Online dating is the new normal in the modern, fast-paced world. It offers a perfect alternative to traditional dating, where it is all about face-to-face interactions. While in the end you’ll still have to meet up, online dating brings more time efficiency, convenience, and privacy. Knowing best practices when meeting your better half virtually is important. This will bring about a fantastic experience while creating meaningful connections. Here are eight online dating hacks for successful online dating.
Choose the Right Dating Platform
The dating platform you choose has a direct impact on your overall dating experience, which is why you ought to be picky. You want an app that caters to everyone’s relationship goals. A good hookup app will also make it easy to find your perfect match through sound search filters. The interface also needs to be intuitive and user-friendly.
When signing up, focus on the site’s data safety and privacy policies. As a user, you want to be sure that your personal details will not leak, which will give you peace of mind while searching for a potential partner. Look also at how well-thought-out their community guidelines are.
Create an Authentic Profile
Your online profile, being your digital first impression, must be as authentic as possible. Make it flawless and with no embellishments on your life. When you’re honest, you will find like-minded individuals and a solid foundation of long-term relationships. With such high compatibility, you’ll be sure of an excellent online dating experience that gives you every reason to believe you made the right choice when entering the digital space for the partner search.
Start by choosing a decent photo that reflects you and your interests. The important thing is to avoid heavy filtering or overly staging the images to avoid portraying insincerity. When coming up with the bio, think carefully about what will make it a perfect highlight of your personality and your expectations of a partner.
Set Realistic Expectations
There’s no doubt online dating is one of the best ways to link up with new people and increase your chances of meeting a suitable partner. Even so, it’s essential to be as realistic as possible with yourself. Understand the fact that not every interaction will turn into a worthwhile connection, which is perfectly fine.
What you need is a sense of curiosity and an open mind when approaching someone. Remain patient and resilient, and be good at evaluating your interaction. This will help you appreciate each other’s strengths and weaknesses and encourage each other to become the best version of yourself.
Take the Time to Get to Know Each Other
When you feel you’ve linked up with the right partner, it’s tempting to rush into things and arrange for physical meet-ups, but this shouldn’t be the case. The safe and right thing to do is to proceed with moderation and give the relationship time to grow slowly and steadily. Over time, this is where everything about the potential partner will be clear.
You may not completely know everything, but the important thing is to understand the basics and aspects that matter. For instance, get enough details on their family background, childhood, social life, how clear their records are, and interests. This helps you gauge the chemistry and how safe it is to be with the individual. Create many virtual meetings where you’ll hold lengthy conversations on different topics, boosting your understanding of each other more.
Be Clear About Your Intentions
As you enter the online dating sphere, be open and candid if you’re looking for a long-term partnership, a no-string-attached connection, or something in between. This helps make your online dating experience free from misunderstandings down the line.
For instance, if you are looking for a company for a certain period, be clear about it. You could be relocating temporarily for work to a new city, and you want someone to connect with and learn more about the new place. Take time to learn more about your potential partner and expectations as well.
Don’t Judge Based Solely on Looks
Physical attraction has a special place in the forging of relationships, but it shouldn’t be the only criteria for selection. Ultimately, you want someone you’ll have chemistry with and feel confident sharing your concerns and worries. It’s essential to look beyond the fantastic profile and get to know the person better.
Have witty ways of understanding the person’s character and any hidden attributes that everyday conversations can’t capture. Such evaluations will increase your chances of choosing a partner based on your relationship goals.
Set Boundaries
Safeguarding your emotional well-being is vital, and you shouldn’t feel like specific actions went too far at any given time. It’s essential to hold a specific session with your match early on about the personal spaces you’ll give each other. This is where you discuss aspects such as communication intervals, means, and topics that are a no-go zone.
After everything is clear, it’s up to you to assertively enforce them. Be quick to know and speak out when you realize some boundaries have been crossed. This openness and clarity of purpose ensure you’ll have a smooth online dating experience while making it unlikely for the other party to trample on your values or do anything you’ll be uncomfortable with.
Practice Self-Care
As you commit yourself to frequent virtual engagements, searching for a suitable partner can sometimes feel emotionally taxing. This is why you need to take some time off and relax. These breaks will be the best times to reflect on yourself and what makes you happy. Pursue your hobbies, socialize with friends, and practice mindfulness exercises.
This helps you acknowledge that your happiness should still come within you rather than from finding a partner. If you’ve already made some promising connections, the break gives you time to reflect on your strides and what you may like to see differently. You could also opt for services like https://charlotteaction.org which are a great distraction from relationships and general dating.
Going to the internet for a partner search is growing more common due to the benefits it brings. You get to choose from a wide pool of partners while enjoying better privacy. What you need is to know the different ways to land the perfect partner depending on your needs.
Bonus: First Date Tips
After everything went smoothly and you made it to your first date, it’s time to make a great impression and ensure things continue positively. Remember to keep it light, be yourself, and enjoy the moment. Here are a few additional tips to help you feel confident on your first date and ensure it’s a memorable one.
If things go well and the evening takes a romantic turn, always prioritize safety. Protection is essential, so make sure to come prepared. And if you’ve been out of the dating scene for a while or you are inexperienced, it might be helpful to remind yourself of certain essentials, such as how to put a condom on correctly and avoid any unfortunate situations. This simple step ensures you’re both safe and comfortable, setting the stage for a respectful, enjoyable connection.
