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For Fans Who Live Loud
From dive bars to arena stages, Burning Hot Events covers the artists shaping Arizona’s sound. Get in-depth interviews, fierce photo galleries, album reviews, and a handpicked calendar of the hottest upcoming shows – all through a fiercely independent lens.
The Ikeda Theater at the Mesa Arts Center showcases the highest level of elite performers and so attracts refined audiences who appreciate talent and bask in emotional experiences. On this Sunday evening, the house was again packed and everyone was dressed to the nines to see Matteo Bocelli, a young Italian who carries the surname of vocal royalty. He has been traveling the world to showcase his own signature sound Read more
Purity Ring’s fall 2025 "place of my own" tour came to The Van Buren, with yuniVERSE as the sole opener on her first tour. The beautifully historic, repurposed downtown venue set the stage for an evening the band had described in their July Substack tour announcement as "three-dimensional… expansive but intimate," and the night delivered as promised. Read more
How Sabrina Carpenter might have used hypersexualized imagery and sharp lyricism to bait the gaze and critique male behavior — plus how backlash to nuance reveals cultural insecurity and a vicious appetite for bullying women who challenge the norm. Read more
Spoiler Warning: This article discusses developments in "Wednesday" through Season 2 and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" through Season 3, Episode 8 (the most recent episode at the time of writing). Originally published in March 2023 as The Familiar Dynamic of Two Iconic Duos from Wednesday and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Foreword This long-form cultural commentary takes a closer look at how two recent series build meaning through familiar Read more
Jump to Photo Galleries PHOENIX — The golden hour bathed Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre as fans of all ages gathered for a triple bill of nostalgic icons: The Offspring and Jimmy Eat World co-headlining, supported by New Found Glory. The “SUPERCHARGED Worldwide in ‘25” tour follows The Offspring’s 2024 studio release, Supercharged, promising a night of their signature high-energy punk. Anticipation hummed through the amphitheatre, decades of beloved hits ready Read more
Jump to Photo Gallery PHOENIX — The night kicked off with a light, Disney-esque melody, possibly a nod to her “Let It Go” cover from Disney’s pop-punk covers album A Whole New Sound. Behind the stage, a whimsical backdrop mirrored her album falling for robots and wishing i was one: a yellow brick road leading to the Emerald City, her name in bold red with yellow trim. A drum crash Read more
After a weekend of mysterious billboards sparking speculation, My Chemical Romance has confirmed The Black Parade 2026 US tour dates. The run includes a highly anticipated Phoenix stop at Chase Field on September 6 with special guests Jimmy Eat World. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 26 at 12:00 pm local time. Read more
Phoenix has become one of several U.S. cities to receive cryptic signs from My Chemical Romance, sparking speculation across Reddit and fan communities. Fans began spotting billboards this week outside Tempe Marketplace and near Chase Field, featuring the band’s distinctive Keposhka glyphs. Read more
Fresh off the most surreal summer of her career, LA-bred alternative punk artist MEGG caps her Vans Warped Tour run with the release of the music video for her latest single, “IDC.” Filmed on a shoestring budget and an even tighter schedule, the video channels the rebellious energy of the track into a whirlwind of nostalgia and chaos. “We pulled this music video off with like zero time or budget Read more
The “Idobi Radio Summer School Tour,” proudly sponsored by Hot Topic, brought the heat in a different way on Sunday, July 27, at the Marquee Theatre. Doors opened early at 6 p.m. to make room for a stacked lineup featuring Rain City Drive, Charlotte Sands, Taylor Acorn, Beauty School Dropout , Arrows in Action, If Not For Me, and Huddy. As the tour continues its westbound run through mid-August, this Read more
Absinthe Green Unleashes New Single “Bittersweet” from Upcoming Debut Album Of Love and Pain Greek alternative metal powerhouse Absinthe Green returns with a gripping new single, “Bittersweet”, a haunting dive into the seductive chaos of passionate love. Serving as the latest preview from their highly anticipated debut album, Of Love and Pain, the track offers an unapologetic exploration of emotional extremes. Listen to “Bittersweet” now “Bittersweet” is a raw portrayal Read more
Out September 19th on LP, CD, and Cassette via Org Music "A foundational classic of snotty melodic hardcore." – Stereogum Few records in punk history have left as massive a footprint as the Descendents’ Milo Goes to College. The 1982 debut fused the aggression of hardcore with catchy hooks, adolescent angst, and unmistakable personality — helping spark an entire genre now known as pop punk. Its influence remains undeniable over Read more
We Are Scientists share their emotionally raw new single “The Big One,” a final preview of their upcoming album Qualifying Miles, out July 18 via Grönland Records. Blending catharsis with guitar-driven energy, the track sets the tone for the band’s next chapter—just ahead of their East Coast tour this fall. Read more
New single from the album “Kaosmogonia” – Out now via Rockshots Records Italian symphonic metal band HYPERSONIC push their sound to new extremes with the release of their latest single “You Bastard”, featuring the devastating vocals of Francesco Paoli, frontman of extreme symphonic death metal titans Fleshgod Apocalypse. Taken from the band’s acclaimed third album Kaosmogonia, "You Bastard" is one of the heaviest and most emotionally charged tracks of the record. Read more
The Tempe Improv was the epicenter of vibrant entertainment this past Sunday as the sold-out Wicked Sing-Along Drag Brunch, hosted by the vivacious Espressa Grande, delivered a premium theatre-geek experience where urban witches and wizards crooned along to songs from the runaway musical-turned-cinema phenomenon. Read more
Multi-Platinum global pop superstar Kesha has announced plans for a milestone North American headline tour – the biggest live run of her already extraordinary career. Newly reunited glam-pop legends Scissor Sisters (Jake Shears, Babydaddy & Del Marquis) join on all dates, marking their first North American tour in over a decade. Produced by Live Nation and in partnership with Feeld, the dating app for the curious, The Tits Out Tour kicks off July 1 at West Read more
Mesa, AZ — The Ikeda Theater at the Mesa Arts Center showcases the highest level of elite performers and so attracts refined audiences who appreciate talent and bask in emotional experiences. On this Sunday evening, the house was again packed and everyone was dressed to the nines to see Matteo Bocelli, a young Italian who carries the surname of vocal royalty. He has been traveling the world to showcase his own signature sound and to earn the prestige associated with the name.
As the house lights went down, the stage lights began to twirl to a soundscape, heralding a message in multiple languages, perhaps foreshadowing the culturally diverse lyrics that would soon ensue. A spotlight landed on an unassuming man walking onto the stage with a boyish smile and a friendly wave. His ‘GQ’ hair and stylish olive green jacket gave him the appearance of the charismatic crooners of the timeless ages.
He had the demeanor of a close, personal friend who just wanted to humbly share his songs in hopes that somebody might like them. He kicked off the show with “Love Like This” and “Naïve” – two upbeat songs from his new album, Falling In Love. It’s safe to say that everybody liked them!
“Falling In Love” album cover
The new album was produced at Bocelli’s home in Tuscany, Italy, with producer Martin Terefe and was just released in September 2025. The album’s style is listed as “a blend of Italian heritage and modern pop,” and that does seem to sum up the song selections in his setlist, which included 10 of the 11 songs from this new album (none from his debut album, Matteo, released two years ago, although the song “Honesty” is often part of his setlist).
Most songs were in English, but several were in his native tongue of Italian. Luckily, music is the universal language that makes translation unnecessary. Every song was a story and the bilingual Bocelli would introduce each one with the back story in English for the American audience. His conversational delivery and, of course, his Italian accent commanded the attention of everyone in the audience.
“I’m so excited to be back in Arizona,” he said, “I love you guys. I love everything about this place… the weather, the temperature… coming from New York, it was pretty cold there.” This reference was to his Thanksgiving appearance three days prior at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. There, Bocelli performed the Lucio Dalla cover of “Caruso,” which would eventually be the closing song of this show.
Some may have incorrectly assumed that he would fill the night with operatic overtures laced with vocal gymnastics at the upper reaches of human abilities. However, his superpower is not what you would expect from The Three Tenors, but instead the precision of tone, the emotional infused melodies, and the relatability of the upper echelon of the world’s pop solo artists. One could easily cite influences of Frank Sinatra, Julio Iglesias, and Elvis Presley from decades before he was even born, to the modern array of artists like Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, and Ed Sheeran.
In fact, Bocelli did a cover of Sheeran’s “Perfect Symphony” and Presley’s “I Can’t Help Falling In Love” during his set. All of this is not to say that he has limited range and power. There were moments when he channeled the vocal prowess of his tenor father and his upper range seemed to be where he found his most iconic sound. Later there were moments of soft falsetto on the other end of the spectrum. His singing evolved through each song to adapt to the array of styles, and though moments were reminiscent of his idols, he introduced his own unique blend.
The backing band was a foursome that were introduced by first name only as Andrea on guitar, Eduardo on drums, Patricia on bass, and Fabio on keyboards . For the majority of the set, Bocelli was the frontman with the band lined up on the risers behind him, but for the song “Glimpse of Happiness,” he sat down at the piano as the fifth musician. “I’ve been studying (piano) for many years, without any good results,” he joked, “But at least I enjoy it a lot.” He was humble, but very talented and delivered a beautiful song after telling the story of his collaboration on it with Jon Batiste. He would later share his guitar playing abilities too on the song “Angel In Disguise” as part of the three song encore.
The dynamics of the set ebbed and flowed with ballads and songs meant for dancing. Bocelli turned on the charm when he drifted into the audience to samba dance with adoring fans as he sang the classic Italian song “Quando, Quando, Quando.” The energy of the crowd flowed into the next song, “Tempo,” which was so fun to listen to and even more fun to watch as Bocelli tickled the ivories again and bassist Patricia and guitarist Andrea came out front to do solos. The show was devoid of unnecessary pyrotechnics and theatrical tricks of the trade, but chock full of musicianship, candidness, and connection.
The recurring theme of the evening was love. The tour was named “Falling In Love” world tour in support of the new record of the same name that included the song of the same name! A block of three of the new songs had “love” in the title… don’t let the language fool you with the first one, “Amnesia D’Amore,” a song originally written for his father, but after singing on the original demo tape, Matteo asked to keep the song for himself. This was followed by “Loving You” and then the title track, “Falling In Love.” He introduced this song:
“And now the song that gave the title to the album, and the album title is “Falling In Love.” And why this song? Because I thought that it was describing with its title… the whole meaning of the project. It’s about falling in love. I do believe that it’s important to be able to fall in love every day of your life. (pause) I’m a good boy, not in that sense (audience chuckles). But falling love for everything that surrounds us. You know you wake up in the morning and just admire the nature… and simply your love with it… and it makes you happy and it makes you feel fulfilled.”
The handful of cover songs that were mixed in seemed to perfectly complement the character of his originals and of course highlighted his versatility. He introduced “Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos” as a duet that he recorded with Gianluca Grignani, who had huge success with it in 1994 in Italy (note that Bocelli would not be born until 1997) and then the whole Latin market. He said, “It probably didn’t reach the US, but there’s always a first time.” This one had the audience singing along. “Anime Imperfette” is another song that may not be on either of Bocelli’s albums, but it’s not really a cover. It is the Italian song that he sang for the Netflix series “From Scratch” that appears on the series soundtrack. This song was preceded by an epic synth solo by Fabio.
The Ed Sheeran cover of “Perfect Symphony” was definitely a highlight. Sheeran contacted Andrea Bocelli to do a duet of the song with him. Matteo recalled, “So one day Ed Sheeran called my father…I wish he had called me, but… (audience laughs)I had some good pasta with him still.” In the video, Sheeran sings the first half in English and Andrea belts out the response in Italian before they harmonize at the end. Matteo and his father have since sung the song together, but this time he was on his own and he brought the house down when he switched to Italian to sing his father’s part.
He performed “Fall On Me,” the duet he originally recorded with his father for Andrea’s 2018 album Si. Matteo shared the story of how this song was really how he got started. He had sung on the demo for this song and it was pitched to the team who was looking for original songs for Andrea’s upcoming album. “So I made the demo,” he said, “And the first two people to listen to it were the president of the label and the producer they were working with, Bob Ezrin. And he goes, ‘you know I love this song, I think it should be on the record, but I also love this guy, but it is not Andrea’ – it was me.” And it came to be their duet. This night it was his song and it brought a standing ovation.
The three-song encore consisted of two more songs from the new album: “Angel In Disguise” on which he played acoustic guitar, and “If I Can’t Have You,” that featured an astounding rock guitar solo by Andrea while Bocelli played piano.
Before the last song, Bocelli told the story of how David Foster discovered him and wanted to produce him, but his father wasn’t on board since he was too young and needed to stay in school. As time went by, Foster still found opportunities to put Bocelli on world stages such as his 75th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl and the American ICON Awards where they chose to cover the Lucio Dalla song “Caruso.” It has become a personal favorite for Bocelli and he closes each show with this song. He finally recorded his own version of this song and it is appropriately the closing track on Falling In Love. As he held the last note of this passionate song the room erupted with applause that continued through the final bow. He left center stage with a huge smile on his face, giving a final wave and glance to everyone.
As much as it meant for this audience to receive the gift of his musical talents, it truly seemed that it meant even more to him to share them.
PHOENIX — Purity Ring’s fall 2025 “place of my own” tour came to The Van Buren, with yuniVERSE as the sole opener on her first tour. The beautifully historic, repurposed downtown venue set the stage for an evening the band had described in their July Substack tour announcement as “three-dimensional… expansive but intimate,” and the night delivered as promised.
yuniVERSE
The venue’s stage at first was strange to look at, one half covered in human-sized flowers and the other looking like metal stars or fans. I waited in the rapidly filling room with no idea of what to expect. When the lights faded, people abandoned the bars and the winding merch line spilling into the main room as the attention turned to a new performer on her first tour, yuniVERSE.
Even though she only used a portion of the stage, she invited us into the jewel-lit garden of her design, where she shared her intimate confessions through emotive electric pop. yuniVERSE weaves through each song like a layer within a dream, her hair gently blowing as she captivates the audience with her presence and movements. Her performance feels like a journey into her private world as she navigates through love and life. She continued to captivate the room completely, her sensual, charismatic movements paired with the softness of her vocals as she sang behind the mask she wore in unity with Purity Ring’s request for community care.
yuniVERSE said she wished this tour were longer because she wasn’t ready for it to end yet, and I can imagine I’m not the only one who felt the same. She playfully joked, “I know you’re here for Purity Ring, but together, we’ll keep it a secret that you’re actually here for me, okay?” giving a little laugh before closing out her set and leaving the stage for the headliner, Purity Ring.
Purity Ring
The room settled as the stage shifted from yuniVERSE’s dreamlike garden into the darker, more mysterious world crafted by Purity Ring. Corin Roddick stood alone at first, lighting up sections of the stage with his touch while the star-shaped fans began to spin, projecting red light that looked like sparks spraying across the dark.
