The Cure have confirmed that Songs of a Lost World, their first album in 16 years, will come out on November 1. The band will reveal the full tracklist on their new tracklist over the coming weeks, and today, they’ve shared a new song called ‘Alone’. Check it out below.
“It’s the track that unlocked the record; as soon as we had that piece of music recorded I knew it was the opening song, and I felt the whole album come into focus,” Robert Smith said of ‘Alone’ in a statement. “I had been struggling to find the right opening line for the right opening song for a while, working with the simple idea of ‘being alone’, always in the back of my mind this nagging feeling that I already knew what the opening line should be. “As soon as we finished recording I remembered the poem Dregs by the English poet Ernest Dowson, and that was the moment when I knew the song – and the album – were real.”
Live versions of two other new Cure songs, ‘And Nothing is Forever’ and ‘I Can Never Say Goodbye’, came out on last month on limited edition eco-vinyl.
Immune to redundancy, LA-turned-Berlin experimental trio Xiu Xiu follow last year’s death-industrial nightmare Ignore Grief with yet another reinvention. Named after one of the world’s largest switchblades (which frontperson Jamie Stewart owns two of), 13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips is a stampede of gritty excess. The recordopens with ‘Arp Omni’, an airy and orchestral lovesick ambient piece. Stewart croons with heart-on-your-sleeve frankness, humbled in the face of a freckled lover. The song recalls early Xiu Xiu confessionals like ‘Ian Curtis Wishlist’ or ‘Sad Redux-O-Grapher’. As the strings swell towards climax, a barrage of distorted noise cascades in. For the rest of its tracklist, 13” eschews the ethereal sentimentality of its overture, reborn as something brash and delicious.
In our conversation, Stewart mentions Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral. The band’s miracle sophomore record is a perfect reference point: a defiantly abrasive and misanthropic work that’s simultaneously danceable and addictive; Trent Reznor’s industrial, gutter-scraping suicidal fantasies became Billboard hits. A similar contradiction hovers over 13”. Both raw and painstakingly detailed, the album conjures a feverish séance of distortion-overloaded maximalism. Yet simultaneously, it’s the most thoroughly pop-ish Xiu Xiu record in ages.
13” is a kinky labyrinth of hazy dreamworlds and volcanic desires. Most of its nine songs offer economic pop structures, infectious riffs, and catchy choruses. Noise rock and synth punk aesthetics coalesce into meticulously calibrated chaos. Arsenals of synths fire from all directions. Sounds toss across the stereo mix with the aerodynamic mobility of a dropkicked Looney Tunes character. This is the most grandiose Xiu Xiu’s sounded. ‘Veneficium’ begins like a Goblin euro-horror score, ‘T.D.F.T.W.’ is unrelenting, fuzz-overdosed art-punk, ‘Piña, Coconut & Cherry’ concludes as a guttural wail of skin-peeling yearnings, bellowed over meowing arps.
In our conversation, Stewart spoke about some of the album’s eclectic influences, including switchblades, Blixa Bargeld, and the Pandora’s Box of self-conscious iconoclasm. It quickly became evident that 13” is a question mark for the band: a record they feel tremendous uncertainty about. Every avenue of reflection births news contradictions for Stewart. It’s a delight to see a musician twenty-two years deep into their project still baffled by the sounds that sputter out of them.
Moving from LA to Berlin
You and Angela moved to Berlin a year or two ago.
About a year-and-a-half ago, October 2022.
How did this migration influence the new record?
Berlin didn’t influence it so much but not being in LA did. I didn’t expect to miss it as much as I do. I assumed moving to Berlin would feel like a clean start, but it felt like adjusting to a different set of problems, which then made me feel like there’s nowhere good in the world and every place is a fucking drag [laughs]. Adjusting to an unexpected sense of loss influenced this record quite a bit. Not directly in the lyrics, but certainly in our mindsets while finishing it. We did half in LA and half in Berlin. I felt very confused making this record even though the songs are relatively straightforward. But I don’t think inserting confusion in aesthetic situations is a bad thing.
Is that confusion unique for you or do you usually enter Xiu Xiu records with a sense of clarity?
I’ve never finished a record and felt confused by what it is. Usually when it’s done, we have a fairly clear conception of what it was supposed to be and whether we succeeded. I think it’ll always be ambiguous. I’m not hoping to have it clarified. I feel slightly uneasy, like we fucked it up somehow by not having a clear handle. But I want to lean into that unease and see where it can take us.
I was also thinking about the practicality of relocating your artistic practice to the other side of the globe. I imagine over the years of Xiu Xiu, you and Angela have both amassed an extensive inventory of instruments and pedals and whatnot. Did you have to ship all your equipment to Berlin? Or did you part with some of it?
