Nathaniel Ritchie and Parker Corey, members of the experimental hip-hop group Injury Reserve, have shared their debut single under the moniker By Storm. The accompanying video for ‘Double Trio’, directed by Corey, pairs the song with ‘Bye Storm’, the final track from Injury Reserve’s 2021 album By the Time I Get to Phoenix. The band has also shared a discussion with Harmony Holiday from the premiere of ‘Double Trio’ in LA. Watch and listen below.
Ritchie and Corey decided to retire the Injury Reserve name following the 2022 death of their bandmate Steppa J. Groggs. “To respect the specificity of all three of us as Injury Reserve, we have decided not to make new music under this name,” Injury Reserve said in a statement. “Nathaniel and Parker have continued working together and plan to release under By Storm as a hand off from our work within Injury Reserve.”
With a lot of recent talk about the PRX, Tissot is staying on their favoured watch, which has been selling like hotcakes since its initial release. The beloved 35mm which is equiped with the Powermatic 80 automatic movement has now been given two new versions — Ice Blue and Gold. According to Tissot themselves, the Ice Blue glows like a frozen Alpine morning, while the Gold variant, on the other hand (excuse the pun), pays homage to the vibrant disco era of the ’70s, adding an unmistakable element of fearlessness to the wearer.
The Gold version will be priced at £745, while the Ice Blue will be slightly cheaper, coming in at £610.
Are you considering getting curly hair extensions, such as blonde clip-in hair extension, but worried about how to prolong and maintain them? Enhancing the way you look and experimenting with different hairstyles are possible with hair extensions so don’t fret! With the right techniques and care, you can easily keep your extensions looking fabulous.
Whether you’re a curly hair extension newbie or have been rocking them for years, we’ll equip you with all the tips and tricks you need to maintain your curls with ease. So, let’s dive in and discover how to keep your curly hair extensions looking flawless!
Choosing the Right Type of Curly Hair Extension
Choosing the right type of curly texture hair extensions can be a bit challenging, but it’s definitely worth the effort for achieving that perfect, natural look. When it comes to choosing the right type of curly hair extension, here are a few factors to consider:
Decide on the curl pattern that matches your natural hair.
You want your extensions to seamlessly blend in with your own curls, so take the time to find a pattern that closely resembles your own. If you choose a pattern that doesn’t match your own hair, the look will not be seamless and it will be obvious that you’re just wearing hair extensions.
Consider the length and volume you desire.
Curly hair extensions come in varying lengths and thicknesses, so think about how you want your hair to look and choose accordingly. If you want longer hair with more volume, consider longer and thicker extensions.
Consider the type of hair extension you want.
There are synthetic options available, but for a more natural look and feel, opt for human hair extensions. They can be styled and maintained just like your own hair, making them a great choice for curly hair.
Hair extensions made of synthetic materials don’t last very long and can’t be styled according to your liking, so make sure you take that into consideration.
Proper Washing and Styling Techniques
Taking care of your beautiful curls requires the right washing and conditioning techniques and products. Keep these tips in mind when washing and conditioning your hair:
Choose a sulfate-free shampoo specifically designed for curly hair.
Sulfates can strip the hair of its natural oils, leaving it dry and frizzy. You need a gentle clarifying shampoo that will cleanse your extensions without causing damage.
Avoid rough scrubbing or tangling the hair.
When washing your curly hair extensions, use your fingertips to gently massage the shampoo into your scalp and down the length of the extensions. Rinse thoroughly and follow up with a moisturizing conditioner.
Apply the conditioner from mid-length to the ends, avoiding the roots, as this can weigh down the hair. Leave the conditioner on for a few minutes to allow it to penetrate the hair shaft and provide hydration.
After rinsing out the conditioner, gently squeeze out any excess water from your curly hair extensions. Avoid rubbing the hair vigorously with a towel, as this can cause frizz and damage. Instead, use a microfiber towel or an old t-shirt to pat dry the hair.
