Radiohead have surprise-released a new album of live recordings from the Hail to the Thief era. It features performances of most of the album’s tracks – omitting ‘Backdrifts’ and ‘A Punch Up at a Wedding’ – captured in London, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, and Dublin between 2003 and 2009. Following the digital edition that’s out today, a one-off vinyl pressing will be released on Halloween, available for pre-order now. Listen to it below.
Hail to the Thief (Live Recordings 2003-2009) was mixed by Ben Baptie and mastered by Matt Colton. In a statement about the record, Thom Yorke said, “In the process of thinking how to build arrangements for the Shakespeare Hamlet/Hail to the Thief theatre production I asked to hear some archive live recordings of the songs. I was shocked by the kind of energy behind the way we played and it really helped me find a way forward. For us, back in the day, the finishing of this record was particularly messy and fraught, we were very proud of it but there was a taste left in our mouths, it was a dark time in so many ways. Anyway we decided to get these live recordings mixed (it would have been insane to keep them for ourselves) by Ben Baptie, who did an amazing job. It has all been a very cathartic process, we very much hope you enjoy them.”
The first thing you notice walking into Undercurrent at Artflow Studio Ltd is that it doesn’t shout for attention. It’s quiet, but not in a cold way — more like it’s got something brewing under the surface and you’re being pulled in before you’ve even decided to step closer. The white walls and bare floor make the air feel a bit sharper, like every sound in the room has space to bounce back at you. The works aren’t crammed in — they’ve got breathing room — but they still feel like they’re passing a message between each other when you’re not looking.
There are a lot of voices here, twenty-one artists all told, and somehow it doesn’t turn into a noisy mess. Installation next to paintings, video a few steps from sculpture, textiles hanging near photography. You get the sense the connections are loose but deliberate, like someone arranged a dinner party knowing half the guests might never talk, but the room would still hum. The theme — forces you can’t see but can definitely feel — isn’t handled like a school project. It’s slower, stranger. Sometimes you only catch it in the corner of your mind.
You get moments where the works almost push against you. Syntax by Yiyi Song has four ceramic pieces leaning into each other, none able to stand alone. They look steady enough, but you can tell one wrong move and the whole thing’s done for. Abbas Khan’s Jaws of Success is sharper, almost nasty — that gnawing feeling of being eaten alive by the job you thought you wanted. Xin Zhang’s Growing Pain hits in a quieter way, all bricks and walls standing in for how identity gets built and chipped at over time. Then you get Baoyue Zhang’s Blue Entropy, which just blows the whole scale out to the size of the universe — order and chaos circling each other while machines and memory fight it out.
Memory’s everywhere in this show. Not the neat, photo-album kind, but the way it actually works in your head — bent, hazy, bits missing. Lingjun Feng’s The unraveling of memories is all liquid blur, almost like it’s trying to get away from you. Amar Shrestha’s Reflection of Camden Market flips this around, catching quick, raw moments in market mirrors that weren’t meant for art at all. Both feel real in different ways, like the stuff you remember without meaning to.
Some works are about the body — what it holds onto, what it loses. Haopeng Yang’s The Diamond Cutter uses a hanging spine and medical images to talk about living with pain, and it’s not pretty or tidy. Jordan Leung’s Untitled feels like a dare to get close to nature again, even if it cuts. Lingfei Shen’s BLUE somehow makes an empty stretch of sea feel full of something you can’t name.
Other pieces dig into folklore or history, but not in a stuck-in-the-past way. Anna Yan’s AWU brings back an old Guangdong ghost story, the kind of thing kids would whisper about to scare each other. Bingge Liu’s silk landscapes need time to look at — the kind where you almost have to slow your breathing to see the details. These works aren’t rushing to make their point, and maybe that’s why they stick.
A few pieces are direct in their challenge. Xinyue Liang’s Defying the Vase is exactly what it says — not letting women be treated like something you put flowers in and leave on the table. Alina Burkovska’s I Was Whole is softer in tone, more about piecing yourself back together without pretending it’s all fine.
Not everything here is heavy. Anni Li’s A Liminal Dream floats somewhere between being a kid and an adult, half-clear, half-not. Sammy Lai’s Daydreaming catches the way a city moves, not through buildings or traffic, but through the rhythms of the people walking past you. PinChing Wu’s pieces feel like they were made on the move — part travel diary, part self-portrait — where you’re not sure what’s true and what’s made up. Minyu Zhu’s Interweave is tactile, almost like you could read it with your hands.
The works don’t wrap things up neatly. Abbas Khan’s All Fawksed Up might have flames, but it’s not about the fire you see — it’s about the quieter, slower kind that works its way in over time. Nothing here really hands you an answer, and that’s probably the point. You’re meant to take your time, even if that means standing there longer than you thought you would.
Artflow Studio’s Undercurrent pulls this off without over-explaining itself. It trusts you to connect the dots — or not — and to notice the small things that shift inside you when you’re looking. That trust feels rare. You walk out with the sense something in you has moved a bit, even if you can’t pin down what. And maybe you’re not supposed to.
Exhibition name: Undercurrent
Exhibition Date: 1 – 7 August 2025
Curated Team:HongQian Zhang and Huan Zhou
Artist list: Baoyue Zhang, Sammy Lai, Xiaobin Zhang, Jordan Leung, Yingxin Yan, Amar Shrestha, Alina Burkovska, Lingfei Shen, Haopeng Yang, PinChing Wu, Xinyue Liang, Minyu Zhu, Anni Li, Xiang Li, Xin Zhang, Abbas Khan, Yiping Gu, Longfei Jiang, Yiyi Song, Bingge Liu
Volunteer: Tizi Pu, Longfei Jiang
Photographer: Amar Shrestha
*This exhibition is presented in collaboration with Our Culture, Jenny Ping Lam Lin and Dr. Quanliu, continuing Artflow Studio’s mission to connect emerging voices with diverse audiences.
THCA carts are gaining popularity among vaping enthusiasts as they offer a unique experience compared to traditional cannabis products. In this article, we will guide you through the world of THCA carts, providing insights to help you make well-informed purchase decisions and clear up any confusion surrounding these products. Let’s dive into what makes a quality THCA cart and the standards that ensure safety and satisfaction.
Understanding THCA Carts
THCA carts are pre-filled cartridges designed for vaping, containing tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), the non-psychoactive precursor to THC. When heated, THCA converts to THC, offering benefits such as:
Health Benefits: THCA has anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, as suggested by studies. Explore more about THCA’s potential benefits on Harvard Health Blog.
Reduced Psychoactive Effects: THCA does not produce a “high” until heated, allowing users to enjoy benefits without intense psychoactive effects.
Key Features to Consider When Buying a THCA Cartridge
Choosing the right THCA cart is crucial for a satisfying vaping experience. Consider the following key features:
Potency: Check the THCA content level for suitable effects according to your needs.
Brand Reputation: Opt for reputable brands with a history of customer satisfaction.
Purity: Look for carts free from unnecessary additives and contaminants.
Extraction Method: Prefer CO2 extraction for efficient and quality products.
Flavor: Choose natural flavors over synthetic ones for a better experience.
Safety and Quality Standards for THCA Carts
Ensuring safety and quality in THCA carts is paramount to a satisfactory vaping experience. Consider the following:
Lab Testing: Reliable manufacturers conduct third-party lab tests for potency and purity.
