A Perfectly Timely Review of Head of the Love Club BY: Ian Sherry 5/22/23 I discovered Hänlyn shortly after the release of this EP and after spending the last few months listening to her I decided she was the final piece to an article I’ve been wanting to write for some time. As I attempted to properly unpack Gretel Hänlyn’s talent in her section of “Putting You On Three” , I realized this EP needed its own review. So, months after the release, it’s here. On March 13, 2023 Gretel Hänlyn released her sophomore EP Head of the Love Club. Gretel Hänlyn’s debut Slugeye showcased a clearly defined and developed sound coming from a talented artist. Its production, song structure, and stylistic flexibility, (all things young artists often struggle with) were all standout quality. She thrived when creating complicated soundscapes and then singing right down the middle of them, allowing the music itself to shine while her voice pulls everything together. It was a musically diverse and well-rounded EP, but after this most recent release it feels safe. Gretel Hänlyn’s 2023 Head of the Love Club is exciting to say the least. Let me tell you why. “Dry Me” is a perfect start. Immediately Hänlyn brings an intensity, both vocally and instrumentally, she’s never shown before. She ranges up and down vocally within lines, hitting highs and lows in just one sentence. The vocal performance itself pulls the listener in close through the 1:30 mark, at which point she begins to build tension. Rising synths and a repeated acoustic guitar progression lead to the payoff at the 2:45 mark: her voice reaches peak intensity, and heavy piano slams in the low end along with the drums as a much lighter piano riff is sprinkled over the top. The intense soundscape provides the perfect release of tension, and though it lasts just over 15 seconds, it is a fantastic preview of things to come. Moving chronologically, “Drive” puts this EP in motion. Employing a lot of the keys to the success of Wet Legs debut project, Hänlyn nails the more raw end of this modern indie pop sound. The electric baseline rolls over and over, setting the pace alongside punchy drums. Her buzzy spoken vocals sit on top, letting simplicity command the audience’s attention, until the chorus serves as a well-timed interjection. She brings in poppy feminine vocals and electric guitar to do so. Sending the audience seamlessly in and out of witty verses is essential, especially with these kinds of spoken vocals, which can wear down an audience over long terms of exposure. “Drive” is a challenge, but a simple and effective one: Hänlyn is bringing the energy and you have to absorb it. “King of Nothing” immediately addresses the other end of the modern indie pop spectrum, and its placement directly behind “Drive” feels like no mistake. To use a literary term, it is essentially a foil of its predecessor. The baseline rolls just like before, but the distortion from the previous verses’ baseline is placed on the chorus’ guitar in “King of Nothing”. The distortion is also removed from the vocals, and the higher, more delicate layered vocals take hold of the verses instead of the choruses like before. Using a similar song structure to boot, Hänlyn is able to create a completely different sound with just a few small switches. Whether or not this particular contrast is intentional, Hänlyn’s technical and artistic abilities are on full display with “King of Nothing”. “Wiggy” provides more of a stylistic continuation than the previous transitions. Hänlyn amps up the vocal layering. The song moves along nicely, once again being subtly guided by the baseline. She uses the higher pitched guitar to insert air into the track by separating the upper and lower ends of the mix. Together, these factors create a very catchy sound. For most of the song she layers the instrumental up and down more seamlessly than any of her other work, even to a fault as the final chorus is frankly built up too much. While it doesn’t have the most sonically pleasing conclusion, track 4 is another detail-oriented success that transports the audience to a happy wiggy world. Yet another stylistic swerve, “Little Vampire” revisits the Slugeye vibe. Using acoustic guitar and drowsy vocals (a combo that reminds me a lot of Nirvana), Hänlyn begins to build tension like she does so well on this EP. As the song progresses, a buzzing sound creeps up and she begins to mix in eerily delicate vocals. She even sprinkles in some keys in place of vocals. As the buzzing persists and the wall of tension continues to build, her delicate vocals start to feel crushed under the weight of what’s coming. Then, the song ends. Gretel Hänlyn knows exactly what she’s doing. She knows how well she builds tension. She knows the power of her vocals to set the mood. She knows that her command over the mix only adds to that mood. And she uses this knowledge to trick us: leaving her audience with a conclusion that should be unsatisfying, yet somehow is completely the opposite. “Little Vampire” might not be the most exciting song on Head of the Love Club , but it's a masterpiece. Hänlyn knows that too. “The Head of the Love Club” is probably the worst song on the album. It begins with a grinding distorted guitar and it continues without much pause for 2 minutes. It is just too much. The points where it releases and is replaced with a pleasant baseline are very enjoyable, but it's not nearly worth the payoff. It also disrupts the flow of the song, preventing the instrumental from building properly, removing any chance for airiness, and taking away from an enjoyable vocal performance. I know what Hänlyn was going for, but the result is disappointing, especially considering she successfully executes this concept elsewhere in this EP. Thankfully, “Easy Peeler” is a complete release of tension. Weaving in three different acoustic guitars at some points, Hänlyn creates an elegant sound. Her beautiful vocals only add to it. She adds an electric guitar on the chorus and later verses, ensuring she won’t lose that familiar low end, as she thrives atop the mix. My only gripe with this song is its occasional struggles layering the instrumental, however she nails it on the last try. She lets the vocals rest a bit longer on the last attempt, allowing herself time to layer the final high point, piece by piece, and give this pretty song the ending it deserves. “Today (Can’t Help but Cry)” is as good of a conclusion as “Dry Me” is a start. The sharp contrast between the two allows the audience to reflect on the 26 minute journey as they enjoy the Kate Bush-like world Hänlyn creates down the stretch of this final track. A classic indie pop intro is followed by soaring verses. She clears out any distortion in favor of echoing vocals, for a dreamy sound. Hänlyn sings in stride with the music on this track. Instead of looking for a pocket in the mix for her vocals, she floats alongside it. She minimizes the instrumentation of the bridge in favor of those echoed vocals, before bringing it back to ride out the album. She lets the audience admire this soundscape as it fades away, taking her 2023 EP with it. My initial thoughts centered around how many risks she took considering the quality and consistency of her first EP. However, I now realize that for Hänlyn, executing risks comes naturally. She stays within her abilities, and those abilities are responsible for one of my favorite releases of the year. Things like building tension, mid-line tone shifting, vocal layering, and messing around with song structure, are occasional tools for most artists (something to try once in a while for effect). For Gretel Hänlyn they are an integral part of her sound. She is so advanced, it's hard to believe her streaming numbers aren’t higher, but it won’t be long. Of course, there are kinks to work out on this EP, but to me, they feel like the musical equivalent to first-world problems. There is one glaring miss on this album, but there are so many good things to unpack, even on that song, I have no problem looking by it (except when I’m rating). If you haven’t listened to Head of the Love Club please do, and if you haven’t heard of Gretel Hänlyn, you’re welcome. Head of the Love Club is a 9.25/10. Suggested Listening Balance

Anderson .Paak: Freedom Hill 10/5/24 10/29/24 By Ian Sherry On January 15, 2016, Anderson .Paak released Malibu. On October 5, 2024 I saw him perform it live. When I was in 8th grade, I had what I considered a pretty wide-reaching taste in music for a kid my age. Most of my musical discoveries at the time were either handed to me directly from my dad or I found them digging through his Itunes library. I had my favorites - old-school hip-hop, Motown standards, that 4 month Journey kick I had in 7th grade, or every bit of Prince material I could get my hands on - but I had and have a few weak areas as well. One in particular stood out: I hardly knew any new music. In an age before I had access to the unlimited horizons Spotify provides, if it was new and it didn’t get played on the radio (which I generally disliked anyway) then I had no way to hear it. That is until the fateful summer night I heard “Come Down” . I was watching TV with the family when I heard Anderson .Paak’s most energized anthemic song to date being used on some commercial (obviously not a good one because I only remember the song). I casually slipped off to the basement, pulled out my brand new phone and found the song, then another, and another, and the rest is history. The trajectory of my music fandom had changed forever and I knew it. As I listened to “Come Down”, then “Jet Black” , and “Am I Wrong” I fell in love with a new artist, not for the first time in my life, but for the first time all on my own, and that meant everything. Now, a few weeks ago I was blessed with the opportunity to relive that night. Let me tell you about it. I was lucky to latch onto the .Paak train when I did in 2019, because following the acclaim he earned with Ventura , that year’s release, he took the next decade by storm winning 6 Grammys in 4 years and dominating the pop charts as Silk Sonic , alongside the ultimately efficient hit-maker Bruno Mars . The material responsible for .Paak’s eruption onto the scene is some of the cleanest of his career, so its success is no mystery. However, regardless of the accolades, the attention, or even the artistic maturity of his later releases, Malibu remains his best piece of work. At his core, Anderson .Paak is a musician. You can really feel that on Malibu , for which he performed and recorded all of the drums before mixing the rest on his laptop. You can feel the difference in both philosophy and product between .Paak’s intentionally constructed pieces of music on this record and the standard formulaic production that is standard today. While most rap, pop, and r&b producers are looking for that golden hook or sample they can run throughout the song, .Paak spends all of his time searching for grooves. On Malibu, he does nothing but find them, one after another. That’s due in part to the talent Anderson associates with: The Free Nationals (more on them later), Robert Glasper , KAYTRANADA , and Madlib all make instrumental or production contributions to the album as did a cast of musicians and producers that worked alongside other musically excellent acts like D’Angelo , JAY-Z , John Mayer , even Nine Inch Nails . Big names I know, and their individual instrumental contributions are evident on every song in an intentional and impactful way, but make no mistake, Anderson .Paak is the common denominator from which this music emerges. Each track thrives in the coordination of many moving parts and the result is 16 comfortable performances backed by smooth progressions, transitions, and the multi-genred sonic excellence .Paak aims to capture. No album better illustrates his dual prowess as a musician and entertainer than his 2016 record, so naturally, when I heard he was taking one of my all-time favorite albums on tour 8 years later, I couldn’t miss it. THE SHOW As a conscientious objector of arena shows I was happy to hear Anderson .Paak’s Malibu Tour would be gracing Freedom Hill, one of the Detroit area’s better sizable outdoor venues. Maurice Brown came on first as my partna and I traversed the parking lots and concourse. In