Kinda Cool Magazine: Issue 10

july 2021

issue 10

dissecting self-exploration with

CAUTIOUS CLAY female empowerment:

EMM

on inclusivity

AWFULTUNE on spreading positivity with music

embracin g the cha os of life's epis odes with

Editor-in-Chief Mary Perez Art Director Rebekah Witt Cover photo courtesy of Elizabeth Miranda

Contributors Sonya Alfano, Mia Andrea, Kayla Aquino-Gualderama, Polina Bakgof, Ravyn Cavanaugh, Gianna Cicchetti, Meg Clemmensen, JenaRose Dahlstrom, Kayla DeLaura, Lexie Dopwell, Ashley Gallegos, Sophie Harris, Adrienne Joelle, Caitlin Joy, Cailley Leader, Faith Logue, Vic Maltese, Jessica Matilszki, Lexi Matuson, Caitlyn McGonigal, Natalie Melendez, Cyna Mirzai, McKenzie Moore, Stephanie Nardi, Jayne Pilch, Emilia Rangel, Emily Richardson, Cris Rulli, Ibbi Schwartz, Leeann Spangler, Mallory Thompson, Chelsea Tiso, Mickayla Whitt, Tanya Wright, Anna Xu, Emily Young

kindacoolmagazine.com

check out our latest website features!

@kindacoolmag

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contents

38 issue 10 • july 2021

4 �����������������������������������������UNDISCOVERED

32 ������������������������������������������������������������EMM

12 �����������������������������������������������������awfultune

36. . . . Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land

16 ����������������������BIPOC in the Music Industry

38 �������������������������������������������Olivia O'Brien

18 ������������������������������������������������������������SOUR

48 ����������������������������������������������Blood Bunny

22 �������������������������������������������� Cautious Clay

50 �������������������� From Fans to Professionals

29 ��������������������������������������������� Greatest Hits

52 ������������������������������������������� Blue Weekend

UNDISCOVERED Since the creation of our magazine, one of Kinda Cool’s primary goals is to provide a platform for underrepresented voices, celebrating the diversity in today’s music industry. With that goal in mind, our Undiscovered feature recognizes rising artists that our team loves, and we hope you will check out any of these amazing artists. In honor of June being Pride Month, Kinda Cool Magazine wants to honor our favorite rising LGBTQIA+ artists and open up the conversation about showcasing talented artists making a difference by sharing their music and messages with the world. We have asked the following artists to share what it means for them to be an artist in the LGBTQIA+ community, what they want fans to take away from their music, and what steps the music industry can take to be more inclusive:

Falyn Walsh (he/him) of GRUMPSTER "Being an artist in the LGBTQIA+ community means being able to speak out on issues that our community faces, as well as being able to write songs about feelings and expriences that may help others to feel that they aren’t alone in all of this.

I always hope to help our fans feel less alone. I want them to know that whoever they are, whatever they identify as, is completely okay and awesome and that while sometimes things are hard and scary, there are people out there experiencing the same things.

Things will be okay!

The industry could be more inclusive by giving more LGBTQIA+ artists bigger opportunities and platforms to spread their messages. However, things seem to be shifting and I think the industry is starting to work on this more than they have in the past!" @grumpsterca

GATTISON (he/him) "Being an artist in the LGBTQIA+ community is a huge responsibility in my eyes. It's about making sure little queer kids growing up now have representation. For me, as a black gay cis man, it's so important for me to not just create great, fun music, I create music that can also speak to a person’s inner guide and deliver encouragement and inspire empowerment. To me, being an artist in the LGBTQIA+ community is so much bigger than me...it's about us and those who come after us.

Each song you hear I want you to feel FREE! In one song, it may be free to acknowledge your pain and struggle. In another, it may be free to turn up and celebrate life. In yet another, it may be to feel free to dream and explore the universe inside self. With every song, I want you to feel freer than before you listened.

I think that if the main goal of the music industry was art then it would automatically include diversity. I think because the main goal of the industry is money, then it prioritizes nonrisky formulas which is the antithesis of art. Art is messy and abstract and risky and diverse.

Soooo...I'll just leave that there for folks to chew on." @gattisonofficial

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@iamGATTISON

Brendan Eprile (he/him) & Greg Driscoll (he/him) of FAB THE DUO "It means so much to us being part of this incredible community. We've found that the LGBTQ+ community supports other queer artists like no other. It's one big family.

We just want people to know it's okay to be authentically themselves! No one has to fit in a box and as long as you're not hurting anyone. Be You, Be Proud, and Be Loud!

One of the biggest issues is financial access. To get professionally produced tracks and then promote them costs a lot of money! Until the industry is more accessible, many incredible artists simply can't afford to put out music, let alone have it heard. The music industry is starting to be more inclusive of the LGBTQ community but they have a long way to go when it comes to diversity in that community." @fabtheduo

MALLORY PACIFIC (she/they) "It means showing up authentically and unapologetically. Sharing my journey and making it so the LGBTQIA+ youth has something positive to look up to and look forward to. There are so many hard things we go through in life, learning to love and be ourselves and feel confident shouldn't have to be one of them. So I will lead, as an example, and fight for the equality we deserve.

A feeling of inclusivity and belonging knowing that they are not alone in their emotions and feelings. Encouragement to love themselves as is.

Loving healing energy and light! A song hug.

Go beyond rainbow washing! Actively highlighting and promoting queer artists regularly. Helping to create more queer platforms. Educating themselves to be better allies. Fighting the fight! Hiring more queer people!

More queer-based shows and showcases. More queer record labels!" @malloryisemotional

@malloryisemo

Jill Beckett (she/they) of POLLYANNA "I think it's really amazing to see how much representation has grown for the queer artists’ community, and to me, it means that I am able to be unapologetically queer at our shows and with our online presence. It feels really good to be a part of a community so diverse.

I hope they get inspired to be more brutally honest with their emotions and feelings, whether it's negative or positive, instead of pretending like it doesn't exist. Our music is very honest and emotional and unapologetic, and I hope our listeners can put that into action in some way.

I think if they gave more queer punk artists that have a small following with different song structures that isn't what most music sounds like a chance to get their name out there, it would definitely make the industry more inclusive than it is now." @thisispollyanna

@ pollyannanj

kindacoolmagazine.com • 5

Tate Logan (he/him) of HAPPY. "Growing up in a small town in the Deep South, I basically did two of the wildest things you can do—chase a career in punk rock music and come out as transgender. I used to be very insecure, but now the whole idea is almost humorous to me. The journey to get here made me believe that anything is possible. It showed me that you can be from any background, with any life experience, and achieve your goals by being unapologetically passionate and courageous. I knew that the happiness it would bring would be worth all of the obstacles it took to get there.

I am able to do the thing I love most in the world while also spreading a message of inclusivity and acceptance. The music is a vessel for bringing about changes in pop culture that eventually bleeds into the rest of society. LGBTQIA+ artists demand a space for their voices to be heard through music that relates to not only the community but to everyone.

I hope my fans know that I love them for exactly who they are.

We are all humans trying to figure out the best way to navigate this life and the best thing you can do is be your most genuine and authentic self. That is what I want my fans to take away from the music. I want them to know that every little part about them is what makes them unique: the good and the bad, the pretty and the ugly, the proud and the embarrassing. I want to create a space where my queer fans know that they are valued for every aspect of their personality, and not just for their queerness.

We are all complex people with passions, struggles, talents, and failures that make us who we are.

The music industry can be more inclusive by letting queer people speak for themselves. It is common for allies to have good intentions but end up virtue signaling and taking credit for simply being an ally. That is the bare minimum. The expected should not be congratulated. Instead of putting so much energy into praising allies for being allies, we should be lifting the voices of the actual oppressed parties. This means signing more queer bands and artists, putting more queer artists on the cover of magazines and playlists, having more queer artists headline festivals.

Saying “we support you” isn’t enough. Put us in the game so we can actually reach other LGBTQIA+ folks directly." @bandcalledhappy

SUG DANIELS (she/her) "My journey as a queer woman hasn't shaped all of me, but it has altered a big part of me and how I relate to the world. So many other people have lived through situations like mine, poverty, strict religious upbringing, loneliness, but have never seen it reflected much. If I have a platform to tell a story, I want to tell mine so future generations can know their feelings are valid and they aren't alone.

I hope people listen to my music and feel inspired to live in their truths. I shout (sing) my stories into the void hoping that somewhere someone feels like they've been seen. Outside of my deep necessity to create, that's why I love creating music.

I'm hoping the media continues this drift to more inclusive stories. I want them to stop waiting until Pride Month to highlight and feature us in blogs and magazines and look to us as respectable and meaningful members of the community. It's not like the gays don't have a great track record with creating music! Sir Elton John, Queen, Big Mama Thornton to name a few! Pioneers in the entertainment industry no matter where on the spectrum their sexuality lies." @sugdaniels

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@ sugdaniels_

JORDY (he/him) "Being a queer artist to me is simply being an artist. My job is to make music that is honest to me, and my truth is that I am queer! I am grateful every single day to be a part of such a beautiful and inclusive community, but I also want to recognize that me and all of my queer artist friends are artists and songwriters first, just like our straight counterparts.

My goal always is for my listeners to feel less alone when they listen to my music. I want them to feel seen and heard and safe. I have always worn my heart on my sleeve and want to use my vulnerability as a way to speak up for those who feel they don't have the power to do so yet. Whether it's about being friend-zoned or meeting someone on the internet or having a bad hook up, I want to say the things people want to talk about but are too afraid to say out loud.

I think people need to start focusing less on the gender of who someone is singing about and more on the emotions and story behind the lyrics of the song. When I was younger, I listened to a lot of straight artists because I didn't really have a choice - yet I found ways to connect to their stories. It didn't matter if the gender pronoun used didn't match my experience, it was the feelings that did. In regards to my song "Better In My Head," people don't care about the fact that I hooked up with a guy, they care about the feeling of leaving that hookup and wishing it never happened. Using honest pronouns doesn't make your song less universal." @jordymusic

@jordysongs

BRITTAN SMITH (he/him) "To me, it's being able to create a space that wasn't there when I super young. I was looking for artists that embodied passion and reflected back some version of myself and it was very challenging because a huge part of myself was hidden. I hope that through music, I'm able to be a conduit for that expression.

Mental health is a vital aspect of making music for me!

Both for myself and the audience so I really hope that people walk away with a sense of community. You know, I deeply relate to being an outlier and being a bit on the darker side of music. I think it's a sense of rawness and vulnerability that I hope allows people to open up and create that space for others. Most importantly, I just want people to know they're worthy. Worthy of staying and worthy of having space held for them.

I think the key is getting back to the roots of what music is about. The industry has always operated like a business and while artists are technically running their own business - the focus on numbers/streams/followers has really limited some expression in exchange for being more "poppy" or "on trend" so you can be heard amongst all of the music coming out these days. Generally speaking, the path to more inclusivity means opening up more opportunities for a diverse range of artists, viewpoints, and styles that aren't only run through the top-level filter of numbers. Again, this is generalizing, plenty of platforms are working to make space and I think we're heading in the right direction!" @brittansmith_

kindacoolmagazine.com • 7

Lily St Germain (they/them) of LILAC QUEEN "Being an artist in the community has given me the opportunity to be more open about my gender and sexuality, and has made me hopeful that it could help other people feel represented and seen.

I hope that people who listen to our music can find comfort or something to relate to, even though our music is sad, as a way to help them cope and feel heard.

Having more diverse lineups for shows and tour packages would be great! (As long as it doesn’t reach the point of tokenism)"

@lilacqueen.tv

@lilacqueentv

J McClendon (they/them), Layne Smith (he/him), Jonas Newhouse (they/them), William White (they/them) of GLASS BEACH "Though we never set out to be a “queer band,” we absolutely don’t shy away from claiming the importance of being vocally queer in public space as a platformed artist. It’s been important for all of us at different points in our lives to have artists, peers, and even artwork itself to look up to or reference for our own personal realizations and affirmations so we’re incredibly proud to be a part of that for our community and those around us. Having a community of diverse queer artists all creating works from their own perspectives and life experiences gives way to inspiring and connecting to so many more diverse creatives moving forward, which is essential for making our spaces accepting and accessible to everyone, and we’re proud to be a part of that.

