Kinda Cool Magazine: Issue 04

kindacool. issue 04

featuring

+

K.FLAY

LOVELYTHEBAND | WALK OFF THE EAR TH SAM FENDER | GRAYSCALE | TAYLOR SWIF T

For our fourth issue, we finally got the opportunity to feature a strong female artist on the front cover. In honor of this, our entirely female team put together a playlist full of all our favorite feminist anthems by badass women.

Nightmare - Halsey The Man - Taylor Swift Snake Tongue - The Beaches Woman - Kesha Stupid Girls - P!nk Gatekeeper - Jessie Reyez The One - Betty Who Sit Still, Look Pretty - Daya Like A Girl - Lizzo Scars To Your Beautiful - Alessia Cara loud mouth - tiLLie Girls Get Angry Too - GIRLI God is a woman - Ariana Grande She Loves Control - Camila Cabello Girls Night Out - Charli XCX

Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2BuERqU

contents issue 4

october 2019

5

Moontower

9

Grayscale

14

Walk Off The Earth

20

Music and Culture

22

Taylor Swift

30

lovelytheband

36 K.Flay 45

Sam Fender

52

The Hunna

30

lovelytheband

36

26

K.Flay

Walk Off The Earth

kindacool.

Founder/Manager Meg Clemmensen Copy Designer Rebekah Witt Copy Editor/Distributor Mary Perez Cover photo by Ravyn Cavanaugh

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Contributors Mia Andrea, Polina Bakgof, Ravyn Cavanaugh, Gianna Cicchetti, Blu Covington, Stephanie Curtis, JenaRose Dahlstrom, Lexie Dopwell, Lisa Eggleston, Sarah Evangelista, Ashley Gallegos, Sophie Harris, Jenni Johnson, Emily Lantzy, Faith Logue, Katie Marks, Jessica Matilszki, Natalie Melendez, McKenzie Moore, Emilia Rangel, Emily Richardson, Piper Rosas, Cris Rulli, Ibbi Schwartz, Leeann Spangler, Kariann Tan, Chelsea Tiso, Cole Tucker, Devyn Vaughan, Hannah Wayland, Mickayla Whitt, Tanya Wright, Emily Young

@kindacoolmag

on our radar...

MOONTOWER

After two major tours with The Driver Era and Night Riots, as well as performing their first ever festival set at Reading and Leeds, indie-electronic band Moontower is stronger than ever. Moontower, made up of Jacob Culver, Tom Carpenter, and Devan Welsh, strives to set themselves apart not only through their music, but also through keeping a close relationship with their listeners and taking a strong stance against gun violence.

Between touring, Moontower released their first batch of new music: Season 1: The Ballad of William Hollywood. By releasing their music as seasons within the Moontower sitcom, they can distinguish their storytelling abilities by making them stand out within the indie-electronic genre. Doing so also helps them keep their music cohesive. Season 1 tells the story of their friend, William, who approached them wanting to combine his film-making skills with their musical storytelling. They created Season 1 in three short

‘episodes,’ each consisting of two songs. Each episode flows together to create a visual and musical narrative — more than just an album. At each live show, lead singer Jacob Culver steps into the crowd for two songs from Season 1 — “Balcony” and “Part 2” — and then continues with a speech right before introducing an unreleased song, “Bury Me.” At the Fresno show, Culver partially advocated against gun violence, but at the core encouraged the crowd to look out for one another.

“If you guys know, we’re pretty outspoken against guns in [the United States]. But I want to say something really important. We’re on the road, and I got a message from somebody who had been a fan of ours for a while. They said, ‘I disagree with you. I think you’re wrong, and here’s why.’ And everything inside me wanted to be like ‘No, you’re wrong’ and yell back at them. But that doesn’t solve anything. So I ended up having a conversation with this person who

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is somewhat different than me, who thought different than me. I wasn’t going to change her mind, and she wasn’t going to change my mind — but it was a conversation that brought the two of us together and helped me understand her a little bit better. I’m not saying this because I think I’m better, but I think what it shows is that if we want this country to come together, we’ve got to be willing to talk to people who think differently than we do. All I ask is that you guys open yourselves up to each other, take the time to get to know each other, and most of all, take care of each other. Please.”

Moontower’s active presence on social media has helped them create a wonderful community of listeners surrounding their music.

Not only are they constantly interacting with

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listeners online, they frequently host fan meetups in various cities to get to know them on a more personal level. This goes above and beyond making a point to meet listeners after shows.

While Moontower has already made an impact on listeners with their previous meet-ups, the October and November ones coming up takes the impact a step further. With the tagline “Protect kickball, not guns,” they will make a donation to gun buyback programs for each person that attends. Their outspokenness on this issue and their ability to combine advocacy with community is a great example of how to use a platform in a meaningful way.

Written & photographed by: Sophie Harris

by Kariann Tan

by Kariann Tan

Raffaella

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Sigrid

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ROAM

by Emily Young

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With Confidence

by Emily Young

Grayscale Return with Punchy Sophomore Album

A

fter months of anticipated waiting, Grayscale’s newest album is finally here.

The band’s third album, Nella Vita (Italian for “In Life”), was just released featuring twelve all-new tracks. Hailing from Philadelphia, the five-piece band have had staggering success so far with their record label Hopeless Records. I was able to see them at Milkboy Arthouse in College Park, MD on this leg of the tour and hear some of the songs before the release.

The band was formed in 2011 and consists of members Collin Walsh (vocalist), Andrew Kyne and Dallas Molster (guitarists), Nick Ventimiglia (bassist), and Nick Veno (drummer). The five have, over time, acquired a strong fanbase forming in the pop punk scene, especially from their hometown. With their newly found success, they are selling out hometown shows and band merchandise.

On top of that, they just finished playing the final cross-country Vans Warped Tour in 2018.

The album starts out with the song “Just Right.” It comes in with a slow and steady beginning with clear vocals from the lead singer, Collin Walsh. The chorus picks up beat with strong drums from Veno. This song is all about Walsh looking back on his teenage years filled with youthful love and nostalgia. “I’d give it all just to feel that alive again,” and “Beautifully broke her heart, I

was so young back then,” are just some of the lyrics in the song that show how much growing up and looking back on your teenage years can bring back feelings of regret as well as nostalgia.

The second song, “Baby Blue,” is a rather mournful song that is presented in a very upbeat tune that you almost can’t decipher if you weren’t able to intently listen and annotate the lyrics. As a part of the chorus, the lyrics “In this hospital room for two, dressed up in baby blue,” gives a sad vibe to the set of lyrics. The song is about seeing a loved one after a long term of silence and unfortunately, this takes place in a hospital bed saying goodbye. Basing off of the analysis of the first song, this one continues talking about regret but rather in the sense of regret of not saying enough rather than too much.

“In Violet” is the third song on the track list and probably by far my favorite. The wellcrafted song starts with strong drums and a catchy chorus that just makes you want to dance. In fact, the lyrics mention, “Dance the pain away.” Their newly released music video (that is also my favorite) with purple smoke clouding the entirety of the video has already reached over 100k views on YouTube.

The song is about Walsh wanting people to celebrate his life rather than mourning after he passes away. Grief can be very

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detrimental to a person after someone they know passes away.

The next song, titled “YOUNG,” is the fourth song on the tracklist. It has a more electronic vibe with constant piano keys, edited background vocals, and even more sounds layered over that. “YOUNG” is very similar in its meaning to “In Violet,” and talks about being better to one another and overall our generation not giving up. “Give it all ‘til it all gets better” are some of my favorite lyrics from this song.

“Twilight (My Heaven)” has a very strong drum and guitar lead, and is one of the heavier songs on the album. This is another song that relates to the overall theme of the album of love and nostalgia. This song is relatively shorter than the rest of the songs and feels more like a filler or interlude-style song for the album, but definitely still has an upbeat tone, makes you want to dance, and would sound great live.

“Old Friends” has that same electronic feel from “YOUNG” and it fits the lyrical theme very well. The lyrics, again, are very sad within the context of what Walsh wrote them about. This song is all about the grief that follows and the bargaining that happens within yourself when you lose someone in your life. It’s all about wanting to talk to that person again and what you would tell them if you could talk to them again. “They say the saddest people in this world laugh the hardest, yeah that’s me, smiling it all away so you don’t feel my pain.” Lyrically, this is my favorite song, because I feel like the lead singer really bared everything out in this song with what he was feeling at the time. “No one knows the pain like you did, wish we could talk it out like old friends,” he sings.

“Painkiller Weather” is a lot like “In Violet,” that is much more upbeat than some of the other tracks. This song was one of the

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first singles to be released off Nella Vita. The guitar riffs and claps in the background make this song very danceable and exciting. The guitar riff on the bridge is one of my favorite parts about the song. This song is all about loving someone with addiction and always coming second after what they crave, no matter how hard you try. “Lord, it kills me how you cave in, tourniquet not tight enough / Temptation’s won, they always won” Walsh has said that this song reflects truths from his life. “Warm behind my eyes, watched your motions falling out of love / My intentions, soft and violent, I’m my mother’s son.”

“What’s on Your Mind” has a little bit of a different sound to it than Grayscale’s normal stuff. This song threw me off when I first listened to it because of the different electronic sounds in the beginning. I was quickly a fan of the song though, since the chorus was so catchy. “You keep breaking / And I keep trying to understand / But you keep breaking,” sings Walsh. Again, a lot of the lyrics seem happy and upbeat, but when you analyze them, you realize the song has a deeper meaning. This song specifically is about fighting with your significant other and everything that it encompasses. The brutal honesty of the song is shown through the lyrics, “Blurred so violently / Cry out ‘I love you’ so constantly / But you fuck with me.”

