Home Blog Page 55

Artist Spotlight: Mei Semones

Mei Semones is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She began taking piano lessons at a young age before switching to guitar and playing in jazz combos in high school. Having graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2022, Semonse moved to Brooklyn, started working at a Japanese preschool, and released her first EP, Tsukino. Two years later, she signed to Bayonet Records and dropped her impressive Kabutomushi EP, which featured Noah Leong on viola, Claudius Agrippa on violin, Jaden Raso on bass, and Ransom McCafferty on drums. Nearly the same backing band – now with Noam Tanzer on bass – joined Semones to record her recently released debut LP, Animaru, with co-producer Charles Dahlke.The record deepens Semones’ seamless blend of dreamy bossa nova and jazz-inflected indie rock, maintaining a gorgeous atmosphere while dynamically maneuvering from one odd feeling to another. There’s so much heart and charm in it, though, that no part of its eclectism feels alienating. “There’s something I like about it,” she sings of the ‘Dumb Feeling’ that opens the album, then spends the rest of it elaborating in her own musical language.

We caught up with Mei Semones for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight series to talk about the journey to her debut album, her compositional process, dumb feelings, and more.


One childhood memory you bring up on the album is catching crayfish with your sister. I was wondering if you could start by telling me more about the environment and the animals that come to mind when you think about your upbringing.

For that song specifically, when me and my sister were little, we would go to this creek behind our house in Michigan, which was in the woods, and catch crayfish – go and play in the creek and look for fish. In terms of other animals, at least where I grew up in Michigan, there was a lot of deer, a lot of squirrels, rabbits, just normal forest animals, at least for the Midwest. That’s the main wildlife that I saw when I was younger. I also grew up with dogs, which is not wildlife, but that’s another type of animal that I really love.

Were you curious about them in any way?

I’ve always really loved animals, watching them and interacting with them if I can. I also had some hamsters growing up. I do still like animals and will watch YouTube videos about them and stuff like that. [laughs]

Family is important to your art in general. Your mom has made all of your artwork, including the one for Animaru. How would you trace your creative relationship? Was art something you connected over before you started making music?

With my mom specifically, we had never really worked together in this way before at all. I didn’t really start asking her to make artwork for me until after I started releasing music and needing designs for posters and stuff, so it’s not really something that we talked about before. In terms of connecting about music and stuff, my parents had me and my sister start taking piano lessons when we were really little, so that was a thing that we would do, and she would sometimes help us when we were little, just practicing piano. We weren’t at an age where we could do it by ourselves – we were, like, five. I feel like my mom would show me manga, Japanese comic books, but we didn’t necessarily talk about art necessarily that much. 

When did music become a passion that had a social aspect to it?

I started playing in bands and stuff in middle school, so at that point it was something I started doing with other people. And then in high school, I started performing in front of people more and playing in different jazz combos. And then I kept doing that into college and now.

I feel like Animaru is the kind of debut album that also charts your transition into pursuing music. Did it also make you think about what it means to pursue music, or when that became important for you, in a different way?

I feel like music has always been the focus in my life. Since I was in high school, it’s the only thing that I’ve been interested in doing and what I spend most of my time doing and thinking about. I don’t think the album really was me becoming more serious or anything. But I guess in terms of the timeline of the album, when I was working on it is when I was able to stop working a day job and completely do music full time. So in that sense, it was like it was a time where I could really focus on music and put all my attention towards it and not have to be working a different job during the day and then doing music at night. I was able to just put all of my time towards music – obviously, aside from the logistics of being an artist and social media and answering emails, all the other stuff that comes along with being an artist. I do that, obviously, but then was able to focus more on music too. 

The album title made me wonder if your affinity for animals and your love of music were connected in any tangible way; there’s a purity in both. 

That totally makes sense. In terms of my songwriting process and my process for making music in general, I usually don’t really have any sort of preconceived concept or, like, “This is what this is gonna mean when it comes out.” So it wasn’t planned out in that way, but I do think that looking back at the songs, there’s definitely consistent themes throughout; a few different songs have different animal themes in them, and that wasn’t really something I was thinking about as I was writing it. But then at the end, I would realize this is a theme throughout the album.I appreciate you saying the word purity, and maybe it feels that way because it’s just naturally what’s coming out as opposed to something planned and then made.

People may project this idea of meticulous planning when it comes to your arrangements. Does what you said about writing lyrics apply to the music?

It definitely takes a lot of time to arrange all the parts. Even just writing a song, it can take a while to figure out all the chords and exactly how it’s gonna go and the structure and the dynamics and the melody. In that sense, I feel like it was planned out pretty meticulously. And then when we go into the studio, we’re basically just trying to get the best take possible of our arrangement, to capture the way that we play the song in the best way possible. It’s not like we’re making stuff up on the spot in the studio. It’s what we’ve been practicing probably for a few weeks before, and then we go and try to get the best take possible. But in terms of things that happen in the studio that were not necessarily planned out, that would be more like getting specific guitar tones or maybe adding some textures that we weren’t planning on doing; more like stuff that’s augmenting the music, whereas the core of the songs are pretty much set before we go into studio. We just do that and then add other stuff on if we want to.