We want our audience to be inspired to be fully and energetically themselves in context of rather than in spite of the parts of life that may make that difficult. There is hope in what we do and we create from that perspective, whether it be from the people around us, the art we latch onto, from within ourselves, or wherever we can find it, and we encourage people to find that themselves even possibly using our music as a catalyst for that self-discovery.

Worker-owned everything. If executives don’t get to pass up marginalized people, if venues don’t get to exclude marginalized people, if labels don’t get to maliciously or even subconsciously avoid certain marginalized groups, etc., we’d be able to make the industry much more accepting and accessible. The musicians themselves should own the music, promote each other, have a say in community-driven venues, community engineers and producers, and have a stake in the entire process. That would help avoid certain hierarchical forms of discrimination and abuse and open the door for more opportunities for people who would never have seen this industry as an option for them. No relying on marginalized millionaires to hopefully lift us up. We all do it ourselves together. Also, more easily immediate, publications get artists’ identities correct. Like pronouns, etc." @glassbeachband

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FREDDIE (they/them) "To me, it means being a part of a history of tastemakers, visionaries, and radicals who have shifted mainstream culture since antiquity.

These days, it also means being able to create without feeling the pressure of representing the full extent of queerness. I can talk about my experiences without having to speak for a vast and diverse community.

Art for me is a place of vulnerability. I think the personal is universal, so I hope folks can feel more comfortable sharing difficult truths.

I’m less concerned about an industry’s commodification of queerness and more concerned with building creative power as a community." @eastbayvicious

MAE KRELL (they/them) "I get to openly be who I am and also be a musician without having to worry about one overtaking the other! I can write a song about my exgirlfriend the exact same way that straight people can, and it’s not taken any differently; instead, it’s just looked at as a good song by an artist that happens to be a lesbian or a part of the LGBT community, etc. I also love the growth in the industry that has come with being more inclusive toward LGBT artists as well.

I try to write and release music that represents me and my emotions—I’m a lesbian, I’m a 22-year-old that’s still figuring out what growing up means, I’m someone who struggles and has struggled with mental illness and relationships and everything else that comes with that.

I just hope that someone who listens can relate and know that they’re not alone and that things will get better. I know that’s so cliché, and I never believed it, but it really is true. Looking back, I wish I had someone speaking about what I was going through that I could look up to.

We need more LGBT+POC women representation!! There are so many popular artists who are gay men, and that’s amazing and shows so much progression, but women, namely lesbians are left out of that in a significant way. As an add-on to that as well, Black & other POC lesbians are even rarer in mainstream music! There are more than enough talented women in music—let’s get them more represented!!" @maekrell

kindacoolmagazine.com • 9

UNDISCOVERED

the playlist

As part of our Undiscovered piece, we have asked the featured artists to recommend a song by another member of the LGBTQIA+ community as a way of sharing other artists that we should recognize and celebrate during Pride Month. Additionally, we have included a song from each of the featured artists, and we hope you love this playlist as much as we do!

Growing Pains

Grumpster

Belong

Sarchasm

Fight Like Hell

Gattison & Nio

Live For Love

STVN JMS

Paradise

Nick Metos

Our Love is Resistance

Fab The Duo

Enough of You

Gia Woods

Emotional - Pride Remix

Mallory Pacific

Colours

Nick Saanto

Bad Bitch

Juno Star

F.A.G.

Joe Daccache

I Promise, I’m Lying

Pollyanna

Lost

Fox Teeth

Sick is the New Sane

Happy.

Jason

BONNIE PARKER

Heavy

Sug Daniels Soap N Water

Zookie

Just Friends

JORDY

Getaway (feat. Tegan and Sara)

Peach

VINCINT Brittan Smith

Messy

Bronze Avery

fences

Lilac Queen

A Crouching Tiger Waits for Prey That Never Comes

classic j dies and goes to hell part 1 Maker

FREDDIE

i love when it rains in LA

Letters to the Hospital

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Wu Am I Mae Krell

taking the heat

listen here:

glass beach Anjimile

BASHBACK!

Dreamwell

Joy Oladokun

https://spoti.fi/3wZpLEN

kindacoolmagazine.com • 11

awfultune is not awful at all!

Layla Eden, aka awfultune, is an up-and-coming artist from Upstate NY, who utilizes the genres of bedroom pop and indie to convey her messages through her music. Eden is a transgender woman, who writes about her struggles with hormones and coming to grips with her true self through her music. Her hit song “I Met Sarah In The Bathroom” went viral on TikTok and has since wracked up over 100 million global streams, giving her two million monthly streamers on Spotify. Eden spoke with me about Pride Month, her viral hit, and how she wants to empower others through her music.

Hosted by Faith Logue First off, I want to acknowledge the fact that it is Pride Month, and you yourself identify within the LGBTQ+ community. Could you tell me any LGBTQ+ artists who have inspired you to become who you are today?

Yes, happy Pride Month! I really wish I could give a whole list of queer artists I listened to when I was growing up, but unfortunately, I don’t think there were that many then like there 12 • kinda cool.

are now. I pretty much only listened to female pop artists that made music about breakups and shit like that. The 2000s were wild. I wish there were more LGBTQ+ artists then because it probably wouldn’t have been that hard to figure myself out. I’m super grateful to make art today that helps not just queer people but all people identify and find themselves. That is probably the best feeling in the world.

“I Met Sarah In The Bathroom” became a viral hit, so how has your life changed since

that song took off?

“I Met Sarah in the Bathroom” going viral was absolutely crazy. I never thought I’d have a viral hit at all, and it was really cool to see it take off in the way that it did. My life has changed completely actually. I’ve signed to a label now and have a beautiful team helping me. Not doing everything on my own is super different, and I’m not used to it. There's not much I can say other than that it’s been really fun. I’m really happy people resonated with the song so much. Big thank you to TikTok. A lot of your music is about empowering others, and how important is it in your music to have others relate to it and take positive messages from it?

It’s very important to me. I’m really big on being a haven for others and being someone people can relate to. My message has always been to spread positivity as much as you can, and I’ve always believed that there's no reason people shouldn’t be happy with who they are and how they grow. There’s so much outside influence and even I fell victim to negativity and bullying, but I’ve learned that one’s happiness and mental health should be put first. I hope my fans pull that from my music and let it bleed into their own lives as well. Be that sensitive and powerful bitch you know you are.

acknowledge their fans and I really don’t understand why. Get the stick out of your ass, dude! These people are the reason you are where you are. I’m grateful for anyone who listened to my music and has been so gentle with it. Thank you.

In your recent social media post, you said there is more music coming. Is there an awfultune EP or album in the works?

Yeah, big time. I’ve been dropping hints here and there. Some have picked them up, and some haven’t. I’ve been working on this project for many months now, and I’m really excited to finally share these songs. I have a feeling people are really going to love them just as much as I do.

Your music and artwork for all your music are very aesthetically pleasing, so how do you decide how you want each song to look on the outside?

On your social media, I notice you are very active with your fans. How important are your fans to you, and how do they motivate you to keep creating?

They are my little babies. My best friends. I seriously love each and every one of them. I care so much about what they think and how they feel. They’ve pulled me out of really deep funks a lot and have always been there for me when I need it. They don’t know how much they help me.

It’s definitely a deep connection and I want them to feel that from me too. Many artists don’t kindacoolmagazine.com • 13

Thank you! I feel like I’m a very visual artist first before anything. Every time I create music, I always imagine the visuals, colors, the story I really want to put out there, etc. I actually have been working with one of my best friends Celeste on the cover art for everything this year (@clisw3008 on Instagram). It’s really cool to work with someone so talented who knows so much about me and what I like because it makes it really easy to come up with art. Very cute art, might I add.

do. That’s what art is all about honestly.

You are very aligned with your astrological side, so do your signs influence the way you write songs and create?

If someone is just listening to you, what is one song you would recommend for them to listen to?

Yes, I definitely think so. All of my music is inspired by feelings. I talk a lot about spirituality throughout the new music and how being insanely emotional should be seen as a strength more than anything. I also touched on my spiritual awakening in my album layla too. It was something I was very hesitant to speak about, but seeing the culture shift recently and people being more accepting of spirituality has made it a bit easier to express everything.

I have a lot of songs out there, but in my opinion, the ones that really stick out for me are “your beauty standards can suck my dick” and “Maggot Belly.” They are both very opposite sides of the spectrum but do a really good job at showing listeners what I’m capable of. They are also my personal favorites so maybe I’m biased.

Since artists live in big cities and popular areas and you live in an area that is quiet and peaceful, do you find it difficult to gain traction while living in Upstate New York?

Honestly? Not really. I’ve always been pretty content being an artist in a small town. I don’t really see the hype in the big city lifestyle. I never really gained any traction because of location anyway.

Do you ever get upset if people misconstrue the true meaning of your songs, especially “I Met Sarah In The Bathroom” and the abundance of TikTok videos made with it?

I definitely used to, especially when it just started getting big. It felt like everyone else had a lot of untrue things to say about it. I realized that it didn’t matter though because regardless of what I say, I feel like once you put a song out there in the world, it’s kind of everyone else’s song now. I think it’s fine to find your own meaning for it if that is something you want to

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You announced you will be releasing new merchandise this year. Is there a theme you are going for that will tie into your new music?

I’m definitely dropping new merch. I wish I could tell you the theme, but sadly, I can’t. It’s coming, I promise. I think everyone’s really gonna like it all.

Once it is safe to do so, would you like to do a headline tour? If so, who would be your dream act to tour with?

Are you kidding? I’d love to do a headline tour next year or something. People find it really hard to believe this, but I’ve only ever done livestream shows. I sang at a wedding once too, haha.

It’s been my dream to get on stage, and I think it’s safe to say I’d love to tour with maybe Billie Eilish, Melanie Martinez, or BENEE. A dream.

Lastly, what is your dream goal for awfultune, and what steps are you taking to achieve it?

I don’t think I really have a definitive dream goal for awfultune. I just know I want to remain happy and help others. It’s super simple but it’s the truth. As long as my mental health is okay, the people around me are good, and I’m creating art… life is good.

Keep track of new releases from awfultune on all social media under @awfultune, and all her music can be found on all streaming services!

MUSIC FOR ALL: welcoming BIPOC fans in the music industry

Words by Mary Perez Music brings solace and joy to many people, but the music industry is still far from making everyone feel represented and comfortable, despite making strides toward equality.

Last year, I read a post on the Eighty One Twenty Three (8123) site about BIPOC representation and discrimination in the scene, and it really resonated with me because it was able to articulate feelings that I had held for quite some time. The anonymous post illustrated the concerns that the Black author held in feeling comfortable attending shows and supporting artists that they love, as they didn’t fit the stereotype for fans of that music or artist. They expressed their discomfort and how it impacted whether they interacted with the artists after shows, if they bought merchandise to support them, and even when they would show up to concerts. Heartbreakingly, they emphasized how “BIPOC are not welcome. Women BIPOC are not welcome, especially. I have friends who are BIPOC and who are nonwhite who have never gone to a show—despite LOVING the music–because they have heard about what goes on at shows.”

As an Asian-American, specifically a Filipino-American, I struggle to feel represented at concerts, finding myself to be one of the only Asians in attendance. I’m not talking about just watching white artists performing; I’m also thinking about the times that I’ve been surrounded by white fans, listening to white music industry professionals, working in spaces that are dominated by white voices. Although the music industry is becoming more open to new

16 • kinda cool.

artists from a myriad of backgrounds, I feel as though there is still a lack of representation within fans and artists alike, and I don’t think I am the only person who feels this way.

