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Rolex Takes Luxury Retail 3,000 Meters Higher

Vera Adamidou
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Rolex Takes Luxury Retail 3,000 Meters Higher

There was a time when luxury houses fought for the right corner on the right avenue. Chanel at Rue Cambon, Louis Vuitton at Champs-Élysées, Gucci at Via Montenapoleone, prestige was, indeed, measured in postcodes. In 2026, bucket-list destinations and inconvenient views seem to work best. As Rolex prepares to plant its flag on Fifth Avenue with its long-awaited new headquarters, the Swiss watchmaker has also opened its highest boutique yet, 3,000 meters above sea level. Because if you’re going to dominate luxury retail, you might as well cover both Manhattan and the Swiss Alps. Welcome to Mount Titlis.

Somewhere between the snow, a piece of telecommunications infrastructure has been sitting since the 1980s. Welcome to the Titlis Tower, designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron, whose portfolio includes Tate Modern, Beijing’s Bird’s Nest, and Munich’s Allianz Arena. So what does one do with a disused 56-meter telecommunications tower? You certainly don’t replace it. You simply layer new glass-and-steel volumes into the existing structure and add vertical circulation cores, built to handle extreme alpine conditions. And then, of course, open the doors to Bucherer, the retailer brought under Rolex control in 2023.

Yet Bucherer wants you in a train, two cable cars, and the world’s first revolving gondola before you even lay eyes on it. Good thing a 360° view of the Swiss Alps doesn’t sound all that bad. Then, you can finally snap a picture on the Horizon Deck observation platform, enjoy a hot meal at Joseph’s Restaurant, the Alpine Lounge’s hospitality, and last but not least, Rolex’s waitlist. Most brands open stores to increase sales. Rolex’s demand already exceeds supply. The boutique is about tightening control over how, and where, the brand exists: image, positioning, cultural presence. The hardest part isn’t climbing the mountain. But it may be buying the watch.

Carly Rae Jepsen Drops Video for New Song ‘On Wires’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Carly Rae Jepsen Drops Video for New Song ‘On Wires’

Carly Rae Jepsen has shared ‘On Wires’, the lead single from her just-announced album Day and Night. The 24-track double LP unfolds within a 24-hour cycle, and the radiant, guitar-driven ‘On Wire’ is part of the day period. Jepsen wrote the song with frequent collaborators Kyle Shearer, also on production, and Nate Cyphert. Check it out via the accompanying video below.

Day and Night is slated for release September 18 on Interscope Records.

Charli XCX Shares Video for New Song ‘Wink Wink’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Charli XCX Shares Video for New Song ‘Wink Wink’

Charli XCX has dropped ‘Wink Wink’, the third offering from her upcoming album Music, Fashion, Film. “I’m not a bad girl anymore,” she cheekily proclaims on the track. Check out the Aidan Zamir-directed video for it below.

Music, Fashion, Film, the proper follow-up to BRAT, is set for release on July 24 via Atlantic. It includes the previously released singles ‘Rock Music’ and ‘SS26’.

Phoebe Bridgers Shares Video for New Single ‘Lost Boys’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Phoebe Bridgers Shares Video for New Single ‘Lost Boys’

Phoebe Bridgers has released ‘Lost Boys’, the first single from her highly anticipated third album Lost Weekend. It marks her first new solo music in four years, following April 2022’s ‘Sidelines’. The propulsive track comes paired with a medieval-themed music video co-directed by Lance Oppenheim and Pablo Rochat and starring Bridgers alongside Skyler Gisondo. It’s got the kind of hook you can sing along to by the second chorus. Check it out below.

A look at the credits on ‘Lost Boys’ confirms some of Lost Weekend‘s rumoured contributors. Co-producing the song with Bridgers is a list of boys: longtime collaborators Tony Berg and Ethan Gruska, as well as – you guessed it – Jack Antonoff. Additional production comes from Alex G, who also played drums. Bridgers’ boygenius bandmates Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus provided backing vocals.

The list continues with some more usual suspects: Christian Lee Hutson on acoustic guitar, Will Maclellan on drum programming, Blake Mills on synths, Rob Moos on strings, Caroline Shaw on vocals, Sebastian Steinberg on upright bass, Chris Thile on mandolin, Marshall Vore on drums, Nate Walcott on trumpets, and Harrison Whitford on electric guitar.

