Carly Rae Jepsen Gets In Touch on ‘The Loneliest Time’
Originally written and published by me for PopMatters. When Canadian pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen released her third studio album Emotion in 2015, it almost immediately signaled a shift in her
Tegan and Sara’s Biggest Strength on ‘Crybaby’ is Nostalgia
Originally written and published by me for PopMatters. Ever since their venture into synthpop with their seventh and eighth albums Heartthrob and Love You to Death, Canadian indie duo Tegan and
8 Books I Loved So Much, I Read Them More Than Once
Everybody loves an all-time favorite book, even as our towering TBR piles threaten to suffocate us in our sleep. Sometimes, either when life gets you down or you’re just not
Kelsea Ballerini Plays It Safe on ‘Subject to Change’
Originally written and published by me for PopMatters. When country singer Kelsea Ballerini achieved crossover success with her Chainsmokers collaboration “This Feeling” in 2018, it allowed her breakthrough into the pop
20 Questions with Lynette Rice
20 Questions is a Q&A interview series with musicians, authors, and everyone in between, celebrating experiences both shared and individual in the messy game of being human. Lynette Rice has
Rina Sawayama’s ‘Hold the Girl’ is a Raw Coming-of-Age Tale
Originally written and published by me for PopMatters. Digital music platforms like to categorize the music of Rina Sawayama under “alternative,” since one specific genre appears too difficult to pin down.
The Best Books I Read This Summer
Hello hello hello, and welcome back to a new edition of The Best Books I Read This Season. I found myself reading quite a few titles that I really enjoyed
Demi Lovato Smashes the Narrative on ‘Holy Fvck’
Originally written and published by me for PopMatters. “Would you like me better if I was still her?” asks Demi Lovato on their highly anticipated eighth studio album Holy Fvck, which
20 Questions with James Brandon
20 Questions is a Q&A interview series with musicians, authors, and everyone in between, celebrating experiences both shared and individual in the messy game of being human. “But this is
Maggie Rogers Gives Into Herself on ‘Surrender’
Originally written and published by me for PopMatters. When Maggie Rogers first impressed Pharrell Williams with her song “Alaska” in 2016 with a video that subsequently went viral, her fate as
JEFFREY READS 