Despite what the title of Ora Cogan’s new album “Hard Hearted Woman” might suggest, the Canadian artist is anything but emotionally closed off; her sentimentality is still firmly in her own hands rather than surrendered. On the opening track, Honey, the mantra-like repetition of the album’s title doesn’t signal a woman numbed by the world, but one determined to exist on her own terms, to savor life, celebrate it, and hold onto joy. Written in the wake of anti-trans legislatio

What would happen if Jesus Christ were to return among us, as promised? In the worldview of Jesus Christ Taxi Driver, typically skeptical, only occasionally literal, he reappears not in glory but behind the wheel of a cab, collecting fares to put food on the table. So much for the American Dream. The concept is knowingly tongue-in-cheek, but its critique of disillusionment recalls the likes of Bret Easton Ellis. His novel American Psycho opens in a taxi, where two men argue f

Finished nearly three years before its eventual release, singer-songwriter and producer Rachel Lime’s sophomore album STORIES did not arrive with the immediacy of something freshly made. Instead, it surfaced as an album already internalised and, at a certain point, almost left behind. “It’s funny,” Lime says, speaking over Zoom from her apartment at night in New York. “I finished this album a long time ago, and I hadn’t been that excited about it for a while.” Credit: Rachel

A band named “Modern Woman” and an album cover of two girls lying in a field, one punching the other in the face. ​ These are the two things that get my attention. Photo by Sandra Ebert ​ London’s Modern Woman releases their debut album Johnny’s Dreamworld, via legendary label One Little Independent Records on May 1st. The album has been two years in the works, which lead singer Sophie Harris described as an “enjoyable marathon.” ​ Modern Woman came together through a tangle

Life does not ask for your age before it shifts beneath you. It moves in tides, whether we are ready or not. We are not called to understand how to ride it, but we move with it anyway. This cycle of rupture and repair, loss and return, is not an interruption of living but the mechanism of it. Morgan Nagler understands this best through her own art — first with acting, now with music. There is a version of her story that reads linearly: a child actor for two decades, with app

On Expo, Ulrika Spacek's latest record feels like a dig through memory, through dislocation, through the quiet psychic debris of modern life.

Photo by Steve Gullick A few years ago, I received a video in my inbox. I remember the excruciating time it took for my shitty laptop to load it, and how my earbuds seemed to be sounding worse than ever that day. I remember telling myself I’d sift through the inbox another time, because in these little technical irritations, nothing could be enjoyed. Just as I was about to close the tab, the video named Cardinals - Unreal (Official Music Video) finally loaded, pixel by stubbo

Dancing, crying, laughing and longing through the year.

As though she knew we’ve been awaiting her return all along, an immediate and fierce drum line permeates the melody, wasting no time for introductions and giving no time to process before throwing us into Mitski’s comeback single, ‘Where’s My Phone?’ Released January 16th as the debut single to her upcoming eight studio record, Nothing's About to Happen to Me , the track presents us instantly with a beautiful yet panicked delirium, expressed in heavy bass, quick guitar riffs,

Illustration by Jooen Choi Now that 2025 has officially come to a close, it's safe to say it was an incredible year for music. There was never a dry spell or lack of music worth exploring, which is something you can't help but be continually grateful for. From debuts of supergroups, to new breakthroughs, to artists continuing to push the boundaries on what their music can sound like, there was always something captivating to shift your attention onto. As we usher in the new y

Illustration by Taya Welter Ella Ion ’s music has many temperaments. Honeyed melodies can collide with thunderous guitar riffs, only to give way once more to her silk-smooth vocals as a song evolves . The Australia-based singer-songwriter channels several of alternative music’s deeper undercurrents: Elliott Smith ’s bruised sentimentality, flashes of dissonant rock, and an almost Interpol -like darkness in Waiting , her debut album, where the drums seem to brood beneath th

Photo credit: Gabriella Mulisano x Illustration: Taya Welter There are some melodies that stand the test of time and o utgrow their creators almost instantly. Will Paquin ’s “ Chandelier ” is one of those. The second it begins, you’re pulled back into a time when you first heard it, a flash of recognition. It can be best described as something bright rising up, finding a way back into your consciousness from a pool of half-forgotten memories. It’s the kind of song that