the vein of his headliner, Brown is a jazz, hip-hop dual threat who performs on trumpet and as an occasional MC. GAWD followed as I found my spot on the hill. The feminine-energetic duo (Good Ass Women Deserve) lives in the wide umbrella that is contemporary r&b and as a result they have yet to settle anywhere specific. Their set, which lasted in the neighborhood of 45 minutes, was a solid performance that showcased plenty musically and got the ball rolling with crowd engagement, a big focus for the entire night. Their live sound was very 80s-reminiscent, but it had hints of house and modern west-coast electronic. They confidently flexed their songwriting with catchy hooks and choruses while performing rigorous dance routines in tandem backed by a bouncy pop-funk band. They bit off a lot and largely executed with energy, aside from some of the more challenging singing. Their modern pop/r&b vocal choices better lend themselves to studio-to-radio arrangements as they proved to be difficult to execute live and raw. Both openers did a great job of prepping the environment for the main attraction, and as they exited and the pre-show playlist kicked on for the last time, the countdown began. The entire production was solid back to front, and it started with the pre-show mix. “Crowns For Kings” , a fantastic contemporary hip-hop collision between Black Thought and Benny The Butcher started playing and immediately put me in a good mood. It’s then that I noticed how mic-heavy the drums were and realized (though I should have assumed) that Anderson .Paak would be singing from the drumseet. The longer I sat and waited the more me excitement grew, and I started reflecting on the performative skill it must require to do what he was about to do. That showcase of instrumental consistency on a pacekeeping instrument in a percussion-centric sound in addition to the vocal exertion of rapping is something I couldn’t wait to see. To me it elevates him to a greater category of lead performing musicians. Some, like Raphael Saddiq brand themselves as musicians on the strength of their creative and compositional skills. Others, say Robert Cray , on the unique strengths of their instrument in tandem with their voice. Then there's those who fit both descriptions - like Stevie Wonder or Curtis Mayfield . It was perfect then, that while I waited to see an artist with a categorically similar skill-set, Mayfield’s “So in Love” suddenly washed over me. The best track on his impeccable 1975 LP is one of my very favorite love songs of all time. From the first note, per usual, I was trapped in the soulful combination of keys and brass, not to mention Mayfield’s signature piano-like guitar that perfectly sets the stage for his uniquely firm yet delicate voice. One of the greatest vocalists in American music, Mayfeild’s ability to stretch his voice to its limit in a sustained fashion was responsible for his heavenly tone, and as the song glided along that’s what I found myself thinking about. I thought about the strength of his vocal control, how he was a true performer in the studio and out, and I felt lucky to soon be seeing a man with similar talent. As Anderson .Paak was introduced, Maurice Brown took the stage alongside the Free Nationals and got the program started on trumpet. As he began to riff on “The Bird” the screen lit up, and finally, on camera backstage wearing a baby blue embroidered suit, .Paak started making his way to the stage performing the first track of his best album. Immediately, the energy, sonic quality, and confidence elevated across the board, and as that sunk in he made his way to the drums. A drummer by trade, .Paak is no stranger to the instrument and he made that abundantly clear throughout the night, rotating between the drums and center stage, and consequently between stylistic personas (the pop-star frontman, the nimble-drumming master of breath control, and the solist-level drummer in a great band). His strong supporting cast made those transitions easy. Starting with track 2, “Heart Don’t Stand a Chance” , and continuing throughout the night GAWD provided the washy background vocals that play a huge role in bolstering the album’s sound. Regardless of who is filling it, the role is essential in that sound, especially in a live setting where precise sonic balance is needed to accommodate a lead singer who drums and raps simultaneously. That wasn’t the only trick up .Paak’s sleeve (which flipped from blue to an identical red version at his mid-show wardrobe change). “The Waters” is one of the smoothest songs on the record, largely because of BJ Chicago Kid ’s vocal contributions, so, to help it translate to a live performance in BJ’s absence, the Free Nationals’ secret weapon Ron Avant stepped in. The band’s keyboardist played swiss army knife all night, painting keys across every track while contributing as an occasional background vocalist, commanding the talkbox to its full effect, and acting as .Paak’s hype-man. Malibu cannot be executed live without that kind of versatility. It thrives in the fullness of its sound, and while .Paak’s rhythmically focused drumming is an excellent addition to their live show, he can’t replicate that music alone. Togetherness was a major theme on October 5th. It was most evident in the way Anderson .Paak interacted with his band and tourmates, but it continuously factored into the crowd interactions and messaging throughout the night. Track 4 stood out in that way, and it was no mistake. “The Season | Carry Me” is the heart of Malibu . Many of .Paak’s strongest album moments through the years have benefited greatly from nostalgia and emotional songwriting. On this two-part song, with the help of Bill Withers , .Paak writes about and reflects on his childhood and the surroundings he came up in. The first half relishes in the triumphant aspect of his journey that began in Oxnard CA, but the later half was the show-stopper, literally. As he concluded the song’s last verse, he cut the track and told a story about his mom. With the help of Ron Avant - his conversation partner of choice- .Paak began to paint this picture: his usually strict mom took him to the mall on his birthday. Since there allegedly wasn’t much to do in the mall then aside from visiting Foot Locker, and young Brandon happened to be in need of some shoes, that’s where they went. That’s where he met his first love - “A grown ass woman?” asked Avant - no, it was a pair of jordans. From there, it quickly became clear to past Anderson and his future audience just how much his mother loved him, as he went on to explain that not only did she buy him the not-so-cheap footwear, she carried him (but more-so the shoes) safely over the dirty sidewalk to the car. It was a sweet humorous story that cleverly culminated with the line “Momma can you carry me?”, the final hook and jumping off point for the song’s outro. How do you follow up a moment like that not half way through the show? Well Anderson .Paak decided to announce this next song was about Jose Rios’ ex girlfriend, and as the band's guitarist stood there speechless for just a moment, .Paak jumped right into track 5. That kind of smooth showmanship was the standard for the duration of the show. Whether it be the washy samples between songs that aided the transitions and kept the performance accurate to the album or the features on screen that ranged from colorful background graphics to what I think was an AI rendition of the Family Matters Theme song with the Free Nationals in place of the Winslows, the show had clearly been carefully planned with a broad audience in mind. As the show progressed into the middle of the album, crowd engagement became even more of a focus. .Paak and co. consistently tried to get the fans to participate in a variety of capacities, clapping, call and response, singing along, pulling out the flashlights, hanging out with DJ Peewee - you know, all the concert classics. He flew through the albums mid-section, still moving between the drums and center stage and performing every performable aspect of the album until it was time for a break. After gliding across track 10, “Room In Here”, which normally features The Game and Sonyae Elise , .Paak and most of the band exited, leaving GAWD and Avant alone on stage with DJ Peewee, a giant projection of .Paak who appeared on screen wearing a black bob wig and some big shades. He tried a bit of awkward pre-recorded crowd engagement before dropping the needle onto his Malibu vinyl and giving way to GAWD and Avant who performed “Water Fall (Interluuube)” . In the moment it felt like a thinly veiled break for the performers, who did deserve a breather, but in hindsight it symbolized the halfway point in the show. While GAWD and Ron Avant held it down on stage, .Paak and the rest of the Free Nationals took a moment backstage to prepare for the daunting second half of the performance. He made it clear upon his return to the stage that the energy levels would rise one way or another in the second half, as the sizable but reserved crowd had been annoyingly sluggish (although attentive) to that point. Immediately they succeeded, as the infectious spirit of “Come Down” asserted itself on the audience. The most popular song on the album mustered some genuine fan participation that carried through “Silicon Valley” , they stayed engaged through the somewhat cathartic “Celebrate” and lastly an energized rendition of the positively spirited finale “The Dreamer” which concluded .Paak's 2016 masterpiece. At that point, having successfully achieved the main goal, a positive high-energy finish to the album, .Paak exited the stage and let his band take over. As the Free Nationals reintroduced themselves and began to perform a few of their best, I reflected on how lucky I was to see that album performed live and how cool it was that I was now watching a great band perform a pseudo-encore despite the crowd not necessarily earning it. It was a good concert experience, and I was satisfied listening to the good vibrations of “Eternal Light” , that is, until they brought .Paak back out. That’s right, after performing the entirety of Malibu, Anderson .Paak came back on stage, this time performing songs from across his discography. I was particularly happy to hear “Make It Better” and “Come Home” from Ventura and “Bubblin” , all three of which were in my initial tight rotation of .Paak’s music. He brought hits from all phases of his career, rattling off song after song including new singles and work from his most recent NxWorries project , all in a pleasantly unrelenting attempt to send the crowd home entertained. He dipped into his Silk Sonic catalog and threw it back for the more long-time fans, particularly with “Dang!” which he dedicated to his late friend Mac Miller who’s featured verse was performed live by Maurice Brown. I felt as though .Paak had taken me and every other possible attendee into consideration by performing a variety that anyone could at some point identify with. That means he delivered. I’ve been to a respectable number of concerts now and the best ones have been those where the audience would die for the artist. Two come to mind: when I saw Aretha Franklin ’s last concert in Detroit, and when I saw Action Bronson in Chicago. The first audience represented a storied musical city coming forward in a big way to see, support, and have their hearts filled by their queen for what ended up being the last time. The second audience consisted of a cult-like group of fans who in many ways emulated the persona of the man they came to see. In both of those cases the artist energized the crowd with ease, but the crowd bolstered the artist as well. That give and take is essential, and .Paak seemed well aware of that. He made crowd engagement a point of emphasis for not only himself but his openers, and while his efforts to cultivate the ideal concert experience didn’t result in the most elite concert crowd experience, any shortcomings fall squarely on the shoulders of those who paid to see him. The kind of work and thought he puts into a performance like that combined with the level of talent he possesses deserves an audience on par with those select few. That's because is an artist on par with a select few - and that late summer night I got to see him live.

