The Antlers have announced a new album. Blight, the follow-up to 2021’s Green to Gold, arrives October 10 via Transgressive Records. I enjoyed the band’s last album, but there’s nothing on it quite like the new single ‘Carnage’, which, in its hushed devastation, might stand among Peter Silberman’s best. Check out a lyric video for it below, and scroll down for the album cover and tracklist.
“‘Carnage’ is a song about a kind of violence we rarely acknowledge — violence not born of cruelty, but of convenience,” Silberman said in a statement. “Innocent creatures are swept up in the path of destruction as their world collides with ours, and we barely notice.”
Blight was tracked over the course of a few years, with most of the recording and production taking place in Silberman’s home studio in upstate New York. “So much of the record was conceived while walking these massive fields,” he explained. “I felt like I was wandering around an abandoned planet.”
Expounding on the newfound directness of his lyrical approach, Silberman added: “The consequences of accelerating technology and environmental neglect feel imminent; that sense of urgency made me want to speak more candidly. The present-day specifics are so unsettling, and tomorrow’s possibilities are so surreal… there’s no need to mince words.”
Following Green to Gold, Silberman helped co-produce Wild Pink’s breakout ILYSM and released the debut album from Cowboy Sadness, his instrumental band featuring David Moore (Bing & Ruth) and Nicholas Principe (Port St. Willow).
Blight Cover Artwork:
Blight Tracklist:
1. Consider the Source
2. Pour
3. Carnage
4. Blight
5. Something in the Air
6. Deactivate
7. Calamity
8. A Great Flood
9. They Lost All of Us
When Ruth spots Maria in the line to get clothes for the new school year as a child, she’s immediately entranced. Not for any particular reason, but Ruth, a daughter of Kenyan immigrants living in New England, needs something to latch onto. So begins her life of lightly trailing behind, returning back to Maria even through snowy nights where she may have been kidnapped by their teacher, through college, where Ruth’s artsy boyfriend irritates Maria, and afterwards in Manhattan, where Maria’s confessional art and protective girlfriend Sheila alienates Ruth, who suddenly feels cut out of the only deep relationship she’s had in her whole life. As Ruth navigates the art world in turn, dealing with tokenizing gallery owners and her earnest, supportive husband, she wonders if she can function without Maria before she returns with an intense plea to commit to a life together. Robust, meaningful, and poignant without losing its humor, Stephanie Wambugu’s standout debut Lonely Crowds narrates a complicated friendship for the ages.
Our Culture sat down with Wambugu to talk about psychoanalysis, entitlement, and friendship.
Congratulations on your debut novel! How does it feel now that it’s almost out?
I feel good, strangely. I don’t think the panic is really hitting me. I’m sure it’ll come at the most inopportune moment. But I feel happy, and so far people have been very positive and generous about it.
I saw a Goodreads review that said the novel could be the length of A Little Life, and I agree. Did you ever think about expanding it?
I will say that my drafting process is that just as much as I keep, I throw out. There’s so many scrapped pages from this novel that never made it, and I’m not very sentimental about throwing out parts of the draft. I think that sort of sensibility will naturally yield shorter books. I will tell on myself and say I saw the same good review. I don’t check my Goodreads anymore, but I used to, because I couldn’t help myself. I wondered, maybe there’s another book out here like this that should be 700 pages, it’s just not my impulse. I can’t see it being anything other than what it is.
Tell me a little bit about developing Ruth’s voice. I thought she was entertainingly detached, but very astute.
I felt there’s something really capacious about a child narrator, which she truthfully isn’t, because it’s an adult woman recounting her childhood. But I think there were a lot of opportunities to use her naiveté strategically in order to survey the world around her since the basic mechanics of it were lost on her. Using her as a fly on the wall or something. But then as an adult, she’s very cynical and detached as you say. I like those two extremes — that she can be at once standoffish and aloof, and also be this sponge and repository for what’s going around her when you’re in the section where she’s a child.
You write in the acknowledgements that this is a book about friendship, and I’m curious why you chose such a fractured and complicated one to explore.
The funny thing is the emphasis on it being such a troubled friendship only really occurred to me after the book was sold. My feeling was like, ‘It’s not that bad!’ I don’t know, especially when you’re younger and your life is so enmeshed with your peers and you spend more time at school than you do sometimes at home, I feel like it’s very common to have these codependent, tense and fraught friendships. As far as the kinds of things I’ve seen, I didn’t even think they were that antagonistic. But of course I reread it and I go, ‘Yeah, they’re being explicitly cruel to one another.’ But I also think one of the yardsticks for how close you are with someone is how much you can have really intense conflict and this real ambivalence with them. An acquaintance [would] would never provoke these strong feelings. In order to make them seem close, they needed to have what you described as a very fractured relationship.
Why do you think Ruth falls so heavily into Maria’s orbit? Is she just a respite from the monotony of the town?
For one thing, why do we fall into anybody’s orbit? It’s hard to find someone compelling until after the fact. Maybe to illustrate what I mean, for the past year, I was in psychoanalysis, and you’re encouraged to talk about the analysis itself in addition to what other material you bring into it. In the final session, I was able to say, ‘I didn’t like this about our relationship, I found you to be this way,’ etc. And my analyst would tell me, ‘I found you to be this way.’ It’s sort of like a breakup where you’re able to then apprehend what happened, only when it was over. Similarly, when a relationship starts to disintegrate, you’re able to say, ‘That’s what their personality was like. That’s what drew me to them.’ In the midst of it, it’s hard to articulate why you even find someone compelling. Ruth is trying to figure out why she finds Maria so compelling; because it’s written in first person, you get all this information about Maria through Ruth’s subjectivity. It’s not totally verifiable that she’s so special and charming. If you were to have another authority come in and say, ‘This person is ordinary,’ it would really cause Ruth’s narrative to unravel. She insists on her friend’s exceptionality, but it’s unclear whether or not that’s true.
