Lionlimb – the project of New York-based singer-songwriter and producer Stewart Bronaugh – has announced a new LP, Limbo. The follow-up to 2021’s Spiral Groove is due May 24 on Bayonet Records. Today’s announcement comes with the release of the lead single ‘Hurricane’. Check it out and find the album cover and tracklist below.
“‘Hurricane’ is about escapism and searching for THAT feeling that puts you in a flow state, away from the anxiety and uncomfortableness of being human,” Bronaugh explained in a statement. “Creativity can help, and then there are other ways that are much more harmful. This song is about saying goodbye to those, but I feel like I’m always searching for that next thing.”
Bronaugh composed, produced, and mixed Limbo, with additional recording from Robin Eaton, live drums by Joshua Jaeger, and vocal contributions from Angel Olsen. “When I’m working on music, it’s like I’m trying to make my own world,” Bronaugh said. “It’s that feeling of wanting to exist somewhere else. I’m trying to express something and get out of my head and body.”
Limbo Cover Artwork:
Limbo Tracklist:
1. Sun
2. Hurricane
3. Underwater
4. Hiss
5. Dream Of You (feat. Angel Olsen)
6. Runaway
7. Two Kinds of Tears
8. Nowhere to Hide
9. Til It’s Gone
10. You Belong To Me
Discussing the song, Khan said in a statement: “This title is pretty self-explanatory. If I was on my deathbed, it’s what I’d say to Delphi to give her some sense of being at home in the world, the galaxy, the universe we live in. Before Delphi was born I started writing her a book of letters, inspired by Maya Angelou’s book of the same name, Letter To My Daughter. It documents a very strange but magical year, full of special memories and historic worldly moments. This ride of life is always continuing and we’re all just energy moving from one form into another, always. She’s also just part of an echo, ancestral line or spiral in the cosmos, like the spiral that I saw in her soft hair when she was a baby. She is part of something much greater than any of us individually; she comes from the past and she comes from the future.”
Khan became pregnant a few months after the release of her last album, 2019’s Lost Girls. “I was writing letters to Delphi from the time she was the size of a tomato seed,” she added. “About everything that was happening in the world, like the riots after George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement, about the pandemic and COVID, about the world that she was going to be born into.”
The Dream of Delphi arrives May 31 via Mercury KX.
Katie Crutchfield calls ‘Right Back to It’, perhaps the best single released this year so far, the first real love song she’s ever written. “The fundamental parts of my whole songwriting style are built on being inspired by sadness, so it’s more about evoking heartache and heartbreak,” she said in a recent interview, adding, “But it’s tricky to write songs about being happy.” Crutchfield is not the only beloved indie singer-songwriter with a record out on Friday that takes up the challenge of communicating a version of love that’s steady, freeing, and contented; with her latest collection Bright Future, Adrianne Lenker also shows she’s come a long way since the early Big Thief song that compared real love to a heart attack. Like Lenker, Crutchfield continues to find compelling ways to write about relationships – including those she keeps with herself and her work – falling in love with the patience rather than the torture they require. “It plays on my mind/ How the time passing/ Covers you like a friend,” she sings on the first song of her new album Tigers Blood, a timeless, staggering achievement that’s in many ways about the unfolding of that friendship.
2020’s Saint Cloud was a stunning balm of a record, one that saw Crutchfield embracing the Americana aesthetic that carries onto the new record; she tried experimenting with more pop-leaning production for “a good six hours,” she estimates, but it didn’t stick. Reuniting with producer Brad Cook to record the album at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, this time with help from Cook’s brother Phil, Spencer Tweedy, and Wednesday guitarist MJ Lenderman (who plays on every song and provides harmonies on many of them), Tigers Blood leans into and refines its predecessor’s sonic palette in ways that make space for the growth in Crutchfield’s lyrics. If Saint Cloud aspired toward and invited the clarity that comes with getting sober, Tigers Blood settles into it without losing grasp on the melodic and lyrical acuity that makes Crutchfield’s music so impactful. She’s too self-aware to make a boring record – the way she stretches out the word on ‘Bored’, a fiery tune that imagines how an older Waxahatchee song might sound with her presently more clear-eyed approach, it sounds like the burning indictment of a friendship that’s run its course – and too conflicted to simply bask in Saint Cloud’s warm afterglow.
“I get caught up in my thoughts/ For lack of a better cause/ My life’s been mapped out to a T/ But I’m always a little lost,” she sings on ‘Lone Star Lake’. It’s not only the way she writes about it, though, that’s changed, but the feeling she decides should ultimately hover over each song, no matter how deeply you read into it. The circles Lenderman’s electric guitar and Phil Cook’s banjo draw around ‘Lone Star Lake’ and ‘Right Back to It’ contribute a lot to the songs’ light, airy romanticism, but there’s a shift in Crutchfield’s language, too. On ‘Hurricane’, her 2022 single with Jess Williamson as Plains, Crutchfield used nature as a metaphor to describe the same destructive behaviour she acknowledges on ‘Right Back to It’, where she sings, “I let my mind run wild/ I don’t know why I do it,” but coming back around is less of a promise than a comforting certainty. ‘Lone Star Lake’ builds a stunner out of the simple proposition of heading out to the titular lake in Kansas, replacing old vices with “the drunkenness of free reign,” while ‘Evil Spawn’ is in direct conversation with a past lifestyle she now recognizes as toxic, admitting, “What you thought was enough now seems insane.”
