GLR Outbound Spring '24

A Letter From Our President

Just a little over a year ago, I was voted in as President for the following Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters. I was elated, yet a fair bit uneasy, as I had never taken on such an admin role before. Would my leadership cause a downward trend in our membership count? Would our newly built studio spontaneously combust? As far as I was concerned, anything could and would go. Fortunately, not only is our studio still standing (albeit with its ‘quirks’), but I’m blessed to say that this year has been a wonderful success on all fronts!

I cannot begin to express my love for this semester’s signs. March 7th we saw the release of our collaborative work with CARAMEL, which came with beautiful cover art and a message about finding yourself. The craftsmanship cannot go unnoticed, including strings and a choir. In April, we got a chance to hear what Green Line was cooking up with Aidy, an experimental and vibrant song titled “ugly”, which in terms of

production and songwriting is far from what the song name implies. You’re gonna love the visualscape music video put together by our awesome Creative Services board member Praagna. Stay tuned for the upcoming release of Ezra Cares, who made an awesome live introduction within Green Line during our showcase this March!

On that note, the shows we put on were wild this time around, I gotta tell ya! A week after our semester’s start, we got to watch Oso Oso, with openers Pool Kids and Michael Cera Palin. A little ways later, we saw our first ever run of GLR Bender Week, which included three fully stacked setlists. Monday, we played HARD with Liloh and Geese. Thursday, we got our brooding and headbanging on with Girlpuppy, Trophy Wife, and Susannah Joffe. Saturday, we eased into the evening with our aforementioned showcase, including the lovely Ezra Cares and Caramel serenading our audience. Fi-

nally, we’re ending off our semester with an explosive finish, including TAGABOW and the one and only Jane Remover. It’s safe to say we’ve been treated fairly well, no complaints here!

On the realest note I can muster through text, I want to say how much of a pleasure it’s been working with our lovely eboard, members, and artists. There is really no other club or community I call home at Northeastern. I like making and releasing music, but it’s clear to me that the reason I keep coming back is to be around the people who make me laugh and smile. I have so much joy knowing that our eboard for next year will crush it, and I’m ecstatic to know that we’ll have our newly elected President, Michelle, to run it. I still may end up blowing up the studio by accident, but at the very least, we have a dedicated community to deal with it :).

Signing off! Love yalls!

– Finn McCormack

President

Our E-board

President: Finn McCormack

Vice President: Michelle Wu

Heads of Recording: Josh Tochner & Sumant Sagar

Head of A&R: Ariana Borromeo

Heads of Events: James D’Elia & Lin Luo

Heads of Creative Services: Praagna Kashyap & Brendan DiTullio

Good Dog Licensing Head: Matt D’Andrea

Social Media Manager: Sarah Liu

Operations Manager: Cami Parrish

Featuring...

Each spread in this zine was written and designed by a member of our talented Creative Services team.

We can’t wait to showcase the variety of styles and ideas that they each came up with.

Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Cover photo by Jacob Oshinsky

Cover designed by Brendan DiTullio

Artist Bios

Girlband Ezra Cares

CARAMEL

Written by CARAMEL’s Team

Designed by Ginny Williams

Photography by Benjamin Burke

Caramel lives and breathes music. Only 20 years old, he writes, performs, and produces all of his work from genres including pop, indie, alternative R&B, & rap. He began his musical journey studying classical piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music for 10 years, before transitioning into songwriting in high school. Shortly after, Caramel worked alongside poet and business partner Weatherspoon to found a multi-dimensional artist collective L.L.K! (Little Little Kids). With the support of Nwaka Onwusa, the head curator of the Rock Hall of Fame, they released their first self-titled studio album, Little Little Kids. His theme “Roadtrip”, exudes his persona of a traveler and he writes his music as a way to guide himself, and others, to their final destination.

CARAMEL performed his most popular song to date “Gone By The Morning” at Boston College’s annual Showdown event, listing over 5,000 people in attendance. His EP “Roadtrip” has over 10,000 streams on Spotify and Apple Music. In his upcoming album “S.O.U.L.”, releasing in 2024, CARAMEL is taking a new approach to the music, incorporating live instruments and vocalists. The album is inspired from Black built gospel, Hip-Hop, and jazz music.