It was a much bigger pain in the ass than I thought it’d be! We had five or six unwieldy vintage keyboards which we didn’t think would survive the move. We gave them away or sold them. There’s one I feel really sad about still. But interestingly, I sold it to somebody who ended up selling it to somebody who Angela’s friends with, completely by chance. So it’s still in the folds. Someone we both like is using it, which makes us happy. We were able to take our very big gong collection. We sold a lot of outboard gear and a couple guitars. All the guitars and amps we left here, since we’re here to tour. We probably took 60% of our stuff but it took an unfathomable amount of time to pack and unpack. Then we had to move it from our apartment to the studio. Our studio isn’t at home, which is new for us.
Is it different working in a studio where you have a separation between workspace and homespace?
Yah. I didn’t think I’d like it because we’ve always had a home studio, and I really appreciated dipping in and out all day. But apartments in Berlin are really small and it’s an incredibly densely populated city. We couldn’t find a place that allowed for that. Then, in an incredible stroke of luck, an engineer I know who works with Einstürzende Neubauten had space in his studio he was looking to rent. It’s worked out incredibly well. I’ve never worked in a place that was completely and totally quiet all the time. I had no idea what I was missing. It’s nice when the day is done to go home and pursue other things, beyond plugging things in or unplugging things, adjusting this knob by 0.1% to see if it suddenly makes the song better — which it does not!
Switchblades
In LA, me and Angela lived in a normal family-sized house. It was just the two of us so we had a lot of space to collect things. I started collecting switchblades a few years ago. When we moved to Berlin, we knew we wouldn’t have space so we got rid of almost every collection. One of them I did not get rid of was the switchblade collection.
Like many people, I have a fascination with violence and “tough guy” aesthetics. In no way am I a tough guy. I’d certainly eschew most kinds of violence entirely. But the aesthetics, narratives, and imagery behind it is really compelling. Switchblades, since the 1950s, are an almost clichéd symbol of “tough guy” aesthetics. But as an instrument of violence, they’re pretty useless. They’re like the worst knife you can fight with. They fold up, the blades are too thin, they break. You can cut somebody but if you were in a knife fight it’s still the last knife you’d want. Serving as a symbol for violence and fear while being pretty useless is a fascinating symbol of violence generally. The idea of interesting uselessness was an underlying drive for this record. Not that we tried to make something useless, but the idea of a stupid contradiction that could have genuine consequences interested us.
With the last several records, we always have—this is a horrible word to use—talismans that guide us in ways we don’t understand or necessarily want to. These objects sit around the studio or at our desks or whatever. Switchblades were some of those. That’s why we titled the record after a specific one.
Do you find yourself talking a lot about these guiding objects? Or do they more just haunt your subconscious?
Generally, they’re not discussed. They’re just around. Because this is the first record where we’ve referenced it very specifically [in the title], we’re left having to explain them even if we can’t, which is not the best PR move. [laughs] Angela and I don’t have 100% correlation on visual ideas or aesthetics, but we are interested in a lot of the same things.
What were some of the objects influencing previous records?
Good question. For Girl with Basket of Fruit, Angela took over the dining room table with corny occult items. She has a collection of things like that, but she’d never laid them out in a clear way. She did a triptych of videos for that record and the objects seemed like some kind of map to determine what the visual-narrative arc for the videos would be. With Ignore Grief, it was a lot of books about medieval religious art. We were seeing every possible museum exhibit on that, and when we moved to Europe we were like, “We’re in the heart of religious art!” It ramped up crazily. With OH NO, I was getting obsessed with troll dolls with rainbow hair. A candy collection got really out of control. A couple other things too.
How many switchblades do you own?
Twenty? Not an insane number but a healthy quantity. I just have the James Dean kind. The Italian, Corsican, and Sicilian types are the ones I like most.
That’s a respectable amount in case you ever get into a skirmish.
I mean, only with my own ego. [laughs] Like I said, they’re the dumbest knife you can fight with.
Fuzz Pedals
We’re using them incessantly on this album! Plus, we got some really cool ones we hadn’t had before which was fun. It wasn’t so much different in how we used them, but how exhaustively we used them. We’ve used blown-out sounds since we started. Almost everything sounds better with a fuzz pedal.
It’s interesting hearing this album after Ignore Grief: a very harsh and often unpalatable sounding record. I, of course, use unpalatable as praise.
“Unpalatable” I take as a goal. [laughs]
This is also an album with harsh, distorted sounds. But it’s a completely different kind of distortion. It’s more rock-ish and digestible. What was your approach towards using distorted sounds to make something more structured and… fun?
There wasn’t a whole lot of thought behind it other than: any time we blew something up more it sounded better. It’s something people do on records all the time, but we’d never gone, “what if there’s two fuzz pedals? How about we turn them up all the way instead of halfway?” Just having no dynamic range whatsoever and letting sound be decimated by itself.