The songs on Animaru that feature acoustic guitar more prominently tend to be nostalgic in a way, while those lyrically feel more raw and present sound more explosive and electric. I wonder at which stage of the process you tend to set the dynamics of a song.

I would say the dynamics are usually set during the songwriting process. When I’m writing alone, I’ve probably already decided the dynamics of the song for the most part. And then in terms of actually executing it, obviously that comes with talking to my band and, as we’re practicing it, conveying to them, “I really think this part should be really loud and this probably should get really quiet.” And then in the studio, adding electric guitar for the parts that I think should really full and loud or whatever. But the dynamics are pretty much determined when I write this song. Executing it comes with talking to my band and adding the different layers, although even when I’m playing the song by myself, I’m still playing those dynamics.

A great example of those dynamics playing out from one song to the next is ‘Norwegian Shag’ bleeding into ‘Rat With Wings’. 

The way that I wrote the songs, it was meant to be one goes straight into the other. I think I wrote them in a similar time period; I don’t remember if it was the exact order that I wrote them in, but when I was writing ‘Rat with Wings’, I had just been playing the song ‘Norwegian Shag’ and then went into Rat with Wings’. I started writing ‘Rat with Wings’ with the idea that it was going to come directly out of ‘Norwegian Shag’.

Do you feel like the latter was adding to or moving past the yearning in the previous song? 

I think my feelings in both the songs were existing at the same time, so for me, it wasn’t really a progression from one song to the other. It was just expressing different feelings that were happening maybe at the same time.

You’ve been singing and writing lyrics in both English and Japanese since your first single. How has your relationship to this mode of writing deepened or changed since then? 

The main thing that comes to mind is that when I first started writing lyrics in both English and Japanese, it was pretty defined in terms of, like, where it would switch. Normally,it would be section by section. But gradually over time, it’s becom a little more fluid and it’ll be within the same section – sometimes even within the same sentence, I’ll switch between languages. So I feel like it’s become more more free in the way that I switch as I’ve realized more and more that I don’t think it matters what language I’m singing in, because for me, it’s more about the feeling and the music. I care about the lyrics and everything, but I’m not trying to organize it in any specific way, more so just trying to make sure that it feels good for the music and fits well and is conveying the feeling that I am trying to convey.

There’s a moment where you switch to Japanese to sing “my guitar” right before this really intense guitar line in ‘Tora Moyo’.

I knew I wanted to say “my guitar” because that’s what the song is about, or what the lyrics happening right before that are about, so I kinda wanted to say it outright at the end. And I think the syllables “my guitar” didn’t fit with the melody that I had in mind because it has more notes – I would have to sing three notes on the word “my,” so then it made more sense to do it in Japanese because “boku no” has three syllables so it fits with the melody better.

The first time that an animal is brought up, it’s to remember the feeling of being a fly stuck to the wall. How would you describe that numbness, that dumb feeling?

That dumb feeling is actually a good feeling. I’m happy to be a fly on the wall – I’m happy to just be, like, chilling. One of the lyrics is “I don’t need to get my word in,” and I guess the point of that is just, I don’t need to be the focus, I don’t feel the need to be in the center of things or have people paying attention. I’m just gonna be doing whatever I wanna be doing, making music and whatever. I’m not necessarily worried about whether other people are listening to it. I hope people are listening to it, I hope people like it, but first and foremost, I’m happy to be doing it because I like music.


This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

Mei Semones’ Animaru is out now via Bayonet.

Halsey and Evanescence’s Amy Lee Team Up on New Song ‘Hand That Feeds’

Halsey and Evanescence’s Amy Lee have joined forces for a new song, ‘Hand That Feeds’, which they announced earlier this week. The expectedly dramatic ballad is taken from the upcoming John Wick spinoff movie Ballerina. Though Halsey collaborated with Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on a whole album, she and Amy Lee recorded ‘Hand That Feeds’ with producer and co-writer Jordan Fish. Check it out below.

8 Albums Out Today to Listen to: billy woods, Kali Uchis, PinkPantheress, and More

In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on May 9, 2025:


billy woods, GOLLIWOG

GOLLIWOG“When I was nine years old, I wrote a story about an evil golliwog,” billy woods explained in a press release. “My mother read it and told me it was overly derivative and needed some work. Here we are.” Concepts of evil and horror take on different dimensions on the rapper’s grim, unsparing new album GOLLIWOG, which follows his 2023 Kenny Segal collaboration Maps. Guests on the LP include billy woods’ Armand Hammer bandmate ELUCID, Bruiser Wolf, Despot, Cavalier, al.divino, and Yolanda Watson, while El-P, the Alchemist, Shabaka Hutchings, Conductor Williams, DJ Haram, Preservation, and more contributed production.