CARAMEL’s work on “S.O.U.L.” began with his GLR single, “Nameless”– a song about seeking affirmation and love, and learning to find it within yourself.

- TRAVELER

Written by Lana Clifford and Kayli Harley

Designed by Archana Kalahasti

Photography by Sydney Kemme

Girlband is a Boston-based pop-punk quartet. Lead singer Georgia Mintz, drummer Olivia Cecil, bassist Lucy Southan and guitarist Nadia Lee all attend Berklee College of Music. Before the group formed, they attended jam sessions in a dorm with other Berklee students. After only the four of them showed up one night, they decided to join together, drawing their name from the title of their group chat. Girlband’s music, while difficult to define, is a blend of punk and pop-punk. The group’s musical inspirations include Rage Against the Machine, Bikini Kill, Nirvana, and Black Flag.

Written by Olivia May

Designed by Praagna Kashyap

Photography by Nivedita Pai

Ezra Cares is a Boston-based artist whose musical experience reaches back to his childhood. As the son of a professional indie musician, it wasn’t long before he began to forge a path of his own by forming a band with his brother in high school. Inspired by DIY musicians and influenced by classic greats like Lou Reed, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and Slowdive, he began to write and record songs in his bedroom under the Ezra Cares moniker. Ezra continued to involve his family in his creative process and began performing with his dad and brother: “When I started playing gigs in college, I had no one to play with, so I naturally started practicing the songs with my family. I realized it would be a fun gimmick to have a ‘family band’ in college, so it just stuck.” With a handful of singles and an EP under his belt, Ezra’s growing discography features a distinctive blend of lo-fi, hard rock, and shoegaze that captures the hazy nostalgia of suburban middle America.

weezer 30 years with the blue album

Boy, does time fly. It seems like just yesterday that all us college students were not yet born and Weezer was dropping their self-titled debut album. Now, thirty years later we yearn for the nostalgia we weren’t even there to experience. Regardless, no matter how old you are or where you come from, you know the chorus to “Buddy Holly.”

The band had been signed to DGC-Geffen Records starting in July of the previous year, and were urged to outsource a producer for their record instead of self-producing like they had before. Ric Ocasek, producer for bands like No Doubt, The Cars, and Bad Brains had been tasked with the job, and contributed to their brighter, pop sound.

Weezer is made up of four members: Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, Brian Bell, and Scott Shriner. Before the band’s debut, the album was recorded with the original guitarist Jason Cropper. After its recording Cropper left the band and was replaced by Bell. Before the album’s release, Cuomo re-recorded all of Cropper’s parts, but he still received writing credit on “My Name is Jonas” for coming up with the song’s intro. Rivers Cuomo, the leadman and singer is also the sole writer of most of the tracks excluding “My Name is Jonas”, “The World has Left Me Here” and “Surf-Wax America” which he co-wrote with the other members.

The success of the album is in part due to their music videos for “Undone - The Sweater Song” and “Buddy Holly” which were both directed by the highly regarded filmmaker Spike Jonze. The music video for “Buddy Holly” was an instant classic, winning four MTV music awards in 1995.

The album art is inspired by 1960’s “PlayBoy” photographer Peter Gowland, and features the four band members standing in a line looking directly into the camera. Karl Koch, the band’s unofficial fifth member, designed the cover. Cuomo was originally inspired by the cover of a Beach Boys Greatest Hits record called “Do It Again” where the members are posed in front of a blue background. The particular shade of blue was based on Cuomo’s childhood bedroom wall color, which acts in childlike harmony with the bowl cuts and young look of the members. The nostalgic tone of blue and the seemingly average styling of the band members added to their “quirky” and “odd-ball” image. While the album reflected very common musical themes of the 1990s such as depression, heartbreak, substances, and jealousy, the band’s unique style and sensibility set them apart from all their alt-rock contemporaries.