A Perfectly Timely Review of Head of the Love Club BY: Ian Sherry 5/22/23 I discovered Hänlyn shortly after the release of this EP and after spending the last few months listening to her I decided she was the final piece to an article I’ve been wanting to write for some time. As I attempted to properly unpack Gretel Hänlyn’s talent in her section of “Putting You On Three” , I realized this EP needed its own review. So, months after the release, it’s here. On March 13, 2023 Gretel Hänlyn released her sophomore EP Head of the Love Club. Gretel Hänlyn’s debut Slugeye showcased a clearly defined and developed sound coming from a talented artist. Its production, song structure, and stylistic flexibility, (all things young artists often struggle with) were all standout quality. She thrived when creating complicated soundscapes and then singing right down the middle of them, allowing the music itself to shine while her voice pulls everything together. It was a musically diverse and well-rounded EP, but after this most recent release it feels safe. Gretel Hänlyn’s 2023 Head of the Love Club is exciting to say the least. Let me tell you why. “Dry Me” is a perfect start. Immediately Hänlyn brings an intensity, both vocally and instrumentally, she’s never shown before. She ranges up and down vocally within lines, hitting highs and lows in just one sentence. The vocal performance itself pulls the listener in close through the 1:30 mark, at which point she begins to build tension. Rising synths and a repeated acoustic guitar progression lead to the payoff at the 2:45 mark: her voice reaches peak intensity, and heavy piano slams in the low end along with the drums as a much lighter piano riff is sprinkled over the top. The intense soundscape provides the perfect release of tension, and though it lasts just over 15 seconds, it is a fantastic preview of things to come. Moving chronologically, “Drive” puts this EP in motion. Employing a lot of the keys to the success of Wet Legs debut project, Hänlyn nails the more raw end of this modern indie pop sound. The electric baseline rolls over and over, setting the pace alongside punchy drums. Her buzzy spoken vocals sit on top, letting simplicity command the audience’s attention, until the chorus serves as a well-timed interjection. She brings in poppy feminine vocals and electric guitar to do so. Sending the audience seamlessly in and out of witty verses is essential, especially with these kinds of spoken vocals, which can wear down an audience over long terms of exposure. “Drive” is a challenge, but a simple and effective one: Hänlyn is bringing the energy and you have to absorb it. “King of Nothing” immediately addresses the other end of the modern indie pop spectrum, and its placement directly behind “Drive” feels like no mistake. To use a literary term, it is essentially a foil of its predecessor. The baseline rolls just like before, but the distortion from the previous verses’ baseline is placed on the chorus’ guitar in “King of Nothing”. The distortion is also removed from the vocals, and the higher, more delicate layered vocals take hold of the verses instead of the choruses like before. Using a similar song structure to boot, Hänlyn is able to create a completely different sound with just a few small switches. Whether or not this particular contrast is intentional, Hänlyn’s technical and artistic abilities are on full display with “King of Nothing”. “Wiggy” provides more of a stylistic continuation than the previous transitions. Hänlyn amps up the vocal layering. The song moves along nicely, once again being subtly guided by the baseline. She uses the higher pitched guitar to insert air into the track by separating the upper and lower ends of the mix. Together, these factors create a very catchy sound. For most of the song she layers the instrumental up and down more seamlessly than any of her other work, even to a fault as the final chorus is frankly built up too much. While it doesn’t have the most sonically pleasing conclusion, track 4 is another detail-oriented success that transports the audience to a happy wiggy world. Yet another stylistic swerve, “Little Vampire” revisits the Slugeye vibe. Using acoustic guitar and drowsy vocals (a combo that reminds me a lot of Nirvana), Hänlyn begins to build tension like she does so well on this EP. As the song progresses, a buzzing sound creeps up and she begins to mix in eerily delicate vocals. She even sprinkles in some keys in place of vocals. As the buzzing persists and the wall of tension continues to build, her delicate vocals start to feel crushed under the weight of what’s coming. Then, the song ends. Gretel Hänlyn knows exactly what she’s doing. She knows how well she builds tension. She knows the power of her vocals to set the mood. She knows that her command over the mix only adds to that mood. And she uses this knowledge to trick us: leaving her audience with a conclusion that should be unsatisfying, yet somehow is completely the opposite. “Little Vampire” might not be the most exciting song on Head of the Love Club , but it's a masterpiece. Hänlyn knows that too. “The Head of the Love Club” is probably the worst song on the album. It begins with a grinding distorted guitar and it continues without much pause for 2 minutes. It is just too much. The points where it releases and is replaced with a pleasant baseline are very enjoyable, but it's not nearly worth the payoff. It also disrupts the flow of the song, preventing the instrumental from building properly, removing any chance for airiness, and taking away from an enjoyable vocal performance. I know what Hänlyn was going for, but the result is disappointing, especially considering she successfully executes this concept elsewhere in this EP. Thankfully, “Easy Peeler” is a complete release of tension. Weaving in three different acoustic guitars at some points, Hänlyn creates an elegant sound. Her beautiful vocals only add to it. She adds an electric guitar on the chorus and later verses, ensuring she won’t lose that familiar low end, as she thrives atop the mix. My only gripe with this song is its occasional struggles layering the instrumental, however she nails it on the last try. She lets the vocals rest a bit longer on the last attempt, allowing herself time to layer the final high point, piece by piece, and give this pretty song the ending it deserves. “Today (Can’t Help but Cry)” is as good of a conclusion as “Dry Me” is a start. The sharp contrast between the two allows the audience to reflect on the 26 minute journey as they enjoy the Kate Bush-like world Hänlyn creates down the stretch of this final track. A classic indie pop intro is followed by soaring verses. She clears out any distortion in favor of echoing vocals, for a dreamy sound. Hänlyn sings in stride with the music on this track. Instead of looking for a pocket in the mix for her vocals, she floats alongside it. She minimizes the instrumentation of the bridge in favor of those echoed vocals, before bringing it back to ride out the album. She lets the audience admire this soundscape as it fades away, taking her 2023 EP with it. My initial thoughts centered around how many risks she took considering the quality and consistency of her first EP. However, I now realize that for Hänlyn, executing risks comes naturally. She stays within her abilities, and those abilities are responsible for one of my favorite releases of the year. Things like building tension, mid-line tone shifting, vocal layering, and messing around with song structure, are occasional tools for most artists (something to try once in a while for effect). For Gretel Hänlyn they are an integral part of her sound. She is so advanced, it's hard to believe her streaming numbers aren’t higher, but it won’t be long. Of course, there are kinks to work out on this EP, but to me, they feel like the musical equivalent to first-world problems. There is one glaring miss on this album, but there are so many good things to unpack, even on that song, I have no problem looking by it (except when I’m rating). If you haven’t listened to Head of the Love Club please do, and if you haven’t heard of Gretel Hänlyn, you’re welcome. Head of the Love Club is a 9.25/10. Suggested Listening Balance

Stranger Things Season 5, Vol. 1 By Dawson Sarcona 12/5/2025 Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 1 has officially dropped, and with it, the end of a decades-long franchise has begun. As someone who has been on the Stranger Things train since 2018, this franchise has been a crucial part of my development as a person. This is hands down one of my favorite TV shows of all time, so the fifth season had a lot of anticipatory weight to it. With this in mind, it's only fair to review this first volume (which only consists of four episodes) episode by episode. Season Five, Episode One: The Crawl A season opener is always a tough task. Especially following a one-year time jump, it can be difficult to write a cohesive first episode that lets the audience know what characters have been up to and simultaneously jump-starts the story for the rest of the season. That being said, this episode does a great job of balancing catching us up and building stories for the future. Dustin’s character arc provides some of the best moments of the season. This episode wavers in the quality of writing from the rest of the season - shaking off the rust. There are a few select scenes that probably could have been cut, as the writing stands out against the distinct tone of the series. Rather than setting up interactions and showing how characters are feeling, it felt like a lot more exposition dialogue rooted solely in just saying things that are happening. All in all, this re-entry into the world of Stranger Things takes its time setting up new character dynamics and leaves the audience with one of the best cliffhangers in the history of the show. This episode is an 8.5/10. Season Five, Episode Two: The vanishing of Holly Wheeler This episode follows the cliff hanger with the previous episode with a cold open that show creator calls the craziest they’ve ever done. With such a strong beginning of the episode, the rest pales in comparison. “The vanishing of Holly Wheeler” feels like the most ‘filler’ of the four this volume. It sets up some important mysteries and furthers the development of the new pairings for this season. Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Natalia Dyer (Nancy), and Nell Fisher (Holly) all deliver exceptional performances this episode. For Mike and Nancy, this feels like a return to leading forms we haven’t really seen since the end of season one. The two siblings working together, bouncing off each other, is something I’ve really missed and their strength is one of the best things to come out of these episodes. This season Mike also seems to fall back into his role as the leader of the party (Mike fans rejoice) For a new character, Holly is a great addition and does a great job fitting in with the environment of the show almost immediately. All that being said, this episode feels the most dragged out and at times feels boring. There’s also an increase in some of the iffy dialogue from the previous episode. Overall, episode two is a 7/10. Season Five, Episode Three: The Turnbow Trap Episode three immediately picks up from the slower pace of its successor. This episode introduces the other new breakout character from this season: Derek Turnbow. This kid is an immediate favorite of the internet - why? He is hilarious. Everything he says is delivered perfectly for the comedic relief needed to bring some light to what has so far been the darkest and most mature season. The addition of kids like Derek and Holly in this season is great because it brings the show back to its roots of being about young kids and monsters, while still being able to tell the stories of our original party and they grow up. Additionally, episode three pulls from “Home Alone” in one of the best sequences of the series. Scenes like that provide some of the volume’s best moments, where we get to see the classic Stranger Things teamwork moments - solving problems in unique and creative ways to defeat a monster. This episode is where the pieces of this story begin to fall into place, and the mystery starts to form. It sets up perfectly for episode four and is a great episode in itself. It’s a near-perfect 9/10 , and it fixes the majority previous episodes’ problems. Season Five, Episode Four: The Sorcerer Episode four is not only the culmination of the volume but, in some ways, a culmination of season 1-4. In this episode, we finally get to see Will Byers step into his own as a character. Since season one, we've been able to see nearly every character grow and develop, and it's felt like Will’s character has been left stagnant. All of Will's victimization and what some would call weak characterization build up to this episode, where we finally get the development we've been waiting for. In addition to this, we get some satisfying conclusions to the micro-mysteries set throughout the volume. The way this episode comes together is something marvelous. This episode defines what a great show is all about in showing perfect character growth, that creates a top 3 scene in the show hands down. To create an episode that tells its own story, bridges the gaps on the rest of the volume and sets up a really excellent arc for the rest of the show is not something that's easily accomplished. This episode does it flawlessly, a true 10/10 and the highest rated episode of the show to date. In conclusion, this season so far is a big success. It feels like a near-perfect continuation of the fourth season’s vibe and a proper upscaling for the concluding season of the series. This show is very important to me and has been for a lot of other people my age; we’ve grown up with it. While it's sad to see this show approach its conclusion, I’m very happy with with its swan song thus far. There are still some moments of iffy dialogue, things that just feel off, which is likely the product of the increased number gaps bridged in the writing this season. It seems with season 5 they may have hit their limit with how much one writer's room can handle while maintaining good quality writing. At this rate, season five definitely resides within the top three of the show! I’d give volume one an average rating of 8.5 out of 10. Given the end of the volume it's clear whatever “fifth-season-funk” may have plagued the writers for the first few episodes is gone, and they're ready to deliver more mysteries, scares, and emotional endings for our favorite characters in volume 2 and 3.