Kali Uchis, Sincerely,

Kali UchisKali Uchis, Sincerely, has been teasing her fifth album, Sincerely,, for a couple of months, sharing the singles ‘Sunshine & Rain’ and ‘ILYSMIH’ ahead of the release. Now that it’s here, the 14-track LP breezes by like a dream, and those songs cap it off wonderfully. While the Colombian-American singer-songwriter’s last two albums, 2023’s Red Moon in Venus and 2024’s Orquídeas, came out via Geffen, this marks her first album for Capitol Records. She wrote and executive-produced it herself. “Thank you all for the well-intentioned wishes on this journey, and thank you to my team!” Uchis said in a statement. “I have boundless gratitude for my silent ascent throughout the years and am very much looking forward to what’s next.”


PinkPantheress, Fancy That

PinkPantheress, Fancy ThatPinkPantheress is back with a new project, Fancy That. The English pop musician worked on the mixape with aksel arvid, Count Baldor, phil, Oscar Scheller, and the Dare, while the samples on it range from Panic! at the Disco to Jessica Simpson. “This tape marks a huge milestone for me as an artist,” PinkPantheress said in a press release. “This feels like the most tied together project i’ve applied myself to as an artist and for my fans who have been with me for years, I hope they can hear the signs of growth in me as an artist.” She previewed it with the songs ‘Stateside’ and ‘Tonight’.


Deradoorian, Ready for Heaven

Deradoorian, Ready for HeavenDeradoorian has unveiled a new album, Ready for Heaven, via Fire. It marks the former Dirty Projectors member’s first album for the British label, which previously released Ticket to Fame, Deradoorian’s debut album with Kate NV as Decisive Pink. Daring yet restlessly danceable, the record was previewed by the tracks ‘Digital Gravestone’, ‘Set Me Free’, ‘Any Other World’, and ‘No No Yes Yes’. “This album is partly about watching humanity erode,” Deradoorian said in a press release. “It’s about mental struggle, and it’s avowedly anti-capitalist. I mean; would we have all these identity labels we have to live by, if we didn’t live in a capitalist world?”


Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke, Tall Tales

Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke, Tall TalesMark Pritchard and Thom Yorke have released their new collaborative album, Tall Tales, their first album as a duo. Driven by Pritchard’s eerie minimalism as it rubs up against Yorke’s haunting vocals, the record was previewed by the singles ‘Back in the Game’, ‘This Conversation Is Missing Your Voice’, ‘Gangsters’, and ‘The Spirit’. They all came with music videos directed by Jonathan Zawada, who also helmed and animated a feature film accompanying the album. “Mark sent me a large file of Mp3s of ideas during lockdown,” Yorke shared. There were so many great ones I knew straight away that i had to drop what i was doing. It felt very much that i had not been anywhere like this before, both as soon as i put my headphones on and started trying to find the vocals, words and sounds, but also, as it progressed, watching Jonathan [Zawada] respond so freely and spontaneously with all his video and artwork ideas.”


I’m With Her, Wild and Clear and Blue

I’m With Her, Wild and Clear and BlueI’m With Her — the folk supergroup of Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sara Watkins — have returned with a new album, Wild and Clear and Blue. The trio recorded the LP in New York state between The Outlier Inn in the Catskills and The Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, enlisting Bonny Light Horseman member Josh Kaufman to produce it and D. James Goodwin to mix it. In a statement, O’Donovan said that while writing the album, they were “thinking about growing up so in love with music and then actually making music ourselves — it’s very specific to our own lives, but I think there’s something universal about having those childhood memories tied up in the music your parents played for you.”


Mclusky, the world is still here and so are we

Mclusky, the world is still here and so are weThe World Is Still Here and So Are We is Welsh rock trio Mclusky’s first new album in 20 years. Released by Ipecac Recordings, the label co-founded by Faith No More’s Mike Patton, the relentlessly frantic follow-up to The Difference Between Me and You Is That I’m Not on Fire features the early singles ‘way of the exploding dickhead’, ‘people person’, and ‘chekhov’s guns’. Led by Andrew Falkous, the band’s current lineup is rounded out by drummer Jack Egglestone (a 2003 appointee) and bassist Damien Sayell.


Adult Mom, Natural Causes

Adult Mom Natural CausesAdult Mom – the indie rock quartet led by Stevie Knipe and featuring Olivia Battell, Allegra Eidinger, and Lily Mastrodimos – have put out a new album, Natural Causes. Written between 2020 and 2023, it finds the band channeling the global turmoil that accompanied those years into “rage that burns so bright you can light your way by it,” according to a press release. Compared to Knipe’s previous records, they described the process behind Natural Causes as a “very communist practice of making a record. It was the whole band and our engineer Chance [Milestone], and we were all making choices as a unit. Every guitar tone, every sound that you hear was all decided together. We’re all the collective producer. I’ve never made a record like that before.”