I don’t feel that I am openly discriminated against when attending shows, but I don’t feel fully comfortable being a POC in the scene. I recognize the discomfort that the 8123 author was speaking about when interacting with artists, even as a music journalist. I will be working in the photo pit, and I’m still one of the only women and POC photographing. I can recall the fear in my heart upon seeing the white and male-dominated photo pits, but I doubt they’ve ever felt the same way. The year is 2021—I shouldn’t feel alone in a place that brings me so much happiness.

It’s unsettling that the music industry still struggles to include minority voices, failing to support our BIPOC artists, managers, photographers, publicists, producers, journalists, and the list goes on.

The University of Southern California (USC) recently released a report about the executives at 70 music companies and the lack of representation within executive roles. A mere 13.9% of the top executives identified as part of underrepresented ethnic/racial groups, and 13.9% of the executives were women (Variety). It’s hard to believe that these numbers represent the people that make decisions that make or break the music industry.

Even when we are represented in the music industry, we must celebrate every victory that we get because it may be the only solid representation we get for years. Nobody ever highlights that an artist is white, but BIPOC artists find their racial backgrounds

emphasized in every press release, interview, even playlist they’re featured in. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t get excited about talentted BIPOC artists—nothing is cooler than discovering that your latest musical obsession is none other than an artist that looks like you. I know my family celebrates the accomplishments of Bruno Mars or H.E.R.—I even know my dad asked me recently if I had heard of Olivia Rodrigo and knew that she was of Filipino descent. I just wonder if we can do more. There is still so much that we need to do before the music industry can properly mirror the people that need the representation most.

offensive language or behaviors.

Well, I’ve shared my side. It’s time to step up and take action. How can we start making the scene more inclusive for our BIPOC members?

3. Help each other feel safe. It’s hard enough to feel alone at a show, but the added element of experiencing judgmental looks or even being ignored simply heightens the isolation. Look out for your peers and even the strangers you’re with at shows.

Make sure that you take care of one another by giving them the chance to enjoy themselves, whether it be keeping each other safe around a pit or helping boost others to crowdsurf. Speak up if someone is being mistreated.

1. Hold people accountable. Although it may seem easy to brush off the comments of artists when they don’t affect you or your identity, words hurt. Everyone knows that words hold a great amount of power, and it is only when we acknowledge the harmful things that are said and educate people to understand their errors that we can move forward. Even when people want to separate the art from the artist, continue to hold people responsible for the things that they say or even fail to say. It’s not cancel culture to keep people accountable for their actions. Do not tolerate discrimination in any form. BIPOC members of our community cannot feel safe if they believe that others are still willing to excuse

2. Check who you support. Building on my last point, I believe it’s important to ensure that you are supporting others who hold similar beliefs. For example, the Black Lives Matter movement should not be a debate, and artists were given the chance to share their support for the Black community.

Although some believe that artists are not responsible for sharing their every belief, it is important for artists to let their fans know that they acknowledge injustice.

We cannot feel comfortable if artists are not able to speak out against inequality as a whole.

These steps are only the beginning. We must support one another and continue to make our scenes a safe space for all. As we move forward, let’s start getting more BIPOC representation in our music—there are far too many talented people to leave out of today’s music industry!

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OLIVIA RODRIGO'S is anything but Though she may be a Disney star, she’s not technically a princess—but throughout her debut album, SOUR, Olivia Rodrigo wears her vulnerability like a crown. On the 11-track record, the sparkling pop phenom effortlessly navigates the serpentine roads full of the obstacles that go right along with being a heartbroken teenager, all while keeping her head high and embracing the pain, rather than running away from it. It’s not a new sight by any means, either, as there have been others before her who have done the same, but it’s also different at the same time because when it comes to an 18-year-old allowing herself to be completely vulnerable and honest about her feelings in front of the entire world, something about that makes the world just want to stop, listen, and come along for the ride. And even though she may have only just gotten her driver’s license last week, Rodrigo is already a pro.

Words by Lexie Dopwell “brutal” “I want it to be, like, messy!” We hear her boldly announce in “brutal,” SOUR’s opening track.

That declaration turns out to be an understatement—though the song is nothing short of fun due to its punk-rock-heavy production, Rodrigo’s honest lyricism instantly cuts right to the bone. “God, it’s brutal out here,” she almost scoffs alongside confessions about her inability to parallel park and only having two real friends, and it’s her honesty that makes her so damn likable. After all, what’s not to love about a girl who’s not afraid to admit that she, too, gets caught up in what people think of her? When you mix in her clever wordplay and the sheer lack of shame she has when it comes to her vulnerability, Rodrigo quickly comes off as someone wise beyond her years, but it’s little quirks like that that might make you forget that she’s only 18, an admirable feat to achieve not just this early in her career but this early on her album. “traitor” Though SOUR was initially planned to be released as an EP, it’s lucky that it wasn’t, or else we might not have gotten this gem as soon as we did. A heart-wrenching piano ballad, “traitor” shows listeners how Rodrigo seems to have already found her place within the music world as a master of all trades: she can do pop! She can do rock! She can do ballads! And oh, what a ballad this song is. “Guess you didn’t cheat, but you’re still a traitor,” she smoothly states, somehow giving listeners the feeling that they’re being let in on a massive secret. Rodrigo has an uncanny way of doing that—her authenticity easily allows her to bring listeners into her world, a world where everyone knows her secrets, including you.

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“drivers license” If you’ve even so much as glanced at your TikTok For You Page at any point within the past six months, chances are that you’re already familiar with this song, whether you know it or not.

It was a week into January when Rodrigo’s debut single, “drivers license” hit airwaves for the first time and immediately became a hit, started climbing up the charts quite literally overnight and catapulting her into a brighter spotlight than she had ever been in before. Maybe it’s the simplicity of its intro, the unmistakable sound of a car starting. Maybe it’s the simplicity of the lyrics, which describe a universal situation but are still somehow so complex at the same time.

Or maybe it’s the bridge, a bridge that rivals that of “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift, even, but whatever it is in particular that makes “drivers license” so good, we may never know.

However, there’s no denying that there was quite possibly no better introduction for Rodrigo to show the world what she was capable of than this song. After all, it isn’t every single day that a song by a 17-year-old goes number one, especially one where they’re spilling their feelings for the world to see.

“1 step forward, 3 steps back” Even though Rodrigo is known as a massive fan of a ton of musicians, there’s no denying that she’s a Swiftie first and a human second. She’s name-dropped Taylor Swift in countless interviews and notably freaked out on social media when Swift posted about Rodrigo’s cover of “Cruel Summer” last year, which, for the record, came before she even had her drivers license. With all of this in mind, it’s no surprise that one of the tracks off of her debut album would have a major nod to Swift herself. However, the way everything worked out on the fourth track from SOUR probably exceeded even Rodrigo’s wildest dreams.

With the interpolation of Swift’s very own “New Year’s Day” from her 2017 album reputation serving as the melody for the song, Rodrigo tells the story of a love that pulls you in and pushes you right back out again, “It’s one step forward, and three steps back/I’m the love of your life until I make you mad.” As the song progresses, Rodrigo continues describing the constant back and forth, but by the end of the song, she’s still left without answers. “deja vu” How often are you going to find a song that happens to name-drop both Glee and Billy Joel? (This is a rhetorical question; if it’s happened more than once, I apologize.)

However, “deja vu” is more than just full of pop culture references; it’s a moment.

Serving as the second official single from SOUR and the highly anticipated follow-up to “drivers license,” Rodrigo doesn’t break her stride at all whatsoever on the track. “Strawberry ice cream in Malibu/Don’t act like we didn’t do that shit, too,” she sings on the track, slyly calling out an ex that happens to be doing everything that they used to do together! (Gasp!)

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“good 4 u” Hell is a teenage girl, and her name is Olivia Rodrigo. But, really, can we blame her? “It’s like we never even happened/Baby, what the fuck, is up with that?” Rodrigo may be mad, but she just wants to know how someone you have history with can forget you so easily. It’s an ageold story but she puts the catchiest of takes on it (think “Misery Business” era Hayley Williams met “Fearless” era Taylor Swift and they released a collab) on what might be the boldest, the bravest, the baddest track on the album. It’s here when the album name, SOUR, perhaps makes the most sense; Rodrigo isn’t hating on her ex’s new lover, but instead, she’s dealing with the sour feelings that come with being a woman scorned. “enough for you” A notable turnaround from its predecessor, “enough for you” offers another peek into Rodrigo’s mind. “I wore makeup when we dated/‘Cause I thought you’d like me more,” she begins, and for a second, it seems like this is just another song out there about not being enough for someone. Suddenly, the page is flipped and Rodrigo comes to the worldshattering realization; sometimes it’s not that you’re not enough for them, but it’s because they’ll never be satisfied. That, in itself, can be seen as a sign that she’s already coming into her own, not just as a songwriter but as a person. “happier” “I hope you’re happy/But don’t be happier.” That line sounds almost haunting, but it’s a lyric in true Rodrigo-style, the perfect mix of clever and messy at the same time. She wasn’t kidding when she said that she wanted this album to be messy; though it’s an arguably cohesive record, there’s no denying the messiness it entails. Then again, it works for her. Being heartbroken is messy. The back and forth of “happier” feels like a prime example of that, with Rodrigo both wanting her ex-lover to be happy without her, but not happier than they were while they were together. “jealousy, jealousy” You would think that she has it all, but comparison kills. Slowly, to be exact, and once again, those sour feelings are back, but Rodrigo handles them with grace. With “jealousy, jealousy” (along with the rest of the album), she describes feeling so-called unfavorable things, such as jealousy and insecurity while comparing herself to those around her, but the thing is that she’s making those feelings work in her favor. That’s not an easy thing to do, either, but by normalizing those unfavorable feelings for herself, Rodrigo is, in turn, inspiring others to allow themselves to be vulnerable, too. “favorite crime” There’s a special sort of naivete on “favorite crime,” another ballad from Rodrigo. Both delicate and heartbreaking all at once, the lyric “One heart broke, four hands bloody” is not only a prime example of lyrical genius from this track but from SOUR in its entirety. Laden with metaphors, the song entails Rodrigo taking the blame for her heartbreak, eventually forgiving herself, serving as an essential part of the healing process. “hope ur ok” First, she’s sour, then she’s sweet. “Address your letters to the holes in my butterfly wings,” Rodrigo requests as she fondly looks back on friendships that are now long gone, making “hope ur ok” the perfect ending to a debut album full of honesty, heartbreak, and allowing yourself to embrace the less desirable parts of your emotions. She may be new to the game, but she knows exactly what she’s doing—something tells me that this isn’t the last we’ll be seeing of her, either.

BANKS • September 2019

by Kariann Tan

pushing vulnerability to the front with

CAUTIOUS CLAY Unshy to being vulnerable and using his music as a way of healing, Cautious Clay has a gripping and unique grasp on the process of emotional expression. With an ability to take listeners on a candid and wistful journey, each lyric feels like its own act of necessary catharsis. Preparing for the release of his first full-length studio album, Deadpan Love, Cautious Clay discusses themes on the album, productivity, collaboration process, and more.

Hosted by Ashley Gallegos Photos courtesy of Leeor Wild Today is April 19th, and you’ve just released your EP “Karma & Friends” on the 15th. You are just a few months away from the release of Deadpan Love, so how are you feeling?

Feeling good. You know just working, hanging out, taking time for myself.

In these songs from the EP, it seems there’s a lot of self-analysis, friendship and relationship dynamics being touched on. What are some other elements and themes or specific things you’re going to be exploring within the rest of Deadpan Love?

