Timo Kuilder, an artist and illustrator based out of Amsterdam, Netherlands, released a splendid series named Drunk Glasses. In this mini-series, Kuilder explores drinks with minimalistic features that are pleasing to the eye. Kuilder’s use of rough textures with retro-like colours brings out a homely feel to the series.
You can find more work by Timo Kuilder here.
Issey Miyake’s SS20 collection debuted at the Paris Fashion Week. This was also the first debut collection of Satoshi Kondo. He had worked in the fashion house for over a decade, capturing the essence of the brand.
A Sense of Joy was the name for the collection, and rightly so as this is what was brought to the audience. The show presented an unconventional way to do a catwalk. The catwalk had high energy and lively music. There have been many other fashion houses who have had unconventional catwalks. But this one was focused on a performative act, which helped it anchor its audience with a memorable experience.
Throughout the show, many loose-fitting garments were displayed. As the models danced and spun around, different silhouette looks were created from initial garments. In terms of colour and print, the whole collection utilised playful and vibrant elements.
Massimo Colonna, an Italian photographer and digital artist, revealed a superb mini series named Migration. In this mini-series, Colonna combines the migration of birds with minimalistic architecture to bring out the focus on the moving subjects. These simple, but eye-pleasing artworks deliver a poster-like appearance that elevate their surroundings by utilising shapes.
Writing about the series, Colonna described as “Project of three images depicting scenes of distant lands, exotic, sometimes unattainable. Within these landscapes a flock of birds moves creating unusual shapes, geometric, an evolution in the way of migration. In a historical moment in which even the sky becomes advertising space, nature changes in angles and corners”
You can find more work by Massimo Colonna here.
Welsh singer-songwriter Chloé Davis aka twst may have only released two singles so far, but she already displays all the quintessential qualities of a modern pop star in the same vein as Billie Eilish or Charli XCX, or some unique amalgamation of the two. twst’s sound is cutting-edge and incredibly infectious – it’s impossible to listen to the single ‘Girl On Your TV’ and not feel an urge to replay it over again and again. It has the intimate but surreal quality of someone trying to make a hit alone in their bedroom – except it actually feels like a hit. Indeed, twst recorded and self-produced the tracks within the four walls of her bedroom, although it’s no surprise that they were mixed by none other than innovative pop producer Rob Kinelski, known for working with Billie Eilish among others, whose production flourishes here are palpable but not overbearing. Both ‘Girl On Your TV’ and ‘Always’ brilliantly depict our psychological relationship to the digital world and how it affects our day-to-day interactions, but it’s done through the lens of a young person who understands the nuances of that experience rather than someone commenting from the outside. “HD shows in me perfection/ But it fucks with your perception,” she intones on ‘Girl on Your TV’, while on ‘Always’ she has a conversation with a Siri-like personal assistant. It’s hyperreal, post-ironic, metamodern – whatever you want to call it, it’s truly something special. And we can’t wait to hear more.
We caught up with twst for this edition of Artist Spotlight, where we showcase up-and-coming artists and give them a chance to talk a bit about their music.
mothers maiden name.
The decision was made from a place of wanting to find somewhere I felt I belonged. I was very misunderstood by my family and I don’t think they knew how to deal with me. For all the obvious reasons why this would be hard at such a young, difficult age, I was desperate to be in a place where I fitted in and I felt like I could do that most comfortably in isolation where I could begin to create my own world.
When I have a new idea, most of the time I have a clear vision before I’ve even started writing or producing the song. So self-producing feels very natural and efficient because it’s just me and my computer and once I’ve found the tone for the production, it usually happens very quickly from there.
The only real challenge, and one that scares me, is not knowing how to do something technically, when I’m on an inspired mad flow. So being able to overcome that as effectively as possible without it harming the creative wave is something very practical to learn.
