember the voices being like, “You gotta put it out now.” I remember emailing Northern Spy, my record label, and I was like, “This is the time.” In my personal life around that time, I was doing a lot of outreach and work with my sound healing community. We all got to face ourselves then, and it came to a point where – I’ve been trying to heal my PTSD, my trauma, for like 10 years. I remember being like: I’ve been doing a lot of work – it’s been long enough, right? It’s 2020. Here’s another traumatic thing that’s happening to the world, which is impacting all of us. It’s been just a series of really intense moments throughout my life, from the moment I was born, and I’ve just been trying to heal this, taking classes, seeking out gurus, courses, meditation. But there was this feeling of abandonment, this thing in me where I just felt so alone and so sad – this deep sadness of separation, which will put me into depression.
I don’t want to get into the details, but one thing triggered it, and I was like, “Well, if all of this – all these promises of healing – is not going to work, then to heck with it: I’m just gonna end my life. I’m done.” It was like, “How much more healing do I need to do? How many more books do I need to get? How much more meditation do I need to do?” At that time, I was also getting some new connections with the spirits. But I was like, “You guys are talking, you’re saying all of this, but I still feel this sadness. Where is that promise of bliss and peace? Where is that?” I’m not going to articulate those words now, but at that moment none of that was available. I was just ready to go.
I decided that I was going to walk from my mom’s place to the Hudson River. At that moment, I was like, “I’m going to jump off the Hutton River, and that’s it.” And all of a sudden, I blacked out – something took over me, I don’t even know what it is. Maybe it’s the moment of crisis, you’re disassociating, but all I know is that I blacked out, and the moment I woke up, I was sitting on my couch back in Brooklyn. I don’t know how I got back from Manhattan to Brooklyn, but I was sitting on my couch there, and I was like, “God damn it, what am I doing here? I had a plan. It was clear.” And all of a sudden, in that moment of true despair, I felt this incredible, warm, deep light, and I felt arms wrapping themselves around my body from the back, and it was the first time that I felt that hole inside of me, that sadness, completely be filled up. The sentence that came out was, “I am complete.” I’m talking about this, and to this day, I can feel in my heart right now – this yumminess, this bliss. That’s kind of how I guess the music that we hear now began.
Depending on where you’re from, your religion or cultural context, we all see the universal energy with different names. For me, it’s Mother Kali. There’s all this promise that it’s a real thing, but in that moment, it became real to me. All this time of her being in my life, from the time I was little – looking at photos of my mom, praying, going to temples and everything – this entity became so real to me. That really helped me out. When COVID restrictions lifted and I went on tour, that was my point of anchor. And then, of course, more teachers were sent to me. I got to even dig into Hinduism in a way that I have not. I feel like there’s always like I feel like the universe is the biggest comedian, this cosmic joker – I’m always laughing. You know, according to Hinduism, if you commit to suicide, you come back again. You have to deal with that same thing again. So it’s just like the twilight zone: you step out one door, and then you come back again right there. It’s better to confront whatever those things now to move through it.
I know we’re already going back in time, but I wanted to go quite a bit further back. I read that you started singing because your sister told you not to. Is that true?
I’m glad you bring this up, because I want to clear the record on this one. I feel like a lot of those times where I was speaking of this, there was still a tinge of anger towards her. I feel like my biggest teachers are the ones who have hurt me, who have put me in a situation where there was true pain, because it pushed me. When pain comes to you into your life, depending on what your Samskaras are – Samskaras are the things that you carry within yourself, your temperament, your past impressions – you take that pain, and then you deal with it differently. Two people can grow up in one household, have the same type of trauma, and they would choose two different paths. For me, I’ve always had this inclination of spirituality at a very young age; maybe it’s because of my ancestors where I was born, and my mom being spiritual at a young age.