Certificates: Look for a certificate of analysis (COA) for detailed product information.
Recognizing Quality Products and Avoiding Counterfeits: Ensure tamper-proof packaging, clear appearance, and natural scent, and always purchase from reputable vendors.
THCA Cart vs. THCA Vape Cartridges for Sale
Understanding the distinctions between THCA carts and vape cartridges is crucial for informed purchasing decisions.
Understanding THCA Carts and THCA Vape Cartridges
THCA Carts: Standard cartridges filled with THCA oil for reusable vape pens.
THCA Vape Cartridges: Offer varied experiences with additional ingredients.
Market Differences and Consumer Preferences
Customization: THCA carts offer more customization, while vape cartridges are more portable.
Cost: Carts may be more budget-friendly as they are reusable.
Consumer Trends
Quality, variety, and convenience are key consumer priorities.
Difference Between THCA Carts and THCA Live Resin Disposable
Understanding the differences between THCA carts and live resin disposables is essential for choosing the right product.
THCA Live Resin Disposables: Single-use options offering rich flavors.
Factors to Consider
Ease of Use: Disposables are convenient for beginners or travel.
Cost and Experience: Consider cost-effectiveness and flavor preference.
Where to Buy THCA Carts for Sale
Finding credible sources to purchase THCA carts is vital for quality and safety. Consider the following recommendations:
Online Retailers: Opt for reputable online cannabis shops with detailed product information.
Dispensaries: Legitimate dispensaries provide knowledgeable staff and safe products.
Summing it All Up
To conclude, research potency, brand reputation, and purity when purchasing THCA carts. Prioritize lab-tested products, compare different options, and choose sources like online retailers or dispensaries for a satisfying experience. This guide aims to empower consumers in making informed choices for their THCA vaping journey.
Casino bonus offers come in various types, each designed to reduce risk on your deposits and enhance your winning chances. Identifying the packages is essential for optimising your gameplay and maximising possible returns. From welcome bonuses to cashback programs, each type varies across online casinos. According to Statista, online casino revenue is expected to reach $226.9 billion by the end of 2025.A considerable portion is allocated to rewards, designed to attract and retain bettors.
This online casino bonus guide provides data-backed information you will need to understand each reward. We will discuss the most common bonuses available and the hidden terms most operators are hiding from you. It concludes with an examination of rising trends and how to capitalize on them. Gaining a deep understanding of how bonuses work is key to improving your experience and planning strategies.
7 Types Every Player Should Know
Online casino bonuses are unique incentives that attract and retain new players. They provide extra funds or opportunities to extend playtime. Each online casino bonus serves a specific purpose, from encouraging new registrations to rewarding loyal players. Casinos also utilize these packages to differentiate themselves in the competitive market.
Understanding the types of online casino bonuses can improve your playing style. This includes learning about their values, terms, and conditions, as well as any possible restrictions. There are no standards, allowing each gaming site to design its online casino promotion bonus as it sees fit. Here are the most common offers you will find, along with their key features, the target audience they appeal to, and any applicable time limits.
Bonus Type
Average Value
Wagering Req.
Success Rate
Best For
Time Limit
Welcome Bonus
100% + 100 spins
35x
23%
New players
30 days
No Deposit
$10-25
40x
8%
Risk-free testing
7 days
Reload
50% match
25x
35%
Regular players
7 days
Cashback
10-20%
None
100%
Consistent players
Weekly
VIP
Custom
15x
78%
High rollers
60 days
Crypto
150% + perks
30x
28%
Crypto users
14 days
No-Wager
10-50 spins
0x
100%
All players
24 hours
Welcome Bonuses
Welcome casino bonuses are the most popular rewards in the online gambling market. It is reserved for new players who have completed the registration requirements. This package typically includes a matched deposit, free spins, or both. A match deposit rewards players with a percentage of their deposit. For instance, a 100% deposit offer could yield an additional $100 bonus for a $100 deposit. Free spins allow players to wager on slot machines without using their own money. The average market value for welcome deposit casino bonuses is about 100% up to $1000, while free spins range from 50 to 500.
No Deposit Bonuses
This casino bonus type is also popular, offering players a cash amount or free spins upon signing up. They are highly appealing because they don’t require a deposit and offer the lowest risk you will find among all the types of casino bonuses. Yet, their terms and conditions are strict, including access to limited games and small withdrawal limits. Their value ranges from $5 to $20, making them a low-risk advantage for new players.
Reload and Cashback Bonuses
Reload and cashback bonuses are strictly for regular or loyal players. Cashback bonus returns a percentage of the entire lost bets (ranges from 10%-35%). Reload also pays a percentage, but it is based on the total deposit amount. Each promotion is calculated after a period, which can be a week or a month. You will find that these offers have fewer terms and conditions, suiting consistent players who prefer long-term rewards.
VIP and High Roller Bonuses
VIP and high-roller promotions are designed for big spenders, offering exclusive perks. They are the best casino bonuses online if you prefer to stake high. Offers often include dedicated account managers, high withdrawal limits, or unique cashback deals.
New and Emerging Bonus Types
New, trendy online casino deposit bonuses are already emerging in 2025. Offers such as crypto casino bonuses, gamified loyalty rewards, and no-wagering bonuses deliver cryptocurrency benefits. However, they also include the volatility of market prices.
Bonus Terms Decoded: What Operators Don’t Want You to Know
Ever wonder why your $100 casino bonus feels impossible to clear? Many online casinos offer extremely generous rewards, but their terms may contain hidden traps. Identifying and avoiding these harsh promotions will help you save time and your precious money.
Protection strategies:
Impossible Wagering: Many deposit casino bonuses have incredibly high wagering requirements, making them mathematically impossible to meet. For instance, a bonus with a wagering requirement of 50x means you must play up to $5000 to clear a $100 bonus. The higher this playthrough requirement, the more you must wager before placing a withdrawal request.
Phantom bonuses: Some bonuses outrightly disappear after signing up. It’s possible that you are attracted by an advertised offer but cannot find it on the promotions page. These “Phantom bonuses” have unclear terms that disappear once you make a deposit. Our research suggests that a common underlying factor contributing to these causes is the failure to utilise a specific deposit method.
Operator reliability: Operators offering the largest online casino bonuses typically hold valid operational permits. Each platform on magyarcasinobonus.com is licensed by popular regulatory bodies, which hold them to high standards on fair casino bonus terms and conditions.
Complaint patterns: Some sites are known for having a pattern of complaints regarding bonuses. Check player review forums to understand their casino’s reputation on bonus terms first.
How Location Affects Your Offers
Geography is a crucial factor in determining what type of casino bonus is available for your pleasure. This is based on different conditions that shape the online gambling market in a particular location. The major rules are based on local regulations, currency considerations, and market competition.
Jurisdiction comparison: All jurisdictions have different rules regarding all types of online casino bonuses. For instance, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has strict rules regarding wagering limits and the availability of promotions. However, the Curaçao Gaming Control Board and Malta Gaming Authority have relaxed regulations. This attracts international operators who prefer relaxed policies.
Market maturity: In competitive markets, such as the UK, online casinos offer highly valuable rewards. This is to help them catch new players. However, locations with emerging markets may display more basic rewards.
Regulatory impact: You will find that laws regarding online gambling are evolving in high markets, such as the UK. The UKGC considers responsible gambling and the prevention of underage betting a priority in setting its regulations.