There is no equivalent English word for “hikikomori”. The Japanese word describes both the condition of acute isolation and those suffering from it, so the attraction seemed obvious to me but I was also drawn to it phonetically. I love the sound of it. I was inspired by the Kawaii aesthetic at the time as seen in goytv video. Ultimately, I named the label “hikikomori baby” as a reference to the time where I lived quite reclusively after leaving school and home. I started to build my own way of seeing the world, without too many rules or much guidance. I found some kind of personal hyper reality. The concepts that I’ve been writing about are heavily based upon the feelings of isolation, loneliness and my connection to technology during this period.
The “baby” part of “hikikomori baby” is post-ironic. Which in itself is ironic (post).
When I wrote girl on your tv, I was deeply feeling the over sexualisation of women in the media. I was really, really angry at the time. My head was kinda warped during this period too. I was seeing this sexualisation in a way in which I’d never seen before. So in goytv, my character is the sexualised girl and I’m asking the person who views me this way, to view me differently. This in turn, inspired the duet with the Siri like voice in “Always” as I am fascinated by the connection between technology and emotions and how far these are able to intertwine.
This process was like self-documentation for me. I really wanted to capture the idea of building myself as a character through the lens of the internet. Capturing the awkwardness, vanity, vulnerability and also irony.
Audio/visual releases
Live performances
We gonna make some clothes, scissors , thrifting
Jewelled crocs
reading reading reading
Coffee
beats
everyday school
Following his critically acclaimed debut feature The Witch (2015), Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse is a haunting masterpiece. The film attracts you by its chillingly mesmerising sound design and stunning visuals, but also by the career defining performances from Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. Together, they push the story’s intensity and horror to its absolute limit.
Set in the 1890s, The Lighthouse follows Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson), a newly recruited apprentice to Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe), a mad lighthouse veteran. The pair is tasked with four weeks’ work on a remote New England island. As the film progresses, Winslow slowly submits to the hypnotic madness of the island as well as Wake’s strange behaviour…
The first thing about The Lighthouse that really stands out is how extremely atmospheric it is. By presenting the story in black and white and in a restrained 1.19:1 aspect ratio, Eggers displays the grittiness of the environment that our characters inhabit; as well as creating a claustrophobic feeling that traps the audience on the island. The sound design is impressive and helps enhance the nightmare-fuelled and haunting experience. From the lighthouse’s blasting siren to the seagull’s eerie squawks, the film drills those sounds into your mind and they will stick with you for weeks.
Saying that Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe are both phenomenal in the film is truly an understatement. From Pattinson’s portrayal of Winslow’s growing annoyance toward the bizarre events, to the point at which he starts to act out of his personality, and finally to his descent into madness, his performance is impressive. Willem Dafoe portrays his strange, intense and slightly insane lighthouse keeper to its perfection. The many tremendous monologues from Dafoe are expressed with such depth and emphasis, really putting us into Winslow’s perspective and terrifying us at the thought of what Thomas could do to him. The intensity they bring to their characters is brilliant.
Just like Eggers’ previous film The Witch, The Lighthouse slowly intensifies its creepiness throughout the film. One of the ways it does this is by having characters suddenly act dramatically around each other. On multiple occasions in the film, the characters are engaged in normal conversation when it turns to either an authoritative warning from Wake to a full confrontation between them. Surprisingly, the next thing we’ll see is the characters having a cheery dance or them getting drunk with each other. The unpredictability of the film really makes the audience so uncomfortable to a point where you don’t know whether to laugh or be completely shocked and terrified.
Another way that Eggers manages to create the uncomfortable tension in the film is by cutting to Winslow’s surreal dream sequences many times throughout the film. Eggers keeps the audience guessing as to what is real or what are just Winslow’s delusions. By doing this, the film leads the audience into this disturbingly hypnotic trip without losing any interest.
The Lighthouse delivers a truly unique horror experience. The captivating performances from Pattinson and Dafoe never fail to fascinate and amaze. With such strong entries in the pantheon of horror in recent years, this film firmly secures itself as one of the best in recent memory. Robert Eggers demonstrates himself as an exciting horror director to pay attention to for years to come.