During “Many Lives,” the lights flickered and danced like floating embers. “Obedear” pulled us into caverns and stars, with what looked like fireflies curling upward like smoke. “Soshy” arrived with bright, breathy vocals and pounding bass, blue lights sparkling before shifting into sharp red flashes deeper into the song.
James took a moment to thank the people in the crowd who wore the masks the band provided for everyone’s health. She appreciated the contribution to community care and valued taking care of each other. As she gushed while thanking yuniVERSE, she admitted she was rambling before continuing the set. It was clear the two acts genuinely appreciated their time together. This became even more apparent after noticing Roddick’s contributions to at least three of yuniVERSE’s tracks (“FALL 4 U,” “18 nite texts,” and “wasted”).
Our journey resumed as holographic leaves of blue, green, and red light appeared and danced around the stage, swirling toward the crowd as the room stayed completely locked in the performance.
The final song, “Begin Again,” brought everything together. Galaxy patterns pulsed behind the band, and the twinkling vocals reached out with swirls of light bursting like magic. The fans met the band’s energy as they sang along during the quiet pauses. As we traveled back to reality with this song, and as the band thanked Phoenix to end the night, cheers of fanfare erupted and filled the room with adoration as we exited the enchanted world of Purity Ring.
Packaging the Patriarchy: Sabrina Carpenter’s Subversion on “Man’s Best Friend,” and Why It’s Bigger Than One Album Cover
I want to tell you a story. A story about how one image—one bold, provocative, controversial cover—became a lightning rod not just for Sabrina Carpenter, but for how we police women’s voices, feelings, and interpretations. It’s not just about me. It’s about how any survivor, any person with trauma, any person with nuance is expected to choose one read and shut up.
This is not a Sabrina Carpenter takedown, nor is it a total seal of approval. I enjoy her music and her style. What fascinates me about her Man’s Best Friend album cover is how it sparks opposite reactions: empowerment for some, discomfort for others, and in my case, a social media pile-on that revealed just how unwilling people are to hold multiple interpretations at once.
Keep reading. This might not go the direction you expect.
The Image, the Reaction, the Rules of the Game
It began with the album cover itself: Carpenter on all fours in a black mini dress, a suited man off-frame dragging a fistful of the ends of her blond hair. That cover didn’t just hint at submission or objectification, it leaned into tropes of pet-like posturing, dominance, hair-pulling, and control.
The vinyl release of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend” features the now-infamous cover that sparked heated debate – a provocative image that some call empowering, others regressive, and many still unresolved.
It is a powerful visual that asks: Who is doing the looking, and who is being looked at?
The alternate “God-approved” cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend” CD edition, offering a starkly different, almost angelic visual to contrast the original artwork.
Some defended it as satire, irony, or shock value. Others saw it as regressive. Glasgow Women’s Aid even called it “pandering to the male gaze” and “regressive,” citing its element of control and violence. Carpenter later released alternate covers calling one “approved by God,” which signals that she was already aware of, and leaning into, the controversy.
The alternate “God-approved” cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend” CD edition, offering a starkly different, almost angelic visual to contrast the original artwork.
From the start, it is not obvious which side she’s on. But that ambiguity is part of the power.
A few weeks later, she brought Drag Race queens and trans rights signs to her MTV VMA performance. One commenter summed up the dissonance: “Making up for that tone-deaf album cover?” And it was not an outlier opinion.
The firestorm didn’t begin in a vacuum. It started with a social media post of Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend album cover.
In the comments, someone wrote:
“Women: Stop viewing us as sexual objects. Also women: ”
That’s where I entered the thread with a classic “me” response. I said:
“Just because some women have internalized misogyny doesn’t mean they all do or [that it] makes it okay. I look at this photo and I see domestic violence, and it’s disturbing.”
When I first saw it, the image brought domestic abuse to mind, not because I believe kink = abuse, but because the stylistic choices and framing can trigger that impression.
After one woman commented that they see two consenting adults, I replied, “It certainly can be, but my opinion is that it looks different from that. I’m certainly not opposed to kink (he really should be grabbing her hair by the roots). And [I’ve] experienced domestic violence and seen it in many others, [and] the style of this visual triggers that impression.”
I’m not a prude or against kink or BDSM when it’s practiced ethically and consensually. As seen above, I offered advice that (if the intent is role play rather than harm) hair should be pulled closer to the root, to avoid the non-pleasureful sort of pain (unless you’re into that kind of thing… I won’t kink shame). My point was never to condemn sexuality, but to share one possible reading of the picture. But these days, especially on social media, it seems people are always looking for a fight, and nuance is a blood sport.
What followed wasn’t debate. It was a pile-on of ad hominem attacks and distortions.
The first reply dropped in a meme of Ronald McDonald on a phone saying, “Hello madam? Your abortion is still alive and it’s posting stupid shit on Facebook.” That moment set the tone for what I now call the “Sabrina dogpile”: a cascade of ridicule, deflection, and bad-faith arguments aimed not at engaging with my point, but at silencing it.
I was mocked, accused of “dumping trauma,” dismissed as hysterical, told to get therapy, called out for “playing the victim.” Others mutated my argument, claiming I said things I never said. Some even weaponized their own trauma to try to invalidate mine. One person accused me of being “mid-transition” even though I’m not. That cruelty was irrelevant, but it was also bigoted.
When I shared a minuscule mention of my own experience with DV, I was not trying to forever cast myself as a victim. I was offering context for why the image hit me the way it did, and to voice concern for women who might be triggered, because I know how much suffering PTSD causes.
I also worried the cover could backfire, feeding into the already heavy stream of violent porn and objectification saturating entertainment. But expressing concern isn’t a call for pitchforks and record burnings.
These were not thoughtful disagreements; they were attempts to shut down the conversation altogether. And that’s the larger issue: when women raise perspectives shaped by trauma, the response is often not dialogue but dismissal, a cultural reflex that polices how and when we are “allowed” to speak.
I replied to one commenter, “And I was simply sharing my perspective. The experiences I went through are shared by countless women. But you should understand that I’m not looking at this from one angle. I like Sabrina Carpenter, and I’m not telling anyone what to do – unlike you, who thinks you are entitled to tell me what to do… making you a hypocrite.”
Here is something worth stating plainly: the kind of backlash I faced (mockery, dismissal, emotional invalidation for sharing a trauma-informed perspective) is not unique to me. It is part of the cost of speaking as someone who has survived or lives with trauma.
Any woman, any person who has experienced harm in their life, is often forced into an emotional straightjacket: either stay quiet or risk being mocked for caring.
There is a frustrating double standard at play. When women express strong emotions, especially around sexuality or violence, they are often labeled as hysterical, “dried up”, or attention-seeking. But when men express anger, offer critique, or even share trauma, it is more likely to be seen as bold, brave, or intellectual. Women are expected to make every emotion palatable, every insight charming, and every critique inoffensive. That is not just unrealistic. It is silencing.
I should also note that years ago, I was more reactive. I had almost zero tolerance for imagery that even resembled objectification. But I have done exposure therapy, and it helped me regulate my nervous system and process trauma triggers. Some might dismiss that as proof my perspective is invalid. I see it as the opposite: it gave me the tools to hold multiple interpretations at once. I can see how some read this image as empowerment, while also recognizing how it could hit others as violence. And to be clear, I am still morally and ethically opposed to objectification.
For those who want a deeper dive into the difference between being empowered and being objectified: I recommend Dr. Caroline Heldman’s TEDx talk. She unpacks how objectification harms women, even when it’s dressed up as empowerment, and why that distinction matters now more than ever.
Many of the voices in that thread likely weren’t even fans of Sabrina. They were not making arguments grounded in her discography or artistic intent. They were using her and me as proxies to defend or attack generalized ideas about women. They criticized the image and simultaneously used it as an excuse to criticize me, and women in general.
That is not a sincere critique. That is signal-shaming: punishing someone simply for raising a perspective that challenges the group consensus.
That is what the dogpile revealed: not a disagreement about art, but a reflex to silence women who refuse to flatten their perspectives.
But amid the pile-on, one comment stood out: “I see that too.“ It was brief, but meaningful. Even a lone voice of agreement underscored that my reaction was not an anomaly. It reflected a truth that others could recognize, even if they did not shout it as loudly.
The Turn: Listening, Reading, Noticing
It was listening to the album that made me appreciate the depth of the contrast between album cover image and content. At first glance, the cover screams “submission.” But the songs? They bite back.
Take “Manchild.” It is not a love ballad. It mocks men for emotional immaturity, for failing at basic behavior. Sabrina doesn’t beg, she calls out. “Won’t you let an innocent woman be?” she coos, layering sweetness over critique. The song begins with:
“You said your phone was broken, just forgot to charge it Whole outfit you’re wearing, God, I hope it’s ironic Did you just say you’re finished? Didn’t know we started It’s all just so familiar, baby, what do you call it?”
Or look at “Tears.” It leans disco, but lyrically it is razor-sharp: she jokes that a man being basically competent is enough to arouse her. It’s satire with a sting. In the music video, she pole dances while singing the song with lyrics like, “I get wet at the thought of you / being a responsible guy”—a cheeky juxtaposition of hypersexualized performance and exasperated standards. The video also features drag performers and trans representation, underlining her alignment with queer visibility and layered self-expression.
She frames themes of heartbreak, anger, desire, disappointment. There is self-critique in there too, not just projection. In interviews, she has said the cover was about control: “being in on your lack of control and when you want to be in control.”
That said, not every message in Carpenter’s broader discography screams feminist solidarity…
For example, I initially thought the track “Taste” from her sixth studio album Short n’ Sweet (2024) was about being a side chick—and I was not alone. A quick scroll through fan reactions shows that others had the same first impression. With lyrics like this, it is understandable:
“You’re wonderin’ why half his clothes went missin’ My body’s where they’re at”
“I heard you’re back together and if that’s true You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you”
But a closer read suggests something different: she is not actively seeing someone else’s partner, she’s reflecting on a past dynamic. The lyric “Now I’m gone” suggests she is out of the picture. So while the tone is still petty and provocative, it does not depict her as a willing side chick—more like a thorn in the side of someone’s reconciliation. It is cheeky, bold, and not without controversy.
Back to Man’s Best Friend: While the album plays with biting commentary, it is important to acknowledge that there are many different schools of feminism, each offering its own lens through which to interpret provocative imagery (and many other things, such as sex work, fashion, or performative femininity).
I also question whether the bait-and-switch strategy works. The men drawn in by the album cover are not the ones most likely to hear themselves in the lyrics and make adjustments. They are the ones most likely to mock it. Instead of confronting their behavior, they will dismiss the message as “man-hating.” It is certainly not the most biting feminist music I have ever heard, but perhaps that accessibility is part of the point. For a few listeners who would never otherwise engage with feminist critique, it could plant a seed. More often, though, it risks reinforcing the very dynamics it set out to subvert.
To some, visual boldness (whether in fashion, posture, or persona) is a way to reclaim space traditionally policed by patriarchy. To others, it can read as a perpetuation of harmful archetypes, depending on how and where the power is situated.
These perspectives are not contradictions; they are reflections of different lived experiences, cultural contexts, and feminist priorities.
And they raise an important question: If Sabrina Carpenter’s cover invites such polarized readings, how do other artists navigate the same terrain?
Kate Nash, Performance, and the Politics of Self-Exposure
There are far too many of these perspectives to fully capture in one article. But the fact that they coexist doesn’t weaken feminist discourse, it strengthens it. These tensions challenge us to expand our thinking, to recognize that empowerment looks different for different people.
Take Kate Nash, for example. In 2023, she launched an OnlyFans campaign called “Butts for Tour Buses” to fund her tour independently. She had not released an album since 2013, and I had often wondered what had happened to her until this campaign put her back in the headlines. (She has since returned with a new album in 2024: 9 Sad Symphonies.)
“If you work in the music business or care about music you should repost this and tag @spotify@spotifyuk & @livenation@livenationuk or start your own protest. It’s time to start being vocal without worrying about being punished. They’ve built an ivory tower & they’ve leaving artists behind, it’s unethical & unsustainable. Album countdowns, playlists & billboards don’t cut it anymore. The music industry needs to pay up. I’m not scared to be vocal & neither should you be.”
Kate Nash on an Instagram reel in which she took her tour bus to outside the London offices of Spotify, Live Nation, and the Houses Of Parliament
In my early twenties, she was one of several artists that made me feel finally solidarity as a feminist, alongside: Emilie Autumn, Angelspit (while Amelia Arsenic was in the band), Lily Allen, and Amanda Palmer.(Palmer, of course, now comes with her own controversies, particularly surrounding whether she was culpable in her ex-husband Neil Gaiman’s alleged sexual assaults and coercion. This has forced me into a lot of uncomfortable re-examination.)
Back then, I listened to her 2007 Made of Bricks album on repeat and had formed an idea of who she was. I didn’t expect this campaign from her at all, either because I had not truly familiarized myself with who she was, or perhaps because she has evolved while in survival mode. (I have been there.) So when I saw the campaign, it surprised me, and many other fans have expressed shock and disappointment.
But Kate Nash’s campaign is not exactly about titillation—it is a performance art critique on how artists are forced to commodify themselves to survive in the streaming era. She used the platform to blur the line between objectification and authorship, showing how the music industry often demands exposure without offering security. And because sex sells, it was also a very smart move to draw more attention to the issue. Her message: if you’re going to sell my image, I want to be the one selling it.
Emilie Autumn
Nash turned the commodification of her image into protest. But the emotional cost of that commodification, and of being hyperaware in a world that constantly objectifies and flattens women, is something artists like Emilie Autumn have long captured in their work. Like Nash, Autumn often used sexuality as part of her performances, though in her case it was laced with Victorian aesthetics, burlesque, and gothic spectacle.
In her track “Opheliac,” Autumn delivers this haunting spoken passage:
“Studies show: Intelligent girls are more depressed Because they know What the world is really like Don’t think for a beat it makes it better When you sit her down and tell her Everything’s gonna be all right She knows in society she either is A devil or an angel with no in between She speaks in the third person So she can forget that she’s me”
These lines reflect how impossible it can feel to exist authentically in a system that asks women to be both marketable and morally acceptable, yet never too loud, too sad, too smart, or too real.
Art, Ownership, and Misunderstanding
These kinds of artistic choices—like Nash’s, or perhaps Carpenter’s—don’t come from a monolith of feminism. And I know firsthand how complex this conversation can be.
In the past, I’ve been called a hypocrite for doing pole dance, as well as one burlesque show, and one go-go dance performance, and for sharing my dance content and amateur alternative modeling on social media.
What those critics don’t understand is the deeper context:
I had lost 145 pounds, and these performances were about reclaiming my body and celebrating what it could do. I felt like I was finally free of a costume and I could be myself unapologetically.
It was cathartic. Dance became a way to process emotion, especially grief and healing.
It was a continuation of an existing artistic discipline. I was already a dancer, with training in ballet, ballroom, and social dance. Pole was a natural extension of that passion, allowing me to explore a different, more acrobatic dimension of movement and expression that I could not do before.
