Arts

Arts

Doja Cat's ‘Planet Her’ is the Grammys’ strongest Album of the Year contender

By Jack Clohisy | February 16

With 10 nominees up for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards later this spring, one holds its own amongst the rest: “Planet Her (Deluxe)” (2021) by Doja Cat. With an array of massive hits mixed with an out-of-this-world concept (pun intended), “Planet Her (Deluxe)” cements itself as the deserving nominee vying for the coveted Album of the Year award. “Hot Pink” (2019), Doja Cat's previous studio album, became a viral success after the explosion of track “Say So” across the internet, popularized on platforms such as TikTok. This time around, Doja Cat’s fanbase has grown substantially, and when the announcement of her third studio album hit the mainstream, it was the recipe for success.

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Column

K-Weekly: K-pop, an acknowledgment of Black culture

By Odessa Gaines | February 16

This Black History Month, I felt the need to shine a light on the Black American influence on K-pop and the industry as a whole.

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Arts

'The Fallout' authentically captures grief in the wake of loss

By Ryan Fairfield | February 15

Content warning: This article discusses the cinematic depiction of a school shooting.

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Columns

A Compendium of Actors: The Andrew Garfield culture craze

By Henry Chandonnet | February 15

Andrew Garfield has been living the high life. Whether it be his starring role in “tick, tick…BOOM!” (2021), which garnered him an Academy Award nomination, or his eye-catching turn as Jim Bakker in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (2021), Garfield has worked hard to prove his acting talents. Combined with his brief role reprisal in the recent “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021), the year has brought a new and overwhelming cultural phenomenon: Garfield-mania. 

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Arts

Black Country, New Road's 'Ants From Up There' shows emotional rawness and pure genius

By Geoff Tobia Jr. | February 15

One of the most promising bands out of the United Kingdom, the six-piece Black Country, New Road has a catalog, albeit very small, that shows true musical prowess and ability to create one-of-a-kind timbral environments. “For The First Time” (2021), the band’s debut album, features instrumental arrangements that teeter on gorgeous yet terrifying, and guitarist and lead singer Isaac Wood’s lyricism and shaky vocal delivery leaves deep emotional impressions on its listeners. To their fans’ dismay, Woodannounced in anInstagram post at the end of January on the band’s official page that he was leaving the band for personal reasons. While the remaining members of the band will continue to operate, the newly released “Ants From Up There” (2022) is the band’s final release with the vocal sound that Wood made so characteristic of this band. Nevertheless, Wood and everyone else in the band encouraged everyone to enjoy their latest record, and the record in question is full of things for fans to admire. Borrowing some of the best stylistic choices from their previous record, while also adding some new twists, “Ants From Up There” goes as swimmingly as any band could ever hope for their sophomore release to be.

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Music

Your Valentine’s Day love song recommendations

By Odessa Gaines | February 14

This Valentine’s Day, let’s not talk about anything but love. Today, we’re dropping some songs that you have to play this Valentine’s Day, whether you’re spending it with a lover, friends, by yourself or with your cat.

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Arts

Kim Kardashian: An American icon and the 2022 Winter Olympics

By RaiAnn Bu | February 14

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, beginning Feb. 2, have officially kicked off with each country parading through the “Bird’s Nest” for the opening ceremony. In addition to the opening ceremony allowing each home country to share its history and culture, it is also a large fashion show, showcasing uniforms that exemplify the culture and pride of each country.

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Columns

The Art of Good Soup: We so hungry

By Sadie Leite and Ellie Lester | February 14

This week we went to Nijiya Sushi in Medford Square, and we had a lot to celebrate: a birthday and a girl both gorgeous and COVID-free. 

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Arts

Weekender: 'Artists Call' at Tufts University Art Galleries promotes historical dialogue

By Sadie Leite | February 11

For about five years, curators Abigail Satinsky and Erina Duganne have worked on the new Tufts University Art Gallery “Art For the Future: Artists Call and Central American Solidarities,” which opened Jan. 20 on the Boston and Medford campuses.

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Column

Public Cinemy No. 1: Introduction

By Sacha Waters | February 11

I have always loved that moment when the lights go down in a movie theater. Whether you’re watching a summer blockbuster with friends, laughing and sharing popcorn or absorbing the newest avant-garde French feature straight from Cannes, moviegoing transports you into another place, another life, another mind. I’ve spent my life captivated by the art, from begging my grandma to let me watch Tim Burton’s vampire flick at nine years old to memorizing the "Teen Beach Movie" (2013) soundtrack as a tween to watching "Parasite" (2019) every day for a week straight during quarantine. I am a political science major because of Armando Iannucci, and I don’t know how much of my personality developed naturally and how much I stole from "Megamind" (2010). The art of film and television is beautiful, fascinating and complex, and every time I watch a new favorite movie, it feels like the director is peeling back the layers of my heart.

