The Hoya: The Guide: April 1, 2022

SERIES “Euphoria” Season 2 falls short of its predessor, disappointing with a slow plot. B4

AWARDS The first in-person Oscars since 2019 surprised viewers with an on-stage slap. B6

MUSIC Charli XCX’s latest album “Crash” takes flight instead of crashing and burning. B7

April 1, 2022

How Punk has Rocked DC

“One Nation Underground” shows that D.C.’s 1970s punk scene has not been laid to rest.

Nina Jennings Hoya Staff Writer

ILLUSTRATION BY: TIMOTHY GOH/THE HOYA

‘It Can Never Die’: The Powerful Legacy of the DC Punk Scene

COURTESY SAMANTHA MARQUES

The newly opened exhibit “One Nation Underground: Punk Visual Culture 19761985” in the Walsh Building celebrates one of the most significant and enduring artistic movements in Washington, D.C.’s history: the rise of punk rock music.

The exhibit cronicles the advent of punk rock in the District, as musicans experimented with new sounds and forged long-lasting community bonds.

Nina Jennings Hoya Staff Writer

Adorning the walls of Georgetown University’s Spagnuolo Gallery is a variety of cultural memorabilia commemorating one of the most influential cultural and political movements in Washington, D.C.’s history: the rise of punk rock in the 1970s and 1980s.

The exhibit, entitled “One Nation Underground: Punk Visual Culture 1976-1985,” is on display until May 1 in the Edmund A. Walsh Memorial Building, a couple of blocks from the front gates. With posters, flyers and pins from the era plastered on the walls, “One Nation Underground” packs nearly a decade of cultural revolution into the small room.

From noted punk bands of the era like the

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Cramps to Marginal Man, the exhibit nods to some of the major pioneers of the D.C. punk movement, paying tribute to the infectious citywide eruption of punk music.

“One Nation Underground” is a powerful history that echoes throughout D.C. and the broader music scene. By chronicling the social and musical developments of the time, this exhibit opens the door to explore the rich history of punk music in the District.

For example, the opening of the exhibit features many colorful band posters promoting various punk group performances at D.C. venues, including one for Bow Wow Wow and Bush Tetras at the Ontario Theatre in 1982. Many of the band posters featured are visually cluttered and discordant, speaking to the striking visual culture produced by bands and fans themselves.

Emerging from social and economic uncertainty in D.C. throughout the 1970s and 80s, young Washingtonians pioneered the District’s punk scene, creating a community rooted in resistance, resilience and innovation.

From the Ashes

The punk rock movement emerged in conjunction with social pressures and economic instability in 1970s D.C. According to Benjamin Harbert, a Georgetown professor of music with a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology, the District’s punk impulse stemmed from a wave of urban crises in the 1970s, such as urban redevelopment efforts.

“A lot of white flight had rid the city of a lot of wealth and the social services the city provided had dried up. There was an economic crisis and

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022

there was a lot of fear of crime in the streets and sanitation workers going on strike,” Harbert said in an interview with The Hoya. “So you had a bunch of artists who were like, ‘Let’s make this our playground, and let’s make statements.’”

Female and Black musicians led the D.C. punk movement in the 1980s. All female bands like Chalk Circle exploded onto the scene, as well as talented solo artists like bassist Toni Young, who went on to join the famous punk band Red C. The aspects of the exhibit in the Spagnuolo Gallery are designed to highlight both the progressive causes at the time and musical intersections of the movement. Ian Bourland, art history professor at Georgetown and curator of the exhibit, said that exploring progressive causes in the D.C. punk scene is one of the central themes of the exhibit. For example, Rock Against Racism was a progessive cause at the time that fought against racism.

“When you first walk into the Spagnuolo, there’s a poster that says ‘Notting Hill Carnival,’ and it’s a Rock Against Racism poster,” Bourland told The Hoya. “The first thing you see about the punk shows is also about this moment, across the Atlantic, really, where there were progressive people in these music scenes, fighting very similar battles — the ones we’re still fighting today.”

While the movement as a whole was characterized by its new musical style at a time when progressive political discourse was blossoming in the city, what truly made the era special were the ways in which innovative opportunities emerged for musicians through this new sonic experimentation.