Back to that therapy bit, I don’t think I could handle it if someone said, ‘Here’s something you did that I didn’t like.’
I guess it wasn’t stuff that she didn’t like, because they’re not making judgments, it’s more observational. They all go speak to one another to debrief, and I’m sure then there’s opportunity to be judgmental. But I guess it was moreso, ‘This is what informed the relationship I had with you.’ I think it’s incredible how vulnerable you are when you’re in analysis. These people are incredibly influential over your life, and you don’t really know them from any other stranger. It was such a strange period in my life. I want to do it again, but I don’t know that it has a positive relationship to my writing. It was hard to be generative at that time, maybe because I was metabolizing all of the things I was thinking about so much already in analysis, that by the time I sat down to write, I felt emotionally spent.
One explanation for Ruth’s trance may come when you write, “I had the sense to know that if you find someone better or more beautiful, you support them.” Do you think this is true?
I don’t know if I would personally put that into practice in my life, but there is a Saul Bellow story, “A Silver Dish,” where he says something like “We love selfish people because they ask for what we can’t.” And we give it to them! I think people respond quite well to entitlement. Calling someone entitled is an insult, but if you watch how entitled people operate in the world, others are giving them what they want. I’m glad you find it funny, because I think it’s kind of a joke, where you have to defer to special people, but I do think that Maria just behaves in a way that she expects preferential treatment. She found the perfect person to give it to her.
I thought she was so funny. There was one line where she was counting her woes, and it ended like, ‘And I don’t even have a cell phone!’
[Laughs] Well, that’s me. Some people have all the luck and I don’t even have a cell phone. That’s definitely how it feels when you’re licking your wounds and you’re like, ‘And I don’t have this pair of shoes.’ I’m the most beleaguered person in the world.
It seems like people are always abandoning Ruth — Maria one snowy night as children, and later in college, her boyfriend James. Why do you think she remains loyal, or at least hopeful?
Aw, that’s such a sad question!
I was getting sad when I noticed it!
Well, totally. I think you have to have a bit of amnesia in order to fall in love or get close to people again. I think if people really remember the patterns in their romantic lives or childhood and acted accordingly, you’d completely be a shut-in and never try again. She’s trying to be optimistic. And while she can be kind of jaded, that could be a pose to conceal a real hopefulness. I feel she is a romantic person. The book opens with her talking about being a devoted person. Devotion is an integral part of her personality and worldview. I think she does just want to be someone’s acolyte or disciple.
I like that Ruth’s sexuality is always in question, never defined — she doesn’t reflect much on it until Maria says “Everyone can tell you aren’t attracted to men.” Was it a conscious choice to have her so repressed?
Yeah, in a way, because I think some personalities are more interested in making themselves legible in that way. There are people I know who see coming out as beside the point. Maybe they’ve had relationships with men and women alike, textbook bisexuals, but would never call themselves that. It’s interesting why people do or don’t disclose that. It’s not even necessarily clear that her parents are homophobic, and I think that ambiguity was important. I think she has a strained relationship with them, but I don’t think it would have been so catastrophic to come out. But, like, come out as what? That’s the lingering question, and I’m not really sure what her deal is. When I was re-reading it recently I was like, ‘Maybe she’s just asexual.’ I guess I wanted it to seem like she’s trying things on for size. Trying to find what it is that she finds compelling, and ultimately I’m not sure if she finds anything.
After Ruth is engaged and she confesses to feeling pressure to say yes, Maria says, “How would that look? That’s the quintessential question of your life.” Why did you want to write a character so concerned about outside influence?
Even though this ends up not being the most important thread in the book, she comes from this Kenyan family, and it’s not like they go to a cosmopolitan city or anything, it’s actually very similarly religious and insular. It kind of mirrors the conservatism of her family, even though they’re not the most conservative people in the world. They’re certainly living in a way that’s different from the peers she has in college, or the milieu she enters in New York City. I think in a culture like that, those early cultures she was a part of, optics are really important, maybe more important than what’s actually happening. The things I think artists place emphasis on, like self-expression, pride, individuality, are not things that are celebrated in a culture that’s more collectivist and concerned with how things look. That’s a source of tension between her and Maria, because Maria is eager to be in a world where she can announce who she is and make this fairly autobiographical art. That’s another distinction between the two of them — Ruth is not really making art about herself. It’s not confessional. Whereas Maria’s work is much more about her personal history, it uses footage from her own life, she’s more comfortable disclosing these things about herself.
Maybe this is more about what I observe about being a young American now that has a different first culture, but I’m surprised how little people care about how they come across. Or a lack of obligation. I don’t think I’m uptight, but sometimes I think a little more shame might be… People are really shameless! Maybe in terms of respectability. I think people are incredibly self-conscious about not wanting to be seen as cringy or have a real fear of being embarrassed. I think about, like, politeness, manners, and obligation. I think about flakiness. This is the most benign example, but I can’t imagine my mother, for example, cancelling on someone at the last minute. Maybe it’s a generational thing. It’s so amorphous because it might be something that belongs to a generation, it might be because of the culture someone comes from, but there’s a social cohesion that is falling apart. But maybe it needs to fall apart for people to enjoy their individuality. It comes at a cost.
I thought that how Maria and Sheila behaved as a couple was so real and so infuriating, how they both let the affect the other, or “corrupt,” as Ruth thinks. What was the inspiration for this relationship?
Should I name names? [Laughs] I was thinking the other day that there’s nothing worse than someone who’s a bit unhinged finding their match in a romantic partner who is also unhinged. Because then there’s no baseline anymore, you can endlessly spiral and see completely delusional behavior as normal. The goalposts keep moving. People can be enabled in the worst way by their partners, and this situation between Maria and Sheila is such a pressure cooker because they also have endless resources. As far as young twentysomethings in the city are concerned, money isn’t really an object, so there’s a certain insularity to the way they live. I don’t think either one is willing to reel the other in. It’s troubling to watch one person being opportunistic or out-of-touch, but when you have a couple, it can be exponentially worse.