Announced earlier this week, the follow-up to 2020’s Punisher is due August 14 via Dead Oceans. It was preceded by a series of US pop-up shows that culminated in a sold-out performance at New York’s Madison Square Garden. In September, Bridgers will go back on tour across the US, UK, and Europe.

The Rolling Stones Enlist The Cure’s Robert Smith for New Song

Konstantinos Pappis
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The Rolling Stones Enlist The Cure’s Robert Smith for New Song

The Cure’s Robert Smith recently achieved his first entry into the Hot 100 thanks to his feature on Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘what’s wrong with me’. That duet is taken from you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, which the pop star put out on the 23rd year of her life. Flip those numbers around and you get the amount of albums the Rolling Stones have released thus far. On July 10, they will issue another one, Foreign Tongues, and Robert Smith guests on its latest single, ‘Divine Intervention’. Listen to it below.

On ‘Divine Intervention’, Smith’s presence is nowhere near as prominent as it is on ‘what’s wrong with me’ – he only played guitar on the track – but there is a fun story behind it. “There’s this bloke standing there with his back to me with this long gown on,” Mick Jagger said at a recent press event. “And when he turned around, he was covered in lipstick. And I said – I’d never met him before – ‘You’re Robert Smith of the Cure!’ He said, ‘Yeah!’ And I said, ‘Well, while you’re here then, you better go and do something.’”

Along with ‘Divine Intervention’, the Stones have shared the track ‘Jealous Lover’, alongside an Amazon exclusive music video starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Charles Melton.

Album Review: Beth Orton, ‘The Ground Above’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Album Review: Beth Orton, ‘The Ground Above’

It might be the way the record was talked about, or how the last four years have flown by, but you might remember Beth Orton’s Weather Alive like a dream. The English singer-songwriter’s eighth album had a revelatory air to it, meditative in nature but nebulous in its rich sonics, striving for a coherent mood more than any set of answers. The textures may not all be retained in your memory, but it’s not a dream that leaves without a lasting impression. The Ground Above is naturally framed as the wakeful and, well, grounded follow-up, situated at least one level above the subconscious. It’s not a positioning that totally holds up, as Orton still treasures liminality – “I’ve been waiting at the edge of a dream/ To jump and fly and find my beautiful wings,” she sings at one point. Elsewhere, she realizes a set of dreams, not the literal kind, aren’t her own. A blackbird doesn’t wake her so much as it signals she’s been drifting in and out of sleep; if anything, The Ground Above is about coming alive to each day with a wondrous sense of alertness, neither unweathered nor unkind to the dirt below. You plant your feet there, even as you can’t escape the back roads of your mind.

1. The Ground Above

It takes about as long for ‘The Ground Above’ to find its spiritual groove as a radio song to reach its conclusion. The ambient introduction conjures something planted firmly in the ground, Orton’s Rhodes meeting Dave Okumu’s backwards electric guitar like water trickling into the soil. Over eight minutes, Orton’s journey of invincibility moves from grief to hope, of course, through love; it is precisely the moment of a breathless kiss that uplifts the song: “Let it wipe me out like chalk off of a board,” she commands, as Grey McMurray’s spacious guitar and Shahzad Ismaily’s delicate bass do their dance. Yet nothing fortifies the singer more than her own weighted vulnerability, which revels in the euphoria of a mother’s love and that of war in the same capacity, so long as she knows what she’s fighting for. “All that thinking never reaches a conclusion,” she sings, but the song doesn’t fade so much as it peters out, finding peace in the dissolution. 

2. Before I Knew 

Recorded mostly live, ‘Before I Knew’ has less of a clear progression than the opener, despite being just a couple of minutes longer. As Adrian Utley’s guitar softly brushes up against Christos Stylianides’ trumpet, the band sustains a misty, foreboding atmosphere. Orton, bearing the weight of inherited trauma and belief, is at a loss for words, yet still strings the ones that come to mind together beautifully: “You bled it out into goodbye” evokes everything you need to know about the song, maybe before you’ve even heard it. 