Age of Opportunity

Directly across from the Spagnuolo Gallery once stood the Hall of Nations concert venue. It was there, during the genesis of D.C’s punk movement at a concert headlined by the Cramps, where 17-year-old Ian MacKaye fell in love with punk.

A former frontman of D.C. punk groups like Minor Threat, the Teen Idles and Fugazi, and later co-founder of independent music label Dischord Records, MacKaye remembers the exact moment when he fell in love with the genre.

“On February 3, 1979, I saw the Cramps. It was the first punk show I ever went to, and it was the greatest show I ever went to, still,” MacKaye said in an interview with The Hoya.

A well-known figure within the District’s punk movement, MacKaye remembers that the magic of D.C. punk lay in its openness — its ability to garner avant-garde sound, create a sense of community and most of all, welcome any and all who were remotely interested.

“There was a permission with punk that says you didn’t have to be trained,” MacKaye said. “If you want to do it, you could do it. It was like straight-up permission. And I was very intrigued by that idea.”

Brendan Canty, an adjunct professor in Georgetown’s department of performing arts and former drummer for local punk bands Rites of Spring and Fugazi, also notes that the Dis-

trict’s punk scene grew exponentially by reaching people like MacKaye with its new sound.

“When that weirdo music becomes more popular and touches more people, it creates again. It begets itself. It’s self perpetuating,” Canty said in an interview with The Hoya.

“The more people come out, the bigger the scene is, the more weird bands exist and that brings in more people — and it just blossoms and flowers.”

Furthermore, following this pattern of growth, according to Canty, the D.C. punk scene gripped local youth like himself in its distinctiveness, hooking the city with its unique sound and artistic magnitude.

“I quickly realized that not only do we have a punk rock scene in D.C., but we really had the best punk rock scene in the world as far as I was concerned,” Canty said in an interview with The Hoya. “It became very apparent that not only was it just like a vital scene, but it was actually like a musically important scene and very distinctive, and I wanted to be part of it.”

The individuality of D.C.’s punk movement is one of the major factors that helped to shepherd its growth, aided by an air of openness and excitement in the movement that caused people like Canty and MacKaye to want to join in.

COURTESY SAMANTHA MARQUES

The exhibit displays how D.C.’s punk era persists today. Ian MacKaye, former frontman of punk band Minor Threat, said the modern punk scene is still alive and thriving to this day.

A United Community

With an emphasis on creative expression and a lack of a formal musical experience requirement, the D.C. punk scene blossomed into an extremely close community of artists, performers and fans.

According to Jim Saah, photographer and author of “In My Eyes,” a 2021 book critically acclaimed for capturing the essence of the District’s punk scene in photos, part of what made the movement so appealing to newcomers was the lack of physical and emotional barriers between the artists and audiences.

“When I went to see the punk rock shows, the breakdown between the audience and the performer was staggering because people could participate in it,” Saah said. “You could jump on the stage and sing along in the mic and you could sweat on the singer. It’s like a total immersive, communal event and that participation was what was so intoxicating for me because you weren’t a spectator — you’re a participant.”

This intimate connection between performers and fans itself was built on principles of inclusion and self-sufficiency. For anyone with a creative inclination, D.C.’s punk movement offered a chance to imagine and realize a more inclusive and supportive world, according to Canty.

“Punk rock to me is the foundation of what became my created world,” Canty said.

“It can be construed as a musical sound, but ultimately, I think what it is, it’s a little bit more like a set of a set of ethics or a non-pretentious approach to music that allows that a little bit bigger tent — allows people in to a world that is mutually supportive, that is self-supportive and self-sufficient.”

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022 | THEHOYA.COM

Canty said the D.C. punk scene has provided him with a lifetime of community and connection.

“What seems to be like a hyper-localized reality from your ‘scene,’ it follows you throughout your entire life,” Canty said. “It might not seem very visible because it’s not supported by any major record company, and there’s no press campaign, and nobody’s getting rich and nobody’s getting payments or grabbing the headlines, but that community continues to exist.”

As seen through the experiences of those involved in D.C.’s punk scene during the 1970s and 80s, it is evident that a vibrant community existed during the time that was committed to supporting each other creatively and personally.

