Creative technologist Amo (Mengying) Zeng treats technology not as escape, but as extension — of memory, of effort, of the body itself. In her interactive installations The Book of Diaspora, Sweat for Generation, and its evolution Embodied Intelligence, the audience doesn’t just watch: they flip, crank, sweat. These works insist that machines and human lives are bound more intimately than we might admit.
The Book of Diaspora
Picture turning pages that appear almost blank. Then, with each flip, projections fill in missing words and fragments — immigration documents, stories, records of displacement. That is The Book of Diaspora.
Using projection mapping and computer-vision tracking, Zeng makes visitors co-authors. Each hand movement reclaims what bureaucracy has obscured, exposing the silence built into official records. The piece doesn’t merely recall forgotten histories; it makes audiences feel their incompleteness in real time.
Sweat for Generation → Embodied Intelligence
If The Book of Diaspora confronts erasure, Sweat for Generation confronts effort. Audiences turn a crank to generate power, only to discover that their exertion is converted into receipts: water consumed, electricity burned, carbon emitted. The installation literalizes the hidden labor of AI, rendering the “invisible” visible through the body.
Its successor, Embodied Intelligence, pushes the idea further. Still crank-driven, the work now connects to a web app where visitors can scan and track AI’s resource use on their phones. The app not only breaks down energy, water, and carbon costs, but also suggests practical tips to reduce one’s digital footprint. Where Sweat for Generation exposed, Embodied Intelligence extends: from recognition to responsibility.
The Common Thread
Across these works runs a single principle: technology is never abstract. In The Book of Diaspora, the body animates what bureaucracy erases. In Sweat for Generation and Embodied Intelligence, it powers and accounts for the hidden cost of computation.
Zeng’s practice has already gained international recognition. Sweat for Generation earned the Excellence Award at ArtX Gallery’s “Synthetica & Alterica” and has been exhibited in Los Angeles, New York, Turin, and Chicago. The addition of Embodied Intelligence signals a maturing of her vision — one that refuses to let digital culture remain immaterial.
On October 17, 2025, Zeng will present both The Book of Diaspora and Embodied Intelligence at Hook Space in the Fine Art Building, 410 S Michigan Ave, Chicago — marking a rare occasion where her two signature explorations of memory and machine will be experienced side by side.
Why It Matters
At a moment when AI, projection, and computer vision slide seamlessly into daily life, Zeng makes us feel their underside. She dismantles the myth of effortless technology, reminding audiences that every prompt, every swipe, every algorithm rests on human labor, human memory, human cost.
Her installations are not spectacles to consume, but situations to endure: to sweat, to flip, to account. They force a recognition that interaction is not passive. It is labor. It is remembering. It is responsibility.
In Zeng’s hands, participation becomes confrontation. And through that confrontation, we are reminded of the flesh beneath the machine.
Rocket is a Los Angeles band made up of vocalist/bassist Alithea Tuttle, drummer Cooper Ladomade, and guitarists Desi Scaglione and Baron Rinzler. Tuttle and Ladomade have been friends since preschool, and while all four members connected in their freshman year of high school, it wasn’t until several years later that the project kicked into gear. During lockdown, Scaglione would show Tuttle, his girlfriend demos that she might want to write and sing over – it was a completely new experience for Tuttle, who was on her way to becoming a professional dancer before suffering a serious spinal injury in 2016. Rocket’s grungy, energetic debut EP, Versions of You, arrived in 2023, and led to them opening for their heroes in Sunny Day Real Estate, Ride, and Smashing Pumpkins. Named after a song by ‘90s post-hardcore outfit Radio Flyer, their debut album, R Is for Rocket, was recorded between 64 Sound and the Foo Fighters’ Studio 606, but rather than calling in a big-ticket indie producer, Scaglione helmed the process himself. All but one of the record’s early singles were tracked at Studio 606, pushing forth its most thunderous and anthemic qualities; but what makes R Is for Rocket such a refreshing, fully-realized debut is its emotional range and earnest experimentation. “I wanna be the one to make it out of your dreams,” Tuttle repeats on ‘Another Second Chance’, as they all sound like they’re living their own.
We caught up with Rocket for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight series to talk about their friendship, recording R Is for Rocket, showing up, and more.
I saw in another profile that one of the last decisions you made for R Is for Rocket was the album cover, and that was the day before you did that interview. What does it mean for you now that you’ve sat with it for a while?
AT: For the longest time, we had talked about a very specific idea of what the album cover would look like. I do all of our artwork usually, but there was so much to get done that we decided to have someone else do it. The first design we thought would be the cover, once we saw it, we didn’t know if it felt right. Then I was going through old photos we had laying around, and I picked one up, and that’s my dad in the photo. I was like, “I’ll just give it a try.” I cut out the little R, drew it out, and sent it to everybody. That was the only time we all collectively liked something. Before that, we really needed to turn the record cover in, and it was coming up with something we didn’t dislike. I don’t remember if my dad passed before or after we chose the cover.