Pole dancing in particular made me feel strong. I never felt more like a powerful grown-ass woman and simultaneously playfully embracing my inner child than when I was training. (Fun fact: pole inversions release endorphins.)
My intention was never to titillate. I’ve even used the slogan: “I want to be art, not fapping fodder.“
It is a reserved space. People choose whether to follow or watch. I was not putting it on highway billboards. And I fully expect criticism for sharing myself in this article, but that is kind of the point of this piece: interrogating how we judge female expression.
I’ve been in relationships where some or all love languages were neglected, often due to emotional abuse in an attempt to control my behavior or due to a partner’s neurodivergence (which is a spectrum with different challenges for different people), despite my healthy and available sexuality to them. Sharing dance became a healthy outlet to reclaim that emotional feedback loop on my own terms.
“My man on his willpower / Is something I don’t understand He fell in love with self restraint / And now it’s getting out of hand He used to be literally obsessed with me / I’m suddenly the least sought-after girl in the land Oh my man on his willpower / Is something I don’t under Something I don’t understand”
Lyrics from “My Man on Willpower” from Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend” album.
Author Katherine Amy Vega in a Westward Bound custom latex ensemble at her pole studio. The session was a birthday gift to herself celebrating a major personal milestone: her weight loss transformation and reclaiming of body confidence. Photography: Jeremiah Toller
Since becoming disabled, I have been on an unwelcome hiatus from dance. Losing that outlet has been deeply difficult. It was more than expression: it was identity, therapy, strength, and joy. I can only hope that with more treatment and physical therapy, I’ll be able to return to it someday, because it is a part of my core and spirit.
So when people react to women in pop (or to me) based only on surface optics, they miss the full picture. Empowerment and expression aren’t always about who’s watching. Sometimes, it is about reclaiming something you were told not to enjoy.
They operate in dialogue with systemic issues: economics, control, performance, pleasure, and resistance. So no, I am not erasing my first reaction.
That emotional reading was valid. But I also hold the possibility that the cover is a Trojan horse: baiting the gaze, then subverting it. I am not saying it is the perfect tactic, or that I agree with every part of it. But I understand it. And I can appreciate what’s smart and strategic about it in a world where sex continues to sell, and most people won’t engage unless their attention is provoked. I also do not claim to be the arbiter of what is universally “right,” if such a thing even exists.
Sabrina’s Subversion in Context
Sabrina Carpenter’s transformation is also part of a larger pop cultural arc: the Disney-to-pop pipeline. Like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez before her, she has made a deliberate pivot from clean-cut, hyper-polished teen star to a provocative pop icon who still leans into that glossy aesthetic.
While it’s not inherently wrong to evolve, this well-trodden path has uncomfortable subtext: a cultural hunger to sexualize women exactly as they transition out of girlhood. The public watches and waits, and then critiques the result… no matter how it is styled. It’s worth asking whether Sabrina is playing into that pipeline, breaking it apart, or both.
Her current persona leans into vintage-inspired, hyperfeminine glamour. She’s described Man’s Best Friend as “glossy, confident pop … served with a wink,” and fashion profiles highlight her embrace of soft pastels, sequins, and lingerie silhouettes that nod to retro “dream girl” aesthetics. This carefully styled visual identity is not accidental, it is part of the duality she appears to be playing with.
This is not the first time pop has flirted with contradiction, but Sabrina Carpenter’s is distinct in how direct it is.
Madonna
Madonna weaponized sexuality and taboo, famously blending eroticism and Catholic imagery in “Like a Virgin” and later pushing sexual provocation even further with “Like a Prayer” and the Erotica era. These performances weren’t only provocative; they forced audiences to confront how female desire and sacrilege had been framed as threats to social order. Her work redefined visibility as defiance, yet also exposed how quickly subversion could be commercialized and turned back into spectacle.
She consistently blurred the boundaries between empowerment and exploitation, often reclaiming symbols of patriarchal control and turning them into tools of authorship. However, her autonomy was frequently reframed through the same lens she sought to dismantle. Critics labeled her outrageous or attention-seeking, overlooking the fact that she had full creative control over her image. Madonna understood that control and controversy were inseparable currencies in pop culture, and she spent her career mastering both.
Peaches
Peaches built her career on radical sexual expression and gender-blurring. Her lyrics in songs like “Fuck the Pain Away” and her visuals subvert traditional power structures, using vulgarity to command rather than be commanded. (Pitchfork)
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple, especially in Fetch the Bolt Cutters, embodies a refusal to submit to neat aesthetics or emotional expectation. The album is celebrated for rejecting curated perfection, instead foregrounding rawness, resistance, and bodily truth. Its title comes from a line in a crime show about freeing someone locked away, which is an apt metaphor for emotional, systemic, and relational confinement. Songs like “Under the Table” confront abuse, shame, and suppression, while “Ladies” calls for women’s solidarity in fraught spaces.
Her earlier work, like “Criminal,” already cracked open the difficulty of being visible, rebellious, and wounded in the same body. It embodied vulnerability and confrontation at once. Her music videos, stripped of gloss, often placed viewers in uncomfortable intimacy. She did not hide her trauma, she worked with it. Fiona Apple’s artistic identity itself is a pushback against the notion that feminine expression should be sanitized and safe.
Carpenter, however, does not shed polish or trip into avant-garde rejection of conventional beauty standards. She keeps it glamorous enough to get attention, then (at least in this scenario) pulls the rug from under the viewer.
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls brought pop feminism to the global stage with a simple but resonant message: “Girl Power!” For many, especially those who came of age in the late ’90s, they weren’t just pop stars, they were a cultural awakening. Loud, diverse, and authentic, they stood in stark contrast to the polished passivity expected of so many female performers at the time.
They weren’t silenced by purity culture like Britney Spears, or victimized in the way she was allowed to be. They weren’t filtered through the male fantasy lens like The Pussycat Dolls, whose image leaned more toward stripper-polished perfection. Instead, the Spice Girls stormed into pop unapologetically. They laughed, yelled, wore whatever they wanted, and told girls they didn’t need to change to deserve attention.
A digital painting based on a popular photo of the Spice Girls by the author, created in 2005 as a tribute to the group’s cultural impact. Their message of empowerment, individuality, and bold authenticity made them the author’s most formative influence in early youth—a vibrant antidote to pop culture’s more silenced or hyper-filtered portrayals of women at the time. Artwork: Katherine Amy Vega
That is not to say they escaped criticism. People questioned their outfits, their influence on young girls, their commercialism, and their outspokenness. But their message was louder than the backlash, and for many, it stuck.
As a preteen, they were the pop influence that shaped me the most. Other pop stars would impact me later as a teen, but the Spice Girls came first. I’m grateful it started with them. They gave me a model of power that didn’t require pain or performance to be real.
“Spice World: The Spice Girls Movie” DVD cover
The movie Spice World comically portrayed how the tabloids hounded the girls. However, at my young age, I could not have known that the real tabloids weren’t just absurd; they were relentlessly cruel, misogynistic, and violating. Combined with the intense micromanagement and uneven standards imposed by their former manager Simon Fuller, the pressure on the group was immense and, at the time, began to erode their bond. Thankfully, with age and distance, they have healed much of that strain, or at least that is what we have been told.
Melanie C’s memoir “The Sporty One”
As empowering as their message was, Melanie C (Sporty Spice) later reflected in her autobiography The Sporty One: My Life as a Spice Girl (2022) that the group faced a relentless double bind: “We were slut-shamed on one hand, and called ‘frigid’ on the other.” The same press that amplified their fame also distorted their image. “I felt insecure and I had low self-esteem… The icing on the cake, the thing that really kicked me when I was down, was the press, who loved to tell me who I was: Single Spice, Plain Spice, Beefy Spice, Sumo Spice… When I think about the press, it’s such a dark shadow that hangs over me.”
Her reflections expose how even pop feminism was not immune to the Madonna–whore complex, rewarding confidence and visibility only to punish women for them. That tension haunted her deeply, leading to silence, depression, and an eating disorder. It is a reminder that the culture of empowerment they helped spark could never fully shield women from the violence of public contradiction.
Mel B’s memoir “Brutally Honest”
In her 2018 memoir Brutally Honest, Mel B (Scary Spice) revealed she had endured years of domestic violence and coercive control during her marriage. That revelation created a jarring contrast. The girl who shouted “Girl Power” into stadiums had also been living with control and fear behind closed doors. It serves as a stark reminder that no message of confidence or rebellion can fully shield women from systemic harm. Feminist slogans can inspire. They don’t always protect.
However, what makes her story especially powerful is not just that she escaped, but that she found the strength to speak out. Her decision to share her truth publicly is a reminder that empowerment isn’t about having never been harmed, it is about reclaiming your story in the aftermath. Survival, in itself, is strength.
Brandy
Both Melanie C and Brandy have spoken about losing themselves under the pressures of fame and expectation. In The Sporty One, Melanie C describes how years of being scrutinized and labeled by the press caused her to lose touch with who she really was, followed by burnout. Brandy reflects on a similar struggle in her Audible Original A New Moon, recalling how every choice she made at fifteen was judged. She resisted sexualization, and her mother acted as both manager and protector, yet she still felt torn between her authentic self, her role as Moesha (the television character she played), and her persona as a musician.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus has also discussed this kind of identity dissonance. On Spotify’s Rock This podcast, she said that Hannah Montana was “a character almost as often as I was myself,” and that the show’s premise implied that when she wasn’t in character, “no one cared about me.” She has described that time as an identity crisis, highlighting how early fame and constant performance can blur the line between self and persona.
In the years that followed, Miley’s career ignited fierce debate about sexuality and agency. Her Bangerz era leaned into provocation, often interpreted as both rebellion and self-exploration after years of constraint. More recently, Miley has spoken of her eras as metamorphoses of self rather than costumes. Her newer work reflects themes of healing, vulnerability, and control, as if she’s intentionally exploring what it means to live confidently on her own terms.
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish is another useful comparison. In her early visuals, she obscured her body, controlling what was seen, when, and how. Where Eilish initially used concealment as a form of control, Carpenter leans into hyper-visibility, positioning her body as the center of the frame.
Both strategies wrestle with the same question:how do women claim agency in an industry that profits from their objectification?
And in songs like “Your Power,” from Happier Than Ever, she confronts the dynamics of grooming and statutory abuse head-on, painting a picture of an older man who “played the part” of hero while exploiting a school-aged girl. This is a stark indictment of how men mask predation as care.
“How dare you? And how could you? Will you only feel bad when they find out? If you could take it all back Would you?”
It’s soft, but searing. It’s critical of industry norms and real-life imbalance.
Melanie C has also voiced deep respect and support for Billie Eilish. She has described giving Billie advice early in her rise and feeling proud of how her words resonated. Melanie C has also spoken about watching Billie perform and recognizing a familiar energy in the crowd, one that reminded her of the intensity of the Spice Girls’ early days. In later interviews, she has reflected on their friendship and how they connect over the shared pressures of fame and expectation. That continuity across generations of pop artists is quietly powerful, illustrating how women who have endured the industry’s contradictions often become mentors to those still learning to navigate them.
In her solo project, Lauren Mayberry of CHVRCHES writes lyrics that challenge male behavior directly. Her 2023 debut solo single, “Are You Awake?”, takes a more intimate, emotionally stripped-down approach, but still centers a woman’s emotional needs. And her 2024 follow-up, “Change Shapes,” from Vicious Creature, critiques performative masculinity and toxic relational cycles—further exploring themes of control and harm that she has been outspoken about in interviews. She has also been outspoken about misogyny in music, both in and out of interviews.
Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion also offers a powerful template of feminist subversion. Her lyrics boldly reclaim sexual agency, as seen in tracks like “Savage” and “Body.” In “Savage,” she proclaims: “I’m a savage / Classy, bougie, ratchet / Sassy, moody, nasty.” These lyrics collapse stereotyped binaries into a self-defined identity. Megan has also publicly addressed surviving violence and the emotional toll of being scrutinized. She balances joy, grief, sensuality, and rage in a way that resists flattening. Her work pushes beyond simple empowerment into something more expansive. It is a celebration of being multifaceted while still being targeted. Black women in pop often face harsher criticism regardless of what they express, and Megan’s presence underscores the need for intersectionality in any conversation about feminist expression.
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera, in particular, challenged this paradigm early on. Her 2002 feminist anthem “Can’t Hold Us Down,” featuring Lil’ Kim, directly criticized gendered double standards in sexuality: “The guy gets all the glory the more he can score / While the girl can do the same and yet you call her a whore.”
The song appears on Stripped, the same album where Aguilera shed her bubblegum pop persona for something bolder and more confrontational. In the “Dirrty” video, she wore triangle bikini tops, chaps with exposed short-shorts, and a microskirt, claiming space as both an artist and a sexual being. Aguilera didn’t just lean into sexuality, she used it to provoke, reclaim, and confront the culture that tried to control it.
She also embraces Sabrina Carpenter. In a playful Instagram video, the two appear together saying that Sabrina is Christina’s daughter. It is tongue-in-cheek, but symbolic like a passing of the torch from one subversive pop star to another.
Sabrina’s approach is not unique in its interplay of opposites. Many modern female pop artists have made deliberate contradiction part of their language, particularly those who are hyper-aware of image politics from Madonna and Lady Gaga to FKA twigs, Lana Del Rey, and, more recently, Taylor Swift, whose The Life of a Showgirl era is playing with similar tensions. What makes Sabrina distinct is not that she invites contradiction, but that she does it through a glossy, deceptively light package. She uses the language of pop fantasy to smuggle in discomfort, which is subtle enough to miss if you are not paying attention. Sabrina sits between those worlds: accessible pop and sharp critique, part of an ongoing lineage of women using contradiction as commentary.
Why This Matters, Beyond Me
These dynamics apply to anyone who has survived, or is living with, harm. Whether it is domestic violence, emotional abuse, coercion, trauma from childhood—critics often insist you must present a single, palatable narrative. If your instincts shift, you’re inconsistent, too sensitive, “overreacting.“
But trauma is not linear. Growing isn’t linear. Interpretations can evolve without making the first one “wrong.” We should want complexity, not purity tests of emotion.
The maddening part is how rapidly people reject nuance in women’s expression. They say “choose a single read or shut up” in ways rarely demanded of men. In that thread, people excoriated me for offering one reading of an image that can hit many people differently. They denied my experience. They insulted. They gaslit.
But that kind of dogpile is not about you. It is about how fragile our culture is around women having layered thoughts about sexuality, trauma, beauty, violence. It is about how much people want women to perform comfort, never discomfort.
When Beauty Becomes a Battleground: Tova Leigh’s Exposure of Verbal Violence
There is one rule that seems to hold no matter what a woman looks like: she will be criticized.
On Instagram, creator Tova Leigh frequently demonstrates this through a striking format. She shares a single image of a well-known, often conventionally attractive woman (the kind that media has told us is the best kind of woman) and then follows it with a carousel of cruel, degrading comments from men. The men’s faces appear after their words, underscoring just how shameless and ordinary this behavior has become.
