Arts

Arts

A deep dive into Jersey club music

By Afua Siaw | February 27

It’s Friday night, and you find yourself at a party in a dimly lit basement with countless bodies pressed together. The temperature rises so much that it becomes unbearable to stay in the room until you hear the word “DAMNNNNNNN” start to play over the speakers. Everyone starts to jump around and push each other as the Lil Uzi Vert song “Just Wanna Rock” continues to echo. One or two people emerge from the crowd and start dancing in the circle, incorporating the iconic “buh buh buh” into their moves as the whole room cheers. Vert’s song is an example of Jersey club music, a fast-growing genre that combines EDM and hip-hop. Jersey club remixes have taken social media by storm, particularly on TikTok, where they have become a viral sensation.

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Columns

Brown and (Usually) Blue: ‘New Kings of the World’

By Ishaan Rajiv Rajabali | February 27

“Every day, 14 to 15 million Indians go to the movies. India produces between 1,500 and 2,000 films a year — more than any country in the world.” The first section of Fatima Bhutto’s book, “New Kings of the World: Dispatches from Bollywood, Dizi, and K-Pop” (2019), dives right into an astute analysis of Bollywood, one of its three subjects. The fact that the Hindi film industry brought in a whopping $1.3 billion in 2023 only affirms the global scope and influence Bhutto examines in her book.  

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Arts

From feminism to private jets: Is the criticism aimed at Taylor Swift justified?

By Chase Pantezzi | February 26

Taylor Swift is one of the most iconic pop stars of the past 15 years. With a career spanning 10 original albums and four re-recorded albums, it is difficult to imagine a more successful musical artist. According to a Forbes article, 53% of the U.S. population are Swift fans and 44% of avid fans self-identify as “Swifties.”

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Columns

Public Cinemy No. 1: Has reality television become more progressive?

By Sacha Waters | February 26

American reality television in the 2000s was infamous. Strange concepts abounded, such as“My Strange Addiction” (2010–15), where subjects would confess to anything from eating half a roll of toilet paper a day to being in love with a car and “Bridalplasty” (2010–11), where brides competed in challenges to win a wedding and desired plastic surgeries. 

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Arts

Tufts alumna Leticia Priebe Rocha navigates heartbreak and healing through poetry

By Urvija Mafatlal | February 26

In the bustling world of poetry, where emotions cascade like rivers and words dance like leaves in the wind, every poet has a unique journey to share. The Daily recently sat down with Tufts alumna Leticia Priebe Rocha (A’20), a talented poet whose debut chapbook, “In Lieu of Heartbreak, This is Like,” explores themes of love, hurt and resilience.

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Arts

'Walking Backwards' is what queer theater needs to be

By Odessa Gaines | February 23

“Walking Backwards” is an original play written and directed by Tufts sophomore Rowan Cunningham. The two-act show ran as a staged reading in Paige Hall on Feb. 15 and 16 and tells the story of found family, growth and all that comes with being a queer and transgender person moving through life. (Note: Cunningham read as Rose for the performance of this review).

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Arts

'Drive-Away Dolls' is a raunchy road trip to remember

By Nate Hall | February 23

“Drive-Away Dolls”, directed by Ethan Coen, is reminiscent of many classic Coen brothers movies. But, in many ways, it’s something new for the filmmaker. A departure from Coen’s catalog of Westerns and crime comedies, “Drive Away Dolls” is a crime flick, a road trip comedy and a sexploitation film rolled into one. Coen co-produced the film with his wife Tricia Cooke, who wrote the film with him in the early 2000s — it sat in development for nearly 20 years before making it to the big screen. Raunchy, zippy and unabashedly queer, “Drive Away Dolls” doesn’t have a lot to say, but it’s an undeniably entertaining comedy that will have you eager to go along for the ride.

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Arts

‘The Anonymous Lover’: A Valentine’s opera in the heart of Boston

By Matthew Winkler | February 23

The Boston Lyric Opera’s charming production of Chevalier de Saint-Georges’ only surviving opera, “The Anonymous Lover,” ran at the Huntington Theatre from Feb. 16 to 18. “The Anonymous Lover” continued the BLO’s exploration of love through four operas in their 2023-24 season ...

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Arts

A message from our assistant arts editors

By Annika Pillai, Ethan Essner and Jennifer May | February 22

To celebrate the Daily this week, the Arts section’s new assistant editors describe their experience with the Daily and what it has meant to them.