Desi Scaglione: Before.
AT: Before, yeah. At least for me, it’s nice to know that even though he never got to hear the record – he did hear one new song – we have that as a way of commemorating him. He was a huge fan of the band, and all three of you were close with him too. It maybe wouldn’t be my first choice in every universe, but because of the sentimental meaning, I think we all like it. It was just happenstance – going through photos and being like, “Here’s a cool one.”
Baron Rinzler: It just felt right immediately.
DS: I agree. I don’t even think we knew it was your dad, either. You just sent it.
AT: And I didn’t want to say it was him, because if I’d said right away it was him, of course you would’ve all been like, “That’s amazing.” No one could say, in that moment, “I hate that.”
DS: We did turn in the cover probably the day it was due.
AT: We scrambled, but I’m glad we ended up not going with what we had initially thought of for a really long time.
Even putting its personal resonance aside, that image of skydiving is pretty evocative of the album’s sound. Is it something you would or have tried?
AT: I would absolutely go skydiving. I bet I can predict their answers in my head.
DS: I don’t know if I could. I would consider it if the three of them were like, “We’re going skydiving.” Then I’d be like, “Well, I guess I have to.” More of a FOMO thing. But my first answer is: I would never jump out of a fucking plane, no.
BR: What do you think I would say?
AT: I think you would say yes.
BR: I would say, “Hell yeah.” Absolutely, bro.
AT: What about you, Cooper?
Cooper Ladomade: I don’t know, I feel like I would say yes and then get up there and not do it.
AT: Yeah. I think you’re in the same boat as Desi – if everyone was doing it, you’re getting on that plane. Getting on the plane is the easy part; obviously jumping out is the hard part. You’re never gonna want to do it. You’re gonna be scared the entire time, but then you’re like, “Okay, well…”
BR: Here we go.
DS: It’s one of those crazy things – in that moment, you’re up there and you’re kind of like, “I may be jumping off this plane and killing myself right now. I might be sealing my fate.”
AT: No one dies from skydiving – you’re more likely to get hurt, paralyzed on the impact of landing incorrectly, or if your instructor does. That’s more rare, unless your parachute doesn’t open.
BR: They have an emergency parachute for that reason..
AT: That’s why you go with the guide.
What if it was for a music video?
BR: We should have thought of that. That’d be great for this album.
AT: That would be the easiest way to go do it, honestly – you’d be like, “Well, I have to.”
What comes to mind when you think about experiences or activities outside of music that have really bonded you as a group, however extreme or mundane?
AT: I’m not even joking when I say a bar game. A game at a bar.
BR: Straight up, yeah. Any game.
AT: Bowling.
BR: We do a lot of things together. We’ll come up with a game just at the airport – who can throw something the farthest, or the most accurate.
AT: It’s very serious, and you will be tested.
DS: We’ve all been friends for so long, it’s hard to recall specific moments. But damn, so much of our life is music, even if it’s not as a band – we grew up going to shows together. I mean, Alithea’s dad dying was a very big bonding experience, truly.
BR: That is true.
AT: It makes you rethink, obviously, a lot of stuff; your headspace is totally different post-that. Which is not a fun game, but a game nonetheless. This game of life.
BR: There you go. Which we actually haven’t played altogether.
AT: Oh, Life? You’re right.
BR: This summer in particular, we went swimming a lot. Swimming in pools, not so much the ocean.
DS: Honestly, spending time together outside of the band is very bonding – as fun as this is, there are moments where it does feel serious and like a job, but you have to separate the two.
You said music was part of your friendship in the form of going to shows, but tell me more about those pre-Rocket years of getting to know each other.
DS: I met Cooper and Alithea and Baron all in 2015. We had never played music together until 2020, maybe, when me, Alithea, and Cooper started playing together. But this band didn’t get serious until 2021. But Cooper and Alithea’s friendship predates that by like 15 years.
How close were you, Alithea and Cooper, during that time?
CL: I’m trying to think about preschool…
AT: It was tight the whole time. Never really had a moment where we weren’t.
CL: Yeah.
AT: Us and a couple of our other friends were close basically from the time we met until now.
DS: There’s a group of five girls who all went to the same elementary school together, and they’ve all been friends. The two or three others just don’t happen to be in the band.
AT: Wait, really?
DS: You guys hung out every fucking day.
AT: Literally all of middle school, all of elementary school.
CL: That’s true.
AT: We went to different schools, but we’re still hanging out. Obviously, now there’s just no school.
School of life.
DS: School of Rock.