Stranger Things Season 5, Vol. 1 By Dawson Sarcona 12/5/2025 Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 1 has officially dropped, and with it, the end of a decades-long franchise has begun. As someone who has been on the Stranger Things train since 2018, this franchise has been a crucial part of my development as a person. This is hands down one of my favorite TV shows of all time, so the fifth season had a lot of anticipatory weight to it. With this in mind, it's only fair to review this first volume (which only consists of four episodes) episode by episode. Season Five, Episode One: The Crawl A season opener is always a tough task. Especially following a one-year time jump, it can be difficult to write a cohesive first episode that lets the audience know what characters have been up to and simultaneously jump-starts the story for the rest of the season. That being said, this episode does a great job of balancing catching us up and building stories for the future. Dustin’s character arc provides some of the best moments of the season. This episode wavers in the quality of writing from the rest of the season - shaking off the rust. There are a few select scenes that probably could have been cut, as the writing stands out against the distinct tone of the series. Rather than setting up interactions and showing how characters are feeling, it felt like a lot more exposition dialogue rooted solely in just saying things that are happening. All in all, this re-entry into the world of Stranger Things takes its time setting up new character dynamics and leaves the audience with one of the best cliffhangers in the history of the show. This episode is an 8.5/10. Season Five, Episode Two: The vanishing of Holly Wheeler This episode follows the cliff hanger with the previous episode with a cold open that show creator calls the craziest they’ve ever done. With such a strong beginning of the episode, the rest pales in comparison. “The vanishing of Holly Wheeler” feels like the most ‘filler’ of the four this volume. It sets up some important mysteries and furthers the development of the new pairings for this season. Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Natalia Dyer (Nancy), and Nell Fisher (Holly) all deliver exceptional performances this episode. For Mike and Nancy, this feels like a return to leading forms we haven’t really seen since the end of season one. The two siblings working together, bouncing off each other, is something I’ve really missed and their strength is one of the best things to come out of these episodes. This season Mike also seems to fall back into his role as the leader of the party (Mike fans rejoice) For a new character, Holly is a great addition and does a great job fitting in with the environment of the show almost immediately. All that being said, this episode feels the most dragged out and at times feels boring. There’s also an increase in some of the iffy dialogue from the previous episode. Overall, episode two is a 7/10. Season Five, Episode Three: The Turnbow Trap Episode three immediately picks up from the slower pace of its successor. This episode introduces the other new breakout character from this season: Derek Turnbow. This kid is an immediate favorite of the internet - why? He is hilarious. Everything he says is delivered perfectly for the comedic relief needed to bring some light to what has so far been the darkest and most mature season. The addition of kids like Derek and Holly in this season is great because it brings the show back to its roots of being about young kids and monsters, while still being able to tell the stories of our original party and they grow up. Additionally, episode three pulls from “Home Alone” in one of the best sequences of the series. Scenes like that provide some of the volume’s best moments, where we get to see the classic Stranger Things teamwork moments - solving problems in unique and creative ways to defeat a monster. This episode is where the pieces of this story begin to fall into place, and the mystery starts to form. It sets up perfectly for episode four and is a great episode in itself. It’s a near-perfect 9/10 , and it fixes the majority previous episodes’ problems. Season Five, Episode Four: The Sorcerer Episode four is not only the culmination of the volume but, in some ways, a culmination of season 1-4. In this episode, we finally get to see Will Byers step into his own as a character. Since season one, we've been able to see nearly every character grow and develop, and it's felt like Will’s character has been left stagnant. All of Will's victimization and what some would call weak characterization build up to this episode, where we finally get the development we've been waiting for. In addition to this, we get some satisfying conclusions to the micro-mysteries set throughout the volume. The way this episode comes together is something marvelous. This episode defines what a great show is all about in showing perfect character growth, that creates a top 3 scene in the show hands down. To create an episode that tells its own story, bridges the gaps on the rest of the volume and sets up a really excellent arc for the rest of the show is not something that's easily accomplished. This episode does it flawlessly, a true 10/10 and the highest rated episode of the show to date. In conclusion, this season so far is a big success. It feels like a near-perfect continuation of the fourth season’s vibe and a proper upscaling for the concluding season of the series. This show is very important to me and has been for a lot of other people my age; we’ve grown up with it. While it's sad to see this show approach its conclusion, I’m very happy with with its swan song thus far. There are still some moments of iffy dialogue, things that just feel off, which is likely the product of the increased number gaps bridged in the writing this season. It seems with season 5 they may have hit their limit with how much one writer's room can handle while maintaining good quality writing. At this rate, season five definitely resides within the top three of the show! I’d give volume one an average rating of 8.5 out of 10. Given the end of the volume it's clear whatever “fifth-season-funk” may have plagued the writers for the first few episodes is gone, and they're ready to deliver more mysteries, scares, and emotional endings for our favorite characters in volume 2 and 3.