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Arts

‘John Proctor is the Villain’ takes on feminism, friendship

By Nate Hall and Odessa Gaines | February 22

“John Proctor is the Villain,” currently running at the Huntington's Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, tells a story that feels timely and timeless all at once. Set in a one-stoplight Georgia town in 2018, Kimberly Belflower’s play tells a story for the present moment that draws inspiration from Arthur Miller’s classic drama “The Crucible” (1953). A coming-of-age story for a new generation, “John Proctor is the Villain” explores the ins and outs of friendship, power dynamics and the patriarchy in a hilarious and moving production.

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Columns

For the Culture: Are audiences demanding too much of artists?

By Paul Osmond | February 22

Frank Ocean has not dropped an album in nearly eight years, Kendrick Lamar took five years to release his fifth studio album and A$AP Rocky fans continue waiting for his next project after six years.

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Columns

The Bookmark: ‘Dune’ by Frank Herbert

By Natalie Bricker | February 22

Welcome back to “The Bookmark,” your go-to column for book reviews! Last week, we started off with a review of a relatable coming-of-age novel. This week, we’re shifting to a very different genre: science fiction. We’re talking about “Dune” (1965) by Frank Herbert.

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Arts

Mitski dances like ‘Nobody’ is watching at MGM Music Hall

By Shannon Murphy | February 21

Mitski’s discography is known for its emotional depth, exploring intimate themes of yearning, isolation and heartache. Her lyrical complexity and soft melodies have earned her the label of a “sad girl indie” artist. After contemplating retiring from music in 2019, she released“The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We” in September 2023, marking a resurgence of her sentimental lyrics, only this time, they exuded more warmth and sincerity.

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Arts

Mapping masculinity: Igshaan Adams’ latest installation in Boston

By Jennifer May | February 21

An expansive display of pink hues and textures greets each new visitor to the Institute of Contemporary Art. Igshaan Adams’ most recent commission for the museum is an intricate weaving that stretches across the Sandra and Gerald Fineberg Art Wall. The monumental piece, titled “Lynloop,” is an artwork reflective of Adams’ experiences growing up in South Africa.

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Columns

Confessions of a Cooking Fanatic: Pickling party

By Elizabeth Foster | February 21

Anyone who knew me sophomore year is aware of perhaps my greatest moment as a resident assistant: the pickling party. And yes, it was exactly as it sounds. Using my (rather limited) RA budget, I decided that the best use of this was to invite the four Wren Hall suites I was responsible for to a party where we pickled anything they requested.

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Arts

Memory and mayhem: The Oscar-nominated shorts of 2024

By Nate Hall | February 20

At the beginning of every year, film critics and fans catch up on the previous year’s films in preparation for awards season, which culminates in the Academy Awards on March 10, better known as the Oscars. While most critics have devoted their awards season coverage to Best Picture contenders like “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer” and “Poor Things,” there’s one type of film that’s often overlooked: the shorts.

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Columns

Tok the Talk: Celebrity press tours

By Annika Pillai | February 20

“They annoy me,” Dakota Johnson recently stated about her co-stars Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor and Isabela Merced on the press tour for the recent release “Madame Web.” Johnson, perhaps most known for playing Anastasia Steele in the “Fifty Shades of Grey” franchise, has always been known to be something of a loose cannon on press tours.

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Columns

Brown and (Usually) Blue: Sounds for the soul

By Ishaan Rajiv Rajabali | February 20

In honor of Black History Month, I thought I’d dive (or rather, dip my toes) into jazz’s journey to Bombay for this week’s edition.

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Arts

‘Poor Things’ is beautifully disturbing

By Erin Walenta | February 16

“Poor Things” (2023) has received rave reviews since its initial release at the Venice Film Festival in September 2023. The movie was released in the United States in December, and it aired in the U.K. and Ireland in January 2024. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the film aims to shock audiences while simultaneously painting a comedic image of self-discovery.

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Arts

Harmonies in the Limelight: Dances, drugs and ‘All That Jazz’

By Ethan Essner | February 16

“It's showtime, folks!”  This is Joe Gideon’s morning mantra — reassuring himself that every day would be as indelibly entertaining as the last. Whether or not any performance is on the docket, to Gideon, protagonist of “All That Jazz,” the whole world is a stage. He lives in a setting ...

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