I know you recorded your debut album in different studios, but a lot of the writing took place at Cooper’s parents’ yard. How did you learn to make each other comfortable in that kind of writing environment?
DS: I think we make ourselves comfortable by being sensitive and trustworthy of one another. If you have an idea and bring it in, one, we’re already like-minded – that’s why we’re in a band together, why it works so well. Chances are everyone’s gonna like it. And we’re good at seeing through all options. Sometimes three of us are on the same page and one person says no, and you ask why, and they’re like, “You just don’t understand what I’m trying to say yet.” Then they show you, and you see the light or you don’t, but at least you tried it. Also, we put an AC in our rehearsal space recently, which has made things very comfortable, climate-wise. [laughs]
BR: I think it just takes trust in each other, to see things through. And a willingness to try new things.
DS: Or, honestly, on the flip side of that, one thing that is very comfortable is none of us think too hard about things. Songwriting is a labor of love, and there’s a time and place to say, “This needs to be better.” But I think one of the hardest things is saying, “This is as good as it will be” – whether it’s the first thing you came up with or not. Because it’s easy to feed a fed horse, and you don’t want to do that all the time.
That said, a lot of the decisions on the record feel very thought-out. Even structurally, the way ‘Crossing Fingers’ and ‘One Million’ are paired together and both hone in on the final choruses.
AT: It’s funny you say that, because live we actually play them together, but flipped. We’ll do ‘One Million’ into ‘Crossing Fingers’. They work both ways, but for some reason that’s how we decided to do it.
AT: Honestly, every decision – there were so many smaller details that probably no one will ever notice, but there were so many meticulous decisions we went through. Tracklisting was definitely a big one. We’d make a playlist of all the songs, put them in an order we thought worked, and go with that for a couple days. I think we were on tour, like, “Let’s just listen to it.” Which, at that point, you’ve heard it literally a million times, so you want to sparingly listen to it so that you’re not getting burnt out on it.
Desi, I feel like a lot of that comes out in the sensitivity of your production – the way you tune into the lyrical nuances of the songs. The cloudier desperation of ‘Crossing Fingers’, for example, feels like a subtle way of honoring the emotional weight of the song.
DS: With all the songs, but a song like that, I think most of the emotion and sensitivity you hear is in the performance. Not to take any credit away from what you’re saying, but when you’re recording something like that, picking the right take is probably the hardest thing – especially with vocals, because that’s where you hear the most passion and emotion. I also tried to mix the vocals on that song, and really the whole record, louder than on the EP. Ultimately, I think that’s something I would go back and change if I could, and I didn’t want to make that mistake. That being said, people will always be like, “The vocals aren’t loud enough,” like your parents and shit.
One of my favorite vocal performances is in ‘Another Second Chance,’ which has another one of those drawn-out endings. Alithea, you’ve called this one one of your favorite moments in writing the record. What made you single it out?
AT: I think just the way that ending came to be was special. We spent so much time really trying to figure out every little detail of it, and it took us, honestly, one really long day of all of us together. Letting our minds run wild, like, “What if it was three times longer?” I also feel like because the ending is very sweet, there’s a lot of time for everybody to shine. The drums are having a moment at a certain point, and obviously the vocals throughout the entire thing are having a moment, and then at the end I play my favorite little bass line on the record. The drums bow out, and then the vocals bow out, and then it’s just their two guitars together, which I feel like is a really special moment, when it’s just the two of them. It was special that we couldn’t even get that take without them looking each other in the eye and turning the metronome off, Baron and Desi. They were just going off how long it felt it should be. And I like the lyrics a lot, I feel proud of those lyrics.
There are a lot of moments like that on the record, and I assume they’re different for each of you: the drum sound on ‘Wide Awake’, the bass and synths on ‘Number One Fan’, the interlocking guitars on the title track.
AT: Those are a lot of really special moments. I feel like we are lucky to truly love every song on this record. In every song, I could pick out something where I’m like, “That’s why that’s my favorite song.”
DS: Some of the most stressful but also fun moments of recording – and I hope we do more of this – were the first song and ‘Number One Fan.’ Those two songs we recorded much differently than every other song. Normally, we’d set up Cooper on drums, Levy on bass, me and Baron on guitars, and just run the song a bunch. But for that first song, it was done in multiple parts. There are electronic drums we did not track to – they were triggered off Cooper’s drums after the fact, but we knew they were going to be there. Cooper played drums, Baron and I played guitar, Alithea was on bass synth for the whole song, and then we went back – Alithea recorded bass, and then we added keyboards. For ‘Number One Fan,’ it was similar but switched. I was on guitar, Baron was on organ, Alithea was on bass, Cooper on drums, and after I put a piano down. That kind of stuff is more fun because you don’t do it as much – it’s a new experience. Those moments are really using a studio as an instrument, as opposed to recording a song like ‘One Million’. Even with ‘Wide Awake,’ with those drums you mentioned – since the demo, there were always doubled drums. It was a nice moment of experimenting with different sounds and performance techniques.