Other albums out today:

Preoccupations, Ill At Ease; Young Thug, UY Scuti; Maia Friedman, Goodbye Long Winter Shadow; Maren Morris, Dreamsicle; Benny the Butcher, Excelsior; Alien Boy, You Wanna Fade?; MIKE & Tony Seltzer, Pinball II; Andy Bell, Ten Crowns; Spacey Jane, If That Makes Sense; Cole Pulice, Land’s End Eternal; Arcade Fire, Pink Elephant; Counting Crows, Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!; Sleep Token, Even in Arcadia; The Head and the Heart, Aperture; King Hüsky, King Hüsky; Provoker, Mausoleum; Laibach, Alamut; Quinquis, eor; helen island, silence is priceless.

 

Miley Cyrus Shares Video for New Single ‘More to Lose’

Miley Cyrus has released a new song, ‘More to Lose’, taken from her forthcoming album Something Beautiful. It follows ‘Prelude’ (co-written with Model/Actriz’s Cole Haden), the title track, and ‘End of the World’ (featuring members of Alvvays). Cyrus co-produced the track with Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado, Michael Pollack, Shawn Everett, BJ Burton, and Autumn Rowe. Check out the music video for it below.

Something Beautiful, the follow-up to 2023’s Endless Summer Vacation, arrives May 30 via Columbia.

Retro Vibes Meet Modern Street Style

In the late 90s, serious runners swore by these wonders. Recently, a resurrected spirit has taken them off the tracks and onto the streets. Conversely, retro revival, influenced by minimalism in design, revolves around today’s fashion culture, with Gel-Kayano 5 making an excellent option for modern-day style-conscious consumers. With a fancy silhouette and all, whether one is a sneakerhead or simply hung up on comfort with street cred, it has been put in between fashion and lifestyle.

A Legacy of Performance

Originally launched in 1999, the Asics Gel Kayano 5 was designed with performance as its core focus. It came equipped with ASICS’ now-legendary GEL cushioning system, support overlays, and a bulky midsole-type setup—all of which were truly advanced for their time. Fast forward twenty years, and these features are what qualify the shoe for a spot in fashion. In a time of “dad shoes” and 90s nostalgia taking over runways and Instagram feeds, the Kayano 5 falls right into place.

Streetwear Appeal with Retro Charm

From a fashion perspective, what sets the Gel-Kayano 5 apart is its bold aesthetic. Its multi-layered design, with the bold colour blocking and prominent branding, gives the shoe a strong retro character. It pairs effortlessly with streetwear staples like cargo trousers, oversized hoodies, and cropped denim. Even the likes of celebrity influencers and style icons can be found cladding Kayano 5 shoes in equally casual or elevated attire, evidenced by its fashion versatility.

Limited Drops and Coveted Collaborations

Retailers are now quick to adopt the turnaround. You could even spot exclusive collaborations and limited-edition drops of the Gel-Kayano 5 from major streetwear brands and designers. These collabs often infuse fresh colour palettes, unique textures, and luxe materials into the classic silhouette, making each pair a collectable item. For Australian shoppers, ASICS online and some boutiques frequently carry seasonal editions, so there is always cool gear to chase.

Comfort That Doesn’t Compromise on Style

Of course, fashion isn’t the only reason to invest in a pair. ASICS has stayed true to its performance roots by ensuring the Gel-Kayano 5 remains ultra-comfortable. The combination of GEL technology and a supportive midfoot cage offers a snug, cushioned feel ideal for all-day wear, perfect for pounding the pavement or just exploring the city.

The Perfect Blend of Athleisure and Streetwear

The Gel-Kayano 5 strategically falls within the conversation of athleisure. With gymwear willingly slipping into the streetwear category, the Kayano 5 just fits. You could wear them to brunch, a casual night out, or even to work, depending on how strict their dress code is. It makes style statements without trying too hard—highly relatable for Australian shoppers who appreciate both style and practicality.

Style That Goes the Distance with ASICS Gel-Kayano 5

The ASICS Gel-Kayano 5 is well beyond just being a throwback sneaker—it’s now an emblem of modernity. Blending retro aesthetics with modern-day comfort, it offers a standout choice for today’s fashion-conscious shopper.

Leap and head down to ASICS Australia or your favourite streetwear places and check out the freshest Gel-Kayano 5 designs for one very fashionable step ahead

Should You Play More Puzzle Games?

Puzzle games make up a pretty wide portion of the gaming scene. There are a million different subgenres, a million different scenarios, and logic can be applied in any which way the developer sees fit. 

Puzzle games can be simple on the surface and have an ocean of depth beneath – a recent title such as Blue Prince is a prime example of that, and who out there has played Portal and not absolutely loved it? 