I love my sister very much, and I’m so happy that she actually was this catalyst, because I’m like, “Oh, you said no? Okay, so I’m going to actually do it.” [laughs] We have to think of the context – she was also a kid at the time, and she didn’t want her little sister to come around and hang out and sing with her friends. It was totally valid, right? But my brain saw it as being rejected. Then I was like, “Well, who are my friends here? If my sister doesn’t want to hang out with me, I know who my friends are. It’s the trees.” And the trees behind my house there, at my father’s home in Gabon: tall, beautiful trees. What’s so cool about that very specific place where I used to sing is that you would see the migration of birds at a certain period of time, so my audience changed all the time. They were awesome.
Didn’t that also mean that singing was a very private thing for you for a long time?
There is what I was doing as a child, and then there is what I know now as a sound therapist. The more I dig into time and space – it’s almost like time and space exist all at once, and the more I investigate that, I see that to be true for me. So when I was singing, it’s almost as if I was traveling in the future. There was something familiar, something that felt bigger than me when I was doing that. I remember the first time I did Masma Dream World and there was actually an audience, and I was kind of losing myself between that moment in front of the trees and that. You know that movie Arrival, when the aliens gave her that power – it was feeling this way. It was kind of surreal.
Even though the songs I was singing were pop music, there was this healing thing that was also happening. It became like a spiritual experience, because music at my earlier age was always in the context of spirituality. Either you go and you sing the bhajans, which are devotional songs in the Hindu context, or in Catholic school. To me, I was doing another spiritual practice, but now in hindsight as an adult, and someone that has studied sound therapy for a while now, what was happening is that there was a lot of traumatic things around me at the time. My home wasn’t necessarily the safest place. There was a lot of sadness happening, and one way of soothing is singing, because it affects your vagus nerve, which is the one of the longest nerve that runs throughout the body, and it is associated with the breath. So as I was singing, I was feeling good. I was feeling safe, and that’s actually something that through all my childhood I kept doing. That’s how I look at it now, knowing what I know, but at the time for me it was like, “I’m singing for the trees.”
I read that the name of the project kind of alludes to a recurring dream that you started having when you were six. I wonder whether the project sometimes occupies more of a liminal space, for you, between the dream world and the waking world.
It’s a good question. I actually am enjoying conversing with you because I almost feel like you’re coming from a space that isn’t ego-focused on, like, this is the story you want to tell. I’m grateful to you for that, and to honor that, I will give you actually the answer. That dream – the more and more I’m living in 2025, there is not a big difference with the dream. [laughs] It’s a little bit more extreme in my dream, but it feels like the world is on fire. All of those things have been clarified for me in my spiritual pursuit and made more sense after 2020.
Before 2020, I did take a training in dream yoga with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoch, which is at the highest of the learned people in the Bon tradition of Tibet. It’s all about, in order to understand the waking state, you must understand your dreams first: using dreaming as a spiritual practice in order to be able to awaken in this present reality. That was prior to 2020. There’s not a big difference between non-dualist Tibetan practices and non-dualist Hinduism – it’s very much connected. And in learning more and reading more about it, there’s this text, the Mandukya Upanishad, which is about the philosophy of Hinduism and psychology, and is more in the realm of non-dualism. I’m reading this book under the guidance of Swami Sarvapriyananda, and I’m like, “Wow, there’s so many breadcrumbs throughout my life for dreaming, and how dreams and reality kept shifting for me.” Because those dreams feel so much more real than even this reality. It’s like there’s no difference between the dreaming world and this reality – they are all an appearance in awareness, because the one thing that does not sleep is the awareness, which feels like it’s there during the dream, which feels like it’s there in this moment, which also doesn’t sleep during deep sleep.
If you go beyond your mind, you go beyond your memories, you go beyond who you are, at some point there is this blazing stare which witnesses all. Which allows now other things to come through, like, “Put the bass like this, put the drums like this, mix that over there. We need this plugin over there.” And I’m just in the middle. It’s almost like I have one foot on the other side of the beyond, and one foot here. But non-dualism has helped me kind of ground everything in this moment.
A lot of music tries to evoke experiences of isolation, trauma, and sadness, but the way you frame your work is more as a form of invocation. Is that a distinction that feels tangible to you?