Serenity is always in the air, but it’s not easy to get a grasp on, even in the state of stability that Tigers Blood finds Crutchfield in. For every breezy melody and universal truth she uses as a guiding torch – “If you’re not living then you’re dying” – there are literary passages that veer off course and into a tangle of contradictions that, impressively, her voice navigates with fierce precision. These often relate to her role as an artist and storyteller who sees doors open with each breakthrough; “I make a living crying, it ain’t fair/ Not budging,” she admits on the opener, knowing, as she sings on ‘Crowbar’, that the alternative is taking it “pretty far on a prayer that’s pale and synthetic.” ‘Crimes of the Heart’ is about how tempting it is to tear yourself apart for the sake of art: “You’re an agent of truth, twisted up at the tail end/ You play the villain like a violin.” She understands that time, moving slowly, can prove itself a friend, but darkness, coming from within, can take that spot just as easily.
As with Saint Cloud, Crutchfield proves she’s in it for the long haul. As open-ended as the album’s final refrain is – “I held it like a penny I found/ It might bring me something, it might weigh me down” – the group singing along makes it feel like a triumph, winding down a journey that’s worth more than it costs. The authenticity of Waxahatchee’s music is hard-won, the joy and love in it steadfast, her language as rich as the instrumentation that colours fluidly around it. But there’s a gravity to it all, and Crutchfield doesn’t buckle under it. She rises to the occasion, still awestruck and wholly devoted.
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Vaping has emerged as a popular alternative to traditional smoking in both the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA). However, the extent to which each country has embraced vaping varies due to a combination of factors, including regulatory frameworks, public perception, and cultural attitudes towards nicotine consumption. In this article, we’ll compare the adoption of vaping in the UK and the USA, examining the regulatory landscape, public health policies, and cultural influences to determine which country has embraced vaping more readily.
Regulatory Framework
The regulatory approach to vaping differs significantly between the UK and the USA. In the UK, vaping is regulated under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR), which set out standards for the manufacture, sale, and marketing of vaping products. The UK has adopted a progressive approach to vaping regulation, with public health authorities endorsing vaping as a less harmful alternative to smoking and encouraging smokers to switch to vaping. In contrast, the USA has taken a more stringent approach to vaping regulation, particularly in recent years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates vaping products as tobacco products under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (TCA), imposing restrictions on marketing, sales, and product innovation. Additionally, the USA has experienced high-profile vaping-related controversies, such as the outbreak of vaping-associated lung injuries (EVALI) in 2019, which led to increased scrutiny and calls for stricter regulation.
Public Health Policies
Public health policies play a significant role in shaping attitudes towards vaping in both the UK and the USA. In the UK, public health authorities, such as Public Health England (PHE) and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), have endorsed vaping as a harm reduction tool and advocate for its inclusion in smoking cessation programs. The UK has implemented comprehensive tobacco control measures, including public smoking bans and anti-smoking campaigns, which have contributed to a decline in smoking rates and increased acceptance of vaping as a less harmful alternative. In contrast, public health policies in the USA have been more divided, with some states implementing strict vaping regulations and others adopting more lenient approaches. The USA has also seen polarized debates over vaping’s role in smoking cessation and harm reduction, with public health experts and policymakers expressing differing opinions on its efficacy and safety.
Cultural Attitudes
Cultural attitudes towards vaping vary between the UK and the USA, reflecting differences in smoking prevalence, social norms, and historical perspectives on tobacco use. In the UK, smoking rates have declined steadily over the past decade, with vaping emerging as a popular alternative among smokers looking to quit or reduce their tobacco consumption. Vaping has become increasingly normalized in British society, with vape shops, lounges, and cafes becoming commonplace in cities and towns across the country. Additionally, the UK has a strong vaping community and online presence, with vapers sharing information, experiences, and recommendations, like those for the Lost Mary 600 device, through forums and social media platforms. In contrast, the USA has a more diverse and fragmented vaping culture, with regional differences in vaping prevalence and acceptance. While vaping has gained popularity among certain demographics, such as young adults and former smokers, it continues to face stigma and opposition from anti-tobacco advocates and public health groups.
Industry Landscape
The vaping industry in the UK and the USA differs in terms of market size, product availability, and consumer preferences. In the UK, the vaping market is relatively mature and well-established, with a wide range of vaping devices, e-liquids, and accessories available to consumers. Vape shops and retailers cater to vapers of all experience levels and preferences, offering a diverse selection of products and flavors. Additionally, the UK has seen significant investment in vaping research, innovation, and technology, with manufacturers developing new products and formulations to meet consumer demand. In contrast, the USA has a larger and more diverse vaping market, with a wide range of products and brands competing for market share. The USA has also seen rapid growth in the popularity of vaping among youth and young adults, leading to concerns about underage vaping and regulatory challenges.