When it comes to one of life’s most significant purchases—the engagement ring —couples want the process to be as magical and meaningful as the moment itself. Rather than selecting a generic ready-made ring, many couples now design a customized dream ring that perfectly symbolizes their relationship. By working closely with expert jewelers, couples can craft every detail and infuse their love story into the design. While the process requires time and careful consideration, the result is gratifying—a one-of-a-kind 求婚戒指 filled with sentimental details and expert craftsmanship. As couples design their dream ring, these expert tips help guide the way to creating a priceless symbol of lifelong commitment.
The custom design experience allows couples to celebrate their unique love story. More than just picking a ring, the collaborative process enables couples to reflect on special memories, passions, and dreams woven into the design. The time invested deepens the meaning and symbolism of the final ring. With an expert jeweler to guide the experience, couples gain a ring and an opportunity to purposefully plan for their bright future together.
Consultation Considerations
The starting point for any custom design project is the initial consultation. This overview appointment provides vital insights that inform the design process from start to finish. Jewelers recommend being prepared to communicate the following during initial consultations:
Budget: Make sure to indicate the budget you have in mind for the overall ring. Trying to scale back an intricate design late to fit the budget can lead to compromises. Knowing spending limitations helps focus the design in the right direction from the outset.
Style Preferences: Share examples of ring styles you find most appealing. Show images of favorite shapes and silhouettes to give your jeweler inspiration. Discussing preferences openly ensures designs stay true to your vision.
Inspiration: Bring any sample images, sketches, or photos of symbolic details you want to incorporate. These visuals give jewelers helpful guidance. Also, share any family heirloom rings that inspire you aesthetically.
Lifestyle Factors: Consider how your lifestyle may impact choices like metals and stones. For very active lifestyles, jewelers may advise more durable metals and stones. Being upfront about daily activities allows them to guide you practically.
Thoughtfully preparing for the initial meeting helps couples maximize their time with designers. The process gains direction and momentum by gathering inspiration and communicating priorities from the start. Couples should leave the first appointment feeling confident and inspired to bring their ring ideas to life.
Design Elements
Once foundations are set, the fun begins with selecting all the special details that make the ring unique. Experts suggest focusing on these critical elements:
Center Stone: Choose the shape and qualities desired for the central stone. Popular cuts like round, oval, and emerald create distinct looks—the 4Cs (carat, cut, color, and clarity) influence sparkle and fire.
Ring Setting: With limitless options, the setting allows creativity. Consider accents like side stones, engravings, or alternative metals. Create vintage-inspired or modern geometric styles.
Personalization: Add birthstones, coordinates of unique places, or meaningful phrases. Engraving the proposal date inside the band adds sentiment. Special personal touches make it one-of-a-kind.
Matching Bands: Don’t overlook the wedding band. A set designed together creates a cohesive look. Opt for complimentary styles that integrate visually.
Choosing design elements like the center stone, ring setting, and personalization can make your engagement ring and wedding band uniquely yours, reflecting your love story with every detail. Couples should take time exploring and weighing options for elements that hold the most meaning for their story. Keeping symbolic significance at the core results in a more purposeful finished ring.
Craftsmanship Expertise
While customers control the creative process, jewelers lend their expertise to make designs structurally sound and optimally beautiful. They guide technical aspects like:
Proportions: Ensuring proper stone-to-setting ratios so the ring has pleasing balance and sparkle.
Materials: Advising the best quality metals and gems to match budget yet offer durability and radiance.
Secure Settings: Following optimal design practices to set center stones safely, especially for active lifestyles.
Finishing Touches: Perfecting all those tiny details like prong alignment, surface polishing, and engravings that make the difference.
Couples can have peace of mind knowing expert jewelers oversee the construction of their dream ring. They adeptly handle meticulous details most need to realize go into crafting unique fine jewelry. Their specialized skills ensure the ring’s beauty and brilliance for a lifetime.
Managing Expectations
Jewelers emphasize that custom design takes time and attention. To make the process smooth, they recommend clients:
Understand Timelines: Depending on the complexity, custom design and production take weeks to months. Patience yields the best results.
Recognize Limitations: While extensive, customization has limits for structural integrity. Jewelers help navigate these boundaries.
Embrace Recommendations: Be open to suggestions from the experts. They steer you away from choices that may disappoint.
Expect Refinement: Design rarely perfects on the first try. Minor tweaks during drafts are normal. These edits enhance the result.
Staying flexible and open-minded alleviates stress when embarking on custom jewelry design. By trusting their jeweler’s advice, couples gain insight that protects them from potential disappointment and maximizes the beauty of their one-of-a-kind ring.
Conclusion
The collaborative process of custom engagement ring design transforms ring shopping into a meaningful symbol of a couple’s enduring love—rather than settling on an unoriginal ready-made ring, bespoke design allows couples to craft a one-of-a-kind heirloom that carries their unique story, style, and commitment. Though it requires time and care, embracing the journey with expert guidance results in dazzling dream rings that reflect the owners perfectly, encapsulating their memories, dreams, and promises in a profound display of their lives.
The field of medical aesthetics has undergone a remarkable evolution, becoming a key specialty within the broader medical industry. Advances in aesthetic medicine, a discipline that combines various techniques and treatments to improve physical appearance and counteract aging, fuel the evolution. Demand for cosmetic enhancements increases, necessitating comprehensive medical aesthetics courses and training. An exploration of the intricacies of aesthetic medicine courses, the significance of dermal filler and botox training, and the pivotal role of hands-on practice in developing skilled medical aesthetic professionals form the core of the discussion.