You can feel the distinction when something has been created by the mind versus something that is beyond the mind. Something that is not, for lack of a better word, human. I don’t think that I can get into those states randomly at the studio. It’s a very real daily practice for me. Before, I was doing it because that’s how I was coping with the pain. – my meditation practice, reading the books, all that thirst for that type of knowledge so I can be better, so I can heal that pain. And then, beyond the experience I shared with you, now it’s all about holding on to that understanding and making it into a reality. When someone says, “I’m losing my mind,” it’s that raw energy that exists, that unrestricted, unclassified energy. Once it’s there, the only thing I can do is surrender to it because I don’t have enough power to withhold it. I wanted to jump off the Hudson River, and that thing was like, “No, you’re not.” So once I’m in the studio, I just give myself over to it. If it was for me to say, “Let me write an album about how I almost committed suicide,” that’s a whole different album than saying, “This is the experience that happened to me. This is what I have found, and I continue to surrender to that moment over and over and over and over again.”
The power of meditation is palpable on PLEASE COME TO ME, but one thing that struck me is the way you incorporate dissonance in some of the more meditative tracks, or the way the meditation is rhythmically disrupted. I’m curious if that’s related to this element of surrender. Was that on your mind at all?
My mind wasn’t there for sure, because I’m getting ready for shows and I’m like, “Who wrote this?” [laughs] If my co-producer, Chris Weiss, wasn’t in the room – that’s my grounding. But I hear what you’re saying. I’m thinking of the first person that put paint to paper and drew up Mother Kali. Where was that person at? It wasn’t only one person that saw that; it’s many people that saw the same form. Once you see that type of form, you just have to surrender to it – some will be paintings, some will be poems, some will be songs. In my devotion to her, because she literally saved – I feel like she’s the personification that came to me at that moment. In 2013, I heard a voice that said I was supposed to make Masma Dream World, and I don’t have to worry about anything. They’re going to tell me how to do the sounds. They’re gonna direct it. And I didn’t believe them until the EP came out, and people responded to it. At some point, you can’t doubt anymore. You’re just doing it. With those sounds that you’re talking about, is that specific or not – it’s like there is something that organizes this world, and I try to surrender to it.
A lot of what you filter into the music is field recordings, and that’s something I feel like grounds the spirituality of the album, rooting it in your personal history, as in ‘The Island Where the Goddess Lives’ or ‘What If It Was True’.
Me even starting sound therapy – I actually had a dream about it. I remember I was turning 30, and I was like, “What am I doing in my life?” I was like, “I need to go back to school. I need to get a real job!” And that night,’ I had a dream about sound healing. I remember I woke up, and I could just hear, “Sound healing, sound healing.” It was echoing in my mind. I looked at my partner, and I was like, “Have you heard of sound healing?” “No, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” So then I Google sound healing, and it was a real thing. And not only that, there was an open house at the school I went to the next weekend in San Francisco. And immediately I bought a ticket to go there. The moment I get to the to the open house, we’re all sitting down, and my teacher goes, “I don’t do a lot of marketing, I just have marketing angels around.” I was like, “You have who? Well, your marketing angels apparently entered my dream to tell me to come here.” Then I found out that the person that runs that school is one of the best-selling authors of mixing and mastering, David Gibson. I took all his courses, so I learned sound design and engineering.
When I’m in the studio, now it’s filtered through this information that I have been studying, but through their guidance. Putting all of those trainings together, or books – I was visiting back my mom, and on my way leaving her door, I see on the floor, there’s like a bunch of tapes. I’m like, ‘Mom, what are you doing with the tapes?” She goes, “Oh, those are your aunt’s tapes–” my late aunt that passed away – “I was going to throw them away.’ So I said, “Hold on one second.” I listened to the tapes, and that’s ‘What If It Was True’. Or I will be walking somewhere, and there will be a sound, and then the voices will be like, “Record this now,” and I’ll pull my phone and record the moment. So it’s not even the grounding – there’s this thing pushing me here and there, and I have completely surrendered to those impulses now.
It’s clear that the maternal and the divine are inextricable in your work. What is at the root of that intersection for you?