Desi, you mentioned utilizing the studio as an instrument, and I know there was a lot of vintage gear at 64 Studio, which comes through especially on ‘Number One Fan’.
BR: I remember playing the Farfisa organ on that track. I love playing keys, but it’s not something I do live right now. In the future, yes, but it kind of unlocked a different part of your brain, playing a different instrument. I think it opened up so many avenues for the future of things we could potentially do. As much as we did experiment and did cool shit, especially at 64 Sound, there’s so much more that I personally want to experiment with in the future. This was just the tiptoe into that realm of cool, weird shit that I think we’re all into.
DS: 100%, I agree with you.
I also feel the song’s instrumentation brings out the unspoken intimacy in the lyrics. Alithea, you’ve described it as a “shameless love song,” and there’s a kind of thorniness, too, in that earnest commitment. Have you all thought about that theme of preserving relationships, of not falling out, in a different light over the past few months?
DS: I think we all have. Whether or not it’s because of the songs, where we’re all at – like Alithea was saying earlier, we were all very close with her dad, and once he passed away… Once you lose anybody, you see life in a very different scope. You see relationships and the decisions you make for yourself and others in a very different light, for a long time, than you normally would. It’s like you’re slapped–
AT: Well, it’s the world’s biggest reality check. I personally feel so grateful and lucky to be doing what we want to be doing, to be young, to be healthy, and to have family around us. Not everybody is that lucky. I’ve always tried to live my life that way, but when something to this magnitude happens, your entire life changes completely. I’ll never think of anything the same way, let alone the next time we go in to start writing songs – that’s totally different now. Going on tour is totally different now. Something as simple as going to bed. In that regard, I guess I have been thinking about it every second of every day – just relationships, and how important it is to show up for the people you love. My dad would always harp on that. He was so passionate about showing up for people that matter to you, and showing people that they matter to you. At the end of the day, everybody could do a better job of that, but the only person who couldn’t was him. He was at every show within a 300-mile radius, pretty much. [laughs] Had flown to shows to surprise me and us. Showing up for people – that’s my main thing right now. It takes very little to check in on somebody, to put yourself in their shoes, maybe. Going into the next record, into new songs, into touring – it’s like I have different glasses on.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Just Mustard have previewed their forthcoming album We Were Just Here with a new track, ‘Endless Deathless’, which is both nervy and dreamlike. It follows the previously released title track and ‘Pollyanna’. Check out David Noonan’s video for it below.
“I wrote the lyrics for this song by imagining myself on a dancefloor,” the band’s Katie Ball explained in a statement. “We wanted to write more songs that suited places like that. I suppose I would describe it as an existential love song, but you can hear it and feel it any way you like.”
We Were Just Here is due out October 24 through Partisan.
Searows, the project of Pacific Northwest singer-songwriter Alec Duckart, has announced a new album Death in the Business of Whaling. It’s slated for release on January 23 via Last Recordings on Earth. Today’s announcement comes with the release of the stirring, eerily cathartic lead single, ‘Dearly Missed’, alongside a Karlee Boon-directed video. Check it out below.
“’Dearly Missed’ is my contribution to the so-called ‘good for her’ horror genre,” Duckart said in a press release. “I’m an avid horror lover for many reasons, but I appreciate it in particular for the ability of the genre to explore societal issues without reading as too preachy. The reality of this world for marginalized people gets bleaker by the day and watching someone on screen who you can relate to fighting back and winning and taking back their dignity can be an extremely cathartic and empowering experience. I wrote this song for the part of me that desires retribution for all the ways I and every marginalized person has been harmed and betrayed by society. I had a lot of fun writing this song and exploring a musical genre that I don’t often write in, but enjoy listening to.”
Death in the Business of Whaling, Searows’ second album, marks the first time Duckart has recorded outside his bedroom, working with co-producer Trevor Spencer (Father John Misty, Beach House, Mary Lattimore). “I had really wonderfully connective and intimate experiences sharing my first couple of projects with live audiences. Those projects were very personal and vulnerable and revealing my life and specific experiences to an audience began to feel a bit dissonant and exposing,” he explained. “One of my favourite things about music is its ability to connect people. It has done so for me time and time again and it has been so special to see my own writing do that for people too. I just began to learn that for myself, there were specifics that I wanted to keep for myself.”
Opening up about the writing of the record, Duckart added: “Something your subconscious understands before your conscious mind does. Visceral rather than literal. And that relationship to our deeper selves, our subconscious, our souls, is a major theme of the album for me. Most of these songs are about the different ways we all bump up against the human condition. Our spirit, the shadow self, our egos, trauma, love and fate. How we cope with our experiences and how we connect and take care of one another in an exceedingly dark and violent world. This record is still deeply personal to me. But it is an attempt to reveal my cards in a more coded, symbolic manner.”