“The Blue Album” is considered one of the most influential albums of the 1990s. The album went double-platinum only fifteen months after its release, and Rate Your Music ranks the record #7 of the best al-

written and designed by willow pannozzo

bums of 1994. Of all the Weezer tracks across their fifteen studio albums, fans have ranked “Say it Ain’t So” as #2, “Buddy Holly” as #3 and “Undone- The Sweater Song” as #5. Needless to say, this album has solidified itself as a classic, in both the alt rock and pop scene.

Through all their years of producing, touring, and writing, I can personally say that their musical pres-

ence hasn’t changed since their debut. I had the pleasure of seeing Weezer in concert during their previous tour: Indie Rock Road Trip; and I can confidently say that their performance abilities are just as strong as ever. The group played through 22 of their most famous tracks across the decades, and I sang along to every one. Even though they have their entire discography to choose from, Weezer always ends their encore with “Buddy Holly”.

written & designed by Brendan DiTullio

There’s nothing quite like the Muppets. From variety television to silver screen stunts, Kermit the Frog and friends have delighted the world for half a century now. Over their long, careers, these entertainers have sung countless songs, from the iconic earworm “Mahna Mahna,” to the power ballad “Man or Muppet.” But to me, no performance can compare to the timeless “Rainbow Connection.”

“Rainbow Connection” debuted in 1979 with the release of The Muppet Movie, a film that serves as the origin story for our beloved characters. The story begins with Kermit sitting in his swamp, singing about his dreams and his perpetual pursuit of them: “I’ve heard it too many times to ignore it / It’s something that I’m supposed to be / Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection / The lovers, the dreamers, and me.” Although rainbows are only illusions, Kermit still finds himself drawn to them–much like his dreams of fame and fortune. He feels a calling that there’s a place for him in the world, and his search for this place propels him onto a roadtrip bound for Hollywood.

Co-writer of the song, Paul Williams, describes this opening number as the “moment Kermit ceases to be this creature, this Yoda or mentor or whatever, and he becomes a member of the audience. He becomes part of the public that is affected by this magic.” The song makes Kermit relatable for audiences. He’s now more than a frog, or a Muppet–he’s a friend, one who has the same dreams as many of us. The rainbow connection has drawn him in, and it’s been calling you too.

It’s impossible to talk about the Muppets without mentioning the man behind the magic, Jim Henson. Obsessed with puppets from a young age, Henson’s dream was twofold: to entertain people, and to revolutionize puppetry into a universal medium–an art form not just for kids, but for everyone. He constantly pushed himself to achieve more with each project, building an empire of puppetry, songwriting,

and humor. His TV efforts led to a deal for the first Henson cinematic feature, The Muppet Movie Henson had earned a shot at his dream of shaking the “children’s entertainment” label once and for all, and he wasn’t going to waste it. What resulted was a film bursting with charm and universality–its profound story encouraging the viewer to laugh a little harder, and dream a little more. A true culmination of Henson’s finely-sharpened creative instincts.

Towards the story’s end, the Muppets wrap things up with the big finale number “The Magic Store,” a wonderful piece that reflects Henson’s own personal journey to Hollywood. The characters sing “It starts when we’re kids / A show-off in school / Makin’ faces at friends / You’re a clown and a fool,” and then build to a rousing “Then somebody out there loves you / Stands up and hollers for more / You found a home at the Magic Store.” He felt a calling to fulfill his creative ambitions his whole life, and he finally succeeded in the world of entertainment–the Magic Store. Henson followed his own rainbow connection, and it led him to his place in the world.

The Muppets finally make it to Hollywood, and as the wreckage of their first big production goes up in flames around them, more than 250 characters and performers band together in one last reprisal of Rainbow Connection, singing “Why are there so many songs about rainbows / That’s part of what rainbows do / Rainbows are memories, sweet dream reminders / What is it you’d like to do / All of us watching and wishing we find it / I noticed you’re watching, too / Someday you’ll find it, the Rainbow Connection / The lovers, the dreamers and you.” The song has evolved, as Kermit (and Henson) has found his answer: the rainbow connection is not the dream, but the pursuit of the dream–it’s the calling to see all of your hopes fulfilled. The rainbow connection keeps us going, reminding us that there’s somewhere out there worth dreaming about.