Currency considerations: Multi-currency bonuses are rising in popularity. This means you can access any casino bonus in a preferred currency. A unique trend is the rise of crypto-based promotions, which appeal to international players. This provides promotions outside their central location.
Wagering Requirements Demystified
Wagering requirement is a key feature of most deposit casino bonuses. It can be tricky, especially for new players. Learning how it works helps you make an efficient casino bonus strategy and to calculate how to make money from online casino bonuses. Let’s break down what it means, the difference between bonus-only and deposit + bonus wagering conditions, and the actual cost involved.
Expected Value
Wagering requirements can vary, depending on whether you’re betting both the bonus and the deposit or only the bonus. A bonus-only bet may have lower standards, making them easy to fulfil. Deposit + bonus are generally higher, with stricter rules on time frame limits.
For instance, if a casino awards you a $100 bonus with a 35x wagering requirement. It means you would need to stake $3,500 to clear the reward ($100 x 35). However, if the term is a deposit + bonus offer, it may have a high wagering requirement. If the casino bonus is a $100 bonus with a 50x wagering requirement on a $100 deposit, the total amount becomes $10,000 ($200 x 50).
Here’s a breakdown of the calculations:
35x Bonus Wagering only on $100 bonus. $100 bonus x 35 = $3,500 bet requirement.
50x deposit requirement. ($100 deposit + $100 bonus) x 50 = $10,000 bet requirement.
Reality Check
Every wagering requirement for a casino bonus is influenced by game mechanics, including Return to Player (RTP) rate. The RTP feature applies to free slot bonuses with its average value at 95%. This means for every $100 bet, you would get only $95. Depending on the number of bets you need to place, you could lose about $150-$300 when clearing a $100 cash bonus.
Certain games contribute to clearing wagering requirements in different amounts. For instance, online slots often offer 100% while table games only contribute 10-20% or nothing (depending on the casino). Always check what amount a game category contributes to the wagering requirement.
Success Rate Statistics
Data show that only 23% of players can successfully fulfil a wagering requirement exceeding 40x. This only shows the difficulty in clearing this condition. It’s essential to study a casino bonus’s terms and conditions before committing.
There are certain factors you should note that can influence a bonus. They determine how easily a casino bonus and potential winnings can be unlocked.
Time frame. The time frame varies based on the type of wagering requirement. Bonus-only promotions offer more extended expiry periods, but bonus + deposit promotions are restricted to only a few days.
Maximum bet limits. Certain casinos have a max bet limit for a wagering requirement. For instance, you may not be allowed to stake above $5 per spin or hand.
Maximum payout from the bonus. We recommend confirming whether you can withdraw both the bonus and winnings, or only the cash prize. Some sites only pay out the cash prize from the bonus after the wagering requirements are fulfilled. Others limit withdrawals to a specific figure.
Final Words
A casino bonus can significantly impact your gaming experience. Each type has its features and value when applied to a group of players. However, they have complex terms and conditions that need understanding. All kinds of casino bonuses have their uses, but they often come with terms.
Learning about the wagering requirements and game contributions can help you make informed decisions and avoid common mistakes. Always begin by assessing the actual value of a bonus. Consider major factors such as realistic wagering expectations, time frames, and eligible games.
We recommend gambling responsibly. Bonuses can only enhance your play style and not create unrealistic expectations of winning. Confirm if the site is transparent by looking through our metrics on how to identify a licensed online casino. By using a casino bonus wisely, you can boost your chances of winning for a more rewarding experience. For more updated reviews on the biggest online casino bonuses, check out additional casino bonus guides on our site.
Performance: Not for Sale, Choreographer: Hui-Hsin Lu, Performers: Yueting Liu, Zhou Jie, Junxin Zhang, Ka Ki Christina Lai
In a quiet corner of Archway, London, a functioning shibari studio has been transformed into a charged space of discipline, desire, and nocturnal introspection. Nightfall Division brings together an international roster of artists, among them Annette Harvest, Caijing Kuang, Mingzhang Sun, and Louise Hapton, to explore what happens when the sun sets and the rules shift.
The exhibition takes the night as both metaphor and method, presenting it as a rupture in the social order, a place where shame, fear, and longing emerge from the shadows. Drawing on the symbolism of BDSM culture and the haunting logic of Liu Cixin’s “Dark Forest” theory, the show asks a disquieting question: in a world that champions personal freedom, what does liberty truly mean when systems of control have already been internalised?
At its entrance, a carved tombstone declaring RIP SHAME serves as both provocation and invitation. From there, the exhibition unfolds across three interconnected rooms. The first, devoted to installation and painting, interrogates the ways identity is moulded, constrained, and resisted through material and symbolic languages. The second and third spaces, housing photography, video, and sound, pull the viewer into a more visceral realm, where staged imagery and sensory immersion dissolve the boundary between audience and subject. Here, interpretation gives way to feeling, and meaning emerges in a haze of uncertainty.
Zhaoyao Chen’s Mao Zedong Triptych (2024); Yulai Xu’s Fishtail(2025); Mengzhu Li’s Seeing Higher on the Shoulders of Giants (2023) Chenqi Jiang’s Self-Portrait 1 & Self-Portrait 2 (2025)
The venue itself is no passive host. Raw, intimate, and steeped in symbolism, the shibari studio amplifies the show’s central themes of power, submission, and exposure. This spatial honesty strips away the sterility of the traditional white cube, replacing it with something riskier, more human.
On opening night, the live performance Not for Sale by choreographer Hui-Hsin Lu heightened this tension. Performed with minimal staging, it relied on the physical presence of the body to explore resistance, vulnerability, and the politics of being seen. The work, much like the exhibition as a whole, was less about offering answers than about inhabiting the questions.
Hui-Hsin Lu‘s Not for sale (2025)
BDSM, in this context, is not presented as spectacle but as metaphor. It becomes a lens through which to examine how power is enforced, and how its rules become part of our own instincts. Liu’s “Dark Forest” analogy in which survival depends on silence and invisibility resonates throughout, suggesting that in contemporary life we are simultaneously predator and prey, concealing parts of ourselves in order to endure.
Exhibition Poster designed by: Jocelin Cheng, Jase Cooper
Nightfall Division resists neat resolution. Instead, it invites the viewer to linger in the tension between repression and recognition. By staging its inquiry within a working space of knots, bindings, and human vulnerability, it ensures that every step through its rooms is a negotiation with power, not as spectacle, but as the possibility of transformation.
Lafayette, LA, has a thriving community that faces the full spectrum of complex injury cases, from serious traffic collisions to workplace and offshore accidents. While local public records on injury claim outcomes are limited, statewide data reveal that Louisiana averages more than 10,000 personal injury claims filed annually, with a growing share involving multiple parties and intricate legal issues. In Lafayette, where families and professionals alike rely on roadways, oilfield sites, and active workplaces, understandinglegal strategies to maximize compensation is critical.
Against this backdrop, Galloway Jefcoat has earned a reputation in Lafayette for understanding these layered cases and guiding clients to navigate them with confidence and clarity. Whether leveraging expert medical testimony, strategically determining liability, or dissecting insurance policy nuances, legal professionals apply tailored approaches that reflect the unique challenges of Lafayette, LA, and the firm’s deep commitment to securing fair outcomes for injury victims.