Geese stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live last night (October 1) to deliver a rousing rendition of ‘Taxes’, a standout from their latest album Getting Killed. Watch it happen below.
Getting Killed, the follow-up to 2023’s 3D Country, came out on Friday. Earlier this year, Geese frontman Cameron Winter made his late-night television debut as a solo artist on Kimmel, performing ‘Drinking Age’.
Overwatch 2 has just launched a new Stadium update. The latest patch from developer Blizzard comes with big adjustments to competitive gameplay. At the same time, it brings changes to hero balance and progression. This update also fixes different bugs in the game.
Stadium Competitive Updates
According to Blizzard Entertainment, the patch fixes an issue faced by players. Mainly, they were getting very low Stadium Points when close to their predicted ranks. It slowed down their progress in ranking. So, the developers adjusted the distribution curve. It now helps players reach the Elite rank more easily. The studio also revised the maximum and minimum points gained or lost in Stadium matches. It lightens the impact of losing. In the same way, this makes competitive play feel a lot more reasonable. So, there is now a more balanced system.
Hero Balance Changes
The update also focuses on improving gameplay consistency and fairness, said Blizzard Entertainment. In particular, it addresses hero balance with buffs and nerfs.
Freja
Before, this DPS hero struggled with the lowest win rate in Stadium. To fix it, the creators increased five of her powers. But players do not need to worry about her being too powerful. The changes only aim to boost her consistency. They do not increase her top damage or one-shot potential.
Tracer
Unlike Freja, who receives nothing but boosts, Tracer gets a more balanced set of tweaks. In detail, her health gains from items were cut down. It is to add a sense of risk in her engagements. Similarly, her cooldown reduction, mobility, and damage skills got modified. Tracer’s temporal powers also became better.
Brigitte
The developers found this character too powerful in Overwatch 2. So, they are reducing the damage output of her Shield Boomerang power. It avoids unintended damage spikes. At the same time, this reduction brings her power more in line with her other skills.
Corrects Mercy’s Ultimate animation and voice lines in Overwatch Classic
Fixes Wuyang’s Ultimate targeting behavior and damage issues
Re-enables the Aatlis map
Aside from these, the latest update includes many other bug fixes. For full patch notes, visit Blizzard Entertainment.
Availability and What’s Next
The new Overwatch 2 update is now live for all players. But it could be one of the last patches, if not the final, before the launch of Season 19. This next major update is expected to arrive on October 14.
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 Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
Jane Inc. – ‘what if’
Jane Inc., the moniker of Toronto musician Carlyn Bezic, has shared ‘what if’, which thrusts and pulses with existential questions over eight minutes. “The song imagines a car crash as the moment I split in two,” Bezic explained. “Carlyn walks away to continue a life in which the accident never happened, leaving Jane (pure, unadulterated, in her final form) to be born, hungry for life.” It’s the latest single from A Rupture A Canyon A Birth, following ‘Elastic’ and ‘freefall’.
The Last Dinner Party – ‘Second Best’
Drawing inspiration from the Sparks’ angular pop style, The Last Dinner Party guitarist Emily Roberts wrote explores the tension between obsession and betrayal on ‘Second Best’. “I wish I could go back and say to myself that I am worth more than that, and that no one needs to accept being second best,” Roberts commented on the From The Pyre single. “I hope that the song captures the pain, anger and despair I felt but most importantly the defiance and satisfaction I now have in being able to immortalise this person in a song and to look back on the situation with more maturity.”
Alan Sparkhawk – ‘No More Darkness’ & Benjamin Booker – ‘A Place for Us’
Alan Sparhawk and Benjamin Booker have shared hauntingly raw yet hopeful tracks for Passages: Artists In Solidarity With Immigrants Refugees, and Asylum Seekers, a new compilation by Western Vinyl. About his contribution, Sparhawk said: “Here is a song that came from the struggle to know what to say to someone who is having a hard time. There are real things that we can do to lift each other out of suffering — sometimes it is tangible charity, like this compilation to raise funds and awareness for the plight of immigrants and those who have been displaced. Sometimes it is words of encouragement. It can also just be time spent with someone who needs help getting through the moment. Let’s do our best to turn up the light.” Booker added, “The human struggle is a family struggle. We rise together and we suffer together. There are so many things out of our control, but we can always open our hearts to love and understanding. May you find light in the darkness.”
Agriculture – ‘My Garden’
Agriculture have unleashed ‘My Garden’, the relentless opener from their imminent new LP The Spiritual Sound. Flitting between sludgy riffs and a sweet melody, it sits on the opposite end of the tender previous single ‘Dan’s Love Song’.