Aesthetic Medicine: A Flourishing Field
Aesthetic medicine covers a broad array of procedures, ranging from non-invasive treatments like dermal fillers and botox to more complex interventions such as platelet-rich plasma therapy and stem cell therapy. The dynamic nature of the field requires medical practitioners, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, to continually update their skills through aesthetic training courses. The courses aim not only to impart knowledge but also to equip practitioners with the ability to apply what they have learned in a clinical setting, offering safe and effective treatments to their patients.
The Foundations of Medical Aesthetics Training
Key components of the training include dermal filler and botox courses, which address the most in-demand treatments. Dermal filler training focuses on the art and science of using injectables to fill in wrinkles and add volume to facial features. Botox training centers on the use of Botulinum toxin to relax muscles, thereby smoothing out facial lines. Additionally, training in advanced treatments such as sclerotherapy, laser therapies, and chemical peeling is gaining popularity, reflecting the market’s growing interest in a variety of aesthetic procedures.
Comprehensive Training for Comprehensive Care
Outstanding medical aesthetics courses provide a mix of didactic learning and hands-on training. Theoretical aspects of aesthetic treatments, including the aging process, skin anatomy, and principles of various aesthetic procedures, are covered in the didactic portion. Hands-on training distinguishes a course, emphasizing a low instructor-to-student ratio to ensure participants receive personalized guidance as they practice on models or patients. Developing the confidence and skills necessary for precise procedure performance hinges on hands-on practice.
Aesthetic Medicine Courses: Shaping Future Professionals
Medical aesthetics training attracts not only newcomers to the field but also established professionals seeking to expand their skill set. Courses specifically designed for nurse practitioners and registered nurses focus on specializing in aesthetic nursing, while physician assistants explore expanding their practice areas. The integration of aesthetic procedures into general medical practices is increasingly common, offering a way for physicians and medical professionals to diversify their services and meet the growing demand for aesthetic treatments.
Career Advancement through Specialized Training
Pursuing a career in medical aesthetics or enhancing one’s skill set in the field requires thorough preparation, provided by aesthetic training courses. The courses offer the comprehensive knowledge, techniques, and certification needed to succeed. Learning about the latest laser technology and mastering the art of dermal fillers equip practitioners with a broad range of skills. Business aspects of running a medical spa or aesthetic practice are also addressed, preparing professionals for the multifaceted nature of the industry. Visit, the Blond Injector for your next med spa experience.
Core Elements of Medical Aesthetics Training
At the heart of medical aesthetics training lie dermal filler and botox courses, addressing highly sought-after treatments. Training in dermal fillers delves into the use of injectables to erase wrinkles and volumize facial contours. Botox training, alternatively, focuses on employing Botulinum toxin to relax facial muscles, reducing the appearance of lines. Training in state-of-the-art treatments, including sclerotherapy, laser therapies, and chemical peels, is also on the rise, mirroring the market’s burgeoning interest in diverse aesthetic procedures.
Rigorous Training for Holistic Care
Premier medical aesthetics courses merge didactic education with practical training. The didactic component explores the theoretical foundations of aesthetic treatments, such as the aging process, skin anatomy, and the principles underlying various aesthetic interventions. Practical training sets a program apart, stressing a minimal instructor-to-student ratio to guarantee tailored guidance as participants practice on models or patients. Mastery of procedures, rooted in the hands-on approach, is crucial for executing treatments with accuracy and confidence.
Shaping the Future: Aesthetic Medicine Courses
Medical aesthetics training not only welcomes new entrants but also attracts established professionals aiming to broaden their practice. Specialized courses for nurse practitioners and registered nurses focus on honing skills in aesthetic nursing. Similarly, physician assistants explore opportunities to extend their areas of practice. Incorporating aesthetic procedures into general medical practices is increasingly prevalent, enabling physicians and medical professionals to broaden their service offerings and cater to the escalating demand for aesthetic treatments.
Advancing Careers through Specialized Training
Advancing in medical aesthetics or augmenting one’s skills necessitates thorough preparation, available through specialized training courses. The courses equip participants with extensive knowledge, techniques, and the credentials required for excellence. From the latest advancements in laser technology to the nuanced art of administering dermal fillers, the training spans a comprehensive skill set. Additionally, the managerial aspects of operating a medical spa or aesthetic practice are covered, equipping professionals to navigate the complexities of the industry successfully.
Conclusion: Commitment to Excellence in Medical Aesthetics Courses
Becoming a skilled medical aesthetic professional is both challenging and rewarding, demanding a dedication to learning and a commitment to patient care safety and excellence. Medical aesthetics courses will continue to evolve, incorporating the latest techniques and treatments. For medical professionals prepared to pursue the path, career advancement, personal satisfaction, and the opportunity to positively impact patients’ lives await. Through dermal filler training, botox courses, or comprehensive medical aesthetics training, the road to success in the expanding market is paved with education, practice, and an in-depth understanding of patient desires for aesthetic improvements.
“I was fortunate enough to get to know Tom over the years,” Parton said in a press release. “He’s such an iconic artist and important songwriter. I’m so honored to be a part of this special album and to be able to share my version of one of Tom’s best songs, ‘Southern Accents.’”
Executive produced by George Drakoulias, Randall Poster, and Scott Borchetta, Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty features Willie and Lukas Nelson, Steve Earle, Rhiannon Giddens, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Wynonna Judd, Midland, Margo Price, Thomas Rhett, and more. It comes out on June 21.
Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty Tracklist:
1. I Should Have Known It by Chris Stapleton
2. Wildflowers by Thomas Rhett
3. Runnin’ Down a Dream by Luke Combs
4. Southern Accents by Dolly Parton
5. Here Comes My Girl by Justin Moore
6. American Girl by Dierks Bentley
7. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” by Lady A
8. I Forgive It All by Jamey Johnson
9. I Won’t Back Down by Brothers Osbourne
10. Refugee by Wynonna Judd & Lainey Wilson
11. Angel Dream No.2 by Willie Nelson & Lukas Nelson
12. Learning To Fly by Eli Young Band
13. Breakdown by Ryan Hurd feat. Carly Pearce
14. Yer So Bad by Steve Earle
15. Ways To Be Wicked by Margo Price feat. Mike Campbell
16. Mary Jane’s Last Dance by Midland
17. Free Falin’ by The Cadillac Three feat. Breland
18. I Need To Know by Marty Stuart And His The Fabulous Superlatives
19. Don’t Come Around Here No More by Rhiannon Giddens feat. Silkraod Ensemble and Benmont Tench
20. You Wreck Me (Live) by George Strait
Amber Mark has returned with a new single, ‘Comin’ Around Again’. It marks her first new music since the release of her debut album, Three Dimensions Deep, in January 2022. Check out a visual for it below.
“I got tired of sadness/ I got tired of all the madness,” Matthew Houck sings at the beginning of Revelator, his first Phosphorescent album since 2018’s C’est La Vie. It’s a killer opening line in part because it signals a fresh start, when really it ends up feeling like a grand return: Houck getting back down to the core of what so much of Phosphorescent’s discography has been about, only this time from a renewed vantage point. In the years between 2013’s Muchacho and C’es La Vie, Houck had two children with his wife, the Australian musician Jo Schornikow – who wrote Revelator‘s ‘The World Is Ending’, the first Phosphorescent song to be written by an outside artist – moved from New York to Nashville, and faced a life-threatening bout of meningitis. In 2022, he released The Full Moon Project, a collection of a dozen covers he had been rolling out each month. Though it only took him about six months to write and record Revelator, tuning into the flow of his own songs wasn’t easy. The song after which he named the LP was the north star. He enlisted collaborators such as Jack Lawrence of the Raconteurs and Jim White of Dirty Three, but a lot of time was spent alone, trying to get things right at the studio he’s built at home, dubbed Spirit Sounds. It’s hard to do, as Houck sings over and over on the final track, but the process proved constantly revelatory.
We caught up with Matthew Houck to talk about some of the inspirations behind Revelator, which is out today, including the rivers in Nashville, his studio Spirit Sounds, the title song, and more.
The rivers around and running through Nashville
This is the kind of imagery I immediately associated withRevelator, because you announced it with that press photo and the video for the title track, where you sing the song while rowing down a river.
I’m glad that was successful as a thing, because I do think I haven’t done that much in the past, with marrying these records with the visual part of the world – not even just visual, but also the sort of realm. This album feels like a river to me. Obviously, a lot of it was because I was going out to those rivers to sit and write. That was just the place that I found was a good place to go, I could get out there fairly quickly. I was looking for swimming pools, to be honest, but I didn’t have all that much luck with finding places to actually swim; I just found a lot of little spots by rivers. I think it naturally affected some of the imagery and some of the language, but then what really happened later was that sonically, it just felt very flowy and rivery – I don’t mean to say smooth, because it’s just got a real motion to it that I think is like floating.
It also feels dark, and those rivery colours feel correct. The image on the album cover was a painting that I was lucky enough to find right at the time when it was time to figure out what album cover was going to look like, and it just slotted in perfectly. It’s not a river, but it’s the way the clouds in the sky are, and the way that there’s a foreboding quality to it all – a little bit of an unsettled feeling is very much how I see the world of this record.
What attracts you to going out there to write? What did that free up in your mind?
This studio is just a windowless, big room, and I love it, but I miss nature. I lived in New York City, and somehow, even there I got more nature than I somehow get in Nashville. I don’t know why that is really. Very close to outside of town, there’s all the nature you can handle, but for whatever reason – I think it was because I was building this studio out and was just in here a lot, and I needed some other feeling to start writing. What I find though, weirdly, I don’t feel like I’m ever successful when I actually go out and sit with a notebook or a guitar even – you do it, and nothing really happens. It’s weird – nothing happens then, but later, maybe the next day, it has done something. It’s unblocked something. Maybe there’s a delay on how my brain works.
You mentioned having that realization that the record flowed like a river. Did that then also become a goal for you, or were you done with recording by that point?
Nope, you’re absolutely right. Specifically the song ‘Revelator’, the thematic, lyrical stuff that was going on there, and also the sound, it very much influenced the process of where I went with the other ones. At a certain point, you set a thing in motion, you put out your antennas, and it can just start happening. You’ve got all the vessels in place, and ideally you just hold on a little bit and try to see where the songs are taking you. You’re not trying to push them into some place, they kind of pull you along. To be honest, that’s generally where I feel I’m doing something right, when that starts happening and you feel like you’re being sucked along by the momentum of the thing. That always feels like a sign that I’m doing the right thing.
Since we’re on the topic of nature, there’s a sense of dread, even specifically environmental dread, that pervades the album, and I’m curious if being in nature amplifies those feelings or actually removes you from them.