Roland CR-68
On Angel Guts: Red Classroom, we used a bunch of late-70s and early-80s pre-program preset drum machines. We didn’t have the CR-68 at the time, but I really wanted one. Ten in the Swear Jar, the band I was in briefly before Xiu Xiu, did one song with a Maestro prefab drum machine. I really loved it but was borrowing it from someone we’d recently fired. He very much insisted we return it, which was not unfair. Other than that, we never used [pre-program drum machines]. But I never fell out of love with them. They always sound a little burnt-down, they’re never totally in time. But they also tend to be really funky. Whoever programmed these eons ago definitely had a sense of what a groove was. Which is the opposite of what you’d assume for something like this.
To clarify, the CR-68, unlike the CR-78, isn’t programmable. It’s all presets?
The only thing you can do is turn the fills on or off and determine what bar they happen or don’t happen. You can pick the fill, but you can’t program it. Angela bought me the CR-68 as a congratulations gift when we finished Ignore Grief. I’d wanted one for a million years, mostly because they looked really cool. They’re a cube, the buttons are all red and blue and yellow and green. I like rainbow trolls; I’m a sucker for colours. With the CR-78, you can program. It’s a very expensive and coveted drum machine. I appreciate this one as a stupider, less cool younger sibling of the very cool one. I wanted to see what we could make with a device that looks almost identical to the cooler one but was 1/10 of the price and nobody cares about. I was immediately delighted with it! If we could have a viable music career only recording the sound of the Roland CR-68 and making hundreds of records of just that, I’d be intensely satisfied. But I’d probably be the only person in the world who would be. If you open one up, I’m sure it’s filled with dust or dead crickets or something. It felt strange to fall in love with this little thing, but we probably used it on half the record.
Angel Guts was an album where you chose the equipment beforehand and had a very restricted list of what you’d use. It seems like your love of the CR-68 is a love of limitations. Does it help you to restrict yourself?
Very definitely. Since Angel Guts, we’ve found it incredibly productive to determine our limitations before we start a record or very soon into it. We’ve done it with every record. After we finished 13”, we tried writing new stuff without limitations. So far it’s been a total failure.
David Kendrick joined Xiu Xiu as your drummer for the last record. What was your collaboration like on 13”?
Unfortunately, we didn’t work together as much as I’d like since we moved. But he played every song with live drums. He wrote probably ¼ of the lyrics.
Liminal Spaces
Actually, that’s a David contribution. I’d never even heard the phrase before. It’s the idea of literal or figurative in-between spaces, within consciousness, within [physical] space, between dimensions or political/social structures. Lyrics, like it or not, have a beginning, middle, or end. Regardless of how you write them, they’re a finite structure. You start at one point and end at another. A liminal space is the opposite of that. It was interesting to get lyrics from David trying to deal with the idea of liminal spaces within a constrained, finite structure. I think that’s why this record is still confusing to me. We’re attempting to pursue ideas which, because you can’t participate in or know, are impossible to understand.
It’s interesting to think of this as a record informed by liminality because it’s a much more structured album than Ignore Grief.
That’s why it’s pretty confusing to us. They’re pretty normal songs. But for us, personally, how they arrived or what they mean is confusing.
It’s sort of like a Xiu Xiu pop record.
That’s not unfair. The songs have choruses in the place where you expect the chorus to be. [laughs]
There’s fun guitar riffs…
I don’t know how the fuck that happened!
Blixa Bargeld
Can you tell me the story about Blixa picking up his computer that’s referenced in the press release?
Eugene Robinson [of Oxbow] put that in there. I don’t know anything about it! I sent him a Blixa quote from a documentary I saw, then he added the computer thing. A friend of his saw Blixa walking into a computer store and say, [stern-voiced Blixa impression] “I’m Blixa Bargeld. I am here for my computer!”
Neubauten’s one of my favourite bands and has been since I was a teenager. They played the best show I’ve seen in my entire life. As I mentioned earlier, we’re sharing a studio with them completely by chance. I never see them, but we have a calendar for when we’re both there. It’s fascinating and bizarre to go into a space where I’ve seen them working in live videos and go, “Oh fuck, now we work here?”
We started working on this record, under David’s suggestion, as a psych-rock record: something he’s really into but I’ve never explored. Then, I was watching this Nick Cave documentary and learned that when Blixa quit The Bad Seeds, he allegedly yelled, “I didn’t join a rock ’n’ roll band to play rock ‘n’ roll!” Not long after, we were playing a show in LA. Ignore Grief isn’t a rock ‘n’ roll record in any way. But because we’d started working on this new record, the tour’s arrangements unconsciously became rock ‘n’ roll-based. Ezra Buchla, a musician friend of mine, looked at me and went, “Huh… rock ‘n’ roll…” and walked away. I’d just heard this Blixa quote and went, “What the fuck are we doing? I’ve never been interested in rock ‘n’ roll! I didn’t grow up listening to it! I’m not a rock ‘n’ roll person! What are we doing making a rock ‘n’ roll record?” But we liked the songs. Like you said they’re… soooorta fun, which makes me wanna barf. There’s kooky guitar shit. So essentially: Blixa’s quote opened that Pandora’s Box of blurriness. We became dedicated to doing the best job we could in an aesthetic form we had no dedication to.