WALK WITH ME (2) 9/17/2023 BY: IAN SHERRY I Don’t Know If I’m A Dog There’s this rapper named Drake , and he’s reached my last nerve. I woke up this morning to finish off my Teezo Touchdown review. Unfortunately I was sidetracked by the news regarding Drake’s upcoming album For All The Dogs . A few weeks ago, the second most streamed Canadian artist of 2023 announced he’d be releasing his eighth studio album on September 22. The excitement was, of course, evident all over social media. Drake has remained in the center of the industry for a decade now. He has leveraged the perfect mixture of palatability, swagger, industry firepower and occasional skill to amass one of the most widespread and dedicated fan bases in the world. So, what does he give those fans? A delayed release. The new date: October 6. Well, at least this gives me room to knock out my top priority articles before deciding if I’ll give Drake the time of day. I recently wrote about the importance of album releases in my review of Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist ’s Voir Dire . Allow me a brief call-back (to this article ). Album releases are the trendiest way to energize a fanbase for new music. The rollout of a new music release should be tailored by the artist to appeal directly to their unique fanbase, and it should fulfill one objective: adding value to the fan’s experience. For a true artist, making art is the foremost pleasure, followed by setting the stage for its reception. Now let’s compare that approach to Drake’s For All The Dogs. I don’t hang out with Drake much these days, so from an outside perspective this doesn’t feel artistic. His line of reasoning, which is logistically reasonable, is that he needs to finish his tour with 21 Savage to allow more time in the studio. He doesn’t want to deliver a substandard product. My question is this: was he planning on releasing a substandard product on September 7 when he announced the original date? I’m reviewing Teezo Touchdown’s debut on my other browser tab. I could expect this kind of indecisiveness from him because he’s never released a full length album before. But this is Drake’s 8th studio album. Number eight. Drake is the most popular rapper in the world, and he certainly knows what he’s doing. If he really thought the original date would work, he wasn’t considering quality. If he didn’t think it would work, he just crossed a line by stirring up the public and his die-hard fan base, only to postpone for the sake of grabbing some headlines and building more suspense. By manipulating his audience in this way Drake has violated the purpose of the album rollout. Either way, Drake knows better. Now that my bone’s picked, I'd like to address the music. I’ve been labeled by some as a ‘Drake hater’. I disagree. I think he just does a lot of things I don’t like. In fact, I’m hoping and praying that this album will be great - I want to be won over. Drake’s albums often feel rushed or bloated, which is understandable when you’re under pressure to satisfy an audience so large and hungry. The last Drake album I enjoyed was 2017’s More Life , but I drew the line at 2021’s Certified Lover Boy . First of all, what kind of a title is that? The cover wasn’t any better, and shockingly, neither was the music. Too many features, too little effort. Drake was looking to do big numbers, and he did. He always can, from his Virgil Abloh-dedicated record that he dropped unannounced, to the 21 Savage collab that he’s touring on right now. What I need from him this year is to lock in, ignore the hype, forget about the charts, and make great music. His lead single doesn't give me a lot of hope: “Slime You Out” features SZA and is a typically unconvincing and formulaic performance from a rapper who knows he’s safe. However, there’s still a lot to be excited about for this record. For me, it starts on Travis Scott ’s Utopia . “Meltdown” is one of the better songs on Scott’s latest record, due in large part to Drake’s verse. He delivers it in an aggressive whisper, providing a convincing level of intensity that we’ve been missing for years. But his audience deserves more. I also need more L il Yachty production, he’s on fire in the studio these days, and he’s a member of the production crew on For All The Dogs . If you’re familiar with Yachty’s 2023 album, or his growing list of production credits, you should be excited like me. For All The Dogs should also benefit from the relationship between Drake and Nicki Minaj . The long time friends and collaborators have produced some of their catchiest work together: “Only” , “Truffle Butter” , and “Make Me Proud” come to mind. Drake’s reunion with Travis Scott went very well, I expect his reunion with Nicki Minaj to hit hard as well. I expect a good album, I expect fans to receive it on the 6th of October, and I expect Drake’s son’s drawing skills to take leaps and bounds forward in the upcoming years. (For All The Dogs cover art by Adonis Graham) The stage is set - it just keeps moving. Stay tuned for more insights next month… Cover art for Drake's upcoming album For All The Dogs , by Adonis Graham

Forever Howlong: OK, Now Everyone Play At Once! By Ian Sherry 4/16/2025 Black Country, New Road’s newest project, Forever Howlong , is every bit as creatively constipated and authentically heady as their last cult favorite. In 2022 Black Country, New Road struck a 7 on the alt-rock Richter Scale with their second studio album, Ants from Up There . I listened, my head spun, and I moved on. At the time it wasn’t something I felt ready to formally rate as my thoughts didn’t match my friends’ positive ravings, but Pitchfork awarded it a 8.4 (and Rolling Stone currently has not 1, not 2, but 3 stories about Donald Trump on its homepage – just read The Culture Gyre instead). Now, I’ve got 3 years of patience and unwaveringly correct opinions under the belt I’m wearing to this BCNR review; let’s see what they brought. The density of the Black Country, New Road sound is what makes it so polarizing. While the reception of their music has been overwhelmingly positive, confused and overwhelmed appreciation is the dominant sentiment. I believe I’m starting to see through the haze (or hear rather). A true British situation, the BCNR instrumental repertoire includes drums, piano, sax, and a truckload of strings – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, banjo, and violin. In true folk style, they use that litany of stringed instruments to form a steady sonic bed under the rotation of lead vocalists. From there, tradition is thrown to the wind. On Forever Howlong , the budding sextet of creatives leaned into their art-rock sensibilities in the absence of Isaac Wood, the gravitational center of their last sonic system. With their lead singer and strongest guitarist stepping aside, Black Country, New Road has begun to drift further from contemporary song structure. This record is defined by striking shifts within tracks that are dictated more by lyrical content than rhythmic progressions. The West Coast art-pop scene of the 60s and 70s lived by a similar code. Their dramatics were more so the product of free will than the type of musical reasoning BCNR operates with, however, the results are a bit too similar. Dramatic shifts between or within songs, which were a common issue on those LSD records, became an inexplicable normality on Forever Howlong . The stop-and-go is likely intended to draw the listener in, but the overuse of these atypical progressions makes for a laborious listening experience. “Socks” and “For the Cold Country” took years off my life. Luckily, BCNR has the power to give those years back. Just as soon as “Socks” pushed my face in the dirt, the pleasant build of “Salem Sisters” lifted my back up. A refreshingly decipherable and sprightly instrumental, a bit of solid structure, and beautifully done background vocals throughout the entirety of a track is all it took for me to buy into Black Country, New Road 4 songs in. When organized sonic clutter presents itself effectively, the results often feel elevated from an average band’s sound, but a balance is needed. The abstract needs normalcy to define itself, and BCNR checks that box when absolutely needed. Forever Howlong provides just enough straightforward material to anchor the rest of its content, and “Mary” is the perfect example. The instrumental bones are as simple as any track on the record and with that easy synchronicity on display, the group vocalists are free to steal the show as they deliver one of the record’s most powerful performative stretches over the final third of track 6. Some of their best displays of talent came just like that – naturally. On an album where they’ve clearly reconfigured to fill a Wood-shaped hole, it often feels like BCNR is chasing the dragon of bombastic songs like “The Place Where He Inserted The Blade.” The instinct to mimic one’s best work is tempting, but they don’t need to force conceptual complexity to make high level music. That’s obvious on the title track, which affords the rare opportunity for the listener to sit back and experience Black Country, New Road creating without having that creation thrust in our faces. “Forever Howlong” throws zero curveballs, stays within itself, shows just enough life on the bridge, and concludes with a quality finish, all to beg the question: why don’t they approach every track like this? I’ve got two answers, “Two Horses” and “Nancy Tries to Take the Night.” The first dreamily starts with a singular guitar and some lovely voices, then a whistle and a second guitar that continue to lull the listener through the 2-minute-mark when the track begins to come to life. It takes off fully at 3:00 when a firm bassline, dual guitars, and flourishing high keys flood the airwaves in perfect unison for an organically incredible sonic highpoint the likes of which I’d yet to hear across any of their work. The second begins with a 2-minute-long, guitar-forward introduction that gives way to a temporarily Adrienne Lenker-like vocal performance, before the song morphs into a tight, beat-like instrumental that continuously and relentlessly builds on itself before finally relinquishing to a theatrical minute-long vocal conclusion. It’s a ridiculous but inexplicably well-executed example of the musical behavior I’ve been trying to discourage. Sonic maximalism and track-to-track overambition plague this record but result in songs like those, which makes it much harder to condemn the approach. While the pursuit of 10/10 tracks feels forced on the majority of songs, Black Country, New Road is able to justify those pursuits, even within the songs that suffer from them. This record feels like a step back, but not the permanent kind. Wood’s guitar feels fairly irreplaceable at this point, but the trio of vocalists, Tyler Hyde, May Kershaw, and Georgia Ellery, was extremely effective, and their group vocal ability adds more to the sound than Wood’s vocal persona could alone. The balance of instrumental complexity and dynamic vocals led to their strongest work when properly struck, but the many lengthy intros tend to expose a less complex sonic palate that their structurally ambitious songs work to mask or overcome. Further mastery of their many moving parts and a matured understanding of listenability could result in their best record, but a deepened obsession with sonic maximalism and out-of-the-box track development may lead them down a path of creative anti-progress. Black Country, New Road: professional line-toers. Forever Howlong is a 7.6 .