3. Cigarette Curls

The first song on The Ground Above that doesn’t seem to rise from the ether, ‘Cigarette Curls’ kicks off with a vibrant rhythm section – Chris Vatalaro on drums, Mauro Refosco playing congas – as Orton reflects on a formative friendship. There’s detail in her recollection, but the feelings are simple and all-consuming: hopelessness and fear perhaps softened, as the lively instrumentation suggests, but certainly not erased by the passage of time, which “moves faster than the pain.” There are three electric guitarists on the song, two of whom draw it out with separate solos that seem to have a personality of their own. The familiar smokiness of Orton’s voice gives way to closing harmonies from Nick Hakim, curling, naturally, upward. 

4. Waiting 

Orton tricks us into thinking ‘Waiting’ will be a wistful piano ballad, but it’s not long until she’s coasting on a gorgeous flurry of instrumentation, particularly flute and organ. “I was going to write a gratitude list/ Just got to work out my resentment to it,” she sings, as if not in the studio but on a day off. The past still holds pain, but in the moment she makes space only for nostalgia: “Anytime I hear the music we played/ I dissolve into a puddle of rain.” The band makes it sound like a breezy homecoming. 

5. Celestial Light

Back into a kind of dreamscape, Orton contains the quiver in her voice, letting it bathe in reverb like the surrounding layers of synth, guitar, and flute. Succumbing to the vastness of solitude, it is the first song on the album without a you; until it nears the end, that is, addressing not some figure lost in Orton’s past but more likely the person on the other end, listening. “I hope you’ll never make it through the night/ Without first getting kissed by celestial light,” she sings. She hasn’t ever, not really. It might as well be the first thing on her gratitude list.

6. I’ll Miss You

A certain you thrusts itself violently back into the picture, because what does the silence, if not the solitude, do other than amplify one’s yearning? You may recognize certain breakup platitudes here, but they’re grounded in a self-actualizing force lacking in most songs about seeing someone everywhere. “And it isn’t like I don’t feel you in everything,” Orton admits, “But these dreams aren’t mine, they’re someone else’s suffering/ Honey I’m full of wonder.” With the past couple of tracks, she’s already proven as much; here she leans into the heartache. 

7. Love You Right

Over shuffling percussion and stirring strings, Orton delivers one of her most powerful vocal performances, summoning the kind of conviction that rubs the triteness off a line like, “You made my world a sweeter home.” On the opening track, you might find yourself wondering: How on earth can a war be euphoric? ‘Love You Right’ reminds us of the battles we keep fighting ecstatically, not in the name of love or anything so much as for the sake of something good, which Orton finds the poetry to describe: “A fine gold thread in all the places that I bled.” It’s a metaphor for the stars, yes, but also that you. 

8. Otherside 

Orton follows that euphoric trajectory down to its natural conclusion, ending with a song that’s louder and more revelatory than the one preceding it. In contrast to ‘Before I Knew’, the conduit for tears isn’t lost love but a blackbird’s hopeful song, an eternal metaphor made vivid by the gospel-infused instrumentation. “I heard the mother of the world cry out with grief/ What is this sound that seems to echo out of me,” she wonders. With no identity to speak of, the song’s answer lands on an indisputable quality: alive.

How Does LoL Boost Work and Why Players Buy LoL Boost

Modestas Mankus
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How Does LoL Boost Work and Why Players Buy LoL Boost

If you’re looking up how does lol boost work, you’re usually trying to understand what’s actually happening behind a sudden jump in LP, MMR, or rank in League of Legends. In simple terms, LoL elo boost is when a higher-ranked player helps move an account’s ranked progress forward through wins, placements, or guided duo games.

One neutral way to frame it is this: Eloboss is a LoL boosting service that connects players with top-tier LoL players for rank boosts, placements, coaching, net wins, and other progression goals, depending on the selected option, assistance may come through duo queue sessions or account-share boosting aimed at reaching a specific rank target.

How LoL Boosting Works

Ultimately, boosting is neither any secret nor some “magic trick” in the client, but the fact that high-elo players simply perform better when it comes to converting small advantages into victories on low or mid ranks.