I feel like it removes them. I think I’m learning in my life that I am much more of a nature person than I would have thought. There’s always this thing about the intention of something – you state something and then you do that thing, and I’ve never really operated like that. I feel like I don’t know these things until it’s happening, and all of a sudden you realize you’re a much happier person when I’ve been swimming all day as opposed to the person that I’m sitting in here twiddling knobs – as much as I love making music, don’t get me wrong. The making of records, you can’t do it out – or maybe I’ll try to do that, in a field or something. But it’s very amps and guitars and guitar pedals, that’s all a very different world, and I live in that world a lot. And I think even the inward world of writing songs and looking inward all the time, being inside this body and this mind, I’d love to be free of all that and instead be in the ocean.
His studio Spirit Sounds
You built the studio after moving to Nashville to record C’est La Vie, which obviously a painstaking process. What effect did working in this space, and not having to go through all apart from maintaining it, have on the making of Revelator?
It was delightful. Having your own studio, there’s always little problems, things break, but not at all in the way that it was making C’est La Vie, which was a really tough thing, not having the place built quite yet and dealing with a bunch of stuff. I’ve worked in other studios, and I feel like I need to have the freedom of my own space and also solitude. It turns out I need to be alone, messing with microphones and trying to feel out the vibe. I haven’t been able to really access that part of the creative process when there’s three engineers and like an assistant, there’s just people around and you’re on a clock, you have a real schedule where you’ve booked x amount of hours and you go there for those hours. And you better hope that your mood is correct, which I find is another thing that I don’t have a great amount of control over, getting into the mood of making music. It seems to be something that’s a little bit elusive still for me. I can get there eventually, but it takes me a little longer to strike on the path of what I think is good. I generally feel like I need the time to just fuck around, honestly, and make mistakes. So having this space, for better or worse, is the reason that Phosphorescent records sound like they do and are what they are. I don’t know that I’d be able to make them in another way.
Do you feel like you have to impose some limitations on ourself to make it work?
Well, limitations get imposed, whether from the self or not. I do keep more regular hours as a human than I did for years. I’ve got kids now, so you end up having a different schedule of life, and adapting to that is a different thing. There’s limitations in time, there’s limitations in your energy. And I also do actually really like musical and technical limitations. Even though I do use a computer, I tend to treat it like a tape machine, I don’t go wild with hundreds of tracks and endless stuff. So, I had these four players over for only four sessions, it turned out, to record the core framework of what this was gonna be. And later, of course, I did mess with it forever, like five, six months, but the initial creative thrust of it was to try to get these four players in and myself and just roll tape immediately when showing them the songs. No one knew them yet, but they’re all great players, and just recorded live in this room. Probably maximum would have been four takes of any given song. There’s some real magic that happens right then, and you have to be ready to capture it, because in my experience you can’t go backwards from that initial instinctual inspiration of playing something for the first time, feeling it out. Because inevitably, you rehearse too much and things get stale really quickly, and you can lose that initial spark.
The song ‘Revelator’
You’ve said that this is the song is the one that made you realize you were writing an album. What feelings came along with that realization?
I played that song through for a friend when it was it was finished, and that’s always a pretty weird moment. I don’t do that very often before going ahead and trying to record it. But this one, I was a little unclear about what I was doing, and playing it out loud for the first time, it all of a sudden was a moving moment. And they were very complimentary about it. I struggle with uncertainty a lot, I don’t have bulletproof confidence in all this stuff – until I do know, and then I can summon that confidence. But in the beginning, it’s all such a fragile thing and so uncertain and so unclear. Once I knew that song was the song that I thought it was, it set the tone for the record, and the other songs, which had a lot of thematic stuff that wasn’t finished yet, came together pretty quickly. I was able to really write the rest of those songs and finish them, and it started looking like an album pretty quickly to me.
You were also uncertain about titling the album Revelator. What made you stick to it?
It’s just so clearly the – theme feels weird to say, but it might be that. It feels like the north star of what I was following to make it, but also the north star of what this record is. It’s a revelator to me as well to look at these songs; it calls question some stuff for me in my life. Frankly, I look at the record and I have to wonder if I’m, you know, an unhappy person. I don’t think that I am, but I might be. There’s a lot of really heavy material, and it’s a revelatory thing. You’re always revealing yourself to yourself, maybe, and trying to understand what is being revealed.
Trusting in somber, downer music
Part of what resonated with me about the record is that it doesn’t feel like a heavy record – there’s a lightness to it and the sort of contentment that comes with being at an ideal place in your life. But it’s also able to carry anxiety and sadness without being totally unsettled by those feelings.
That great to hear, and that’s my hope. And I know that’s what music does, I know that’s what sad songs do, and I trust that. The art and music in my life has always tended toward darker and sadder stuff, because it does do the opposite somehow. Not sad, defeated stuff, but more just facing up to it: let’s address the looming darkness in this world and not be not be afraid of it. Hopefully, that does ultimately make something that makes you feel stronger and lighter. I do trust and hope that that’s what it does.
Have there been points where consuming or making that kind of music felt detrimental or wrong, in some way?
You’re hitting the nail directly on the head with that. Here’s an anecdote that might describe it. It’s an album, right? There’s songwriting going on, there’s the sound of the music, there’s the production, a setting and a mood gets made. All that stuff comes into play, and I do think the end result is what we’re talking about. That being said, over the past couple weeks, they’ve been sending me out to play a few solo songs at a radio station, just me and a guitar, and like, at 11am in a brightly lit radio station, some of these songs sound insane. [laughs] It can easily call into question what the fuck am I doing. It’s okay, I think, to put it in front of those kinds of things, but there are moments where I do question in a very frank way, is this music working? Or is it like listening to somebody moan at 11am on a Tuesday?