Thorough Documentation
A strong case foundation lies in comprehensive documentation. Gathering solid facts makes all the difference. Legal experts pull together your medical files, what witnesses said, and pictures from the injury spot. Just as a building needs every brick, a powerful argument requires solid proof from every angle. Legal work moves faster when your papers are neat and easy to find, and your arguments strengthen.
Expert Testimonies
Leveraging expert testimonies can significantly enhance the credibility of an injury claim. Medical experts will tell you how an injury affects you now and what to expect later. Imagine a court case loaded with medical terms or engineering facts. These specialists break down the complex science so judges and juries can truly follow every part of the story. If you want top dollar, it is best to go with experienced, trusted professionals.
Understanding Legal Rights
Knowing one’s legal rights is fundamental in injury cases. They can explain all the money you might be owed. This includes your doctor bills, lost income, and suffering. If you truly grasp your rights, you’ll grab every bit of money you’re owed. That builds a complete claim.
Negotiation Skills
Effective negotiation is vital in achieving a fair settlement. Legal representatives with strong negotiation skills can advocate for the injured party’s best interests. Picture them, strong and steady, going toe-to-toe with insurance adjusters or the lawyers representing the opposition. A smart negotiator can hammer out a deal that compensates fairly for your injury. It covers the actual harm and how it threw your life off course.
Emphasizing Long-Term Impacts
Injury cases often involve consideration of long-term effects. You might face long-term medical care or rehabilitation and earn less. You need to highlight the costs and difficulties that may be encountered in the future. That’s how you get paid what’s right. To make sure an injured person receives the right help, legal and medical teams need to join up. They map out all the future care and costs.
Utilizing Technology
Technology can play a significant role in injury cases. With digital assistance, paperwork gets organized, messages fly, and accident details can be replayed. Dynamic visuals like animated sequences or realistic simulations can show the mechanics of an injury or its ongoing effects on a person’s routine. Using technology effectively can make the case more compelling and understandable.
Pre-Trial Preparation
Adequate pre-trial preparation can influence the case’s success. First, they look for every bit of information. Then, they collect the proof and arrange witness accounts. Preparing for potential challenges or counterarguments can strengthen the case. When a legal team truly masters the details, it can build an argument that hits hard and lands a win.
Choosing the Right Legal Representation
Selecting the right attorney is a critical decision in complex injury cases. Seasoned lawyers understand well how complicated these cases can be. You get advice that’s built just for your situation. They make sure every legal step you take works out right. A skilled attorney can significantly impact the compensation outcome by advocating assertively and strategically.
Emotional and Psychological Considerations
Injury cases often involve emotional and psychological aspects. It is crucial to understand these things well if you hope to get what you’re owed. Anxiety or depression, and other mental health struggles, can be part of your claim. When lawyers account for everything, they see how an injury changes someone’s entire world.
Contingency Fee Arrangements
Many legal professionals offer contingency fee arrangements for injury cases. This means legal fees are only paid if the case is successful. This arrangement with a good lawyer means you don’t pay legal fees until later, if your case is successful. Injured people can seek fairness without the burden of paying legal costs right away.
Final Thoughts
Complex injury cases require a strategic approach to ensure fair compensation. A solid legal challenge always starts with substantial evidence on paper, compelling words from those who know their stuff, and a clear idea of what the law allows you to do. Skillful talks matter. Considering the long term and putting technology to work makes success much more likely. Pre-trial preparation, choosing the right legal team, and addressing emotional considerations complete the strategy. When you use these legal approaches, you can maximize compensation. That extra money gives you the support you need to recover and live comfortably.
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Introduction to Casino.click
What Is Casino.click?
Casino.click is a sweepstakes-based gaming site. It uses a dual-currency model, allowing players to enjoy casino-style games using either Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins. Gold Coins are used for fun play, while Sweeps Coins can lead to real cash prizes if eligible.
Players can access the site through any modern browser or via a progressive web app (PWA) without downloading anything. The platform focuses on providing a risk-free environment, offering both entertainment and reward potential.
Licensing and Security Measures
Casino.click operates under sweepstakes contest laws in the U.S. rather than traditional gambling licenses. This allows users in most states to play legally. The site is protected by SSL encryption to secure all user data, ensuring safe deposits, account information, and transaction details.
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Game Selection on Casino.click
Slots and Popular Titles
The game library at Casino.click is growing steadily. It primarily includes slot-style games with different reels, themes, and win patterns. Many feature classic symbols, bonus rounds, and high-quality visuals.
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High-volatility slots offering larger rewards
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Upcoming Games and Live Casino Plans
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Possible blackjack and roulette games
Leaderboard events and tournaments
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Bonuses and Promotions
Welcome Bonus and Free Sweeps Coins
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5,000+ Gold Coins free on sign-up
1–5 Sweeps Coins included
Bonuses delivered instantly to your account
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Daily Bonuses and Social Media Giveaways
Casino.click rewards active players with daily login bonuses. These include both types of virtual currency. Players are encouraged to check in every day to build up their balance.
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Gold Coin bundles every 24 hours
Sweepstakes giveaways on social platforms
Following the official Casino.click website or its social channels is a great way to stay updated on these opportunities.
Banking and Payments
Deposit Options and Using Gold & Sweeps Coins
Casino.click uses a dual-currency system:
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Sweeps Coins: Earned through bonus offers or promotions. These can be redeemed for cash prizes if you meet the eligibility requirements.
Purchase methods include:
Payment Method
Min Purchase
Notes
Credit/Debit Card
$10
Instant, safe, secure
Bank Transfer
$10
Takes longer to process
Crypto Options
Varies
Depending on availability
Players can play without buying anything by using daily rewards or sweepstakes entries.
Withdrawal Process and Timeframes
Only Sweeps Coins can be redeemed for cash. The process requires account verification, including ID and address checks. This ensures compliance with sweepstakes law.
Withdrawal info:
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Always review the terms on the official Casino.click website before requesting a withdrawal.
Mobile Experience and User Interface
Progressive Web App (PWA) Features
Casino.click uses progressive web app technology. This means players can add the website to their home screen and use it like a regular mobile app—without needing to download anything from an app store.
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Mobile Compatibility and Accessibility
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Games run smoothly with tap controls
You can enjoy every feature of Casino.click from your smartphone—no app needed.
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How do I sign up on Casino.click?
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Who would’ve imagined we’d one day have access to the kind of technology we have today? As long as you have a device and an internet connection, nothing is impossible. You can even bring the cinema experience to the comfort of your home. And one tool that made it possible is Kanopy. It’s a streaming platform that makes it easier to access high-quality films, documentaries, and independent titles. Likewise, it opened doors for more people to watch meaningful content. But no platform is perfect. It still has some limits, like a smaller selection and limited reach. That’s why many people still search for Kanopy alternatives.
This article breaks down a few streaming options you can try, along with mirror sites and Reddit information.
Five Recommended Kanopy Alternatives
Hoopla
Hoopla is likely the closest legal alternative to Kanopy. It also lets users stream movies and TV shows using a library card. Like Kanopy, it focuses on educational and indie films. Plus, Hoopla lets viewers stream and download titles on any device.
HBO Max
HBO Max offers new stories for everyone each week. With a cheap subscription fee, you can already stream popular series and blockbuster films. From the DC universe to the world of Harry Potter, your favorites are on Max.
