Rihanna’s “Rude Boy”
The pandemic has generated bizarre physiological responses to the stress we’ve all been experiencing, including a rise in clumsiness. It turns out, constant anxiety affects...
Philip Glass’ “Glassworks”
One Friday, in the early summer of 2018, I donned my prettiest dress, threw on a cream plum lipstick, and walked to the subway to...
Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”
Shortly before starting grade six, which Americans wrongly call “sixth grade,” I moved to my grandmother’s house in Toronto. My family shifted around a lot...
Kacey Musgraves’ “It Is What It Is”
Sometimes I wonder if my subconscious senses endings before I do and uses lyrics to communicate as much. Years ago, I wrote about mondegreens, or...
Maps & Atlases’ ‘Beware and Be Grateful’
Winter inevitably calls up a craving for the Chicago-based indie/math rock band Maps & Atlases and their 2015 album Beware and Be Grateful, despite the fact...
Ramblin’ Women
What is it about staying that feels so intimidating? Put another way, what is it about leaving that feels so instinctive? Compared to most people...
Emahoy Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou’s “The Homeless Wanderer”
I never thought I’d discover one of my favorite albums during an acupuncture session. Most acupuncturists prefer white noise machines or soundscapes during treatment—music doesn’t...
Welcome to Whatever
Everyone’s running to start a newsletter these days, which feels like a throwback to the Great Age of Zines. But I’m going back to the...