ARTS & POP CULTURE

tuftsdaily.com THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2022

Maude Latour on tour: Paradise rock club gets passion, love and gratitude from the rising star

by Madeleine Aitken

News Editor

Maude Latour’s song “Cyclone” (2022) ends with an overlapping chorus of the line “You know me well.” It felt like no mistake that that was the song she started her show at Paradise Rock Club with; by the time she got to the end of the track, she was singing those lyrics with immense passion, like she really meant it.

And for good reason. Her audience does know her well; something about her feels more like a friend than a star. Maybe it’s how she started making music: as a side hobby alongside her philosophy studies at Columbia, when she released music videos on YouTube that featured her and her friends in their dorm or on the Columbia campus. Maybe it’s her social media presence. She shares personal anecdotes, relatable sentiments, and vulnerable feelings on her Instagram story as if it’s a “close friends” story, even though she has over 56,000 followers. (After the show in Boston, she posted “and this tour. i cried for the past hour. beyond, surreal, that room. you guys. this is so beautiful. i am so in awe and i cant believe how you know every word. i am so beyond grateful to grow with you.”)

Latour’s fan base has grown recently, especially after she started focusing on music full time this summer following her graduation from Columbia University. She now boasts over 1.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The Boston show, the first night of a tour that features stops in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, among others, plus All Things Go and Austin City Limits, was sold out. But even as she becomes a true rising pop star, she hasn’t lost this personal quality with her fans, and that felt completely true at her show at Paradise Rock Club on Sept. 29. Latour’s gratitude for her fans was palpable from the stage, and their love for her reverberated right back.

There wasn’t a person in the audience that didn’t know every word to Latour’s songs, and she referenced the loyalty of her fans several times throughout the night. After bursting out to “Cyclone,” she transitioned right into “Walk Backwards” (2021). “Cyclone” was arguably an interesting first song, because it’s Latour’s newest release from just a few weeks ago on Sept. 2. But no matter for the audience, who jumped right in with her, dancing and singing along.

The energy was high right from the beginning, especially because Latour barely took a breath between “Cyclone,” “Walk Backwards,” and “Strangers Forever.” “Strangers Forever” is one of the few songs in Latour’s discography that wasn’t released as a single, but rather as the title track of her second EP, released in 2021, that featured five other songs, all pre-released singles. It was a favorite at the show, especially after Latour left the stage to come down to the floor and lean over the guardrail, grabbing fans’ hands and inciting a noticeable energy in the room.

“Headphones” (2022) was next, followed by Latour exclaiming “I’m hot!” and throwing off her sweatshirt to reveal a black triangular bra and mesh rhinestone crop top, which the crowd went wild for. She launched into “Ride My Bike” (2019) and jumped off the stage to run down the guardrail high-fiving hands.

Following “Ride My Bike,” it felt like the first time Latour really stopped to breathe. She reminded fans that her new EP “001” (2022) was dropping at midnight, though it didn’t seem like this was news to anyone in the crowd. She asked if we were “ready to come on a journey with her” and then sang the title track “001,” which Latour had only previously teased on TikTok and wouldn’t be released on Spotify for another couple hours.

The crowd listened dutifully, swaying along with Latour as she sang “001,” a song that is a departure from much of the rest of her discography, but one that she described to V Magazine as “so my voice, my personality, and my message.”

Latour got the crowd hyped up again by asking “We’re done dating bad guys, right?” Everyone cheered, knowing she was moving into “Superfruit,” from her first EP “Starsick” (2019), which features the lyrics, “I’ve dated bad guys, not really sure why / Now I know that they were all such a waste of time.”

She then took a beat to introduce her band, a drummer and a bass guitarist/backup vocalist. She also thanked her opener, Maggie Miles, an alternative pop artist from Nashville, before singing “Plans,” another track from her first EP, in a softer, more heartfelt tone that quieted the crowd down. She took a minute to talk to the crowd, saying “for this tour, I’m trying to just chat.” She showed off her bejeweled water bottle and said that after she and her team left New York to head to Boston, she realized she had forgotten it and made the car turn around to go back for it.

She introduced her next song by asking the crowd to repeat after her: “Keep my girls protected,” the first line of the chorus of “Lola” (2022). After the call and response, Latour paused to dedicate the song to queer people, trans people and the right to choose, and then launched into singing.