Hot(tie) Girl Origins

Written by Vienna Chang

Designed by Zozo Tahwi

Multi-award-winning, animeloving, rapper, songwriter and certified Hot Girl, Megan Thee Stallion, has undeniably dominated the rap scene with her fresh flow and exhilarating energy. Megan and her fanbase of “hotties” have shown the world the power of Hot Girl Energy in preaching body and sex positivity, not shying away from vulnerability, and embracing uniqueness and confidence in the face of all the haters. But where does our favorite Hot Girl come from? Who is she, where did she get her start, and how did she become the Hot Girl we all love and admire today?

Megan Thee Stallion, otherwise known as Megan Pete, found her spark at a young age in her hometown of Houston, Texas where her love for rapping began with her mother. An aspiring rapper, she took Megan to studio sessions where she would first be introduced to the world of Hip-Hop and Rap. Carrying this passion throughout her teenage years, she found her spot in the game during her first year at Prarie A&M University. Megan could be found battling in cyphers and posting her freestyles online where she was able to garner a large social media presence due to her unique flow and confident delivery. Her social media presence not only garnered attention from a large

audience but attracted the eye of music industry professionals as well.

In 2016, Megan Pete took on the alias Megan Thee Stallion and released her first single “Like A Stallion”, in which she was able to establish herself as a rising star within the industry. From there, she became the first female rapper signed to 300 Entertainment in 2018 and has since taken the industry by storm. With 32 songs to hit Billboards Hot Hit charts, with “Savage” being the first to hit No.1 followed by “WAP”, she has done notable features with Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Cardi B, City Girls, Dua Lipa, SZA, Renee Rapp, and more, and has been nominated and won many accolades throughout her career for her work.

Megan Thee Stallion, Hot(tie) Girl Origins

““ I hate that people have made the term SoundCloud rapper into a bad thing, because a lot of artists are underground and they don’t have a way to put their music on. But to get that clout, to get that popularity, you might want to upload your music to SoundCloud because how else is everybody going to hear it?

With her beginnings from “Rich Studio album “Good News”, to her highly anticipated 3rd studio album for 2024, Megan Thee Stallion has created a diverse discography with rich, exciting flows that touches on women empowerment, sex positivity, mental health, and self-love. Most notably, we have bangers like 2018’s “Big Ole Freak,” which helped bring her to a main stream audience, 2019’s “Hot Girl Summer ft. Ty Dolla $ign and Nicki Minaj,” 2020’s “Body” and “Savage Ft. Beyonce” which took the internet by storm, 2021’s “Thot Shit,” 2022’s “Plan B,” and 2023’s “Cobra” and “Hiss” for the welcoming of her new album for 2024. She has undoubtedly raised the

bar within the rap game, and has shown her ability to incorporate elements from other genres and keep the game fresh with new flows and unique styles.

Megan’s fame and spotlight hasn’t been all smooth sailing though. Throughout the years, controversies surrounding her image, relationships, and music have often reached mainstream media. Megan thee Stallions feature with Cardi B on “WAP” rocked the internet with its bold and vulgar lyrics surrounding women’s sexuality and empowerment, garnering huge criticms from both men and women online, celebrities, and right-wing conservatives who used “WAP” as rhetoric to support ideologies

that embracing sexuality is setting women back. In response to this backlash, both Cardi B and Megan thee Stallion have stated how important “WAP” is in empowering women to take hold of their sexualities and embrace it, and that they aren’t afraid to be unapologetically themselves. Despite the controversy surrounding the vulgarness of the song, “WAP” stood at No.1, topping the charts for 3 weeks. and was certified 8x Platinum as of 2023.

Most notably, from 2020 to 2023, the public eye held witness to Megan thee Stallions assault trial with Tory Lanez, who in 2020, shot her in the foot during an argrument after a party that summer. In the wake of the assault, Megan thee Stallion was faced with death threats, assaults online, and has been accused of lying about the assualt for fame and attention. In the face of the opposition, she had voiced out the need for the protection of Black women, and had been vulnerable about the mental health she has since faced from the incident online and through her music. Officialy, Tory Lanez had been found guilty and was sentenced 10 years in prison for the shooting.

