TGIF&L: Make pop stars insane again

Lana vs Ethel, new Militarie Gun and Spank Rock, and the Oasis micro-economy

Super short and sweet today because I’m on my last few days in London (this round anyway) and have a lot going on mates. I can’t even really get into the whole Lana vs Ethel Cain situation except to say we’ve been suffocated under the blanket of boring pop stars for way too long and this is very fun. I always talk about how lucky I felt to grow up in a time where Courtney Love was ostensibly a pop star and how freeing that was for me, a messy twelve year old girl, to see. I just don’t know if the Disney industrial complex media trained beautiful perfect princesses that seem to be dominating the landscape in the last five or six years do the same. (Except maybe Chappell Roan, god bless her). I imagine there are Antonoffian mechanisms at play behind the scenes with this war to claim the title of the most famous girl at the Waffle House (shout out Joe Coscarelli who wrote that original profile of Cain) which does make it slightly less enjoyable to think about but still - and especially to break up a bit of the wall to wall new Taylor Swift album rollout (no shade here, I’m a light Swiftie myself). I’m actually, against my better judgment. writing something about Tay (and religion? Sure) but I don’t know when that will be done, if ever.

What else?

• Militarie Gun released the first song and video off their forthcoming album God Save The Gun. It’s called “B A D I D E A” and it rips. I like how Ian Shelton keeps evolving with his songwriting, maintaining the spirit of hardcore (ooh ooh) but playing in a lot of different genre sandboxes. I’ve actually hears the whole album and it goes all over the place in a very satisfying way.

• Naeem/Spank Rock put out a new song called “Bankroll Peelers” and it’s awesome because this man never misses. Plus there are some sneaky background vocals from British friend of the sub Matt Helders of Arctic Monkeys.

• The new Romy Mars song “Ego” is not as good as “A-Lister”, kinda catchy though. The lyrics however are absolutely unhinged. Could you close your eyes and pretend my body's your ego? Fuck me like I’m your center of consciousness and sense of personal identity? Okay actually maybe she’s spitting…

• I saw Most Things play at Rough Trade East last Friday and it was really cool. Frontman and main engine of the band Tom Phillips told me he’s gotten really into the accordion to he’s working on maybe doing an accordion project. I really appreciate a true musical weirdo. Mike Watt loves this band which makes sense because they kind of have a Minutemen thing going on, but way more British. Our band could be your life innit?

• Speaking of Rough Trade, Lauren Sherman who writes Linesheet, the great fashion and beauty memo at Puck, sent me a link to this article in Retail Week that says Rough Trade has seen sales and footfall uplift thanks to Oasis and ‘music tourism.’ Turns out it’s good when people have something to be excited and joyful around. Maybe Oasis is really going to save rock n’ roll (though probably not). Still the best night of my life, though.

• I went on Miranda Sawyer’s great new podcast “Talk 90s To Me” to discuss Nirvana and nostalgia and the flattening of time. Some (presumably not middle aged) people who probably think Yungblud is the peak of musical excellence did take exception to this.

• Lastly I saw Mike D walking around Primrose Hill today which feels like a good omen?

I’ll see some of you tonight at the Prince Charles Cinema for the screening of Grosse Pointe Blank. I got a lot of good trivia and tea from the film’s co-writer D.V. DeVincentis that I can’t wait to share.

Also just a reminder that all the songs ever mentioned in this letter live HERE.

See you soon with a big London shopping/eating/living/laughing/loving recap. xx