Ruth drunkenly gets into an argument with an artistic friend who said that her paintings weren’t “African enough.” Ruth says that her paintings will outlive Africa, and America, for that matter. What did you want to explore with that conversation?
Typically if she were sober, she’d take it on the chin and not say anything, completely internalize it. She’s an incredibly porous person and up until that point you see her taking on the judgements of other people as fact. Primarily from Maria but also her parents; she completely accepts the characteristics that are assigned to her externally. She has this evening where she’s a little bit loose because she’s taken these drugs and been drinking. I mean, she’s ranting. It’s a ridiculous, grandiose thing to say. Basically, she’s saying, I’m above those constructs. There was a whole cultural moment where a lot of rappers would say, ‘I’m not a rapper, I’m a musician.’ And I think it’s people not wanting to be ghettoized or marginalized in a genre they see as not universal. Saying someone is an African artist maybe implies their work is not as universal as a European artist. I think now in our generation, those questions are kind of besides the point, and I can’t imagine someone asking, ‘Do you see yourself as a Black writer, or a writer?’ It seems like those have been put to bed, but I think that’s what she’s trying to express. These identity markers are not meaningful to her, and she’s raging against them. She has many moments like that, and I wonder where she ultimately lands. There’s also a moment later where a Black student comes up to her and says, “It’s so wonderful to have a Black professor that cares so much about us,’ and Ruth doesn’t know who she’s talking about. Looking around like, ‘I don’t know what you mean.’ So maybe those are linked moments, her rejecting that categorization.
In the 90s, Ruth spends time with gallery owners and curators who are in the process of collecting Black and African art, because they say, “Black artists are really hot right now.” I was wondering what you thought about the overlap between appreciation and fetishization.
Part of the reason I set the book when I did was because I think a simpler book could have been written about the moment after Black Lives Matter, and I’ve said this before, but art has so many parallels in response to the kinds of state violence. It was first Trayvon Martin, but even moreso, after George Floyd, there was a huge boom in the market for Black artists, and it’s very similar at the time this novel is set. There’s many articles written about that now — paintings that were selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars can’t be sold at all. I think then, like now, you can’t know if someone wants your work because they want to tokenize you or if they want your work because of its merit. You have to decide on your own if your work has merit. I don’t think people are going to leave money on the table. On one hand I think there’s something cynical about feeling like an artist selling a painting or a writer selling a book is a recourse from the violence that’s done to the poorest members of their racial group. But at the same time, people need a livelihood. I think she has to deal with both of those things.
By the time the novel opens, you see she’s had real success; she has this sold-out show, she has a job teaching, all the trappings of a successful artist. I think her bitterness is because of a feeling that her success is unearned, or came at the cost of certain kinds of integrity, or her work is framed in a certain way she’d preferred for it not to be framed, and the interpersonal sadness about the relationship that maps onto her career with her friend who had the same trajectory, but didn’t seem to care about cashing in and making the money that was available to her. And the novel opens with someone telling Ruth, ‘It’s a really good time to be an African artist.’ I guess the other side of it is, if there’s such a thing as a good time to be an African artist, is there a bad time too? What happens when everyone packs up their things and goes on to the next thing? It’s not really a sustainable model to collect people on the basis of identity and then abandon them when it’s no longer lucrative.
Finally, what’s next for you as a writer?
I’m working on a second novel, and I’ve been working away at it since I was in grad school. It’s about a young writer, she’s lovesick, in a bad romantic situation. I’m reluctant to say more because I think tomorrow I could scrap it and change it drastically, so I don’t want to be wedded to what I say. What I do know is that I’ve titled it No Use, which I’ve had since grad school. That, I feel certain about. More soon, I hope!
Desperately Seeking Susan, Madonna’s first major picture role, inspired me to declare my senior year of high school my Madonna Year. That year was not, as you might guess, 1985, but 2018; the year Madonna turned 60. The mononymous Madge (mononymous in the class of the likes of Plato, Homer, and Cher) returns with her 15th studio album, Veronica Electronica, which features previously unreleased songs from her 1998 album Ray of Light. I thought I should celebrate this ‘Holiday’ with a list of Madonna songs plucked from her wide discography for their association with an iconic Madonna moment from her nearly fifty-year career. Veronica Electronia will have you wondering ‘Who’s That Girl’ until you realize, ‘She’s Not Me’ ‘She Is a Diamond’, but ‘Sooner or Later’ ‘You’ll See’ and ‘Get Into the Groove’, until you declare this year your Madonna Year too.
‘Like a Virgin’
If you know Madonna like I do, then you know her first number one single was ‘Like a Virgin’. A teasingly sensational disco-meets-virgin/whore-complex single that implied plainly through the lyric, “made me feel like a virgin,” that she was not the aforementioned virgin. Was she a whore? Depends on who you ask, but this is where Madonna’s sexual power originates. A freewheeling I can be this and that and get me my purse darling I’m going out kind of sexuality Madonna effortlessly exudes. Released in 1984, she performed this number at the MTV Music Awards in a quickie-Vegas-style-wedding dress with a belt that read ‘Boy Toy’ causing quite a stir. Remember, this was the year George Orwell predicted absolute government control. Madonna proved the only kind of control around, at least for her, was how far she could roll around on stage while remaining in camera view.
‘Erotica’
In 1992 Madonna released her Sex coffee table book. The Sex book set the tone for a decade obsessed with the images of sex undergirded by the AIDS crisis that cultivated fear of it. Recently I had the chance to look at a signed copy (courtesy of the estate of Ann Kwong) and I tried fiercely to not lick Madonna’s signature. The book came with a CD featuring the single ‘Erotica’ from the Erotica album. I listened to the lyrics sing out loud the sexual fantasies of Madonna’s Sex book persona Dita as I flipped through the nudes overlaid with text, brimming with sex.