In one of her videos featuring Sabrina Carpenter, Leigh highlights how even someone as young, petite, and hyperfeminine as Carpenter is not immune. Some of the vile comments are: “Be great with a bag to cover face”, “Solid 3”, and “if her ass and tits were bigger, sure”.
One image. Dozens of attacks, simply for existing while female in the public eye.
(She has done these videos with artists that were mentioned earlier as well, such as Billie Eilish and Melanie C.)
While I primarily see misogyny come from a lot of men, I want to note many women make horrible comments about female celebrities too, and I see it when I subject myself to comment threads almost every day. It is disappointing, to say the least, and that brings things back to the internalized misogyny I mentioned earlier.
Leigh’s work lays this pattern bare. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
It drives home a brutal point:no matter what you do, someone will be waiting to take you down. Perfect makeup, clear skin, styled hair, a fit body, disproportionately curvy proportions, and a slew of other so-called ideals (many of which completely contradict each other). None of it protects you from the dissection. Beauty doesn’t buy immunity. Sometimes, it paints a bigger target.
Britney Spears summed it up in her 2007 track “Piece of Me”:
“I’m Mrs. ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’ (you want a piece of me?) I’m Mrs. ‘Oh my God, that Britney’s shameless’ (you want a piece of me?) I’m Mrs. ‘Extra! Extra! This just in’ (you want a piece of me?) I’m Mrs. ‘She’s too big, now she’s too thin’ (you want a piece of me?)”
It is a takedown of the media machine that both builds and destroys women in the public eye. And nearly two decades later, those lines still feel timely.
Final Reflection & Invitation
Women are multidimensional. Instead of defaulting to criticism at every opportunity, we should do more asking—more listening—to understand the fuller context of their choices, their art, and their self-expression. Curiosity creates space for complexity in ways that condemnation never will.
I am not walking this back. I’ll always say the image initially made me think of domestic violence (it has since grown on me a bit, while I still recognize it causes discomfort). And I can also say I believe, with some evidence, that Sabrina Carpenter may be performing subversion. Those are not mutually exclusive.
This record might mark a shift in how feminist pop is packaged: the idea that provocation and direct critique can cohabit in the same aesthetic. That’s a risky move. It may yield misinterpretations, especially in a mainstream pop landscape that often struggles to handle this level of complexity. But it also expands what pop can do.
If you are reading this and you have ever felt silenced for pointing out nuance, I see you. If you want to call something out and also enjoy it, you can. If you want to evolve your opinion, do it. Do not let culture—or the lack of emotional intelligence and unwillingness to intellectualize nuance—guilt you into sameness.
You can be critical, kind, evolving, and honest…at the same time.
To close, here’s a spoken word piece by actress and poet Caitlin O’Ryan. Her work often explores the complexities of womanhood — and this particular poem, “At What Point,” resonates deeply with some of the themes discussed throughout this piece.
This long-form cultural commentary takes a closer look at how two recent series build meaning through familiar character dynamics. Rather than simply recapping storylines, it examines how “Wednesday” and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” use long-standing archetypes, narrative devices, and visual techniques to shape relationships.
Some character pairings feel instantly familiar—not because they are cliché, but because they reflect something we understand deeply about human connection. In “Wednesday” and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (“SNW”), we see this in two modern duos: Wednesday Addams and Enid Sinclair, and Spock and Christine Chapel.
They come from different universes: one a gothic teen reimagining of “The Addams Family”, the other a classic sci-fi revival.
But both duos mirror a compelling emotional blueprint: one character is emotionally expressive, compassionate, and intuitive; the other is cerebral, reserved, and emotionally restricted.
The Archetype Across Stories
This archetype has long roots in storytelling: Holmes and Watson, Elphaba and Glinda, Frodo and Sam (or even more so—Legolas and Gimli), and yes, even Bones and Spock in the original “Star Trek.” Spock’s logic-bound restraint, in fact, often feels reminiscent of Tolkien’s elves, whose serene façades conceal emotions as fierce as their long lives. In contemporary storytelling, the dynamic often deepens into something emotionally richer, more nuanced, and more intimate.
Wednesday Addams tightly hugs Enid Sinclair in the Season 1 finale of “Wednesday”, her revealing rare emotional vulnerability. (Credit: Netflix)
Many refer to this as the “opposites attract” trope, though its impact goes beyond surface contrast, anchoring emotional growth and mutual transformation.
It is partly the emotional magnetism. The softer character often acts as a caretaker or emotional translator, helping the more guarded one navigate their feelings—or avoid them entirely. Enid tries to coax Wednesday out of her shell with optimism and warmth. Chapel offers Spock the emotional support he won’t ask for. There is something satisfying in watching those walls slowly, subtly come down.
Spock, made fully human in Season 2 of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” hugs Christine Chapel with open warmth, reversing their typical stoic/soft roles.
But it is also about balance. These relationships are not just about caretaking—they are about mutual growth. Enid becomes more assertive; Wednesday discovers vulnerability. Enid’s long-delayed wolfing out marks the moment she claims her own power, while Chapel steps away from Spock to pursue her fellowship with Dr. Korby—a choice driven by ambition and her need for space (no pun intended). Both arcs show that growth can be sparked from within as much as from circumstance, and deepened by the person who stands beside you.
Spock’s unanticipated experience of emotion when an entity turns him fully human recalls another archetypal pairing: Nathan Wuornos in “Haven”, whose stoic numbness is broken when he discovers he can feel Audrey Parker’s touch. In both cases, the surprise of connection becomes a turning point.
Nathan Wuornos’s shock at feeling Audrey Parker’s touch in “Haven” shatters his lifelong numbness, a moment that redefines his stoic character. (Credit: Syfy)
The echo of this moment across genres (paranormal drama like “Haven”, science fiction like “Strange New Worlds”) shows just how universal the stoic/soft blueprint is.
Relationship Development
Early seasons and episodes show both duos avoiding quick romantic resolutions—their emotional ties are complex, undefined, and compelling.
Yet their trajectories diverge…
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
In SNW, Spock’s emotional shifts carry deeper context. Vulcans do not lack emotions; they feel them more intensely than humans, controlling them through mental discipline. His bond with Chapel becomes tangible, culminating in an unguarded kiss, a peak of intimacy soon shadowed by crisis and complication. Later, while lowering his defenses during the Gorn conflict and rescue of Chapel, Spock’s emotional control slips—leading to him striking the ship’s bulkhead (an interior wall) in frustration. In the aftermath, he struggles to rebuild the Vulcan discipline he depends on.
Spock and Chapel’s kiss in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (S2, E5) captures their bond at its most intimate—a fleeting resolution. (Credit: Paramount+)
Chapel had once been a steadying presence in that turmoil, but her departure for the Korby fellowship leaves him seeking stability elsewhere—a void partly filled by his growing connection with La’an Noonien-Singh.
La’an and Spock in a choreographed sequence that shifts from combat to sensual dance—a turning point that plays with intimacy, tension, and performance. (Credit: Paramount+)
From the beginning, though, his bond with Chapel had carried a sense of ambiguity—part mentorship, part camaraderie, part unspoken attraction. That fluidity makes the relationship compelling, but also vulnerable to shifting forms as the story evolves.
Wednesday
In “Wednesday” Season 2, Part 1, the friendship between Enid and Wednesday is initially treated as firmly established rather than still forming. Their relationship is portrayed with more ease and comfort. The show adds hints of intensity that fuel shipping conversations, most notably when Enid says she cannot imagine a life without Wednesday, followed by another character calling Wednesday her “ride-or-die.”
Wednesday Addams and Enid Sinclair in Wednesday Season 2 — bonded and complementary, though their connection remains platonic… for now. (Credit: Netflix)
Still, despite these acknowledgments, the friendship remains fundamentally platonic at its core, with Enid’s shifting romantic subplots (from Ajax to Bruno) feeling more like placeholders than long-term commitments. Enid admits, “I’m not sure how I feel about Ajax anymore. He’s sweet and cute but… he’s still in love with the old me, and I’ve changed.” Her words underline that her arc is about transformation and self-definition—though some viewers have also speculated that this subtle line could hint at deeper shifts, perhaps even foreshadowing feelings for Wednesday. Either way, Wednesday remains the constant she orbits around.
“Machiavelli once said that friendship is watching a person’s slow drip of miseries and feeling honored to be present for their most dismal moments.” — Wednesday Addams
It is worth noting that this archetype does not require a romantic resolution to resonate. The stoic/soft pairing is powerful even in its purely platonic form. Still, in a media landscape where shipping culture drives conversation and audiences increasingly call for queer representation in popular franchises (as with Elsa in “Frozen” or Velma in “Scooby-Doo”), it is no surprise that Enid and Wednesday’s friendship is often discussed in those terms (see below). A romantic turn would be unique for the archetype, but even without it, the pairing already embodies the dynamic that makes these relationships so compelling.
The stoic/soft bond rarely unfolds in a vacuum. External forces test the pairing, reshaping how they are expressed and perceived. Both arcs show that even when the bond feels central, the narrative bends to challenge it from the outside.
Bruno & Romantic Distraction
In “Wednesday”, Enid’s relationship with Bruno introduces a disruption to her bond with Wednesday. The pairing shifts focus toward ordinary teenage romance, setting up sharp contrasts with the show’s higher stakes.
“The sooner I get answers, the sooner I can save Enid… who I currently want to murder.” — Wednesday Addams
When Wednesday walks in on Enid kissing Bruno, her deadpan narration underscores the absurdity of life-or-death urgency colliding with typical teen drama.
Enid and Bruno’s romance in “Wednesday” Season 2 becomes a wedge in her bond with Wednesday. (Credit: Netflix)
Still, Bruno never feels like a lasting fixture. His role serves more as a passing test than a true disruption to the core relationship. These moments ultimately remind us that, no matter the distraction, Wednesday’s bond with Enid is the story’s anchor. That truth becomes even clearer when deeper rifts emerge.
Agnes & Disrupting the Bond
Agnes DeMille, a red-haired student who stans over Wednesday, emerges in Season 2 as both a fixation and a foil. With the power of invisibility, she literally reveals herself during Enid’s kidnapping—a dramatic bid to capture Wednesday’s attention.
Agnes DeMille in “Wednesday” Season 2—her fixation on Wednesday blurs the line between admirer and adversary. (Credit: Netflix)
At first, she functions mainly as a plot device, even her flaming red hair serving as a symbolic red herring. Her obsession with Wednesday unsettles the core friendship by positioning herself as both ally and intrusion. Wednesday’s willingness to strategize with her, even at the cost of straining her bond with Enid, sharpens the tension.
One flashpoint comes when Enid, feeling sidelined, asks Wednesday: “Do you even want to be my friend anymore?“
Wednesday and Agnes scheme together while Enid looks on, their alliance straining the central friendship further. (Credit: Netflix)
Agnes doesn’t just serve as a temporary wedge between Wednesday and Enid. As the Season 2 unfolds, she gradually becomes a more transformational force. While she began by trying to replace Enid, her journey ultimately mirrors Enid’s: learning that authenticity, not imitation, is what gives her power. When Agnes stops performing for acceptance and embraces her true self, she and Enid connect over their shared growth.
This shift delivers a powerful message: genuine bonds can form even with people we once saw as rivals, if we stop fixating on securing closeness with one specific person and instead allow connections to grow organically from who we really are.
Her eventual role at the gala crystallizes this: joining Enid as her dance partner signals solidarity rather than competition, while her invisibility powers become both entertainment and a tool to aid Wednesday’s larger mission. In this way, Agnes evolves from foil and plot device into a symbol of transformation, showing how disruption can turn into kinship once characters embrace authenticity.
Agnes and Enid dance at the Season 2 gala—a visual culmination of their shift from rivalry to solidarity. (Credit: Netflix)
The very fact that it takes such extremes (along with others best left for viewers to discover) to challenge the stoic/soft duo only underscores how central the Wednesday–Enid bond remains.
T’Pring & Cultural Tradition
Spock’s engagement to T’Pring in “Strange New Worlds” underscores Vulcan duty and cultural tradition. Even when he edges toward intimacy with Chapel, that engagement brings him back toward logic and obligation. She openly engages with Spock’s internal conflict, forcing him to confront his own contradictions.
Chapel reminds Spock that he’s supposed to put T’Pring ahead of duty, which challenges his emotional detachment. (Credit: Paramount+)
T’Pring is positioned as a stabilizing anchor, but one rooted more in expectation rather than genuine connection. Over time, though, T’Pring’s presence proves transient. Their relationship highlights the weight of cultural expectations, yet it never reshapes Spock in a lasting way.
Spock and T’Pring share a quiet, emotional moment as she proposes they take time apart—hurt by his decision to confide in others but not her. (Credit: Paramount+)
By the time of “The Original Series,” the engagement has dissolved, with T’Pring choosing another partner. In that sense, she functions less as a permanent counterweight and more as a fleeting test of Spock’s divided loyalties.
Korby & Continuity Complications
Roger Korby’s arrival in Season 3 carries more weight. Chapel’s decision to pursue both him and the fellowship realigns her arc, setting her on the path that leads into “The Original Series.”
Christine Chapel and Dr. Roger Korby seated together at dinner in Strange New Worlds S3E2—a scene that introduces Korby as both mentor and romantic complication. (Credit: Paramount+)
Continuity insists Spock and Chapel’s connection cannot last; at least not in the same way. Korby does not directly transform Spock, but his presence redirects Chapel’s trajectory and, through her absence, alters Spock’s circumstances. (Even the strange reality-bending “wedding” incident only underscored how precarious their bond is when pitted against long-established canon.)
Chapel’s choice to pursue her fellowship and a relationship with Korby splinters the connection she once shared with Spock. And while their connection had been undeniable, the series makes clear that it is not unbreakable. Heartbreak is acknowledged, but the story does not linger on it. I hesitate to call Spock’s bond with La’an Noonien-Singh a rebound, but as Season 3 unfolds, the timing gives it that resonance. At the same time, it conveys maturity: the ability to honor what existed with Chapel yet move forward without dwelling. For Spock, Vulcan emotional discipline surely helps—but so does the simple fact of finding someone new.
In S3, Ep. 5, Spock and Chapel stand side-by-side in tense silence, moments before Chapel asks, “Why are we so quiet when we need to talk?” Spock replies, “Is there something to discuss?” (Credit: Paramount+)
The rupture of their relationship pushes Spock to confront impermanence and reassert the Vulcan discipline he had let slip. His growth comes not from Korby himself, but from losing the connection Chapel represented: a space where his vulnerability felt possible.
This was not the first time Spock experienced the severance of an emotional connection when tapping into his human side. As seen in “Star Trek: Discovery”, he was rejected by his sister Michael Burnham when they were still children. That kind of loss left a mark, and it’s easy to imagine that his course-correction back to a logic-dominant state feels familiar—a coping mechanism first forged in youth.