Engaging more with the audience, she split the audience in half and created a kind of twopart harmony for one of the lyrics of her song “Trees,” before beginning to sing.

She sang the other new song from her EP, “Living It,” (the rest of the EP is pre-released singles, including “Trees” and “Lola”). The room went quiet for the slower, more thoughtful song — it evokes a Soccer Mommy-like sound — and phone flashlights came on and waved around the room.

Latour then went onto “Probabilities” (2022) before throwing on some fun starshaped sunglasses and asking if everyone liked her new songs. “I was being so vulnerable,” she said, but of course she was reassured that everyone liked them.

She again returned to her roots with “Shoot and Run” and “Starsick,” both from her first EP. “Shoot and Run” was the first song she put out, and she jokingly asked the room “What was I going through at age 17?” and said “Starsick” was “for her day ones.”

Latour took her shirt off and danced around with renewed energy for the last song of her set, “One More Weekend” (2020), which is by far her most popular song according to Spotify streams — over 31 million on that one (her next most streamed song is “Furniture” (2021) with 7.6 million streams) — before exuberantly thanking the crowd and running off the stage.

But fans weren’t going to let her go that easily. Almost immediately, chants of “encore, encore, encore” filled the room. The band came back and started playing first before Latour ran out with a huge grin to sing “Furniture” and “Block Your Number” (2020), which both inspired great excitement from the crowd and ended the show on the same kind of note it started on: extremely high energy with fans singing every word and Latour clearly reveling in the magic of seeing her music bring people together in real time.Maude Latour sings to fans at Paradise Rock Club on Sept. 29.

Layla Noor Landrum

The Book Nook ‘Sofi and the Bone Song’: A tale of music, self-discovery

Adrienne Tooley’s “Sofi and the Bone Song” (2022) is a beautifully crafted and heartfelt standalone young adult fantasy novel released this year from Simon and Schuster. It follows the titular character, Sofi, who longs to be a Musik like her father — one of a select few musicians in the country with a license to write and perform original songs. Born into a kingdom plagued by an endless winter where magic isn’t sacred, but accessible to all, strict laws ensure that music remains an untouched and pure art form. Ever since she was young, Sofi has trained as a musician with the hopes of inheriting her father’s title, but on the day of auditions, something unexpected occurs. Lara, a girl who’s never played the lute before, enthralls judges with her performance and secures the title of Musik, stealing the only dream Sofi has ever had for her future. Suspecting Lara of the illegal use of magic and mourning the sudden death of her father, Sofi sets out to expose Lara’s crime, only to find herself beginning to question everything she knew about magic, her past and her dreams.

Tooley, a musician herself, explores the subject of music in a fantasy setting with great care and attention. The novel’s slow pacing and lush prose lends itself well to establishing Sofi’s willingness to suffer for her art in contrast to Lara’s innocent love for music solely bringing her joy. And as the two spend more time together, they begin to fall for one another, showcasing how love can truly be found in the most unexpected of places. But amidst the magic and wintry world of the novel is its crux: a story of untangling abuse and learning the dangers of suffering for one’s art. It’s heartbreaking, watching Sofi resent herself for her imperfections and pursue what she loves to her breaking point, only to fail when trying to pursue her lifelong dream. Ultimately, though, this novel is a healing one. “Sofi” is a book about self-discovery and hope, what it means to realize that art should be for us, the creators, before anyone else, even if you have to fail over and over again before you believe it. And this book is about what it means to find the love we deserve after being raised by a love we don’t.

“Sofi and the Bone Song” is an absolute must-read for anyone looking for books with sapphic romance, unique explorations of art or fantasies with masterful worldbuilding.

Joshua bassett has finally found his voice with ‘sad songs In a hotel room’

by Ryan Fairfield

Assistant Arts Editor

Joshua Bassett has had a rumor- and drama-filled experience with fame since he gained popularity for starring as Ricky Bowen in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” (2019–). Bassett was rumored to be dating co-star Olivia Rodrigo throughout the filming of the first season of “HSMTMTS,” with the pair even writing a song together, “Just for a Moment,” for the show. Fans came to the conclusion that Rodrigo and Bassett broke up after he was spotted with former Disney Channel star Sabrina Carpenter. Following the release of Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license,” which was assumed to be about her relationship with Bassett, he was bombarded with attacks across social media, with the attacks continuing with the release of her album, “SOUR” (2021).