‘Vogue’
Released in 1990, one year before the documentary of New York City drag culture Paris is Burning, Madonna popularized (or appropriated, as we understand it today) vogue as a verb. Thirty years later, the TV show Glee aired an episode titled ‘The Power of Madonna’. The writers’ strangely crafted plot lines around the theme of empowerment to fit in as many Madonna numbers as possible (sort of like I tried to do in my introduction to this listicle) made not all songs stick the landing. I wanted to be rescued from the boys’ rendition of ‘What It Feels Like For a Girl’ as swiftly as Madonna rescued Nana from ‘Ol Kuntz’ guest house in the music video. Though Sue Sylvester’s rendition of ‘Vogue’ where she changes the lyrics from “Betty Davis we love you” to “Will Shuester I hate you,” eliciting a fourth wall break from her and Kurt, is an Xtravaganza of comic fierceness near Madonna’s own.
‘Hung Up’
In 2005, Madonna released her Confessions on a Dance Floor album which was my baby’s first Madonna album. Though I first rocked out to ‘Music’ as an infant, when this album came out I was old enough to sing along to ‘Let It Will Be’, ‘Isaac’, and ‘Push’. I was enthralled by the Judaica melodies and reimagining of biblical stories brought on by Madonna’s then strange commitment to Kabbalah. ‘Hung Up’ stands out because Madonna had long been a mother by the time she strutted in a hot pink leotard across a ballet studio in the ‘Hung Up’ music video. The quiet entry gives the scene an air of finally some me time, which she flaunts at 47 with bravada as fit as a fiddle. I heard Madonna’s sample of ABBA in ‘Hung Up’ long before I ever heard of ABBA.
‘Express Yourself’
Madonna’s Blonde Ambition Tour (1990) and the accompanying documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare precipitated the genre of reality television that so inundates American reality today. (See: the reality TV president.) The black-and-white off-stage scenes carried immense drama for their newness, pulsating with wide visions of self-scrutiny Madonna allowed. This kind of all access performance, where music did not even overlay the striking silence in contrast to the live shows, Madonna performs professionalism and domesticity while painting herself as a mother to her younger dance crew. Why Express Yourself’? Because in Madonna’s world, if the cameras aren’t rolling, there is no point in expressing anything at all. Also: Cone bra.
‘You Must Love Me’
Madonna knows reinvention better than she knows her pinky toes. She underwent vocal training for the role of Éva Peron in the movie-musical Evita. At the 1997 Academy Awards she sang the single live, performing quite a different vision than her previous award ceremony stage shows. She appears much more restrained – acting rather than acting out. The song ‘You Must Love Me’ is perhaps the unspoken rallying cry of Madonna’s career. She mutates her sound to her own beat, yet always manages to make the world fit in the palm of her opera glove.
‘Into the Groove’
In Desperately Seeking Susan Madonna stands by the jukebox in a night club waiting for the husband of Roberta Glass (Rosanna Arquette), the woman obsessed with Madonna’s titular character Susan. In his boring bland beige suit he sticks out like a car salesman at a punk show. ‘Into the Groove’ plays and this yuppie is scared. It is clear that this is the realm of the cool, Madonna’s downtown world of queerness and perversity that ‘Into the Groove’ entices everyone to join. Though the role itself did not launch Madonna’s fame (she would get there on her own) it crafted an early picture of Madonna as the vision of ahead of her time (she takes selfies on a Polaroid). She would go on to star in several movies where she plays, essentially, herself.
‘Medellín’
In the decade before her 2019 studio album Madame X was released, Latin music and Reggaeton rose in popularity in the global music world. The first song on Madame X features Columbian artist Maluma, who accompanies Madonna in an English/Spanish call and response. Although Madonna has long been inspired by Latin music and culture (see: ‘La Isla Bonita’ and her role in Evita), the accusation of appropriation gets thrown at her constantly. In the opening of the music video for ‘Medellín’, Madonna whispers in a voice-over prayer: “From now on I am Madame X. And Madame X loves to dance, because you cannot hit a moving target.” Accusations of cultural appropriation miss Madonna because they can’t stick. Before anyone can craft a well-worded essay on Madonna being “problematic” she has already moved on. To Madonna anything is for the taking, and what she takes, she shares, though of course, not really.
‘Bitch, I’m Madonna’
Madonna once told Dick Clark she wanted to “rule the world.” Three decades later, ‘Bitch, I’m Madonna’, via her Rebel Heart album, was a toast to that desire fully realized. At the 2016 Billboard awards Madonna said, “The most controversial thing I’ve ever done is to stick around.” That was nearly a decade ago, and here she is, releasing another album. The music video’s bizarre spectacles of pink and celebrity cameos are unimaginable today. Though anyone who sings along – from Beyoncé to Diplo – can proclaim to be Madonna too.
Snooper have announced their second album, Worldwide. The follow-up to 2023’s Super Snooper is due October 3 on Third Man Records. The title track, out today, is frantic and a lot of fun. Check out a video for it below.
Snooper’s early work charmed listeners with its scuzzy, lo-fi approach, so it’s worth noting that the new record finds them teaming up with big-deal indie rock producer John Congleton. The band never previously considered working with a producer, so that’s a significant leap. “The whole idea behind this record was experimentation and change,” guitarist Connor Cummins said in a press release.
1. Opt Out
2. On Line
3. Company Car
4. Worldwide
5. Guard Dog
6. Hologram
7. Star *69
8. Blockhead
9. Come Together
10. Pom Pom
11. Relay
12. Subdivision
Back in those days, emails were all about formal communication. Formal language. Formal punctuation. Similarly, there was an unspoken rule about not using anything that makes your message casual or informal. Believe it or not, not sending formal emails was deemed disrespectful. However, language and communication continued to grow. Things are different now. While it’s still necessary to stick with formal emails, there’s now more room for emotion and lightness. Emojis are everywhere — even in professional settings. So, knowing how to add emojis in Outlook can be a real plus. It’s easy too. But if you’re unsure how to do it, we’ve got you covered!