In terms of the rest of the album, it’s really dealing with a lot of different perspectives around my personal growth, relationships in general, how I unpack different elements of relationships with people, things that I think people mistake, including myself, for what actually is kind of fruitful and happiness instead of dealing with overall growth in your life. It’s really an album just discussing relationships, but looking at it through the lens of overall understanding the idea of things might not always be clear. Deadpan and love are like looking at two sides of the same coin. Deadpan is just like the outer layer: sarcasm and wit to protect my inner layer of compassion, empathy, sort of my overall way of living and seeing the world through this lens of “Yeah, things are really tough right now, but I’m going to continue on my journey and overall try to make the world what I had hoped to see it become.” Like obviously, understanding things are fucked,

but I have to do what I can with what I have.

It’s an album about relationships, and it’s an album about self-exploration, and it’s sort of continuing on that path for me from my first EP, “Blood Type.”

Were those things that you’ve known beforehand you wanted to touch on, or did you think of them sort of at the moment as you were creating the music for the album?

I think it was all sort of in the moment, and I translated it into an overall body of work that I had sort of crafted from several different songs. I put them all together in this way where it felt like it made sense and flowed really well together so it was sort of a conscious thing.

It’s almost like a playlist of my own songs, but all the songs sort of flow into each other thematically and sonically.

During this pandemic, I think lots of people are trying to balance and sustain their own general wellbeing and health alongside their craft, and I think sometimes that warrants the need to feel and be as productive as possible. While making this new album, did you find yourself exploring only what you felt was maybe the best, or did you feel that need for absolute completion of all those ideas that were coming to you?

I think it was a mix of both because I don’t ever like to stress the idea of productivity being the only path for an artist. I think that’s sort of toxic in some ways because it’s like you have to do what you feel is right as an artist. I think there were a few songs on the album that it just feels are really special to me. I knew that kindacoolmagazine.com • 23

I was working on this album, and I’ve been working on it for so long. I’m just ready to have it done so I pushed myself to finish the songs I felt worked best for the album and what I was trying to accomplish.

I’m curious as to where you were when you wrote these songs for the album because there’s a sense of environmental influences as far as their music process goes so traveling and being in new places at such a constant pace is really beneficial to them as they continue to write and make their own music. Were these songs all written around the same place or places?

They’re actually written at all different times and different places. For example, “Karma & Friends” I actually wrote three years ago, and that song felt very much like it meant a lot to me. It was actually the original title for my album, but in terms of where I was, about 60% of it was actually stuff that I wrote this

past year, I was in a pretty rural area. I was in Massachusetts, and I think being in that space and not in New York, it’s hard to say what I would have made. To me, what came out of there was there’s a song called “Spinner” on the album, “Dying in the Subtlety” was also another song that I wrote out there. I also wrote “High Risk Travel,” so there’s songs that aren’t out as well. It definitely played a part in my overall feelings at times. “High Risk Travel” is sort of a play on words in the sense that it was like the beginning of the pandemic and nobody was traveling. The idea of traveling during a pandemic is crazy, but then also the idea of traveling to see someone and then obviously get your emotions sort of toyed with is also the idea, so it’s like a play on words. I think I’m writing certainly always in situations that are affecting me and put them into the music based on when and where I am.

Knowing that you personally feel a sense of community when playing your music out

and around other people like the audiences at your shows, do you think not being able to play the music live in the immediate release-then-tour way that typically happens will affect your relationship or process with this new work?

there anything you’re finding inspiration in right now during this time of preparing to release more new music and just trying to give every day your best in terms of creative productivity, health, mood, and emotional release?

I don’t think so. I mean it definitely does affect– not playing live, in general, does make me feel kind of funny ‘cause it’s weird. A lot of this stuff I did write on guitar. We do plan to tour it, we’re actually working on a tour to actually run with all the music on, so I think that’s the plan. I guess yes and no is the answer to that one.

My partner, my girlfriend. She’s great. Also, my roommates, and just being outside is also nice.

I feel like most of what I do is inside so I try to go for random walks.

Are you excited to tour?

Yeah, definitely, I think I’m not just speaking for myself either.

It’s been a bit difficult for people to actually get up and do lots of things during this time just due to all kinds of circumstances. Is

When your own music or music you’ve collaborated on is needledrop like in Booksmart and “Insecure,” how do you then view your music in terms of it living in its own world that was created by you?

I guess I view it as sort of a compliment. I always find it interesting because people oftentimes will take a specific song I’ve written and put it in a context that I didn’t see. They interpret the music that I make in a certain way

and I’m like, “Okay, cool, I didn’t see it that way, but I’m glad that you see it that way.”

Booksmart honestly was a great example cause it was a pretty awesome use, and I felt like it was important in the way it was used, but I never saw “Cold War” as sort of a sexy song.

People have interpreted that way, and it’s cool, you know? “Blood Type” was in “All American” and that’s a football show. It’s just interesting to see how my music is translated on screen as opposed to when I write it.

How is that process of say working on a piece by yourself versus collaborating on something with other artists different for you personally?

Whether or not I’m working by myself, it’s different than if I’m working with another person. I think it just depends on what I’m doing with that other person too. If it’s like a situation where I’m producing or if I’m on it, it’s just sort of a different headspace. I feel like it’s more adaptive than it is me just taking control of the situation.

During a pandemic where actually releasing new music feels quite different and also holds a bit of different weight when it comes to its post-release life, have you found it to have any impact on you or your music?

Definitely, yeah. There are songs that were influenced by being inside and in my head, in my thoughts, most of the time rather than being on tour.

Are there any music releases from this past year that you’ve kind of grown attached to or just really liked?

Yeah, Benny Sings just released an album.

It’s pretty good! There’s this guy, Hong Kong Boyfriend, that I really like as well, his song called “Sharlene.” I really like Brockhampton– “BUZZCUT” was really good. I know they just released an album I’ll have to check out.

In these next few months leading up to Deadpan Love’s June 25th release, what can we expect until then?

To be honest, I’m really looking forward to releasing. I’m gonna release a few more songs before this album comes out. I’m also going to have some videos. There’s a TV show I also worked on and did music for called “Godfather of Harlem.” I think we’re going to be doing some live acoustic shows. There’s going to be a lot of random stuff happening.

Those live acoustic shows sound like a lot of fun actually.

I think we are playing a few shows, but I don’t know they might just be like Zoom shows so it’s hard to say.

It’s going to be your first full-length album— congratulations, by the way! Are you going to be celebrating its release?

It’s always interesting learning about the music artists choose for their pre-show playlists, so had concerts actually gone on this past year, what do you think would have genuinely made the cut to be on yours?

It makes me anxious, I’m like, “Oh okay, yeah it’s out!” But it’s cool, I’m glad it’ll be out. I’ve worked really hard on it so I’m stoked that people will be bumping it, and I hope people find their favorites and I just kind of make something that speaks to them. There are definitely some summer bops on there so we’ll see how it all unfolds.

Probably a lot of 90s hip-hop and random 80s ballads. Yeah, those would probably be the two that would be on the playlist. I just feel like that’s what I was listening to. I actually did use to have this playlist called “Jazzholics” that I used to just play before my shows before the pandemic, and my sound guy would have a playlist he would oftentimes just use so I don’t know, but it would always be different though, so I think that was fun.

Cautious Clay’s Deadpan Love, an album exploring personal growth and different relationship dynamics, will be available for listeners on June 25th. However, you can pre-save and/or preorder the album at orcd. co/deadpanlove. To keep up with more of his music and live show announcements, you can follow him on Twitter (@Cautiousclayton), Instagram (@cautiousxclay), or sign up for his newsletter via his website at cautiousclay.com.

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these are

WATERPARKS' Words by Faith Logue

P

op-punk band Waterparks have turned heads yet again with a smash album, Greatest Hits.

This is the fourth album from the group, which consists of singer Awsten Knight, guitarist Geoff Wigington, and drummer Otto Wood. Their previous album, FANDOM, gained them a number two spot on the Billboard alternative charts, and their song “I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don’t Want to Die Anymore” became popular on TikTok. Greatest Hits can be described in three words: really freaking awesome. The blend of rock, pop, alternative, and electronic elements makes this album among the top of 2021 by far.

The first track of the album is titled “Greatest Hits,” an ode to the album you are about to hear. The song is nightmarish and dreamy, with singer Knight saying in an interview that the album takes part over the night, and this song is supposed to feel like falling asleep. There is only one lyric, “Last night I had the strangest dream of all,” and Knight uses many vocal effects to warp and distort his voice to feel fuzzy, which I feel like was alluding to the next song, “Fuzzy.” The track is short because it is an intro, but it is strong and sets up an exciting feeling for what you’re about to listen to.

Following that track comes the song “Fuzzy,” a fun song with lyrics about sleep paralysis. I have never experienced sleep paralysis, but the way Knight describes what he sees, “Because I/See shadows on my walls/I see them from the halls,” makes me feel terrified and uncomfortable. The chorus of the song alludes to the feeling of fuzziness after waking up, almost like you’re still dreaming. Knight uses a high falsetto at this point, which showcases the diverse range of vocals he can do. The bridge makes use of that feeling of fuzziness with vocals that sound

like you are underwater and not fully awake.

Coming up is the track “Lowkey As Hell,” a track that was released as a single on September 25, 2020, after previously leaking it about a week earlier in a live stream. I love this song a lot because Knight makes a nod to a lot of different songs and even another artist, Drake, by saying “My Drake Problems, my fake problems.”

This song sounds like a classic Waterparks song with its usage of heavy guitars and Knight’s sarcastic vocals. The pre-choruses nod to a song of theirs called “What Watch Happens Next,” with the lyrics, ‘I like cool shirts, I like cool rings/I want a big house, but I’m hiding.’ This song is a different approach to how Knight feels about his fame; he used to want all these things, and now that he has it, he is grateful but doesn’t know how to deal with it. This is one of the best songs on the album because I love the phrase, “I’m high key and lowkey as hell,” because it explains the up and down feeling Knight has in a fun way.

The next track is titled “Numb,” and for me, it might be my least favorite on the album. It is not a bad song by any means, but I think it is lyrically lacking in strength in comparison to the other songs on this album. It sounds like a song that would come off of their first album, Double Dare, with its heavy rock elements. The song has a lot of nods to old songs, such as their song “TANTRUM,” their third album FANDOM, and the fact that Knight had green hair at the time that the song was written. The bridge of this song sounds like a thunderstorm and is very chaotic. This song just lacks strong lyrics, and although there are usually some songs on Waterparks’ albums that have joking lyrics, this song is almost all jokes with some seriousness. It is not a bad song, but it certainly doesn’t rank high in the list of songs from this album.

Transitioning from that track is “Violet,”

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a sad love ballad about a toxic relationship. This song fades nicely from the previous track, and it has a beautiful music video to accompany it. The song has nods to pop culture, specifically movies and TV shows. One lyric states, “And this ain’t Misery/But I’d break your knees/To keep you here with me," an allusion to Stephen King’s book and movie Misery. In the book, an obsessed fan of an author tries to kill the author and break his knees so he will never leave. Knight is talking about how he is the obsessed “fan” of his partner and will do anything to make sure they don’t leave. In another line, “Watching Netflix again/It’s like I’m watching ‘You’/ But it’s about me/And just to be clear/I mean the show, you’re Joe,” references the show “You” on Netflix, which is about a relationship with a murder involved.

The song is very dark, especially with all the ominous messages about murder and death.

The next track is “Snow Globe,” the second single from the album. The song is among the best of the album, with Knight’s deep and haunting vocals mixed with a new sound, as well as different tones shifting throughout.

The beginning feels like it will be a Christmas song, then it feels as if you are in a snow globe, trapped with the beats of the song filling your mind. The bridge of the song makes me feel like I am floating, as it states “7 PM, let it sink in/I’ve been living dark/In the back of the deep end.” The 7 PM alludes to a narrative that Waterparks have been promoting for two years by talking about 7 PM on a Saturday. Although I am not quite sure what they mean, the reference in this song makes me feel happy that there’s an answer to what they meant by 7 PM. Another lyric that stands out is “‘Everybody hates you’/‘People miss the old you’/‘They hate everything/That they all changed you into.’” A constant theme throughout Waterparks’ discography, hate comments getting into Knight’s head caused him to take a six-month break from social media to clear his head. This song repeats the hate comments he receives, and the outro of the song

30 • kinda cool.

is chaotic, just like Knight’s life with newfound stardom.