As I understand, Blixa—for the last several years of The Bad Seeds—felt split between the increasingly stadium rock sound of the band and what he wanted to continue doing with Neubauten. Do you ever feel pressure to make art with more accessible appeal versus more abrasive or esoteric work?
Not at all. We’re not that big a band so there’s not that much at stake about what we do or don’t do. One of my favourite bands of all time is OMB [Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]. They’re one of the most adorable synth-pop bands ever. They even admitted they tried to be more art-y and weird but that’s just what naturally comes out of them. But also [Krzysztof] Penderecki is one of my favourite composers, and that’s some of the most punishing music of all time. Internally, those things aren’t at odds for us at all. Over the last few years, it’s just by chance that we’ve started doing one record that’s more songs-based and another that’s more far-out. It was never by design, it was a reaction to what we were interested in musically.
What’s your favourite Neubauten album?
I’m really bad at picking favourites. Their new one is super good. They’ve been on fire lately. On the last one, the first track ‘Ten Grand Goldie’ was one of my favourite songs they’ve ever done. It’s really exciting that for forty years they’ve continued to be challenging and weird. We’ve been around for twenty years so it’s inspiring to see a band twice as old still kicking themselves in the ass to evolve.
Iconoclasm
John Congleton mixed the album. He’s a record producer, mix engineer, a good friend of mine, and someone I’ve learned a lot from about music from a technical and philosophical standpoint. A couple years ago, I was doing a short course about experimental music for Atlas Obscura. For part of the course, I was interviewing different musicians. I was interviewing John and asked him which records particularly inspired him. One of them was Nine Inch Nails’ Downward Spiral. I asked him what he loved about it, and he said it seemed like every musical decision was iconoclastic. It is such a weird record and completely baffling to me how it became a Top 40 record. There’s some jams on there but a lot of it’s super brutal, pure noise, and the subject is pretty hideous and unforgiving. It’s constantly unrooting scriptures.
The idea of iconoclasm and musical ideas wasn’t something I’d really thought of until John mentioned it. Being consciously fearless about unraveling something aesthetic almost ruins it. It becomes nonspontaneous and then accidentally institutionalized because you have decided, “I am the coolest kid on the block because I have destroyed this idea”. But at the same time, being afraid to destroy ideas completely ruins the possibility of doing something bold enough to be meaningful.
I was reading about the folk singer Diane Cluck, who was classically trained for over a decade on piano, but she talks about how she needed to become unschooled and trust her intuition to make good music and reclaim lost instincts.
Yah, yah!
How do you actually strike that balance between being iconoclastic but not doing it too deliberately?
That’s the rub. It’s definitely the goal to be able to do that: to be iconoclastic in a pure way without it being a pose. Being aware of the obvious connection between iconoclasm and music has made it more complicated for me; it took something I was comfortable doing in an unconscious way and made it conscious. The solution is not thinking about it anymore. But trying not to think about something is the least constructive way to stop thinking about something. I don’t know, I guess we’ll see how the next record goes. The intrusion has definitely been made while we were making this record. Not in a bad way, but it was a disruptive element. We had to deal with it daily in the studio.
You said the ideal would be not to think about it, which is an impossibility. Do you think the best artistic practice is to turn off the analytical part of your brain and act on impulse?
For me, it definitely is. I don’t think analytical thought prevents good art from happening. And I don’t think impulsive thought makes good art happen. But I know when I’m doing something and working in an impulsive way, I’m much happier with the results in retrospect. But Ellsworth Kelly’s one of my favourite artists, and he’s one of the most pointed, staid artists there is! There’s no way he’s doing any of that work on impulse.
One last unrelated question: is the Masahiro Shinoda film the namesake for ‘Pale Flower’?
Damn girl, you know your movies! [laughs] Yes it is! The song and movie have nothing to do with each other. I watched it, and when you open Pro Tools you have to call a song something. A lot of times it’ll be whatever’s on mind. Sometimes we’ll keep those titles. Sometimes we’ll come up with a real title. This is really nerdy but I love how they edited all the parts with the cards [in Pale Flower]. It’s so energetic. The cards appeal to my collector’s impulse also; they’re small, they all look like something particular, you can stack them up, arrange them in interesting ways. It’s both a fortunate and unfortunate part of human art history that there are periods where things are magical. And that period of Japanese filmmaking is absolutely magical. I’ve probably seen the movie five times, and I never get tired of it.
It’s a very Xiu Xiu-y movie. It’s all about death-drives and self-destructive lusts. But there’s also a lot of extreme-close-ups of knives…
That’s true! You have a good eye, I didn’t think about that.