Both the UK and the USA have embraced vaping to varying degrees, influenced by regulatory frameworks, public health policies, cultural attitudes, and industry dynamics. While the UK has adopted a more progressive approach to vaping regulation and public health advocacy, the USA has faced challenges and controversies that have shaped attitudes towards vaping. Ultimately, the extent to which each country has embraced vaping more readily depends on a complex interplay of factors, including societal norms, government policies, and industry practices. As vaping continues to evolve and gain acceptance worldwide, it will be essential for policymakers, public health authorities, and industry stakeholders to work together to promote responsible vaping practices and minimize potential harms associated with vaping.
There are many wonderful luxury bracelet brands known around the world for their finely crafted pieces. This article will introduce you to some of the top brands known for quality and innovative designs. Whether you prefer diamonds, mixed metals, or colorful gemstones, these luxury brands have styles to suit every taste.
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #1: IceCartel
IceCartel makes beautiful gold bracelets. They are known for pieces like iced out Miami cuban link, tennis, and custom link bracelets. IceCartel bracelets are very popular because they use high quality gold and put lots of diamonds on the bracelets to make them sparkle. Their bracelets can be plain gold or have designs etched into the gold. No matter what style bracelet you want, IceCartel has it. They make bracelets for both men and women.
IceCartel was started by a man named Jarad who loves jewelry. He wanted to make bracelets that were affordable but still looked expensive. Now IceCartel has stores all over the country where you can find their bracelets. They also sell online which makes it easy for anyone to shop with them. IceCartel bracelets come in yellow, rose, and white gold so you can pick your favorite metal. They have bracelets for all budgets too.
Many famous rappers and athletes wear IceCartel bracelets. People see these stars wearing them and then want to buy IceCartel bracelets for themselves. The bracelets become popular because everyone wants to dress like their favorite celebrity. IceCartel is always coming out with new designs too so their customers always have something fresh to choose from. Their bracelets will definitely make a statement when you wear them!
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #2: David Yurman
David Yurman makes cable bracelets that are worlds class. He was one of the first designers to mix metals in his pieces. David Yurman cable bracelets are woven and twisted together. They can have stones added like diamonds for extra sparkle. Cable bracelets have become very popular designs that many women love to wear. David Yurman started making his special cable collections in the 1970s.
Some cable bracelets just have the woven metal design while others have charms added. Charms might be initials, hearts or other shapes. mixing silver and gold together in one piece was new when David Yurman first did it. Now it’s very common to see bracelets with two metals woven together. His cable pieces are unique works of art and definitely luxury status items.
Aside from the signature cable line, David Yurman also has bead and link style bracelets. They use precious materials like tiger’s eye, amethyst, gray pearl and more in their pieces. No matter your personal style, you’re sure to find something you love from David Yurman. Their boutiques can be found around the world and online too. David Yurman sets the bar very high for designer jewelry brands.
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #3: Tiffany & Co.
Right up there with the big names is Tiffany & Co, known worldwide for their luxury and fine designs since 1837. One of Tiffany’s most iconic pieces is the return to Tiffany bracelet. It features the unique blue colored tags and heart that have become synonymous with the brand. Return to Tiffany is stackable so you can accumulate several charms over time for a personalized look.
Tiffany also has lovely silver bracelets set with diamonds, colored stones or heart tags. Their Atlas collection bracelets feature links or beads in shapes of the globe. At Tiffany you’ll discover exquisite pieces crafted from precious metals and gemstones. Each one is a work of art. One of their most famous designs is the narrow Tiffany silver bracelet which is simple yet elegant.
Customers love Tiffany for their classic sophistication and reliability for quality. Some Tiffany pieces are heirlooms that get passed down for generations. Whether something dainty or more dramatic, Tiffany has the bracelet to suit your distinct personal style. Their pieces hold their value well too. Tiffany & Co. continues to be revered by connoisseurs worldwide and considered one of the premier names in fine jewelry.
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #4: Bvlgari
Bvlgari is an Italian brand with a long history going back to 1884. They are known for snakes! Their designs feature the serpent which symbolizes beauty, wisdom and seduction. Probably their most iconic piece is the Bvlgari Serpenti bracelet line.
The Serpenti bracelets are very sleek and flexible, mimicking the movements of a snake. They are made without screws or clasps using a technique called Tubogas. This technique makes it possible for the bracelet to coil and wrap around your wrist comfortably. Bvlgari uses precious colored gems and gold or silver in their Serpenti styles.
Some have diamond accents on the head and tail of the snake. No two Serpenti bracelets are exactly the same. You can get them plain or highly embellished depending on your preferences. Bvlgari boutiques can be found in all the major cities across the globe. Their jewelry mixes Italian glamour with exotic reptilian allure in one-of-a-kind pieces. Bvlgari is the authority when it comes to incorporating the snake in luxurious designs.
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #5: Cartier
Cartier is at the very top of the luxury world. They have created tiaras for royalty as well as romantic love bracelets. Two of their most classic bracelet lines are the Panther and Love collections.
The panther has been Cartier’s symbol since 1914. Their panther bracelets feature elegant black onyx or enamel set with sparkling diamonds. Wearing a panter bracelet is a way to show your wild and daring personality. Starting in the 1970s, Cartier also launched their “Love” concept with a series of bangles, pendants, and rings featuring the word “LOVE” engraved on the surface.