For added moisture and to enhance the curl pattern, you can also apply a leave-in conditioner or curl-defining cream.
When detangling, avoid using a brush or comb on your curls
Brush and comb can cause frizz and breakage. Use your fingers or a wide-toothed comb to gently detangle your hair. This will help maintain the natural shape and texture of your curls.
Consider using a diffuser attachment on your blow dryer.
To enhance the volume and definition of your curls, use a diffuser attached to your blow dryer. Apply a heat protectant spray before using any heat styling tools, such as curling irons or flat irons, to prevent damage to your extensions.
Avoid touching your curls too much
Frequently touching your curls can cause them to lose their shape. You can lightly scrunch it with your fingers to revive any lost definition or to fix your hair.
When sleeping, it’s best to tie your hair up in a loose bun or braid to minimize friction and tangling.
Use a satin bonnet or silk pillowcase to keep your hair safe from friction and maintain their softness. These materials are smoother than regular cotton pillowcases, which can roughen up the hair cuticles and cause frizz and tangles. By using a satin bonnet or silk pillowcase, you can minimize the friction between your hair and the fabric, allowing your curls to glide smoothly as you sleep.
Store your curly hair extensions properly to maintain their shape and prevent tangling.
After washing and drying your hair, store them in a breathable bag or box to keep them safe from dust and other environmental factors.
Our last advice…
Maintaining curly hair extensions can be challenging, but with the right techniques, it can become easier. By choosing the right type of extension, properly washing and conditioning, and styling carefully, you can keep your curly hair extensions looking beautiful.
Originally from Seattle and now based in Oakland, California, Madeline Kenney started taking piano lessons at the age of five before she began writing her own songs. With a background in neuroscience, she moved to the Bay Area in 2014 and released her first EP, Signals, two years later. It was produced by Toro y Moi’s Chaz Bear, who signed Kenney to his Company Records and returned to produce her debut full-length, Night Night at the First Landing. For her next two records, 2018’s Perfect Shapes and 2020’s Sucker’s Lunch, she collaborated with Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak, pushing her sound in vibrant new directions while exploring, on the latter, the terrifying complexities of falling in love. Kenney’s next project, Summer Quarter, was the first she recorded entirely by herself, an opportunity to experiment with the dreamy, spacious palette that also permeates her latest LP, A New Reality Mind. But as she grapples with heartbreak, her lyrical approach becomes both lucid and poetic, searching and reshaping her sense of self in that constant stream of chaos and mundanity. The warmth that ultimately seeps out of these songs may call back to Sucker’s Lunch, but in carving a path forward, A New Reality Mind feels newly bold and vivid in its beauty.
We caught up with Madeline Kenney for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight series to talk about self-producing her music, the process behind A New Reality Mind, teaching during the pandemic, and more.
During the pandemic, you were experimenting with new sounds and making sketches of songs, some of which appeared on the Summer Quarter EP. How did the way you saw Sucker’s Lunch, and the relationship between that record and the newer songs, change throughout the process of making them?
I think there was a natural trajectory psychologically. It’s what I was experiencing and what I was going through. I don’t think it was like, “I’m going to make a follow-up record about how I got in this relationship and got broken up with.” But I do think that musically, with Summer Quarter, I was just having fun making weird stuff. And there was nobody around to really bounce ideas off of, so it was to make an insular thing. That was the first thing I put out that was totally produced by myself – I put out some singles here and there. But I put out Summer Quarter, and then I put out this song, ‘I’ll Get Over It’, and everything was self-produced. I feel like people liked it, and I was like, maybe I don’t need to be paying a producer, maybe I actually am capable. Process-wise, that just meant coming up with ideas and really digging into the weirdness of them and not feeling like I had to self-edit to then show to a producer. I could just make weird things. And if I like sat with those songs, or half-songs, whatever they were at the time, for a while, and they didn’t bother me, I would move ahead and keep finishing them. It’s a very self-reflective process.