The song named after the city in New Jersey, “Asbury,” is one of the saddest from Nella Vita. The acoustic guitar sets the tone for the entirety of the song. “Asbury” is all about coming to terms with everyone in your life that has done you wrong and setting closure to pain and guilt and finally being set free from all of that. Walsh explained that this song was inspired by late nights on tour in beach towns such that of Asbury Park, NJ that he described as very serene but ominous at the same time, much like the song. “And I’ll

fall back into you, like I always do.” The lyrics definitely reflect the meaning and sad tone of the song, as seen in lines like “Weren’t there when I needed you most / Feels like a lifetime I couldn’t let go.”

“Desert Queen” is an upbeat song that sort of reminds me of summer nights and nostalgia with old friends. The song is about running away and escapism specifically with someone you love in mind, as stated by the singer. “A couple runaways, runaways / Let’s set this place on fire,” Walsh sings.

The song is very well-written and produced to spark off of those vibes and make you feel the same feeling of escape Walsh was feeling.

“In My Arms” is the second to last song off of the album. I find the sounds from this song to be very cinematic in a sort, like the intro to an old 80’s movie. The synth sounds and guitar rhythms fit very well together.

Like “Painkiller Weather,” this track is about someone trying to escape an addiction and struggling to stay away. Falling back into old habits and a growing sense of desperation can be used to explain the song as it progresses. “Want you to believe, show my veins to see / Crash and burn it all, jump back to your love.”

“Tommy’s Song” is a piano ballad that ends the album very mournful and full of sorrow. Along with “Old Friends,” this song is about Walsh’s cousin who took his own life. The song talks about all of his feelings regarding his passing, while “Old Friends” talks about what he would say to him if he was still in that hospital bed alive. The bridge of this song is very beautiful to me, and it was a good song to end the album out with as a tribute to him and the importance of grieving when you lose someone. “Yeah, I know that I’ll see you soon / Did what you had to do / Even angels sing the blues.”

It’s extremely important to talk about mental health as much as physical health. If you or someone you know is suffering, never be afraid to reach out for help.

Filled with personal and otherwise emotional tracks, this new album is surely a hit. The album tells about all the crazy stories of the band’s lives in raw detail.

Be sure to go check out Nella Vita and some of their older stuff, including their debut album Adornment. Nella Vita and all else is available wherever you stream music.

Written by: Piper Rosas

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kindacool.

MUNA

by Tanya Wright

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WALK OFF THE EARTH talk inspirations and new album On September 5th, I had the opportunity to sit down with Walk Off The Earth members Sarah Blackwood, Joel Cassady, and Gianni Luminati to talk about a variety of topics such as upcoming new music, favorite memories from touring, and their musical inspirations growing up. The band was preparing to take the stage at Mercury Ballroom in Louisville, KY, rounding off the USA dates of their 2019 world tour. Walk Off The Earth is a Canada-based pop band, known for their experimental covers as well as upbeat original tracks. They originally took off with their 2012 cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,” where all five members were playing one guitar at the same time.

Since then, the band has continued to cover many hit songs such as OutKast’s “Hey Ya!,” The Chainsmokers’ “Closer,” and most recently, Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s “I Don’t Care.” The band has also released many original songs, such as two hit albums, R.E.V.O. and Sing It All Away, and their most recent single release, “I’ll Be There.”

I saw that your band name is based off of how you want fans to feel when they listen to your music; is that based off of what music has brought to you all?

Sarah Blackwood: Yeah, I think so for sure!

There are a few different reasons, but music is something that connects people globally still, like even to this day, which is rare, other than the internet and stuff like that. But I know for me, I love listening to music that is kinda relative to what my life is like at the time, or you might hear a song and be like “Oh, that’s gonna help me through this thing,” or “This is gonna be my summer track.” So yeah, that’s our whole vibe, it’s just trying to get people to walk off the earth with our music!

Yes, exactly. Music has always been a coping mechanism for me so I get that, 100%. Which bands and musicians have made you all feel that way when you were growing up?

Joel Cassady: I think it’s really different for everybody in the band, which is part of the reason why this band has become so known for being so collectic and everything. For me, it was when I was 13-14, wanting to be a member of Blink-182 or Green Day or bands like that, and also getting into bands through my dad, like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin and stuff, and then getting really into drums and getting into the production side of music and being fascinated with that. These days, I’m into earthy electronic producers like Flume and ODESZA, but I still love all the stuff that got me here as well, and of course we have the chance to bring all that together and more, and not me, just Sarah will mention folk influences and pop influences as well. It’s kinda like a giant melting pot that has partially made this band a bit of a marketing nightmare!

On the other hand, it has made this band a super fun experience where there’s never a dull moment and we’re literally allowed to do whatever we want to do musically.

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For sure, and that’s awesome that you all can just do whatever you want and go with it.

SB & JC: Yeah!

SB: Some people don’t like it, but most of the time they do, so if they don’t… (laughs) Yeah and if they don’t, they can get over it... that’s their problem!

SB: Yeah! There’s a little something for everybody in there.

What inspired you all to get into music?

Did you always grow up wanting to be a musician, or was it just like, “I’m gonna do this?”

SB: I knew I wanted to be some kind of an artist; I actually found a scrapbook the other day when I was going through this old storage space that I have, where I literally went through like my lifeline and I was like, “Oh, this is when I wanted to be a photographer and this is when I wanted to be a painter and this is when I wanted to draw and do sketches and this is when I wanted to be an actress,” and then

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music was something that I’ve always been passionate about but I’ve never really known what it was that I wanted to do and like, I still don’t really know. There’s still a lot ahead of us, but it’s like there’s just so much excitement and so much amazingness that comes around what we do and with our band and with music that our job is awesome. Like it’s such a blessing to be able to do this for a living! I mean, as far as what we’ve always wanted to do, for me there’s a whole world of different things.

JC: Yeah, this is Sarah’s fallback, this isn’t what she wanted to be doing; unfortunately, she has to be a rockstar, it’s quite a shame! (laughs) SB: This is one of many, many journeys.

JC: I just realized though that we’ve learned a lot about music by getting a chance to do this, that I feel like — I went to music school for a while ‘cause my life led me there, and then it actually led me away from it, but what I learned up until joining this band and what I’ve learned since being in this band... I can’t speak for everyone, but I wouldn’t have learned otherwise because like, I still watch

WOTE videos and I’m like, “it’s awesome,” we had fun doing it, we did a great job, the way that people have told us it affects them and inspires them has changed the way that I think about the music we make and the way that I view music in general, to know that we connected to this fanbase by doing something that felt very natural to us by making music with stuff that was lying around the house.

Now that we know that’s this huge thing for us, it’s actually inspired the way that we make new stuff and the way that we sorta keep raising the bar for ourselves, so that’s a cool thing to think about: we’ve learned things about music that we would not have learned otherwise, had it not been for this x-factor in our music that has clearly resonated with a lot of people, you know, it’s crazy to think about.

You all have been touring for about a year or so straight now, haven’t you?

JC: I think we just came off our busiest summer ever, actually.

SB: It’s so funny because it doesn’t feel like it!

JC: Yeah, summer’s gone now, it’s wild.

SB: I feel like we’ve had way busier summers than this one...

JC: Yeah, this has been one of the most consistently busy stretches, starting from like May basically through, it’s still happening now.

SB: I mean if you think about it, through the span of time, we’ve kinda just been on tour this whole time, since 2012, but like, every year it’s a little bit different. It’s kinda generally the same cycle — one of the really exciting things that we’re doing now is we’re gonna put an album out, which we haven’t done since 2015! We’ve been putting singles out, but we’re actually putting a full record out of 11-12 songs.

Do you have any hints toward that?

JC: Yeah the first official single is out right now; it came out a couple weeks ago called “I’ll Be There,” and there’s more on the way that we can’t probably say a whole lot about just yet, but we’re really excited about it and fans seem to be reacting quite strongly to the new stuff, so it’s great! We’re trying some stuff tonight as well, some additional new ones, it’s starting to feel really good and the feedback

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has been great so far.

SB: New stuff is always good!

Oh yeah, for sure. What’s been one of your favorite memories on this tour so far? If you had to pick?

SB: That’s a good question, hmm…

JC: We got to play Red Rocks a couple months back, out in Colorado, which is amazing. We had a chance to do Wembley Arena in the UK, which is insane!

SB: Oh! I have a good memory! Go on though!

JC: Those were venues that — you know, bucket list things.

SB: We had a day off, we went to Europe in June or July, we had a day off in this little town, and we may or may not have been in Holland the day before and may or may not have stopped by one of the smoke shops and picked up basically everything you can get from one of those shops...

JC: Truffles!

SB: Truffles! And honestly... we laid under the stars, we had this day off, we were at

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a castle, and stared at the stars for like seven hours, and it was like one of the best, most unforgettable nights of my life, it was awesome. I mean, I would go into more detail but it’s almost like you had to be there, it was fun.

JC: We saw shooting stars too, lots of them.

SB: I saw, like, the whole galaxy at one point! (laughs) That smoke shop!

SB: Yeah exactly, it was great.

You’re all parents, correct? How do your kids feel about you all touring and such?