Legacy of Punk

Though time has passed since the movement’s peak, the spirit of punk remains tangible in D.C. The essence of D.C. punk endures not just through the souvenirs currently displayed in the Spagnuolo Gallery, but also through a sense of long-lasting community it instilled in its artists and listeners.

“The scene is not fixed. So you don’t come up in it. You come up of it,” MacKaye said. “You can make community through inclusion.”

Musicians from D.C. punk’s heyday continue to have an impact on the community by exercising their values. On Friday, April 1, District residents can experience Canty’s drumming in action when the Messthetics play St. Stephen and the Incarnation Epsicopal Church, a notable punk venue since the 1980s. The event, which starts at 7 p.m., will be a benefit for Ukranian

and Afghan refugees.

“That’ll be a great show,” MacKaye said.

“It’s put on by Positive Force D.C., and it’s a benefit. That’ll give you a different flavor of what the punk scene here was like.”

By helping to sculpt a notion that creative agency can lie in the hands of its actors, D.C. punk is an example of individual power in music. The movement helps to show that art can be widespread and influential while remaining true to the artists and their communities, according to Harbert.

“They continue to define that doing it yourself means working collaboratively with a community rather than subscribing to a service,” said Harbert. “They remain a beacon of possibility in a world that’s bought and sold all the time.”

The movement’s power in shaping important dialogues about musical and social issues has not gone away. Punk culture can still unite and empower people, according to Bourland.

“These struggles are ongoing. So I think we can maybe glean a sense of intergenerational solidarity,” Bourland said. “There’s something sort of empowering about punk culture, and I hope that is resonant for a younger generation.”

It is evident today that the District’s punk era still lives on though the people it touched in the 1970s and ’80s. Punk’s rise in D.C. illustrated a shared sense of creativity that anyone can still engage with today — one that can never disappear, according to MacKaye.

“It’s a new idea, and it’s a really exciting moment. And that’s what I still think about punk,” MacKaye said. “It’s why I think it can never die.”

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@EUPHORIAHBO/TWITTER

Critics praised the first season of “Euphoria” for its costuming and creatvity.

However, the lack of narrative arc in the second season detracts from the visual strength

SERIES

The Sparkle of ‘Euphoria’ Dulls in 2nd Season  Luke McMahan Hoya Staff Writer

This past Super Bowl Sunday, over 5 million people tuned into the new “Euphoria” episode, eager to see what drama would unfold, only to be disappointed by the slowmoving plot and lackluster script.

Following a two-year hiatus, the beloved HBO show returned for a second season in 2022, going bigger and bolder in its exploration of the troubled lives of its expansive cast.

Creator Sam Levinson built upon the first season’s imaginative visuals and complex social drama with more fourth wall breaks, symbolic visual gestures and artistically shot scenes, accompanied by a widely lauded selection of music.

But ultimately, in this pursuit of bigger and better, “Euphoria” ended up biting off more than it could chew. In fact, season two only magnified the problems in the show’s first season.

“Euphoria” initially gained widespread praise for its intelligent take on the classic high school television drama, unafraid to depict incredibly serious issues with a candor and bleakness not traditionally present in the genre.

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On the surface, the second season maintains the show’s creativity and scope. The cast once again gives mostly good performances — highlights include Zendaya and Eric Dane — and the show delivers on its nostalgic atmosphere and cinematography. But while the season is technically excellent, its narrative structure and plot lines fall flat.

Both the plot and the characters seem much more disconnected than in the show’s first season.

Many of the storylines introduced in the first season were dropped or completely forgotten in season two. For example, McKay (Algee Smith), who was prominently featured in the first season, received only a brief cameo in the first episode of the second season. The screen time allotted to certain main characters — primarily Jules (Hunter Schafer) and Kat (Barbie Ferreira) — is noticeably truncated.

This disorganization and lack of coherence is the responsibility of Euphoria’s writers — or lack of, as Levinson holds the only writing credit.

Regrettably, “Euphoria” is a show that thinks it’s more intelligent than it actually is. This is not to say the show is necessarily unintelligent on its own — it does several things well. Specifically, Levinson and his crew excel in providing entertaining and creative sequences. However, striving for pretty and stylistic

cinematography obviously took Levinson’s time away from essential elements of compelling shows, namely consistent character development.