Hauntingly, the next track is about suicide. “Just Kidding” speaks about serious thoughts about suicide, but Knight says just kidding to hide the truth behind his words. It is a pop-rock track, and it has strong lyrics and good vocals by Knight. The chorus says, “But I like your apartment/I like how your hair smells,” mirroring past lyrics about relationships Knight has talked about. The ending of the song says to repeat the song, and to me, this is a metaphor for Knight’s life, caught in an endless loop between thoughts of suicide and living.

The next track is titled “The Secret Life of Me,” and it is a very warm and light song with bubbly vocals from Knight. This song reminds me of “Telephone,” an older song of theirs from FANDOM. This song is about Knight dissociating from reality to a place he wants to go to, a theme of Greatest Hits, trying to make sense of reality and sleep that one cannot decipher. The bridge is slow and dreamy, almost like the act of dissociating.

The lyrics are very strong and spell out the meaning of the song very clearly, “I feel like I’m running out of time/Real life never feels like it’s mine/So I’ll dissociate until I’m fine/Until I’m fine.”

Continuing on, the next track is a poprock track is titled “American Graffiti,” and the title alone reminds me of their track “Made in America.” This song is very pop-rock and sounds like their first album. The song is about the perception of fans contrasted with the actual perspective Knight has of himself, seen through lyrics like “Yeah, you've been reading all about me/And you're loving what you found/I'm like American graffiti/You want some glitter, drink it down.”

The next song is called “You’d Be Paranoid Too (If Everyone Was Out to Get You),” and the title of the song is the most anticipated among fans because it has been teased for years,

as it is the title of Knight’s book. The theme of fame ruining Waterparks, especially Knight, is a recurring theme in their music. The lyrics, “I learned to live with these eyes in my closet/ Hands in my pockets/Alone but surrounded/ I'm breathing, I'm drowning/I haven't slept in days but who's counting?” are the best in the song, giving the average fan a great sense of how much fame has negatively impacted them as a band.

The next track, “Fruit Roll-Ups,” is among the best on the album. It is a slow song, which is a nice break from the very heavy rock influences in the past few tracks. This is a love song, and it reminds me of being in a long-distance relationship. The song has unusual lyrics, like “It's true/I'm a little bitch for you now/I don't wanna say it way too loud/But I'm a little bitch for you now.”

It is the only true love song on the album that has no underlining themes of toxicity. This song has beautifully done synths, and that makes it very memorable to me.

In my opinion, the best song on the album is the next track, “LIKE IT.” A loud track, it is just Knight venting in a song with intensity. I can definitely see this song being played live and a huge moshpit happening because of how intense it is. The lyrics, “Like me stopping [bleep] from fucking us over/And if they're mad at this/Then you can tell them that I wasn't sober/But I was” are very memorable to me because Waterparks’ old record label, Equal Vision Records, who left the band to dry but no longer own their old music.

The nod to the fact that Knight said he wasn’t sober is ironic because he is straightedge, despite speaking about wanting to numb his problems with drugs and alcohol. This song is also very memorable because the beginning has samples from an interview they did with Rock Sound a while ago.

“Gladiator” is an interlude within Greatest Hits, and I like when albums include them because they usually discuss a theme within the album.

The interlude is a very mellow instrumental track as Knight speaks about social media and the gladiator mentality. Knight says, “That's why that's why the media is like/Because they just wanna see you and that fucking other guy fight,” which means that people like to put people together to see drama happen online. This is about the toxicity Knight has faced on social media and how it has affected him, a prevalent theme of the album.

The next track is titled “Magnetic,” and it is certainly a hefty intense track, very different from the previous track that came before. It is very unlike them, and it reminds me of the artist 100 gecs. “Magnetic” is an electronic rock song, and the chorus is very different from any other songs of theirs, using onomatopoeia to convey emotions as it says, “It's like that, that, that, that/Banging

in my head like bap-bap-bap-bap/Feelings in the light go bad, bad, bad, bad/Headlights in my eyes go black, black, black, black.” The song sounds metallic in a way but like metal attracting together. I think the line “I’m magnetic to the things I hate the most” is very important because I think it describes human nature really well. We are detrimental to our own selves a lot of the time, and we are our own downfall most times, and that is exactly what Knight is saying here.

Continuing, the next track is titled “Crying Over it All,” and it is the saddest on the album thus far. It is a sentimental ballad about Knight reminiscing about past relationships and experiences while imagining his future and his true hopes and dreams. This is a personal song, and it hits close to home when you’ve experienced the loss of someone or something. The song is slow and thoughtful and makes me tear up as I listen.

Knight states, “Soon everyone will be gone/They'll forget my albums/I hope you'll be here when it's done/And I'm crying over it all,” which worries me.

Is this the group’s last album? What comes next as the group gets bigger and bigger?

Another amazing song on the album is the next track titled “Ice Bath.” This song is another one from the album that I can imagine would go very hard at shows, with moshpits and crowdsurfing sure to occur. It sounds very electronic, using samples from the first track of the album throughout, making me wonder if they included it in this song because it is the second to last one on the record. The chorus of the song is the best part of it as it says, “Wake up, good morning/My love's distorted/But what's important/ My shirt's imported.” This brings the listener’s attention back to the idea that the first part of the album was a dream, and this morning is reality.

The last track is called “See You In The Future,” and I think that is such a good title to end the album with. Knight uses a lot of rapping techniques in the song, along with extremely heavy rock elements. The slogan “See You In The Future” has been used by the band to promote the album and live stream shows. The song itself lives up to the hype of the bands’ promotion with the slogan. The song feels like a haven and makes me feel like everything will be alright. The song contains a lot of lyrics relating to pop culture, like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, “The Office,” and the movie Cast Away. All in all, this song is a great way to end the album.

The new Waterparks album, Greatest Hits, is available on all streaming platforms. It is a rock-heavy album, and new testing of genres for the band worked out in their favor. A lot of these songs will be amazing live, but for now, while the world is still unstable, we can all listen to them with our earbuds.

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get to know

EMM:

breaking down barriers for women and becoming strangers with first loves Based in Los Angeles, EMM is an anti-pop popstar. She steps into the scene to disturb the current system. She comes to disrupt, to stand out, and to make an industry that is much too comfortable with submissive female artists very uncomfortable. She writes, produces, plays multiple instruments, and speaks her mind. She destroys boxes. She speaks truth to power. She comes to dismantle the notion that young women in music will keep their mouths shut and do what they are told. EMM is bold in every decision, from fashion to performance, to the presentation, to music.

EMM and I had the chance to discuss what she’s been working on, how 2021 is going for her and how she’s constantly focused on making music that matters. Throughout our conversation, we discussed how important it is to her to use her voice to help create a safer space for women in the music industry. If I could use any words to describe her, it would be bold, courageous, and determined. She has never let her gender define her and I’m so excited for more people to know her and her music. She is truly one to watch for 2021.

Hosted by Mallory Thompson

Yes, it’s also the same reason I was in New York. I really was trying to pursue my dream.

I started really young because both of my parents are classical musicians—my mom’s a harpist and my dad’s an opera singer and they work at this really famous music school called Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan that’s mostly classical music. A lot of prodigies come from all around the world; they’re usually young and study there and practice like 8-10 hours a day at 12 years old. From the time I was six years old, I remember I always loved writing songs. For me, I was just like if I apply that same work ethic to my music, maybe I can learn how to be a real artist, so I started really young. I took my first piano lesson at 6, wrote my first song on the piano at the same time, and then studied classical piano for a long time. I even started a girl group when I was 8, and then I started studying guitar and got really into guitar. I started studying production and became a pretty strong producer pretty young when I was still a teenager. Then I left school early to go to New York, and that’s when I got into the industry.

My journey through the industry has been tumultuous and challenging, and I’ve had a lot of ups and downs.

How did you get into music?

Do you play any other instruments?

How are you doing right now, and how has 2021 been for you?

I’m good, having a great day so far. 2021 has been an adventure; I’ve been learning so much just releasing the project. It’s been challenging in its own ways; it’s always challenging when you’re an independent artist because I do so much myself, but I’ve been learning a lot so it’s been good!

Where are you currently based?

I’m in LA! I’m from Michigan originally and moved to NYC when I was a teenager, and then I went to LA after that. I’ve been out here for a while now, probably 6 or 7 years.

Did you move to LA specifically for the music scene to try and develop as an artist there?

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I play a little bit of bass, a little drums, a little bit of harp as my mom’s a harpist, a little bit of violin, but the main ones are guitar and piano.

Would you ever include the harp or any other instruments in your music or have you already?

On the production side, yes, I haven’t done any of the weird ones live. In my show, I play four instruments, but just the basic ones, none of the crazy ones.

Your bio says you’re an anti-pop popstar, can you explain this? Was this selfappointed?

I think I’m a little different than most pop artists in that I’m choosing and writing my own songs. I’m choosing when things come out, what comes out, and I’m spending my own money and calling all the shots—I don’t have to ask anyone for permission. No one tells me what hair colour I have to have, what weight I have to be, or what I’m allowed to talk about, and I think that that’s really important, especially for women in music, because a

lot of conventional “pop stars” are not given autonomy over their own art and over the way that they’re presented. I think that’s why I love the phrase “anti-pop” popstar because I do love pop music, but I don’t always like what pop stardom means for women, so it’s really important for me to redefine what it means to be a woman in pop music.

It’s really good and refreshing to hear that. Especially in this industry, I think it’s important that you’re aware of what’s needed to make this space better for all women to succeed. Historically, it’s been a very competitive industry and still is to an extent, and I don’t think that’s necessarily always the right thing.

I don’t like how people act like there is only space for one version of a woman like there can only be one female rapper, but there can be like 20 male rappers. I think there've been some great collaborations in the past year like Megan the Stallion and Beyonce and so many others, but as women start to team up, people are seeing how massive these collabs are.

When girls work together, it makes everyone

kindacoolmagazine.com • 33

money, so there shouldn’t be this ridiculous competitive thing.

Keeping on a similar topic, your music and your presence are heavily focused on female empowerment, so can you talk more about why it’s important to you?

I think because I’ve grown up as a woman in the world and it defined so much of my existence. I grew up in a really conservative culture and had double D’s at 13, and it made my life a living hell. I was always defined by my body from a very young age, and I got into an industry that is incredibly shallow and patriarchal. Everything we do has to be run by a male gaze, especially because the people that make the decisions are and have the money are usually old white dudes in offices. Even from the time I was a kid, I just remember being like, “There’s no reason that I can’t do something because of my gender.”

I shouldn't have to think every day about not getting paid equally, not getting the same

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opportunities, having to work harder to be seen as an equal as a producer, the list goes on and on.

It’s really good to hear that you are heavily focused on rewriting that narrative for others and making it a better place for women, and I think all women need to have that same mindset. In 2021, I don’t think we should have to still be talking about equal rights for women.

Right? Or safety in the studio, or making the spaces safer in business meetings? The amount of my music friends who have been assaulted while trying to work and make music is ridiculous. This has to change, and for some reason, the music industry is extra archaic with their equality and they’re way behind because it’s still such a boys club.

There is space for everyone.

Do you have any advice for young women trying to break into the industry?