Maybe it leaked into your subconscious!
Ha ha ha, clearly!
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
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After finding the right Valorant teammates, focus on building synergy and growth. Regular practice, analyzing performance, and giving feedback are key. As the team plays together more, they learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
It’s important to celebrate wins and learn from losses. With hard work and a growth mindset, the team will keep improving. Looking at agent win rates on different maps can help find the best strategies.
For example, on Split, Duelist agents Raze and Jett win 51% and 49% of the time. Sentinel agents Cypher and Sage win 49% and 50.5% respectively. Controller agent Omen wins 50% of the time. Knowing these stats helps teams choose the right agents and strategies for each map.
To boost team growth, check out turbooboost.gg. It offers a chance to play with Radiant-level players at good prices. This can give the team valuable insights and help them play at a higher level.
Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.
Being flexible and creative with agent combinations can lead to success. Professional teams like Gen.G and Paper Rex show this. Trying out unique combinations, like two initiators or two controllers, can surprise opponents and give them an edge.
Improving as a team means staying open, trusting each other, and being ready to change. By using each player’s strengths and working together, the team can face challenges and achieve great things in Valorant.
Conclusion
Finding the perfect Valorant team is a journey that needs patience, dedication, and the right tools. Whether you’re a duelist, initiator, sentinel, or controller, there’s a team for you. Use platforms like Discord, Gankster, social media, and GameTree to find players who love the game as much as you do.
When looking for teammates, focus on communication, playstyle, and attitude. These are key for a strong team that can conquer challenges. For better skills, try TurboBoost.gg. There, you can play with Radiant players at good prices and learn a lot.
Starting to find the best Valorant team might seem hard, but keep trying and stay open-minded. Soon, you’ll be with people who share your goals. Growing together, you’ll get better at the game and make friends for life. So, take the first step and find your perfect Valorant team!
Danish-Chilean artist Molina has released a new song, ‘Neverland’, taken from her debut album, When You Wake Up. It follows the previously shared ‘Scorpio’ and the ML Buch collaboration ‘Organs’. Check it out below.
“Neverland’ is my sonic interpretation of how parentage is experienced through generations,” Molina explained in a statement.
When You Wake Up will arrive on October 11 via Escho.
Angel is a London-based multimedia artist excelling in redefining mundane elements in life by harnessing the pre-existing. It appears that media represents the fertile soil for her deconstruction and reorganization. Her works embody an artistic language full of rejections of definitions and perfectionism, rebelling against consumption alienation and colonization in daily life. Through intimately intertwining different materials, Angel transforms defined and disciplined objects into new roles in a new realm, even endowing them with their own languages, which dismantles old orders and fosters new ones. Nonetheless, are these really orders? They may resemble the upside-down world in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. In Angel’s narratives, it seems that we walk into Jorge Luis Borges’ The Garden of Forking Paths, since there is no linearity and each branch derives a new reality (she may not call it reality herself because absolutes are absent in her world).
In her independently designed and implemented “white euphoria” series, Angel created a range of sensual underwear tailored specifically for white household appliances, such as washing machines, microwaves, refrigerators and air conditioners, and made headwear using different mineral materials. She invited models of different races, skin colors, and genders to showcase these unique headwear and sensual underwear. In painting, Rothko uniquely treated color edges through adeptly eliminating the conceptual limitations that may arise when using the elements. Similarly, Angel’s works blur boundaries. In the creation of headwear, she utilized some special materials that mimic the texture of stones and minerals, and the headwear was endowed with different colors and textures according to the diverse skin tones of the models. This enables stones to be “textures” which witness gradual elimination of boundaries with human skin, fostering a blend between human body and inorganic substances like stones.
In this series, Angel endowed household appliances with the potential to be sexy. In the process of the performance, the stark outlines of machines outlined by fabrics intertwined with the curvy contours of the human body, blurring the boundaries between machines and humanity. As Angel herself puts it, “Household appliances are similar to the autonomic nervous system in the living space of our homes. They operate independently of consciousness, and regulate the basic physiological activities of our internal organs, including breathing and heartbeat, sustaining the most fundamental instincts of lives.” Different from furniture including tables and chairs, which have direct sensory intimacy with the human body, white household appliances, in Angel’s perspective, can evoke a sense of sexual frigidity. Combined with their inherent whiteness, this tends to diminish the existence of white household appliances, reducing them solely to machines for use and function.
