Author: Lizz
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In Conversation with Wuzy Bambussy: The Heart of “Little Lion”
“This tune is influenced by the proto era of synth pop, I was aiming – musically as least – to go for that sort of Adamski’s ‘Killer’, ‘West End Girls’, Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’ etc. That was the goal, to try and write something that stood up to those great songs.” – Nikolai Jones, Wuzy Bambussy.…
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Queerbaiting Queens – The Problematic Story of t.A.T.u
Queerbaiting Definition The incorporation of apparently LGBTQ characters or relationships into a film, television show, etc. as a means of appealing to LGBTQ audiences while maintaining ambiguity about the characters’ sexuality. This includes kissing others of the same gender, posting false coming-out narratives, or falsely claiming to be in a same-sex relationship. Going for Greatness…
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I’ve Seen the Willow Trees – Lindsey Troy
Two years after announcing the split of Deap Vally, singer Lindsey Troy has released her first solo single, “I’ve Seen the Willow Trees.”Channelling her connection with nature, she exchanges her previous punk vocal style for a ’70s folk meets 2010s electro-pop sound, creating a new sense of nostalgia. Showcasing the layers of her talent and…
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Monsters, What Do We Do with Great Art by Bad People? By Claire Danderer
Growing up, I was a huge Marilyn Manson fan; his music helped shape the person I am. In 2021, women began coming forward with allegations of sexual and physical abuse. I tore down my posters, hid my t-shirts, and stopped listening to his music. I felt angry, betrayed, sad – not just for his victims,…
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Primal Therapy with Florence + the Machine
Florence + the Machine claw their way out of the dirt with their sixth album, Everybody Scream. It feels like running barefoot through the woods as Welch pours out her heart. Since their last release, she’s experienced creation, loss, and a near-death experience, and now she’s here to exclaim her carnal, feminine rage. The title…
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West End Girl – Lily Allen
Lily Allen is one of the voices of my childhood. I liked her because, being from London, she sounded like me when she spoke. Fast forward to today, in the trenches of my feminist reawakening, she’s back with her female-narrative, fly-on-the-wall album West End Girl. It’s shaken the internet and connected women, ear pod to…
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Songs That Go Bump in the Night – Halloween 2025
It could be argued that music’s main purpose is to make us feel something. Many times, this is split into the categories of happy (major) and sad (minor). However, it often creates the entire spectrum of feelings, sometimes without us even noticing. I was recently listening to a certain musical (I’ll reveal all later) and…
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Savage – Eurythmics Cassette Tape
Cover Art Designed by Laurence Stevens, whose goal was to reflect the personas Annie Lennox embodied throughout the album: the meek, plain housewife in the Beethoven (I Love to Listen To) video, and the brash, Marilyn Monroe–inspired blonde featured in Savage. The cover gives us a close-up of this latter character. Lennox once described the…
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Dreamy Debut – Dreamboat Annie – Heart
Through the haze of Nag Champa, Heart crash-landed in 1975 with their debut album, Dreamboat Annie. Formerly known as The Army, they brought in two new recruits: sisters Ann Wilson, with her raging lead vocals, and Nancy Wilson, shredding on guitar. As a new group on the scene, they showcased their versatility through a concertina…
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Creating for Herself – Vie – Doja Cat
“You can’t make me feel bad for a cover that has visceral meaning,” was Doja Cat’s statement after posting the cover of her fifth full-length LP, Vie. Fans had expressed disappointment on social media, deeming the photo – featuring the rapper dressed in a wedding gown, dangling from a tree by a parachute (used to…
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Protest Songs Through Time -Free Palestine; Protest in the Present
A 75 Year War A violent power struggle between Israel and Palestine has unfolded since as far back as 17,000 BC, when the region was called The Holy Land. More recent events in modern history, such as the signing of the Balfour Declaration—in which Britain promised to create a Jewish National Homeland, renamed part of…
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Spanning Genres With All Them Witches – Nothing As the Ideal
All Them Witches are an easy a comfort band for alternative music fans, thanks to their ability to rampage through Metal, Classic Rock, Stoner, and Prog—pocketing the best bits and fusing them into a sound that’s truly unique. Their 2020 release Nothing as the Ideal is no exception. Originally a foursome formed in Nashville in…
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Protest Songs Through Time P7 – Why Do They Always Send the Poor? – 21st Century
System of a Down In 1994, four Armenian-Americans—Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian, and John Dolmayan—formed the neo-metal band System of a Down, who went on to pioneer the nu-metal genre. Armenian history is marked by violence: between 1915 and 1923, the Ottoman Empire forced Christian Armenians from their homes en masse, exposing them to…
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Garbage – Cassette Tape
Cover Art The pink feathered album cover was photographed by Stéphane Sednaoui, with the band providing creative direction. Its bright, vibrant yet simple design, along with the band’s logo, serves as a striking, distinctive image — much like the band itself. The J-card features a black-and-white photo of the band, taken by Clifford Lecuyer. The…
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Protest Songs P6 -LGBTQ+ Rights in Song: A Punk Anthem Against Injustice
The Winter of Discontent—and Ongoing LGBTQ+ Struggles The Winter of Discontent, from 1978 to 1979, saw widespread strikes across private and public sector unions as they demanded pay rises that exceeded the limits set by Prime Minister James Callaghan. But this wasn’t the only unrest during the period—especially for the LGBTQ+ community. Although homosexuality had…
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Yungblud, Why Are You Shouting at Me?!
Earlier this year, I sat anxiously through five days of Ticketmaster queues, desperately wishing the 28,000 people (and bots) ahead of me would fall off the face of the Earth. Alas, I wasn’t one of the lucky ones, and I would spend the next few months accepting that I would never see one of my…
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Protest Songs P5 -Women’s Rights in Song: A Century of Defiance and Change
The Suffragette Anthem: “The March of the Women” The UK’s suffragette movement had its own anthem, The March of the Women, written in 1910 by composer and activist Ethel Smyth. The lyrics reflected the movement’s readiness for militant action: “Comrades – ye who dared first in battle to strive and sorrow!” Sung during marches and…
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Everyone Makes Their Barbies Kiss Each Other, Right? – Dreaming Soda – Kissing Stacey
We all had our own way of playing with dolls as kids—whether it was full-blown soap opera drama or Ken and Barbie playing house. With their new single Kissing Stacey, Dreaming Soda— Sydney duo Ella Sterland and Renee Stein—pull us back to those glittery, plastic worlds, only this time with a dose of grown-up hindsight.…
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Protest Songs P4 – The Civil Rights Movement
The Terror of Lynching and the Birth of “Strange Fruit” Between 1900 and 1939, the United States witnessed 2,805 reported lynchings. In 1937, a Jewish teacher named Abel Meeropol came across a photograph of Black men who had been lynched—bodies hanging from tree branches. Such images were disturbingly common in the South, often displayed publicly…
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Waiting For the Sun – The Doors – Cassette.
Cover Art Photographed by Paul Ferrara in Laurel Canyon in LA. This was a significant location for the band as Jim Morrison lived close by in Rothdell Trail, many of the songs on the album had been written in and around his home. Jon Densmore and Robby Krieger had also lived in the area. –…