And maybe it has a different effect if I’m replaying that recording in a darkly lit room at night. It’s interesting in the context of the first lines on the record:“I get tired ofsadness/ I get tired of all the madness.” In that moment, it almost feels like a promise that you’re setting away all that, when the rest of the album still contains it. How conscious were you of highlighting and capturing the beauty in it?
Yeah, that was a real moment with this album. Like I was saying about it taking the reins, I started this album with those initial sessions and I was keeping, in a sonic sense, a really – not distant, but small record. It wasn’t a welcoming record to listen to when I first started. I was burying the vocals under a lot of layers and kind of making it uneasy to listen to. I was thinking of it as a very personal and small record that maybe was going to be very stripped down and stark. And through the process of it, it started revealing itself as this thing that could be really grand and welcoming, in spite of that initial feeling of worry and dread, so then it just became a process of following what that is.
It started with these early sessions, then I worked on it for like six months and got to where I was like, “I think it’s almost finished.” I ended up getting in touch with this mixer named Dave Cerminara, who’s great. I had never worked with him, but I knew of him, and we went to [Sunset Sound in] Los Angeles and put it through a big, famous old console and ran it to tape. The record was about 90% done, but there was a 10% that, even then, it continued to reveal itself as, like, “These aren’t the small songs that I thought they were. They feel like big, beautiful, breathing things.”
To be honest, it became a thing where it also just fucking jams, turning it up on the big speakers in there. Where I had it, it sounded really nice, but it was all kind of in your head. Dave is agreat engineer and mixer, and all of a sudden it’s like, these drums don’t have to be in your head. You feel them in your chest and your heart; you feel the drums, you feel the bass. There’s a real physicality to the music that I think I was not achieving, and I wasn’t even particularly aiming for. That was a real revelatory thing. I was just really thrilled at how fucking pretty this record sounds, how big and muscly. Whatever concerns I might have about what it is, I know for a fact it’s a great-sounding record. [laughs]
Real magic
You talked about real magic in the context of those sessions, but I’m aslo reminded of the song ‘A Moon Behind the Clouds, where you sing: “I’d tell you bout a feeling/ But I lose it in a crowd/ The stars beyond the ceiling/ A moon behind the clouds.” To me, that feeling a magical because it’s so hard to grasp or articulate. Is that in line with what you’re referring to?
Absolutely, yeah. Lyrically, that’s a great place to point at, and I love that that song reached you. That’s how I feel about that bit as well. It’s like I was saying about going out to the river to write – sometimes when you’re doing that, it often feels like nothing’s happening, and that can be discouraging. But you just do it anyways, and that’s where I feel like what you’re actually doing is you’re pushing out these antennas through sheer effort – that’s the part that feels like it’s work – and all of a sudden things do just start dropping into place. And I forget this every time, so maybe that’s why I’m writing it down and saying it’s an inspiration for this record. I’ve literally forgotten that and remembered that a thousand times in my life at this point, and maybe that’s just me – I feel it’s very easy to feel a little bereft and a little jaded, and I don’t want to be a jaded person. So I’m always remembering that in fact, it’s not abandoned you, and there is real beauty and real magic in this world, and you might not be able to touch it all the time, but it doesn’t mean that it’s gone. You just gotta realign yourself so that you can receive it, because it’s there.
The magic is there, but it’s almost like the belief has to be renewed every time. Do you find that you’ve developed different tools to tap into it?
I’ve been making these Phosphorescent records for a lot of years now, and I do still think that each one has been better than the one before it. People might disagree or whatever, and obviously one day I’ll probably, surely get to a point where I’ll have to say, “Well, this one wasn’t as good as the one before it.” But I’m not there yet, and I do feel like the body of work has been kind of aiming at the same thing over and over all, but you’re right, you have different tools, you have a different perspective, and I guess at some point you’re not the same person, once enough of those things compile. But I do feel very much that it’s a continuous thing. I enjoy the process of making stuff and wanting to get better at it, believing that it’s a worthwhile endeavor.
Is it easier to trust that process now, even if you’re tackling similar themes and there’s a certain level of uncertainty?
No. [laughs] Maybe after this one I can remember to absolutely trust it. But it’s one thing to know that something is true on paper, and then another thing to to be in throes of a discomfort and worry or whatever. And I think that’s just in life, like when it’s freezing cold outside, it’s like I can’t even recall what summer is. I don’t even remember. I know for a fact that it will be warm again in a number of months or whatever, but that knowledge doesn’t – you’re still freezing your ass off and wondering. [laughs] It’s hard to remember that it can be blazing hot in a number of months.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Phosphorescent’s Revelator is out now via Verve/Decca Records.
J. Cole has surprise-released a new project called Might Delete Later. The 12-track collection boats guest spots from Gucci Mane, Cam’ron, Bas, Central Cee, Ari Lennox, and Young Dro. Stream it below.
The record’s closing track, ‘7 Minute Drill’, appears to clap back at Kendrick Lamar’s recent guest verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s ‘Like That’, which saw him taking shots at Drake and J. Cole. “I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissing/ You want some attention, it come with extensions,” Cole raps. “He still doing shows but fell off like The Simpsons/ Your first shit was classic, your last shit was tragic/ Your second shit put n-s to sleep but they gassed it/ Your third shit was massive and that was your prime/ I was trailing right behind and I just now hit mine.”
Might Delete Later marks Cole’s first full-length release since 2021’s The Off Season. Earlier this year, the Fayetteville rapper confirmed he’s finishing up work on his next album The Fall Off.