Each episode was crammed with wild sequences, often full of intensely emotional and graphic depictions of drugs, sex and violence; it would be naïve not to acknowledge that these scenes are what “Euphoria” is most known and praised for. Yet, most episodes simply jumped from one stylized tableaux to another without a strong enough character arc to animate its damaged depictions of high school life into continuously evolving characters.

In other words, the show’s imagination gets in its own way. Symbolism and absurdism are great on their own, but they need to be coherently tethered by the forward progression of the characters they feature.

Presenting trauma alone does not make compelling characters. Rather, compelling characters are made when the audience understands how each individual reacts and how they develop because of their experiences. Relegating such crucial emotional development to the sideline each week resulted in a rushed finale, in which several of the previously established storylines suffered at the hands of a lack of deserved resolution.

“Euphoria”’s greatest strengths and blemishes can be boiled down to Lexi Howard’s (Maude Apatow) play, which serves as a narrative anchor for the show’s last two episodes — and whose inclusion serves as an apparent proxy for its creators. The play, powered by a questionably large high school theater budget, contains several absurdist and imaginative sequences, most notably the football team’s dance to Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding out for a Hero.”

It also includes several impactful scenes featuring Lexi’s candid reflections on her teenage years.

But between all the seemingly poignant yet simplistic lines and inventive segments, the play boasts absolutely no cohesive plot to tie its elements together. Like Lexi’s play, “Euphoria” seemed narratively exhausted in its closing hour.

Sam Levinson, as shown in his earlier creative endeavor “Malcolm & Marie,” has a well-established penchant for thinly veiled meta commentary about both the intelligence of his work and his dissatisfaction with other’s criticism of it.

Lexi’s play is not dangerous or brilliant as Euphoria’s high schoolers claim, but confused and oddly constructed. While Levinson gives his surrogate performance a rousing round of applause, the same cannot be said for “Euphoria” itself.

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022

SOUNDS OF THE DISTRICT

Fans Find Caring Community at Conan Gray Concert Emily Smith Columnist

Conan Gray brought teenage heartbreak to The Anthem for his 2022 world tour.

Coming off the release of singles like “Jigsaw” (2022) and the smash success “People Watching” (2021), Gray performed both old music from his sole album “Kid Krow” (2020) and his newer singles. On March 12, Gray explored the anger and sadness that accompany growing up, bringing the tightly squeezed crowd together through his melodic musings above all.

After waiting in a line wrapped around the block, the attendees of the sold-out show squeezed into The Anthem. Immediately the atmosphere adopted a lively ambiance, as people called out to others to compliment their signs and ask for pictures. In the middle of the crowd, a man drew attention with his “This is My Therapy!” sign.

Theshoutingquicklysubsidedwiththeopening performance of bülow, a German-Canadian pop singer who charmed the room with her heavy instrumentation and sweet vocals. Her soft voice contrasted the power of her two songs, titled “You & Jennifer” and “Don’t Break His Heart.”

Following this opening act, Gray dramatically appeared on a platform with the sharp flash of light and launched into his hit “Wish You Were Sober.” The dance beats continued with “Telepath,” but then quickly transitioned into the more melancholy tone Gray is famous for with “Comfort Crowd” and “Astronomy.”

Rather than focus on choreography to engage the audience, Gray relied on subtle sways and gestures that brought an understated elegance to his performance. Gray attempted to connect with every member of the audience from the front row to the back of the concert hall.

Throughout the concert, Gray would stop to ask how the crowd was doing, and he even passed out water to some members of the audience. He also stopped during one of his songs when someone

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fainted in the audience, and did not resume until he received word that she was all right.

In between songs, Gray also made an effort to read every sign that was held up, and he even sang “Happy Birthday” to a fan whose friends had held up a sign celebrating her. This friendly attitude towards the crowd evoked a sense of community between all his fans who were standing close together and belting out the same lyrics in unison.

After months of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a concert like this was a refreshing taste of life a few years ago. Especially since the bulk of his music was released since the beginning of the pandemic, with Kid Krow having been released on March 20, 2020, hearing it live felt like coming full circle. The music that kept me company through the past few years was right in front of me all of a sudden, with a crowd who felt the exact same all around.