Hulu
Hulu is another paid platform that offers a strong mix of TV shows, movie library, and original content. Aside from these, Hulu provides access to live sports coverage, news programs, and Disney shows. Like HBO Max, it’s a strong addition to the list of Kanopy alternatives if you want a broader range of content.
Bflix
Bflix caters to audiences who value streaming comfort and quality at no cost. Specifically, it’s a free website that hosts an extensive collection of films and TV episodes. Similarly, users don’t need to sign up or register to stream blockbuster titles and classics.
1movies
1movies is also a free streaming website. With no fees needed, anyone can enjoy watching titles from its library of movies and TV series. Particularly, viewers can choose from different genres.
Available Mirror Sites for Kanopy
The main Kanopy website is working perfectly. You can use this link to visit: https://www.kanopy.com/en. If this is not an option for you, then you can download the app version on the App Store, Google Play, and Amazon.
Reddit News About Kanopy
Many users on the r/criterion and r/Letterboxd threads on Reddit share their delight with Kanopy. However, some people on r/Kanopy are saying it’s sad that the platform is not available everywhere.
Final Notes
There are many free streaming websites. But it’s always better to stick with legal Kanopy alternatives. Choose smart and stream safe.
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 Tuesday, August 12, 2025.
Sorry – ‘Echoes’
Sorry have announced a new album, COSPLAY, arriving November 7. It includes their recent singles – ‘Waxwing’, ‘Jetplane’, and ‘Jive’ – as well as the ethereal yet vulnerable ‘Echoes’. “Meet me at the butterfly sanctuary,” Asha Lorenz remarked of the song.
Kaytranada – ‘Space Invader’
Kaytranada has previewed his imminent new album, Ain’t No Damn Way!, with a sleek, bouncy new single called ‘Space Invader’, which is built on a sample of Latrelle and Kelis’ 2001 R&B track ‘My Life’.
Militarie Gun – ‘B A D I D E A’
Militarie Gun have announced a new album, God Save the Gun, with the infectious and pummelling ‘B A D I D E A’. “I wanted to make a video that was a celebration of vices, a new iteration of yourself looking back at a moment you made a mistake while never truly reflecting,” bandleader Ian Shelton said in a press release. “This was the most technically challenging video we’ve ever done and it only fits a song spelling out the words ‘bad idea’.”
Hannah Frances – ‘Surviving You’
“‘Surviving You’ is a reflection on the ways generational trauma can repeat itself when unexamined, and the ways we learn to protect ourselves through necessity,” Frances said of her entrancing new single, which leads her forthcoming album Nested in Tangles. “It’s a personal account of receiving harm from people who have projected their own pain onto me, who refuse to see themselves or take accountability for the impact of their actions. I was reckoning with my rage, and recognizing how much I’ve lived in survival mode for the majority of my life. This is for anyone who grew up in a turbulent and harmful home and is learning to affirm their lived experience.”
Twen – ‘Godlike’
Twen have a new album on the way, Fate Euphoric, which comes out November 5. It’s led by the tuneful and breezy ‘Godlike’, which comes paired with a video directed by the duo’s Jane Fitzsimmons.
Sudan Archives – ‘MS. PAC-MAN’
‘MS. PAC-MAN’ is the name of Sudan Archives’ kinetic, hilarious new single. “My cousin Taylor was like, all you write about is love, sometimes I want to be toxic — I want to hear stupid shit,” the artist remarked. “Eric, her husband, was playing this beat, and Taylor was like ‘PUT IT IN MY MOUTH’ and I was like, oh God, that’s so funny – ‘AND MY BANK ACCOUNT!’”
Avalon Emerson and Moby – ‘E After Next’
Avalon Emerson and Moby have joined forces for a new song, which flips Moby’s 1992 rave anthem ‘Next Is the E’. It’s a playful, buoyant reimagining.
Jay Som – ‘Cards on the Table’
Jay Som has shared, ‘Cards on the Table’, the latest single from the forthcoming album Belong. It’s hazy-sounding track with striking emotional clarity. “‘Cards on the Table’ is my favorite song on Belong!” Jay Som commented. “It’s about the shifting nature of friendships and how devastating conflict can be in platonic relationships when you feel misunderstood by each other. I think it’s a universal experience to navigate that type of dynamic. It feels like a never-ending cycle of people walking in and out of your life, but it ultimately leads to self discovery and growth.”
Guerilla Toss – ‘CEO of Personal & Pleasure’
“If you’re feeling strange/ You should probably stick with it.” That’s a decent piece of advice from Guerilla Toss’ delightfully weird new single, ‘CEO of Personal & Pleasure’. “Instead of marinating in the void, I’ve chosen to gaslight myself into greatness by firing my inner critic and reinstating myself as the slightly unhinged CEO of my own emotional start-up,” frontperson Kassie Carlso saidn. “The CEO of Personal & Pleasure doesn’t have a 5-year delusion, but I do have dogs, vicious optimism, and a vague idea that being alive should occasionally feel good. Late-stage capitalism meets self-care nihilism … and blooming from it, the CEO of Personal and Pleasure.”
Kitba – ‘Wolf’s Mouth’
“When I was little I had a dream/ About putting my head in a wolf’s mouth/ He never hurt me never bit down/ I always woke up but maybe now,” Rebecca El-Saleh sings on their blurry new Kitba single. “The song is based on a recurring childhood nightmare where I was in a room with a filing cabinet in the corner and a large wolf that would open its mouth,” they explained. “I would place my head inside its mouth and then wake up. I never got to see beyond the bite and I often wonder what was in the cabinet and why, when I eventually became less scared of the wolf, he disappeared. This song is about being ready to let the unknown consume me.”
Droogie Otis (Madlib + Your Old Droog) – ‘The Edge’ [feat. Killer Mike]
Madlib and Your Old Droog have teamed up with Killer Mike for their woozy new single, ‘The Edge’. “‘The Edge’ is one of those songs I dreamed of making,” Droog, who also delivers a guitar solo on the track, said in a press release. “It feels elevated. It feels like a suit-and-tie affair. It feels like an award show. It’s great to share that figurative stage with Killer Mike.”
Just Mustard – ‘We Were Just Here’
Just Mustard have announced a new album, We Were Just Here, out October 24, and dropped the dizzying title track. “I was trying to write more optimistically, and feeling like a fraud sometimes,” the band’s Katie Ball said of the album. “I was trying to put myself in places of physical joy to try and get that euphoric feeling.”
Marissa Nadler – ‘Light Years’
Marissa Nadler’s new single, ‘Light Years’, both evokes and digs into the memory of a fading love. “Back in the day, you were all the rage/ When you could still hypnotize her,” she sings, “Rockets and planes, and through hurricanes/ Fused to the sight of her fire.” It’s taken from her imminent LP New Radiations.
villagerrr – ‘Ride or Die’ [feat. Lydia Slocum]
feeble little horse’s Lydia Slocum has joined villagerrr for the hooky new single ‘Ride or Die’. It marks villagerrr’s signing to Winspiear, which will be releasing his album Tear Your Heart Out on vinyl for the first time, and the new song is one of five previously unreleased recordings that it features.