Along the tide of industrial revolution, functional electrical appliances were mass-produced, and women’s status and the production of women-oriented products underwent significant advancements. Lace, once exclusive to aristocrats, and women’s underwear, initially only having functionality, were changed in terms of production and functionality with industrial development. Notably, after entering the 20th century, lace and women’s underwear gradually evolved from mere symbols of function and status to signs of women’s self-expression and sensuality. The emergence of household appliances and industrialized production in the mid-20th century were pivotal factors in gradually emancipating women from traditional familial roles. The elements converged by industrial revolution, coupled with the mineral elements in headwear, thought by Angel as representatives of non-human time span unit, gradually generated a unique “fabric of time” through Angel’s elimination and organization of their boundaries, resembling the concept employed in Angel’s ongoing video editing prototype project.
In Angel’s other works, a profound “sense of texture” pervades, as she endeavors to evoke viewers’ sensory experiences and make them feel the quality and depth of images through emphasizing texture. She believes that texture adds a layer of realism and tangibility, enhancing the immersive nature of her images. Angel’s works never exist in isolation from their environments; instead, she continuously ponders how to foster interactions between development, tradition and reality. It is possible that intervening in the environment is the role Angel assumes in her creations. Angel thinks that the rules and regulations of the conventional world are her building materials. She shatters these building materials and creates a new language through different media, breaking down established orders and reconstructing her own new order, which embraces all existences and allows everything to happen.
So, you’re thinking about giving your outdoor space a bit of a makeover, huh? Whether it’s a backyard, a patio, or a small deck, upgrading your outdoor area can transform it into your favorite spot to relax, entertain, or just soak up some sunshine. But where do you even start? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. From choosing the best stain for a cedar fence to adding cozy seating, let’s walk through some simple, yet impactful ways to upgrade your outdoor area for maximum enjoyment—without breaking a sweat.
Assess Your Space: What’s Your Outdoor Potential?
First things first: take a good look at your space. What’s already working? What’s not? Maybe you’ve got a nice patch of grass but no place to sit. Or perhaps you’ve got an awesome view, but no way to enjoy it comfortably. The key here is to figure out how you want to use the space. Are you dreaming of outdoor dinners with friends? A peaceful spot to read and sip coffee? Maybe a place where the kids can safely play while you relax nearby?
Once you know what you want from your outdoor area, it’s time to start planning the upgrades. The great thing is, that no matter the size of your space, there are always ways to make it more functional and enjoyable. You can look for more inspiration on this page.
Designing for Comfort and Style
When it comes to outdoor living, comfort is key. Think about adding cozy seating, whether it’s a set of lounge chairs or a cushioned bench. If you want to make things even more comfortable, throw in some outdoor pillows or a soft rug. Want a little extra shade? A pergola or umbrella can provide shelter from the sun while keeping the vibe casual and inviting.
And speaking of vibe, don’t forget about the deck! If you already have one, maybe it’s time for a refresh. Or, if your yard is looking a little plain, consider hiring professional deck builders to install a multi-level deck that blends seamlessly with the rest of your home. A well-constructed deck not only adds to the aesthetic but also creates more usable space for lounging or entertaining. According to EBD Studios, thoughtful design is about harmonizing functionality with aesthetics to create spaces that inspire and connect people with their environment.
Bringing Nature to Your Doorstep
Now, let’s talk about greenery. You don’t need to have a green thumb to add a touch of nature to your outdoor area. Even a few well-placed plants can make a world of difference. Think about potted plants or hanging baskets if you’re short on space. Or, if you’ve got a bit more room, consider adding some raised garden beds for herbs, veggies, or flowers.
Vertical gardens are another great option if you’re working with a small space. They’re trendy, they look amazing, and they don’t take up much room. Plus, having more greenery around just makes everything feel fresher and more relaxing. Who doesn’t want that?
Creating a Focal Point with Unique Outdoor Elements
Want to make a statement? Adding a unique focal point, like a water feature or a fire pit, can do just that. Imagine the soft sound of running water from a small fountain or the cozy warmth of a fire pit during a cool evening. These features not only look great but also add an extra layer of enjoyment to your space.
A fire pit, for instance, can instantly become a gathering spot for roasting marshmallows or simply staying warm on chilly nights. And water features? They add a soothing vibe that’s hard to beat. Whether it’s a small bubbling fountain or a larger pond, water elements can turn an ordinary yard into a peaceful retreat.
Outdoor Cooking and Dining Areas
If you love entertaining (or just eating outside), then an outdoor kitchen or dining area is a must. Setting up a small grill station or even a more elaborate outdoor kitchen can transform your backyard into a hub of social activity. But even if you’re keeping it simple, make sure to invest in some quality outdoor furniture.
Durable, weatherproof tables and chairs are essential, but they don’t have to be boring! Look for pieces that fit your style and match the overall aesthetic of your home. And don’t forget—comfort is key. So, find seating that’s not just stylish but also cozy enough to make your guests want to linger long after dinner is done.
Technology and Modern Comforts
Why not take your outdoor space into the 21st century? These days, there’s a ton of tech that can enhance your outdoor experience. Think outdoor speakers for music, smart lighting that adjusts as the sun goes down, or even a weatherproof TV for movie nights under the stars.