There’s often a lot going on in a puzzle that you never would expect, and being able to work it out, find the scraps of lore that have been left behind, and piece together the story (as well as the actual and literal puzzles in front of you), is what makes this such a great genre to get involved with. 

But if you’re not really a puzzle game person, should you start playing more puzzle games? We certainly recommend giving them a try, and even if it’s not the genre for you, you might find something in these games that you really enjoy. 

And if you need a little more convincing about it, here are some top reasons for bringing more puzzles into your life. 

They’re a Fun Way to Sharpen Cognitive Skills

Puzzles can make your brain all the sharper. The more you ‘puzzle’, as it were, the more you’re likely to see the world in the same patterns and solutions. If you’d like to have a more rational approach to everyday situations, or even other hobbies that you like to do, taking on a few more puzzles could very well help. 

And the cognitive benefits of puzzles don’t end there. You’re likely to improve both your short and long term memory through the use of puzzles, and you could even make a difference to your attention span. If you’re someone who finds it hard to stay on just one thing at a time, a good puzzle will pull you in and remind you just how capable you really are. 

Plus, puzzle games are just a fun way to sharpen cognitive skills like these. You don’t need to spend time trying to brush up on them in ways that don’t interest you; a good puzzle game that you’re genuinely enjoying could contain everything you could ever need. 

You Can Improve Your Focus

We touched on attention span in the point above, but now we’re going to delve into the world of focusing! After all, the two are separate things that often come together to interact in a unique way. Even if you’re capable of paying attention, if you’re not focusing, nothing is going to go in! 

But puzzle games can make it a lot easier to manage this sense of focus, whether you have a background issue with being able to do so or not. Puzzles often require a bit of effort, and if you don’t put your all into them, you’re not going to be able to solve them! And the better the puzzle, the more likely you are to want to put that time and effort in! 

That can make it easier to brush up on your focus skills, and you might find it rather effortless to maintain your focus in other areas of your life as well. Puzzle games are pretty good for helping you discover that wealth of ability! 

They Can Help You to Wind Down

Winding down after a long and hard day is crucial to good mental health. You need to have an outlet there to help you feel better and process the stuff you’ve had to deal with. And guess what? Puzzle games are great for that! 

They’re not mindless activities that feel numbing to play, but they don’t take too much mental energy either. They often strike the right balance between distraction and absorption, and they don’t feel too taxing to get through either. 

If that’s the kind of experience you’ve been looking for from a video game, be sure to give puzzle games more of a go. You might find they’re exactly the kind of mindful activity you’ve been after, helping you to stay grounded in the present while dealing with difficult things going on in the world around you. 

You Can Learn a Lot

Puzzles can teach you a lot when you play them. Even if you don’t garner any details or facts as you go, there’s a lot to learn about thinking laterally, using logic, and approaching things in different ways. After all, if you’ve banged your head against a wall for hours trying to crack this one puzzle, clearly something is going wrong in the way you’re trying to solve it! 

Of course, some puzzles do offer you some actual and literal nuggets of information to take away with you. A game like wordle, for example, can help you to expand your vocabulary, and even help you to become a better speller. If that’s the kind of puzzle you do prefer, feel free to find as many different games that are like it and give them a go!

But if you’d prefer to have a less linear way to game, be sure to look into the abstract and unusual. There are plenty of puzzle games out there that bring that sense of the unknown into the light. A game like Limbo combines puzzling with emotion and playing on your expectations, all the way telling you nothing about who you are, why you’re here, and what you’re trying to do. 

But there’s so much to be learned from a game like this, in terms of your skills, your thought processes, and how you unravel a story that isn’t fed to you on a plate. 

They’re Easy to Play on the Go

If you love gaming, but don’t get to do so as much as you’d really like, puzzle games can bridge that gap quite nicely! Most puzzle games come in mobile form, and you can take them along with you wherever it is you’re headed. 

You can play a puzzle game on your morning commute to work, or on your break when you’re in the middle of your shift. You can play them when you’re on public transport, off to meet a friend for lunch. And you can play them from the comfort of your own bed or sofa when you’re just at home not doing much else. 

Popular puzzle games like Case of the Golden Idol (as well as its sequel) are on Netflix Games, which can be downloaded to your phone for free with a Netflix subscription. So, if you’re already paying for the streaming subscription every single month, you can play some games to go with the comfort shows you love so much! 

Do You Need More Puzzle Games in Your Life?

Maybe yes, maybe no – or maybe you don’t have strong opinions either way! No matter what camp you fall in, trying out a few more puzzles will have its benefits. From improving your focus to helping you feel calm and serene in those more difficult moments, there’s plenty to be gained from trying out a few more puzzles on a regular basis. 