Megan the Stallion’s latest controversy surrounds her latest single “HISS”, in which she addresses her career, success, and challenges she has faced, all while keeping a confident and dominating demeanor. However, the song sparked discussion and controversy surrounding the people that may have been addressed within the song, such as Drake, DaBaby, Tory Lanez, and most notably, Nicki Minaj through her lyric “These hoes mad at Megan’s Law”, apperaing to be a shot at Nicki Minaj’s husband for being a sex offender. Though this statement may not have been a direct diss to Minaj, it certainly was seen as such by audiences online. This has since sparked large controversy between Megan thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj, in which Minaj took the twitter to voice her opinions, and even release a disstrack “Big Foot”, which references Megan the Stallion’s deceased mother, the assault from Tory Lanez, and has several accusations on her character.

Despite these controversies surrounding “HISS”, much excitement surrounds the release of her 3rd studio album in 2024. “Cobra” and “HISS” have set the foundation for a new sound and feel for Megan, and with the announcement of her Hot Girl Summer tour in 2024, we can expect a lot of new and exciting things from Megan thee Stallion.

Throughout her accolades and controversies witin her stardom, Megan thee Stallion has always made it an effort to be unapologetically herself. Through her pursuement of her college education, her love for anime, and her confident energy and undeniable talent, she has shown what it means to be a Hot Girl- to be unapologetically yourself, and to live confidently and truthfully within your own skin. If there’s one thing to learn from Megan thee Stallion, is that anyone can be a Hot Girl, it just takes our own

Megan Thee Stallion, Hot(tie)

EP, Album, Grammy, Retire The boygenius 6 year plan

One EP, then one album, followed by three Grammys, and then an immediate hiatus. Doesn’t quite make sense right? To tell the story and history of supergroup Boygenius, you must start all the way at the beginning; 2018. After being announced on a co-headlining tour, the three members Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, and Phoebe Bridgers decided to record a few songs to promote the concerts. Much to their surprise, they realized they sounded complete together. In Bridgers’ words–“Oh shit, our dynamic is so sweet together.”

This collaboration quickly turned into a fully formed creative process, resulting in a six song EP. Thus, Boygenius was officially known. The tour was a hit! A new cult following was formed, with previous fans of individual artists now having a new favorite band to cheer on and support. However, the band initially only lasted for the duration of the tour. While it was public knowledge that the three members were friends, new music was not in production. All three members went on to produce solo albums, with Bridgers’ Punisher releasing in 2020, Dacus’s Home Video releasing in 2021 as well as Baker’s Little Oblivions. While Bridgers received the most commercial success (receiving three Grammy nominations for her work) all three attained large amounts of critical acclaim, although this all began to unravel with the onset of COVID-19.

While unknown to fans at the time, in 2020 after three months of lockdown (and before the release of Baker and Dacus’s material) Bridgers sent over a new track to the band, and ask to resurrect the old project. By January of 2022 they piled into a studio in Malibu, recording over 10 hours a day for a month. The songs reflect on the trio’s time as friends, drawing from shared experiences and emotions.

The record was released to the world in March of 2023. After five long years, their fans finally had more work from the supergroup. And that said, one album wasn’t enough. After touring the album all summer, in September of 2023 at MGM Music Hall in Boston, Boygenius announced another 4-song EP to be released the next month, featuring outtakes from the albums. Boygenius continued to tour the album, up until a climactic final show at the Hollywood Bowl in 2023. Aside from smaller shows to promote their music for the Grammys, this was the last full show Boygenius may play in the foreseeable future.

At the Grammys in 2024, Boygenius officially announced their hiatus. While they had hinted at it for a number of months, the words were finally spoken aloud much to the horror of fans. After all of the success, it seems the band is a little overwhelmed and overworked. Bridgers said “I think we all want a little break.” She also spoke to the notion of the project feeling complete, saying “We completed (our) time, and now we walk into the sunset.” This said, it is all not negative emotions for fans. With the completion of the group project, fans have already begun to speculate on the next solo projects for the three members. With the cycle ending in hiatus, three more albums (albeit individual ones) seem likely.