FOR ALL THE DOGS 10/28/23 BY: IAN SHERRY On October 8, 2023, Drake released his newest album For All The Dogs . After multiple postponements, Canada’s greatest rapper released his eighth studio album. The 23 song odyssey is the newest addition to a discography of ups and downs. Drake’s persona is just as volatile as the quality of his releases. From the underdog to the top of the world, from lonely to never alone, from player to father, his character development isn’t wildly unique when listed in that format. What makes Drake unique is his arc is neither linear nor complete. In reality, those options I listed previously should be mixed randomly in a list held together by hyphens not commas. Drake is a walking paradox, as is his music. Despite consistently delivering some of the most compelling songs in a given year, his discography holds the most bland music to ever grace the top of the rap charts. In preparation for a Drake release, fans are forced to speculate as to which Drake will be present on the album. While the speculation is fun, his persona of choice directly impacts how the album should be consumed. So which Drake made For All The Dogs ? The simplest answer: all of them. “Virginia Beach” is a strong start in my book. The first song to any album should be an intentional choice that sets the tone. Drake chooses to start his 2023 release in his singing bag. The production is strong, weaving around his voice and shifting halfway through to emphasize heavier bass and drums that accompany his first rap verse of the album. “Amen” comes second, the samplework and Teezo Touchdown feature land nicely, and along with the keys overtop, they carry on the same vibe as track 1. Unfortunately, that is the end of Drake’s stylistic/thematic uniformity. Drake has all his tools on display on this album. There is a right way to do that, but this isn’t it. ROSALIA properly executed this concept last year. MOTOMAMI was a show of force in which she expertly performed in different languages, styles, vibes, and emotions. It was 42 minutes long, one song after another, all separate thoughts. The product was fantastic. For All The Dogs is 84 minutes long (that’s twice the length for those counting at home) and it has less to offer in all of those categories, despite Drake’s half a verse in Spanish. If only I was in the studio, I could’ve cut this album down to 12 tracks (2 interludes) that lasted 44 minutes. That album would’ve been Drake’s most consistent release in years. Instead we have twice as much music, and more than twice the material to complain about. SINGING Drake is not a great singer, but he knows how. He and Nicki Minaj are very similar in that sense. They have decent voices, and when they don’t push it, they can fit nicely into a well-written, well-produced song. When Drake is at his best, he puts himself in a good stylistic position to deliver a passable vocal performance with decent lyrics. “Bahamas Promise” is one such case. The heavy bass lead-in with dogs barking creates a vivid mood that gives way to Drake’s vocals. Track 10 is his strongest vocal performance on the album, and it's supported by background vocals and a gentle but firm instrumental. The strong bottom end allows him to focus on singing without being concerned about filling empty space. Piano along with other high-end soundbytes set in overtop to sandwich the vocals. It is a well designed and focused song that lasts for a perfect 3:04. Logically, since the attention to detail makes a song like “Bahamas Promise” excel, the lack of attention to detail has the inverse effect. “7969 Santa” is an unfortunately good example. Drake flips between rapping and singing. Neither is convincing, and the singing is flat out bad at times. The beat is entirely midrange ambient noise and drums. There is no depth of sound, no rhythm, and no energy. It is 2:40 of struggle to get to the unlisted Teezo Touchdown feature. Teezo does his best to save the song, but the simplest solution would’ve been to remove Drake’s involvement, leaving Teezo’s feature and Snoop Dogg ’s outro. Drake has been doing this for too long to allow these inconsistencies, and that’s a frustrating reality considering how good he can be. A whole generation of rappers followed in Drake’s stylistic footsteps for a reason. Speaking of that generation, the PARTYNEXTDOOR feature on “Members Only” is one of the highpoints of the album. Fellow Canadians, the two artists embody a similar r&b/rap lane. Unsurprisingly, this historically results in good music. Their collaborative efforts were successful once again this year. PARTYNEXTDOOR’s verse follows a solid Drake verse with a huskier tone than I’m normally accustomed to hearing from him. It adds a great texture to an otherwise smooth song. The slight juxtaposition brings flavor to the 14th track, and, mixed with their chemistry, it’s satisfying. This isn’t the only collaboration Drake nails on his 2023 LP, and, despite its strong points, the excitement surrounding “Members Only” won’t touch that of “First Person Shooter”. J COLE J Cole fans are rabid. That explains why “First Person Shooter” is third most streamed on the album already, behind the lead single featuring SZA and “IDGAF” featuring Yeat (one of the four horsemen of the mainstream music apocalypse). To their credit, J Cole and Drake did their thing on track 6. Drake stylistically snuggles up to Cole as they rap over production very reminiscent of Cole’s 2021 record The Offseason . The real excitement, though, surrounds the featured verse. J Cole comes out firing. He puts to bed the beef between NBA YoungBoy and himself, explaining that his comments, from which the disagreement stemmed, were misconstrued. He follows that by listing himself, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar as the top three rappers alive (I’ll reserve my opinion for a later date). However, the line that will live the longest announces The Falloff , J Cole’s upcoming studio album. Although my eyes roll a little bit in preparation for the word ‘genius’ to start popping up amongst the Cole-heads, I can’t deny that’s a productive feature. It piqued my interest at least. My favorite song on the album is track 15, “What Would Pludo Do” . Reminiscent of Zaytoven (a musical sweet spot of mine), Lil Yachty does his thing on production. The keyboard painted over the top works coterminously with bass hits on the low end. Drake flows right in between them. He goes bar-after-bar for the length of the track. It’s simple, and there’s nothing wrong with that. With all the singing, features, personal drama, and hype, it’s easy to forget Drake is a very capable rapper. I appreciate the reminder, though this isn’t even his best lyrical performance on the album. “8am In Charlotte” and “Away From Home” are both rapping clinics as well. INTERLUDES While “What Would Pludo Do” is my favorite track, the best pieces of music on For All The Dogs aren’t even traditional songs. Drake absolutely killed his interludes this year. “Screw The World” came first. It’s a dressed up sample of DJ Screw ’s remix of Nas ’s “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” . Drake evidently felt the need to pay homage to the quietly influential Houston-based DJ, and it may have something to do with the incident highlighted here . Regardless of his motivation, it is a great piece of music. The muddied vocal sits amongst the murky bass hits. The perfect amount of reverb and throwback southern flavor buried underneath round out one of the best instrumental tracks he’s had in years. “BBL Love” upholds that same standard. The soul sample brings in the audience gently. Drake takes the mellow approach, reflecting on women and how their intimate availability to him relates to his status as a wildly successful artist. This isn’t a new trope, especially for Drake, but that lyrical content isn’t what impresses me. He captures a vibe and brings you into it. If you’re a little uncomfortable once you’re there, he did a good job from an artistic standpoint, because he’s fully enveloped you in his world of numerous and nuanced sexual relations. On top of that, track 18 functions as an opportunity to take a breath before settling back in for the remaining 5 songs of this lengthy piece of work. Two perfect interludes. The biggest surprise on the album comes just a few moments after the second interlude. Track 20 is “Rich Baby Daddy” featuring Sexyy Red and SZA. Frankly, this spelled disaster for a few reasons. First, these are three individualistic artists with their own stylistic sweetspots; second, the Drake/SZA collaboration already fell short on “Slime Me Out” ; third, it’s 5:19 long. I’m pleased to say I was worried or nothing. Sexyy Red brings her energy from the jump with the chorus, and the beat keeps pace with her. It takes a certain kind of energy to feel like you’re setting the pace for the instrumental, instead of the reverse. Drake is able to keep up with the beat (see the difference?), and speeding him up adds an element you hardly ever find on Drake records. His verse is a success, and the chorus provides a perfect transition into SZA, who sings with pace but no less of her usual swagger. She remains one of the most talented vocalists in music, and she adds a smoothness you couldn’t have found elsewhere. The chorus hits again leading into Sexyy Red’s verse. It’s short, but it is a great conclusion to their twist on a traditional song format. The Drake outro could’ve been left off. If it had, this is the best song on the album. However, the choice to use Sexyy Red like they did was perfect, and the willingness to stick to the traditional chorus format paid off big-time. When it comes to good music, my favorite way to stand is corrected . CHORUSES There’s a reason I highlight the usage of a chorus on track 20. In recent years, especially within rap, there’s been a shift away from the traditional chorus-based song structure. This is usually in favor of the posse-track format. A good example, for relevance sake, is Westside Gunn . His new album (which I’ll have a review on soon) leans into this structure. Essentially, he peppers his songs with features whom he works well with. They trade verses over fairly consistent production, with the aim of impressing lyrically while putting an emphasis on their chemistry. This is pretty unique to hip-hop, and when done correctly the results are fantastic. However, some are better than others. Drake’s approach varies from the Buffalo rapper, in that he relies on alternative or subtle choruses (if none at all) instead of featured artists. His features are much less common. They may add a different flavor, but they often stand to do something that Drake cannot execute himself, which is admirable, or boost streams, which isn’t. So if the emphasis isn’t on the chorus, or some substitute like Westside Gunn’s features, where is it? The answer, for much of this record, is nowhere. The result is a lot of boring music, 8 songs by my count. That’s 8 out of 23 that have no replay value. If you check the writers credits for any song on this record you might be floored by the quantity of names involved. With that many minds at work, Drake is able to formulate clever ways to subtly write in choruses. The problem is I don’t want subtlety. That defeats the purpose. A chorus is supposed to provide a different flavor to the song as well as a jumping off point for the next verse. It’s a tool. On “Members Only” it allows for the subtle stylistic divergences of PARTYNEXTDOOR to stand out. On “What Would Pludo Do”, the chorus is a launching point for cutting verses. If you think I'm just listing songs I enjoyed, check this out. The chorus on “7969 Santa” works well too. Not only does it stand as a consistent return point for a misguided performance from Drake, it sets up Teezo Touchdown’s feature, which turns out to be the highlight of the song. Drake has far too much firepower in the studio to put out boring music. Sticking to the chorus-focused format that many artists, including Drake, have found success with historically, seems like a good strategy to me. Drake is one of the most polarizing artists alive. He leans into it, and then, as a reviewer, I can’t help but do the same. This album certainly plays into that. From the postponements, to the inclusion of his son's art and rapping (which keys the tires of a solid fifth track), he created a spectacle outside of the music. However, I’m more interested in the music, always. Here’s what I heard: Surprisingly, the album wasn’t unbearably long. I still can’t justify the length, but aside from Drake’s typically high level of bloat, it isn’t egregious. By bloat I mean unnecessary tracks, extra length on songs, or anything else that doesn’t add or take away from the experience. If you cut all the bloat from Drake’s previous two solo albums, there would be no albums. In that sense he’s improved this year. I was also struck by his lyricism. While it isn’t the stuff of other actively elite rappers like Pusha T or JID , it was much improved over his releases the last few years. However, one big disappointment is the absence of the Drake anthem. This is not an expectation of most artists, but Drake has a tendency to drop chart-topping, culturally enormous songs. While this album has some great tracks, it doesn’t have a “God’s Plan” or “Toosie Slide” . This doesn’t speak to quality, as there are probably five songs on this record better than those two, but I don’t know if this record will create the months-long ripple effect we’re accustomed to seeing from Drake projects. I’m mostly positive though. From an album construction standpoint, I’ve accepted that Drake has a lot of misses. His highs determine the quality of a Drake release, his lows or critical scores, do not. Thus, my score won’t reflect how much I enjoyed For All The Dogs , his best album in a while. For All The Dogs is a 4.75.