Jen, who I worked with on the last two records, Sucker’s Lunch and Perfect Shapes, and Chaz from the first record – it’s not like I felt held back by them. I just think that anybody you work with has their own musical mind and opinion of what a song should be. I love Jen’s brain, I love everything that she did with my music, but it was interesting to see what the songs became without going through someone else’s mental filter.
What’s something that surprised you about working on your own in those early stages?
I have hard time sitting down and writing, like, verse, chorus, bridge, and I tend to write in little chunks. I think I sometimes get really in my head and I’m worried that it doesn’t sound like a song, like the structure is weird. Working on my own, I was able to listen to other people that I really admire – like Jenny Hval or Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, always listening to Lambchop – and I feel like they have songs that are singalong-able, but they have a lot of songs that are not regular song structures at all. Starting to write a song and being like, “Oh god, is this even a thing?” and then staying in the studio and listening to those artists just over my monitor, I was like, “I can actually keep doing that.” [laughs]
Did it ever feel like crafting and poring over these songs took you out of the headspace in which they were written?
Definitely. Honestly, I was working on some of these songs in the later part of last year, and they were just little bits and pieces, they weren’t finished. And then I went through the breakup, and I was just devastated and felt so shitty. I just went down to my studio and started going through all these bits of songs, and I was like, “I think I’m at a place mentally where I can finish these now.” And I finished them all super quick, like, in a matter of a couple of weeks. It was really crazy because I was really sad and devastated, and didn’t have anybody to talk to. I was alone in my house, just trying to survive and process.
I used to put out a record or an EP or something like every year. I was just making a lot of stuff, it made sense to me. And it had been a minute since I had like made a record, and I was like, “What about this part of me that I used to really prioritize? What happened to it? In this relationship, or in this city – why did it get pushed away?” And I think sitting in my basement and playing synths that sound cool and getting inspired instead of just wallowing and feeling shit was really helpful. Maybe you feel horrible and then you play something you go, “Oh, I just did something that sounds good.” It’s like this tiny little shot of self-confidence.
Do you remember if there was a clear turning point?
I think halfway through finishing the record is when I realized I had kind of like lost the plot a little bit. I finished ‘Superficial Conversation’ and then immediately came up with an idea for the video and immediately started contacting all the people, just kicked into high gear. And I was like, “Oh my god, I used to do this all the time”. And it’s been a process – even though I made this record called A New Reality Mind, I’m still halfway tethered to the reality that I built with my ex. That’s what I mean about losing the plot, where I was like, “Actually, it’s very possible for me to change where I am.” And it’s so weird that this is the week that my record is coming out, and still I’m coming to realizations that I think are in that record. [laughs] My subconscious really talks to me through music, because I can’t often realize what’s going on until later. And then I listen to the music that I made at the time, and I’m like, What? The song I put out last before this record, ‘I’ll Get Over. It’, is literally just me telling me, “You’re probably going to get broken up with, and it’s going to be okay.”
I believe this is the first time one of your records opens with the piano, which is your first instrument. Was that a significant decision?
That’s so poetic, I wish I had thought of it that way. I did intentionally write this record mostly on piano, because I wanted to tour playing piano and synth. I like it better than guitar, and I feel comfy on it. I feel like a few of the past records have really pigeonholed me as a guitar girl and a rocker chick – I use the instrument as an instrument, as a way to tell a story and write a song, but I don’t really consider myself any sort of great guitarist at all. In fact, it’s pretty hard for me. I liked the idea of being able to tour a record and just play piano, the instrument that I grew up learning, the instrument that I teach on. I can sit down, and if I mess up I can recover, and that’s the most important thing to me. [laughs] Because I’m gonna mess up on tour, and I want to be able to recover, and on guitar it’s really hard for me.