Work really hard and outwork everyone. Focus on your craft, even though the rest of the world will tell you to focus on growing a social media number or going on a TV show. I think the most important thing you can do is fall in love with your craft and focus on that. Spend lots of days where nobody sees you because you’re in the rehearsal studio sitting with your instrument or trying to write a better song. I think that's the most important thing that we can do, and make sure that you're standing for something greater than yourself, ‘cause otherwise, you’ll get discouraged and give up, you have to have a bigger reason if you’re gonna make it very far. My secret advice is don’t do it unless you’re really looking for a battle.

like, “One day, I’m going to go to the grocery store in my hometown in Michigan, and I’ll see him. He’s gonna be married, I’m gonna be married, and we’re not really gonna know each other. It’s gonna be awkward, and then I’ll just have to go about my day.” I was just thinking about how devastating that thought was to me at the time, and I turned it into this song because “we’re gonna be strangers, we’re not gonna know anything about each other.”

That’s insane because you can have such intimacy with a human being, and later like you don’t even talk.

How would you describe the music you make?

“Psycho,” “Freedom,” and “Adderall.”

“Freedom” is just a good song, everyone likes it. “Psycho” lets you know my personality a little bit better, and “Adderall” expresses my weirdness really well.

I try to make music that isn’t too boxed in—I don’t like to box myself in with a genre or too many rules. I just like to make what I’m feeling that day, and I think that sorta allows me to keep the creativity going. If you go to the studio and you’re like, “I need to make a smash that’s gonna get into the Top 40 and sounds like Billie [Eilish] and Olivia [Rodrigo] put together with a little bit of whoever,” that will kill your creative spirit so fast. For me, it’s just about exploring and seeing what happens naturally, and I try to make music that has a message. You’ll probably notice I don’t sing about love very often. I mostly sing about things that I’m interested in, and relationships to me are just not that interesting, so I mostly sing about other things. I just try to make good music that I think is cool. Some of it’s just weird and different, and if people like that, I’m thrilled.

Your song “Strangers” came out on June 11th, and what can listeners expect from this song? How was the songwriting process?

When I just said I don’t sing about love, that’s funny. “Strangers” is one I’ve held onto for years, and I’m finally letting it go because I just can’t keep it anymore. It’s about this idea that I had when I went through a bad breakup with my first serious boyfriend, and my thought was

If someone reading this article today hadn’t heard of you, what are the first 3 songs they should listen to?

Can you tease anything for us for what’s coming up for the rest of 2021?

My project, SAPPHIRE, I’m really excited and really proud of all the songs on that so I really hope people will check that out. I’m going to do some curated collections off of all of my mixtapes, EMERALD, RUBY, and SAPPHIRE. I’m going to put together some really cool collections that go well together for moods on my Spotify so that should be cool. You can look out for that on my Spotify, and then all my attention for right now is going into my live shows so hopefully, if anyone becomes a fan from this, they could come see me live and have a blast.

Do you have anything else to add?

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of what you’re doing, I love that you’re a female-run publication, and I’m happy to be included in it.

You can listen to EMM on any streaming platform. Her single “Strangers” is out now, and SAPPHIRE has recently been released as well. I'm obsessed with her music, and I hope you will be, too. kindacoolmagazine.com • 35

: a midnight listen Words by Cailley Leader

T

he time is 12:13 a.m. It’s a Tuesday night, about a week and a half since MARINA released her long-awaited album Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, and I’m finally going to listen to Her Majesty’s masterpiece all the way through. Typically, I’m the type of person who saves singles until the album comes out so I can experience the entire thing cohesively, but I did cheat this round and listened to “Man’s World” and “Purge the Poison” about a month ago. Both tracks embody that empowerment energy that MARINA is known for, but “Man’s World” focuses more on the problematic patriarchy, while the latter covers a broader scope of issues in our world today and begs the question: Will we save the planet before we destroy it? If the rest of the album is anything like the first two singles, I am in for the bop of a lifetime. The lights are off, I am buried under my favorite blanket, and I’m ready for the experience.

I was not ready. The title track begins with a strong drum beat, then adds in sort of dark, strong synths that remind me (oddlyspecifically) of the music in the Sega game “Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse.”

Her vocals are almost haunting too, coming across a sort of flat and monotone in the verses and then incorporating swoopy high notes in the chorus. The lyrics seem to tap into a similar theme of “Purge the Poison,” where MARINA played the role of Mother Nature, encouraging people to take back their own lives. “I am here to take a look inside myself/Recognize that I could be the eye, the eye of the storm,” and “I am not my body, not my mind or my brain/Not my thoughts and feelings, I am not my DNA,” almost suggest a dissociation from reality, placing MARINA as an observer to

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all of the tragedies happening on our Earth.

The album’s second track, “Venus Fly Trap,” is most similar to 2012’s Electra Heart but is much more sophisticated in nature, while still holding that fun and sassy energy MARINA exudes. It’s easy to see how far MARINA has come as an artist while still sticking to the roots she planted when she began this journey. “New America” is another darker track, addressing the corruption in the United States and the white-washing of absolutely everything. The punchy drums and light strings are thrilling, almost anxiety-inducing, drawing similarities to the climax of a really good spy movie.

Customarily, I tend to drift towards the more upbeat tracks on an album as favorites, but “Highly Emotional People,” the album’s first ballad, became a contender for the top song after just one listen. The track is very dreamy in execution, while the lyrics address the stigma against expressing our emotions as a society and how holding back our feelings can be detrimental to our mental health, specifically in the case of men, who are told to hide their feelings because it isn’t “manly.” “People say men don’t cry / It’s so much easier to just lie/‘Til somebody takes their life/Emotions are a part of our design,” MARINA sings in the bridge, a stark but welcome contrast to her usual female-power message, letting the subject of the song (and anyone who relates) know that none of us are ever alone in our emotions, and someone out there will understand what you’re going through because everyone is built to feel.

“Pandora’s Box” and “I Love You But I Love Me More” feel almost like sister tracks, each exploring two sides of the same situation. In “Pandora’s Box,” MARINA is freshly heartbroken over a relationship that seemed to be doomed from the start, due to the emotional baggage she gained from her ex, and how handling that on top of her own

struggles had a pernicious effect on her own head. “I thought it would get better/I kept my hope alive/But I don’t wanna be the bearer/ Of pain just so we can survive,” shows how MARINA felt during the relationship: alone, and as if she was carrying the emotional weight for the both of them because her partner wasn’t willing to carry it with her. “I Love You But I Love Me More” is more of an angry companion track to “Pandora’s” more melancholy vibe, where MARINA is now convinced she made the right decision in ending the relationship, but her ex is looking for a way back in. “Do you expect me to believe that you’ve changed/When I can tell that you’re exactly the same?/You’d rather shut your eyes than feel any pain,” references both “Pandora’s Box” and “Highly Emotional People” in the way that men are made to feel, but are raised not to and don’t know how to break the cycle.

“Flowers” is another breakup track, exhibiting how her partner was almost unaware that she was feeling lost in their relationship.

MARINA recently picked up gardening/flower arrangements as a hobby and has made it very well known across social media how much passion she has for it. In the chorus, she sings “With every careless action, you let me slip away/If you just bought me flowers, maybe I would have stayed.” Flowers are one of the simplest gifts to give a loved one, and universally known as well, so the sentiment is something almost everyone can either relate to. For MARINA, though, the flowers symbolize her passion, and in this scenario, her partner seems to be paying absolutely no

attention to the things she cares about, and consequently, he lost her. The lyrics, while definitely heartbroken, still hold that same level of fulfillment she had in “I Love You But I Love Me More,” showing that she realizes what went wrong and that she is in a better mindset now than she was with this person.

The final track on the album, aptly named “Goodbye,” is a rebirth, a shedding of the old MARINA. In the song, she addresses her disregard for her own emotions but how she previously felt responsible for others’ and how she is finally putting herself first. This is especially apparent in the line “I’ve been a mother to everyone else/To every motherf---er except myself/ And I don’t even have any kids.” This song showcases the trials and tribulations she has endured, but how she is hoping to come out of it a better person. Her soft “hmm’s” as the track fades out is so similar to the cadence of sobs, and it could be an indication that, even though she is moving towards a place where she is fully content, the pain she’s experienced hasn’t just disappeared, and although wounds heal, it’s a slow and arduous process. As an album, Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land is striking and mature, producing both undeniable bangers with empowering messages and heartbreaking ballads about losing love and gaining comfort in yourself.

This album truly is like a look inside her dreams, an entire sequence revealing her growth and acceptance. MARINA shines brightly in this work, showcasing the most refined and playful version of herself yet.

kindacoolmagazine.com • 37

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exploring the episodes of OLIVIA O'BRIEN'S life Hosted by Mary Perez Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Miranda Introducing Olivia O’Brien, a 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Napa, California. You may have heard of her song, “i hate u, i love u,” as her collaboration with gnash took over the charts in 2016 and earned itself a spot on the Billboard 100. Her single, “Josslyn” blew up on TikTok in 2020, as people danced along to the heartbreak anthem and used it in over 75 thousand videos.

O’Brien recently released the first half of her two-part album, Episodes, describing the chaotic and unpredictable twists and turns of her life. Many fans find her messages to be rather anthemic, bringing power to strong emotions and illuminating the good and bad of every situation. Her stories are relatable, and she provides a candor perspective of the world around her. I had the honor of talking to Olivia about her upcoming album, self-growth, and even Tiktok!

Your album is coming out in two parts, and the first half comes out this month. What made you decide to split your album this way?

I honestly never wanted to put out another album, and that’s why I was making all of the micro-mixtapes that I was doing before. Albums take a lot of planning, and you have to make them conceptual and cohesive. When you’re talking about 12 songs, it takes so much time because you have to do everything so perfect for it, and I just wanted to put stuff out. I kept changing the songs that I wanted because I kept writing and moving them, and I was like, “This album’s never going to come out because it’s never going to be ready.” It ended up working out with the concept because the concept of my album has to do with movies and TV shows, and it was perfect because it could be Season 1 and Season 2. It’s a perfect situation.

Are there any distinctive differences in sonic direction or themes between the two halves?

I kinda wanted them to each have a counterpart, so the first song on Season 1 is similar, sonically and lyrically, to the first songs. Track two on each season is a sad song. Track three is the punkier, guitar-y song. Track four is a more pop, R&B song. Five is straight-up pop. Six is more of a cinematic-sounding song—it’s supposed to represent what would play with the ending credits. It’s like the scene in "The Breakfast Club" when the guy punches his fist in the air and walks off the screen, that kind of energy, the final ending song.

What differences will fans see between Episodes and your previous works?

I think I’ve grown a lot as an artist and a person.

I think what I’m writing about is a little more mature, and my writing is better. I have lots of different types of production. I think it’s just a lot of improvement.

You were able to collaborate with Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon for “No More Friends,” which is huge! How was it getting to work with him?

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I actually haven’t met him in person yet because he’s been in Brazil, but I was so psyched that he wanted to be on it. He messaged me on Instagram and was like, “I love the song; it’s been stuck in my head. Thank you for having me on it.”

I thought that was so sweet because I obviously should be more excited that he’s on my song, but he was really stoked, which made me feel really validated and good about the song. It’s nice to have somebody with so much credibility in the industry, especially the pop punk world since the song is kinda punky. It’s produced by the same producer who did “Josslyn,” so it’s in that world, but we have live drums in it so it sounds really big and really dope. It’s just nice to have someone with such credibility validate my work and song, and he’s such a nice guy, and I’m also such a huge fan.

If you could choose three songs from Episodes to match your Big Three, what songs would you choose?

I’m a Sagittarius sun and rising, so I don’t know what I’d do for that! Probably my song “Keep It Movin’” because it’s very fun and happier. “Call Mom” reminds me of my Cancer moon because moons represent mothers, and it’s also having a Cancer moon makes you fucking depressed. It’s very emotional, so it’s probably that.

Something that I’ve seen you talk about before is death and a fear of dying, and “We’re All Gonna Die” is the title of one of the songs in Season 1. Do you have any specific reason that you speak about death so often?