Adding Emojis in Outlook on Windows
As per Microsoft Support, using emojis adds flair to your emails. At the same time, adding one is quick and easy on a Windows computer.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on what you need to do:
Go to Outlook and start composing an email.
Place your cursor where you want to insert the emoji.
Hit the Windows Key + Period (.) to access the Windows emoji picker.
The selection of emoji will appear, and click on the one you prefer.
When you’re finished, close the emoji panel.
Adding Emojis in Outlook on Mac
According to GeeksforGeeks, including emojis makes emails more engaging. There may be slight differences between the steps on a Windows and a Mac, but it’s essentially the same.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on what you need to do:
Open Outlook and start an email.
In the email body, place the cursor where the emoji needs to go.
Press Control + Command + Spacebar to open the emoji picker.
Choose the desired emoji and click on it.
Exit the emoji panel.
Adding Emojis in Outlook on Mobile
GeeksforGeeks says that adding emojis turns emails into expressive and visually appealing messages. Also, the emoji keyboard is built right in if you’re using the Outlook mobile app.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on what you need to do:
Run the Outlook App.
Tap the area where you type your message.
Access the emoji keyboard by pressing the smiley face.
Select and insert an emoji.
Things to Keep in Mind
Nowadays, adding emojis in Outlook emails is more acceptable. Specifically, they enhance your message by making it seem fun and expressive. However, it’s a good idea to use them appropriately. Understand the context of the conversation and decide if using an emoji is acceptable. Remember that it’s nice to lighten the tone, but it shouldn’t come off as unprofessional.
Communication today and from a few years ago is so much different. There was a time when texting meant using complete sentences and proper grammar. However, that’s not the case anymore — at least in informal or casual settings. Communication has gone through a significant transformation. Individuals, especially the younger generation, use shortcuts for words and phrases. Likewise, they create slang, abbreviations, and contractions. Some view it as progress, and others call it laziness. Also, one of these newer terms is LWK. So, read on to find out the LWK meaning and how to use it.
What Does LWK Mean?
LWK is a popular modern lingo used in text and on Snapchat. In particular, this slang term means “Lowkey.” According to Acromean, its definition is to keep something quiet or not attract attention to it. In other words, making things lowkey is like keeping things under the radar. Similarly, it’s typically used to depict a situation or someone who is not very noticeable.
Here are a few example sentences:
LWK, I kinda want to use slang terms at the office.
LWK think Hayley Williams is a great artist, not going to lie.
LWK, I’ve been obsessed with watching Delirium every night.
In every example, the person is trying to share a thought or a feeling without going all in. At the same time, using LWK softens the message. It also makes it seem more casual and not too loud.
Why Do People Use LWK?
Based on a FossBytes article, people use LWK to express ideas and feelings without being too obvious. It’s like keeping things under wraps. Also, it could indicate that someone really wants to do something but still won’t do it eventually. So, the meaning can vary in various contexts. But for the most part, it’s employed to show subtle emotions or express oneself in a laid-back way.
When Do You Use It?
As per the FossBytes article, you use LWK when telling a weak preference, expressing something casually, and saying something softly.
Here are a few example sentences:
I LWK want to resign from my work.
LWK tired right now, not going to lie.
In these examples, the inclusion of LWK adds a layer of emotion without making things look and feel too dramatic.
Alternative Meanings of LWK
Love With Kisses
Laughing With Kindness
Look Who’s Kidding
Laughter With Kindness
Time to Say Less
Now that you know the LWK meaning, you can converse clearly with others, even with young people. Also, language will continue to evolve. That means it’s better to stay in the loop. And understanding LWK is a good place to begin.
Games offer more than just a source of entertainment and passing the time; they’re a training ground for real-life skills. One of the most powerful takeaways from online gaming is the ability to be patient and plan ahead. Whether it is building your skills, winning a game, or experiencing a loss, if you are self-aware when playing online games, you will often come across several life lessons.
No one becomes a pro at gaming in one day, nor can people win a game without a proper plan. However, do you realise that patience and planning are two life skills that are essential for daily life? Online gaming can teach people life lessons, often subconsciously, and especially if people are self-aware.
Let’s explore how online gameplay, such as chess, strategy games, and rummy online, nurtures these traits and why it matters for both kids and adults.
What Makes Online Games a Good Teacher?
Online games often simulate real-life scenarios while having little to no real-life consequences. For instance, you are playing online chess. By being hasty and not being able to plan well, you lose a round to your opponent. However, this does not have much impact other than a slightly bruised ego. Similarly, you play an online rummy game, use the patience and planning that you loss in chess taught you and win. This will give you a better leaderboard position and some game tokens.
However, the true reward you get is the same in both a win and a loss. This means strategic thinking, timing, and careful planning, which are all life skills. Online games help you build your patience through trial, error, and long-term objectives. With little to no impact on your day-to-day happenings, online gaming teaches the biggest life lessons – patience and planning.
The Psychology of Patience and Planning in Games
Let’s look into a real-life online gaming scenario:
You open an account on an online rummy game platform. As a novice, you will not have the expertise that it takes to win. Thus, you will learn through the tutorials, play practice matches, and slowly build your skills. Once you start winning the practice matches, you participate in beginner tournaments. When you are confident in your skills, you join the pro tournaments. Plus, you do not win every game you play, but with practice, you certainly get better.
This entire process is one of delayed gratification, where players slowly build their skills and wait for the right time to obtain a better outcome. People also learn more about the risk-reward dynamics and how to make the right decisions during a game over time. Further, the satisfaction from strategic victories is rewarding and something that becomes a real-life takeaway.