As his set progressed, the synchronicity of the audience grew more apparent. During the heartbreaking “The Story,” iPhone flashlights swayed throughout the concert hall, and the screaming of the chorus of “Fight or Flight”

NICK KROLL

‘HUMAN RESOURCES’ Georgetown grad Nick Kroll (COL ’01) has struck comedy gold again. Kroll’s new animated series “Human Resources,” puts his well-known characters into a new adult environment. The series combines the workplace humor of “The Office” with the charming awkwardness of “Big Mouth,” allowing Kroll to reach a more mature audience while relating to the teens who fell in love with the original series.

“Humble Quest” is the third major studio album from queen of country-pop Maren Morris. Morris decided to slow things down with this reflection on classical country music, released March 25.

While there is not much melodic variety on “Humble Quest,” the songs invoke the nostalgia of old country favorites like Dolly Parton .

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Rosalía’s highly anticipated “MOTOMAMI” dropped March 18, giving fans the new bassheavy club hits they have been waiting for. “LA COMBI VERSACE,” “CANDY” and the titular “MOTOMAMI” appear to be favorites so far with their catchy lyrics and dance-worthy rhythms. The album moves along quickly, with each song lasting only about two minutes, but the fast pace guarantees that the listener will never be bored.

Expect to hear these songs at every party.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022 | THEHOYA.COM

HUMANRESOURCES/IMDB

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STACEY LEE ‘OLIVIA RODRIGO: DRIVING HOME 2 U’

ROSALÍA ‘MOTOMAMI’

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Emily Smith is a first-year in the College.

Sounds of the District appears in print and online every other week.

By Maggie Riendeau

MAREN MORRIS ‘HUMBLE QUEST’

@MARENMORRIS/TWITTER

matched perfectly with Gray’s.

The light design further matched Gray’s performance. At every dance beat, the strobe hit Gray and his set precisely to the tempo, and at every sad song, the backing lights faded in and out with shades of blues and purples. The spotlight hit its mark every time, and the produced silhouette when Gray sang on the raised platform only added to the commanding presence he had on stage.

Despite the packed venue and resulting heat, Gray captured the hearts of the entire crowd and gave them a shared experience enhanced by the friendliness of everyone there. Groups frequently turned to dance with one another and one person’s chants often echoed back and forth among those of others.

Gray proved that a show on its own is memorable, but a show that unites a crowd is unforgettable.

After amassing a following with ballads like “drivers license,” Olivia Rodrigo is finally giving fans a look into her debut album “SOUR.” Rodrigo takes viewers along a journey as she road-trips through Salt Lake City, Utah, where she wrote the album.

The film juxtaposes an idyllic view of the mountains with the raw process of creating “SOUR.” The documentary is streaming now on Disney+. @ROSALIA/TWITTER

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@OLIVIARODRIGO/TWITTER

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The 2022 ceremony marked the return of in-person award shows. Notably, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, who made an insulting comment about Jada Pinkett Smith. released in 2020 when the film was expected to be released, due to multiple COVID-19 delays, the song was only considered this year.

AWARDS

Return of the Awards Show: The Guide’s Guide to the 2022 Oscars Haley Resnick Hoya Staff Writer

man (Timothée Chalamet) sent to a dangerous planet in a grand attempt to save the future of humankind. The film is most notable for its stunning visuals, cinematography and two hour and 35-minute running time.

The film won six Oscars, the most for any film of the evening. The awards include: Best Cinematography, Film Editing, Original Score, Production Design, Sound and Visual Effects. Although the film did not win best picture, fans are already speculating that “Dune: Part II,” expected to be released in 2023, could take home the prize.

Maskless celebrities, awkward jokes and extravagant gowns. The 2022 Oscars aired Sunday, March 27, and if it were not for the fact that the chairs were widely separated, this Oscars would have felt like any other prepandemic ceremony, offering a sense of normalcy for film enthusiasts.

Hosted by Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes, this year’s Oscars will surely be remembered for one thing: Will Smith’s surprising on-stage slap of presenter Chris Rock.