SB: Touring with kids? Yeah, so this was the first time that we’ve actually not taken the kids on tour with us because they’re getting older and some of them are in school and they have their schedules, and like, one thing that I’m adamant about is that we have a schedule for our kids, because it’s important for kids, I think, and so we brought them with us and it just got really exhausting. It’s actually been really amazing because for me, I’ve been able to do my job as best as I’ve been able to in the last like seven years because I haven’t had so many other things on my mind while on tour... I

mean, they’re still always on my mind!

Yeah, but you’ve just been able to focus more.

SB: Yeah! It’s kinda nice, it’s like you get a part of yourself back that you had been giving out for so long. And for me, it makes me enjoy touring a lot more.

You’re known for your covers of popular songs, so what differences have you noticed in the creative process between making your own music and then covering other people’s songs?

JC: It’s pretty different.

SB: Yeah, we like good songs, and like Joel mentioned earlier, we don’t really want to pigeon-hole ourselves into any specific genre, so covering other people’s songs is kinda our way of making that song as if we made it, you know? It’s like, we like it, it’s a great song, but also a lot of people might not listen to that song because of its genre, so we like to change it up and give people a different perspective on that song! Then as far as our original music goes, we actually just did an acoustic cover of one of our own, like our new single “I’ll Be There,” and I personally like it better, because even when you watch it originally with the video, it’s

like “Oh, this is us, this is Walk Off The Earth,” but it’s cool because we can flip-side it. With the single, the way it is right now, like the actual single, it’s different. It’s produced differently.

Gianni Luminati: Yeah, I mean obviously the productions from our covers are always usually more organic-sounding, like instruments are acoustic instruments because the song is produced in a pop way, but when we do our original songs, we produce those in a pop way so they sound like big songs that we cover, if that makes any sense? Our covers are usually more like singer/songwriter type style and our originals are more like produced up like top-40 songs.

It was such an honor to sit down with Sarah, Joel, and Gianni from Walk Off The Earth. They are the sweetest, most down-to-earth group of people! Go stream their newest single “I’ll Be There,” available on all streaming services, and keep an eye open for their upcoming record!

You can also go check out their most recent cover of Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s “I Don’t Care” on YouTube. Be sure to follow @walkofftheearth on all social media platforms to stay updated on the amazing Canadian pop band!

Hosted and photographed by: Emily Richardson

Music and Culture

intertwining

Since the beginning of time, music has greatly impacted the world around us – not just people, but also our mindsets and intentions. If we think about it, almost everything revolves around music – from religion, the way we dress, to politics. It has always been a part of who we are culturally, but much like our world, the music has greatly shifted over the centuries.

Looking back at the 20th century, music was somewhat provocative – it was putting forward radical thesis that were ahead of their time. It’s hard to imagine a man in the 70’s wearing makeup or any other traditionally feminine attributes. Back then, music first fueled sexual revolution, fought against the political injustice and the idea of gender stereotypes. It was progressive, defiant and, most importantly, quite efficient. Music in the 60’s and 80’s has entirely changed people’s perception of fashion and femininity and masculinity.

And to be fair, where else could people see men wearing makeup or women being vocal and loud at that time? Who, if not David Bowie or Prince, first presented androgyny to mass culture? It was the music scene that made self-expression more accessible and accepted.

That, along with the novel messages of music at that time, marked a huge rebellion. Punk, goth, emo, and

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many other musical subcultures saw the light of day and immediately picked up on the riot, which has had a big impact on the worldwide culture. Punk-styled fashion items, new musical genres, original literature, protests and art movements... the list just goes on.

Music has also worked as an instrument of capturing and reacting to vital events of the human history (e.g.

“Looking for America” by Lana Del Rey or “Circles” by Pierce the Veil). Songs about real-life events, much like a time capsule, are a recorded proof of past struggles and victories. They give us a place to mourn or to celebrate something. Interestingly enough, the emotion in which the song is conveyed is evidently as important – if not more important – as the lyrics themselves.

And what about now, in a time when music genres are intertwined and the need of belonging to one particular subculture has become obsolete? What are the messages? How does it affect our culture? It seems that music has an even greater impact on us more than ever.

2000’s bands like Muse or Enter Shikari brought revolutionary political ideas to their listeners with songs like “United States of Eurasia,” “Uprising,” and “Distabilise.”

It seems that nowadays musicians tend to take a more radical approach to

their art. For the last few years, music has obtained political meaning and served as social commentary on throwaway pop culture, patriarchy, ecological crisis, and homophobia. Modern alternative artists like The 1975 and YUNGBLUD speak out against toxic masculinity, overconsumption and gun violence – their sincere, completely uncensored and bold lyrics appeal to young audience who is ready for change. It’s also notable that activists have started working on various projects with bands – hence the new song by The 1975 featuring Greta Thunberg on preservation of our planet.

Modern punk bands also provide a critical contribution to reshaping our social conscience. One of the greatest examples is the band Idles, a group of young men who accept no shame in being vocal about the toxicity of heteronormativity men’s brutality. Their song “Samaritans” is a great representation of what the band stands for.

“The mask of masculinity is a mask that’s wearing me,” sings Joe Talbot. They have also mounted an exhibition with numerous artworks based on the band’s album, conveying their messages in different forms of art.

2010’s pop anthems like “Wrecking Ball” and “All About That Bass” introduced the world to body positivity. Listening to Meghan Trainor’s track in 2014 made me reflect on how the whole world is built around the beauty industry and how it benefits from us – it is the first popular song I heard that openly talked about body image. There is no doubt that the reason why many women started wearing more “revealing” clothes is partially because of the music videos, in which the artists do the same – and do it with a portion of pride and self-confidence.

Over the past few years, music has also contributed to the feminist movement. A lot of female singers have started releasing girl power anthems (“Run

The World” by Beyonce, “Bad Girls” by M.IA, “Hot Mess” by GIRLI and so on), popularizing feminism among their listeners and proclaiming the idea of equality. This is highly important, as the industry is only now becoming welcoming of women, especially from the marginalized groups.

Consequently, a lot of the singers’ fan base became engaged in the movement, too. I can say without a doubt that if it weren’t for my favorite musicians, I wouldn’t have understood the idea of equal rights early on. Along with that, music is closely related to queer culture, as it has played as an instrument of expression for LGBT+ people for years despite censorship and homophobic legislation in many regions.

There is even a sub-genre and an offshot of the punk subculture called ‘queercore,’ which developed in the late 80s. And now, with rising stars like King Princess or Shura, the representation of the queer community is even more common and diverse.

Music is always exhilarating and inspiring to many young people, so it’s no surprise that artists also set fashion trends.

Like Christina Aguilera, who revolutionized the idea of how women should be dressed with her music video for “Dirrty,” or later on Billie Eilish, who revived the trend of baggy clothes among her growing fanbase.

If we really think about it, it’s a part of our identity – wearing clothes similar to our favorite artists’ or buying their merchandise is almost essential for music fans.

With all things considered, it’s safe to say that our culture and music have always worked in synergy and will continue to do so. Music is almost like a mirror which reflects our world and conscience in an artistic form, but also a source of resonance and public outcry – it embodies and brings forth emotion, which is perhaps the most powerful instrument in the world.

Written by: Polina Bakgof

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In Love With Why Taylor Swift’s Seventh Album is her Best Work

T

aylor Swift album release days always make huge fans such as myself feel like a kid on Christmas. So on the night of August 22, I sat on my bed with my phone on airplane mode and pen and paper ready, anxiously awaiting the clock’s turn to midnight so I could listen to Lover with no distractions and write down every single reaction and reference I came up with.

The new era began in mid-April when a countdown to the 26th of the month appeared after a flood of brightly-colored Instagram posts. After 2017’s sudden social media wipe the same day that reputation was announced, we all had a lot more time to prepare ourselves for the thought of a new album. Lover’s lead single “ME!” is basically the polar opposite of reputation’s “Look What You Made Me Do,” which was Swift’s way of showing the world that she’s in a much happier place now than she was 2 years ago. She also decided to focus the Lover album promo around Easter eggs, which are basically hidden clues, meanings, and references that are planted to send fans on a hunt to uncover them all. Basically, the entire fanbase is

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now hyper-aware of every action she makes and absolutely NOTHING can be overlooked.

I am one of many fans who fell into this trap of analyzing every last interview, performance, lyric, and Instagram post. As it turns out, most fan theories ended up being true, which is probably why Swift let us torture ourselves trying to decode her decisions.

Listening to the new album alone with just my earbuds and a notebook gave me a real trip down memory lane, as several of her older tracks are referenced throughout the record. If you haven’t invested as many hours into this as I have, that’s completely valid and I applaud you for having an actual life outside of awaiting Taylor Swift releases. I invite you into my full track-bytrack review of the experimental 18-track album, including every single possible reference I’ve picked out.

Our starting point is “I Forgot That You Existed,” which is an intriguing statement without any context. However, when you gain that context... oh boy, you’re in for a treat. This song quite literally ends the reputation era and

the mindset Swift was stuck in during that time.

It’s about shrugging off someone or something that hurt you and learning to be indifferent to it.

There’s even a lyric in the second verse which proves that reputation as an album was very much in mind while this was written: “You got out some popcorn as soon as my rep started going down.” This is an incredibly playful and fun track, the perfect album opener for this new sugar-pop era. By the end, it’s clear to see that Swift has truly learned to — dare I say — shake it off with some laughs and stop spending time on people who don’t treat her with kindness and respect. This is one of many songs off the album that uses the concept of school as a metaphor, and it ends abruptly with Swift saying “So, yeah…” rather than a formal outro.