And if the word ‘puzzle’ immediately brings to mind an old and boring sudoku or wordsearch, we’re here to remind you that puzzles make up most of the gaming mechanics we know and love today. There’s a puzzle out there for everyone; you just need to find the type that suits you!

Why Eyewear Is More Than Just a Fashion Choice

When it comes to maintaining eye health, the right eyewear does more than just correct vision—it protects against strain, UV exposure, and long-term damage. Whether you need prescription glasses, blue light protection, or high-performance sunglasses, choosing eyewear in Ogilvie that fits your lifestyle and health needs is crucial for long-term eye care.

Many people overlook the role that high-quality lenses and frames play in preventing eye fatigue, reducing headaches, and improving daily comfort. The right pair of glasses can make a world of difference, whether you’re reading, working on a computer, or spending time outdoors.

The Link Between Vision and Overall Health

Vision is closely connected to overall well-being, yet many people neglect routine eye care. Poor eyesight can lead to:

  • Chronic headaches and discomfort from eye strain.
  • Reduced productivity at work or school due to blurred vision.
  • Increased risk of accidents due to depth perception issues.
  • Higher likelihood of progressive vision loss if left uncorrected.

For those experiencing any of these symptoms, a comprehensive eye exam and properly fitted eyewear in Ogilvie can provide much-needed relief and long-term vision support.

How to Select the Best Eyewear for Your Needs

Eyewear is not one-size-fits-all. Choosing the right pair depends on lifestyle, daily activities, and specific vision needs.

Understanding Lens Technology

Advancements in lens technology have made modern eyewear more effective than ever. Some options include:

  • Digital screen protection – Lenses that block blue light and reduce digital eye strain.
  • Progressive lenses – Seamless vision correction for both near and far distances.
  • Light-adaptive lenses – Adjust automatically to different lighting conditions.
  • Glare-reducing coatings – Improve clarity while driving at night or using screens.

Finding the Right Frames

While lenses are key to vision correction, frames impact comfort and durability. Frame materials vary based on preference and lifestyle, including:

  • Acetate frames – Lightweight, stylish, and flexible.
  • Titanium frames – Strong yet lightweight, perfect for extended wear.
  • Eco-friendly options – Sustainable materials for environmentally conscious consumers.

For eyewear in Ogilvie, it’s best to visit a local optical boutique where professionals can guide you toward the right combination of frame and lens features.

The Importance of Annual Eye Exams

Even if vision changes seem minimal, regular eye exams are essential for maintaining optimal eyesight and preventing long-term issues. The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends that adults have their eyes examined at least once every two years, while those with existing prescriptions should schedule annual visits.

Eye exams can detect:

  • Refractive changes that may require prescription updates.
  • Early signs of glaucoma, macular degeneration, or cataracts.
  • Digital eye strain caused by excessive screen use.

A thorough eye exam ensures that your eyewear in Ogilvie provides the best possible support for your vision and lifestyle.

Where to Buy High-Quality Eyewear in Ogilvie

For those seeking eyewear in Ogilvie, working with a professional optometrist or optical boutique offers the best results. Unlike mass-market retailers, a specialized eyewear provider offers:

  • Personalized fittings to ensure maximum comfort.
  • A curated selection of premium brands and styles.
  • Expert guidance on choosing the right lens technology.

Whether you need everyday prescription glasses, computer lenses, or sunglasses for outdoor activities, a trusted optical specialist will help you find eyewear that meets both your vision needs and personal style.

Investing in Your Eye Health

Protecting your vision is one of the most important investments you can make for your long-term well-being. Whether upgrading your prescription, shielding your eyes from harmful blue light, or selecting a stylish new frame, choosing high-quality eyewear in Ogilvie ensures that your eyes remain healthy and comfortable in every situation.

If it’s been a while since your last eye exam, now is the perfect time to schedule an appointment and ensure that your eyewear meets your vision needs.

Lab-grown diamonds: a celebration of meaning, beauty, and modern values is currently in fashion

Lab-grown diamonds are the most striking trend hitting the jewelry market in recent years and are hard to overlook. These unique pieces, created as an alternative to natural diamonds, have gained recognition, especially within the last year. Lab-grown diamonds are now prominently featured in a wide range of items, from glamorous red-carpet jewelry to simple minimalist wedding sets. This year, they remain at the forefront of fashion trends. 

Why do fashionistas prefer lab-grown diamonds, and how can they style them for a trendy look in 2025?

The most attentive readers have already noticed the answer to this question since it was ‘spoilered’ in the article’s title. There are three main reasons for choosing lab-grown jewelry – a unique blend of meaning, beauty, and values, which is so appreciated in fashion. 

Meaning 

From the beginning of time, diamonds have symbolized eternal love and appreciation. With the emergence of lab-grown diamonds, this meaning is not only preserved but enhanced with new aspects that reflect the gems’ innovative features. Lab-grown diamond jewelry can now represent your deep love, a long-standing friendship, memorable moments from your life, or anything else you wish to convey. These diamonds are highly customizable, allowing anyone to create unique designs that can be implemented in days or even hours.