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TV

'Euphoria' Season 2 struggles to uphold its reputation

By Ashley Chung | February 10

Content warning: This article discusses drug addiction.

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Podcast

From 160 episodes to 3: Mike’s Mic recaps 'Pretty Little Liars'

By Ryan Fairfield | February 10

If there is one defining trait of the 2010s, it is good television. The 2010s was an iconic era for teen television dramas. From “Gossip Girl” (2007–2012) to “The Vampire Diaries” (2009–2017), the world was unable to look away from some of the most memorable moments in teen drama to date. Whether you were watching “The Fosters” (2013–2018) and wondering what trouble Callie was going to get herself into that season, or “Glee” (2009–2015) and trying to guess which pop song the New Directions were going to cover, there was never a dull moment in teen television dramas. Although one could argue that any of these shows was the “best” or “greatest,” one show stands out among the rest — "Pretty Little Liars" (2010–2017).

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Columns

Micro-trend of the Week: These boots are made for moonwalking

By RaiAnn Bu | February 10

With the rise of globalization and advanced textile capacity, fashion has begun to disseminate at rates reducing the seasonal trend cycle to monthly or even weekly micro-trends. The style forecast of these micro-trends follows a simple cycle: a style is seemingly plastered everywhere on social media by early adopters and, a week later, becomes tacky before ever reaching the mainstream. 

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Music

Mitski dances with darkness on 'Laurel Hell'

By Jack Clohisy | February 9

Mostly absent from the mainstream,Mitski has rarely resurfaced since the viral success of her previous LP "Be the Cowboy" (2018). However, on her latest Feb. 4 release "Laurel Hell" (2022), Mitski unleashes the darkness with the use of synths, grandiose instrumental builds and razor-thin lyricism. As is evident with the album's lead single"Working for the Knife,"Mitski feels the weight of being yet another cog in the machine of the American workforce. As she realizes the world will move on with or without her, Mitski laments, "I just didn't know it would go without me." Existentialism is in abundance on Mitski's sixth studio album with themes centering on the purpose of being and the challenge of pushing societal boundaries.

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Arts

Saba's third album 'Few Good Things' teaches lessons in appreciation and character building

By Geoff Tobia Jr. | February 9

In an Instagram post last Thursday, the day before the drop of Saba’s third studio album “Few Good Things” (2022), the Chicago rapper left some instructions and notes for his fans and critics to observe and ponder before the material was released. Perhaps most notably, a request for the media: “I challenge you not to use headlines that you’ve read about the friends that I lost to invent storylines that aren’t there. I am more than my trauma and I offer more than those stories.”

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Column

K-Weekly: Fall in love with IVE and 'Eleven'

By Odessa Gaines | February 9

Last semester I made it a habit to write about K-Music which was at least a year old. I originally set out to cover larger K-hits to add to your playlist, but as the semester went on I realized that first, I should start introducing older music that still feels new. Today, however, I will be opening your eyes to a girl group just over two months old. 

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Arts

‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ is the franchise's freshest and most impressive game in years

By Victoria DeJoy | February 8

“Pokémon Legends: Arceus”(2022) is the most distinctive and fulfilling Pokémon game to be released in about a decade. Selling over 6.5 million copies in the first week, the game has been met with positive reception from both fans and critics due to its engaging story and its long overdue revamp in mechanics and structure.

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Columns

A Compendium of Actors: Vanessa Kirby and full body commitment

By Henry Chandonnet | February 8

The British Invasion hit America by storm in the '60s, and even in the 21st century Vanessa Kirby is yet another byproduct of that cultural revolution. Kirby, who found her fame initially on the stage, is experiencing a recent career boom in the worlds of film and television. You likely know Kirby from her performance as Princess Margaret in the hit Netflix show “The Crown” (2016–). 2020 brought a double feature for Kirby, with artistic masterpieces “The World to Come” (2020) and “Pieces of a Woman” (2020) premiering, the latter of which garnered her an Academy Award nomination. Kirby hits the scene yet again with her leading performance in “Italian Studies” (2021). A savant of acting, Kirby exemplifies just what it means to give a powerful performance. 

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Column

The Art of Good Soup: Tsurumen, Davis Square

By Sadie Leite and Ellie Lester | February 7

This is a column about soup: what it tastes like, what it does to you. What it makes you dream and think about. The kind of soup you’ll tell your children about at the dinner table. For our sake and yours, we hope it's also a column about good soup. Unfortunately, not all soups are good, just like life or our Tinder dates. Well, usually most Tinder dates are bad. Whatever.

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Arts

Planetarium's 'Beyoncé Experience' did not 'Put a Ring on It'

By Emmy Wenstrup | February 7

On the cold, wet night of Feb. 4, the Boston Museum of Science hosted “The Beyoncé Experience” in the Charles Hayden Planetarium. According to the museum’s website, the show “redefines nightlife in Boston” and “engages audiences in a sensory journey full of innovation, artistry, and imagination.” 

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