The second track, “Cruel Summer,” is arguably the best song on the album. The title is rumored to refer back to a Kanye West album and the summer of 2016 where the pair’s feud left Swift with the most undeserved backlash. You wouldn’t guess that just by listening though — this sugar-coated pop anthem is perfect for any summer or party playlist. Swift made sure to tease this track more than nearly anything else on Lover, and for very good reason. The infectious beat made all fans fall head-over-heels, and the bridge is the absolute best part. We all thought it was so cute when she told us that the title track had the best bridge on the album, but she knew

damn well that she still had this under her sleeve. The already fast-paced beat picks up even more, which leads into the lyric “He looks up, grinning like the devil” being screamed loudly with an empty-room effect before the last chorus. This moment will indefinitely go down as one of Swift’s most iconic lines in her entire discography, not to mention the parallel between her promise to fans that they’d be “the first to know” when she had new music and the lyric “If I bleed, you’ll be the last to know.”

Are you looking for the wedding song of the century? I wasn’t lying when I said this album has a little bit of everything. “Lover,” the title track, comes in third, and it’s one of the most soft and emotional tracks Swift has ever recorded. This song seems to include an endless number of references to Swift’s older music, with everything from “Style” (2014) to “Tim McGraw” (2006). The music video itself was released the afternoon before the album release and takes place within a snowglobe, which is a direct reference to one of the lyrics from 2014’s “You Are In Love”: “You two are dancing in a snowglobe, round and round.” With this track and its music video, fans get a glimpse into Swift’s relationship with Joe Alwyn, who seems to be the true love she’s been yearning for all these years. After a handful of failed relationships, this happy, love-stricken album is Swift’s way of letting the world know that she’s

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finally in a long-lasting relationship.

Another highly-anticipated track, “The Man,” is fourth on the track-list. After Swift shared a couple lyrics in an interview for Vogue Magazine before the album release, it was revealed that the song tackles her encounters with sexism in the music industry by putting herself in the shoes of a man in the same position as herself career-wise. She discusses unjustified difficulties she’s faced throughout her career and reflects on how those situations may have played out differently if she were not a woman. This track objectively gives one of the most transparent views into her life she’s given her audience yet — though she is the world’s highest-paid female artist, she also receives some of the most criticism out of any musician in the world. With Lover, she’s taken back her own narrative by ignoring the mass media and using her political voice, which is displayed for the world to see on “The Man.” The song definitely has the potential to become a radio single if Swift decides to play that card. Love her or hate her, any female can relate to “The Man” and its message. It explores an extremely crucial topic in our modern world, and we can only hope that yet another mainstream artist speaking about their experiences with sexism will make a change.

Swift is known for her vulnerable and emotional track fives on each album, and her seventh contribution to this legacy might be one of her strongest yet. “The Archer” was released prior to the album after an Instagram livestream as a surprise to the fans, rather than a single. The soft track discusses Swift’s failed relationships and other hardships she’s been through that have all been made publicized. She questions her own motifs and picks apart ways she’s presented herself to the world in the past in a desperate attempt to get better. This track was written and produced alongside Jack Antonoff, frontman of legendary indie-pop band Bleachers and a fanfavorite collaborator. It’s no secret as to why we all love his work with Swift so much when he’s responsible for the production of tracks such as “Out of the Woods,” “Call It What You Want,” and “Sweeter Than Fiction.” While carrying the same soft indie-pop style of most Antonoff-produced

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works, “The Archer” also includes a reference to the artist’s own 2017 track “All My Heroes.” The song ends on a higher note than it begins on, when Swift’s cry out asking “Who could stay?” turns into the chant “You could stay.” Again, like most tracks on Lover, Swift includes a reference to her relationship with Alwyn and the positive effects it’s had on her life.

“I Think He Knows” continues along that same path, this time taking the perspective of their relationship before it actually began. In this narrative, Swift compares herself to a 17-yearold in the way that she’s crushing on this boy and no one else understands her — that is, with the exception of the boy himself. In the second pre-chorus, Swift exclaims that her crush is obsessed with her as she is him. Though this track as a whole is definitely a standout on the album, the bridge is the most notable part. What was a cute and suggestive note to her then future boyfriend turns personal when the bridge pictures the pair together in a car with Swift driving, something she usually sings about the man in her relationships doing. She also includes a short line that goes “Follow the sparks,” which is quite likely a nod towards her 2010 track “Sparks Fly.” This song might be the closest we get to the newfound pop style that Swift had found on 1989, and it’s a great listen whether you follow Swift closely or not.

“Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” is perhaps the oddest track title on the album, which was why I was drawn to it even before the album released. Without a doubt, this is another one of the strongest and most creative songs on Lover. The storyline takes place in a makeshift high school and includes references to Swift’s older track “Crazier,” written for a Hannah Montana movie, as well as a “Go! Fight!

Win!” chant cleverly incorporated into the bridge.

The track echoes the themes of reputation by displaying a sort of hidden romance where everyone is gossiping behind Swift’s back and how it felt to be hiding from the media between 1989 and reputation. It also touches on politics at the same time. This track has quickly become a fan-favorite, and reasonably so. For those who were huge fans of Swift’s “So It Goes...,”

probably not coincidentally the seventh track on reputation, this new track includes a very similar style and backtrack as the 2017 deep cut.

Track eight is a danceable anthem titled “Paper Rings.” Though it ranks low on my personal favorites list, it’s a cute and lovestricken track that definitely fits the overall theme of the album. The lyrics recount the story of Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn meeting and the way their romance evolved into what it is today.

Swift exclaims that she “likes shiny things,” but material possession doesn’t compare to her relationship with Alwyn, which is why she would marry him with the fanciest ring in the world or just plain-and-simple paper rings. Complete with producer Jack Antonoff screaming out a countdown before each chorus, “Paper Rings” is a lot lighter in subject matter than the track that came before it.

Another fan-favorite, “Cornelia Street,” comes in at the halfway mark of the album length. This track, much like the majority of the album, paints a vivid picture in the listener’s mind as it tells a story about the couple’s relationship.

Starting out slow and gaining memento, the chorus almost feels as if it’s a breath of fresh air and a new territory for Swift to explore. Cornelia Street, for context, is a real street located in New York City. Swift used to rent an apartment there, and she explains in an interview that the track describes real memories and events that have taken place on this street for her, making it difficult to think about losing her lover and having to continue walking this street with those memories in mind. It’s not the only track on the album that links their relationship back to NYC. “Cornelia Street” is an emotional, nostalgiadriven track about the fear of losing a lover, and the story is told in such a beautiful manner that we can all relate to the feeling, even though Swift is telling a very specific story that really only belongs to her. It’s also entirely self-written, which only makes things better.

Another interesting title with a pop radio-oriented sound, “Death By A Thousand Cuts,” is the tenth track on Lover, but rather than being about Swift and Alwyn’s relationship, it was inspired by a Netflix film titled Someone

Great. The standouts on this song fall in both the intro and the bridge, so we’ll start with the intro and how breathtaking it was from the second the track starts. Shifting from ear to ear, Swift repeats the word “my” with an echo effect, which gradually gets louder until the chorus kicks in, which then transitions into the first verse rather than the standard reversed buildup of a song.

The beat only picks up from there, until it all goes down in the bridge which feels more like a rant that takes place in one big breath and train of thought. Twelve lines are sung so quickly that you’re barely given time to process them, but something I picked out on my very first listen is when Swift begins listing things that belong to the narrator and their lover, beginning with “Our songs,” which is most likely a nod to one of her very first singles [“Our Song”] from all the way back in 2006. The bridge ends with the line “But I’ll be alright, it’s just a thousand cuts,” which feels quite sarcastic after the feeling of desperation in the chorus, but it also shows the character finally coming to terms with their breakup.

Another fun and lighthearted anthem dedicated to Joe Alwyn, “London Boy” begins with a voice memo from actor Idris Elba.

Throughout the rest of the track, Swift compares American landmarks and stereotypes to respective nods about London, UK. There is also a lyric in the second verse which reads “Don’t threaten me with a good time,” which could quite possibly be a reference to Panic! At The Disco’s 2015 track by the same title — after all, the band’s lead singer was a collaborator on Lover’s lead single. Though this is another ode to Swift’s lover and “London boy,” it doesn’t go as in-depth into their relationship as most other tracks. It’s always a great contrast to have a handful of fun, low-thought tracks on a record though!

An odd transition takes us way back in time to Swift’s country days with “Soon You’ll Get Better,” a mellow ballad featuring Dixie Chicks. This is one out of a few tracks on Lover that isn’t about Swift’s romance, but rather a heartbreaking dedication to her mother who is struggling with cancer. The Dixie Chicks feature was also inspired by the way that the band is

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her mother’s favorite. Swift has a difficult time explaining the way that the illness has impacted her and her family, and she speaks to the fear of potentially losing her mother. The track is simple, but it’s very easy to tell why it would’ve been hard to discuss and release. The tearjerker feels out of place among the mass amount of pop-based love songs found on Lover, but it’s something very important to Swift’s heart, and it’s nowhere near her first track indicating her close relationship with her mother.