Anyone anticipating a tell-all biopic crammed with revealing secrets, lewd scandals and profound behind-the-scenes insights will be left bitterly disappointed by A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Much like Morgan Neville’s delightful 2018 documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, this film unearths and explores very little about Fred “Mister” Rogers’ raunchy private life. This is simply because there isn’t one. As last year’s documentary identified, the beloved American children’s entertainer is as genuine, kind and good-hearted as his on-screen persona attests. In fact, there is no distinction nor façade –an idea briefly explored in the film when Rogers (Tom Hanks) appears utterly perplexed when a journalist (Matthew Rhys) questions his integrity and where the discrepancy between his public character and the “actual” Fred Rogers lies. A film about an impeccable figure who personifies goodness and carries no scandalous baggage nor skeletons in the closet should, in theory, make for a nauseating biopic that’s overwhelmed with cheap sentiment.
Thankfully, this assumption couldn’t be more wrong–because, technically, this isn’t really a biopic at all. Contrary to its promotional material, director Marielle Heller and screenwriters Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster position Rogers (and consequently also Hanks) as the supporting role – an ethereal figure who relates the parable and provides guidance rather than the true protagonist. This premise is succinctly established from the outset, when Hanks, as Rogers did repeatedly, enters through the treasured Mister Rogers television front door, changes his jacket into his signature red cardigan, and sings a pitch-perfect rendition of the theme song, Won’t You by My Neighbour? As he addresses the audience, Rogers, through the means of a picture board, introduces us to the actual protagonist of the story, the cynical Lloyd Vogel (Rhys). Loosely based on the American journalist Tom Junod, who was assigned to create a profile of Rogers for Esquire in the 1990s, Vogel considers the task a step-down from his typically investigative features: “The hokey kid show guy?” he responds incredulously.
But, little does he know that he needs Rogers more than he ever could’ve appreciated. Vogel is a new father, whose relationship with his wife (Susan Kelechi Watson) and the new child is becoming increasingly hindered by his committed work ethic and his resentment for his father (Chris Cooper). Exemplified, when his father arrives at Lloyd’s sister’s wedding and childhood issues (including his father’s decision to abandon Lloyd’s mother on her deathbed) re-emerge through a heated argument that results in blows.
On the surface, these familial issues could easily collapse into overbearing melodrama and the premise of a lacklustre, cynical journalist being saved by a magical, saint-like figure could certainly result in cliché. But, Heller’s incredible mastery means the film never feels formulaic. Having previously directed the wonderful comedy-drama The Diary of a Teenage Girl and last year’s melancholic true-crime black comedy Can You Ever Forgive Me, this film fortifies why Heller is a relentless force to be a reckoned with.
Using an episode of the television series as the framework for the narrative is a particularly nuanced approach that could’ve easily fallen through. But just as Heller subtly manages to portray 90s America, she also ensures the children’s television-show aesthetic never feels particularly twee or domineering. Montages and location shots are frequently depicted through miniature toys – toy planes fly through the sky and tiny model taxis cross the colourful sugar-coated cityscape.
Just as the aesthetic seeks to actively replicate the television series, the film attempts to address the audience in a similar manner to the entertainer’s own tender and personal approach. After a hallucinatory scene where Lloyd imagines he’s an Old Rabbit puppet and part of Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood, Lloyd and Rogers have lunch together in a Chinese restaurant. Rogers calmly invites Lloyd to think about the people in his life who have “loved you into existence”. Heller positions Rogers in the centre of the frame, looking directly into the lens and it becomes apparent we, the audience, are being addressed. Then, silence. The ability to eradicate passivity without delving into cliché or banality involves skill and Heller, particularly in this scene, appears to be its master.