These have become iconic pieces associated with the brand. Best of all, Cartier lets you personalize the Love bracelets by adding engravings of your name or a special date. Their boutiques hold treasure chests of other dazzling designs too from colorful gemstone pieces to diamond wreath styles. Cartier basically defines luxury in fine jewelry and will forever be associated with all things glamorous and prestigious.
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #6: Harry Winston
As the “King of Diamonds” Harry Winston centers each creation around showcasing rare and exquisite gemstones. His bracelets often feature circle or cluster styles. Pieces hold immense value as fine works of art on the wrist.
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #7: Bulgari
Based in Rome since 1884, Bulgari specializes in colored gemstones and technical mastery. Bracelets showcase milgrain detailing and geometric cuts. Their boutiques worldwide project luxury through signature dramatic designs.
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #8: Van Cleef & Arpels
Established in France in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels contributes unique clover settings and mystery techniques. Convertible zip styles allow stacking or extension. Their high jewelry takes fantasy to an art form.
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #9: David Webb
Webb was a pioneer in replicating animal and architectural forms in gold. Mixing materials gave dimension and texture. Collecting his one-of-a-kind creations preserves venerable craftsmanship.
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #10: Chopard
Known for combining metals and gems, Chopard designs express art on the wrist. Their happy diamond bracelets emphasize pavé brilliance through clusters and unique shapes. Boutiques worldwide ensure fine quality.
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #11: Graff
Graff obtains record setting rare gemstones to craftwearable sculptures. Harnessing vivid vivid colors through technical precision sets a ruler for fine jewelry standards as heirloom investments.
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #12: Fred Leighton
Curating authenticated past pieces, Fred Leighton offers timeless opulence. Restored Victorian or art deco bangles pair history with modern refinement for distinctive style.
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #13: Stephen Webster
Webster infuses mystery with daring edge through symbolic signatures like spikes. Employing rare stones in innovative silversmithing lends armor candy appeal. Custom commissions reach new heights as well.
Best Luxury Bracelet Brand #14: Miu Miu
Part of Prada, Miu Miu brings a youthful sense of rebellion through enameling, huggies, and charms. Vibrant colors paired with secure diamonds make luxury accessible universally.
In conclusion, these prestige brands have introduced the art of fine bracelet making worldwide. Whether new or vintage, their creations continue inspiring new generations as status symbols, investments, and works of personal expression. With such elite options, it’s easy to see why luxury jewelry maintains enduring worldwide appeal.
In the vibrant world of Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), where customization and personalization reign supreme, cases hold a special allure. These cases, filled with coveted skins and items, often become the focal point of players’ desires and aspirations. Among the myriad of cases available, some stand out for their exclusivity and rarity. Let’s look at them.
CS:GO Weapon Case
Introducing a plethora of iconic skins that have left an indelible mark on the CS2 landscape, the CS:GO Weapon Case is a treasure trove of elegance and prestige. Among its prized possessions are the AWP | Lightning Strike and the AK-47 | Case Hardened, symbols of luxury and status coveted by players worldwide. The allure of these premium skins, coupled with the case’s limited availability, has propelled its market value to staggering heights, making it a coveted item among collectors and traders alike. This case costs around $90, with the most expensive skin (AWP | Lightning Strike) costing around $850.
Operation “Bravo” Case
The Operation “Bravo” Case stands as a testament to exclusivity and luxury within the CS2 community. Boasting a collection of skins adorned with intricate designs and sought-after finishes, this case has become synonymous with uniqueness. In total, the case includes 15 weapon skins and 65 knife skins. Skins like the Desert Eagle | Golden Koi, P90 | Emerald Dragon, and the AK-47 Fire Serpent, revered for their aesthetic appeal and rarity, contribute significantly to the case’s high market value. This case costs around $58, with the most valuable skin in the case costing around $750.
eSports Case 2013
Emblazoned with the colors and logos of renowned CS competitive teams, the eSports Case 2013 holds a special place in the hearts of enthusiasts and fans alike. Featuring exclusive designs and limited availability, the skins within this case fetch premium prices in the market. From Virtus.pro to Fnatic, skins adorned with team insignias evoke a sense of camaraderie and pride, making the eSports Case 2013 a cherished possession among supporters of competitive CS2. The case contains 9 weapon skins and 65 possible knife skins. Its cost reaches $45. The most expensive skin in this case is AWP | BOOM – you can find it for around $150.
Operation “Hydra” Case
The Operation “Hydra” Case boasts an eclectic selection of skins characterized by unique finishes and intricate designs. Released during the Operation “Hydra” event, this case’s scarcity has propelled its market value to unprecedented levels, appealing to discerning collectors seeking rarity and exclusivity. The case can currently be found for around $30. The most expensive weapon skin in Operation “Hydra” Case is AWP | Oni Taiji, which can cost over $400.
CS:GO Weapon Case 2
CS:GO Weapon Case 2 introduced a new wave of desirable skins to the CS2 community. Skins such as SSG 08 | Blood in the Water, USP-S | Serum, and Five-SeveN | Case Hardened quickly gained popularity and became staples in many players’ inventories. The combination of sleek designs and rarity makes the CS:GO Weapon Case 2 one of the most sought-after cases in CS2. The cost of the case is about $16-20, while the most expensive skin can cost more than $200 for the Factory New version.