You mentioned teaching piano, and I also read that you were a kindergarten teacher during the pandemic. Can you talk about that?
In the Bay Area, there were some parents with little kids that were concerned about not having playmates for their little kids. During the first part of the pandemic, people formed pods, so I taught kindergarten to like five kids. I had nannied, and I am also a certified postpartum doula, so I take care of babies, too. I’ve taught piano and voice and worked with kids a ton, but I’d never taught kindergarten. I’m not a certified teacher, but strange times call for strange measures. Basically, I would get their curriculum from the school, and then I would teach them in the basement of this one parent’s house. (There were windows.) It was the hardest but also the most rewarding job I’ve ever had, teaching children how to read in this crazy pandemic.
Back in it October of 2020, we had really, really really bad fires in California, and there was a day when all the smoke came down and cloaked the Bay area, and it was literally dark orange outside. When I woke up I was like, “Why is it not light out?” It was so crazy, and here I am with these kids, and they’re so adaptable. They’re just like, “Can we go outside?” [laughs] I got really attached to them.
What inspired you most about them?
When I put out Summer Quarter, I had the kids in one of my music videos, for the song ‘Truth’. I’m gonna cry, I love them so much. It was so cool to be around that level of playfulness and creativity and curiosity. I wasn’t working in a regular school system, obviously, it was our little world of our own creation. I taught them their curriculum, but honestly, the school didn’t provide that much, so I had to come up with a lot of stuff. We did painting, we did clay, I taught them how to knit, I taught them how to weave. I had so much fun getting back in touch with my inner child. I could be goofy with them. That’s why I brought up that music video, because I feel like I just let them be goofy and be themselves, and it was just a really good reminder of like how actually enjoyable and fun life can be when you still have that amount of curiosity and aren’t totally deadened to how horrible the world on fire is.
I feel like there’s a connection to the music on this album, too, because you’re often reflecting on your inner child and the sort of patterns we adopt early on and then have to reevaluate as adults.
I think we approach very adult situations, like a breakup, with the tools in the toolbox that we have and that we put together in our families of origin – how we learned to communicate, or how we learn to express ourselves, or be honest, or hide honesty. I think that, as an adult, you can do a lot of work to refine those things and improve them and get better tools, but you do start off with a set that you have to navigate the world with. And yeah, I was thinking about that a lot. Like, what in me was not prepared for this situation? What in me drove me to this situation that I knew was not going to work out? In that song ‘The Same Again’, “Only a child believes everything stays the same” – I actually reworked that lyric a bunch of times. I got rid of it because I thought it was too corny, and then I brought it back because I was like, actually, sonically, it fits really well. And also, it’s true. When I was at the end of the year with my little kids, they were like, “You’re gonna teach us first grade, right?” Kind of that idea of: I’m always going to be this person, I’m always going to love dinosaurs, I’m always going to wear these shorts every single day like a kid. But it’s either very sad that it’s not the truth, or it can be actually quite freeing.
I hear a range of emotions associated with heartbreak throughout the record– a dull, sharp pain, the confusion of trying to make sense of it, anger, and finally, a sense of self-compassion. Was it difficult to arrange these songs into any sort of emotional trajectory?
Sequencing is always weird, because I feel like, especially with something like a breakup album, people are kind of expecting a story. I think there are little moments of story arc, but mostly, for me, it was about carrying a feeling through the record. I wanted to bring people into the world of feeling, like, ugh all the time, and I wanted the middle tracks to be more reflective. There’s an angry song in there, there’s always gotta be. And I wanted to put ‘Expectations’ as the last one, because first of all it’s a little bit funny, like a little elbow jab: “Let’s start over again.” I didn’t want to leave the album being like, “And that’s how I figured it out, folks.” [laughs] I wanted it to be more like, “I’m still working on it.” A new reality mind, to me, is not like, “I’ve figured it out, I have my new reality and I’m good.” There will be so many new realities and so many new reality minds in one’s life.