This encourages people to practice patience and planning in their daily lives, slowly ingraining this into their psychology.
Game Types That Reinforce These Skills
To elaborate, how patience and planning are reinforced by each game type can be listed as below:
Game Type
How It Teaches Patience
How It Encourages Planning
Chess
Waiting for the opponent’s moves
Thinking several moves ahead
Turn-based RPGs
Waiting for your turn
Managing skill sets and tactics
iGaming and Mobile Games
Time-gated challenges
Resource and inventory planning
Card Games (e.g., online rummy game)
Drawing/discarding cycles
Set-building strategy
Strategy Games (e.g., Civ)
Building empires over time
Long-term economic and military planning
Table: The Way Online Games Help People Practice Patience and Planning
Real-Life Benefits of These Online Gaming Lessons
As people engage more with games like chess, RPGs, and rummy online, they gain the following real-life benefits:
Improved impulse control
Better problem-solving under pressure
Greater resilience, memory, and focus
Skill in anticipating consequences
Improved cognitive skills
Fast and efficient decision-making skills
Increased creativity and imagination
Stress relief, relaxation, and recreation
Further, these games also offer the following social benefits:
Better teamwork and communication skills
Learning how to collaborate and resolve conflict
Gaining an awareness of others’ cultures and perspectives
Thus, online gaming in moderation is arguably one of the most beneficial activities, both socially and cognitively.
How Parents and Educators Can Leverage These Games
Though many believe that online gaming can take up a lot of time and energy when it comes to children, the life skills taught by these games translate to children as well. To teach strategy, many teach their children how to play chess and Sudoku. This rings the same for online chess and other games as well.
Parents and educators can look into how they can introduce age-appropriate games that have strategic elements. This helps build their cognitive and problem-solving skills, teaching them how to work with peers and spatial intelligence.
Further, these games encourage reflective play. Thus, kids can understand the why behind their actions, learning how to curb impulsive actions. Adventure-based games can also provide experiences similar to real-life challenges, helping them gain an idea of actions and their consequences without any adverse impact.
Wrapping Up
Games help build patience and planning by encouraging delayed gratification, strategic decision-making, and thinking ahead, all of which are valuable skills in today’s fast-paced world. From grown-ups to children, online games offer something to everyone. With gaming, people learn to think beyond the screen, taking their lessons to real life, building their patience, and approaching things with proper planning.
Build Discipline With Online Gaming
Want to enjoy some light entertainment with online gaming while building discipline, patience, and planning skills? Take a pick from our list of game types that offer life lessons, download a game of your choice, and start playing.
What’s the real difference between a classic one-armed bandit and today’s feature-packed digital slots? And which one should you spin next? Keep reading — your next favorite game is just a scroll away.
I. Introduction: Two Worlds, One Battle
Slot machines have come a long way from their humble beginnings. Once clunky machines in dim casino corners, they’ve now become immersive digital universes. This evolution created two camps: Old School — lovers of simplicity, spinning cherries and sevens. New School — fans of multi-layered gameplay, movie tie-ins, and exploding bonus rounds.
This isn’t just a design difference. It’s a full-blown showdown — a Slot War. And whether you’re a nostalgic gambler or a modern-day spinner, there’s a side in this war with your name on it.
Want to explore both worlds in one place? Check out modern slot games onSpinBetter — where classics and innovations spin side by side.
II. Origins and Evolution of Slot Machines
The Mechanical Marvels
The first real slot machine — the Liberty Bell, built in 1895 by Charles Fey — featured three spinning reels, a simple lever, and five symbols. No frills. No features. Just pure chance and the satisfying clunk of coins hitting the tray.
From Reels to Screens
In the 1960s, electromechanical slots emerged. Then came the video slot revolution in the 1980s. No more gears or levers — just buttons and screens. Symbols started dancing, bonus rounds appeared, and payout possibilities exploded.
The Digital Leap
Today, online platforms and mobile apps dominate. With 3D graphics, progressive jackpots, and worldwide tournaments, slots became more than just games — they’re entertainment ecosystems.
III. Features Face-Off
Let’s compare the heart of the battle: how Old and New School slots differ at every turn.
A. Design & Visuals
Element
Old School
New School
Layout
3-reel, 1-5 paylines
5+ reels, hundreds/thousands of lines
Symbols
Fruits, BARs, Sevens
Dragons, superheroes, movie icons
Aesthetics
Minimal, retro
High-definition, animated
New school slots feel like interactive cartoons. But old school games? They feel real. Tangible. Straightforward. That charm is hard to replicate.
B. Gameplay Mechanics
Old School: You press spin, you win or lose. Simple math.
New School: Expect cascading reels, free spins, wild multipliers, and mini-games within the game.
List of Modern Slot Features:
Megaways mechanics
Avalanche (cascading) symbols
Hold-and-win bonuses
Expanding wilds
Interactive bonus rounds
C. User Experience & Accessibility
Old School: Found in land-based casinos, often tied to physical space and atmosphere.
New School: Play from your bed, your commute, your breakroom — all you need is Wi-Fi.
IV. Payouts and Volatility
Let’s break down where your chances may shine — or fade:
Metric
Old School
New School
RTP (Return to Player)
Often stable and moderate
Can vary significantly
Volatility
Lower (frequent small wins)
Higher (rarer but massive wins)
Jackpots
Fixed payouts
Progressive, pooled, or mystery wins
Old slots may feel “fairer.” But new ones offer adrenaline-pumping highs — if you’re ready for the ride.
V. Psychological Appeal
Ask yourself: Why do you play slots?
Old School: The Allure of Nostalgia
You know the rules.
You recognize the symbols.
You’re chasing that old Vegas vibe.
New School: The Power of Immersion
You’re drawn into storylines.
Your brain lights up with every feature unlock.
Every spin feels like progress.