Amidst the drama, similar to Rodrigo, Bassett channeled his emotions into his music. In December 2021, over six months after the release of “SOUR,” Bassett released an EP with three singles “Set Me Free” (2021), “Crisis” (2021) and “Secret” (2021). It was clear in the EP that Bassett was not particularly set on releasing music so soon after the drama surrounding Rodrigo’s album. In “Crisis,” Bassett sings “My label said to never waste a crisis / … / And honestly, I didn’t want to write this,” which was a lyric written around the time “SOUR” was released, but Bassett held off on releasing the song as he did not want to play into the “media storm.” Though the EP was not necessarily bad, it lacked depth.

With his new six-track EP, “Sad Songs In A Hotel Room” (2022), Bassett gets personal and sings about a particularly dark time in his life, which is admirable for someone who has faced extreme levels of public scrutiny in the past couple of years. The EP opens with the title track, “Sad Songs In The Hotel Room,” and features a nostalgic Bassett reminiscing on a past relationship. In the lyric “I’m singin’ sad songs in a hotel room / … / Where I once held you,” Bassett shares feelings of loneliness and reveals what inspired the song, being alone in a place that he once shared with his partner.

In the following song “LA”, Bassett describes his thoughts towards the city of Los Angeles and the entertainment industry as a whole. Lyrically, the song is not one of Bassett’s strongest, but it works with the album. “Used To It” continues with Bassett’s theme of heartbreak pop and features Bassett contemplating on why he stayed in a relationship so long, despite the relationship being undoubtedly broken. Coincidentally, this song has a similar meaning to Rodrigo’s “favorite crime” (2021) with both songs featuring matching lyrics. In “favorite crime,” Rodrigo sings, “Know that I loved you so bad / I let you treat me like that,” while in his song Bassett sings, “I can’t be mad / I let you treat me like that.”

“Smoke Slow,” which was released as a single prior to the EP coming out, is one of the best songs on the project. With a clear story of wanting to be with someone who is with somebody else and featuring a powerful bridge, Bassett proves his songwriting abilities. Lyrics like “Addicted to illusions of a love that never was” and “Next to you but I’ll never be close” show us Bassett’s desire to establish a deeper connection with this friend, but ultimately knows he can’t.

In January 2021, Bassett was diagnosed with septic shock and was experiencing heart failure. Bassett spent nine days in the hospital recovering from this incident. “Lifeline” is Bassett’s candid retelling of the event and the time he spent with his mother in the hospital, who is the subject behind the song. The song is pure, raw emotion and undeniably the best song on the album. Bassett sings “Save me, now I’m facing / All my fears of the unknown,” capturing his fear of death and losing his family, as the doctors had told him that had he not gone to the hospital when he did, he could have died. Talking to Billboard, Bassett described the song as “a love letter to her [his mother],” which is clear when he sings “I hope you would know that no one else could ever / Save me.”

“All In Due Time” is the perfect way for Bassett to end his EP and feels like him saying goodbye to all the drama he has experienced. In singing “And these scars’ll be stories I tell / All in due time,” it is apparent Bassett still has some healing to do after facing an unimaginable amount of stress in his career, but he is looking forward and remaining hopeful.

Bassett has been creating music for quite some time now and even without releasing an album, has produced many singles and EPs. “Sad Songs In A Hotel Room” stands out as his best project, as it truly feels like the first time Bassett has been fully vulnerable and open in his music. His prior projects seemed to lack a certain level of authenticity and substance, but evidently, Bassett has finally found his voice.

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Joshua Bassett is pictured at the 2022 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

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Burnley Jr. and Ewen-Campen hope to normalize U.S.-Cuba relations, one city at a time

continued from page 1 to better resemble U.S. policy during Barack Obama’s presidency could lead to innovation.

“There have been scientific companies in Cuba that have worked with companies in the greater Boston area, and look towards new medical advancements they could collaborate on,” Burnley Jr. said. “In Cuba, they have access to a lung cancer vaccine, a brain cancer vaccine, a diabetes treatment, none of which Americans have. … These are exactly the types of contributions that will advance for our country as well as people around the world, but it’s going to take collaboration and the sharing of expertise to do that.”

While the lifting of the blockade could have positive impacts for cities like Somerville and it represents an advancement of human rights-forward policy, some political stakeholders in the United States might respond negatively. Cruz noted that ending the embargo could have repercussions that play out in future elections, especially in states with large Cuban-American populations such as Florida and New Jersey, who tend to vote Republican.