These are only the five best CS2 (CS:GO) cases to open, you can consider other cases that are much more budget-friendly, but just as cool.
Why are CS2 Cases Expensive?
The high prices of CS2 cases can be attributed to several factors:
Rarity. Limited availability of certain cases, especially those tied to events or operations, increases their rarity and desirability among collectors.
Exclusive skins. Cases containing exclusive or highly sought-after skins tend to command higher prices due to their uniqueness and appeal.
Market demand. Skins with attractive designs or from popular weapon categories drive up demand for cases, resulting in increased prices.
How to Get Cases in CS2?
Obtaining cases in CS2 can be achieved through various methods:
In-game drops. Players can receive cases as random drops while playing matches in CS2. The frequency of drops may vary, and players can potentially receive different cases based on their luck and gameplay.
Purchasing on Steam. Cases can be purchased directly from the Steam Community Market, where players can buy and sell skins with other users.
Third-party platforms. Some third-party websites offer cases for sale or trade, providing players with additional avenues to obtain desired skins. However, caution is advised when using these platforms, as there is a risk of encountering scams or fraudulent activity.
Wrapping It Up!
In the dynamic world of CS2, cases serve as gateways to a realm of luxury, prestige, and exclusivity. Through a combination of limited availability, coveted skins, and market demand, cases from this article have transcended their humble origins to become coveted treasures sought after by collectors and traders alike.
Rosali Middleman is a North Carolina-based singer-songwriter and guitarist who records and performs as Rosali. Raised by musician parents, Middleman became involved in Philadelphia’s experimental and DIY scene as an adult, releasing her solo debut, Out of Love, in 2016. It was followed by 2018’s Trouble Anyway and 2021’s No Medium, the latter of which saw her being back by David Nance and his Omaha-based band, now known as Mowed Sound. On Friday, Rosali will release her fourth album and first for Merge Records, Bite Down, where she’s once again joined by Nance, guitarist James Schroeder, and drummer Kevin Donahue, as well as Destroyer collaborator Ted Bois on keys. It’s a magnificent album that crackles with the energy of the band tracking the album live while also mirroring Middleman’s self-reflective and conversational – even in its introspection – songwriting, which can feel intimate, playful, patient, and deeply resonant in its simplicity. She fights the grief and resentment that’s built up over years of romantic entanglement with attention to rest, joy, nature, and slowness. “I’ll sit for hours/ Gazing at the light/ And I do wonder/ And waste my life,” she sings, taking a sweet turn at the very end: “No, I don’t wonder/ If I waste my life.”
We caught up with Rosali for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight series to talk about how changes in her environment have affected her songwriting, collaborating with Mowed Sound, sobriety, and more.
I’m sure you’ve been asked a lot about Philadelphia and how the music scene there has shaped you. But you recorded your previous album, No Medium, at a farmhouse in South Carolina, and you wrote the new record after moving to North Carolina. I’m curious if the new environment has affected or inspired you in any way that you can describe.
The majority of the record was written in North Carolina, where I moved two years ago. But during that time, I was touring a lot with my band, the David Nance crew, Mowed Sound, so some of it is infused with that energy of constantly feeling a little unsettled, moving around a lot. I just recently moved closer to Durham, but I was living about 45 minutes outside of Durham, in a pretty rural town, and I wasn’t really socializing that much. When I’m home, I spend a lot of time alone with my dog, which was a completely different experience from living in Philly, where my housemate was a bandmate in my other band Long Haunts. We played music all the time together, and I’d play with my band or just jam with other friends. In Philly, it was very much external influences in the circles there, people shared ideas on a daily basis, which was really amazing. I was there for 12 years, and over that time was in various groups and improvisational situations with other musicians, or witnessing the work of other artists that I admire; I used to live and play with Mary Lattimore before she moved to LA.
Moving to more of a rural setting takes away the distraction of the city, which is a very urban, loud, intense environment, energetically. I feel like being part of the scene is not as much my daily life, even though in my heart, I still am part of that [laughs]. So the influences are coming more from what I’m clearing up in my own head, sorting out my thoughts and my experiences and reflecting on those things without a constant peer review. It’s just quiet, and it’s maybe also more of a maturity of getting older and not needing that input as much so. I do feel like a big part of it is the landscape as well, a lot of inspiration is just being in the woods and listening to the birds and observing the sunlight; there are a lot of rivers near where I live, so being near water. A lot of that more internal dialogue.
I do feel like there is a conversationbetween thatrestlessness and a more quiet, reflective mindset,which is maybe coming from the album’s musical dynamics but also seems like something that’s happening internally.
Yeah, for sure. And being a more internal review doesn’t mean it’s quiet or peaceful [laughs]. I can be an overthinker, and when you recall something, you can still kind of feel the energy of how you experienced it, but you’re just not reacting in the same way. Also, reflecting on something that might have been a challenging situation, a past relationship or heartbreak, from a place where you’re kind of over it, you can speak to with a little more, “It is what it is. I’m not pining for that situation.” And then in that, maybe having a little framework that there’s a hopefulness, a playfulness for people listening to the music having more of an uplifting experience through these dark themes. There’s no “woe is me” to it. There’s power in it.