Rosie Carney – ‘Here’
Rosie Carney is back with a heavenly, expansive single called ‘Here’, her first new music in three years. Accompanied by a Cal McIntyre-directed video, the track was co-produced by Ross MacDonald of The 1975 and Ed Thomas. “Since recording my first album, Bare I’ve always known that someday I wanted to build a much more expansive musical world,” Carney expounded. “It wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when and how? Since signing to Polydor when I was sixteen I’ve probably done hundreds of sessions with some really wonderful musicians. But for the longest time I shied away from truly embracing collaboration, as I feared it would mean surrendering my identify. It wasn’t until I got into the studio with Ed and Ross and we finished “Here” that I felt comfortable with the idea of there being a team of collaborators who would amplify my voice and vision while staying true to own intimacy and I am so grateful for their help in forging this new world to come.”
McDonald added: “Rosie was the first artist who let me express myself fully as a producer outside of my band, so I am immensely proud of what she, Ed and I have created together. Also, to be tasked with changing her musical expression and exploring new parts of her talents and tastes has been a real privilege. I learned a lot from working with her and I’m incredibly excited for ‘Here’, and everything else in this project, to be heard.”
Witch Post – ‘Changeling’
Witch Post, the duo of Dylan Fraser and Alaska Reid, is the latest act to sign to Partisan Records, marking the news with ‘Changeling’, a track that showcases their vocal chemistry. The pair offered this statement introducing the song:
We met a changeling that inspired this song. We didn’t realise it ’till a year later…
Once knew a changeling Julie was her name Foxglove & roses painted tears on her face I knew she was restless, I knew she had pain Then she tried to consume me we were never the same
Skullcrusher – ‘Living’
“Am I living/ In the details of a drawing/ In the traces/ In the fading of the morning,” Skullcrusher ponders on the latest single from And Your Song is Like a Circle. “One day, I was wandering around Brooklyn, and I felt like I was watching everything through a window or on a screen,” Helen Ballentine recalled. “I felt like everyone was moving so fluidly and certainly like moving through a piece of choreography. ‘Living’ is about being a voyeur, catching a glimpse of brief moments of people’s lives. Like watching a play through a small peep hole, or through the slit of a curtain. I wonder if I am the same. If my life feels a part of this production or if it exists in a small detail somewhere off stage.”
Lianne La Havas – ‘Disarray’
Lianne La Havas is back with an intimately stunning new song called ‘Disarray’.“The song felt very intimate, almost like a secret just for me,” La Havas said in a statement. “It’s about vulnerability, honesty, and giving listeners a window into a moment of my life.”
HighSchool – ‘Sony Ericsson’
HighSchool have dropped a hazy, jittery new track, ‘Sony Ericsson’, from their self-titled debut LP. According to the band, it’s “about the strange dynamics of modern connection, the games people play over text, and how a single message can spiral into endless over-analysis.”
Clara Mann – ‘500 Miles’ and ‘My Life’
Clara Mann has shared two instantly hummable tunes that will appear on Rift (Extended Edition), the newly announced expanded version of her debut LP. The former reimagines the traditional song based on Hedy West’s version, while the latter is a rendition of the Iris DeMent ballad; both feature fiddle player Owen Spafford. “It is rare, in my line of songwriting, that you get to have fun on stage,” Mann said of ‘500 Miles’. “I often feel excited, or energised, or lifted by the music- as often as I feel heavy or moved- but when I first played this folk tune through with my friend Owen Spafford, we did, in fact, have fun. I love the part that Owen wrote, the fiddle like a train, on this version of the American tune (which I first came across as sung by Hedy West), and the way we shaped the song together around my vocal and guitar part. I feel, always, lucky to play with Owen: the friendship and music that we share are forces of light in my life. I have always felt careful around folk music – I do not have roots in any particular community around trad, did not grow up around session culture. There are spaces in which I do not want to take up space that should be occupied by other, more experienced, more authentic musicians. It’s light and wistful and I like it because it’s a moment in the live set in which I don’t have to excavate my own big heavy feelings, or go digging – it’s just singing for singing’s sake, singing to be together, singing for joy.”
“My mum and I had an Iris Dement CD in the car when I was little, and this was the final track on it. I have always loved it,” Mann added. “The first time I performed it live, a friend came up to me and said ‘It breaks my heart, hearing you sing those words’- I know what she meant, I guess this song is really about looking back on life rather than being, as I am, still quite near the beginning of it. Up until that moment, though, I hadn’t thought of it as sad. I think I associate it with the ‘mother and daughter’ moments of my life, like being in the car together, or her sitting on the end of my bed when I’m back home and we’re chatting, catching up – in a sense, the song sits between me and my ma’s chapters in life, between our ages. She could sing it, and so can I, and we both understand it from different angles.”