The brain loves novelty, and new school slots deliver dopamine in waves. But sometimes, you just want to pull a lever and hear the familiar ding.
VI. Popularity and Trends
Slot preferences are shifting — but not evenly.
Demographic
Preference
40+ players
Lean toward classics
18–35
Prefer new school
Land-based casinos still feature rows of old school machines. But online platforms — especially mobile-first sites — are driving innovation and experimenting with hybrid models.
Hybrid Trend Example: Retro themes with modern mechanics (e.g. “Retro Reels Megaways”).
VII. Pros and Cons Breakdown
Aspect
Old School
New School
Graphics
Retro simplicity
Cinematic brilliance
Accessibility
Requires physical presence
Available anywhere, anytime
Complexity
Easy to understand
Deep, layered gameplay
Engagement Style
Predictable, meditative
Interactive, sometimes overwhelming
Win Frequency
Smaller, more consistent
Bigger but less frequent
VIII. Conclusion: Is There a Winner?
Each type has its battlefield — and its champions.
Some crave the classic charm of Old Vegas. Others want new-age tech, thrilling graphics, and bonus bonanzas.
The truth? You don’t have to pick one side. Explore both. Spin a fruit slot after work, then dive into a modern jungle-themed adventure on your phone. Let your mood decide.
Still unsure where to start? Try both onSpinBetter and discover what suits your style.
IX. Call to Action: What’s Your Slot Personality?
Are you Team Classic or Team Modern? Do you trust the reels or chase the thrill?
Drop your answer below. Share your favorites. Recommend a hidden gem. And most importantly — keep spinning.
The next game might just be the one that hits the jackpot.
There’s a famous phrase that says, “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” This idea seems incredibly appealing to many people, especially those with a creative mindset who are eager to figure out how to get money as an artist. After all, what could be better than turning your favorite hobby into a career and getting paid for it?
There are countless seminars and trainings on how to turn your hobby into a job. They attract crowds who want to change their office jobs for creative professions. After all, it sounds perfect – to create what you love and earn a significant income from it. It all seems so wonderful and tempting but comes with numerous difficulties you need to be aware of.
The Main Challenges for Creative People
Like any other workers, creative people often face the problem of having a project deadline just days away and no ideas, energy, or desire to complete it. Additionally, creative professions are prone to financial instability. While you can avoid a burnout by taking breaks and rest, finding new sources of inspiration, creating a clear plan, and collaborating with colleagues to share ideas, financial difficulties are much more difficult to cope with.
Irregular income, seasonal fluctuations in demand, and the constant need for investment in personal development make financial management very hard. When cash flow stalls, many in the arts industry rely on quick cash advance options to manage day-to-day expenses.To avoid scrambling for urgent money in a hurry and achieve financial independence in the arts industry, it’s important to manage income and expenses effectively.
Tips for Artists’ Financial Management
Working in arts is not just a hobby but a full-fledged business that implies a unique approach to the entire work process. It requires a new level of responsibility, decision-making, and skills. You need to understand how to manage both the creative process and the financial aspects of your projects. Plus, financial instability is quite common in the arts and culture, so you need to be ready for income fluctuation. Below are useful tips for artists and entrepreneurs to help them effectively manage their finances and adapt to economic challenges.
Create an Emergency Fund
Personal savings can help you overcome unexpected expenses and temporary difficulties. Nowadays, having a financial cushion is especially important. A Bankrate study shows that about 62% of people have insufficient savings for emergencies. This highlights the importance of financial literacy and planning for people working in creative fields, where seasonal income fluctuations and project unpredictability can significantly impact financial stability.
To create an emergency fund, take the following simple steps:
Determine the size of the fund. Ideally, your savings should cover at least 3 months of your living expenses. For example, if your monthly expenses are $3,000, your emergency fund should be around $10,000.
Contribute to the fund regularly. Try to set aside a portion of your income each month. You may start with as little as 10% of every payment and adjust the sum based on your monthly budget. You can also set up an automatic transfer of a certain amount to the emergency fund each month.
Use dedicated accounts. Open a separate account for the emergency fund so you do not spend this money on everyday needs. Remember, this money is only for emergencies, so do not use it carelessly.
Estimate the Cost of Your Work Wisely
The first step to successful money management and financial planning for creatives is correctly evaluating the cost of work. Consider not only the materials and time you spent on completing a task but also experience level, the quality of the work, and market rates.
For example, if you are a web designer with over 10 years of experience, your services should cost more than those of a beginner. Of course, setting a price can be difficult for creative professions and freelancers. You need to find a “golden mean” between your needs and your client’s expectations while ensuring you do not underestimate yourself or break even.
To set a price, study the market and your competitors’ prices, consider all expenses, including taxes and equipment, and be flexible. You can adjust prices depending on the complexity of the project and the client’s requirements. If the client needs the task to be done as quickly as possible, do not hesitate to increase the price for urgency.
Additionally, each creative profession may have its pricing model. Some of the options to choose from include the following:
Hourly Rate: This solution is suitable for projects with an uncertain scope of work. If you are developing a website for a company, and the client makes regular changes, an hourly rate would be a good option. This pricing model is used by photographers, video editors, graphic designers, and music teachers.
Fixed Price: This pricing model is ideal for clearly defined tasks. This is a great solution if you are designing a logo and have straightforward technical specifications agreed with the client in advance. This pricing model is common among producers, artists, writers, and architects.
Profit Share: This model is used in projects where your contribution directly affects the client’s income. If you are developing a marketing strategy for a startup, it might be fair to receive a percentage of its sales. This can also be a good solution for screenwriters, musicians, and illustrators.
Consider Small Loans for Creatives
It’s not always easy to save enough money, especially when your work is creative, and income can be unpredictable. In these cases, small loans can be a great solution to cover ongoing expenses and continue growing your business without worrying about financial struggles. A financial advisor for artists can help you navigate your options and find the best solutions for your specific needs.