Pool Kids – ‘Sorry Not Sorry’
Pool Kids have previewed their new album Easier Said Than Done with an ethereal track called ‘Sorry Not Sorry’. “When you feel like you’re somebody’s second choice, or like you’re not as important to them as they are to you, it can send you into this desperate, embarrassing sort of spiral,” Christine Goodwyne reflected. “In phases like those, it can feel very empowering to pick yourself up, take control of the situation and be like ‘whatever, I’m not going to tolerate this, I don’t need this person’s approval.’ I used to get caught sort of in the middle of those two approaches, swinging back and forth between totally desperate and totally in-control.”
“It’s been many years since I’ve dealt with or felt anything like that, but it’s the kind of feeling that you never forget,” she added. “Sometimes when I’m writing, it can be inspiring to tap into those old, more potent emotions that I haven’t felt in a long time. It’s kind of an ode to an old version of myself that would’ve found a song like this very cathartic.”
Robin Kester – ‘Perspective’
Robin Kester has unveiled ‘Perspective’, the fifth offering from her upcoming record Dark Sky Reserve. “It is sinister, but at the same time there’s hope in it,” she said of the new single. “You need to go to a dark place first to get that kind of perspective.”
Natural Wonder Beauty Concept – ‘Wicked Game’ (Chris Isaac Cover)
Countless artists have covered Chris Isaac’s ‘Wicked Game’. It’s been a live staple for Natural Wonder Beauty Concept, the duo of Ana Roxanne and DJ Python, and I haven’t heard a rendition quite like theirs, spare yet intoxicating. It will appear on Sitting on the Moon, a compilation their label home Mexican Summer is putting out this Friday.
Camp Trash – ‘Signal Them In’
Camp Trash have dropped a new single, ‘Signal Them In’. It seems to be a one-off single, and it’s pretty fun.
No Peeling – ‘Can I Pet That Dog?’
Knottingham’s No Peeling take inspiration from bands like the B52s and the Unicorns, and they remind me of Snooper, the egg punk band who recently started rolling out their second album. No Peeling’s self-titled debut arrives next month via Feel It Records, and it’s led by the exhilarating ‘Can I Pet That Dog?’.
The title of Ada Lea’s new album, when i paint my masterpiece, is not exactly aspirational. It’s hardly allegorical – on the album cover, Alexandra Levy is literally holding her guitar while being surrounded by her paintings. But it’s hard to listen to the sprawling, otherworldly little album and not, at any point, feel like she’s offering a glimpse into the practice and magic of mastering. (Not the post-production stage, which the prolific Heba Kadry artfully handled here, but the artistic process.) Following 2021’s kaleidoscopic one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden, relentless touring forced Levy to restructure her life and priorities as a musician, which is not to say she stopped writing songs – in fact, she taught a songwriting course at Concordia University. She wrote over 200 songs over a period of three years, 16 of which made it onto the new album, and most of which originated in the Songwriting Method, a community-based group she kept up that required submitting songs with a deadline. On songs like ‘it isn’t enough’, you can almost hear her rushing to get a song down before midnight, singing, “Today I lost/ Today is gone/ Today I really fought.” Far from impatient or forced, however, it sounds unhurried and precious, glad not to have slipped into past tense.
We caught up with Ada Lea to talk about painting, the Songwriting Method, Leonora Carrington’s The Hearing Trumpet, and other inspirations behind when i paint my masterpiece.
Drawing and painting
For you, is there a linear kind of relationship between drawing, painting, and songwriting?
It’s funny that you use the word linear because I think that one big difference between music and paintings is the temporal difference that dawned on me while I was working on the songs and spending more time with painting. It’s kind of silly, but you do take in a painting all at once. There can be motion within the painting, and you can maybe try and gather what came before or, if there’s a figure, where the figure’s going, but you really are taking it in all at once. With a song, it’s evolving over time, and it’s the same with reading. I think attempting to bring that experience to a song, almost it becoming impressionistic or having small flashes of images over making it logically and narrativelly make sense – that took priority. We’re doing this interview now, but I’m not comfortable speaking compared to how free it feels to paint or draw or play something on the piano or play a little melody. It’s really difficult for me to speak, and I know it’s not the case for everyone. Like, my partner, he thinks in entire sentences and sees the sentence before he’s even speaking. I think it was just coming into the right brain aspect of it and letting my intuition guide me instead of having my hands gripped around the neck of the song.
I know that one part of stepping away from the music industry, for you, was studying painting. I’m curious if that way of appreciating art also affected how you approached songwriting.
I was really lucky to be in contact with a mentor that was really inspiring to me, and allowed conversations to happen in a way that didn’t feel oppressively academic. I really don’t come from an academic background. My parents didn’t go to school. My brother has a bachelor’s, and we’re the first ones to go to school. The academic world is not one that I’m comfortable in, so I think I do school in my own way. I also gravitate towards professors and mentors who maybe think in a similar way. Having someone that was more about the doing and less about the talking of the doing was really important to me. You can only really learn through trying and doing: moving the paint around, seeing what happens. You can look at other people’s paintings and study that, in a way, but I’m just not attracted to the purely academic route.
Was that also your goal as a teacher, to focus on the doing?
I think the academic setting can be so helpful to so many people, but it can also be so damaging, especially when we’re thinking about art in universities and academic settings. It’s almost like they cancel each other out. I’ve been really inspired by Lynda Barry’s approach, and I read her book The Syllabus, where she calls herself the accidental professor. The one positive thing about academia is that you have a group of artists in your cohort, and you have critiques, and you are in contact with people regularly. And I think what happens is when people leave the school setting, it’s hard to recreate that environment even though that environment can be really oppressive as well. So the takeaway for me is how can we create an environment like school without it being in school, just taking the positive aspects of school, which for me are community and mentorship and friendship – this secondary education that you’re getting, the hallway education.
You can get that through organizing it yourself with your friends too. I try and show that to the students in the songwriting class, where I was like, “I don’t know who is who chose this class, who really wants to learn about songwriting, but when you are out of school, you’re going to want to have a strong group of friends that are like-minded that also want to create. So how can you create this world and also continue to write?” Because another thing that the school gives you is deadlines. How can we have that kind of experience and not be in an academic setting? I’ve kind of found my own way that works for me, which is creating low-stake deadlines, creating work in community, and creating your own learning environment with friends.
Sheila Heti’s friendship with Margaux Williamson
I read a bit about how their work has intersected as a result of their friendship. How have they inspired you personally?
I love Sheila’s writing. I’ve read, I think, all of her work. Margo came to Concordia to give an artist talk just this past year. Someone asked about her routines and her studio practice, and she was like, “I start off my day, I read something and then I start to paint at midday. I meditate for forty-five minutes. And if I don’t meditate, then I might as well go home.” And she mentioned that twice a week, two friends come by, and that the only rule that they have is no talking, which I really loved.
This happened after the album, but in 2022, when I had just come off of so much touring and was exhausted from being on the road, I felt a deep longing for a routine and friendships and feeling grounded in creativity. I think that was the basis for wanting to step away from the touring life, to feel grounded and have a routine and close friends that can come by the studio. I have an art studio, and often I have get-togethers with friends. It’s either silent working or talking through ideas, and I really feel so grounded and inspired by those conversations. It was great to hear that Margo creates that same environment. The rule of no talking – I really laughed, and my friend was there with me, someone that I meet with weekly. We just looked at each other, and we were like, “That’s what we do too.”