The factors contributing to such an ability normally include:

  • Laning fundamentals are much better: good CS while being harassed, better trades and less unforced deaths.
  • Wave control: better freezepulses, slower waves to dive, faster waves to allow for roams.
  • Better map decision making: better timing of recalls, rotation and objectives setups.
  • Comfort picks: boosters normally select champions they can run with a high success rate, normally mid and jungler, as the latter can impact the entire map very fast.

All boosting requests usually have some specific parameters. They include: target rank/number of net wins gained, solo/duo/coaching, preferred role/champion list/schedule of games.

The Most Popular LoL Boosting Options

Different choices are made due to the different priorities of the players: speed, control of the account, learning, or flexibility.

Solo boosting vs duo queue

Boosting solo, which is also known as account-share boosting, refers to playing ranked games on an account until the desired level is achieved. This method is usually faster, since only one person controls everything.

Duo queue boosting means you play on your own account while queuing with a higher-ranked player. It’s slower than full solo boosting in many cases, but you stay involved in every match.

“For players who want rank assistance without stepping away from the game itself, duo queue is often the preferred approach,” says Eloboss, a LoL boosting and coaching service. 

Placement matches

Boosting in terms of placement is about playing games that influence one’s placement at the beginning of the season. It allows the player to have a higher placement right away.

This option is most common right after a reset, or when someone wants a cleaner start on a new season’s ladder.

Net wins and LP-focused orders

Some players don’t want a specific division. They want momentum.

Net wins orders aim for a set win count, often used to:

  • push through a rough stretch of matchmaking
  • finish the last part of a tier climb
  • improve the account’s recent match history and LP gains

Coaching and guided play

Coaching is a different product, but it’s often bundled with duo boosting because it’s easier to teach in real time.

Key coaching topics that come up often are:

  • reducing a champions pool down to 2-4 picks
  • laning for levels 1-3, and timing of first recalls
  • macro in the middle game – timing lane swaps, grouping and objectives
  • VOD feedback focused on repeating mistakes rather than “fixing everything”

How the LoL Boosting Process Works

Though different suppliers offer services, the process flow remains predictable. Understanding the process allows you to determine the structure of the order.

Step 1: Define the exact goal

An optimal order will start from specifying such parameters:

  • current rank/LP,
  • the desired rank or LP to gain,
  • division/promo/net wins goal.

If an account has an unusual MMR level, then the timing will differ since LP earning and the difficulty of matches will not match the “standard” one.

Step 2: Select the chosen method and scheduling

Here comes your chance to pick which factors you find to be the most important:

  • Solo is mostly focused on speed and convenience.
  • Duo – on control and activity.
  • Coaching – on training and long-term performance.

Scheduling is something that often carries more weight than expected. An impact delivered through regular sessions of moderate duration looks different from an intense burst at weekends.

Step 3: Provide the preferences that influence performance

Not only cosmetics but also the performance may be affected by the preferences.

Commonly used inputs:

  • primary and secondary roles
  • list of comfort champs
  • habits with regards to summoner spells and general playstyle

If you are interested in making the account’s matches “normal,” role and champion consistency is more likely to matter rather than all the fancy features.

Step 4: Track progress and communication

Almost all professional configurations feature an order tracker as well as an option to contact the booster/supplement with regard to stopping/pausing, rescheduling and changing options.

Step 5: Plan what happens after the boost

A common mistake is treating the new rank like a permanent unlock. If you plan to keep playing ranked right away, it helps to have a simple “stabilization plan,” for example:

  • play 10-15 games only on your best champions
  • avoid role swapping for a while
  • review 1-2 losses to spot the fastest leaks (usually deaths in sidelanes or bad recalls)

Why Players Buy LoL Boosting

The players rarely use boosting for one purpose only; it is normally determined by the time factor and objectives.

The purposes may include:

  • Time saving – the process of climbing can consume lots of games if the LP gains are not equal.
  • Season rewards – skins, borders, icons that can be unlocked after the deadline of ranking.
  • Consistent progress – the players sometimes prefer to climb more smoothly.
  • Return after the break – due to rusting, changed roles, or breaks that made the process of climbing slower.
  • Watching someone playing – duo boosting or watching the replays can teach the players a lot about the decisions that can be made on higher elo.