I struggle a lot with the idea that not only I’m going to die one day, but everyone I know and love is gonna be dead one day. It’s something that kinda pops into my head at random times. I also have OCD so I obsess over things, and it’s not healthy, but that’s one of my things that has never gone away for me. I wrote that song before I started going to therapy, before I got diagnosed with OCD, before I started medication, all that stuff. It’s kinda like I don’t care that I’m this way, that I’m so depressed and fucked up. Why would I want to fix it when we’re all gonna die? I’m just gonna laugh at my problems until they’re gone.

The lyrics are really fucked up, and the beat

is very happy in a very sarcastic and corny way, which I really liked because it provides that contrast that it’s not just a super dark, weird song. It’s more sarcastic and ironic, which is more ‘me’ than anything.

You emphasized how your life is not a cohesive project but a messy, genreless saga. Can you speak about why you chose to highlight that aspect of yourself and the significance of sharing that with your fans?

This kinda goes back to why I didn’t want to do another album because I cannot stick to one thing. All of my songs sound completely different from each other, and I’m also onto new things. I’m inspired by new things, watching new things, listening to new things, changing my style, doing all of these things. It doesn’t mean that I’m flaking out on my old personality and becoming a new person every day; it just means I’m discovering things that I like and adding to the big picture of myself. I feel like that’s always something that I’ve done and something that my friends know about me. I think that’s really starting to reflect in my work—I don’t need to put myself into a box or put out an album where every song sounds exactly the same because it represents me as a person and where I am with my music.

Since you mention that you are always finding inspiration from new places, were there any new things that impacted the creation of new music or even Episodes?

Most of the songs are pretty old now. I’ve had some of them for over a year, some two years. I’m not really sure honestly.

It’s not like I go into something like, “I want to make a song like this.” I usually just vibe with my producers or whoever I’m working with, and we’ll get something going and do whatever we want. There’s nothing specific that inspires each song

other than how I’m feeling that day. In this song, “What Happens Now?,” the guitar line is inspired by “1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins. I honestly forget about the making of most of these songs now since it was so long ago! I hardly remember what they’re about, like do I have short-term memory loss? I don’t know.

I have the worst writer’s block really. I’m trying, but I’ve just spent so long not doing anything, just sitting in my house, not having any life experiences or talking to guys or all the stupid shit I write about.

I write about going out and feeling left out and partying making me sad. That’s pretty much the content I’ve written about for the entirety of my career. Oh, and my depression so I could write about that, but now I’m on meds so I don’t even want to do that. That’s what my therapist is for. I haven’t been writing much, but I’m hoping that as the world starts opening up and I start doing things again, maybe I’ll hang out with a couple of exes, see if that sparks anything.

Getting to constantly change and build upon yourself is something that you mentioned in the letter you wrote with your album announcement.

What lessons have you learned about personal growth, and how have they contributed to your creative process?

I definitely learned that I don’t have to follow trends or do what everyone else is doing. Even if everyone is doing one thing and it’s working for them and it’s cool, that doesn’t mean that I have to do that and be that person to be successful. This is a pretty generic life lesson, but “comparison is the thief of joy.” You can’t compare what you’re doing to anyone else, or you will literally ruin your life, your perspective, how you feel about your outlook on life. I think you also have to be easy on yourself. If you want to wake up one day and want to completely change something about

yourself, and you find something that you love and want to throw yourself into it, you can’t hold yourself back. Literally, just do whatever you want and see what happens.

Have you tried quarantine?

anything

new

during

I just started making friendship bracelets as my new thing. I’ve been doing that for like three days, and it’s been really fun. I did a lot of puzzles. I mainly just watched a lot of TV and sat around a lot, which is honestly kinda sad. I tried to read a couple of books, which didn’t work out; I’m not a big reader. I used to be, but my attention span isn’t there anymore. That’s about it. Super fun.

You’ve talked about wanting to wait to release songs that are extremely detailed and obviously about a specific person. What challenges do you face in writing songs that tell stories from your life while still being vague enough for people to interpret for themselves?

Well, it’s hard because there are real people involved in my life, and I’m writing about them and don’t want to upset them. There are certain people that I know I can write anything about, and they won’t care at all. There was a point in my life where I was talking to a guy and didn’t even want him to know how I felt, so I didn’t want to write songs about him or would write songs about him and wouldn’t want to put them out because they were too personal. That’s just dumb. It’s like, “He doesn’t even like you back. He probably isn’t even going to listen to the song, let’s be honest.” As an artist, you can’t hold details back if that’s what you want to write about and that’s what’s inspiring you. People love details, even if it doesn’t necessarily pertain to their life. There are so many songs that I love that have girls’ names in them, and not every person singing along has had an experience with a person with that name, but they’re still singing along and having fun with it. “You & Jennifer,” I sing that song all the time.

Has a girl named Jennifer ever taken my man?

No. Little details and things, people love to hear those because they paint a story and images in their mind. If something speaks to you or affects you in such a way, other people will feel those

emotions from you when you write about it.

You’ve become a bit of an inspiration for female empowerment, and it’s great that so many people can look up to you for that!

How does it feel to know that you are making a difference by spreading your message of staying true to yourself?

I think that’s really cool if people are inspired by that and can take that away from my work, my music, even my actions, but I don’t ever want to be like, “Oh, I’m a role model” because I’m probably going to do or say some stupid shit at some point down the line since I feel like everyone does. I don’t want to make myself a role model or something like that because I’m scared of that.

TikTok is a major influence in today’s music industry, and “Josslyn” even went viral on the platform. How do you think TikTok and today’s social media have impacted your music and ability to reach new audiences?

I feel like the industry as a whole has changed so much. I feel like people will write songs just for them to go viral on Tiktok or keep that in mind during sessions. They think about the trends that could possibly come out of it before the song is even written or out. It affects all of the songs on the top charts. It’s crazy because if a song blows up on there, it’s insane. Not to say that you can’t blow up without TikTok, but it’s changed a lot. For me, I wasn’t trying to do anything with “Josslyn” on TikTok, but it really helped me. We started doing stuff and made the dance to it. I think it really helped that song blow up. I also had my fans pick which song they liked better for my release. You can really connect with people and see what they like and are interested in, and you can try things. I can post a video of a song, and if people don’t like it, I can delete it and move on.

It’s a very good tool to gauge what fans are into and connect with people, and I also like to make stupid jokes on there.

Since you spend a lot of time on TikTok, what types of videos would we see on your For You Page?

Honestly so many different types. I’ll see a lot of

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astrology videos, random educational videos, some edgy little crime things. The other day, I saw this video of a lady who taught a parrot to actually speak and understand new concepts, and it’s the first non-human animal to ask a question. Not even primates have been able to do it. I learn all of my information from Tiktok, and it’s really sad. I’ll go into somewhere and say some crazy fact, and my friends will be like, “Oh, where did you learn that?” I’m like “...

Tiktok?” I seem really smart because I have all of the facts so I get a lot of that stuff. There are also some stupid, funny ones.

Since you grew up in Napa and now live in Los Angeles, how do the two areas contribute to your creative process or perspectives of the world?

When I was living in Napa, it’s a small town. I was just very young, and I don’t really know if my perspective shifted because I now live in a bigger city and know more people, and my life is different. I’m older now, I work instead of

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going to school, I care about different things. I definitely feel like I cared about different things when I lived in Napa. I can’t say if I’ll ever write a song like “i hate u, i love u” ever again. Growing up in LA, I’ve been here since I was 16, so I had my childhood in Napa and had my teen years and early 20’s here. I feel like it’s been really helpful for me to experience things outside the tiny bubble I was in and understand that there are so many types of people and ways to be and things to do with my life, and I think that’s really helped me. When you’re in a small town, you can feel a little trapped. I feel like all I thought about was what was going to happen in the future and how I was going to get out of there.

Every little thing felt so much more serious than it was because you’re just in your little bubble.

I know you’re a huge “New Girl” fan, and they had so many great guest appearances, such as Prince or Taylor Swift! If they added a new episode with you as a special guest, what type of story would you want your character to have?

I’d want to be in Season 2 or 3, and I would want something crazy to happen. I’d want us to go on a scavenger hunt or find something, and I would just be a part of the friend group for a day. We would go on an adventure. I think every character in that show is so well-written.

I’m obsessed with it; it’s all I watch.

If you could switch places with any musician for a day, who would you choose?

I don’t think I’d switch places with anyone!

I don’t want to know stuff about people. The more you know about people, the less cool they seem, and I sometimes like to keep the mirage.

Anything you’d like to say to your fans?

Get vaccinated, and go have fun. Get vaccinated, and then go have fun after that!

If there’s one thing that’s certain with Olivia O’Brien, it’s that everything and everyone

can change, and it’s okay to try new things and go outside of your comfort zone. From what I’ve heard, Episodes does exactly that, allowing listeners to take a peek inside the wild adventures she has been up to in the past few years and transforming the exciting world she has created with her music. Season 1 is nothing short of thrilling; from the hauntingly upbeat “Sociopath” to the infectiously confident “Keep It Movin,’” listeners are taken on quite the journey from start to finish. O’Brien’s growth from her earliest mixtapes is evident through the brutal honesty in each track, ranging from feeling the pressures of adulthood in “Call Mom” or dealing with a nihilistic outlook on life in “We’re All Gonna Die.” Each song is distinct from the next, showing off the wide range of sounds that O’Brien experiments with. Given that each song has its respective counterpart on the other season, Season 1 leaves listeners eagerly waiting for the upcoming release. Episodes: Season 1 is available on all streaming platforms now, and be sure to check out Season 2 when it comes out! kindacoolmagazine.com • 47

CHLOE MORIONDO and the bold statement that is

BLOOD BUNNY Words by Jayne Pilch

M

eet the music world’s newest face of indiepunk-bedroom pop: Chloe Moriondo. The eighteen-year-old nonbinary artist from Detroit, Michigan released their first album Blood Bunny under record label Fueled By Ramen back in early May. Moriondo has been uploading covers to Youtube since 2014 and has gained a significant social media following since being signed to a major label. She has moved on from the soft sounds of the ukulele featured on their debut album Rabbit Hearted. and has finally shared her bold, authentic self with the world through Blood Bunny. Moriondo has used the outlet that is her sophomore album to let listeners in on her personal diary while presenting a unique sound tailored to music lovers of all kinds.

The whimsical resonance of Moriondo’s voice, accompanied by lyrics filled with humor, hope, and gruesome imagery, is what sets her apart from other young artists.

Moriondo sets the valiant tone for the album in the first track, “Rly Don’t Care.” They act as the spokesperson for Gen Z through their defiant yet self-assured lyrics, creating a safe space for those who favor self-expression over the approval of others, “I promise I didn't ask if my piercings are attractive to you/That's weird and I'm 18, so I really

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don't care.” Moriondo counters the outdated belief that one should live based on the opinions of others.

Her confidence is contagious, making the listener feel safe and at ease throughout the album in its entirety. With each song comes new emotions; the teenage listener’s life experience is condensed into the 43 minutes and 47 seconds that is Blood Bunny.

It is evident that Moriondo knows how to make light of negative situations, whether it be through humor or a lighthearted melody. “I Eat Boys” introduces her humorously striking songwriting tendencies, which echo the overall laid-back mindset of the record. Tracks such as “Strawberry Blonde” and “Samantha” highlight the highs of teen romance, and their euphonious melodies create a dreamlike feeling. These mellow yet mature songs highlight great parallels between the vocal elements of Moriondo and labelmate Hayley Williams. Such similarities make way for a growing fanbase as well as crossing boundaries when it comes to genre labeling. Chloe Moriondo knows their audience and is successful in creating a perfect balance of casual bops and somber ballads.