THE ODYSSEY 8/5/2026 - Dawson Sarcona - Ian Thomas Sherry The following is a transcribed and edited conversation between CG reviewers Ian and Dawson about Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey DAWSON: Just starting off, Ian, I know you've read The Odyssey before. Were you a fan of the casting and the performances? Do you think they kind of held up to Homer’s version? IAN: Yeah, well, starting with the story. First of all, you had to tell me the bard was Travis Scott, but I thought that was fantastic, the way that they included that, 'cause that's the way it was told for so long. They hit all the points, obviously. And I thought that the plot moved along pretty well for such a long thing to adapt. You know, I just watched O Brother, Where Art Thou. It's so loose to call it an adaptation of the Odyssey - I mean, I get it's a comedy, but this (Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey) is right on point and moves along. And yeah, with the casting, I had some favorites for sure, but I'm gonna kick that back to you. Were there any favorite castings or performances for you? DAWSON: I mean, there's a lot of performances getting gassed up from this movie, and I feel like rightfully so. Anne Hathaway did a really good job (as Penelope). And I like the direction Nolan took her character too. But my favorite, and this is the basic answer, 'cause it's the main character, I really like Matt Damon's performance. Really enjoyed just the energy he brought to it. I've seen him in a lot of other action movies like the Jason Bourne films, and they're really boring to me, so this kind of solidified to me like - oh, he actually knows how to do this stuff, because I found his performance very captivating and I like the complexity that he brought to the character. Though Nolan has a bit of… I wouldn't say an issue, but he does this thing with all his characters where he kind of.. makes them extremely noble and tries to make them the most, you know, complex ‘I'm gonna take accountability for everything’ characters. When from what I've heard, in the original Odyssey Odysseus is kind of just like a trickster and is kind of a little bit just like… IAN: -He’s not so apologetic.- DAWSON: Yeah, so I think that that was a good change and I think that Damon portrayed that well. And I also really thought Robert Pattinson shined in his role. I would have liked to see more of his character just being a douchebag because he was good at it. IAN: He is. I went with my sister, and she was raving about how good he was as a villain. And yeah, I totally agree. And like Dawson said, Anne Hathaway was great; she was strong in her performance, you know, that's important in this day and age… So what did you think of Tom Holland’s Telemicus? DAWSON: So, Tom Holland was... Well, he didn't have a bad performance by any means, but I would like to see that they gave him more to do. I am a fan of him as an actor, and I feel like - I say this wearing a Spider-Man hoodie, but I still think No Way Home was one of his best performances, and I would have loved to see him allowed to bring that emotion in this movie. It just wasn't necessary for the character, so like I get it, but it (the performance) was kind of middle of the road for me. IAN: I think part of that is the character, like he's limited; he never even gets to step into the throne room in any aspect, leadership-wise, and his main function in this film was to move the plot along with the cutting back and forth. And I thought that was pretty easy to understand, given I already knew the story, but still it flowed pretty well, so I thought he did well. I enjoyed his performance. DAWSON: We’re there any castings that were distracting for you? IAN: Charlize Theron as Calypso, that was a little strange. Only because I didn't feel like it was well enough introduced, but that situation was eventually explained. It's supposed to be mysterious to an extent, but I also don't know how accurate it is, her living washed up on the beach. That's not how I interpreted reading it. - What about yourself? DAWSON: Yeah, I can agree with that. She just kind of felt like an empty character, just kind of a plot device. And I know that she has more acting chops in her, so maybe it's just more of a writing issue. But yeah, her and Benny Safdie, as Agamemnon, I felt very like he stood out most specifically, probably. With the helmet off, he just kind of gives off, for lack of a better term, dorky energy. IAN: He did. DAWSON: - They spent so many of his shots in the movie, framing him as, like, very imposing and cinematic and a guy that you don't want to mess with. Then like, they have Odysseus speak to him, and he's very soft-spoken and kind of friendly with Odysseus, which I’m not sure if that's how it was in the book, but I would assume that maybe it was not. IAN: I would have expected the character to be, furious, you know, and to have some sort of facial wound from being killed - a crazed warlord that sacrificed so much, and was caught up in his own home, I think, he would probably be more bitter and angry. But we're kind of splitting hairs here, I think, overall, that (oracle scene) was pretty great. DAWSON: This is probably his (Nolan’s) biggest accomplishment. I mean, I think that's fair to say. It's the first movie ever filmed completely on IMAX, which means it was also filmed completely on film, like traditional film, which is not something you see a lot nowadays. And watching it, seeing all the love and care put into it; it's just very clear. Especially when it comes to the practical stuff that they do with the Cersei scene in the pig transformation and in the Cyclops stuff. For perspective, there was a guy in full Cyclops makeup, and then for other scenes they had a full 60-foot Cyclops puppet that they built for the characters to interact with. So it’s stuff like that could have just been blue-screened and CGI-ed, but instead they took the time and really actually made it to the best they could, that is a testament to how much not only Christopher Nolan cares about movies, but how important that stuff still is to making a great movie - and you can really tell when you're in that theater, especially the IMAX theater. IAN: I thought the way that the Cyclops moved was really awesome; it was otherworldly, and it made the whole scene a lot better. That's one of the more famous scenes I was wondering how they were gonna execute it, what it was gonna look like, you know, and it was like a mutant child type-thing, which makes perfect sense because I believe it's a giant and Poseidon’s offspring, so it was pretty wild, and it was the same with Cersei. They could have had her wave a wand and poof them (Odysseus’ men) into pigs, and nobody would have batted an eye, but the idea to kind of go the horror direction, that ended up being one of the more memorable scenes in the whole film to me. DAWSON: I learned the other day that Ithaca, the island that they used for that, is a real island and that's a real castle, and they got permission to film there, but they weren't allowed to build anything, so like they couldn't build a road to get their film supplies up there. So they had to literally airlift and then, by hand, carry like thousands of dollars of equipment up this hill every day to film there. And I think that's just another cool example of the people who worked on this movie really putting in the effort, and I think it shows in volumes when you see it. IAN: This is interesting because it looks really genuine, the castle, and it looks pretty untouched and like weathered. I also thought the plucking of the bow- that was a great moment. They planted that seed early on, and it was pretty cinematic when it did it in the end, so I thought that was pretty cool, and I'm not sure I remember that from the book; I think the book is moreso about being able to execute the challenge, just stringing it and shooting, so I think that was pretty cool. DAWSON: Yeah, and I noticed a few things about that on my rewatch too of like how much that is woven into the story, and it's stealthily. There's a lot of stuff, Nolanisms, just a lot of really interesting details that are just sprinkled in there. Like, for example, a few that I can remember are: there's a song on the score called "Sirens," and it's the song that plays when Odysseus hears the sirens' song, and he's strapped to the, you know, pull in the ship and is listening to it. - IAN: - And it's at the same time; it's just the song on the score that we hear while he's listening to them. - DAWSON: - Right, yes, exactly, thank you. But that song is titled that, but it's technically like him and Penelope's theme in the movie because the only other times we hear it are when he and his wife are together. And so when he talks about the siren song being like “a song of like everything you've ever wanted and everything you ever wanted was something you had and lost,” I think that's just a really cool way to musically tie it into, like, when he hears that song, he's hearing something about Penelope and Telemicus. And going back to Telemicus, another thing is, any time they are viewing his flashbacks of his family, Telemicus is not facing the camera. It shows like a kid facing away from the camera, which is something Nolan does in like all of his movies. IAN: Now I'd like to get to my last big question if you don't have anything else. DAWSON: No, I don't think I have anything else. IAN: So The Culture Gyre is based on a concept, the gyre, which is a shape. Imagine two funnels facing into each other so at one end you would have an open circle and then a point in the center which would be the point of the other funnel going the opposite direction; would you consider this movie to be closer to “the point,” the thing that everybody in film is driving at, or would you say it's pushing an edge in the grand scheme of the film? DAWSON: I think it's interesting with Nolan because he is something - he's someone that all filmmakers kind of strive to be like; he is kind of anointed, almost anointed himself as like filmmaker royalty because he is, I believe, the president of the filmmakers' guild. So a lot of people, they kind of view him as like the one above all, and to be honest with you, he still has duds, he still has movies that fall through, so going into this movie I was excited, but I was not 100% certain, kind of like you are saying. I think the concept for this movie is kind of on that outer circle; it's something that you know a lot of people can do, and a lot of people have made adaptations of the Odyssey, right, and it's a general idea a lot of people have, but it's not necessarily always executed properly. There are so many ways that it can be done, and I think what's great about Nolan is he can kind of bring it into that inner focal point, like that thing that everyone's striving towards, because of the way he's able to direct things. And I think a lot of this comes down to the people going to the movies now who are so much more invested in cinema. I think just because of the nature of social media and how it's heightened everybody's opinions on things you're either going to the movie because you love this movie or you hate this movie, right? Like, there's rarely ever an instance now where someone's like ‘I have no thoughts on this’ and that's compounded by social media with people sharing those opinions. So he's kind of being built up and built up, and I think the fact that Nolan keeps pushing forward shows he's not the type of person who's building up this reputation for himself and just kind of going with the flow. He hasn't plateaued yet. He keeps pushing the bar farther for himself, and you don’t know what his next movie is going to be or when it's going to be, but he's been pushing out movies every three years. Which is a crazy production turnaround, especially considering the scale of stuff he's making. So my long-winded answer to your question is, yes, I think that this movie, especially in Nolan's way of approaching film, is pushing for the center of the gyre. I think the future of film has to be like this; it has to be more people who care, people who are doing things practically and who are trying new things with reliable stories, even if just because there's only so many stories that can be told. I would say the same about Obsession this year by Curry Barker, right? The one wish willow. The monkey paw- that is a story that has been told countless times by countless people, but he sat down, and he found a way to make it fresh, and he put a lot of love and practicality into it, and it was probably the second biggest movie of the year so far in terms of box office success. So yeah, I think right now the future of film, the focal point from that poem is this notion of bringing more originality to movies, and we need to do it out of love and care and not for the purpose of making money for a studio. And it's in the details, but careful detail. IAN: I agree. DAWSON: Yeah, and you know, obviously studios care about money, but I think people - I think studios right now are kind of finding that if they prioritize originality, it benefits them more in the long term.