Iconic track 13 is up next. Anyone familiar with Taylor Swift knows about her obsession with the number 13, so these tracks are always special. Rather than sandwiching “Soon You’ll Get Better” between two songs that are both polar opposites of the ballad, Swift decides she’s not yet ready to speed back up, and instead puts “False God” in this place. Despite the mixed reviews from other huge fans, I have to say without a doubt that this is my favorite track. As a fan of altpop acts such as Halsey and Troye Sivan, “False God” is highly reminiscent of the golden alt-pop age that took place around 2015. It’s also another Antonoffproduced and co-written track, which is always a positive. The soft song was heavily promoted before its release, including an Easter egg in the “ME!” music video and an NYC-exclusive advertisement campaign that ran during release week and coincided with the “I’m New York City” line. The lyrics also venture into carefully explored territory for Swift, using religious metaphors to describe sexual encounters. All in all, it’s a very dark and mysterious track that plays into the narrative that Swift used to hide

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from the media. It shows her as a diverse artist with the ability to portray any story in the setting most fit.

Swift has carefully sprinkled the radio singles into the bottom of the album with “You Need to Calm Down” up next. As the second Lover single, she took her newfound political voice that she’d been forced into silencing for years and made art out of it. This pro-LGBTQ, feminist anthem made major waves in the pop scene and went down as one of the most iconic singles in Swift’s discography. With the release of the supporting music video, she provided a platform to countless LGBTQ celebrities, ranging from Hayley Kiyoko to Ellen Degeneres. She also promoted a non-profit LGBTQ organization called GLAAD and promoted her Equality Act designed for pride month and proposed to the White House to make a change.

Though her political action gained the respect of many who appreciated the support, speaking out about sexism and homophobia actually did her more harm than good, as she also lost a mass amount of fans with opposite beliefs. Swift has made it clear time and time again that she’s confident in her decision to show the world who she is and what she believes in, even if a few people disagree.

“Afterglow” is another favorite of mine, as it’s significantly different from anything Swift has released before. It has a soft underlying feel with cutting-edge vocals pushing through. It’s about taking blame for the downfall of a relationship and asking her lover for forgiveness, which is interesting to put in the perspective of how the

most common pieces of criticism she receives is that she “always plays the victim” and is a “serial dater,” both of which are very untrue (but that’s a different conversation). This track also uses quite a few lines of very similar imagery to reputation tracks, especially “...Ready For It?” Overall, it’s a really great side of relationships to show on an album that’s all about love, because sometimes things will go wrong and it’s important to be able to mend from that.

Finally, we’ve reached the lead single “ME!” featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco. It’s not a personal favorite, but it’s understandable that it’s the most radio-friendly, happy-go-lucky track on the album considering Swift’s lead singles are always oriented towards the general public. This track 16 emerged in late April and sports the most bright and colorful music video you’ll ever watch. With “ME!” being one out of two collaborations on the entire album, it was kind of shocking that she chose it to be the world’s first taste of Lover, but her vocal dynamic with Brendon Urie was incredibly powerful. This duet was completely unexpected due to Urie’s emo roots, but do take note that both Panic! At The Disco and Taylor Swift began their transitions into mainstream pop around the same time. As a fan of both artists, hearing them work together was a very exciting surprise.

“It’s Nice to Have a Friend” is the second-to-last track on the record, and it’s also the shortest track in Swift’s catalog. The roots of this song came from a youth choir in Toronto who write and record their own tunes for larger artists to use in their music. Swift caught ahold of this track, made it her own, and the rest is history. Sales and streams from this track fund the choir. Swift’s lyrics tell a story of a pair of friends meeting in elementary school, growing up together, beginning to fall in love, and eventually getting married, which is a similar tale as that told on “Mary’s Song (Oh My My My)” from her first album. It’s a very soft and lighthearted story that shares Swift’s importance of being good friends with her lover to make the relationship work.

The final track, “Daylight,” is an incredibly significant song for Swift’s career. It tells the

same narrative as the album opener, “I Forgot That You Existed,” where Swift comes to term with the traumas she’s endured over the past few years. In this fully self-written track, she opens up about how hard life became for her, but how between reputation and Lover, she learned to see the positive side of things and allow herself to live without involving herself with people who aren’t worth the time of day and worrying what others might say about her. It even includes a massive tribute to “Red,” the title track of Swift’s wildly popular 2012 record, and the way she looked at the concept of love at that time in her life. The popular line “Step into the daylight and let it go” had been teased for months before the album release, and Swift admitted in a livestream that she almost titled the album “Daylight.” The album comes to a close with a spoken voice memo as the song fades out. This excerpt is taken from a piece of Swift’s foreword in the Lover lyric booklet. After speaking about “wanting to be defined by the things she loves,” she goes on to say that “You are what you love,” which is a fitting line to be the last lyric in the album as it pretty much sums up all 18 tracks in one sentence.

Lover is Taylor Swift’s best work.

Whether you’re biased to one of her older albums, it’s impossible to ignore the message behind this record. A girl who was once destroyed by the spotlight and public eye has finally learned how to be happy and let go of her past. Lover is a love letter to her happiness in her relationship, sure — but it can also be perceived as a love letter to herself. It’s also got a little bit of everything, which is one of the most beautiful things that an artist can do to an album.

Much like 2012’s RED, which is my other favorite Taylor Swift album, a wide variety of song styles helps to tell the story she’s trying to convey, complete with all the highs and lows. Taylor Swift once again proves that she’s the most talented, strategic, and diversified woman in the music industry... but I think we all already knew that.

Written by: Meg Clemmensen

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kindacool.

by Devyn Vaughan

Maggie Rogers

by Devyn Vaughan

Grace VanderWaal

kindacool.

lovelytheband reminds us that

“it’s all gonna be fine” On August 22nd, I had the chance to sit down with Mitchy Collins, Jordan Greenwald, and Sam Price from lovelytheband prior to their performance at the Kentucky State Fair. We sat down together in a trailer that we all agreed felt like an ice-box, following their meet and greet. We discussed everything from their favorite lyrics they’ve ever written, to “lovely inception,” up to their favorite fair food! lovelytheband is a fairly new alternative band, formed in 2016, but they are blowing up very quickly. You probably know their smash hit “broken,” as it was probably one of the biggest songs from late 2018 and early 2019. Following their EP everything i could never say..., they released their first full length album in 2018, entitled finding it hard to smile. Since then, their fanbase has only grown. I met two very dedicated fans prior to the show, one of which drove to Kentucky all the way from New York, and the other from West Virginia. I later watched as these two girls broke down into tears when they were given the chance to meet the band before the show.

It’s clear that this band is something special to a lot of people.

So you have blown up recently and you now have a song on mainstream radio; it’s kind of insane… how are you all feeling?

Mitchy Collins: It’s been wild, it’s been fun. The last few years have been great. I’m thankful for it!

Yeah, it’s pretty insane. Do you remember when you heard “broken” on the radio for the first time?

MC: Yeah, we were in LA! Jordan Greenwald: In my car!

MC: In his car, yeah, and KROQ played it. It was a pretty big moment for us, and the rest is history!

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And here we are!

MC: Exactly!

It seems like it started out as something very personal and emotional, and now it’s all over the radio.

MC: Yeah! It’s been crazy how it happened; I didn’t expect any of it, but definitely thankful for it! Got us to the Kentucky State Fair!

With being at the fair, what are all of your favorite fair foods — I have to ask!

Sam Price: Oh, fair food! I had a deep-fried Klondike bar once, but it was… (laughs) it didn’t work, because it was like raw batter the closer to the ice cream you got, but deep fried Oreos are pretty great.

JG: I went to a fair back at home when I was a kid, my uncle got a deep-fried cheesecake.

MC: Oh! Just anything deep-fried is great.

JG: Yeah, and the fair is basically the only place to get it!

MC: Yeah, and the deep-fried chicken wing.

JG: So basically a normal chicken wing?

SP: Deep-fried cheeseburger!

MC: Yeah.

JG: Oh yeah, deep-fried pizza!

MC: Deepfried ketchup.

SP: Deepfried donut!

JG: Deep-fried mustard.

SP: Me and my friends tried to deep-fry a Reese’s once and we didn’t know what we were doing; we should have chilled it first because it was just peanut butter, and so much of it with like a tiny little bit of chocolate.

So basically anything deepfried!

MC: Yeah exactly!

So I noticed that “Finding it hard to smile” is a lyric in “everything I could never say...to you.” Why did you choose that lyric out of all your favorite lyrics to be the album title?

MC: Um, so, that’s an interesting story... well, everything i could never say... is the name of our EP, and so I thought it would be a nice little like snowflake in that album to put the name of the full-length in the song that was the name of the EP. SP: Lovely inception!

JG: Exactly!

You all have been working on your second album...

MC: Yeah! It was pretty good to have like a month and some change off; that was the longest we’ve been home in a little under two years, so yeah, it was nice to be in once place for a month and being

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able to make music and just get back in that creative state.

Yeah for sure, and you all have been doing a lot of big festivals and touring, do you all plan on doing another tour before you release the album?

MC: Um we’re going to Europe and the UK in November, which will be our first time headlining that, which is gonna be fun!

That’s insane!

MC: Yeah, so that will kinda put the close on the chapter of finding it hard to smile, and then more touring in 2020!

Awesome, that’s exciting! Do you all have any hints towards the album or anything fans can expect?

MC: Umm, nothing yet.

SP: Nothing right now.

What’s your favorite lyric you’ve ever written, and why?

MC: Umm, wow.

SP: That’s a great question.