When I’m going to speak about mother feminine energy, I want to be clear that it’s not within the context of gender. I think that’s important just to clarify first. There are sages in India and indigenous cultures that have all investigated that – you cannot point out a single civilization or community or culture that does not have the Divine Mother embedded in it. The idea of the Divine Mother is something that never did not exist for me just because of growing up Hindu and my mom literally having the goddess Kali on her on her altar every Thursday when we were praying. But then I would go to Catholic school, and I’d be looking for Mother Mary. In my own personal investigation, it makes more sense that the creator of something would be a mother that takes care of her children. That’s how my psychology is able to understand that. Even in Gabon, the Gabonese passport – the emblem for Gabon is a mother breastfeeding.
The second aspect, and you can hear it in the album, is my relationship with my mom throughout the years. Although we were together a lot of the time, there was so much trauma happening in our lives together, and independently, that it actually disallowed me to know how to have relationships with people as an adult. Because that was not mirrored to me. I remember I had a mentor, and I was like, “I can’t be in a relationship.” I was just broken up with someone, so I was heartbroken at the moment, and she was like, “Look at the relationship with your mom. If you heal your relationship with your mom, you will heal all relationships.” If you think of it, he first relationship you’ve ever experienced is the one in the womb. So that propelled this investigation of: Who was my mom? So I kind of forced my mom to tell me: “Ma, let’s be together. Let’s heal this. I want to heal our communication style. What happened to you? What happened? What happened from Singapore to Gabon? How was grandma?”
I was asking all of these questions, and in that discovery I found that it was really hard for my mom to have this conversation. Over the years, she went through her own journey of healing herself, and I went on my own journey. So when we will come together, we will come with this new understanding, and then we will heal, we will heal, we will heal together. And I believe that it also has permeated throughout the whole family unit. My grandmother comes from World War II Singapore; her story is very, very sad. My grandfather’s family ran away from India because they were Hindu priests, so they went to Malaysia. Then I was like, “Oh, grandpa was a Hindu priest! So what happened? What happened to our Indian family?” What was prominent in all of this was the fact that when I was like, “But Ma, when things were hard, what helped you?” She said, “I pray to Mother Kali.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Big Thief drummer James Krivchenia has announced a new LP, Performing Belief. The follow-up to 2022’s Blood Karaoke is due out May 2 via Planet Mu, marking Krivchenia’s first for the English electronic label. Today, he’s shared the kinetic lead single ‘Probably Wizards’, which he recorded with electric bassist Sam Wilkes. Check it out and find the album’s cover artwork and tracklist below.
In addition to Wilkes, Performing Belief features contributions from double bassist/multi-instrumentalist Joshua Abrams (Natural Information Society). The record grew out of Krivchenia’s fascination with the sound of natural objects, like throwing rocks into a pond or tap dancing in the mud.
Performing Belief Tracklist:
Performing Belief Tracklist:
1. Undesigned
2. Judge The Seeds (with Sam Wilkes & Joshua Abrams)
3. Probably Wizards (with Sam Wilkes)
4. Sympathetic Magic (with Sam Wilkes & Joshua Abrams)
5. Bracelets For Unicorns (with Sam Wilkes & Joshua Abrams)
6. Filling In The Swamp (with Sam Wilkes & Joshua Abrams)
7. The Wounded Place (with Sam Wilkes)
8. Metaphoric Leakage (with Sam Wilkes)
Youth Lagoon
On 
Devi Mambouka, who records as 
After her impressive pair of QWERTY EPs, Saya Gray has come through with her debut full-length,
Connecticut-based band Anxious are levelling up on their sophomore album, 
Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams is Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson Hood’s first solo album in 12 years. It features collaborations with Waxahatchee, Wednesday, and Lydia Loveless, which are some of the record’s most affecting songs. The Decemberists’ Chris Funk produced the album, which also includes contributions from The Decemberists’ Nate Query, Kevin Morby, Brad and Phil Cook, Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin, David Barbe, Stuart Bogie, Patterson’s DBT bandmates Brad Morgan and Jay Gonzalez, and more. “This record has all these kind of unintended themes,” Patterson shared. “I don’t know if that was anything I set out to do as much as it just kind of worked out that way. You know, there are a lot a lot of happy accidents in this record.”
Sam Fender’s third LP,