Diving Into Gadabout Season By Ian Sherry 10/23/2025 On June 13, 2025, Brandee Younger released her latest solo LP, Gadabout Season. We have deemed expansion necessary, to new heights, new depths, new mediums, greater variety, and widened horizons. The relationship between demand and results, however, can be trepidatious. (Now switching out of the royal collective) I have been in the lab for you all, ruminating on an expanded product and the potential of a community attached to such a product. For now, you are that community. You are also the face of that torturous monster called Pressure. It’s a monster of my own creation, constructed from the expectations I imagine you all might have for me. Under Pressure is where I’ve done my best work, but his weight is tremendous, difficult to carry. This most recent phase of expansion has forced me to reckon with my inability to lug him any further, examine the ethics of projecting my own lofty expectations onto you readers, and grapple with the fact that pressure may not equate to progress. Pressure makes diamonds. But, is frozen crystal my desired form, or does my path require malleability? Maybe it’s not a push I need after all, but a pull. To run towards something is much different than away. Watching your goals come into view is a sounder reward than watching worries fade slowly into the rearview. The fact is, they can always catch up and present new reasons to move forward. Knowing that, there’s no point in dwelling on their presence, no matter how near, because you may miss something on the path in front of you. As I scanned my path a few months back, I stumbled upon two music courses to complete my journalism-filled collegiate schedule. Yes, I’ve been in the lab, the music lab, and it’s just what the doctor ordered. With just a bit more knowledge, optimism, and moxy than I had yesterday, I bring you my review of Brandee Younger’s 2025 LP, Gadabout Season. Brandee Younger arrived at an interesting time in jazz. A genre in no real danger of dying due to its lack of a single definition, the lines of jazz grow increasingly blurred in the electronic era. How does an artform built on pillars like improvisation and swing survive in a world of endless sonic possibilities where musical form as we know it has been simplified to production software displays, and abstracted, ambient electronic production has become a commonality? How do you wrangle the interest of an audience with shrinking attention spans, access to a skip button, and ears trained to subversive autotune? Well, if anyone can navigate that dilemma it’s Younger. First trained classically at NYU, then as an apprentice of jazz (adjacent) greats like Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, John Legend, and The Roots, she gained experience in bridging generations and genres. So, when it came time to go solo, Brandee Younger was more than equipped to form a sound around her chosen chordophone: the harp. In my experience with the harp, its often are used as melodic fill behind the rhythm-driving instruments or overshadowed by horns. Music that solely features harp almost always feels loose and thin – sonically elegant but musically stagnant. That’s a line Younger toes at times on this record. Track 1, “Reckoning,” is a great example of the kind of flourishing and solo melodic blitzing I’ve come to expect from a lead harpist. It’s exciting, but borderline overstimulating and across an entire record it would produce the fatigue that I believe most jazz-avoidant listeners fear. Her presence had to be announced though, so announce it she did. Track 2, “End Means,” moves nicely into the sound of the album and features the versatile flautist Shabaka. The two soloists share the lead role, with Younger playing underneath Shabaka’s runs and quality support from the drums and upright bass, which arrived for the remainder of the record. The title track follows. Placing “Gadabout Season” at 3 makes perfect sense – it’s not a leadoff piece nor the most memorable or captivating, but it’s pleasant mundanity, comfortable quality, and swinging bounce embody the soul of the record. It’s easy to picture Younger cutting this track and knowing it was the bones of something bigger. “Breaking Point” is the first of my favorites. The bass is more present and sonically supportive than on any other piece as it churns out a 2 bar progression, lurching, 4/4 then 2/4 with drums flourishing in between. It’s an aggressive, high-tempo rendition of the swing feeling and Younger wails away with increasing might, steady precision, and decreasing restraint for 2:43. Fifth is “Reflection Eternal” - a melodic breather before the next jumbo composition rolls out of your speaker. Track 6 picks up the light swirling sound of its predecessor with more convincing but infrequent bass support and shimmering drums underneath. The harp carries the tune, touching on the main melody repeatedly then cycling away into pseudo improvision and climbing higher towards the so-called “New Pinnacle.” It’s a grand track to throw in the center of a record, and while it resonates just fine from my speakers at home, I can’t help but imagine hearing it in a big space. “Surrender” features pianist Courtney Bryan. The two trade back and forth, but to the untrained ear the load of strings could be indistinguishable. I’m just now feeling the ability to parse out the harp and it’s horizontally boxed counterpart, but Younger often emulates piano-style notes in her playing on this record making this feature less impactful than the others. “BBL” has some bass to it as well, and if you can’t tell by now I prefer it that way (real bass). To me, the offset provided by a firm bottom like that of track 8 elevates any instrument on top of it. The harp soars more effectively with ground to push off, and when Younger meanders down amongst her accompaniment, as she does on “BBL”, it creates warm, thriving sonic ecosystem. Younger welcomes vocalist Niia into said ecosystem on the dreamy “Unswept Corners.” These corners accumulated the mutual appeal of classical lounge-type music and suave contemporary r&b via the sparse and restrained contributions from all players and the tonal additions of a solid feature. Josh Johnson’s presence was likewise productive on the final track “Discernment.” The somewhat sluggish build of the closer is wiped away by the bulkiness of Johnson’s alto saxophone. He appears all over the track, supporting a reaching Younger on her lengthy and ambitious runs, soaring alongside her at times, and occasionally cutting straight through all the noise to the center of the sound. Another quality contribution to a well-constructed, intentional record. Brandee Younger may not be a musical visionary or Grammy-winning performer, but she is rich in understanding and control of her sound. She knows music. She can conceive it. And she did so with contemporarily uncommon consistency on this 2025 LP. Gadabout Season is a 8.

OBSESSION, NEXT-GEN HORROR WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY: DAWSON SARCONA, 6/10/2026 Recent horror blockbusters have the box office in a chokehold, due in large part to the genre’s popularity amongst upcoming generations. The youthful zeitgeist is horror-acclimated, and Curry Baker’s Obsession is the latest and loudest proof of that. Obsession has no shortage of achievements after just three weeks in theaters. For a movie with a budget as low as $750,000, Obsession has blown its expected earnings out of the water as it’s now on track to reach $250M (or more) before the end of its theatrical run. Further, if you look at the weekend-to-weekend growth of Obsession, you'll notice that the lowest earnings are in its opening weekend, before growing 30% in week two and an additional 10% in week three, implying cult-classic momentum. The last film to behave as such at the box office was all the way back in 1982, Stephen Spielberg's classic E.T. So what is so great about Obsession? Well, to put it plainly, everything. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I think we might be dealing with a near-perfect movie. Now, I will say, I have seen this movie 3 times in theaters, so I've gotten the privilege of looking back at it with the perspective of already knowing what happens. One thing that really stood out to me on my 2nd and 3rd watch was how well each scene served the story in getting us to the ending. Never before in my life have I seen a movie with such a tight script in which literally every single scene serves a distinct purpose. I genuinely believe that this film could not be cut any further and still tell the story it does so effectively. This is likely due to director Curry Barker's experience as a YouTube/TikTok sketch comedian. As a part of the Duo “That's a Bad Idea,” Barker mastered the craft of building short-form sketches and content. Due to the limited attention of viewers on these apps, Barker has gained an eye for what's necessary to keep the audience's attention and the story constantly flowing. These skills are put to expert use in the writing, directing, and editing of this film, all of which he did himself. SPOILER ALERT. The plot begins with a very simple concept: Bear makes a wish that the girl of his dreams, Nikki Freeman, “loves him more than anyone in the fucking world”. From here, Barker quickly distinguishes himself from the rest of the stories told under this Monkey’s Paw trope. As Nikki begins to become more and more obsessed with Bear, the story evolves into a horrifying tale of self-destruction and the extremes of co-dependency. I've always been a big proponent of horror’s effectiveness when it isn't explained. This is that to a T. Trying to assign logic to something supernatural often takes away the fear. Watching Obsession, it was very clear to me that Barker understood this principle. There is no explanation for how this wish magic works, or why it is that Nikki begins to get crazy and violent. Nor does it explain where the “real Nikki” goes during this wish. Instead, it just gives us little hints, moments of Nikki snapping back to reality, screams, outbursts, and indicators that something about this wish magic is cruel and terrifying. The use of ambiguity makes the movie so much scarier, and Barker has further gone on to say that he himself does not know and doesn't ever plan to create an explanation for these events. It's just spooky magic for spooky magic’s sake, and it works so well. Speaking of magic, Inde Navarrette’s performance as Nikki is something truly astonishing. Being able to play 2 distinct characters within the same movie is an accomplishment in itself, but being able to make them both distinct enough that the audience can instantly tell when either personality (Nikki or Wish Nikki) is on screen is something really special. The range of emotion Navarrette displays as both versions of Nikki is insane as a viewer, and it's because of her that this movie works. Every scary, uncomfortable, or flat-out violent moment in this movie hinges upon Navarette delivering, and boy does she deliver. This is hands down one of the best horror performances I've seen on the big screen, and the character will no doubt become a horror icon. While Navarrette is by far the breakout performance in this film, everyone who acts in this movie make great contributions. Michael Johnston as Bear does an excellent job grounding his character so we can see him constantly justifying his increasingly horrendous decisions. This allows for the slow-burning reveal that he may be the true antagonistic figure within the film. Megan Lawless and Cooper Tomlinson as Ian and Sarah are great supporting characters in this movie, and really help to make the friend group dynamic seem real and lived-in. Obsession is, without a doubt, my favorite movie of the year. The aesthetic, the lighting, the set design, the acting, the writing, the directing, all of it works so well to make this movie something really special. For me, Obsession is a 10 out of 10, and I am actively recommending this to anyone who is looking for a good horror movie. Baker’s arrival marks the latest in the YouTuber-to-horror director pipeline. Past creators like Jordan Peele (Get out, Us, Nope) and RackaRacka (Talk to Me and Bring Her Back) have taken this path to great success. YouTube has become somewhat of a crash course in movie-making, particularly for those who’ve grown up with it. Every few decades, Hollywood begins to die out and needs revitalization. We are in the middle of a major shift in the movie industry. Most moviegoers, including myself, now go to see the new film by their favorite director. The tabloid-driven Hollywood of the 90s and 2000s is fading. The directors, the creators, have become the new movie stars. I believe this is mainly because of the YouTube space. We have spent years with creators themselves, seen them grow, develop, and learn the difficulties that come with trying to make something that's your own. YouTube has become a training ground for creators and put them in the driver's seat. For these creators, it's not about pushing out a movie quickly to meet a quota; it's dedicating themselves to their art form. It's bringing Hollywood back to its roots and creating stories that are fun, entertaining, and expertly executed.