We talked about how Sucker’s Lunch took on a new resonance over time. Do you think the person or the story you see in A New Reality Mind will change, too?
I hope so. I hope it will be different. I hope I can continue to grow and change and improve – not that I am a self-improvement project, but I hope that I just get more comfortable with change. Like we were just saying, constantly forming and adapting to new realities, I feel like that really important. I always look back on records and I’m like, “What the hell was I thinking?” I have things I love and hate about every single record I’ve made, I’m sure this the same will go for this one. And I feel like that’s healthy. If I was like, everything I’ve made is amazing, then I would be making really shitty music. I think it’s really important to be like, these are the areas where I was not brave enough, or this is an area where I was making something to please somebody else. I feel like I’m improving on all of those fronts with every release, but there’s always more room to grow. That’s when I do look at other artists that I really love and see their body of work, and I’m inspired to continue trying to be brave.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
If you enjoy looking sleek, love James Bond and adore luxury watches, then our selection for this Watch Spotlight won’t disappoint you. The Omega Seamaster Diver 300mm James Bond Edition is the actual watch worn by the iconic character in the 2021 film No Time to Die. In today’s spotlight, we’ll look at why we admire the look of this watch so much and why it could be a great addition to your luxury watch collection.
Design
If you have an affinity for diving watches, you’ll most likely agree that a decent amount of diving watches can feel too big on a wrist; luckily for this Seamaster, we are still in the happy range of 42mm for case diameter. The case is also made from titanium which is lighter, stronger and more corrosion-resistant than the typical stainless steel — making it a convenient watch.
Regarding practicality, the watch has a water resistance of 300 metres, so general diving will be feasible with this timepiece. The watch also utilises an elegant and fashionable grade II titanium mesh strap which makes this watch appropriate for use in formal and informal settings.
Dial-wise, the piece hits the mark with its beautiful vintage-looking hour markers surrounded by a splendid dark dial that creates a stunning contrast with the whole piece. This sleekness carries through on the unidirectional rotating bezel. The watch also has a domed, scratch‑resistant sapphire crystal with anti‑reflective treatment inside, making it suitable for strenuous work.
Movement
With a power reserve of 55 hours, 35 jewels, the calibre Omega 8806 is no joke. It’s a self-winding movement with a co-axial escapement which became commercialised by Omega in the late 90s. It also includes a special luxury finish with a rhodium-plated rotor and bridges with geneva waves in arabesque.
The 8806 is quite a standard Seamaster Omega movement similar to the 8800, yet without the date display. It doesn’t blow your mind but functions well for daily wear.
Conclusion
Buying an Omega can always be difficult with brands like Rolex around the corner, especially when the Submariner becomes available in the same pricing bracket. However, unlike Rolex, Omega is a friendlier brand to work with when purchasing the pieces. You don’t have to wait six months to two years for this timepiece. You can buy it brand new with a few clicks of a button directly from Omega or any authorised dealer. Priced at £9,300, it can be a tad eye-watering, but like many Omega watches, it does drop in value swiftly enough and can be acquired on second-hand marketplaces for around £7,400.
In terms of value for money, this piece might be a miss, but let’s be honest, you shouldn’t be looking at this watch as an investment but something you’ll generally love wearing on special occasions and most likely buy to celebrate a significant moment in your life. The Seamaster is an iconic piece in the Omega catalogue. With this edition we’d happily add it to our list of our favourite diving watches in terms of style and timeless value.
The Hives have dropped two new songs, ‘Trapdoor Solution’ and ‘The Bomb’. They’re lifted from the band’s first new album in over a decade, The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, which is out August 11 (via FUGA) and includes the previously released singles ‘Bogus Operandi’, ‘Countdown To Shutdown’, and ‘Rigor Mortis Radio’. Take a listen below.