Based on internal order patterns from Eloboss, placement matches and rank progression services tend to be the most requested options, especially at the start of a new ranked season.

Is LoL Boost Worth Considering?

It depends on whether your priorities include speed, control, learning, or risk to your account.

Below are practical methods for comparison:

When solo boosting tends to fit best

  • You care mainly about reaching a specific rank by a deadline.
  • You don’t have time to grind a large number of games.
  • You want a straightforward “start here, end there” result.

When duo boosting tends to fit best

  • You want to keep full access and keep playing on the account.
  • You want to learn patterns in real time, not just receive a final rank.
  • You prefer a process where your own performance still matters.

When coaching is the better match

  • You are interested in keeping the rank even after reaching it.
  • You already know about your weak points (wave management, decision-making during the game, champ picks).
  • You would rather focus on your development than use someone else’s games.

There is nothing wrong in taking into consideration also the official Riot Terms of Service, particularly in the case of account sharing.

Conclusion

What is lol boost? You pick a rank goal, choose an option such as solo boost, duo boost, placements or coaching, and then a player who has a higher rank boosts your rank via consistency and good decision making.

The best choice would depend on your goals for the climb. If speed is your main concern, then solo boost is probably the most straightforward way to go. If you care about having control over the account and learning how to climb, then duo boost or coaching is probably your best bet.

Viral Hit Season 2: Cast, Rumours & Release Date

Alexandra Pleșa
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Viral Hit Season 2: Cast, Rumours & Release Date

Action series usually fare well on Netflix, and Viral Hit is no exception. The Japanese production, which is based on a popular Korean webtoon, has already spent two weeks on the platform’s international charts.

With 2.8 million views in the last few days, it’s currently a Top 10 show in 44 countries. Does that mean there’s a chance for a follow-up? Here’s what we know so far.

Viral Hit Season 2 Release Date

At the time of writing, Netflix hasn’t officially announced a potential Viral Hit season 2.

That said, the Japanese production isn’t listed as a limited series, and there’s room for more story in case the show makes a comeback. The service sometimes waits a bit to assess viewership before making a decision, so good news could arrive soon.

If all goes well, new episodes might drop in 2027 or 2028.

Viral Hit Cast

  • Oji Suzuka as Kota Shimura
  • Araki Sugô as Toru Kaneko
  • Ai Mikami as Aki Yashio
  • Noritaka Hamao as Tatsuya Ogi
  • Nana Asakawa as Rumi Meguro
  • Takuro Osada as Hamaken

What Is Viral Hit About?

The series follows Kota Shimura, a poor and timid high school student. He is relentlessly bullied while struggling to support his mother, who is hospitalised.

After an accidental fight is livestreamed and goes viral, Kota discovers that online audiences will pay to watch street fights. With the help of a few unlikely allies and guidance from a mysterious masked martial arts instructor, he launches a channel dedicated to fighting.

As the channel becomes a major online phenomenon, Kota perfects his skills. However, fame creates new problems, too. Rival streamers and gang-affiliated fighters all want a piece of the action. Soon, he’s facing increasingly dangerous opponents for both money and survival.

“Seeing the characters I poured my heart and soul into designing come vividly to life through the actors’ performances was truly a deeply moving experience for me,” the artist of the original webtoon said.

By the end of the first season, Kota transforms from a powerless teenager into a fighter who can finally help his mother financially. That said, Viral Hit season 2 could easily continue the story, throwing new challenges the streamer’s way.

Are There Other Shows Like Viral Hit?

If you enjoyed Viral Hit, you might also like Teach You a Lesson and Cobra Kai, both streaming on Netflix.

We also recommend checking out some of the other international series trending on the platform. Recent additions include The Evil Lawyer, The Polygamist, The WONDERfools, Between Father and Son, and The Chestnut Man. 

Oasis Season 2: Cast, Rumours & Release Date

Alexandra Pleșa
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Oasis Season 2: Cast, Rumours & Release Date

A fresh thriller is making waves on Netflix. It blends a mystery with romance, betrayal, family drama, and teen angst.

Oasis amassed 2.1 million views this week, becoming one of the most-watched non-English titles on the platform. On top of that, the Spanish production is currently a top 10 show in 40 countries. Does that mean a sequel is on the way? Here’s what we know so far.