Young Michael Burnham and Spock in “Star Trek: Discovery” (S2, Ep. 8). Burnham’s childhood rejection of Spock is one of several painful influences (including cultural expectations, prejudice, and parenting) that pushed him toward logic as a survival strategy. (Credit: Paramount+)
“Discovery” also reveals the turbulence of his upbringing as a Vulcan seen as “different,” compounded by a diagnosis of L’tak Terai (the Vulcan equivalent of dyslexia) often dismissed as human weakness rather than met with support. For casual fans who had only known Spock as the incredibly intelligent and composed officer of “The Original Series”, it offers a surprising reframing of just how hard-won that control always was.
In the aftermath of Chapel’s departure (and Korby’s arrival as of early Season 3), she and Spock begin to settle into a different kind of relationship—one with the potential for genuine friendship rather than romance. Their ability to work alongside each other without overt awkward tension, even with Korby present, suggests that perhaps friendship is the dynamic in which they are truly compatible.
These challenges—whether fleeting romances, obsessive admirers, cultural pressures, or continuity itself—do not diminish the stoic/soft archetype.
If anything, they prove its lasting appeal: even when the relationship moves out of focus, it leaves a deep emotional imprint that continues to shape the characters and the story.
In contrast to “Wednesday,” where the friendship between Enid and Wednesday remains the fixed center despite every disruption, “Strange New Worlds” emphasizes fragility:attraction can be powerful, yet still impermanent. For Wednesday and Enid, that magnetism keeps pulling them back together. For Spock and Chapel, the attraction is just as undeniable, but it is fragile, bounded by duty and canon. Their story underlines that sometimes, no matter how powerful the love or how magnetic the opposites, a connection simply cannot endure.
In “Wednesday,” Bruno proves fleeting while Agnes grows into a transformative ally. In “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” the pattern flips. T’Pring ultimately becomes a transient figure; her engagement with Spock canonically dissolves in “The Original Series.” Korby represents the lasting disruption, but his role is more about redirecting Chapel’s path than shaping Spock’s directly. It is Chapel’s decision to pursue Korby and her fellowship, combined with the rupture in her bond with Spock, that forces him to confront impermanence and rebuild his discipline. This inversion shows that the stoic/soft dynamic endures whether the wedge is temporary or permanent. What matters is the transformation it sparks in the characters.
The Chapel–Spock relationship does not stay at the forefront in the series. That shift feels intentional, reflecting its narrative trajectory, and it also appeals to viewers who favor the show’s more science-fictional focus. Some fans, in fact, have welcomed the change after voicing fatigue with Chapel–Spock storylines.
The focus on a persisting bond in “Wednesday” reflects the show’s target demographic. It is primarily aimed at young adults, especially older teens and people in their twenties. Its coming-of-age themes, high school setting, and exploration of identity, friendship, and romance are all classic YA territory. However, the show also intentionally appeals to a broader audience.
Balancing Weight with Levity
Both shows balance drama with comic relief, but in different registers. In “Wednesday,” drama is leavened by the eponymous character’s deadpan wit and the signature absurd antics of the Addams family, preventing the story from collapsing under its own intensity.
A particularly memorable twist arrives in Season 2, Episode 6, when Enid and Wednesday unexpectedly swap bodies—the result of a séance gone awry involving the ghost of Professor Rotwood (played by Lady Gaga). The scene explodes into comic gold as Enid, now in Wednesday’s body, bursts into the Nevermore courtyard wearing a color-drenched pink-and-purple sweater and dances enthusiastically to BLACKPINK’s “BOOMBAYAH.” The moment is hilariously off-brand—not just because of the uncharacteristic behavior, but because viewers know that Wednesday is allergic to color, a fact that makes the scene’s closing beat (a full-body rash and flailing meltdown) even funnier.
A magical body-swap flips the stoic/soft dynamic: Enid, in Wednesday’s body, assaults with color; Wednesday, in Enid’s, fumes in quiet horror. (Credit: Paramount+)
All the while, Wednesday (trapped in Enid’s body) seethes as she watches. The humor works on multiple levels: it’s slapstick, but it also sharpens the contrast between their personalities, joyfully exaggerated through the body-swap conceit. It reinforces how different they are, and just how much they have come to affect one another.
Funny enough, in the “Strange New Worlds” Season 1 episode “Spock Amok,” Spock and his fiancée, T’Pring, also accidentally swap bodies during a Vulcan ritual intended to share their khatras – a Vulcan soul-sharing.
Spock and T’Pring absorb the disorienting truth that their reflections are not their own, a subtle visual metaphor for their unending soul-swap. (Credit: Paramount+)
And for those who do not connect with the emotional thread in “Strange New Worlds”, there are countless other layers to savor: the comedy, the fantasy, the social commentary, the politics, the danger, the surprises, the mysteries… and yes, even the musical episodes?! (That’s right—”Strange New Worlds” Season 2, Episode 9 is a full-on musical. No doubt a polarizing choice for the fanbase, but I write this with real amusement. Personally, I am a huge sap for musicals and the heightened emotion they convey, so this episode draws me in most of all.)
“♪ But why are we singing? ♪” The Enterprise bridge closes the first number of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” S2: Ep. 9, the musical episode. (Credit: Paramount+)
Like its pioneering predecessor “The Original Series,” “Strange New Worlds” embraces tonal range—sometimes even in consecutive episodes. In Season 2, a lighthearted crossover with the animated “Star Trek: Lower Decks” characters is immediately followed by the grim wartime drama “Under the Cloak of War,” a sharp tonal swing that underscores the series’ flexibility. While many series use tonal variation, Trek arguably set the standard, and its rhythm went on to influence later genre shows like “Firefly,” which borrowed its blend of found-family dynamics, moral dilemmas, and humor amid the void of space.
Just as tone shapes our emotional response, the camera shapes our perspective; it frames contrast, alignment, and emotional distance in ways that make connection feel visual as well as narrative.
Visual Parallels in Aesthetic & Cinematography
The tests these duos face are not just written into dialogue or plot twists, they are embedded in how the camera frames them. Costume design, tonal juxtaposition, staging, and cinematography all amplify the push-and-pull of stoic and soft.
At times, the lens reinforces their archetypal differences: Enid’s pastel brightness against Wednesday’s gothic black, Chapel’s crisp blonde styling and pale uniform softening her presence beside Spock’s structured, dark palette. (Visually, Chapel even echoes Enid, as though the archetype itself has aged into another universe.)
At others, it highlights the very disruptions that threaten those bonds: whether through lens focal shifts or deliberate staging that places new characters between them. In both shows, the visual grammar makes their contrasts (and their fragility) impossible to miss.
The resonance between these duos becomes even clearer upon a closer look at the cinematography. Both shows use strikingly similar, yet common visual grammar to highlight the relationships:
Face-to-face Staging
Enid and Wednesday staged in profile before the stained-glass spiderweb window in “Wednesday”—a framing that emphasizes tension and contrast (Credit: Netflix).
Enid and Wednesday are often staged in profile against bold backdrops—most iconically the spiderweb window, itself split into two styles to mirror the divided room. The framing sharpens their opposition while preserving their symmetry.
Chapel and Spock framed in profile — a visual motif that heightens intimacy and contrast in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (Credit: Paramount+).
By contrast, Chapel and Spock’s direct eye contact draws the focus to likeness as much as difference, turning the same visual device into a conduit for intimacy when Spock’s humanity makes him most open to her.
The Two-Shot & Side-by-side Framing
Enid Sinclair and Wednesday Addams in “Wednesday” S1, Ep. 2. Their visual contrast reinforces their dynamic. (Credit: Netflix)
In many of these scenes, the characters are filmed in a two-shot (composition where both are shown together in the frame) reinforcing their bond or contrast through shared space and body language.
Some compositions place the pairs shoulder-to-shoulder. Enid beams toward Wednesday while she stares intensely, and Chapel gazes at Spock, who returns her look with a trace of warmth tempered by restraint. The body language underlines the imbalance: warmth is offered, but stoicism holds the center.
Chapel and Spock in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”—side-by-side framing reveals her open warmth against his quiet reserve (Credit: Paramount+).
Depth-of-field Emphasis
Shallow focus is a standard cinematic tool for dialogue, but in both shows there are moments where it aligns with their character dynamics. In “Wednesday”, certain shots hold Wednesday in sharp focus while softening Enid in the foreground/background, subtly reinforcing the imbalance of perspective.
In “Wednesday,” cinematography often sharpens focus on Wednesday while softening Enid, reinforcing the stoic protagonist’s perspective (Credit: Netflix).
In Season 2, one sequence sharpens the dynamic by first centering Bruno in focus as he urges Enid to speak up, then shifting the lens to her worried gaze at Wednesday and Agnes across the schoolyard. The focus handoff mirrors the tug-of-war in their friendship: Bruno draws her toward vulnerability, while Agnes draws Wednesday deeper into scheming. The irony is that all this plotting is ultimately in service of saving Enid herself. Even when outside forces tug them apart, the story keeps circling back to her as the heart of the bond.
Enid with Bruno in “Wednesday” Season 2. A focus shift from Bruno to Enid mirrors the scene’s tension—her attention locked on Wednesday and Agnes across the yard. (Credit: Netflix)
In “Strange New Worlds”, similar choices keep Spock crisp while Chapel is blurred. These examples highlight how even technical devices can echo the archetype’s contrast. By Season 3, however, the balance begins to shift: certain scenes bring Chapel into focus while Spock recedes, granting her greater narrative weight and forcing him to grapple with the distance.
Visual Techniques Across Contexts
These selected shots, including both the central duos and supporting characters, show how cinematography techniques can express a wide range of emotional dynamics. The same type of shot can emphasize closeness, or distance, or tension, or even conflict, depending on how it is used.
Whether through color, framing, or focus, the camera makes visible what the archetype itself embodies: contrast, attraction, and the tension between distance and connection.
All of these visual choices—the costuming, staging, and camera techniques point to the same conclusion: the similarities are not coincidental. The emotional archetype is carried not just in performance or script, but in the very way the camera frames and centers each character.
Of course, when you watch enough films and series, it becomes easier to spot the echoes between them. Archetypes and visual grammar repeat for a reason—they strike a chord. Recognizing those similarities does not make the characters any less compelling, or the stories any less their own. Each iteration adds its own shade of meaning, shaped by genre, performance, and cultural moment. The fact that these patterns recur across genres only underscores the archetype’s power.
Why These Archetypes Endure
Part of why this archetype holds such power because it reflects real-life dynamics. Many relationships (romantic, platonic, or otherwise) pair the emotionally open with the more reserved, the caretaker with the guarded. At its healthiest, this push and pull becomes a shared path to growth. In its most toxic form, though, it can slip into patterns like narcissist versus codependent or empath. These shows capture the tension in ways that feel deeply familiar, while still steering it toward mutual transformation rather than dysfunction.
In a media landscape where connections are often rushed or oversimplified, duos like these serve as a reminder that difference is not division: it is complementary connection. The balance of stoic and soft, logical and emotional, creates a space where character growth feels earned, and the storytelling potential never runs dry. And with both series still unfolding, we are left in that delicious in-between space, watching to see how far these archetypes bend and whether they hold.
When it comes down to it, the stories these relationships live inside carry so much more depth than just the pairings. Still, it is fair to say that these dynamics act as backbones. Without them, many would be far less invested.
What might look like cliché or overused archetypes are actually narrative devices designed to attract us, because of what they spark in us:we relate, we wish, we wonder.
These stories endure not just for their characters, but because archetypes, narrative tools, and visual language work in concert to shape connection. By looking closely at how “Wednesday” and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” test and reframe the stoic/soft dynamic, we see why it remains compelling across genres. Whether the bonds last or fracture, whether they remain platonic or turn romantic, the tension between reserve and openness creates space for growth. And as long as stories keep exploring that space, audiences will keep returning to it.
Want to read the original 2023 version of this article? It is archived here.
REVIEW: SUPERCHARGED Tour Surges in Phoenix with The Offspring, Jimmy Eat World, & New Found Glory (8-27-25)
PHOENIX — The golden hour bathed Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre as fans of all ages gathered for a triple bill of nostalgic icons: The Offspring and Jimmy Eat World co-headlining, supported by New Found Glory. The “SUPERCHARGED Worldwide in ‘25” tour follows The Offspring’s 2024 studio release, Supercharged, promising a night of their signature high-energy punk. Anticipation hummed through the amphitheatre, decades of beloved hits ready to be unleashed. Each band carried their own unique legacy of anthems and reputations to uphold.
New Found Glory
When the stage went dark for the first time, Phoenix was greeted by a “Y’all ready for this?” from vocalist Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory. Surrounded by the yellow and pink neon glow, the band tore across the stage faster than high school summers.
Pundik was an energetic force, one of the most physically demanding performances I’ve encountered, and his bandmates didn’t miss a step keeping up with him. Did they age? With moves like that, they seem to be just as on-point as they were in the early 2000s.
August 27, 2025
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Jordan Pundik (vocals), Ian Grushka (bass), Dan O’Connor (guitar), & Cyrus Bolooki (drums) – New Found Glory
The crowd followed his every command, clapping and jumping to old favorites like “Dressed to Kill.” A new favorite, “100%,” was played as Pundik did a hurdle jump and encouraged the amped fans to open up the pit. The song was fresh but still the NFG we know and love, with a strong message about authenticity and perseverance: “My word is cement, I’m gonna give you one hundred percent.”
The band gave their shout-outs, with the most important being to missing guitarist Chad Gilbert, explaining that he couldn’t make it tonight because “cancer is kicking his ass.” Filling in for Gilbert was Dan O’Connor of Four Year Strong, with Dave Knox of Real Friends also joining on rhythm guitar.
They closed their set with “My Friends Over You,” where Pundik donned a large yellow finger, still never missing a beat despite what seemed to be a struggle with the soundboard. NFG gave Phoenix 100% until the very last moment on the stage.
The entirety of the amphitheatre went dark as hometown heavy hitters Jimmy Eat World took the stage in Phoenix for the first time since their 20th anniversary show for the album Futures. They began their set with a “What’s up y’all?!” from lead vocalist Jim Adkins, before leaping into “Pain,” the first single they dropped from Futures back in 2004. If anyone there was feeling any kind of pain that night, it would have been easy to let it wash away in Jimmy Eat World’s emotionally mesmerizing performance.
A brief storytime about mid-set with Adkins, complete with an important lesson:
“That’s my people right there,” he said, referring to the grassy GA section under the night sky. “I remember charging the barricade when Green Day was playing at Lollapalooza … They played, like, second that year, and I made it all the way down here, like from the GA down here.” He pointed toward the full pit. “And I was like, ‘Cool! There’s 10 more hours of this. I’m going back up there!’”
“Jim, that’s a great story. Your rock and roll talk is the best,” Adkins says to himself.
“If you think my rock and roll talk on stage is the bomb, everyone yell some shit!” The crowd was right along with him for the ride. “That’s right! I used the word ‘the bomb’… because I’m old!” he laughed, strumming his guitar.
“Anyway, aging is not a choice… Acting like a crotchety old bastard is, but aging isn’t. This song’s about everything that makes music special. It’s called “Something Loud.” Come on!”
And there you have it, folks—a truth for everyone as we grow older. Jimmy Eat World is still holding a mirror up, showing us who we choose to be.