MC: Yeah, great question, that’s a big question... I guess I would have to say, I know it’s the cheap answer but “I like that you’re broken, broken like me,” because it changed the game for us. Second of that, it’s in a song called “walk from here,” and it goes, “You don’t need to drive me crazy, I can walk from here / there’s no need to drive

me crazy, I can walk from here.”

Yes, that’s such a good song! Why did you choose “finding it hard to smile” as the intro to the album?

MC: We wanted to make a little intro thing, and “finding it hard to smile” encompassed what the album is about, and I think it was like a nice little foreword, if you will, to the record.

Overall, what’s your favorite part about touring?

JG: The shows!

MC: It’s a pretty generic answer, but yeah, the shows. Obviously getting to see new places and meet new people but the shows, you know? We get to perform and make music and call it work. Also, we like to find new food in everywhere we go, which is nice...

SP: Could be dangerous!

MC: The States are starting to get a little like... we have our spots we go to when we go to specific cities, but when we get to go overseas, it’s always fun to be like, “Okay, where should we eat?”

SP: “What is this?”

MC: Yeah, “What is this?”

SP: “And how do you say it?”

Right! And your fans, that’s insane! I met two girls here, I actually met

them on Twitter, but one took a bus from New York just to be here!

MC & SP: Yeah! We just met her! She was so sweet!

have to do before you go on stage?

MC: Yes! And it’s top-secret!

SP: (whispers) Top-secret!

JG: It’s pretty unbelievable!

JG: No one can know! (laughs)

And another was from West Virginia!

You released a second video for “maybe, i’m afraid.” What was your main goal with releasing that video, or the main point that you wanted to get across to your fans or society?

MC: Yeah! Dedicated, that’s what we should say.

They came, like you all did that! It’s something that you all made, and looking out every night and seeing fans with tears in their eyes and screaming the lyrics, how does that feel?

MC: Yeah, it feels good, you know, we’re thankful for it. They’re the reason we get to do this, so we just make music, they bring the songs to life.

So whenever you all write a song, do you all start with lyrics or riffs? Like the riff in “make you feel pretty,” did that come first or did you have the lyrics first or did it just kinda happen?

MC: Specifically that song, yes, the little synth thing came first, and the song kinda came around it, but every song is different.

SP: Sometimes we’ll start with a lyric and throw a beat or a riff in with it.

Yeah! I was listening to that yesterday and I was like, “That would be a good question, I wonder how that came about!”

All: Yeah! Good question!

Do you all have a pre-show routine or anything that you

MC: The first one we thought was a cool little art piece we could do. We teamed up with the director of that and he made the paper animation of it which we thought was really cool, and the actual video we made for “maybe, i’m afraid,” we knew we wanted to partner with an LGBTQ+ positive group, and we partnered with Ally Coalition’s Beyond I Do. We were able to partner with them and we learned a lot from them and the concept came around about the video; we were tossing it around like “Oh, this could be an interesting idea,” and just a different take on it and it ended up working out great.

Now we’ve been able to have them come out on a couple shows on this tour and have them spread awareness and it’s been great because the song has kinda taken on a new life and a new meaning, and we’ve got messages from fans that are saying the song helped them come out to their parents or you know, open up to people.

I know it must be crazy for you guys to be doing that and having that much impact on people’s lives.

MC: Yeah!

I’ve talked to a few fans who

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34 • kinda cool.

actually told me that this song has helped them a lot; this was actually a question that they wanted me to ask.

MC: Right on!

If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

MC: Um, it sounds lame, but like, “It’s all gonna be fine.”

JG: Yeah, I agree with that one.

MC: I mean, my whole life leading up to this was very up-and-down, and yeah, just like, it’s all gonna be fine, and if I could look 15-year-old me in the face, I would be like, “You’re gonna be proud of yourself.”

And you should be. I think everyone needs to hear that sometimes, “It’s all gonna be fine.”

My follow-up question was actually going to be “If you told your 5-year-old self where you would be right now, would you ever believe yourself?”

MC: Yeah, probably not.

Yeah it’s crazy, who were your biggest musical inspirations growing up, or even now?

MC: For me, growing up, a lot of Bruce Springsteen, or really a lot of emo music and stuff like Dashboard Confessional, Taking Back Sunday, a lot of that kind of stuff.

JG: Piggyback on the Sting, I listened to a lot of Police, a lot of classic 80’s bands, late 70’s bands. Yeah, that’s kinda what got me into guitar which pushed me into getting into music.

You’ve opened for the likes of Vance Joy and 5 Seconds of Summer; what are some of the most important things that you’ve learned from them?

MC: I mean, those tours really taught us how to be a band on tour.

‘Cause you all are a newer band, 2-3 years...

MC: Yeah, it taught us how to be a band and, you know, learn how to put on a show and grow that way. The 5SOS tour — they’re some of our best friends in the world, so that was a lot of fun, but they taught us how to take it to that much more of a professional level.

JG: To put on a show, not just playing the songs, but seeing how a band can put their music into a production.

MC: Yeah, there was a good eye opening of “We should strive for this level,” you know what I mean? It was a treat to watch them!

Be sure to catch lovelytheband at one of their upcoming shows if you’re in the UK! If you want to be one of the first to know about their upcoming second album, make sure to follow @lovelytheband on all social media platforms! Mitchy, Jordan, and Sam were such an amazing group of guys and it was an honor to sit down and talk to them prior to the show. They sure know how to put on a show and entertain a crowd, so if you ever have the chance to see them live, make sure you do so!

Hosted and photographed by: Emily Richardson

SP: Uh, I grew up playing to Sting in a band called Switchfoot, and some classical rock, I did metal, did the whole thing and got to here.

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36 • kinda cool.

K.Flay: A Problem Solver,

one song at a time Kinda Cool Magazine recently chatted with Kristine Flaherty, a badass female artist better known by stage name K.Flay, to discuss her latest record and what she’s been up to.

For those of you who are not familiar with her work, you would find it to be more on the alternative side, though she says she truly does not like to label her sound because it is always changing. She originally started doing indie/hip-hop music and then transitioned to more of an alternative-rock sound. However, she jokes — or maybe not — that one day she might even release a ska album and put her trumpet playing abilities to use.

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F

or more context, 2019 has been a busy year for Flaherty and her project.

K.Flay’s latest album, Solutions, arrived this summer. Besides the odd singles, such as her 2018 viral hit “Favorite Color Is Blue” with Robert Delong, the record was her first release since her 2017 album, Every Where Is Some Where. Since the album launch in July, the singer/songwriter has been on tour across North America performing her new songs to raving audiences.

K.Flay has been on the road playing shows for about 7 years now, including this current run of shows, but she’s been creating music ever since college.

When asked what got her into music, she said, “Music was this thing with no expectations and no rules.” She went on to talk about how she was very good at school, goal-oriented, and always followed the rules, so music was a refreshing escape for her. It didn’t matter if she did it wrong; she could do whatever she wanted when it came to creating music.

It was something she didn’t even realize she needed at the time, but years later, it’s clear that it was the best thing she could have done.

I asked Flaherty about her creative process, and she said she really had no set process when it

came to creating her music — which can definitely be heard through her varying, experimental sound. Though she did mention that typically lyrics are first and a melody comes after, she does not limit herself to that process; whatever happens happens, and that’s what she finds so cool about music. The lack of rules is the reason why she loves creating so much because everything can be on her own terms and she doesn’t have to follow anyone’s standards. When it comes to creating music, it is apparent that her sound is constantly changing, and she believes that change is a good thing. She feels artists shouldn’t limit themselves and their music should be changing creatively based on how they feel and what they are experiencing.

With that being said, her latest album really changed things up tonewise in comparison to her older music. “I ended the last cycle so disconnected and wanted to challenge myself to find some solutions to living in this world without feeling overwhelmed,” she says. Being on the road for so long really didn’t help put her mind in a good place and she didn’t want to feel like that anymore. She was in love and things were changing for her, so she was determined to find solutions to the things

“Music was this thing with no expectations and no rules.”

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still weighing in her so heavy, hence the title of the album. Solutions tackles both Flaherty’s own issues, as well as greaterworld problems that she feels need to be publicized more. It even includes metaphors that tie both of these points together, like the track “Good News.”

On K.Flay’s latest album, she has a single with a brand new accompanying video called “Not In California.” The message behind this song is about climate change and the environmental crisis, and it is something she is very passionate about.

The video shows Flaherty sitting in the ocean and around her house surrounded by heaping piles of trash. By the end of the video, she has gone into the street to pick

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up some of the trash, but she gets arrested and the officers dump the trash back into her lawn. She believes that being a voice and raising awareness when possible about how we as a whole should be taking immediate action in regards to climate change is really important. She shares this message with people, in hopes that somebody is listening, because it’s a crisis that can’t go untreated for much longer.

Including impactful lyrics such as “I bet if I asked everybody that I know / They’d wanna be a kid again / So they can do it different,” she hopes to invoke a feeling of regret in her listeners, hoping it will inspire them to take action and make a difference.

This is something that needs to be handled

now and she won’t stop sharing this message until there is change, which is truly inspiring. If you have a voice, speak up.

When discussing her latest album, I wanted to know what Flaherty’s favorite song was. With 10 tracks that each tackle a different aspect of her life, it’s understandable how choosing a favorite might be difficult. “I feel like it changes every time someone asks me this question.