Vampire Weekend are back with Only God Was Above Us, their first album in five years. The Father of the Bride follow-up was co-produced with Ariel Rechtshaid and recorded in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo. It includes the previously released singles ‘Capricorn’, ‘Gen X Cops’, ‘Classical’, and ‘Mary Boone’. “With every album we have to push in two directions at once,” Ezra Koenig told The New York Times. “Sometimes that means we have to be poppier and weirder. Maybe with this record, it’s about both pushing into true maturity, in terms of worldview and attitude, but also pushing back further into playfulness. There’s a youthful amateurishness along with some of our most ambitious swings ever.” Read our review of Only God Was Above Us.
Matthew Houck has returned with his first Phosphorescent album in five years, Revelator. His debut for Verve/Decca Records, the follow-up to 2018’s C’est la Vie was previewed by the singles ‘Impossible House’ and the title track. Jack Lawrence of the Raconteurs, Jim White of Dirty Three, and Houck’s partner, singer-songwriter and pianist Jo Schornikow, contributed to the LP, which Houck recorded at his Nashville studio. Schornikow wrote an original song for the record, ‘The World Is Ending’, which is the first Phosphorescent track to be written by someone other than Houck.
The Black Keys have released a new album called Ohio Players. It marks the band’s first LP since 2022’s Dropout Boogie and boasts guest appearances from Noel Gallagher and Beck. “We’d never worked harder to make a record,” Dan Auerbach said in press materials. “It’s never taken us this long to make an album. We took our time and did it right.” Patrick Carney added: “What we wanted to accomplish with this record was make something that was fun. And something that most bands 20 years into their career don’t make, which is an approachable, fun record that is also cool.”
Mount Kimbie have issued their first album in nearly seven years, The Sunset Violent, following up 2017’s Love What Survives. Out now via Warp, the 9-song project includes the advance tracks ‘Fishbrain’, ‘Dumb Guitar’, and ‘Shipwreck’, as well as two King Krule collabs, ‘Empty and Silent’ and ‘Boxing’. It was written in California’s Yucca Valley and completed in London. Mount Kimbie is now a four-piece, with Andrea Balency-Béarn and Marc Pell joining the duo of Kai Campos and Dom Maker.
Tessa Murray and Greg Hughes have put out the sixth Still Corners album, Dream Talk. The follow-up to 2021’s The Last Exit was recorded across three studios in the south of France, East Sussex, and Woodstock, New York. “I had tapped into something new and the way it came out was quite hypnotic, like a transitional state between wakefulness and sleep,” Murray explained in a statement. The duo shared ‘The Dream’ and ‘Secret World’ ahead of the record’s release.
Leeds-based art-rock outfit Drahla have followed up their 2019 debut Useless Coordinates with angeltape, out now via Captured Tracks. Vocalist and guitarist Luciel Brown, guitarist Ewan Barr, bassist Rob Riggs, and drummer Mike Ainsley recorded the new album with Matthew Benn and Jamie Lockhart in 2023. “There was an uncertainty and anxiety in not knowing how to rekindle what we had, and what we did have just didn’t exist in the same format,” Brown reflected. “I feel this is apparent in the music; the constant changes, opposing ideas and structures, the overall energy and drive of the songs. I think there’s also the sense of reconnection, encouragement and freedom, too. There’s excitement borne from us finding something together again.” The singles ‘Grief in Phantasia’, ‘Default Parody’, and ‘Second Rhythm’ preceded the LP.
Fabiana Palladino’s self-titled debut album is out now via Paul Institute and XL Recordings. The 10-track collection features contributions from Jai Paul, Rob Moose, drummer Steve Ferrone, and Palladino’s father and brother, bassists Pino and Rocco Palladino. “A central theme of the album is aloneness,” Palladino explained. “Whether it’s a song where ’m searching for connection with someone else, or trying to embrace the aloneness, it tends to come back to me, who I am when I’m alone, what I feel when I really look inwards. I’d say it’s a pretty introspective record overall. The songs are often about trying to go deeper into yourself, exploring your true feelings and how they then relate to and affect your relationships with others.”
Bnny has unveiled One Million Love Songs, the follow-up to 2021’s Everything, via Fire Talk. Bandleader Jessica Viscius produced the LP, which was recorded at Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville with Alex Farrar. “I wanted to make songs that are exciting to play – songs that make me feel happy,” Viscius said in a press release. “This album is about love after loss, getting older, and just trying to have fun with a broken heart.” A series of singles, including ‘Something Blue’, ‘Changes’, ‘Crazy, Baby’, and ‘Good Stuff’, arrived ahead of the release.
Khruangbin have dropped a new album, A la Sala, which is Spanish for “To the Room,” via Dead Oceans. Marking their first proper LP since 2020’s Mordechai, the record was promoted with the singles ‘May Ninth’, ‘A Love International’, and ‘Pon Pón’. According to a press release, the album represents an “exercise in returning” for the trio of bassist Laura Lee, drummer Donald Johnson, Jr., and guitarist Mark Speer, who recorded the LP with no outside collaborators besides engineer Steve Christensen.
The Libertines, All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade
The Libertines are back with their first new album in over eight years. All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade, the follow-up to Anthems for Doomed Youth, was recorded with producer Dimitri Tikovoï, and all four band members share songwriting credit on every song. “Our first record was born out of panic, and disbelief that we were actually allowed to be in a studio; the second was born of total strife and misery; the third was born of complexity; this one feels like we were all actually in the same place, at the same speed, and we really connected,” Carl Barat explained.