The lighting team mirrored the emotion of each track, from the glow of mint green during “Lucky Denver Mint” to golden warmth and deep blues across their biggest anthems like “Sweetness” and “The Middle,” illuminating each musician with care. The air was thick with heat and the crowd’s passionate response, the songs pouring from the stage in the way so many once imagined while listening on the radio.
The Offspring
An abrupt countdown began when Jimmy Eat World left the stage, and the chaos of The Offspring began to be unleashed in waves, showing just how much they cherish their fans and a good time. A series of feature cams lit up the screens, including the “Kiss Cam,” “Fuck You Cam,” “Headbang Cam,” and “Booty Cam.”
During Offspring trivia, shirts were launched into the excited audience. A “GET LOUD” meter appeared on-screen as the band prepared to take the stage, and the fans were ready, wild, and dare I say, supercharged. A crew member ran around in an ape mask, upgrading fans to better seats.
Everything went dark, the final countdown began, and the fans chanted the numbers as they appeared. Blue electricity filled the screen, epic music swelled, and guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman stepped out, showering the crowd with love.
The band blasted into the first song, the anthem “Come Out and Play.” Vocalist Dexter Holland’s voice was better than the recording — with a little more grit and age, it was perfection.
Dripping with nostalgia and opening a bag of new tricks, the show’s props were next level: two gigantic blue-lit skeletons were moved on stage during one of the songs, confetti was blasted, and huge beach balls were tossed around the pavilion during “Pretty Fly For A White Guy.” The cams on fans kept rolling, making the audience a central part of the experience. The huge screens showcased the band members in different filters, changing with each song, adding an unexpected visual flair. The high-energy punk rock momentum continued all over the stage throughout the night, including the hilarious wacky waving inflatable tube “pretty fly” white guys.
In all of this rowdy fun, The Offspring did break for emotional segments like the beautiful performance of “Gone Away” and paying a touching tribute to the recently departed Ozzy Osbourne.
They told their electrified legion that Arizona always gives them the best shows, and they played like they believed that in their souls. The Offspring were playful and unexpected in the best ways. They pulled out all the stops for this tour, with the crew executing it exceptionally.
The triple bill delivered the type of concert people recall when asked what their favorite show was. The Offspring, Jimmy Eat World, and New Found Glory are a dream lineup, reminding us why this music is still embedded in our hearts decades later. The “SUPERCHARGED” tour is a timeless collision of past and present, still providing the soundtracks to our lives.
Setlists
See what each band played during the Phoenix stop on Setlist.fm:
PHOENIX — The night kicked off with a light, Disney-esque melody, possibly a nod to her “Let It Go” cover from Disney’s pop-punk covers album A Whole New Sound. Behind the stage, a whimsical backdrop mirrored her albumfalling for robots and wishing i was one: a yellow brick road leading to the Emerald City, her name in bold red with yellow trim. A drum crash cut the melody short, and LØLØ bounded onto the stage in a very cute, circa-early-2000s pop-punk-princess look: a cropped argyle spaghetti-strap top, tight black miniskirt, fishnets, and her signature knee-high boots. “Ready to make some noise?!” she shouted, busting into her first song.
The opening song blended the lyric “It was only a kiss” from The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” with her own “faceplant.” As an opening move, it was brilliant, dropping in one of the most recognizable alt-rock hooks guaranteed the crowd’s attention, even if they weren’t familiar with her music yet.
Simple Plan’s “Bigger Than You Think!” tour admat
Smiling, she announced it was her job to warm us up tonight for the legendary bands that raised her — a particularly funny line, considering we were in the desert and it was 100+ degrees outside.
Still, the respect conveyed in her tone showed she knew exactly what it meant to open for beloved pop-punk heavyweights like Simple Plan, Bowling for Soup and 3OH!3 on the “Bigger Than You Think!” tour.
After being part of the lineup for Simple Plan’s 25th anniversary tour, LØLØ will pick back up in November to finish the last leg of her ‘U Turn Me On’ U.S. headline run — which saw all but two shows sell out before pausing in March. See tour dates below.
Her second song, “2 of us”, found her bathed in golden spotlight while her guitarist and drummer played in violet and red shadows. She delivered the raw lines, “Do you think I’m stupid? Do you think I’m dumb? Well maybe I am, ’cause I still pick up…” with the kind of questions anyone who’s been in an endless rough relationship has asked as we answer the phone or text again.
“the devil wears converse” (her newest release) came next, and here she was fully in her element — moving with joyful precision across the stage, trading playful glances with her guitarist, and getting the audience clapping along. She never missed a beat, her live vocals spot-on with her recordings, her movements as expressive on stage as they are in her videos.
By the time she launched into “debbie downer”, the crowd was warming up too. She led a “Hey ho, let’s go” chant, flirty and confident as she playfully stumbled across the stage.
The second chant was a nod to the nostalgically millennial favorite film “Bring It On”, with the famous “It’s Cold in Here” chant while holding a blue pompom that ended with us all being officially inducted into her squad. The audience happily roared back.
The joy she has performing is infectious and obvious in the best way. “hurt less” had the whole crowd squatting down and popping back up on her command, and “u turn me on (but u give me depression)” was a clear highlight. Holding a striking blue-and-white guitar, she admitted the song was written about someone she’d obsessed over who made her “very mentally ill.” The crowd clapped along, and she stood more still here, letting the weight of the song land. At the end, she added, “If you were thinking of someone during that song, maybe take it as a sign to stop.” Solid advice.Just DON’T, per LØLØ.
“DON’T!” follows the same theme of hot, sexy bad-for-you exes — the late-night snacks of connections, filling but not fulfilling. She remained bubbly throughout the entire show, moving freely and animated, never losing her spark. “OMG” stood out as one of her best live numbers, alternating between breathy talk-sing verses reminding me of Taylor Swift and explosive choruses of “I can’t make it stop.” She threw herself into it, as bouncy and energized as the song demanded.
Then came the cover that sealed it: Icona Popfeat.Charli XCX’s “I Love It”, reimagined in her pop-punk style. Jumping, headbanging, leading the sing-along — she lit the room on fire, earning the biggest applause of her set.
Between songs, her banter made her even more likable. With a black guitar slung across her, she talked about her dog Slim (named after Eminem). A particularly fun audience engagement exchange was when she asked if we had exes. “Yes!” shouted the crowd. Then she asked if we had exes we hated. A louder “yes” from the crowd. She responded with a playful, “We all clearly need therapy.” She laughed before joking that it is perfectly healthy to imagine them burning in hell, then launched into the song “hot girls in hell”.
By the end, she gave her band their moment of love, calling for cheers as her guitarist took a solo and her drummer drove the beat behind him. Then, the three of them came together at center stage, bowing and thanking Phoenix for coming — a rare show of appreciation from an opener, underscoring how much it meant to them to play for Phoenix.
LØLØ understood the assignment; she warmed up the crowd with charisma, pop-punk attitude, practiced precision, and just enough chaos to keep it raw. The legacy of pop-punk shone through her endless energy and crowd engagement, channeling the spirit of icons like Paramore and Avril Lavigne. As she opened for some of the most influential bands that helped build the scene, it was refreshing to experience a fun female voice in a sea of predominantly male artists.
Simple Plan, 3OH!3, Bowling for Soup and Phoenix all seemed to embrace the addition of a rising “pop-punk princess,” who left her mark on the desert with a standout set that was entirely her own. If you come out to see this tour and have a great time, LØLØ is an opener you don’t want to miss.
My Chemical Romance Confirms “The Black Parade 2026” US Tour Dates – Phoenix Show Announced with Jimmy Eat World
After a weekend of speculation sparked by mysterious billboards in Phoenix and other major cities, the wait is over: My Chemical Romance has officially announced new live dates across North America to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their landmark third album. “The Black Parade 2026” tour will bring the band to stadiums across North America, the UK, and Europe next year.
Among the tour stops is a highly anticipated show in Phoenix, AZ, where My Chemical Romance will perform at Chase Field on September 6, 2026, joined by Jimmy Eat World, a hometown favorite.
The pairing highlights a long-running connection between the two bands, who first toured together in Australia in 2005 and have since appeared on the same lineups at numerous festivals, including multiple years at When We Were Young Festival. Their parallel trajectory underscores a shared legacy in shaping the alternative and emo scenes, and brings added resonance to what promises to be a standout night for Arizona fans.
Tickets for all dates on the “Black Parade 2026” tour go on sale Friday, September 26 at 12:00 pm local time on Ticketmaster.
The announcement confirms what fans suspected when they spotted the cryptic Keposhka glyphs and teaser images on billboards in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and Nashville: My Chemical Romance is marching back, bigger than ever.
My Chemical Romance 2026 US Tour Dates
August 09, 2026 – New York, NY – Citi Field – with Franz Ferdinand
August 13, 2026 – Nashville, TN – Nissan Stadium – with Pierce The Veil
August 18, 2026 – Washington, DC – Nationals Park – with Modest Mouse
August 21, 2026 – Detroit, MI – Comerica Park – with Iggy Pop
August 24, 2026 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Field – with Sleater-Kinney
August 27, 2026 – Denver, CO – Coors Field – with The Breeders
August 30, 2026 – San Diego, CA – Petco Park – with Babymetal
September 06, 2026 – Phoenix, AZ – Chase Field – with Jimmy Eat World
September 12, 2026 – San Antonio, TX – Alamodome – with The Mars Volta
October 21, 2026 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
October 23, 2026 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
October 24, 2026 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
Festival Appearances
May 10, 2026 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville
May 14, 2026 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple
September 18, 2026 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life
Mysterious My Chemical Romance Billboards Appear in Phoenix – Fans Speculate More U.S. Dates Ahead
Phoenix has become one of several U.S. cities to receive cryptic signs from My Chemical Romance. Fans began spotting billboards today near Chase Field and outside Tempe Marketplace, featuring the band’s distinctive Keposhka glyphs.
Meanwhile, in other cities (including Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York City, and Nashville ) fans have captured this signage, as well as teaser billboards with images of the band in their Black Parade uniforms, sparking a wave of speculation across Reddit and fan communities.
For Arizona fans, the excitement is especially intense. My Chemical Romance last performed in Tempe in 2008 at the Tempe Music Festival. A planned return in 2011 was canceled after the band joined The Sound Strike, a coalition of artists boycotting Arizona in protest of the controversial SB 1070 immigration law. That cancellation has made the wait for MCR’s return feel all the more torturous — or expensive, for those who’ve had to travel out of state to see them live.
While no official announcement has been made, the coordinated rollout has many convinced that My Chemical Romance is preparing to unveil more U.S. dates for 2025. The buzz follows hints dropped during the band’s last run of shows that “there was more to come.”
With sightings spanning multiple cities, anticipation is mounting that fans nationwide may soon get their chance to march again.
My Chemical Romance Photography: Devin Sarno
MEGG Caps Triumphant Vans Warped Tour Long Beach Set with New ‘IDC’ Video”
Fresh off the most surreal summer of her career, LA-bred alternative punk artist MEGG caps her Vans Warped Tour run with the release of the music video for her latest single, “IDC.”
Filmed on a shoestring budget and an even tighter schedule, the video channels the rebellious energy of the track into a whirlwind of nostalgia and chaos.
MEGG at Vans Warped Tour Photography: Kat Seibert
“We pulled this music video off with like zero time or budget and the result is a fast-paced, nostalgic, chaotic ride,” MEGG shares. “It was such a team effort led by Rio Noir—he’s an insane talent. It really is a blast to watch and I think you can feel how much fun we had making it.”
Co-written by Brian Wight, Sophie Shredz, and MEGG, and produced by Wight and Rob Nagelhout, “IDC” is a snarling, anthemic statement piece—equal parts Joan Jett swagger and early Green Day grit. Mixed by Nagelhout and mastered by Grammy-winner John Greenham (Billie Eilish, FINNEAS), the single’s chorus all but dares you not to scream along.
The video’s release arrives just as MEGG wraps an unforgettable Warped Tour experience.
“Being on stage with my best friends at Warped Tour this year was the most insane experience of my life,” MEGG reflects. “My band and I grew up attending this festival when we were kids… to play our music in front of thousands of people as probably the smallest act on the bill… I’m still speechless. Thank you Kevin Lyman and Warped Tour! Grateful is an understatement.”
MEGG “IDC” cover artwork
A graduate of USC’s inaugural Popular Music Performance Program, MEGG has built her reputation on genre-bending songwriting, powerhouse vocals, and a relentless DIY spirit. She’s shared the stage with KISS, The Used, and other rock heavyweights, while headlining iconic Los Angeles venues like Saint Rocke and performing the National Anthem for the Dodgers, LA Galaxy, and LA Sparks.
Now splitting her time between Nashville and her California roots, MEGG is riding the momentum of “IDC” toward her upcoming EP, due this fall. With sand still in her Vans and a middle finger still raised, she’s primed to keep delivering the raw, unfiltered anthems her fans have come to love.
Tempe, Ariz. — With triple-digit temps blazing outside, the best way to beat the Arizona heat is inside a venue blasting air conditioning and even louder music. The “Idobi Radio Summer School Tour,” proudly sponsored by Hot Topic, brought the heat in a different way on Sunday, July 27, at the Marquee Theatre. Doors opened early at 6 p.m. to make room for a stacked lineup featuring Rain City Drive, Charlotte Sands, Taylor Acorn, Beauty School Dropout , Arrows in Action, If Not For Me, and Huddy. As the tour continues its westbound run through mid-August, this Tempe stop felt like the perfect send-off to summer—one last electrifying night before the school year kicks in.
Huddy started the night with a burst of energy that set the tone for the rest of the show. Best known for his viral fame on TikTok and his role in co-founding the Hype House, Huddy (formerly LilHuddy) has steadily transitioned from influencer to full-fledged pop-punk performer. Far from just a social media personality, his set proved he’s serious about music.
Backed by a tight band and moody visuals, he ripped through a six-song set that included fan favorites like “Vendetta,” “All the Things I Hate About You,” and “The Eulogy of You and Me.” Tracks like “Partycrasher” and “Cyanide” kept the crowd moving, while “Fragile” offered a more emotional moment. Whether you knew him from the For You Page feed or not, by the end of his set, Huddy had everyone ready for more.
If Not For Me took the stage next and wasted no time unleashing their signature brand of high-intensity metalcore. Hailing from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the four-piece—Patrick Glover (vocalist), Hayden Calhoun (guitarist), Zac Allen (bassist), and Cody Frain (drummer)—brought raw power, tight musicianship, and undeniable stage presence.
Known for blending punishing breakdowns with catchy, anthemic choruses, they delivered an explosive set that turned casual listeners into instant fans. The band tore through six crushing tracks: “Demons,” “No Thanks to You,” “Alone,” “Say It to My Face,” “Blameless,” and “Feel Me Now.” Each song hit harder than the last, and by the end of their set, the crowd was alive and fully locked in.