Speedy Ortiz have released ‘Ghostwriter’, the latest offering from their forthcoming album Rabbit Rabbit. It follows previous entries ‘Scabs’, ‘You S02’, and ‘Plus One’. Its accompanying video was directed by Alex Ross Perry and features cameos from comedians Josh Gondelman and Emily Panic, musicians Ted Leo, Spencer Peppet (the Ophelias), Nicola Leel (Doe/Customer), Kate Meizner (Jobber), Zoë Brecher (Sad13/Bruce Springsteen), authors Rax King, Amy Rose Spiegel, and merritt k, New Yorker cartoonist Jason Adam Katzenstein, and more. Check it out below.
“While ‘Ghostwriter’ ruminates on the horrible realities that stoke my anger—in this song’s case, the death of our climate and the criminalization of environmental protesters—it’s also about trying to live with less rage in the day-to-day,” Sadie Dupuis explained in a statement. “And not always succeeding, but not getting mad about that, either. And sometimes directing that angry adrenaline toward positive actions.”
“My bandmates picked ‘Ghostwriter’ as a single, perhaps because it subtly nods to our unabashed love of nu metal,” she continued. “It was really fun to reunite with Alex Ross Perry after shooting together for his Pavement movie last fall, especially the part where we subjected him to so very many Deftones and Limp Bizkit videos for inspiration. The great Josh Gondelman improvised at least a dozen good “nu metal cover band” pun names for the intro, which made it hard to keep a straight face as our nu metal performance ‘Pleasantville’-ifies our crowd of friends into the most immaculate Hot Topic c. 2003 getups.”
Philadelphia’s Spirit of the Beehive have announced a new EP, i’m so lucky, their first new music since 2021’s ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH. It arrives September 1 via Saddle Creek. Today’s announcement comes with the release of two new songs, ‘tapeworm’ and “natural devotion 2’ (a sequel to their 2016 track ‘natural devotion)’. Check out their accompanying video, directed by Daniel Patrick Brennan, below.
The new project came together after band members Zack Schwartz and Rivka Ravede ended their romantic relationship in 2022 after being together for 10 years. “For the first three or four months after it ended, it was pretty rough,” Schwartz said. “I don’t know if anybody was sure we would continue doing the band. But then we sorted it out slowly and we just all wanted to get back to work.”
Spirit of the Beehive have also announced an 8-date tour in support of the EP. Find the list of dates below, too.
Sep 5 – Cleveland, OH – Mahall’s
Sep 6 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
Sep 8 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Sep 9 – Arden, DE – Arden Gild Hall
Sep 10 – Baltimore, MD – Current Space
Sep 12 – Kingston, NY – Tubbys
Sep 14 – Brattleboro, VT – The Stone Church
Sep 15 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right
Wilco have announced their 13th studio album, Cousin. Produced by Cate Le Bon, the follow-up to last year’s Cruel Country is slated for release on September 29 via dBpm Records. Check out lead single ‘Evicted’ below, along with the album’s cover art and tracklist.
“I’m cousin to the world,” frontman Jeff Tweedy said in a press release. “I don’t feel like I’m a blood relation, but maybe I’m a cousin by marriage.”
“I guess I was trying to write from the point of view of someone struggling to make an argument for themself in the face of overwhelming evidence that they deserve to be locked out of someone’s heart,” he added of the new single. “Self-inflicted wounds still hurt and in my experience they’re almost impossible to fully recover from.”
“The amazing thing about Wilco is they can be anything,” Le Bon commented. “They’re so mercurial, and there’s this thread of authenticity that flows through everything they do, whatever the genre, whatever the feel of the record. There aren’t many bands who are able to, this deep into a successful career, successfully change things up.”
Cousin Cover Artwork:
Cousin Tracklist:
1. Infinite Surprise
2. Ten Dead
3. Levee
4. Evicted
5. Sunlight Ends
6. A Bowl And A Pudding
7. Cousin
8. Pittsburgh
9. Soldier Child
10. Meant To Be