But if you’re also conscious about your energy consumption (and who isn’t these days?), look into energy-efficient options like solar-powered lights or eco-friendly outdoor appliances. This way, you can enjoy all the comforts of modern technology without feeling guilty about your environmental footprint.
Create Zones for Versatility
Here’s a pro tip: create different zones in your outdoor area. This makes your space feel bigger and more versatile. For instance, you can have a dining area in one spot, a lounging zone in another, and maybe even a small play area for the kids or pets.
To separate the zones, you don’t need to build walls or fences. Something as simple as using planters, hedges, or outdoor rugs can visually divide the space without making it feel cramped. Plus, creating zones makes your outdoor area feel more organized and purposeful.
Finishing Touches: Make It Your Own
Now for the fun part—decorating! The finishing touches are where your personality can really shine. Add outdoor pillows in fun patterns, hang some string lights, or even lay down an outdoor rug to tie everything together.
These little touches may seem small, but they can totally transform the vibe of your space. And don’t forget—this is your outdoor retreat, so make it feel like you. Whether that means quirky garden sculptures or a color-coordinated theme, the choice is all yours.
Conclusion: Your Outdoor Haven Awaits
Upgrading your outdoor space doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start by thinking about how you want to use the space, then gradually add elements that suit your style and needs. Whether it’s adding a comfy seating area, sprucing up your garden, or incorporating modern tech, these small upgrades can make a huge difference.
We all have a idea of what fashion looked like in the 1970s as this era was know as the disco era. A time of hippies with sleek night clubs and long greasy hair. Following the free-spirited rebellion and counterculture, flared jeans were more common than ever in this time period. This was a shift from the previous iconic slim-fitted bell bottoms.
Like any other fashion trend, flared jeans disappeared in the 1980s but have been back since the early 2000s. They are a popular choice for those who are more edgy, but this style of jeans has been see making a bigger comeback than anyone is realizing.
The trend has been embraced by musicians and celebrities alike and has solidified flared jeans as a fashion staple once again and have quickly become a must-have for both men and women.
A fashion statement commonly worn with platform shoes and colorful tops in the 70s as they were more popular during music festivals and disco clubs.
The flared jeans trend was adopted in the 2020s, and different celebrities and influencers were seen wearing the style frequently. For this reason, the style has received more attention and has become a classic in the evolving world of fashion. Not just in the form of jeans however as it became increasingly popular to wear legging material flares.
The Return of Flared Jeans in Modern Fashion
Flared jeans are a perfect example of how trends fade and then come back with modifications. As though the style is being reborn every time it is being introduced to a new generation of people.
Its resurgence draws attention from every corner of the music industry. In 2024, the flared jeans you get have a modern twist, blending it with the contemporary style, offering comfort and an effortless chic look.
The new flared jeans come in different forms:
High-waisted cuts with elongated legs
High-waisted cuts with wide legs
Stacked Flared Jeans, A Modern Twist on a Retro Classic
A notable style is the stacked flared jeans, featuring long hems that stack up at the ankles. This style gives you a laid-back vibe, perfect for a street style.
Combining retro flair and modern streetwear, it makes you look elegant. These jeans offer infinite styling possibilities for all types of occasions, a casual daytime look or evening out.
Cultural Influences Behind the Revival of Flared Jeans
Why did flared jeans make such a strong comeback? It can be attributed to the music industry and other cultural movements. They are mainly done by music artists in genres like.
Pop
Rock
Hip-hop
These singers use flared jeans as part of their signature looks, bringing out the free-spirited energy of their songs.
A great example is that rock musicians often wear flared jeans and are known for the look and if they’re not wearing that, dare I say they even wear flared one pieces. Similarly, the film industry is contributing to the revival. As you watch retro-themed shows like Stranger Things, you will notice this iconic style.
As a result, as a viewer, you are inspired to add these styles to your daily fashion. Also, stars like Laura Whitmore and Anne Hathaway often rock flares, bringing them back into the mainstream.
What about fashion influencers? They are also not left behind in ensuring you are updated about this fashion trend.
The versatility of this style is all over the internet; it’s hard for you to miss out.
Interestingly, the trend is more embraced by a generation that has not experienced it before. In an article by Vogue, Christina Allaire recognized how hard it was to shift from skinny jeans to flared jeans. However, the runways and street styles have proven that flared jeans can work with anyone.
Unlike in the past, when flared jeans were associated with hippie-dippy style, they are now more sophisticated. They are the perfect to give you an alternative for an effortless, polished look.
Conclusion
The style as mentioned before is ever evolving as you can upgrade your flared to stacked flared jeans now as the style can be modified to suit your own style. The style is versatile, owing to their image in the social media, film, and music industries. Consequently, they offer everyone something to work with.
Flared jeans are not just a passing trend; they are a staple style that will continue to affect the fashion world for many more years to come. It’s exciting to see what new creations they will inspire.