Arrows in Action brought a vibrant shift in tone, blending feel-good alt-pop with emotional punch. Since forming at the University of Florida in 2017, the trio—Victor Viramontes-Pattison (vocalist/guitarist), Matthew Fowler (guitarist), and Jesse Frimmel (drummer)—has built a loyal following thanks to their infectious melodies and heart-on-sleeve lyricism. Though guitarist Fowler was absent in Tempe due to illness, frontman Viramontes-Pattison reassured the crowd with a smirk, “He’s sick in the hotel, not dead,” earning laughs and cheers.
Despite the lineup change, the band didn’t miss a beat. A beach ball bounced across the crowd as they played through a sunny yet emotionally rich set featuring “Feel It Again,” “Light Like You,” “Cheekbones,” and “Wide Eyes.” Tracks like “Empty Canvas” and “All The Ways I Could Die” showcased the band’s deeper side, while “Uncomfortably Numb” closed the set on a high. With or without a full lineup, Arrows in Action proved they know how to connect and keep the good vibes going.
The band will end their jam-packed year at the 2025 Vans Warped Tour in Orlando, Florida on November 15th. For more information on upcoming tour dates and to purchase tickets, visit the band’s website HERE.
Beauty School Dropout hit the stage with a kind of swagger. Formed in 2020 in Los Angeles, the trio—Cole “Colie” Hutzler (vocalist), Brent “Beepus” Burdett (bassist), and Bardo Novotny (guitarist/producer)—has been making waves ever since their early days. Backed by a heavy-hitting sound and an unfiltered attitude, their live set was a chaotic good time. “If you like mosh pits. If you like crowd surfing…” Hutzler teased the crowd with a grin, before laughing, “I see some scared faces.”
It was one of the most family-friendly pits of the night in the best way. Kids on their parents’ shoulders, outfitted in headphones, rocked out right alongside the longtime fans. The band’s setlist included high-energy bangers like “Fever,” “SEX APPEAL,” “FIGHT MODE,” and “A$$A$$IN,” with crowd favorites like “On Your Lips” and “WE MADE PLANS & GOD LAUGHED” keeping the energy alive. As the band exited the stage, the speakers cheekily played “Beauty School Dropout” from the film Grease, bringing their performance full circle.
Taylor Acorn lit up the stage with a firecracker set that had the crowd—especially the girls up front—jumping, screaming, and singing along to every word. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter has quickly become a standout in the pop-punk revival scene, thanks to her powerhouse vocals, emotionally raw lyrics, and a sound that hits somewhere between nostalgic and freshly fierce.
Known for viral hits like her 2022 breakout single “Psycho” (which has racked up over 11 million Spotify streams), Acorn brought a personal, heartfelt energy to the stage that clearly resonated with fans. The stage visuals added an extra layer of charm, two large video boards flashed her name with butterflies fluttering around, and skeleton hands throwing peace signs, hearts, and “I love you” signs punctuated her set with punk-rock flair. She shared that while she’s played in Arizona before, this was her first time performing in Tempe, and she “loved the city.” The love was mutual.
One of the night’s most anticipated moments came when Charlotte Sands joined her onstage for their collaborative track “Final Nail,” which the two originally recorded together—bringing their studio chemistry to life in a striking live duet.
Her set included fan favorites like “Hell of a Show,” “I Think I’m in Love,” and “Goodbye, Good Riddance,” along with deeper emotional cuts like “Burning House” and “Shapeshifting.” Acorn closed with “Psycho,” sending the crowd into one final singalong frenzy.
Charlotte Sands took the stage with a burst of bold energy—and her signature electric blue hair—to deliver one of the most emotionally charged sets of the night. Best known for her breakout 2020 single “Dress,” which went viral on TikTok, Sands has quickly carved out a space in the alt-pop/rock scene with her powerhouse vocals and deeply personal songwriting.
Her setlist hit hard from the start with “Tantrum” and “Bad Day,” and the energy never dipped. Songs like “pity,” “use me,” and “spite” showcased her ability to shift from vulnerable to defiant in a single breath.
Before performing “Alright,” Sands shared that she wrote the track during the COVID lockdown, when the world felt isolated and live music felt impossibly far away. She paused to reflect on how good it felt to be back in a room together again, then asked the crowd to light up the venue with their phone flashlights—a moment that turned intimate and unforgettable.
Rain City Drive closed out the night with a high-octane set that blended post-hardcore grit with anthemic rock melodies. Originally known as Slaves, the band has reinvented itself under a new name—inspired by Manchester, England, the “rainy city” where the five members first connected. Now fronted by The Voice runner-up Matt McAndrew, Rain City Drive has found a powerful new identity, releasing their self-titled album in 2022 on Thriller Records.
From the jump, the band commanded the room with “Lose My Composure” and “Over Me,” driving home why they’ve become a standout in the modern alt-rock scene. McAndrew’s vocals soared, and his playful banter kept the vibe loose: “If the crowd gets quiet,” he teased, “we’ll leave the stage.” No chance of that happening. The audience stayed loud through punchy performances of “Concrete Closure,” “Frozen,” and fan-favorite “Ride or Die,” which McAndrew shouted out as the band’s personal favorite.
Before launching into “Blood Runs Cold,” he rallied the room: “Let me hear you, Tempe. Make some noise, let’s pick it up!” They wrapped the night with the emotional “Talk to a Friend” and the hard-hitting “Medicate Me,” sending fans home sweaty, smiling, and fully satisfied.
Summer School Tour Leaves Tempe Fans Wanting More
As the final notes rang out and the house lights came up, one thing was clear; the “Idobi Radio Summer School Tour” delivered exactly what fans came for—high-energy sets, genre-spanning sounds, and a sense of connection that live music does best. From Huddy’s pop-punk punch to Rain City Drive’s emotionally charged closer, each artist brought something unique to the stage, creating a night that felt like both a celebration and a farewell to summer. This tour reminded everyone why we show up early, stay late, and scream every word. If the rest of the tour is anything like Tempe, then “Summer School” is a night that deserves a full house.
Photo Galleries
Photographer: Mark Greenawalt
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Absinthe Green Unleashes New Single “Bittersweet” from Upcoming Debut Album Of Love and Pain
Greek alternative metal powerhouse Absinthe Green returns with a gripping new single, “Bittersweet”, a haunting dive into the seductive chaos of passionate love. Serving as the latest preview from their highly anticipated debut album, Of Love and Pain, the track offers an unapologetic exploration of emotional extremes.
“Bittersweet” is a raw portrayal of love’s darker side, where heartbreak and ecstasy coexist in a chaotic, addictive bond. The song dives into the emotional extremes of a relationship built on passion, pain, and power struggles, capturing the thrill of intensity even when it’s destructive. With visceral lyrics and a confessional edge, it reflects the allure of losing yourself in something that both consumes and completes you.
Watch the Official Video
A Nøble Nøir production Directed by Eirini ‘Absinthe Green’ Filmed and edited by Alikistis Terzi
Lyrics: A Taste of “Bittersweet”
In verses like “You can cover me in bruises as you tear me apart” and the recurring refrain “Cause baby we are bittersweet,” the band captures the duality of affection and torment in raw poetic form. The lyrics are unfiltered, emotionally brutal, and speak to the intoxicating push and pull of volatile love. Read the full lyrics below…
Behind the Music
“Bittersweet” was written and arranged by vocalist and guitarist Eirini ‘Absinthe Green’, produced in collaboration with renowned Finnish producer Hiili Hiilesmaa (HIM, The 69 Eyes). It was recorded by Geegor – Abyssal Productions at Vena Cava Studios in Athens, with drums tracked at Bombtrack Studios. The track was mixed and mastered at Coal House Studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland.
Fall UK and European Tour
To support the new release, Absinthe Green has announced select live dates across the UK and Greece.
Islington, UK – September 24 @ Hope & Anchor
Preston, UK – September 25 @ The Ferret
Stockport, UK – September 26 @ The Spinning Top
Brighton, UK – September 27 @ The Pipeline
York, UK – September 28 @ The Fulford Arms
Thessaloniki, GR – October 18 @ Eightball
Athens, GR – December 12 @ Piraeus Academy
Additional show dates to be announced. For updates and tickets, visit absinthegreen.com/#show
Click to Enlarge
About the Band
Absinthe Green started as the solo project of Eirini ‘Absinthe Green’ in Dortmund, Germany, in 2016. The project evolved into a full band after her return to Greece in 2019, joined by Harry Mason on drums, Villy Pirris on bass, and Panos Economakis on guitar.
Described by critics as “a melodic storm of beauty and heartbreak, both ferocious and tender”, the band delivers a bold fusion of alt-metal, hard rock, aggressive guitars, pop elements, and emotionally vulnerable songwriting.
Their debut album, Of Love and Pain, is expected in 2025. It explores duality in human emotion—where destruction meets beauty, and heartbreak becomes transformative.
Also out now: “Give the Devil His Due” featuring Snowy Shaw
Featured photo (top) by George ‘Geegor’ Anagnostopoulos
Full “Bittersweet” Lyrics
Somehow you did it, you just woke up the dead
You make me forget the voices in my head
I’ve locked up my heart, thrown away the keys
but you make me feel alive when you’re on your knees
I won’t settle for the sparks I want the sun
You can cover me in bruises as you tear me apart
Throw me deep in your inferno, I am loving the thrill
The flames are growing higher as you head for the kill
But in the end it all seems fine
‘Cause baby we are bittersweet
I don’t want to know the secrets that you keep
You don’t need to say you’re mine
Just lose yourself, let’s feel this pain divine
PLEASURE IS PAIN IS PLEASURE IS PAIN
My mind is a casket for my withering strength
I could live without you though I’m better off dead
I wonder if it’s just your abuse that I miss
but I only feel alive when you’re on your knees
You can’t really hurt me if I hurt myself first
You tried to work your magic but I’m already cursed
Hey little punk, you’ve got to play nice
Because just like death I don’t happen twice
And in the end you’re going to cry…
‘Cause baby we are bittersweet
I don’t want to know the secrets that you keep
You don’t need to say you’re mine
Just lose yourself, let’s feel this pain divine
I ditched you last night and I felt no remorse
Your absence is hurting but your presence is worse
Sometimes I miss you when you’re not around
I want to touch you and feel you but I can’t dig you out
‘Cause baby we are bittersweet
I don’t want to know the secrets that you keep
You don’t need to say you’re mine
Just lose yourself, let’s feel this pain divine
‘Cause baby we are bittersweet
I read in your eyes the secrets that you keep
I just want to know you’re mine
Just lose yourself, let’s feel this pain divine
Descendents Launch Extensive Reissue Campaign With Iconic 1982 Debut Milo Goes to College
Out September 19th on LP, CD, and Cassette via Org Music
“A foundational classic of snotty melodic hardcore.” – Stereogum
Few records in punk history have left as massive a footprint as the Descendents’ Milo Goes to College. The 1982 debut fused the aggression of hardcore with catchy hooks, adolescent angst, and unmistakable personality — helping spark an entire genre now known as pop punk. Its influence remains undeniable over four decades later, earning spots on Rolling Stone’s list of the “40 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time,” Spin’s “50 Most Essential Punk Records,” and Pitchfork’s “200 Best Albums of the 1980s.”
Now, Descendents and Org Music are proud to announce the long-awaited reissue of Milo Goes to College, available September 19th on LP, CD, and cassette.
Reclaimed by the band and lovingly restored, this release marks the beginning of an extensive reissue campaign that will include the band’s foundational albums from their early years, originally released on New Alliance and SST Records.
Among them is a stunning limited “Punk Note” edition featuring alternate packaging by John Yates (Stealworks), inspired by the iconic jazz designs of Reid Miles and Francis Wolff. This visual reimagining of punk classics continues the aesthetic series that began with Org Music’s Bad Brains reissues.
The reissue will be available in the following variants:
WIDELY AVAILABLE FORMATS:
Descendents – ‘Milo Goes to College’ standard album art
Black LP
“Grey Matter” LP
Punk Note Edition (black vinyl)
CD
Cassette
LIMITED/EXCLUSIVE VARIANTS:
Descendents – ‘Milo Goes to College’ punk note album art
Punk Note Edition (silver vinyl) — Org Music exclusive
“Suspended Gold” LP — Descendents Exclusive
Pink LP — Zia Records exclusive
Smoke LP — Rough Trade exclusive
“Statue of Liberty” LP — Going Underground Records & Seasick Records exclusive
Black LP with Exclusive Obi Strip — Celebrated Summer Records
More classics are on the way. The reissue campaign will continue with I Don’t Want to Grow Up, Enjoy!, ALL, Bonus Fat, and more — each reissued under the band’s own control and vision.
This project isn’t just about nostalgia — it’s about preservation, intention, and giving a new generation access to one of punk’s most influential catalogs.
Listen to the latest Vinyl Guide episode featuring Milo Aukerman & Bill Stevenson:HERE
“One problem with constantly mining your own personal life for lyrical inspiration is that you sometimes catch yourself experiencing personal interactions through the lens of your own future lyrical depiction of the moment,” says We Are Scientists vocalist and guitarist Keith Murray about the band’s emotionally raw new single, “The Big One.”
He continues: “There’s a scene in Noah Baumbach’s Kicking and Screaming where a couple, fresh out of undergrad, are fighting over who gets to ‘use this material in a story.’ As a referendum on artistic solipsism, it haunts me to this day. I guess ‘The Big One’ is about those moments when things go so awry that that sort of in-the-moment arm’s-length analysis is no longer a possibility. Now you’re just in it. It also has maybe my favorite guitar solo ever, so, yeah.”
“The Big One” is the final preview of Qualifying Miles, the band’s highly anticipated ninth studio album, out this Friday, July 18viaGrönland Records. It follows a trio of emotionally rich singles that capture the band’s sharpened, guitar-forward direction and trademark lyrical wit: the aching, effervescent “Please Don’t Say It,” the shimmering, self-lacerating ballad “I Could Do Much Worse,” and “What You Want Is Gone,” a melancholic mid-tempo stunner paired with a fan-shot tour video that leans into memory, longing, and letting go.
Together, the four singles serve as a proper reintroduction to We Are Scientists: a band reflecting on their past without being trapped by it, chasing an immediacy that feels both familiar and revitalized. The album’s title, Qualifying Miles, plays like a wry nod to the band’s decades-long journey, but there’s no nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake here, this is a collection of songs that crackle with life and gut-punch emotional resonance.
Qualifying Miles is a stripped-down, emotionally expansive record that sees We Are Scientists embracing the ‘90s guitar rock influences that first lit the fuse back in their early Brooklyn days. Tracks like “Dead Letters,” “At The Mall In My Dreams” and “What You Want Is Gone” lean into themes of memory, impermanence, and the haunting weight of lost connections. But there’s levity, too — the band’s self-effacing humor and melodic swagger remain front and center.
Recorded with a “band in a room” ethos and a let-it-rip energy, Qualifying Miles finds longtime duo Keith Murray and Chris Cain pushing themselves toward something looser, louder, and more instinctive than anything they’ve done in years. For a band celebrating 20 years since their breakthrough debut With Love and Squalor, Qualifying Miles doesn’t feel like a victory lap — it feels like the start of something urgent and new.