“The Guide’s Guide to the 2022 Oscars” re- Will Smith caps Hollywood’s biggest night.

Will Smith winning Best Actor for his performance as Richard Williams, the father of tennis “Dune” icons Serena and Venus Williams, in “King Richard” Coming in with 10 nominations, “Dune” was not his most talked-about moment. Instead, was certainly a topic of discussion at the Os- it was when he went on stage to slap Chris Rock cars this year, especially after many fans were after the comedian made an insensitive joke about upset that the film’s director, Denis Villeneuve, Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett. Leaving the stage, Will did not receive a Best Director nomination. Smith proceeded to yell at Rock and curse, creating The science fiction film, based on the 1965 nov- a tense environment in the auditorium and causing el by Frank Herbert, tells the story of a young the #whatjusthappened hashtag to trend on Twitter.

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Nearly minutes after the incident, Smith proceeded to win his award, apologizing for his behavior during an overly long, emotional speech, likening his behavior to a decision that occured out of love and a choice that his character Richard Williams would have made too. Chris Rock chose not to press charges and the academy announced they will initiate a formal review process.

“No Time to Die” It would not be a conversation about the Oscars if Lin-Manuel Miranda was not mentioned.

In addition to directing the nominated film “tick, tick...BOOM!” Miranda was nominated for Best Original Song with his song “Dos Oruguitas” from the Disney animation “Encanto.” If Miranda had won, he would become an EGOT recipient, meaning he would have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. However, “Encanto” failed to hit the mark.

Instead, the award for Best Original Song went to another young set of artists, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, for their song “No Time To Die,” which accompanied the James Bond film of the same name. Although the song was

Ariana DeBose Another Broadway “Hamilton” alum, Ariana DeBose, was able to make history, winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Anita in “West Side Story.” With her win, she joins Rita Moreno in winning Best Supporting Actress, who also won an Oscar for her performance as Anita in “West Side Story” in 1962.

Moreno and DeBose are the first women and actors of color to reach this feat of Oscar wins for the same character. Previous actors who have won for their performances of the same character include Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro as Vito Corleone in “The Godfather” movies and Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix for their performances as the Joker.

Alongside Kristen Stewart, who was nominated for her performance as Princess Diana in “Spencer,” DeBose was one of the only openly LGBTQ Oscars nominees. The lack of LGBTQ women and women of color among the nominees is a reminder that the film industry still has a long way to go in hiring and representation.

“CODA” “CODA,” whose title is an acronym for “child of Deaf adults,” tells the captivating story of a 17-yearold girl — the only hearing member of a Deaf family in Massachusetts — who helps her parents and brother maintain their fishing business.

The film took the Oscar’s biggest award, winning Best Picture, and being the first to do so with a predominantly Deaf cast. The film was also the first film to initially premiere on a streaming platform (Apple TV+) to win the award. Also making history is the film’s star, Troy Kotsur, who is the first deaf male actor to win Best Supporting Actor. In his emotional speech, Kotsur thanked the Deaf theater stages and dedicated the award to the Deaf community, the ‘CODA’ community and the disabled community.

With wins for Ariana Debose and “CODA,” this year’s Oscars proves the film industry is progressing, shaping a more representative narrative in terms of storytelling and the actors within. However, this year’s award ceremony must not stand alone. The hashtag #oscarssowhite began only seven years ago and history, unfortunately, is no stranger to repetition. Each Oscar ceremony is a reminder for more inclusion in film. One can hope that the 2022 Oscars presented a reminder that sticks.

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022

@CHARLI_XCX/TWITTER

Charli XCX used her latest album “Crash” as a way to reintegrate herself into tradional pop music. She produced an incredible album that consists of electric rhythms and catchy melodies.

MUSIC

Charli XCX Plays the Charts Game With ‘Crash’ — and Scores a Victory  Emily Smith

Hoya Staff Writer

In her final album under Atlantic Records, “Crash,” Charli XCX makes an ambitious attempt to reintegrate into traditional pop music in the English singer’s own distinct musical style, producing a spectacular album in the process.