Kristian Dunn (El Ten Eleven) and Damon Che (Don Caballero) have formed a new band, Yesness, whose debut album, See You at the Solipsist Convention, will arrive on November 22 via Joyful Noise Recordings. Check out the lead single, ‘Not So Sorry Now Are You?’, below.
Karl Hofstetter, founder and curator of Joyful Noise, introduced the pair via email in April 2023. “We were ships in the night of the musical variety until Karl found a way to merge our paths,” Che commented. “There are very few comparisons in the aesthetic approach to how we created the music. We worked remotely for eight months before physically meeting for the first time at the recording studio.”
About the new song, Dunn said: “This is one of the first songs I decided to add a bit of piano to. The part is ridiculously simple but seems to add some gravitas and still leave plenty of room for Damon to do his thing!”
“Aped the double heart throb bass drum pattern from the drummer in my dad’s band I always admired when I was a teenager,” Che added. “I’m glad Kristian put the piano passage in this one. It takes me back to when music was classy without even trying.”
See You at the Solipsist Convention Cover Artwork:
See You at the Solipsist Convention Tracklist:
1. Not So Sorry Now Are You?
2. Occasional Grape?
3. Nice Walrus
4. If You Say So
5. People Don’t Like It When You Call Them Ace
6. Fire, When It’s Broken
7. Your Reverb Is Showing
8. Horror Snuggle
9. You Didn’t Need Those Pencils Did You?
10. There’s No One on Board
11. See Through Wolf Costume
12. Non-incredible Visitor
EA Sports has officially released the top player ratings for NHL 25, highlighting the elite talent across the league. Featuring the game’s biggest stars, the list includes top performers in every position, from goalies to centers.
To no one’s surprise, the ratings are led by names like Connor McDavid, Cale Makar, and Nikita Kucherov, who top their respective categories. Below is a breakdown of the highest-rated players across all positions curated by John at Finestcasinosonline.com:
Top 5 NHL 25 Player Ratings by Position
Goalkeepers:
Connor Hellebuyck – 93
Igor Shesterkin – 92
Andrei Vasilevskiy – 92
Thatcher Demko – 91
Jake Oettinger – 90
Left Defensemen:
Quinn Hughes – 94
Roman Josi – 93
Miro Heiskanen – 92
Victor Hedman – 92
Rasmus Dahlin – 91
Right Defensemen:
Cale Makar – 95
Charlie McAvoy – 92
Adam Fox – 92
Noah Dobson – 89
Alex Pietrangelo – 89
Left Wingers:
Artemi Panarin – 95
Kirill Kaprizov – 93
Matthew Tkachuk – 92
Jason Robertson – 91
Kyle Connor – 91
Right Wingers:
Nikita Kucherov – 95
David Pastrňák – 95
Mikko Rantanen – 93
Sam Reinhart – 91
Mitchell Marner – 91
Centers:
Connor McDavid – 97
Leon Draisaitl – 96
Nathan MacKinnon – 95
Auston Matthews – 94
Sidney Crosby – 93
These ratings reflect the top-tier players in the NHL, showcasing a balance of seasoned veterans and rising stars.
Thom Yorke is adapting Radiohead’s classic 2003 album Hail to the Thief for a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The show, titled Hamlet Hail to the Thief, was adapted by directors Steven Hoggett and Christine Jones, with arrangements by Justin Levine. It will have its world premiere at Aviva Studios in Manchester from April 27 to May 18, 2025, before moving to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from June 4-28, 2025.
“This is an interesting and intimidating challenge!” Yorke said in a press statement. “Adapting the original music of Hail to The Thief for live performance with the actors on stage to tell this story that is forever being told, using its familiarity and sounds, pulling them into and out of context, seeing what chimes with the underlying grief and paranoia of Hamlet, using the music as a ‘presence’ in the room, watching how it collides with the action and the text. Ghosting one against the other.”
Jones added:
The first Radiohead concert I ever saw was the Hail to the Thief tour in 2003. It changed my DNA. Not long after, I was reading Hamlet and listening to the album. Paying attention to the lyrics, I became aware of how many songs from Hail to the Thief speak to the themes of the play. There are uncanny reverberances between the text and the album. For years I’ve wanted to see the play and album collide in a piece of theatre; eventually I shared the idea with Thom, who was intrigued. I wasn’t sure what we would make, but I knew I wanted to make it with Steven and continue experimenting and building on work we have done together over many years.
We’ve found that the play haunts the album, and the album haunts the play. Both reflect the internal disquiet and rage that result from despair—in particular despair arising from scrutiny of dominant power structures—whether within governments, communities, or families. The text and music probe us relentlessly to question what we are made of, and how to discern right from wrong.
Earlier this year, Thom Yorke provided the score for Daniele Luchetti’s Confidenza.