We Are Scientists will support the release with an East Coast North American tour this fall, kicking off September 4th in Philadelphia and wrapping September 13th in Toronto.
HYPERSONIC Unleash Crushing New Lyric Video “YOU BASTARD” feat. Francesco Paoli
New single from the album “Kaosmogonia” – Out now via Rockshots Records
Italian symphonic metal band HYPERSONIC push their sound to new extremes with the release of their latest single “You Bastard”, featuring the devastating vocals of Francesco Paoli, frontman of extreme symphonic death metal titans Fleshgod Apocalypse.
Taken from the band’s acclaimed third album Kaosmogonia, “You Bastard” is one of the heaviest and most emotionally charged tracks of the record. Musically, it delivers a relentless barrage of blast beats, crushing guitars, dramatic orchestration and male choir vocals recorded by the prestigious Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania (Italy). The song dives deep into themes of rage, justice, and despair, portraying a father’s fury and anguish over the violation of his child’s innocence.
The lyrics, written by Emanuele Gangemi, carry a raw emotional intensity, mirrored by the extreme and symphonic arrangements crafted by band founder and drummer Salvo Grasso. The duet between Francesco Paoli and Eleonora Russo brings an explosive contrast between fury and fragility.
“This song is pure chaos and fire. We imagined a desperate and furious father speaking directly to a monster, full of pain, anger, and madness. Having Francesco on vocals was the perfect way to translate that extreme emotional charge into music.” – HYPERSONIC
Stream / Download “Kaosmogonia” now on all digital platforms.
Hypersonic‘s musical evolution has been shaped by intensive listening, arrangement studies, and a commitment to self-awareness. Their symphonic metal draws influences from various aspects of their lives, resulting in a sound that is rich, dynamic, and wholly their own.
“Kaosmogonia” is a total musical experience deeply connected to Greek philosophy. The title, a fusion of “Kaos” and “Cosmos,” represents the dual nature of humanity—chaotic and ordered. The album explores the interplay between chaos and cosmos, mirroring the Greek understanding of the world.
The album goes beyond the musical realm, delving into the complexities of human emotions, reflections on life, and the impact of historical events. It aims to express the spectrum of human experiences, from restlessness and melancholy to hope and the positive aspects of life.
The lyrics of “Kaosmogonia” were born during a period of historical darkness, reflecting the emotions and challenges faced by humanity. The lockdown served as a catalyst for introspection, inspiring the band to confront human weaknesses such as depression, fears, and unhealthy relationships, while also expressing hope for a better future.
“Kaosmogonia” is not just an album; it’s a musical odyssey that invites metal enthusiasts to explore diverse sonic landscapes, cinematic arrangements, and profound storytelling. The album features Mark Jansen (Epica), Francesco Paoli & Francesco Ferrini (Fleshgod Apocalypse), Emma Zoldan & Nils Courbaron (Sirenia), the male choir from Teatro Massimo Bellini (Catania-Italy) and more. The artwork was created by the renowned graphic designer Heilemania (Epica, Kamelot, Lindemann, Turilli/Lione Rhapsody).
Fans ofEpica, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Dimmu Borgir, Nightwish, and Septicflesh will find a rich and diverse sonic experience that goes beyond the genre’s conventions.
Tempe, AZ – The Tempe Improv was the epicenter of vibrant entertainment this past Sunday as the sold-out Wicked Sing-Along Drag Brunch, hosted by the vivacious Espressa Grande, delivered a premium theatre-geek experience where urban witches and wizards crooned along to songs from the runaway musical-turned-cinema phenomenon.
A fusion of musical theatre appreciation and dynamic drag artistry, Grande (not Ariana) and her fabulous trio sauntered and split their way through a two-hour set that also included well-worn hits and deep cuts from the original Broadway production and The Wiz.
From the moment doors opened, a palpable energy filled the venue. Patrons, many adorned in shades of green and glittering ensembles, eagerly anticipated the performance while enjoying brunch offerings from a collectible themed menu and specialty house cocktails like the shimmering “Ruby Slippers”.
The anticipation peaked with the entrance of Espressa Grande, the event’s charismatic host. Possessing a commanding stage presence and a bravado that resonated throughout the Improv, Grande immediately established a lively and engaging rapport with the audience. Her sharp wit and seamless transitions between acts kept the energy levels consistently high.
The brunch featured a lineup of talented drag performers who delivered lip-sync performances and showcased elaborate costuming that paid homage to a menagerie of Oz tunes interspersed with pop favorites. Eddie Broadway kicked-off the performance, delivering a sultry homage to Dr. Dillamond, transitioning to the apt “Throat Goat” by Kim Petras.
From there, Ms. Stella Prince took a turn as Elphaba, passionately delivering a performance of “I’m Not That Girl” before switching it up to fan favorite “Defying Gravity” with a defiant drop of her cape.
Not to be left behind in the wake of the Oz film that has yet to feature her—Rosie C. Savage captivated as dreamy farm girl Dorothy with her The Wiz rendition of “Over the Rainbow.”
The audience eagerly participated in the “sing-along” aspect of the event, passionately belting out iconic tunes such as “What Is This feeling?” and “Popular,” transforming the Improv into a collective chorus of Wicked enthusiasts. These featured numbers were just a taste of the lineup; each queen brought multiple looks and performances, blending Wicked deep cuts with clever, thematically on-point pop hits that kept the crowd engaged and surprised.
Beyond the captivating performances, the event fostered a sense of community and unbridled fun. Espressa Grande’s interactive segments encouraged audience participation, eliciting laughter and creating memorable moments.
The combination of high-caliber drag artistry, audience engagement, and the shared love for Wicked and all things Oz culminated in an afternoon of exuberant entertainment.
The Wicked Sing-Along Drag Brunch, spearheaded by Espressa Grande, proves to be a unique and highly engaging event within the local entertainment scene. Its successful blend of drag performance and interactive sing-along elements offers a refreshing and energetic brunch experience that resonates with a diverse audience.
For those seeking a departure from the conventional brunch outing, this event at the Tempe Improv and Improv family locations presents a compelling option for an afternoon of spirited entertainment. Flip Phone Events maintains a regular rotation at Improv family locations around the Valley—with themes changing every event, guaranteeing fresh concepts and dazzling performances.
But if you missed the magic this time, don’t worry—due to overwhelming demand, the Wicked drag brunch returns to the Tempe Improv on June 8. After all, some themes are just too pop-u-lar to bring down.
Multi-Platinum global pop superstar Kesha has announced plans for a milestone North American headline tour – the biggest live run of her already extraordinary career. Newly reunited glam-pop legends Scissor Sisters (Jake Shears, Babydaddy & Del Marquis) join on all dates, marking their first North American tour in over a decade.
Produced by Live Nation and in partnership with Feeld, the dating app for the curious, The Tits Out Tour kicks off July 1 at West Valley City, UT’s Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre and then hits arenas and amphitheaters across the continent through an August 10 finale at Tampa, FL’s MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre. Highlights include Kesha’s first-ever solo headline shows at such world-famous venues as Los Angeles, CA’s Kia Forum (July 5) and New York City’s Madison Square Garden (July 23). Pop disruptor Slayyyter (July 1-July 18) and rising UK artist Rose Gray (July 19-21, July 24-August 10) will also join as support on select dates. Full routing available below.
Kesha | Photo Credit: Brendan Walter
“The most political thing we can do right now is love. Love ourselves and love each other,” says Kesha. “Americans need to have more safe, consensual sex. Our administration is so disembodied and disconnected. I’m going TITS OUT this summer to bring as much safety, fun, acceptance, love, connection, and celebration to this country because we are just as much the fabric of this FREE nation as anyone else. We will not be quiet, and we will fight through joy! I think it’s time to make LOVE, not content. LOVE, not anger. LOVE, not hatred, and love, not war.
I’m committed to bringing my newfound freedom to a city near you. A celebration is in order. I have partnered with Feeld, a dating app for open-minded people, in order to bring our sexually liberated selves and give us a place to flirt, meet, connect, and dance.
Color-coded options will be available soon, but this summer wear RED if you are single, horny, and down to flirt!
Let’s fight chaos with love, so let’s see how much love we can bring to the summer of 2025.
And along the way, I’m looking for a sugar daddy, so if you bring a tall, hot, single friend, you get extra animal points.
Let’s help each other find some love and connection this summer.
Let’s go tits out!”
Fans can sign up now for access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, April 8 at 10 am (local) at keshaofficial.com and scissorsisters.com. Additional presales will run throughout the week. All remaining tickets will be available through a general onsale on Thursday, April 10 at 10 am (local). For complete details, please visit keshaofficial.com/tour.
“We are stoked to extend our reunion to the US and Canada this summer alongside Kesha,” says Scissor Sisters. “There has always been a bit of anarchy and chaos to both of our live shows – and we can’t wait to bring that ‘anything can happen’ energy across North America again.”
Scissor Sisters | Photo Credit: Kevin Tachman
To celebrate today’s announcement of The Tits Out Tour – which comes amid a recent swirl of cryptic teasers across social media – tonight will see Kesha play a special Boiler Room set in Miami.
Kesha Tour Dates 2025
^ with Slayyyter # with Rose Gray † Festival performance
May 29 – Glasgow, UK – House of Kesha @ O2 Academy 1 (SOLD OUT)
May 30 – Manchester, UK – House of Kesha @ Albert Hall (SOLD OUT)
June 1 – London, UK – Mighty Hoopla †
July 1 – West Valley City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre ^
July 3 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre ^
July 5 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum ^
July 6 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre ^
July 8 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion * ^
July 10 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion ^
July 12 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre ^
July 13 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre ^
July 15 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater ^
July 16 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center ^
July 18 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center ^
July 19 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre #
July 21 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage #
July 23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
July 24 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center #
July 26 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake #
July 28 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center #
July 29 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann #
July 31 – Buffalo, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater #
August 2 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater #
August 3 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek #
August 5 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion #
August 7 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre #
August 9 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre #
August 10 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre #
Kesha’s Community-Minded Initiatives
In the spirit of finding her partner(s), Kesha is teaming up with Feeld, the dating app for the curious, for The Tits Out Tour to empower her fans along their journeys of self-discovery. Both Feeld and Kesha share a commitment to breaking barriers, embracing individuality, and encouraging people to live their truth. This collaboration is an exciting opportunity for Feeld and Kesha to host spaces where being unapologetically yourself is not just celebrated, but encouraged. With Kesha’s fearless attitude and Feeld’s commitment to create a platform for honest connection, their partnership will emphasize the importance of embracing who you truly are.
“I’m beaming with joy to be sharing this journey with Kesha, as we empower humans to find their authenticity,” said Ana Kirova, CEO of Feeld. “Her creativity and the courage in her expression that she carries so lightly have been a true inspiration for us, as they relate so closely with our mission at Feeld. The journey we’ll share this summer will give new worlds for everything we stand for – discovering who you are, living boldly as one’s true self and feeling the joy of freedom to be oneself.”
Additional support for The Tits Out Tour comes from Spot Pet Insurance, one of the fastest growing pet insurance providers in North America. Partnering with the ultimate Mother of Pets, Kesha, Spot Pet Insurance is making pet adoption the real star of the show, by spotlighting local rescues across the tour. This partnership highlights Kesha’s lifelong love of pets and Spot’s mission to help every cat and dog live their longest, healthiest lives. This collaboration realizes both Kesha and Spot Pet Insurance’s belief that every pet deserves a loving home, and every pet parent deserves the peace of mind that pet insurance can offer.
Kesha’s Upcoming Album: .(PERIOD)
The Tits Out Tour heralds the hugely anticipated release of Kesha’s long awaited new album, . (PERIOD), arriving at last Independence Day, Friday, July 4 on her own Kesha Records. Pre-orders/pre-saves are available now.
. (PERIOD) – which arrives exactly one year since Kesha returned on her own terms with 2024’s smash comeback hit, “JOYRIDE” – was first unveiled last month with the premiere of the thrilling new single, “YIPPEE-KI-YAY. (Feat. T-Pain),” available now at all DSPs and streaming services. Produced by Pink Slip (Ava Max, Jason Derulo) and Nova Wav (Rihanna, Beyoncé), the track is joined by an official visualizer, premiering today via YouTube.
WATCH “YIPPEE KIYAY (FEAT. T-PAIN)” OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO
Kesha’s sixth studio album, . (PERIOD) – yes, it’s just a period. – is an unapologetic, unfiltered declaration of artistic freedom and fearless authenticity from the 2x GRAMMY® Award-nominated pop icon. Conceived, co-produced and co-written by Kesha, the 11-song collection transcends pop norms to create a raw, daring, and intensely personal sonic journey, a defiant act of self-expression that refuses to adhere to expectations or play it safe. More than just a new album, . (PERIOD) is Kesha at her most powerful best, turning her experiences into vibrant, audacious art with a spiked heel at the neck of pop culture.
Among its many exhilarating highlights, . (PERIOD) includes 2024’s aforementioned “JOYRIDE” and the blockbuster “DELUSIONAL,” both available everywhere now. Currently boasting over 103M streams at Spotify alone, “JOYRIDE” proved a true sensation since its Independence Day 2024 release, reaching #6 on Billboard’s “Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles” and “Hot Dance/Electronic Songs” along with the top 30 on “Pop Airplay” and chart success around the world from the UK to New Zealand.
Produced by Zhone and co-written by Kesha, Zhone, and Madison Love, the track marked the triumphant first chapter of a milestone new era for Kesha, celebrating both her long overdue empowerment as an independent artist as well as a powerful sonic evolution following 2023’s critically acclaimed fifth studio album, Gag Order. Along with its popular achievement, “JOYRIDE” has been met by high-profile critical applause from the likes of Rolling Stone,Variety, and Vulture, to name only a few. Perhaps NYLON said it best: “Everything about ‘JOYRIDE’ is a trip…The original glitter-faced party animal of the 2010s is back with a fiery vengeance.”
“JOYRIDE” joined by an equally acclaimed official music video streaming now at YouTube. Directed by Dimitri Basil (Kylie Minogue, Vance Joy), Cooper Roussel (Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Miami Horror), and Laura Gorun (Joywave, Kings of Leon), the high-octane visual received wide-ranging attention from major publications and top online outlets around the globe, including Billboard, Vulture, and Rolling Stone, the latter of which raved, ““Kesha is taking her foot off the brakes and going full-speed ahead on her new video for ‘JOYRIDE.’ The video sees Kesha racing through the desert in a hot red convertible while being chased by a helicopter, gun-toting assassins, and a shirtless dude hell-bent on catching up to the pop diva.”
One of Spotify’s Top 100 Artists with close to 40M monthly listeners, Kesha will further herald the arrival of . (PERIOD) with a number of sold-out “House of Kesha” headline shows and festival dates around the globe, including a top-billed performance at London’s Mighty Hoopla pop extravaganza on June 1. For additional details, please visit keshaofficial.com/tour.