Charli XCX, born Charlotte Aitchison, rose to fame providing vocals for the 2012 song

by Icona Pop, “I Love It.” Following her 2013 debut album, “True Romance,” she moved her sound into pop subgroups, like her acclaimed 2019 album “Charli,” which showcased more electropop and alternative pop.

With “Crash,” it becomes clear that Charli intends to cater to the more traditional style of radio pop, and she greatly succeeds. With dance beats and lyrics perfect for screaming in the car or dancing alone in your room, “Crash” proved the right formula for all listeners. The album has reached No. 1 status in both the

United Kingdom and Australia, a first for the artist. Her mainstream-pop approach didn’t sacrifice the integrity of her works, and she manages to beautifully combine the classic elements of pop with her own subtle infusions of her alternative pop sounds and themes.

“Crash” features 12 tracks, all with electric rhythms and catchy melodies that will linger in the listener’s head for days. “Constant Repeat,” for instance, is exactly what it sounds like, featuring Charli repeating the line “Got me on repeat” 16 times. And the line “Yuck, now you got me blushin’/ Cheeks so red when the blood starts rushing,” from the song “Yuck,” is sure to echo through everyone’s head for weeks. The dance beats are just catchy enough without becoming tiresome.

The album relies on synthesized beats to support the tracks, with influences from 1980s pop, disco and modern hits.

Her song “New Shapes” has the instrumentation of a classic 80s hit while “Used

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022 | THEHOYA.COM

To Know Me” easily fits into the electropop repertoire of college students today.

The style is reminiscent of The Weeknd, harnessing nostalgia mixed with modern beats to entertain all ages. Despite the variety of influences present, the album blends together seamlessly and does not feel uninspired, instead easily standing on its own as a unique body of work. She infuses the classic themes of sex, relationships and break-ups throughout to bring an element of relatability to her tracks.

Throughout the track list, Charli is seeking to appeal to all radio listeners. Her past works have been more stylistically niche, but “Crash” aims to retain the edginess her fans adore while introducing newcomers to the sleek new form of her work. The instrumentation is less aggressive than previous albums and instead opts for smooth, synthbacked tracks alongside catchy hooks.

Within this structured pop framework, Charli makes clear that this album is far from a sell-out only designed to con-

trol the Billboard charts. Her lyricism is catchy, but also well-designed. “Lightning” has the groovy instrumentals to play at the beach or at a barbeque, but retains the Charli XCX edge with lines like “There’s danger in the dark of your eyes/ But something ’bout you breathes me to life.” Charli marks her transition back into mainstream pop without sacrificing the lyricism that contributed to her rise.

She manages to explore cliche topics with a sense of humor and universality that doesn’t dilute the value of her tracks.

“Crash” sets up Charli XCX for an incredibly successful tour later in 2022. Her discography has only grown stronger with this new release and marks the end of an era with her time at Atlantic Records. The eyes of pop fans everywhere will anxiously await her next move, whether it be a return to niche genres or a further commitment to mainstream pop.

Whichever move she chooses, “Crash” has set a high expectation for success.

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BETWEEN THE COVERS

Dream Boys Are Just That: Stop Romanticizing Fictional Male Leads Literary male leads are frauds.

Given my dedication to arguing for romance’s legitimacy as a genre, it pains me to criticize it, but I am afraid I have to because literary men are unicorns.

They shoot rainbows out of their eyes and hearts out of their mouths, and know how to slow dance without tripping. They write streams of letters, kiss in the rain and rebuild dilapidated houses (okay, those examples only apply to “The Notebook”). Yet my point stands nonetheless.

As a society, we have held up misguided depictions of the “ideal woman”: the manic pixie dream girl, the femme fatale, and the action hero who can fight even if her hair isn’t in a ponytail.

These unrealistic conceptions of women still exist in popular media, but you don’t fix issues with Barbie by making a Ken doll. Doing that just gives you a male version of the same mistake.

I’ve carried on in this column about how the men of contemporary romances are a reflection

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WHAT TO DO IN DC

TIDAL BASIN

1501 Maine Ave SW

D.C.’s most famous spring attraction is here, so bring your friends to the Tidal Basin to see the famous cherry blossoms while they are still in bloom! After exploring this perennial phenomenon, you can walk to the nearby National Mall and Thomas Jefferson Memorial, so do not miss this special D.C. experience!