“The electoral power of local groups in Miami … and parts of New Jersey … is very very strong,” Cruz said. “Even Democrats at the state level in Florida are urging Biden to be careful and to tread lightly.”

Burnley Jr. noted that Tufts has a central position in this conversation as one of the largest institutions in the Somerville community. He stated that the experiences of Tufts students and researchers affiliated with the university are diminished by the embargo.

“If there are students who want to go to Cuba right now, … it’s very difficult,” he said. “One of the ways that we can push the United States government is by saying, ‘We, as American citizens, want freedom of movement. We want freedom of education. We want to be able to collaborate with people who we can learn from and who can learn from us.’… And hopefully, by more folks standing up and taking a stance on this issue, we can have a more equitable and just reality in the future.” Somerville City Councilor WiIlie Burnley Jr. is pictured.

COURTESY WILLIE BURNLEY JR.

Somerville seeks to protect pollinators with new action plan

POLLINATOR

continued from page 1

“[The SPAP will] develop clear, site-specific and replicable interventions that the City of Somerville and its residents can implement on both public and private lands to ensure real improvement in the availability of local pollinator habitat,” Kirk wrote.

Nick Dorian, a PhD candidate in the Tufts biology department, spoke about the diversity of different pollinators and how they are critical for food security, as many plant species rely on insect pollination to thrive.

“Lots of different insects pollinate; bees are some of the best-known pollinators, but also butterflies, hoverflies, beetles, wasps. Any insect that visits a flower and can carry pollen on its body is capable of pollinating,” Dorian said. “If you’ve had coffee today or gone apple picking this fall, or are planning on carving a pumpkin, you have to thank a bee, because all of those … result from the pollination of flowering plants.”

Dorian also noted that pollinators are essential to maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

“I like to think of pollinators as the backbone of the ecosystem,” Dorian said. “As they visit flowers, like wildflowers and trees, they help those plants reproduce, and in turn, the fruits that those plants produce go on to feed other animals, which go on to feed other animals and so forth.”

In addition, the SPAP will focus on better understanding and supporting both Somerville-specific and regional pollinators in the context of Somerville’s urban open spaces. This includes educating both public servants and city residents on the importance of healthy pollinators to an urban ecosystem, while also highlighting the ways that residents can help support the cause.

Dorian noted that efforts by both city officials and city residents are required to protect pollinators.

“In order for [Somerville] to be a great place for pollinators, I think there needs to be a coordinated effort between topdown actions by the City of Somerville … and bottom up actions by community members,” Dorian said. “This is because so much of the land in cities is privately owned, and [to] convert a large amount of urban land into habitat for insects, we need everybody to play their part.”

Beyond the SPAP, Somerville has also committed itself to helping protect pollinators through supporting other initiatives.

“Somerville has passed a Native Plant Ordinance, which requires certain percentages of native species to be planted on City land [and] passed a Tree Preservation ordinance, which limits the removal of healthy trees, many of which are essential food and shelter sources for pollinators,” Kirk wrote.

In addition, Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne has previously signed the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge, a national initiative to address the declining populations of Monarch butterflies.

There have also been efforts on Tufts campus to protect the declining populations of pollinators. Many of these efforts have been spearheaded by the Tufts Pollinator Initiative, a team of Tufts faculty, graduate students and undergraduates that are involved with pollinator conservation.

Elizabeth Crone, an affiliate professor with the Tufts biology department and faculty advisor for TPI, explained how the initiative interacts with local communities to provide education and motivation for these conservation efforts.

“[The] TPI runs a range of outreach activities, including pollinator safaris that help people see bees and get used to the idea of being close to and appreciating insects, native plant and seed sales that help people make their own pollinator gardens, and general awareness events like sponsoring trivia nights at local taprooms,” Crone wrote in an email to the Daily.

Beyond working locally to help pollinator populations, members of the TPI are also involved in research concerning pollinator health.

“We (mostly, students and faculty in the Biology Department) also do research on the ways in which pollinators are affected by landscape structure, are important for pollination in wild plants, and ontribute to food security in a variety of systems, from the city of Somerville to natural meadows to farmlands in the Greater Boston area and coffee plantations in Costa Rica,” Crone wrote.