The casting of Tom Hanks felt almost too fitting – America’s male sweetheart playing another beloved national treasure – in a similar way to how he was cast as Walt Disney in John Lee Hancock’s Saving Mr. Banks. But in this film, Hanks doesn’t delve into imitation nor allow his impossibly good-guy persona to carry his performance, as much as he did in Hancock’s period drama film. As well as achieving Rogers’ half-smile, his manner of speaking, his particular stance, Hanks provides a nuanced and subtle performance that explores the philosophy and psychology behind the man. He manages to make the public persona of Mister Rogers and the actual Fred Rogers intertwine and convince audiences that they are indeed one and the same – a complex task that he achieves wonderfully. Rhys’ performance as the cynic is equally marvellous and balances Hanks’ perfectly without feeling overly contrived or establishing the pair as completely binary.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood could’ve easily fallen into the trap of being a saccharine, cliché-filled biopic filled with cheap sentiment and a conventional portrayal of a national “hero” (even if he refused to admit it). But Marielle Heller’s uniquely, creative voice combined with an award-worthy performance by Hanks results in a wholesome film that defies tradition and provides an idiosyncratic and pure-hearted tribute to Fred Rogers. It reminds us to love thy neighbour and it’s beautiful.
Boy Scouts is the moniker of Oakland-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Taylor Vick, who makes warm, intimate indie-folk compositions akin to the likes of Frankie Cosmos and Snail Mail. Back in August, she released her debut full-length album, Free Company – her first for ANTI- records, home to artists like Girlpool, Calexico, and Wilco – and it instantly feels like stumbling upon a good friend you’ve never met before. Although it’s a step away from the bedroom recordings Vick used to upload on Bandcamp, her approach to songwriting has palpably not changed one bit. The record’s sweet, empathetic lyrics, delivered with Vick’s vulnerable, piercing vocals, deal with the aftermath of a break-up in all its emotional complexity and frustrating ambiguity. “Discovering what it takes/ To keep the memories at bay/ Here I stay a thousand days/ I don’t try to leave, I don’t try to stay,” she sings ‘Momentary Love’. And on ‘Hate Ya 2’, she laments, “I go to the park where once we had a sit/ The light has become dark, maybe it was never lit.”
We caught up with Taylor Vick for this edition of our Artist Spotlight segment, where we showcase up-and-coming artists and give them a chance to talk a bit about their music.
I started guitar lessons when I was 9 or 10 years old and after a few years I tried writing my own songs. Carole King, The Carpenters, Rose Droll, and Travis Vick are some of my biggest influences.
I can’t really compare it to anything because it’s the only experience I know… I think a lot of people feel stuff deeper than they let on. I feel fortunate to be able to turn to songwriting to help process things I’m experiencing. If anything I think being pretty emotional and being a songwriter are complimentary.
I started to think of that batch of songs as the company I kept during shitty times — when I was writing them and kind of being inside of them for that extended period of time making the record.
Get Well Soon, maybe. I love the bass line Stephen made and played on this track, and I love that my nylon guitar is heavily featured in the beginning… that’s the guitar I wrote all the songs from this album on and I like that it’s the first thing you hear when you play the record.
Potentially, yeah. I don’t know if it’s confidence I gained but more like a better understanding of the situation as time went on.
Yes in that all of my previous releases were either just uploaded to bandcamp or released on a friend’s small tape label. But as far as songwriting goes, that was approached the same way I’ve always done it.
Stoked — they’re such amazing musicians and also just the best people. I’m super grateful to tag along.
That’s a funny coincidence, I like that. I mean they’re similar in that they’re both songs written from a place of empathy, I think. Hoping the best for someone who is going through something tough.
I don’t spend too much time thinking about that to be honest. I hope to continue writing music, making albums, and playing music with my friends for as long as I can.
Boy Scouts will perform in London at The Great Escape’s First Fifty on November 14th.
Sean, Conor, and Sean — or, should I say, Foil, Arms, and Hog — have taken their deliciously witty Irish antics on a world tour. I had the good fortune to attend “Swines” in Los Angeles, the sketch group’s first night performing in the United States.
It was a literal laugh riot. Foil Arms and Hog are raising a comedic army in America.