Oasis Season 2 Release Date

At the time of writing, there’s no official news about a potential Oasis season 2.

That said, the title isn’t listed as a limited series, so it might return with a new mystery somewhere down the line. For now, all we can do is wait and see. Netflix often waits a beat before announcing renewals to assess viewership.

If the platform gives the green light, more episodes could arrive in 2027.

Oasis Cast

  • Ana Garcés as Helena
  • Tomy Aguilera as Dani
  • Victoria Kantch as Celia
  • Manel Duarte as Pablo
  • Berta Castañé as Maca
  • Ada Molina as Sofía
  • Candela Méndez as Alicia
  • Alex Mola as Jaén
  • Laura Simón as Laura

What Is Oasis About?

A mystery thriller, Oasis is set at an exclusive luxury resort on the Mediterranean coast. What begins as a dream vacation turns into a nightmare when a teenage girl disappears.

The resort is placed under lockdown, with nobody allowed to leave. Both privileged guests and hotel staff become potential suspects. As the investigation unfolds, hidden relationships, family secrets, and criminal activity get exposed. So much for a glamorous getaway!

The story revolves around Dani, who arrives at the Oasis resort with his family. He quickly befriends Celia, and there’s obvious chemistry between the two. When Celia vanishes and a police investigation ensues, Dani and Celia’s best friend Helena conduct their own unofficial inquiry.

“The mystery is just a vehicle. I wanted to make a series for my daughters, who are 14. A story that speaks about what they’re living through right now: friendship, secrets, doubts, and those first decisions that begin to define you,” showrunner Ramón Campos said.

By the time the first season wraps up, the Celia mystery is solved, so you don’t have to worry about cliffhangers. A potential Oasis season 2 could centre on a new crime or welcome another group of guests. For now, the 8 episodes available make for a fun summer watch.

Are There Other Shows Like Oasis?

If you liked Oasis, you might also enjoy Elite, Blood & Water, Outer Banks, or The Perfect Couple. HBO’s The White Lotus should be up your alley as well.

Or, catch up with everything else trending on Netflix. Like I Will Find You, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, The Evil Lawyer, The Polygamist, Teach You a Lesson, Outlast: The Jungle, and Sweet Magnolias.

Lucy Dacus Joins Smidley on New Song ‘Capstone’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Lucy Dacus Joins Smidley on New Song ‘Capstone’

Foxing’s Conor Murphy has announced a new album as Smidley, his first under the moniker since the St. Louis band announced an indefinite hiatus last year. Murphy Horse is set for release on September 25 through Royal Mountain. Lead single ‘Capstone’ finds Murphy dueting with Lucy Dacus; “Loving you has been the capstone of my life,” goes the comforting chorus, which could have easily been lifted from her latest album Forever Is a Feeling. Check it out via the self-directed video below.

In addition to Dacus, Murphy Horse also features Shinra Knives, Japanese Breakfast’s Adam Schatz, and Manchester Orchestra’s Brooks Tipton. Joe Reinhart (Dr. Dog, Joyce Manor, Beach Bunny) and Ryan Schwabe (BNYX, Algernon Cadwallader, Tobi Lou) mixed and mastered the record, respectively.

“As Foxing hunched under the emotional ceiling they’d hit,” according to a press release, “Smidley became more and more of an outlet for Murphy and Foxing bassist Brett Torrence, now on guitar, and would soon be rounded out with bassist Mitch Renfrew and drummer Jack Middeke.” Murphy himself said, “The way I write songs…Smidley is either a reaction to Foxing or something I learned from it.”

About the album as a whole, Murphy added: “These songs summarize a year of confusion and doubt where the only thing I was actually sure of is that I married the love of my life. Those two ideas were the basis for every song here.”

Murphy Horse Cover Artwork:

Smidley - Murphy Horse.

Murphy Horse Tracklist:

1. Corpse Flower [feat. Shinra Knives]
2. Capstone [feat. Lucy Dacus]
3. Murphy Horse
4. Love In Every Direction
5. Today Was a Wash
6. Friendly’s
7. People Like You
8. Robin Egg
9. Nearer To You
10. Old Things Never Die

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