There was a rawness to the lyrics on No Medium, which you’ve said also came as a result of getting older and not needing to guard yourself as much. How did that mindset develop going into Bite Down, where you’re digging into some vulnerable situations? Do you feel even less of a guardedness, or did it complicate things?
I know personally, and a lot of people I talk to getting older, the things that I used to feel really embarrassed by and vulnerable about when I was younger, it does not matter to me anymore. In my earlier writing, I definitely felt like it needed to be a little more poetic – not that I think what I currently write lacks poetry – having statements that are veiled in this way and not revealing too much. The older I get, I just want to be clear, and I don’t feel its vulnerability in this way. Yeah, I’m still affected by it – right before a song comes out or record comes out, I get extremely nervous and feel that, like, “Oh no, I’m about to share this thing that a lot of people are going to hear.” I have this moment of fear, but at the same time, what I’m trying to get across in my music and lyrics, when I’m in the moment of writing them, I want to be super clear about it, not veil the words. The song ‘Slow Pain’ on this record, for example, being kind of brutal in some ways – I don’t feel the same need to hide my personal self or hide or be nice or shy about any subject matter. I feel like that’s the way it is the older I get about anything, not just songwriting.
You mentioned ‘Slow Pain’,and there’s that line that stood out to me: “Hold it so I don’t spill out/ Keep quiet and wait it out.” Which is interesting, because I do feel like your music holds the feeling or the grief, but not in the way of repressingor shrouding it. It does spill out.
Yeah. And that line is about that feeling where you’re maybe in public or you feel like you’re about to be overwhelmed and cry in front of somebody you don’t want to cry in front of, or knowing a place and a time to experience those feelings.
Talking about perspective, I wanted to bring up something Destroyer’s Dan Bejar said in the bio for the album, which is that some of the songs sound like they’re fighting their way to achieve a sense of ease.I guess he’s talking more about the sound of the album, but I’m curious if a similar thing happens in the songwriting process. Do you feel the need to settle your perspective or reach some kind of peace in order to lay something down?
I kind of write in piecemeal ways, so in some ways it is a little fighting toward a sense of ease. A lot of it will be stream-of-consciousness as I’m coming up with the phrasing, the cadences, just trying to get those thoughts out. I sometimes am in a state where I’m feeling shitty and I’ll be with my guitar and record voice memos and just let things come out, and then I’ll listen back, maybe days later or even that night, I’ll hit pause and then play it again in a different way and let things come out. Once I have a handful of those that I’ve done over a week or two, I’ll listen back and start writing everything out that I have, and from there I do a bunch of editing and pull out what I think are the strongest phrases or words. And from there, I start actually finishing the song and the narrative, refining it to a point where it feels like it is the finished song.
Sometimes it comes out quickly – the last song on the record, ‘May It Be an Offer’, was pretty much written in one sitting; that felt like a prayer that came out. Whereas, like, ‘Slow Pain’ took me a lot longer to finish the actual lyrics – I had a lot of different phrases for that, and I was really trying to get to a place where it touched on what I was feeling in the song, but also be a little playful with it. ‘Hills on Fire’ was another one where I had a ton of different variations on the lyrics. Even when we were tracking the record, there’s some songs that I didn’t have finalized. So when we were doing scratch vocals, all playing together – because much of the record was tracked live – I was just trying out the vocals, trying out the lyric. And I rewrote some of that in while making the record, because I was like, “I don’t like saying this, I don’t like singing this.” And sometimes they just come out fully formed, and when that happens, I’m like, “I don’t know where that song came from, but I’ll take it.” [laughs]
You mentioned ‘Hills on Fire’, where there’s poetry to the lyrics that just intertwines with the flow of the music so organically that, as a listener, you have to guess it came out that way.
With ‘Hills on Fire’, the refrain was the first thing I had. All the different verses, it was just small wording and things like that that kept changing. I think that’s the first one we tracked that, when we finished, we were like, “This is it, we’re done.” The only overdub is our vocals, so that was all played live. I think part of it is, that song has a very much in-the-moment feeling to it because that’s how we did it sonically. With Jim’s guitar parts, it was like, “Oh, he’s still going, we’re just gonna keep playing these chords,” and then we’ll look at each other and it’s like, “Okay, now we’re coming in here.” There’s always time after you finish the instrumental parts to refine the vocal lines, so it was listening to how we were all playing and Jim’s lines that helped me distill the words down. I was debating having a whole different verse in there, but I think the power of us playing together is so potent that it doesn’t need to stay. And then the benefit is that I still have unused lyrics I can go back and make a new song out of it [laughs].
This is your second record with Mowed Sound as your band. Did that sense of familiarityeither groundor push you in different ways while makingBite Down?