Prior to my gut-busting experience at the Dynasty Typewriter at the Hayworth, the lads met at University and began putting on live performances. Then the Youtube channel, an ‘experiment’ in camera funny, took off and took hold of 338,000 subscribers and approximately 61 million views. The lads do all sorts of things – songs about clickbait, fussy mother imitations, teasing about Brexit – and I’ve been a fan for years. Therefore, I took a Los Angelean‘s first chance to see them live. Fans of Foil Arms and Hog, the show was everything we’d hoped – and more.
Even in California, the boys from Ireland shine bright. Brighter than the sun, the haze, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame brought together. To begin their show at the Dynasty Typewriter (their second performance that evening due to a high demand for tickets), Foil Arms and Hogs welcome fans and sceptics alike with an audience participation activity. There is much hesitation early on, outright refusal even! But the boys don’t let it stop them. They ride the turning tides like the captains of improvisation they, undoubtedly, are.
Captain is the perfect honorific title for these friends turned comedic writing team. It becomes apparent as the show continues that the three could easily lead a fleet, a frigate, or a full-on revolution. The audience eats out of their hands, making them laugh between gobbles. The people follow every cue, play along with every game, and laugh hysterically for just about the entire showtime.
Sean Finegan (Foil) plays the roles of straight man, physical comic, and improviser with equal measures of keen calculation and graceful lunacy. Conor McKenna (Arms) has the facial and vocal flexibility to play a character that makes you squeal with laughter. Sean Flanagan (Hog) has a fantastic presence and the remarkable ability to carry the show off-script and still keep the funny going. And, of course, all three are brave, insightful, and wickedly clever actor/writers.
Cultural and geographic differences? Forget them! Foil Arms and Hog will bring in people from everywhere, to chortle, belly laugh, and ultimately applaud together. The standing ovation at the Dynasty Typewriter was instantaneous – and was led by what was formerly the most resistant and crotchety audience member. He went from glued to his seat back to riotous applause. That’s the power of three talented performers.
To purchase tickets to Foil Arms and Hog’s remaining tour dates, click here. Subscribe to Foil Arms and Hog’s Youtube channel here.
In this segment, we showcase our top picks of what to catch at the cinema this weekend, what to stream and our short film of the week.
Our pick of the new releases out on October 11th, 2019:
| Rating | Length |
| 12A | 118 Min |
After a sustained period of success and critical acclaim in the early 2000s – various roles in Chicago, Jerry Maguire, Bridget Jones’s Diary and an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role in the civil war drama Cold Mountain– Renée Zellweger took a hiatus from acting at the end of the decade after a series of box-office failures. After a six-year withdrawal, she returned in 2016 to complete the Bridget Jones trilogy and it would appear with Judy that she is back to her finest. It feels apt that she plays a star, Judy Garland, who, in her later years, struggled to return to the paramount heights of her early career.
Adapted by Tom Edge from the West End and Broadway play End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter, and directed by Rupert Goold, this biopic chronicles the last years of the star’s life. It’s the late 1960s and Garland has reached one of the lowest points in her revered career – her ex-husband is attempting to obtain custody of her two youngest children, she’s performing shows in run-down venues for little money, and is being thrown out of hotels when she struggles to pay.
Garland reluctantly agrees to a five-week residency at the Talk of the Town nightclub in London in order to cover debts and gain some form of income. But, battles with management, and her alcohol and drug addiction shadows over Garland and these performances – sometimes she manages to mesmerise her audiences, other times she’s a stumbling, belligerent mess.
The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, where the film garnered largely positive reviews with many heaping praise on Zellweger’s performance and complimenting her symbiotic portrayal of the star – not entirely Garland nor completely detached from the actress underneath the prosthetic nose and teeth – a combination that many have said allow Zellweger to truly shine. The plot may be tragic but is worth catching for Zellweger’s captivating performance of a star who, at her best, was just as enthralling.
| Rating | Length |
| 15 | 64 Min |
In Summer 2017, Gilligan was simply posting funny little sketches on social media when suddenly Drake (as in the global R&B superstar) started to quote some of Gilligan’s comedy to his millions of followers on Instagram. Since then, Gilligan has gone from strength to strength – growing in popularity, featuring on The Big Narstie Show and eventually gaining his own late-night show on Channel 4.