Dana Gavanski has released her new LP, Late Slap, via Full Time Hobby.“The album holds together the seemingly disparate aspects of my character that I have sometimes tried to repress,” Gavanski said of the follow-up to When It Comes, which was produced by Tunng’s Mike Lindsay. “With this album I’m letting them into the room, celebrating them for all their strangeness – a strangeness which I think we all, on some level, share.” She added, “I knew Mike could help me find the range of sound I was looking for; he has an amazing attention to sonic detail and we’ve worked well together on previous records.”
Lillie West, if i were a real man i would be able to break the neck of a suffering bird
if i were a real man i would be able to break the neck of a suffering bird is the first project Lala Lala’s Lillie West has released under her own name. The instrumental LP was written and recorded during a residency at the LungA Land program in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland, where she engaged in activities such as “making knives, backpacking in a blizzard, learning about Icelandic herbs, geology, history, having a lymegrass themed dinner party, sleeping outside.” West explained, “I had never considered making an instrumental album, nor was it my intention while taking these field recordings. Thus the process felt very natural, organic, almost private. I hope that the music is able to invoke the rhythm, sway, and connection I felt with the landscape in Seyðisfjörður, as well as my ongoing attempt to communicate with the divine.”
Other albums out today:
Conan Gray, FOUND HEAVEN; Lizzy McAlpine, Older; Jane Weaver, Love in Constant Spectacle; Vegyn, The Road to Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions; The KVB, Tremors; Grace Cummings, Ramona; Gustaf, Package Pt. 2; Bob Vylan, Humble As the Sun; Sinkane, We Belong; RiTchie, Triple Digits; Adam Wiltzie, Eleven Fugues for Sodium Pentothal; The Bygones, The Bygones; Joseph Shabason, Nicholas Krgovich, and M. Sage, Shabason, Krgovich, Sage; Caleb Landry Jones, Hey Gary, Hey Dawn; Maxband, Maxband on Ice; Katie Pruitt, Mantras; Vessel, Wrapped in Cellophane; Feeder, Black/Red; Marcus King, Mood Swings; Beatenberg, The Great Fire of Beatenberg; Lo Moon, I Wish You Way More Than Luck; Flung, All Heartbeat; Cuffed Up, All You Got; Motel Breakfast, I Promise I’m Having Fun; Olin Janusz, Please Leave Quietly; Annie-Claude Deschênes, LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE; FYEAR, FYEAR; Guests, I wish I was special; Coral Morphologic and Nick León, Projections of a Coral City.
Sis has announced a new album called Vibhuti. Due out June 21 via Native Cat, it includes the previously released single ‘Center of the Heart’, and Jenny Mason has today shared a new track, ‘Mother’s Grace’. Check it out below.
“This song started out very quiet in terms of sonic elements, which mirrored my intention — I wanted to write about the concept of asking for the grace of the Divine Mother in my life,” Mason explained in a statement. “More specifically, I was finding new inroads with my speech, to take a pause and ask for help before I said something in a difficult situation. Or as Sri Aurobindo writes, ‘When I speak, the reason says, This will I say; but God takes the word out of my mouth and the lips say something else at which reason trembles.’ Then as the percussive layers were built, I felt it was going more towards a joyful, revival kind of sound that was mirroring the building of joy and strength in my own life at that time.”
Vibhuti draws inspiration from the works of 20th century Indian mystic Sri Aurobindo and his partner, the Mother. It features longtime collaborators Brijean and Doug Stuart on percussion, bass and production, and Will Miller of Resavoir on trumpet and Devendra Banhart on electric guitar.
1. Cave of Plenty
2. Mother’s Grace
3. Bow To Your Wilderness
4. Splendor
5. Jugaspa
6. Pregnant in Bhutan
7. Center of the Heart
8. Rose Gold Shoes
9. Mystic Spider
10. Stargate Road
Orville Peck has teamed up with Willie Nelson for a cover of Ned Sublette’s 1981 song ‘Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other’. It marks Peck’s first release since signing with Warner Records and will appear on an upcoming duets collection called Stampede. Check it out via the Ben Prince-directed video below.
Peck’s last LP was 2022’s Bronco. Nelson’s 75th album, The Border, is set for release on May 31.
Vampire Weekend are back with 
Matthew Houck has returned with his first Phosphorescent album in five years, 
The Black Keys have released a new album called 
Mount Kimbie have issued their first album in nearly seven years, 
Tessa Murray and Greg Hughes have put out the sixth Still Corners album, Dream Talk. The follow-up to 2021’s The Last Exit was recorded across three studios in the south of France, East Sussex, and Woodstock, New York. “I had tapped into something new and the way it came out was quite hypnotic, like a transitional state between wakefulness and sleep,” Murray explained in a statement. The duo shared ‘The Dream’ and ‘Secret World’ ahead of the record’s release.
Leeds-based art-rock outfit 
Fabiana Palladino’s 
Bnny
Khruangbin have dropped a new album, 
The Libertines are back with their first new album in over eight years. 
Dana Gavanski
if i were a real man i would be able to break the neck of a suffering bird is the first project Lala Lala’s Lillie West has released under her own name. The instrumental LP was written and recorded during a residency at the LungA Land program in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland, where she engaged in activities such as “making knives, backpacking in a blizzard, learning about Icelandic herbs, geology, history, having a lymegrass themed dinner party, sleeping outside.” West explained, “I had never considered making an instrumental album, nor was it my intention while taking these field recordings. Thus the process felt very natural, organic, almost private. I hope that the music is able to invoke the rhythm, sway, and connection I felt with the landscape in Seyðisfjörður, as well as my ongoing attempt to communicate with the divine.”