Another significant advantage of lab-grown diamonds is their affordability, which redefines the meaning of luxury fashion in jewelry. For centuries, diamonds were largely inaccessible, with only a select few able to afford them, while the average person could only dream of owning diamond jewelry. Today, anyone can afford to purchase their dream diamond.

These new opportunities provided by innovative products have dramatically transformed the essence of luxury fashion. In the past, luxury items dictated a person’s style, constrained by limited design choices and the scarcity of naturally occurring diamonds. Now, individuals have the freedom to define their own jewelry style, creating a luxury segment that reflects personal choices rather than simply following trends. Today, luxury is no longer about “blind obsession” but is associated with personal freedom and expression. 

Beauty

Although lab-grown diamonds are often referred to as simulants of natural gems, they are, in fact, real diamonds that retain all the best qualities of their natural counterparts. They are not imitators or substitutes. Manufacturers use pure carbon to create these diamonds, just as natural diamonds are composed of pure carbon. As a result, the chemical, physical, and optical properties of both lab-grown and natural diamonds are identical. The key difference is that lab-grown diamonds are created in a laboratory rather than being mined from the earth.

Lab-grown diamonds are as beautiful as natural gems and offer more options for color. While saturated colors are rare in nature, it’s easy to create diamonds of any hue in a laboratory setting. The same goes for inclusions; they are uncommon in natural diamonds but can be with lab-grown diamonds.

Values

Sustainability has become the highest value in the modern world and, thus, the essential characteristic of luxury products. The jewelry sector is no exception but vice versa – it is one of the most representative ones speaking loudly about sustainable values and mirroring reality.

More customers are currently making thoughtful choices and valuing ethical business practices as well as environmentally friendly products. There is no surprise that this shift entails the rise of lab-grown diamonds, which represent a groundbreaking development step in the fine jewelry industry toward sustainability. 

Unlike mined diamonds, lab-grown diamonds are created in controlled environments, eliminating the need for harmful mining practices. These man-made diamonds offer a guilt-free option for purchasing high-quality jewelry, as they are just as beautiful and durable as their natural counterparts. Lab-grown diamonds are setting a new standard for sustainable jewelry trends due to their transparent sourcing and reduced carbon footprint.

These products resonate with the values of conscious consumers who recognize that what they wear can be beautiful and impactful simultaneously without compromising anything.

So, what lab-grown diamond jewelry items will help you to look stylish this year? 

Lab-grown diamonds are the ultimate engagement ring trend for 2025, says the wedding resource The Knot. The majority of couples chose round (28%) and oval (25%) diamonds for their engagement rings, while a smaller percentage opted for emeralds or princess cuts (10%). When it comes to metal preference, white and yellow gold remain the most popular choices, with 70% of couples selecting these materials. Notably, the popularity of yellow gold increased by 5% year over year, while white gold saw a decline of 3%.

Prong settings continue to be favored, with 35% of couples requesting them. Additionally, a new style has gained popularity: the hidden halo, which features a cluster of diamonds surrounding the base of the cathedral, along with the halo setting that showcases a circle of diamonds around the center stone.

Consider also some other fashion recommendations from Madestones, the largest lab-grown diamond distributor, which knows, for sure, a lot about trendy consumers’ requests in 2025.

A Solitaire Diamond Ring

A solitaire lab-grown diamond ring epitomizes elegance and simplicity. As one of the standout rings for summer 2025, its timeless charm makes it ideal for warm-weather fashion. Whether worn solo for a sophisticated look or stacked with other rings for a contemporary flair, this classic piece beautifully complements flowing dresses, beach attire, and evening wear.

Minimalist Elegance in Necklaces

Sleek and understated designs continue to be in Vogue. Think of delicate pendants and thin, lab-grown diamond jewelry that enhance everyday outfits. Minimalist necklaces featuring cultivated diamonds are essential additions to your collection. 

Stackable Rings

Combining stackable rings is a playful way to personalize your style. Lab-grown diamonds provide these modern rings with a brilliant sparkle, whether they’re layered in different styles or paired with various metals.

Summer Statement Ring

For those who appreciate bold, eye-catching designs, a summer statement ring is a must-have. This season’s rings showcase oversized stones, chunky gold bands, and vibrant gemstones, making them perfect for sunny days and exciting nights. Whether you lean toward abstract art or a splash of color, statement rings inject personality into your summer wardrobe. 

Bold Necklaces

Right now, statement necklaces featuring striking clusters and geometric designs are trending. With the decreasing cost of lab-grown diamonds, these once-luxurious items have become more accessible. These trends are clearly evident.

This list provides direction for discovering trendy styles, but remember that with lab-grown diamonds you are free to set your own style that can become trendy in a minute. Feel free to shine bright!