If I really had to think about it though, I would say ‘DNA’ is my favorite. It really crystallizes a longer journey I’ve been on in regards to reconciling with my biological dad and his role in my life and what sort of path and demise that meant for my path in my life. I feel like I’ve reached peace with

that, and it’s a nice feeling.”

Along the topic of speaking up, Flaherty isn’t shy to admit that as a female, she faces a lot of disadvantages. She talks about how this is a very misogynistic world and there are ways she’s being disadvantaged that she probably doesn’t even know of yet. However, that is one thing she actually enjoys about the music scene; she feels that, if anything, there is less sexism in the creative world than in real life. People in the music scene are very accepting. In today’s age, there are so many feminst movements occurring within this scene, and though it is a maledominated industry, a female revolution is only just starting. She also discusses

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how she is able to surround herself and work with other people who think like her and accept her for who she is and what she stands for; her team is filled with feminists who are always encouraging each other.

The people she chooses to surround herself with are also the people that help her get through preshow performance anxiety. She says she still has to deal with it even after years of being on the road, but she luckily found a way to cope, and contrary to what you might think, she says it isn’t just having a drink — “Alcohol just makes me more anxious!” Before each show, her and her bandmates and team play some music backstage and dance it out. Then they play some songs from that night’s set acoustically before getting ready to go out on stage. She says she is most at peace when she’s listening to music, and it just helps her like nothing else can.

We asked Flaherty to share one last piece of advice with us in regards to others who want to follow in her footsteps, and her answer was to play

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more shows. She talked about how “almost every good thing that happened to me in my career and relationships I established are just because I played a show.” Most of the people in her life today are there because of touring.

“Playing shows and building a touring audience is very important and is what separates you from creator and touring artist,” she says. Whether it’s 5 or 5000 people, a show is a show, and it’s the best way to get your name out there and simultaneously learn who you are as an artist. You never know who’s in a crowd!

We’re glad to know that K.Flay is at peace with many things in her life that once brought her discomfort. She is a passionate person both on and off stage, and it seems like she plans to continue on being true to herself for a long time to come. If you haven’t checked out her new record Solutions yet, you can stream or purchase it on all major services.

Hosted and photographed by: Ravyn Cavanaugh

Alexa O’Kane...

• is writing music reviews, concert reviews, & more

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alexaokane.wordpress.com @alexaokandykane @alexaokane

SAM FENDER: the natural progresssion of a star Just as we close out the year, I ask you to look back. Cast your mind back to the beginning of the year when many of us fans did not expect to be gifted with such fantastic music. The amount of new releases from fairly new artists that have surely made themselves a staple in the formation of the sound of the next decade is incredible.

Amongst these incredible artists is the incredibly honest and grounded musician Sam Fender. Having won the Brit Awards Critics’ Choice for 2019, reaching the number one spot on the UK Album Charts and last but most definitely not least, releasing his debut album Hypersonic Missiles on September 13th, Sam Fender has definitely been one to watch. His music is not only incredibly catchy but it is truly cognizant.

The North Shields native, whilst topping the charts, is the exact same lad who used to live with his mum in their flat in Newcastle. This was incredibly evident in the way Fender engaged in conversation as if we were friends that had possibly known each other in passing...

2019 has been a bit of a whirlwind for you, hasn’t it? Let’s start off with talking about your most recent TV appearance. What was it like performing on Jimmy Fallon?

you know what I mean? Like no matter how many people there are to see you, you’ve got to play like you’re the underdog always because I think that wins people over.

Yeah, wow! It was utterly terrifying but amazing.

I was very, very nervous, but got through it and I think we did well. Jimmy was buzzing — he was really, really excited about it and he came and spoke to us for like half an hour afterwards, which was really sweet of him!

What was it like playing at Tynemouth Castle?

You’ve recently just jumped off of the Lollapalooza and Osheaga Festival buzz.

What is the most important aspect you feel when playing for these different performance spaces?

I think it’s just being aware that there will be people there that don’t know who you are, so I always try to win people over when I’m at a festival, do

It was absolutely incredible! 4,500 people from home and it was just kinda like a big celebration, really.

That’s so nice! You know, listening to some of the tracks being featured on your debut album Hypersonic Missiles, what was the process like deciding which ones to feature on the album or even the deluxe album?

To be honest, I wrote so many songs, and the majority of the songs on the album, half of them I wrote when I was like 19/20. Like six years ago?

So it was just kind of all about picking. I had loads

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of old songs that I would’ve probably, you know, potentially even left behind! There was a lot of good songs there, but we just picked all of the songs that chronicled the journey from when I first met my manager to now. Trying to get like a real sort of broad spectrum, and I think we’ve achieved that. It’s a very much classic debut album in the sense that every two or three songs, the kind of mood changes. Yeah, I’ve described it as a milk tray chocolate selection boxThat’s a great analogy for it!

Is it?

Yeah, definitely! Let’s talk about your single covers. There’s a certain simplicity to each and everyone of them with the white borders and the different images depicting something within each song. Could you explain the artistic intention supported by these single covers that essentially form a story along with your growing body of work?

The single covers actually, they’re not really all

connected to the songs. They’re just abstractions of my surroundings. So the very first one, the “Play God” radiator. That was the radiator on the wall, and that was the radiator on the wall where the band was rehearsing. We were rehearsing in our rehearsal studio in Newcastle. Then, the “Greasy Spoon” telephone used to always hang off, used to always fall off the wall, that was the telephone in the rehearsal studio. They’re just all different abstractions of places that mean something or were apart of my growing up. So the plant pot on “Millennial” is outside of the pub where I used to work, and you know, the cone in the block of ice [the cover of “Friday Fighting”] is behind the ice rink where people go to watch the ice hockey in my hometown. There’s just loads of different snapshots of abstractions of where I’ve grown up or where I’m from. And then the one I’ve released recently is just a shot of me looking into a puddle.

Because it’s almost a portrait of myself, but we’ve saved the shot of me for the album.

That’s really cool actually, I didn’t think of it like that.

Yeah, it’s like a slow reveal!

Let’s focus on your newest single, “Will We Talk?.” What your thought process going into formulating its punchy sound?

“Will We Talk?” was just kind of a fun pop song that I wanted to write about one-night stands.

It wasn’t too heavy. It’s just kind of about night clubs and growing up in places like TheCut in Newcastle. And I had this guitar part that was kind of Stroke-y indie, 2000’s college rock sort of feel.

And I was just like, “Alright, this could be a really good song,” and it happened quick. I wrote it in about ten minutes. Sometimes that happens. They just fall out the sky. And I was just like “Okay, I’m gonna record this,” and it was just really simple.

The string part just came later, but yeah, it was just kind of one of those songs that came out of the sky.

Woah! So it was like almost easy in the sense that it came about very naturally.

You don’t always get that. It’s kind of like fishing.

I think songwriting is like fishing. Neil Young said this and Noel Gallagher said this and I totally, totally believe in this. You’re always putting your rod in, but you don’t always get a fish. That’s the thing, sometimes you get something but

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sometimes you don’t. I’m trying to write songs all the time, you know what I mean? But I don’t write a song everyday. I write a song whenever it just happens and sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t.

How was Japan?

It was mental. I was proper mental, I’ve never been anywhere like that!

Have you had the chance to relax yet?

I’ve not actually gone home yet. I went to see my dad; he lives in France, so I came out here because I’d never actually been to his house before. He lived here for like a year now and I’d never been. So I made the plunge, because I knew I had a couple of days off and I thought “Fuck it.

I’m gonna go see my dad.” It’s been absolutely wonderful! I’ve just been sitting with him, listening to music. It’s been great!

Let’s get into it! How would you compare your songwriting in terms of growth since writing “Will We Talk?” to now?

I think it’s naturally just gotten a bit better. I think I’ve matured a lot as a person since I wrote that. I mean, I think you can hear the difference between “The Borders” and “Hypersonic Missiles” and even “Will We Talk?.” You can hear the difference in them. They’re worlds apart. I mean, I still like them all, but they’re just different eras. And yeah, I think “The Borders” and all that sort of stuff is just where I want to go with my music at the moment.

But saying that, by the time I come out and release the second album, it might be completely fucking different. I’d say, I’m probably more self conscious when I’m writing. Because when I used to write the first couple of singles, I was fucking scathing almost to the point where it came across like ranting. I think now you need to be careful as to not offend people and be a bit conscious. I think “Poundshop Kardashians” got taken out of context once by a journalist and I was a little bit gutted because that’s not what I meant, I was just gutted that it could be taken in that way.

You’ve just mentioned your second album which was the focus of my next question. How has that been going? Is there anything you can reveal?

I mean the second one, I’ve already started writing

it, so I’m already ahead because I’m always writing anyway. You know, I’m writing constantly, so probably by the time I release the second record, I may have already written the third one by the way I’m going. If I keep writing the way I’m writing.

You’ve taken inspiration from your hometown and mentioned previously that “Play God” was based around or inspired by 1984. Where else do you get your inspiration from? Creative mediums or not?

What else do I get inspired by? I mean anything and everything really. I’m inspired by just current events — whatever sort of riles me up enough to want to write about it. So I think that could be anything, y’know like the next thing that fucking Boris Johnson doesOh, he gets on my nerves.

That fucking idiot, he’s a buttered bastard.

I just don’t have the words to describe how much I dislike him, with a very strong passion.

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It’s him and Trump y’know. It’s almost laughable.

It’s weird how he’s like a carbon copy of Trump, they’re just like the same person.

Yeah!