Show Me the Body – ‘Sabotage’ (Beastie Boys Cover)
Show Me the Body have offered up a studio version of their ‘Sabotage’ cover. They recorded it with Kenneth Blume, the producer formerly known as Kenny Beats, and it comes with a video from directors Jake Hanrahan and Jonny Pickup that features archival footage from the independent news organization Popular Front. “I support and consume independent journalism in general, but full disclosure, I am a straight up a fan of Popular Front,” the band’s Julian Cashwan Pratt shared. “Their crew does hard work to tell true stories, or as they put it, ‘honest reporting’. To work together on ‘Sabotage’ is a self-fulfilling prophecy. New York band with a New York song reaching out to the world at war with a message of love and solidarity.”
wavepool – ‘blue moon’
wavepool have shared a dazed, dreamy new song called ‘blue moon’, which is “about those moments when nothing really makes sense, and that’s perfectly fine,” according to the Rouen-based shoegazers. “Absurd and a little lost in an offbeat everyday life, the song invites you to let go and fully live in the moment without trying to figure everything out. It embodies the subtle art of not caring, with a touch of elegance.”
Helen Ballentine has released the latest single from her upcoming Skullcrusher LP, And Your Song Is Like a Circle. The softly ethereal ‘Living’ follows previous cuts ‘Exhale’, ‘March’, and ‘Dragon’. Check it out below, along with a live performance video.
“One day, I was wandering around Brooklyn, and I felt like I was watching everything through a window or on a screen,” Ballentine said in a statement. “I felt like everyone was moving so fluidly and certainly like moving through a piece of choreography. ‘Living’ is about being a voyeur, catching a glimpse of brief moments of people’s lives. Like watching a play through a small peep hole, or through the slit of a curtain. I wonder if I am the same. If my life feels a part of this production or if it exists in a small detail somewhere off stage.”
The benefit comp also features tracks by Dirty Projectors, Oneohtrix Point Never’s Daniel Lopatin, Tim Heidecker, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, William Tyler, Lambchop, Lonnie Holley, and more. Proceeds will be directed to Texas-based organizations American Gateways and Casa Marianella, which provide no-to-low-cost legal services, food, shelter, access to health care, and other essential services to immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.
“Home, as we know it, is under threat,” the album’s producer and organizer Rick Alverson commented. “When immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers exercise their human right to safe passage, they defend our ability to do so — and our right to be and feel at home.”
Sparhawk had this to say about ‘No More Darkness’: “Here is a song that came from the struggle to know what to say to someone who is having a hard time. There are real things that we can do to lift each other out of suffering — sometimes it is tangible charity, like this compilation to raise funds and awareness for the plight of immigrants and those who have been displaced. Sometimes it is words of encouragement. It can also just be time spent with someone who needs help getting through the moment. Let’s do our best to turn up the light.”
Booker added, “The human struggle is a family struggle. We rise together and we suffer together. There are so many things out of our control, but we can always open our hearts to love and understanding. May you find light in the darkness.”
Passages: Artists in Solidarity With Immigrants Refugees, and Asylum Seekers Tracklist:
1. Alan Sparhawk – No More Darkness
2. St. Panther – Everybody Is
3. Daniel Lopatin – Country
4. Benjamin Booker – A Place for Us
5. Lambchop – Afterburner
6. Quin Kirchner – Home [feat. Tekle Mezghebe]
7. Marisa Anderson – No Place to Rest My Head
8. Y La Bamba – Wrong Crowd
9. Lonnie Holley – A Border Is Just a Space Between Two Lines
10. Bonnie Prince Billy – The Autumn Wind (No. 71)
11. Erik Hall – Parallels
12. Dirty Projectors – One Hundred-Twenty Dollar Song
13. William Tyler – 13 Lakes
14. Aisha Burns – All That I Know
15. Anjou – Un Trayecto Largo [feat. I. Nova]
16. Heather Woods Broderick – White Sage
17. Tim Heidecker – Alone Until I’m Home
Swedes have always had a keen interest in gambling. From the national lottery and bingo nights in small-town community halls to today’s sleek mobile apps, playing for money has been part of Swedish entertainment culture for decades. What’s striking in 2025 is how much the landscape has shifted in just a few short years. Gambling is no longer confined to state-run operators or occasional visits to physical casinos —it’s a digital pastime that cuts across age groups, lifestyles, and even cultural debates about freedom versus responsibility.
As technology advances and regulations tighten, Swedish players are finding new ways to engage with casino entertainment. Some stay loyal to the homegrown market and its safeguards, while others explore international platforms offering a wider range of games and incentives. Together, these trends tell a story of how gambling has become embedded in Sweden’s broader cultural fabric—and why it’s changing faster than ever.