Weak Hero Season 3: Cast, Rumours & Release Date

Action-packed K-drama Weak Hero shows no signs of slowing down. After a successful debut in 2022, the series returned with a second installment that premiered on Netflix in late April 2025.

Over the course of eight episodes, it continued the story of Yeon Si-eun, a model student who became the unexpected hero of his class. However, since fans had to wait three years between seasons, they quickly devoured the new installment.

Are there more episodes on the way?

Weak Hero Season 3 Release Date

At the time of writing, Netflix hasn’t officially announced any plans for Weak Hero season 3.

That said, the K-drama became the most-watched non-English show on Netflix globally immediately after its season 2 debut. In other words, the show’s chances of renewal look good. Additionally, the series sets up a new threat for the protagonist to face during his senior year, leaving the door wide open for more episodes.

Whether that happens, we hope it won’t take another three years for a new season to come out. Maybe we could get it in 2027, at least?

Weak Hero Cast

  • Park Ji-hoon as Yeon Si-eun
  • Choi Hyun-wook as Ahn Su-ho
  • Hong Kyung as Oh Beom-seok
  • Ryeoun as Park Hu-min
  • Choi Min-young as Seo Jun-tae
  • Lee Min-jae as Go Hyun-tak
  • Yoo Su-bin as Choi Hyo-man

What Could Happen in Weak Hero Season 3?

Weak Hero centres on Yeon Si-eun, a quiet student who uses his sharp intellect to stand up to bullies and protect himself and his friends.

After becoming targets of escalating school violence, Si-eun teams up with a couple of colleagues, forming a powerful trio. Even so, their bond is repeatedly tested as Si-eun undergoes a transformative journey from passive observer to active fighter.

In season 2, Si-eun finds himself drawn into his new school’s oppressive environment and clashing with a notorious student gang known as the Union. He forms new alliances, confronts his past traumas, and ultimately steps up to challenge the corrupt system threatening his peers.

The season builds to a massive showdown that proves to be worth the wait. Once all is settled, though, a mid-credits scene teases that senior year might be even more troublesome for Si-eun and his friends. If Weak Hero season 3 happens, the action is likely to intensify.

Is Weak Hero Based on a Book?

Yes, the series is based on the webtoon of the same name by Seopass and Razen. You can check it out here.

Battle Camp Season 2: Cast, Rumours & Release Date

If you’re a fan of the Netflix Reality Universe, you’re probably already caught up on new series Battle Camp.

Familiar faces from shows like Love Is Blind, Perfect Match, Too Hot to Handle, The Circle, and more came together to battle it out for a substantial cash prize. Bragging rights are also in order.

Over the course of 10 episodes, fans could cheer on their faves as they faced off in various challenges meant to test their physical and mental strength.

The rules make the show particularly fun and chaotic. It’s no wonder viewers are already curious whether there will be a season 2.

Battle Camp Season 2 Release Date

Battle Camp premiered on Netflix in late April 2025. At the time of writing, the reality series hasn’t been renewed for more episodes.

That said, the show proved popular and quickly climbed through the Top 10 in several countries. This significantly improves its chances for renewal, so we might see a new group of contestants head to the remote camp sometime soon.

In case Netflix decides to go forward with Battle Camp Season 2, fresh episodes could hit the streaming service in late 2025 or early 2026.

Battle Camp Cast

The series welcomes contestants from various Netflix reality shows. While there’s no news on season 2 just yet, the season 1 cast featured plenty of names you might remember.

The list includes Lorenzo from Squid Game: The Challenge Season 1, Avori from The Mole Season 1, Bri from Too Hot to Handle Season 6, Gabi from Cheer, Gio from Selling The OC, Irina from Love Is Blind Season 4, and Kyle from The Circle Season 6.

The show is hosted by Taylor Lewan.

What Could Happen in Battle Camp Season 2?

If we get Battle Camp Season 2, there’s a good chance it will follow the same (complicated) format as season 1.

Contestants are initially divided into three teams. Each episode features physical and mental challenges. The winning team gains immunity, while the losing team faces potential elimination.

From there, the winning team selects three members from the opposing teams to undergo a punishment. The individual who endures the punishment successfully avoids elimination, while the others have their names added to the elimination wheel. Then, all contestants vote for one individual to be added to the elimination wheel, increasing their chances of elimination.

Finally, contestants’ names are added to the wheel of misfortune based on challenge outcomes, punishments, and votes. The wheel is spun to randomly determine who is eliminated.

Whoever comes up on top by the end of the season leaves with a $250,000 prize. Not bad for attending a (gruelling) summer camp, don’t you think?

Are There Other Shows Like Battle Camp?

If you like Battle Camp, you might like some of the other competition series available on Netflix.

We recommend checking out Squid Game: The Challenge, The Circle, Celebrity Bear Hunt, and Floor Is Lava.