This is the first time I’ve ever made a record with the same people. After we made No Medium, there was even a feeling of, “This may just be my Crazy Horse record.” But when we toured so much on that record, we were all like, “We’re a band. We’re just getting started, we have to see where this goes.” We’re like family at this point. We know each other so intimately that I trust them fully. They understand me as an artist, as a person. This record in particular, I went into it with the songs less fully formed – moods were there, and I use a lot of adjectives to describe the moods I want, but I didn’t really give any guidance other than that. We were there all together almost every day, approaching the album as a band, so everybody wrote their own parts. I had the chords and the structure of the song, but we all just played and feeling out the song. It was definitely the most collaborative record I’ve ever done. Jim Schroeder, he recorded both No Medium and Bite Down, and he’s been my biggest collaborator over the past six years. It was mostly us shaping No Medium, where this one was a band record.
In some ways, it was really challenging for me. In my head, going into it, I was like, “It’s gonna be great because they’re the best,” but in the moment, knowing this is my record, these are my songs, not having them fully finished, it was sometimes hard to let go. You get to a point where you’re like, “Is this how the song is? Am I sure about it?” It took a little bit of more surrendering to the group, which is what I wanted to do. It’s easier said than done, especially being so used to being the person really guiding it. It pushed me in even writing the songs to some degree, like maybe I want to write something that feels a little tough because I know that they can handle it. But at the same time, knowing that they can handle being delicate in those moments, that they’re not going to squash or overpower an open, sensitive moment. It’s a lot of trust, and I feel really lucky to have them in my life as my band. I think it’s it’s a really special magical thing we have going on right now, and I know it’s not easy to find sometimes.
You said that the direction was sometimes just a mood, but even that direction must be hard to figure out sometimes.
Yeah, definitely. It was a lot of processing, and things came to the surface really quickly that I didn’t know even was there when we were in the studio, so I just started feeling super emotional. Finding those adjectives, I just kind of led with my heart and how I was feeling. For example, ‘Change Is in the Form’, that’s the oldest song on the record. I wrote that for my second record but couldn’t figure it out, but I think it’s because this band was supposed to play it. There’s a guitar solo part – like on every song [laughs] – but I had Jim and Dave play that together, so they recorded at the same time. I was like, “I want you guys to play this part like your heart has just been ripped out of your body, and you’re looking at your heart.” And they’re like, “Okay, thanks, jeez.” [laughs] They did that in a couple of takes, and it was perfect. He nailed it. So I’ll explain things and scenarios or feelings and try to give imagery to get across the feeling, because I’m also I’m self-taught with music. I don’t have a lot of music theory language. It’s a lot of intuitive things – it’s emotion, it’s imagery, it’s color, and some of it you don’t even realize what you want until you’re in it or listening to things. Especially in this setting with this band, it’s a growing, exploratory living organism.
Another collaborator on the record is Megan Siebe, who plays cello on two songs and brings a particular mournfulness to the title track. What do you feel like she brought to the songs?
Megan came in after we recorded those songs. She’s a longtime friend of Mowed Sound, and she’s just an awesome, jovial character, which is funny because she plays these beautifully heartwrenching melodies, but she’s loud and funny. We tracked ‘Bite Down’ for 13 minutes, just playing it over and over again to settle into this zone with it. I liked the idea that the song is kind of eternal and it’s going on forever, and you just tune into this frequency for a moment, and then it’s gone. By the time we whittled it down, we had more of a sense of where the song was at.
All the people who came in to add sparkles and parts that weren’t part of the core band – Kev, Dave, Jim, and Ted – they didn’t get to hear anything, they just came in the studio. We described a little bit the vibe or what the song is about, but then let her go, and she did a take that was super affected and spacey. But it kind of took away from the actual subject matter of the song, which is maybe the heaviest song on the record, so she did a few takes, and I think her playing and improvising along the way allowed her to put her own interpretation into it, still giving it a little more free-form openness. I just really love what she played. And then on ‘Slow Pain’, she’s just chugging along with the bass part. You almost don’t notice it’s there until it ends, which I just love. You can hear her draw out the final note, but it shifted the whole energy of the song.
I’m wondering how much of what we’ve talking about in terms of process and digging to the core of a song ties into that phrase, Bite Down, which is quite visceral but also has a different meaning in the context of the title track.
It was the song first, so the title of the album came out of that. During the first year of the pandemic, a lot of conversations I had, people felt super depressed and hopeless – that sense of nothing makes sense, there’s no purpose to anything. That was a recurring theme, even in my own personal life, definitely experiencing those feelings. This idea of biting down, it’s like getting a grasp on something, sinking your teeth into it, understanding whatever it is. For a while, I just had that, “Bite down on it,” I didn’t have anything else, and slowly that song came to be as the song is on its own. But then with the album title, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to call the record, throwing around various ideas, and Bite Down was on the list. When I was talking to Mac [McCaughan], who runs Merge, he was like, “What about Bite Down?” But I was like, “You know, that song is kind of about suicide in this way, is it too heavy? Because the record is about trying to find joy in darkness…”
But I was thinking more about Bite Down, the phrase and what it means as this command, taking it out of the context of the song and the lyrics of, “Help me, I can’t bite down.” This idea of looking at life from this perspective, like we were talking about in the beginning of this conversation, on the other side of a lot of things, understanding that life and the experiences you go through – the good, the bad, the neutral, the boring, the surreal, it’s all part of it – and not fear the horizon that comes that toward you; to accept it, bite down on it, to fully embrace all these situations; to grow and have more understanding of life, have more experiences, have more empathy. It became more of a battle cry to see the goal of it, the goal of life. That is what these songs as a collection are about, and that is where I am in my own life. Feeling a little empowered, then, from claiming those words, making it more of a mantra. Even as a joke with my girlfriend, we’ll be like, “You got something hard to do? You better bite down.”