Here’s why small loans are great for creatives:
Help with unpredictable income. In creative industries, income can fluctuate: some months, you may make a lot of money, while others come with less earnings. A small loan helps mitigate this uncertainty, allowing you to cover expenses like rent, supplies, or other essentials without stress.
Support your project. When a big project like an exhibition or recording an album comes up, a small loan can provide the initial capital needed for supplies, promotion, or hiring professionals to help.
Have flexible terms. Many loans for creatives offer flexible terms that take into account income unpredictability in creative fields. This means you can make payments as you earn without being overwhelmed by fixed due dates.
Provide the ability to invest in growth. A small loan isn’t just a way to solve immediate problems. It can also be an investment in long-term projects. You can use the funds to upgrade equipment, learn new skills, or expand your client base.
Manage Risks through Insurance and Legal Protection
Risk management is critical for a successful career in the creative professions. However, many creative people only understand it when problems arise. Two key tools—insurance and legal protection—can help you avoid unexpected issues and minimize risks.
The first step in risk management for any creative enterprise is choosing the right insurance plan. Here are three main types of insurance for creators:
Professional Liability: This insurance protects you from lawsuits arising from negligence and errors in your work. It is especially relevant in areas where the creative process is subjective and open to criticism.
Health Insurance: This option provides peace of mind if you face health problems, which is critical when your income is unstable.
Property Insurance: If you own a studio, it is important to protect your expensive equipment from damage or theft.
Copyright: Registering your copyright gives you exclusive rights to use and distribute your work and the ability to sue if it is infringed.
Clear contracts with clients: Properly drafted contracts can prevent many disputes by defining the terms of work, deadlines, and payment procedures.
Consult a lawyer: Working with a lawyer specializing in arts and media can help you avoid legal pitfalls and protect your interests.
Optimize Costs and Invest in Growth
Managing finances in the arts is impossible without cost optimization. It’s important not only to control expenses but also to find ways to reduce them without compromising the quality of your work. For example, cameras are relatively affordable, but the cost of a professional lens for high-quality photo and video shooting can reach $15,000–$20,000 or more. This amount is not always affordable, even for sought-after photographers. In this case, renting equipment instead of buying it can be a solution. It helps reduce the initial costs and allows you to access higher-quality equipment. This approach is especially relevant for beginners who may not have the funds to purchase expensive equipment.
It is also important to develop and grow in your field. This allows you to remain competitive in the job market. Courses, seminars, new tools, and programs require investment but offer significant returns. Education not only improves your skills but also increases your value as a professional.
To effectively manage your finances, you should:
Create a budget: Determine how much you can spend on development and equipment. It is recommended to set aside a certain amount each month for growth.
Use discounts: Many programs and courses offer discounts for freelancers.
Analyze expenses: Review your expenses regularly and look for ways to optimize them. For example, if you spend a lot on office rent, consider working from home or using a coworking space until you reach a higher income level.
Use financial tools. Mint or You Need A Budget (YNAB) helps you see where your money comes from and how it is spent. This allows you to separate personal expenses from professional ones, understand your creative income, and identify funds for reinvestment or savings.
Conclusion
The journey from creative chaos to financial stability is full of challenges, but with the right creative financial strategies, you can overcome all the difficulties and reach financial stability. This will protect your financial future and allow you to focus on what matters most—creativity.
There’s so much music coming out all the time that it’s hard to keep track. On those days when the influx of new tracks is particularly overwhelming, we sift through the noise to bring you a curated list of the most interesting new releases (the best of which will be added to our Best New Songs playlist). Below, check out our track roundup for Monday, July 28, 2025.
Avery Tucker – ‘Like I’m Young’
Avery Tucker, formerly one half of Girlpool, has today announced his debut solo album, Paw, which he recorded with Alaska Reid. You can hear her hazy, vulnerable style seeping into the new single ‘Like I’m Young’, which explodes in satisfying fashion. It’s “probably one of the most emotionally raw songs I’ve ever written,” Tucker explained. “There are lines in the song I remember writing and thinking ‘I won’t keep this in.’ I decided to take this song to the edge of myself at the time, and whenever I play the song live I walk alongside that cliff within me and feel the height.”
Fat Dog – ‘Pray to That’
Fat Dog are back with a frenzied, pulsing new single called ‘Pray to That’. “Seven shits left to give/ Yeah I’ll pray to that,” Joe Love deadpans. “I’m only 25/ Well it’s the same every night/ She thought I’m 39.” It comes paired with a video directed by frequent collaborator Dylan Coates.
Laura Groves – ‘Yes’
Ahead of the release of her Yes EP this Friday, Laura Groves has served up the softly beguiling title track. “I wanted to capture the feeling of finding joy again after a long period of sadness, entering into the unknown against a backdrop of deep unrest and uncertainty,” she explained. “Drawing on my love of 80s pop radio, drum machines, the sound of FM synthesis and affected piano, Yes is a grittily optimistic pop song.”
Wreck and Reference – ‘Burning’ and ‘The Cup’
California duo Wreck And Reference are back with the announcement of a new called Stay Calm, which its first singles does not encourage me to do. ‘Burning’ and ‘The Cup’ are nervy and harrowing, trading in influences from industrial and electronic music in intriguing ways.
Nuclear Daisies – ‘Toad’
Nuclear Daisies’ latest single is guazy and kinetic, the final preview of their album First Taste of Heaven ahead of its release on Friday (August 1). Alex Gehring’s lyrics “recall a tumultuous time in her life when she felt completely helpless, watching someone she loved suffer,” according to a press release.
The Mary Wallopers – ‘The Juice’
The Mary Wallopers have released ‘The Juice’, the Irish band’s first new single since 2024’s Home Boys Home EP. “This is a song for all the exhausted people, fed up of all the greedy crooks, who still manage to squeeze a bit of juice out of life,” they remarked.