The rise of casinos without a Swedish license
One of the most striking shifts in Swedish gambling habits over the past few years is the move toward playing on platforms beyond the domestic market. In 2025, more Swedes than ever are choosing to sign up with casinos licensed outside of Sweden. The reasons are varied but often come down to choice and freedom.
Players who feel constrained by Sweden’s strict deposit limits, time controls, and bonus caps often look abroad for sites that offer larger welcome packages, ongoing promotions, and more flexible playing conditions. Beyond the bonuses, casinos without Swedish license frequently host bigger game libraries, niche slot titles, and innovative features that Swedish-licensed operators sometimes cannot provide under current rules.
For many Swedes, this isn’t about rejecting regulation altogether—it’s about entertainment value. Just as they might shop internationally for fashion or music streaming, players are increasingly open to mixing local safety with global variety in their gambling choices.
How Swedes play in 2025
Gambling in Sweden today is not just about the games themselves but also about how and where people play. By 2025, the industry has fully adapted to Sweden’s tech-driven lifestyle, and players’ habits reflect that. From quick spins on mobile slots to following live-streamed casino influencers, Swedes are embracing a digital-first culture that blends convenience, entertainment, and community.
Mobile-first gambling
In 2025, Swedish gambling is dominated by smartphones. Casino apps and mobile-optimized sites allow players to dip in and out of games during commutes, lunch breaks, or while relaxing at home. This on-the-go access has shifted the way Swedes view gambling—from a planned activity to a casual form of entertainment woven into daily routines.
Slots, live dealers, and sports
Slots remain the most played category, with classic themes still popular but new, gamified titles drawing younger crowds. Live dealer tables have seen a surge thanks to sharper video technology, creating a more social experience that resonates with Swedes who value realism and connection. Sports betting, particularly on football and ice hockey, continues to be a cultural staple, while international leagues like the Premier League and NHL command strong attention.
Esports and younger audiences
Among younger Swedes, esports betting is steadily climbing. These players, already comfortable with competitive gaming, see betting as an extension of their existing entertainment habits. It’s less about “traditional casino play” and more about merging gaming culture with gambling opportunities.
The role of influencers
Streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube have transformed how Swedes discover new casinos and games. Popular casino streamers provide commentary, strategies, and live reactions that make gambling feel interactive and communal. In a way, they’ve replaced the old bingo halls and horse-racing clubs as hubs for shared experiences, only now the audience is digital and international.
Community and culture
For a long time, gambling in Sweden was associated with communal activities: bingo nights in small towns, betting at the racetrack, or watching the lottery draw together on television. While those traditions still exist, the digital era has reshaped how Swedes connect around gambling.
Today, much of that sense of community is found online. Social media groups, casino forums, and live-stream chats create spaces where players swap tips, celebrate wins, and discuss strategies. Casino influencers in particular play an outsized role, turning solitary spins into shared entertainment moments.
This cultural shift reflects Sweden’s broader embrace of digital life. Just as Swedes use streaming services to discover music or join online communities around gaming, gambling too has become a form of interactive entertainment. It’s less about chasing winnings and more about being part of a scene where the thrill is collective—even if everyone is playing from their own sofa.
Regulation and responsible play
Sweden’s gambling market continues to operate under the Swedish Gambling Act, which provides one of the most detailed regulatory frameworks in Europe. The Act sets strict rules for licensing, player protection, and marketing, aiming to ensure that gambling is conducted in a safe, transparent, and socially responsible way.
Among its key provisions are requirements for licensed operators to verify players’ identities, provide clear information about odds and risks, and offer tools that support responsible play. The national self-exclusion system, Spelpaus, remains a cornerstone: players who register are automatically blocked from all licensed casinos, betting sites, and even physical venues across Sweden.
Supporters see these measures as essential for maintaining consumer protection, but critics argue that the limits on advertising, promotions, and bonuses make Swedish-licensed casinos less attractive compared to international competitors. In 2025, the ongoing policy debate centers on how to maintain strong safeguards while ensuring that players still feel engaged within the regulated system.
Conclusion: A culture of balance and choice
Swedish gambling in 2025 is defined by contrasts. On one side, a regulated market built to protect players with strict safeguards and responsible play tools; on the other, a growing curiosity for international platforms that promise more freedom, bigger bonuses, and cutting-edge innovation. Between these two worlds, Swedish players are making their own choices, shaping a culture where gambling is not just about winning money but about entertainment, community, and lifestyle.
From mobile-first habits to influencer-driven play and emerging trends like crypto casinos, the Swedish market reflects the country’s tech-savvy, globally connected identity. As regulations evolve and new technologies enter the scene, one thing is certain: gambling will remain woven into Swedish culture—not as a static pastime, but as a dynamic part of everyday entertainment.