Given how a lot of the album is about the breaking and hardening of a relationship, I was surprised by how much love there really is, especially on a song like ‘Hopeless’. You hold onto it in a way that doesn’t feel stubborn but open-hearted and empathetic. Was that a tricky balance, even with the perspective that settles with time?
I’ve been single for years – I’d been in a pretty bad relationship that I was like, “You know what? I don’t want to get involved with anybody for a long time.” So a lot of it is coming from developing a very strong relationship with myself. And sometimes the “you” in the song is me, it’ll be a conversation with myself, using past thinking, or the inner critic is the person I’m in a relationship with. Taking a long hiatus of being in any kind of committed long-term relationship – sure, there’s people I would have casual things with, but even going into these experiences with some knowledge, with openness, with no need to cling to anything, not putting a label on somebody else, projecting your hopes and fears onto somebody else. It’s those lessons I’ve learned as time has gone on with taking long periods where I’m mostly trying to be in a relationship with myself that can have that buoyancy.
It is a balance, because you can’t escape the spectrum of all of these things – it’s just how you make choices and confront them. Even being able to look back and laugh at yourself, I think that’s a big part of it, too, with this record; not taking yourself too seriously, even in the serious moments. It’s part of what the album art is – to not feel destroyed by life events and grow from there. I think holding on to regret or holding on to hurt and not being able to reflect on how you are a player in all of it, too, trying to be self-aware – I feel like that’s where a lot of this record is written from, from a grounded, self-aware place, at least I’d like to claim. This is my first record I’ve written sober, which is also a challenge but definitely clarified things for me.
Can you talk more about how that affected your creative process?
For the longest time, I felt like I couldn’t access my full creative side if I didn’t, like, have a little wine or be a little buzzed in some way. Because it is hard to drop that self-critic energy that can come in as you’re starting to write that can prevent you from getting it all out. Trying to get to a place with writing where I was like, “I don’t need those things, I’m capable of like finding my way there” – it just took me to new ways of practicing where I’d really have to set intention to some degree. I couldn’t just be like, “I’ve had a little wine, I’m gonna sit down and I’ve got this thing that’s coming out.” While those moments come naturally to me now, they used to not. It was almost like a dead zone. One of one of the hardest parts of sobriety was reacquainting myself with my muses, my songwriting processes, because I had relied on alcohol to get there; and also to mask emotions, and as escapism.
Finding those processes where I set intentions – I would light candles and do meditations and really try to communicate, almost treating it like an ancient way of talking to muses, stepping into this realm, almost like a psychological backdoor to the way the alcohol would just kind of kick that door open. I’m entering into this space almost like it’s sacred, and hat was a new process. I think there is that clarity in it, like I fully know what I’m saying, what I’m doing. That, I feel, is the biggest change. It’s a little more challenging because it requires that added energy and consciousness, but I think it’s much more rewarding in a way, too, because it’s a dedication. I’m dedicating myself to myself, to my life, to my artwork. Continuing down a path of drinking more and more, as I was, that becomes self-destructive, and I wanted joy. I wanted to feel those things naturally and to experience the full spectrum of all life’s experiences. I wanted to feel them with a clear mind. That’s what the record is.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Brooklyn punk band THICK have dropped a new single called ‘Father’. The track, which came together after the passing of singer/bassist Kate Black’s dad, arrives with a video directed by Sydney Tate Bradford. Check it out below.
“THICK has always been a cathartic outlet for frustration and anger, but ‘Father’ is the first time I tapped into sadness and loss without a snarky comeback,” Black said in a statement. “This song is a snapshot in my journey with grief after losing my dad, at a point when it was still a surprise every time I wanted to ask him a question and remembered that he wasn’t there.
“It’s scary sharing something so personal and vulnerable, I could barely get through recording the first voice note that I sent to Nikki of the song, you could hear the tears rolling down my cheeks,” Black continued. “It can be tough playing it live, my whole body tightens up against my emotions. But, it’s been rewarding having people share their experiences and relate to the song, it’s a nice reminder that you’re never really alone. ”
Of the video, the band added: “Experiences with grief are so personal, for the ‘Father’ music video, we invited people to share what grief and loss feel like to them and to express it in whatever way they feel most comfortable – through movement, music, screaming, etc. We were blown away by the participants and are so grateful that they were willing to share themselves and be so raw with us.”
Porter Robinson is back with ‘Cheerleader’, his first new music since 2021’s Nurture. It comes with a music video directed by Hugh Mulhern, which you can check out below.
Speaking about the track, Robinson said in a statement: “When I got back in the studio for ‘Cheerleader’, I asked: what would be something that people could love with zero context — just instantaneous, universal, explosive connection? ‘Cheerleader’ is my take on bottling that feeling.”