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complex heroines that have been left out of the male-dominated markets for years. It’s frustrating to see some of them waste that characterization on poorly drawn heroes today.

Not only are these male characters unrealistic, but they also reflect poor writing. Conflict is always more realistic and engaging when you have two people with understandable interests and complicated backstories.

Thisbringsmetotheperfectexampleofaflawed male protagonist in literary romance: Drew from Jasmine Guillory’s “The Wedding Date” (I want to note that this is nothing against Guillory. She has made the romance genre mainstream with her funny, diverse stories of love and humorous mishap, and deserves plenty of credit. But back to Drew). He’s a doctor for underprivileged teens!

And he’s ripped! And he had his heart broken and needs a caring woman to fix it!

While Drew sounds great at first glance, he also happens to be one of the most boring male leads I have ever encountered in literature, mainly because I did not believe he could exist. In my mind, he looked like a dollar-store version of Warner from “Legally Blonde,” who already looks like a dollar-store version of Patrick Swayze. These three characters have one overarching similarity — their main personality trait is their hair.

Characters like Drew are unfair to men

By James Pocchia

everywhere. If people start expecting him, they will be disappointed by every real man who comes along in their life. I’m about to drop a hot take, so prepare yourselves: humans are flawed.

And yet love exists anyway, and so do marriages. Chances are, Mr. Right has his own baggage and annoying habits, but that doesn’t mean you don’t love him — you just like him more than you hate his flaws. And you are such a real person for doing so because, in return, he should like you more than he hates your flaws.

Anyone who knows me personally will think it is a hoot and a half that I’m dishing out this wisdom, but I will stick to my theories on this one. The male leads of the real world all have their weaknesses: in the case of some Georgetown men, it’s thinking Vineyard Vines is cool.

I invite you to go forth and keep your expectations of romantic interests limited, starting with what I like to call the Three Commandments: 1) they respect people (duh); 2) they don’t act like they are the first human being to discover “Pulp Fiction”; and 3) they know that ham and pineapple on pizza is a crime against humanity.

Best of luck finding them.

Melinda Reed is a first-year in the College.

Between the Covers appears in print and online every other week.

THIS ISSUE’S QUIZ

CASTA’S RUM BAR

1121 New Hampshire Ave NW

Through April 17, Casta’s Rum Bar’s patio will be decorated with cherry blossom-like ornaments, and they will be serving cherry blossom-themed beverages. Go enjoy this restaurant’s wide selection of delicious cuisines, and all proceeds from the special menu based on the cherry blossom bloom will be donated to the Cherry Blossom foundation.

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@9-30CLUB/TWITTER

Hoya Staff Writer

CASTASRUMBAR/FACEBOOK

Melinda Reed

of what women desire in a partner, and how this is a good thing because it gives a platform for women to express their ideal vision of romantic relationships. However, I must now add the caveat that some of these idealized male characters are taken a little too far.

The best way to describe this phenomenon involves, oddly enough, “Groundhog Day: The Musical” (hear me out before you stop reading!). In a song reflecting women’s unfair expectations of romance, Rita, the female lead, describes her perfect man: “He’ll be good looking but not too aware of his looks / He’ll be tender but tough / And smart but not smug / And attentive but not fawning,” as well as liking reading, cooking, hiking, baking, biking, dancing and going to the gym, so long as he does not spend too much time there.

Rita’s wishlist in this song is sort of like the requirements voiced by couples on “House Hunters,” and reality is their realtors replying, “With your budget, you can afford about one-third of these things.” No one embodies every idealized characteristic to the exact degree, and even if someone seems to, you’ll land yourself in a Goldilocks situation with no perfect bed or porridge.

In a genre led by women, authors — at least the good ones — make an effort to write

9:30 CLUB 815 V St NW

A plethora of eclectic performers are coming to the 9:30 Club this April. The Scottish rock band known as Mogwai will be performing on April 5 from 7-9 p.m., and the French pop band L’Impératrice will be performing on April 6 at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now, so don’t miss these exciting groups taking the 9:30 stage!

Unsure of the best way to celebrate cherry blossom season? Check out the Guide quiz to find answers.

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022