It, therefore, feels very apt that his new Netflix comedy special is entitled Momentum. The special proves why Gilligan is one of the most contemporary, relatable and honest individuals currently in the comedic realm. Rooted in nostalgia, his act features jokes about his mother, bullies in school, hen parties, the complexity of dancing in the club and what girls are like in group texts. Towards the end, he provides remixes of nursery rhymes and even begins to rap. The whole routine feels extremely modern, current and is certain to leave you laughing along with the audience in the Hackney Empire.
In this short film, Camille Campbell (writer, producer and director) presents Cora (Jennifer Allcott), a young woman who has recently split from her boyfriend and is about to go through a drive-thru car wash. Suddenly, she is joined by an unexpected passenger, who starts to get to know her and they begin to develop a bond. But as they are surrounded by bubbles and neon lights within the tunnel, everything is not as it seems.
Campbell’s blending of various genres – film noir, romance and comedy – is equally as compelling as her favouring of female subjectivity. The premise is simple but its execution, styling and performances are wonderfully creative. It also offers an interesting, underlying moral: to value and respect each other flaws.
In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on October 11th, 2019:
Big Thief, Two Hands: Just five months after the release of what might be one of the best albums of the year, U.F.O.F., Big Thief have come through with yet another project, described as its “earth twin”. Two Hands is the indie band’s fourth studio album, and recording began just days after the completion of U.F.O.F. with production from Andrew Sarlo, who has worked on every Big Thief album to date. Singer Adrianne Lenker said in a press statement: “Two Hands has the songs that I’m the most proud of; I can imagine myself singing them when I’m old. Musically and lyrically, you can’t break it down much further than this. It’s already bare-bones.”
Blood Orange, Fields: Another artist dropping a second project within the same year, Blood Orange has come out with a new album following the release of his latest mixtape Angel’s Pulse. It’s producer and singer-songwriter Devonté Hynes’s first collection of classical music compositions, performed by the Chicago-based ensemble Third Coast Percussion. Fields is composed of a suite called ‘For All Its Fury’ that makes up the first 11 tracks of the album, followed by the compositions ‘Perfectly Voiceless’ and ‘There Was Nothing’. Hynes reportedly recorded the compositions in a DAW before sending the sheet music to the ensemble who arranged and orchestrated it. “This was the first time I’ve written music that I’ve never played, and I love that,” Hynes said. “It’s something I’ve always been striving to get to. Seeing what Third Coast Percussion had done with these pieces was magical.”
Kim Gordon, No Home Record: Legendary ex-Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon has released her debut solo album titled No Home Record. It was produced by Justin Raisen and features contributions from Shawn Everett, known for his work with Alabama Shakes and Kacey Musgraves, as well as composer/filmmaker Jake Meginsky. While this is Gordon’s first solo album since Sonic Youth’s split, she has also put out three records with Bill Name as Body/Head, the last of which, The Switch, came out last July. The album takes inspiration from “experimental hip-hop like RP Boo and DJ Rashid, but also No Wave bands and The Stooges”.
Richard Dawson, 2020: Singer-songwriter Richard Dawson follows up 2016’s critically acclaimed Peasant with his sixth solo album 2020. According to a press statement, “the album is an utterly contemporary state-of-the-nation study that uncovers a tumultuous and bleak time. Here is an island country in a state of flux; a society on the edge of mental meltdown.”
Other albums out today: 88rising, Head in the Clouds II; Elbow, Giants of All Sizes; Waterparks, Fandom; Babymetal, Metal Galaxy.
Quick Access
Our Culture
Helpful
© 2026 Our Culture Mag Limited. All rights reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/2026) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 1/1/2026). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Our Culture Mag Limited.