You’re going on quite the expansive tour almost right before Hypersonic Missiles is released. What has it been like planning that?

It’s my job! That’s just what I do. It’s not easy.

Touring is not easy, it can be tough but I do enjoy it. Especially when I feel like I’m in good shape for it. I really enjoy it. But it’s like anything, you have good days and bad days.

It’s like any kind of job in a sense, but a bit moreIt’s relentless. It’s very much like, touring is like marathon running. You’ve got to really conserve your energy and look after yourself. If you go out and give it your all, it could blow your voice out, so you’ve got to really be conscious of how much you go in for it. And don’t party too hard. You can’t ever do that or you’ll end up in big trouble.

You’ve mentioned how much you love touring.

Let’s talk about performing. What are your favorite things or least favorite things about the road?

I suppose it’s going to new places and meeting the fans. I think those are like the two main things.

I love seeing a room full of people singing my songs. It’s fucking... it’s magic. It’s the greatest feeling on earth. And then like going to new places you’ve never been to before like Japan, I mean what the fuck, that was insane! I would’ve never been able to go there with any other club. Like I couldn’t have done that if I was working at a call center at Sky. You just have to remember that you’re very, very lucky. Sometimes you have to remind yourself just how lucky you are.

Your energy on stage is absolutely electric.

What goes into deciding the setlist as each song takes the audience through different moods?

I mean the setlist changes every other night, man!

I just try to keep things varied and try to make

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sure that the energy swells. I like it to capture the audience by surprise; I almost feel like you can do that by bringing the show lights down and then suddenly hitting them with something to keep the energy going.

Your songwriting is an absolute force to be reckoned with and you’ve described writing for yourself as a form of catharsis. What was it like realizing that you had tapped into something that people were relating to?

I’ve never written for anybody else other than myself. I always just kind of wrote what I felt really serves me. Yeah, that’s how that works. And then I guess, just seeing the response I get from people. I get messages online and stuff all the time of people being like, you know, “Dead Boys” meant something to them. It’s kinda what you hope for. The messages I get every single day — I get hundreds, my requests on Instagram of just people reaching out and talking about how the music affected them and stuff, and it’s incredible and impossible to keep up with the messages, but I try to read as many of them as I can. That’s insane to me, to know that people like that.

That must be really nice!

Yeah, it’s great!

Alright! I’ve got some quick-fire questions for you that some of your fans have sent in!

Go on then!

What would be your dream venue to play in?

I’d like to do Newcastle Arena.

A bit of home?

Actually, I’m gonna do St James’ Park in Newcastle. Yeah, that would be my dream venue: St James’ Park.

What was your first memory of live music?

Seeing my dad’s band when I was like 3-4 years old when I was rooting around the pub watching my dad.

If you weren’t famous, what would you see

yourself doing now?

Well, they’re all dead. [laughing]

I’d probably be working. I’d still be doing my music, but I would just probably be doing it on a smaller scale in my hometown.

Yeah, well I have my ways.

If you were to host a dinner party and you could invite anyone, dead or alive, who would you invite and why?

I would invite Aretha Franklin, Biggie Smalls and Elvis Presley because they’ve all got banging tunes and they all look like they can fucking put food away, which is perfect for a dinner party. They all like their food and they’ve all got great tunes. I’d just sit and talk with them about their music while eating good because I like my food as well so I wouldn’t want to invite like some rock-and-roll star who’s a heroin addict, like they’re shit. If you’re having a dinner party, you want some people who can put away their food.

Oh yeah! You want them to eat the food and have a good time, like good company.

Yeah, yeah exactly! And I know for a fine fact that Biggie Smalls, Elvis Prestley and Aretha Franklin will do that.

I’ll see if I can contact them for you.

Yeah, you’re gonna need a fucking ouija board mate, there’s none of them out here anymore!

This is my last question for you, finally — what would you like to be remembered for?

I’d like to be remembered as a good person, I think? I know that sounds a bit wacky, but somebody who’s had some good tunes and was able to be someone’s hero. That’s as good as it gets, because there’s nothing better than when you hear about your heroes and you actually hear that they’re nice people as well. I think that’s who Bruce Springsteen is for me, and I would want to be that to somebody else. If I could be that for some kid, that would be my biggest dream come true.

Thank you so much to Sam Fender and his team for the interview. Sam and his band are currently on a worldwide tour playing in a city near you!

Don’t forget to pick up Hypersonic Missiles on vinyl/CD or stream it wherever you stream your music.

Hosted by: Chelsea Tiso Photos courtesy of: Jack Johns

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kindacool.

by Emily Richardson

Judah & the Lion

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an afternoon with

THE HUNNA Hailing from Hertfordshire, England, The Hunna are vocalist Ryan Potter, guitarist Daniel Dorney, bassist Junate Angin, and drummer Jack Metcalfe. 2018 marked the release of their second album, Dare, which peaked at the 12th position on the UK charts. More recently, the band released a new synth-laden single titled “IGHTF,” along with a chaotic, yet thematically-focused music video. Most importantly, however, the band has created their own fashion line in conjunction with Post Kulture. Their first collection launches October 14th, and the previews we’ve gotten so far have been exciting, to say the least. Currently, they are hard at work creating their third album, but luckily in between all their hard work, I got a chance to pick Jack’s brain about touring and their new projects.

To start off, I’d like to talk about touring. You guys have been on tour with Barns Courtney for a while. How has that been going, and has he been able to share any meaningful advice with you?

Not really. This is what, our fourth tour out here?

So we kinda know how it goes. Being on tour has been great; obviously we toured with Barns back in the UK as well. Everyone gets on really well, so it’s been a chill tour and obviously when we hit the stage it gets pretty mental.

Talking about your recent single, “IGHTF,” who came up with the concept and how did the track come together?

So, Tino [Ryan Potter] miraculously came up with the concept, for sure. With this single anyways, it wasn’t planned, it just happened because we had been through a big thing before that. It was kind of the time and chance to express how the band was feeling and how we’re moving on whilst also reflecting. It was the end of an era as well; it was kind of like closing a book and then opening a new one.

Your music video came out a few days ago and it’s absolutely great, I love it. Did you guys have any input on the direction of the video?

I mean, we had our ideas of what to do with it,

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but our good friend Haris who shot the video had a really cool concept and he brought it to us. We really loved what he was picking up. On top of that, he knows a lot of people in the model industry and he wanted us to be in the video, so it was a mix of us doing what we do and collabing with him. He’s such a close friend and such a visionary, and he’s just an incredible person to work with. Yeah, it was a lot of fun, and his ideas just naturally flowed on the day of shooting.

Looking at your Twitter, there’s been so much love for your band, especially after the Reading and Leeds Festival. What was the highlight of your experience at the festival?

Oof. Just to walk on stage in front of the set was incredible for us; to get such a big, warm reception and be able to do what we love on stage to so many people was incredible. It’s something you dream of what you’re younger, you know, “I’d love to be on that stage one day.” The fact it happened was surreal.

Apart from the festival, are there any other touring goals that you guys are aiming to achieve in the long-run?

Touring goals... yeah, I guess just trying to play out here more in the States. We’ve been here a few times, but it takes a long time to build momentum in the States as it’s just so much

bigger than the UK. Over here, Madison Square Garden will be sick. We’ve always wanted to play in Las Vegas; none of us have ever played there. Tino said the other day the Super Bowl, we’re talking Willy Wonka Golden Ticket dreams here. But, yeah, we’d love to do Coachella, Lollapalooza... all the historical great places out here. We’d love to play the Pyramids like the Red Hot Chili Peppers did. Wembley as well would be a dream for us, back at home. We’ve got a few years before that though.

Yeah, that’s the dream though. What can we expect for the band in the coming year?

After this tour we’re recording our third album, so 2020 will be a big year for us, getting back on the road. There are certain places we haven’t been to, like southeast Asia. We touched Australia once for a week, but with the third album, I think we’ll be lucky enough to explore more places like China, Japan, and Korea. Yeah, next year we’ll have a big UK and Europe headlining tour.

Probably get back in the States as well. Summer festivals next year and then who knows, might be onto the fourth album by that time. But yeah, lots of touring and getting the third album out there once we finish recording in October.

That’s lovely. In terms of your third album, is there a particular direction you guys want to go, or have you not figured that out yet?

Yeah, we’ve got lots of demos revolving around the third album. There’s definitely a more mature flavor. We’ve always been one of those bands

where there’s not much bullshit. We speak the truth and talk about real experiences, whether it’s something individual or something the band has been through. That always remains the same, but obviously there’s more to tell after what we’ve been through. We’ve all grown up a bit since the second album. Musically as well, we’re going down a darker, experimental, sort of heavy route.

We’re still a band, but we’re bringing in some hip-hop and electronic sounds. We want to work with more artists and do some features as well.

“IGHTF” is the transition, the start of that new phase.

To close things off, is there anything you’d like to tell your fans?

First of all, thank you for everyone’s support; everyone was coming to the tour to show us love. Anyone new who’s heard us and digs us, we really appreciate it. You can follow us on our socials @THEHUNNABAND on multiple platforms. And yeah, we’re excited for the third album recording! We’ll be back next year bigger and better with new music, and we’re excited to see everyone back on tour.

Jack went above and beyond in letting me in on the details with regards to what The Hunna will be doing next. Make sure to stay tuned for their upcoming third album, currently in the works. You definitely won’t regret it.

Hosted by: Kariann Tan Photo courtesy of: Haris Nukem

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