The ‘midnight magic’ video was created by Group of Two, which is also a project of friendship.
The Group of Two started in 2016 or so. It was with my friend Valerie Lacombe, her visual art identity is Clarice Han. We used to put on shows at my apartment as the Group of Two. I’m just remembering one where we had filmed each other, drawing each other, and it was this idea that as women friends, we’re not comfortable being nude or being topless in the way that maybe we would like to be, so the video was us drawing ourselves topless. We had to fill out a whole pad of paper, and we weren’t allowed to look down at what we were drawing, so we were just looking at each other. We projected the video on my wall, and we put up the pictures that we had drawn. One person came by and sat watching the video, and I think maybe a second or third person came by. But that was an amazing project, and it really is important to do the things that you want to do. It can be really small, and that’s okay if one person sees it.
The Songwriting Method
Another way of building community after that period of touring was the Songwriting Method, this group that you co-facilitated. How did it develop over time?
It started unofficially when I went to a residency in 2017, and it felt like an incredible opportunity to just write as much music as I could. I set some of these little restrictions or games for myself where I was like, “Today I’m going to write a song.” I tried to write a song every day for those three weeks and came up with little constraints. Pretty much my first album came out from that time frame. In 2019, I went back to the same residency, and I wrote a song every other day where I was like, “Day one, I write the song, and day two, I’m recording it.” I think seven or eight songs came from that residency that I ended up using for my second album. So it was kind of a revelation that if I sit down, something will come, and it’s in the doing that something comes.
My friend, Johanna Samuels, invited me – this is over COVID, after the second album – to a School of Song workshop, and I went to one meeting and then dropped out. The structure didn’t feel good to me. Also, I was renting a cabin in the woods, and the reception was really bad, so I couldn’t really log in for the video calls. There were these technical difficulties, but what I took away from the School of Song was that you can have this process done in a group. Something that I had that was really familiar to me: Let’s write a song, and meet in two or three days and talk about it. I hadn’t really considered that I could do that with other people until the School of Song.
After that, I tried to get other people to join me in my song challenges, but no one wanted to commit, or they would say yes, and then when it came time to submit the songs, they would drop out. That happened until I met my partner, Thomas, and he was like, “I’m down. Let’s do it.” It was the first time someone else was interested in trying it together. We tried the residency method of a song every other day. We got together, we wrote the prompts, and he talked about it with some of his friends. And then before we knew it, there were five or six of us that were doing it. We made a Bandcamp, and we shared the password, and we all uploaded our songs. It was just for one month, more and more people dropped out, and at the end, it was just me and him again.
Over the years, we refined the ideas. Maybe over COVID, things were slower, and it was easier to write a song every other day. If you’re not in a residency environment, and you’re working and you have your daily responsibilities, it’s kind of difficult to set that time aside. So then we tried to do something every three days. That’s what we’ve landed on now as being something that can work even if you’re working full-time and you have other commitments. The Method runs for one month, three or four times a year. And it’s my favorite thing in the world. [laughs] My favorite part is really listening to everyone’s songs and how they’ve interpreted the prompts. Sometimes it’s just one verse and a chorus, and it just has so much life and rawness. The recorded music that you hear on streaming platforms is so different from what is coming out of people directly. I find that so inspiring because there’s nothing like it. You never get to hear people’s songs that are so rough.
The deadline is the most important thing. You have to submit the song at 11:59PM, and if you don’t you’re out; sometimes that means you’re recording a voice memo. We’ve kind of become more relaxed with the deadlines, and when I was going through a really busy time, I was appreciative of the relaxed constraint of the deadline. But I think the deadline really does something to people. It can’t be too high-stakes either. I would love someone to do a bit of research on creative methods and deadlines, because it is fascinating what it can do for you when you feel like someone or your community is waiting for something from you. The pressure can’t be too high that it is creating anxiety; it just needs to be this gentle push.
Would you say there was not just a communal but conversational aspect to it, especially when it was just you and your partner?
It’s hard to say, but there are specific examples I can think of where I really didn’t feel like writing, and I had accepted that I would miss the deadline. And then I would hear someone who had already submitted their song for that prompt, and it would get me out of my head and writing. I guess the songs become, whether or not it’s intentional, kind of responses to each other, because you can hear other people’s songs.
I feel like the whole album wants to preserve that rawness, but ‘i want it all’ stands out in that regard.
There are parts of that song where I still wince of I listen back to specific vocal moments. I’m like, “Couldn’t I have recorded that a little bit better? But it was a big challenge of the record for me to just decide I would like the album to have imperfections built in, and that’s okay. It’s just a different mode of operating where you’re not aiming to achieve a kind of robot machine perfection. And I think that, weirdly, music has gone in this direction where everything is disconnected because that seems to be the biggeset time saver. So you make a decision to record things individually, you’re copy and pasting, you’re quantizing drums – you know, you move the snare hit so that it’s more on the grid. All of these decisions that we make and think that it is making the music better – we’re just erasing our humanness.
Harvest by Neil Young
That album, Harvest, is one of my favorites. Maybe because of how it sounds, but also the songs themselves are so good. I thought the whole album was recorded in Neil’s ranch, and it turns out that only two of the songs are recorded that way. He got these Nashville session musicians, and to record the drum part, the drummer was playing too busy, so somebody was like, “Put your hand under your butt and only play with one hand.” I remember in rehearsal as we were preparing for the recording, because I really wanted to record the album all of us together in the room, I asked Tasy, who plays drums, if she could try that one-handed style where you’re playing a little bit more simply, and you’re letting the song breathe a little bit. It was a reference point for sure. I love the idea that it could be recorded in a barn even though the songs that I connect most to aren’t the ones that are recorded in the barn.
The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington
You note that it encouraged you to finish recording the album. How so?
I loved the story, the imagination, the odd, eccentric old ladies and their big plans. I loved Carrington’s drawings. And, honestly, I lived for the afterword as well. It really gave a new perspective on what I had just read and an interpretation of the story that I hadn’t considered, so it really touched me. I have the book in front of me – I could read the passage in the afterword or part of it, or I could maybe take a screenshot and send it to you.
I’d love for you to read it.
So, she mentions a different writer saying the best criterion for the quality of a book is that women don’t like it. She’s like:
All right. So be it. Kitsch is our ocean. All those cyclical processes, menstruations, and recurrent migraines. Mumbo jumbo, healing herbs, and infantile trust in the power of nature. An unhealthy love of animals, sentimentality, the feeding of stray cats. Being overprotective, poking one’s nose into everything. All those flowers in little pots, all those little gardens, the hollyhocks, the rags, the lace, the stitching, the knitting, the romance novels, the soap operas, “women’s literature,” “emotionality,” the accusation of mental weakness that has been pressed on us for centuries. The reservoir of misogynist scripts is immense and seemingly bottomless. In modern times, in a thoroughly patriarchal world, we can only talk about the Goddess ironically, winking like the Abbess in the painting that hangs in the Gambits’ dining room, and with a hidden smirk, half serious, half mocking. Having been actively displaced and ridiculed for thousands of years she can only express herself in this covert way. It’s worth pondering how many subjects related to women’s experience have been marginalized, derided, ridiculed, or altogether displaced. For hundreds of years women have been raised within misogynist, patriarchal religions that openly discriminate against them to some degree. They take part in cultures that are never fully theirs, or that are even in outright opposition to them.