With Bridgers clearing her Instagram in the days immediately following the Grammy ceremony, who is to say it isn’t coming sooner than we think?

Here’s to hoping.

Written and designed by Henry Shifrin

Photography by Harrison Whitford and Matt Grub

The year was 1994. The world of music was still reeling from Kurt Cobain’s death, alternative rock groups were breaking into mainstream territory, and iconic albums from Green Day, Alice in Chains, and Portishead were hitting the record stores. In the midst of it all, the inconspicuous son of a long-dead folk musician quietly released his first and only record— a collection of music that would go down in history as one of the most beautiful and influential productions of the modern era. The artist was Jeff Buckley, and the album was Grace.

The year is 2024, and it’s the 30th anniversary of the album that defined a career, a life, and a legacy. Since its release, Buckley has amassed a cult following and is recognized by fans and artists alike as an incomparable symbol of individuality and expression in music. Acutely aware of the shadow his father’s publicized fate had cast over his own life, he refused to allow himself or his music to be defined by the ghosts of his past. His presence both on and off the stage was extraordinarily unique, brimming with an air of authenticity that he transmitted through his performances. “Jeff was music. He was the real

thing, undiluted, ferocious… No one came away from him unmoved,” fellow musician Nathan Larson stated in a tribute to him. Similar testimonies make it clear that every time Buckley picked up a guitar or a microphone, he bared his soul to the world. Grace is no exception.

In the fall of 1993, Buckley headed to an isolated studio in the woods of upstate New York with the intention of transforming his demos and solo songs into a full body of work. Until then, the majority of his performances consisted of simply his voice and guitar in the corner of NYC cafe Sin-é. Backed by a band he’d put together for the extensive touring to follow the album’s release, Buckley found himself free to run wild with the rhythms, harmonies, and dynamics that would accompany his stunning vocal range. Buckley’s voice, the most prominent feature of the record, evokes the unbridled emotion that’s needed to match his lyrics.

On the opening track, “Mojo Pin,” his words seem to float and hang there before crashing in waves, catching the drums and bass on the way down as

he launches into choruses. In what feels like one of the most heartfelt minutes of music ever recorded, Buckley leaves nothing restrained on “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over”: “It’s never over / My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder / It’s never over / All my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her / It’s never over / All my blood for the sweetness of her laughter / It’s never over / She’s the tear that hangs inside my soul forever.” It’s tracks like these that, when placed between gentle covers of “Lilac Wine” and “Hallelujah,” maintain the delicate balance of Grace. One element never overshadows another; Buckley’s voice and poetry is matched by the technical guitar skill he’d spent most of his life developing. On “Grace,” it’s the rising and cascading riff that dances between verses; on “Hallelujah,” it’s the feathery notes drenched in reverb standing as the sole accompaniment to Buckley’s voice. Standing alone, each aspect of the album is remarkable in its own right. When Buckley brings it all together against the backdrop of a striking rhythm section, adding touches of harmonium, organ, and dulcimer, what he creates is nothing short of magic.

The level of technical proficiency and genuine artistry that Buckley was able to achieve on his debut album is astounding. He broke into the record industry with a perfectly developed sonic style coupled with the rare ability to refuse to let anyone from critics to Sony executives dilute his creative vision. He was “a pure drop in an ocean of noise,” as Bono of U2 once described him— untouchable. It was his intent to remain so, to go above and beyond what he’d already accomplished, until he tragically drowned in 1997. Although much of his unfinished material has been released to the public, he left behind Grace as his sole, defining body of work. It cemented his legacy, ensuring that his name would go down among the greats, but it would forever remain a reminder of one of music’s most painful losses. He’d only scratched the surface.

When asked once how he wanted to be remembered, Buckley said, “I don’t need to be remembered. I hope the music’s remembered.” I think he would be happy to know that in the thirty years since he gave Grace to the world, his music has made him immortal.

Thanks for riding with us. Doors will open on the right.

Photography by Praagna Kashyap Zine edited & compiled by Brendan DiTullio