This record is thronged with emotion and vulnerability, which normalizes acts of selfexpression in the real world. If you are a huge music fan like me, you will feel this album to the core— Blood Bunny seeks to invoke just that.

by Ravyn Cavanaugh

Jake Miller • April 2019

FROM FANS TO PROFESSIONALS:

reflecting on our paths to joining the music industry The Kinda Cool team prides ourselves on being a fully female team, and we believe that it is important to recognize the impact that women are making in today’s music industry. A tweet from Carla Contreras (@verycherrycarla), “the ‘fangirl’ to social media manager/music industry professional pipeline,” inspired our team to analyze how our experiences as fans of artists transformed into pursuing our passions by working in the music industry. Without our early days of attending shows or supporting smaller artists, this magazine would not even exist. We are excited to share the stories of artists whose music influenced our journeys from being fans to working in the music industry alongside them: I was able to photograph one of my favorite artists, Donna Missal, at SXSW and one of the shows of her headlining tour in 2019.

They were those moments I can’t really describe as anything other than striking. Being able to photograph her shows really were such memorable experiences for the weight it holds in my personal life and career. Being there, taking photos while also enjoying the performance of music that’s been such a massive part of my life, is something that truly feels almost impossible to explain.

There’s so much you could talk about when discussing that pipeline mentioned, not just as a listener that is taking something in, but as a genuine fan. There’s an ongoing sense of community and understanding of the music and the world that’s been created to experience it, share it, market it, etc. It’s really powerful to me to be able to know and experience firsthand that the love and interest we hold for something can go beyond the time we are taking it in. It’s no longer this experience of mere consumption of entertainment. Photographing artists I am a genuine fan of, like Donna, is of course incredibly surreal. It’s very emotional for me, but it’s also moving to see how much that interest and community really makes an impact on fans when those bonds with the music or the artists, etc. are created. You spend such a long time being a part of the community and so eagerly excited to simply know more and have more.

Sometimes, in terms of content, there’s really no way around not experiencing all of it, as in the actual art, the marketing, the business side, etc.

With the accessibility and having social media, in particular, there is so much to go through and enjoy but also learn about. It challenges the idea that fans, particularly younger girls and women, are mere consumers, that it’s all transactional. I’m just very thrilled to see the recognition of not only how impactful it all is but also how talented many fans are.

- Ashley Gallegos Julia Michaels was one of my most favorite shows that I got the chance to photograph. Her presence onstage and her happiness spreading all around the room created such a magical atmosphere that everyone enjoyed. She was one of the biggest artists that I had the pleasure to get approved to photograph her show when she came to the House of Blues in San Diego.

I remember how amazed I was that I was even that close to her. So many photographers were shooting that show that night and later on found out that even Billie Eilish's photographer was there photographing her as well. I was and still am so thankful that I got to work that show and really push my potential with my photography. Thanks, Julia!

- Kayla DeLaura

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I first started listening to Streetlight Manifesto in 2012, my senior year of high school. My then-boyfriend's-brother was in a band, and they did a cover of "We Will Fall Together" that I really enjoyed; the energy and lyrics were so different from anything I had ever listened to previously. I saw them live for the first time later that year, and I remember the straight-up, raw energy within that venue that night just sucked me right in. The following year, I saw them seven times, across three different states. I began filming shows with my little iPhone 4; my mild success from those videos is partially what inspired me to start photographing concerts.

In 2015, I photographed my first concert. I remember I took over 400 photos because I was SO nervous I was going to miss a "good" shot if I didn't basically hold the shutter down the entire show. When I went home to edit those 400+ photos, I found some shots I really liked and made me proud of myself. Thinking to myself, "maybe this is something I can pursue" felt like a far-fetched dream, but here we are, four years later and I've been professionally taking photos of Streetlight since 2017, across four states thus far, once at Radio City Music Hall, which is my largest venue to date.

Being able to combine two things I really love—photography and concerts—has been the greatest privilege. Getting to photograph my favorite band across the east coast has been an incredibly wild ride, one I never thought would have been presented to me in a million years if you asked me just a few years prior. Taking the "risk" of reaching out has brought so much reward, and I look forward to the future of concert photography with shows coming back!

Thank you, Streetlight.

- Sonya Alfano

Growing up on bands like Fall Out Boy and attending concerts from the age of seven and reading Alternative Press, I always dreamed of being able to contribute to the scene but never knew exactly how I would contribute. As I got older and discovered how many people would create their own publications or would photograph sets, I began to find how to use my craft to work in the scene. Beginning with simple things such as reviewing albums or writing about a live concert experience, I found my footing. As I grew more confident, I stuck my foot into interviewing bands. A personal favorite interview I can recall was with Fredo Fosco of the now-disbanded Fredo Disco.

After seeing them over fifteen times and knowing each other locally from Chicago, I was thrilled to be doing something on a professional level with one of my favorite bands. As COVID has interrupted the music industry, I have yet to let it stop me.

My most recent interview was via zoom with Bears in Trees, featured in issue 9! I think there is a little bit of magic to be found in the experience of going from a fan to contributing professionally to a community that brings joy.

- Mickayla Whitt

The artist I have a special experience with was The Band Camino. I love their music and have been a big fan of theirs for a while, but that wasn’t the only reason that made photographing them so special.

The week I decided to pursue concert photography, I went to one of their shows at a smaller venue in Minneapolis, and it was amazing. The energy in the room was so incredible that I distinctly remember thinking, “Yep, this is it. This is the kind of energy I want to be surrounded by and capturing for the rest of my life.” Almost a year later, they were playing the main room at First Ave, and it felt so full circle to be photographing not only one of my favorite bands but also a band who solidified my decision to seriously pursue concert photography.

- Stephanie Nardi

kindacoolmagazine.com • 51

DIFFERENT SHADES

OF BLUE: Words by Gianna Cicchetti

T

hings have definitely changed for Wolf Alice since the 2017 release of its sophomore album, Visions of a Life. Four years, a Mercury Prize win, and a global pandemic later, the band has returned with its third album. Wolf Alice has never put itself into a box when it comes to music, and Blue Weekend maintains this with a more mature undertone. This release feels like the most natural progression for the band without losing any of the aspects of Wolf Alice that have cemented the quartet as one of the most beloved British bands at the moment. There is a wide array of emotions covered across this record, which is why the album was appropriately named Blue Weekend. Wolf Alice reaches both the saddest blues and the energy and vibrance of a blue-skied sunny day across these eleven tracks.

The album opens and closes with tracks called “The Beach” and “The Beach II,” respectively.

The introductory track is a perfect acousticdriven way to begin the album that slowly builds to its loudest point. There is an anxious energy to the track, but the harmonies throughout the last minute serve as a taste of how much the band’s vocal abilities have developed since the previous album. On the other hand, the shoegaze-leaning closer is a standout track that gives everything a hopeful ending. While they have different vibes, the bookends of Blue Weekend are two sides of the same coin, as frontwoman Ellie Rowsell sings about two different sides of friendship.

“Delicious Things,” the second track on the record, is full of atmosphere and almost has a retro feel throughout. It seems like it would be ideal to be featured in a movie. There is a clear narrative in this song describing the naivety of a young British musician coming to Los Angeles, which is full of sketchy situations that she won’t say no to. This track feels different from anything else in the band’s catalog, but it works so well, proving the versatility of the entire band. Joel Amey’s drumming shines on this track as his instrument comes to the forefront,

52 • kinda cool.

a track-by-track review of WOLF ALICE's new album

especially towards the end of the song.

In a way, “Lipstick on the Glass” feels like a nod to the acoustic roots of the band but paired with Rowsell’s extra-dreamy vocals in the verses.

This track has been a favorite even from the very first listen. I absolutely love the lyricism on this one, as it describes wanting to take someone back even after being with someone else. “Lipstick on the Glass” is so atmospheric, with so many different drums being played on top of each other. Every element of this song works so perfectly with the rest, and the song grows from just an acoustic track into something truly special.

A complete change of pace comes in the form of “Smile,” a single that was released back in April. This is one of the rockier moments on the record with all of the instruments, especially Theo Ellis’ bass, turned up loud and a catchy chorus that is easy to sing along to. This heavier moment on Blue Weekend shows Rowsell embracing her sensitivity while also displaying anger as she confronts assumptions about herself as a woman in such a male-dominated space as rock music. A side of Wolf Alice that I have always adored is those songs where Rowsell lets loose and shouts out exactly how she’s feeling with no filter, like on “Yuk Foo” from the last album. “Smile” is a slightly more refined (but in no way less enjoyable) version of that kind of song, trading riot-grrrl-inspired screams for an almost rap-like vocal style. It’s one of the songs that will definitely become enhanced by a live setting once the band returns to touring!

“Safe from Heartbreak (if you never fall in love)” is full of ethereal lead vocals and harmonies that seem to be influenced by Kate Bush. The subtle, layered guitars leave room for the lyrics to remain at the forefront as Rowsell and Amey confidently reach higher registers than we’ve seen on previous tracks. An unforgettable moment on the album, “Safe from Heartbreak” is a poignant declaration of Rowsell’s worth as she demands to not be used by a lover. It is a gentle track, but the sentiment throughout hurts as Rowsell says she should not have fallen in love in order to save herself

from the pain and heartbreak that follows.

“How Can I Make It Ok?” is a more synth pop-influenced song, which is absolutely not a bad thing by any means. On this highlight from the album, we see Rowsell determined to salvage a damaged relationship, just wanting the other person to be happy. This track, which lives in the very middle of the album, is so infectious with its Fleetwood Mac-esque progression and airy chorus.

It’s yet another song that proves how Wolf Alice can do just about anything.

Next up is “Play the Greatest Hits,” a song that is one hundred percent ready to be moshed to.

This fast-paced track demands to be played as loud as possible. The urgent feeling in the track perfectly complements the lyrics all about losing yourself in music and forgetting about everything else around you while doing so. The band sounds like it is having so much fun on this song, which makes listening to it even more of an enjoyable experience.

“Feeling Myself” sees Rowsell at her most vulnerable, with a sultry edge that is a bit new for the band. It’s great to see her becoming more confident as a lyricist on the album as a whole, but especially here. The song reflects themes of self-love, but not in the way so many pop songs tend to with upbeat instrumentals or lyrical cliches.

“Feeling Myself” has a taste of grunge mixed into it, especially in its choruses, and the vocal performance on this track is just the right amount of sensual.

The first single from Blue Weekend was “The Last Man on Earth,” released in February of this year. The band returned with a compelling piano ballad about arrogance that left many in awe. One of the most remarkable moments on the album comes from Joff Oddie’s guitar solo on the track and the soaring last chorus that follows it. The emotion is definitely there as choral elements surround Rowsell’s already powerful vocals. It’s the grandest song in the Wolf Alice catalog, and it was definitely effective in bringing the band back into the spotlight.

“No Hard Feelings” is a minimalistic moment on the album, but it should not be slept on. The very simple instrumental keeps Rowsell’s lyricism as the focal point as she describes a perspective on heartbreak we usually don’t hear in most songs. Though she is in pain (“Crying in the bathtub to ‘Love is

a Losing Game'’”), she has no hard feelings for the other person. It is a moment easy to become underappreciated amidst the much larger sounding tracks, but the honest lyrics and the delicate instrumentals on this track are not worth skipping over. Once “No Hard Feelings” comes to a close, there is a contrast in emotion as the album reaches its final track, the aforementioned “The Beach II.”

Wolf Alice has to be one of the most consistent bands in rock music at the moment. All three of the band’s full-lengths, along with their several early EPs, do a great job of fusing gentle folk and dreamy moments with grunge and shoegaze turned up to eleven. No two songs ever sound the same on a Wolf Alice project, between the genre-blending and the constant evolution of Ellie Rowsell’s poetic and heartfelt lyricism. The strong chemistry between all four bandmates is clearer than ever on Blue Weekend and it is rightfully one of the most acclaimed albums of the year thus far.

The band has also been releasing beautifully done cinematic components to accompany each song from the album that is definitely worth checking out.

Wolf Alice will be touring in the States in October and then in the UK and Ireland in January, so get familiar with this release and see this stellar live band when they’re on the road!

by Jenni Johnson

Ruston Kelly • October 2019

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