It continues on, but for me that part “They take part in cultures that are never fully theirs or even in outright opposition to them” is the music industry as I’ve experienced it myself. There was a short time when it was really brought to everyone’s attention that, how can a band have no women in it or a bill have no women in it completely? That means that you have three bands, maybe, that are all guys. How is it that everybody at each venue is a guy? We’re thinking, we can just live on the music itself. If the music is good enough, it will connect to many people, and it will disseminate. And then you’re slowly realizing that the space is occupied by men. She talks about being out of the center and that things that are eccentric are by definition outside the center, so it helped me come into myself as a woman and how my music will not fit these norms or expectations, and that I can just create my own path of what feels important to me.
If you’re making music because you’re trying to achieve or reach something, then you will be disappointed time and time again, and it’s not a system that’s set up for you. If you still want to do music at that point, then you definitely should, and you should do it the only way that feels really good to you. That was my motivation in finishing the album. I had just experienced a second trimester loss, and I still had more than half the album to record vocally. I was just completely exhausted and felt like the 92-year-old woman who has no place in society in the book. [laughs] What she says here – “in the patriarchal order, on reaching old age, a woman becomes an even greater bother than she was when she was young.” I felt like I’m moving into social nonexistence. Now that I’ve become pregnant, I’m no longer this young, alluring woman that seems to get a lot of attention in music. So what am I, if not that? It was a rebuilding and coming into the odd eccentric nature of being a woman and having my own experiences. It was letting go of the expectations of what the album could do, a reminder of why I love music.
I’m thinking about the poem that introduces the liner notes, where you write, “toward the end, I had no choice but to take a cloth to my reflection and erase myself from myself.” In a similar way to that afterword, it frames your experience of the album.
That’s exactly what I was intending with that line of the poem.
Did it come after all the songs were written?
I can’t exactly remember. I might have had fragments of it that were already written, and I worked on the finishing of the poem after the album had been recorded. As I was reflecting on the process of the album itself and what led to it, it did feel like needing to restart. Like the system that I’ve been working with hasn’t been working for me, so where do I go now?
Burnout/Rest
You mentioned feeling exhausted after touring, but I wanted to focus on the other side of it. What does a good day of rest look like for you? How did you come to define it after this period of burnout?
The definition of rest for me is that I can feel good in my body and feel like I have energy for things. That I’m able to speak with a kind of calmness and clarity to people, and give them patience. It’s really hard to explain, but rest brings this side of me on. And then I noticed that in situations where I am burnt out, I don’t have patience, I can’t think clearly, I’m kind of in survival mode. My ideal day would probably be coffee and journaling, reading, walking to the studio, painting, conversations with studio mates or showing each other projects, just working away, maybe hanging out with somebody. For me, that feels restful.
Where do you see music fitting into that ideal?
I think there’s a place for all kinds of songs. Ideally, I would want everyone to feel good while songwriting. But I do think that if you’re angry and you’re not feeling aligned and maybe you’re burnt out, and you’re writing a song about that, then there’s room for that. If you’re approaching creating in a way that is a response to what’s going on in your environment, then you likely won’t always be rested, and the therapeutic benefits of art will apply. They always apply. But you can still approach it even if you’re not aligned spiritually. I don’t know, what do you think?
I think grinding and being burnt out is oddly romanticized, but restfulness can actually help you process anger and other negative emotions. Of course you can write from a non-rested place, but it’s kind of a non-negotiable .
Yeah. There’s nothing that can really come from being burnt out. You’re in a survival state. It’s difficult to make meals and to sleep and to eat.
Art education
It’s part of a larger philosophy that’s maybe in line with Lynda Barry’s teachings, too. I do believe that everybody is so creative at their core, and that people that aren’t creating, that want to create – it’s because of some damaging force from their youth that they would need to repair. But that creative act is so natural. I’m starting this program in the fall, and they’re allowing me to go on tour as well. It’s a Masters of Art in Art Education, and I’m doing a studio-based thesis. As kids, we love scribbling. We love drawing. It’s the most natural thing that we do. And then, eventually our scribbles turn into figures. As we age, we’re learning about ourselves and the world and the world around us, and the pictures start to mirror reality. I don’t know exactly the time frame – perhaps I’ll learn about this when I start the program – but around the age of nine or so, we become frustrated that the pictures don’t look realistic. And those who continue to draw are the ones that find a way around them looking realistic.
From the Songwriting Method and other personal discoveries I’ve made over the years, like watching how I create best or how others create or don’t – and also from an astrology appointment that I had in November – I really feel like it’s my life mission to create things and to inspire others to create. So I applied to this program at Concordia, and they gave me a scholarship to do it. I don’t know exactly what the project will be, but I would like to create a lesson plan for high school students. That would hopefully bridge that gap of, “I’m not an artist anymore,” or “I can’t draw,” and just build confidence through art-making and having it be low stakes in the way that the Songwriting Method is.
In terms of sustainability in the arts, I think that for me, that means having many avenues of exploration and not having a focus only on album cycles and songwriting. It can be so much more, and there isn’t really a blueprint for that either. There’s no one modeling what a sustainable arts career can look like, for me. So I’m kind of figuring it out as I go, but that feels inspiring to me, where I can be touring for a few months of the year and then also teaching and also doing some research.
Judging from how many songs you wrote for when i paint my masterpiece, it sounds like that low-stakes method can actually be more productive, in a good, deep sense.
Yeah. The idea that to be touring and on all the time is the goal can be reframed as, how can we have our artists feeling the best that they can? For everyone, that’s going to look a little bit different. For some people, that means touring. For others, it means songwriting a lot. And for others, it’s maybe spending more time in the studio and crafting things that way. There just isn’t that variety in models and what is possible.
When did you start feeling this disillusionment with the music industry?
I guess it started in 2019 when I was releasing my first album, and I was going on tour. I was really excited, at first, to have these opportunities and to have people helping me realize these plans. It kind of got away from me somehow, where I wanted to tour in a way that felt sustainable and was feasible for me, which meant probably doing solo shows, because the fees were so low. Even with the Canadian grant system, it was still very difficult to not be in such debt at the end of a tour. There was this European tour where I went as a three-piece and we had someone driving that there was no funding lined up for – it was all on me, and I was young, and I didn’t have any income, I was living at my parents’ place. I was fortunate enough to be able to go on this trip and also somehow now a bandleader with a small business mentality, which I felt like I didn’t sign up for. I just wanted to tour with friends.
It was just a bad energy overall that I look back on, and I don’t even know if there was a solution. I think the solution was just asking for help when you can’t do it. I always thought that I was the problem, that I couldn’t figure things out myself, that I just didn’t have the kind of intelligence to make it work. And now I see it as: that was an impossible situation. I didn’t have the tools. I wasn’t equipped, and that’s totally normal that I didn’t have those tools. I didn’t go to business school. I don’t know how to make a budget with four people. There’s so many things that I didn’t know how to do that I was figuring it out on the spot, and I was really doing the best that I could. I think it’s okay to say, “This is too big a project, and I need support. I need someone to help me rent a car in a country that I’ve never been to. I need someone to help me with the backline in a country where I don’t know how to communicate, and I need resources to be able to pay for all of these things.”
So then I kind of retreated, and then it was COVID. After a while, you forget about that, and you just want to be out on the road again with your friends, having those experiences.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
