Category: Uncategorized

With Labor Day come and gone, and summer lull over, a slew of must-see September films are here to jumpstart the final leg of the year, and cinephiles are in for a treat. With the lineup comes a vibrant mix of cinematic delights that promise to thrill, chill, and, most importantly, captivate audiences. Whether you’re ready to dive into the eerie whispers of pre-Halloween horror such as “The Front Room” and “Apartment 7A,” or opt for something more family-friendly such as the highly-anticipated sequel to 1980’s “Beetlejuice,” this month’s film lineup has something for everyone.

From Hollywood A-list animations “Transformers One” and “The Wild Robot,” to sci-fi adventures like “Uglies” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis,” the comical “My Old Ass,” and even R&B legend Usher’s Paris concert film, no movie genre was left unchecked from this year’s fall film calendar. Besides the “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” buzz, perhaps the second most popcorn-ready watch is “Lee,” the Kate Winslet-led biopic of Lee Miller, the model-turned-war-correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II, closely followed by Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance.”

Ahead, grab a seat and get ready to explore 15 must-see genre-spanning films hitting theaters (and streaming services) this September.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Releases on September 6

“We were waiting for Jenna [Ortega] to be born,” says Winona Ryder, as she and Catherine O’Hara reprise their mother-daughter shenanigans and include a new generation in the spooky-fun sequel, made more than 30 years later since the first installment. Netflix’s “Wednesday” actress Jenna Ortega expands her campy horror portfolio by starring as rebellious teen Astrid Deetz, daughter to Lydia Deetz (Ryder), for the Tim Burton-directed follow-up, where the now-female trio returns home to Winter River after an unexpected family tragedy. Upon returning, the whispers of Beetlejuice still haunt Lydia, while the portal to the afterlife is as intriguing as ever to Astrid.

The Front Room
Releases on September 6

Acclaimed R&B singer-songwriter Brandy Norwood makes her long-awaited return to the silver screen with this physiological thriller from “The Egger Brothers”– the directorial debut of Max and Sam Eggers’ joint pseudonym. Brandy co-stars alongside Andrew Burnap as an expecting couple who takes in the man’s estranged mother (Kathryn Hunter), who turns their peaceful home into a sinister battleground of paranoia and fear. When dark secrets are revealed, can trust keep the family together?

Usher: Rendezvous in Paris
Releases on September 6

Another R&B legend enters theaters this fall. This time, Super Bowl halftime performer Usher took his Las Vegas moves to Paris Fashion Week at La Seine Musicale, and now he’s bringing the experience via a concert film for “My Boo” lovers to sing all over again. The film features chart-topping hits, including “Yeah!”, “Omg”, “Love In This Club” and more from Usher’s 30-year career performed with never-before-seen costumes and state-of-the-art lighting and special effects.

Speak No Evil
Releases on September 13

Director James Watkins transforms James McAvoy into a hungry killer for his latest horror film. What first appears to be a weekend getaway to an idyllic country house soon becomes a family’s psychological nightmare when their seemingly friendly host family– commanded by McAvoy– tries to slaughter them all.

Uglies
Releases on September 13

With the help of former child prodigy Joey King and “Orange Is The New Black’s” Laverne Cox, director McG (Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle) brings this sci-fi dystopia to Netflix. According to this futuristic society’s rules, everyone is considered an “ugly,” but are turned “Pretty” by extreme cosmetic surgery when they reach the age of 16. The film tells the story of teenager Tally Youngblood (King), who rebels against society’s enforced conformity

Subservience
Releases on September 13

Subservience is what Hollywood is calling Megan Fox’s return to film. In a parallel universe to 2009’s “Jennifer’s Body”, Fox plays an equally bonafide (and domestic) SIM named Alice, who assists a family household in this new sci-fi thriller. Once she turns on, there’s no off switch– only blood awaits.

My Old Ass
Releases on September 13

During an off-kilter mushroom trip, free-spirited Elliot (Maisy Stella) comes face-to-face with her 39-year-old self– played by “White Lotus’s” Aubrey Plaza– aka “the old ass” who delivers warnings to her younger self. This weird coming-of-age Sundance favorite also features “Dance Moms” alum Maddie Ziegler.

Transformers One
Releases on September 20

Yes, another “Transformers” arc is upon us. This time, the film deploys an A-list roster for its voiceover credits, leading with Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson, with support from Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Hamm, Steve Buscemi, and more. “Transformers One” is the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once, they were friends who bonded like brothers and forever changed the fate of Cybertron.

The Substance
Releases on September 20

Featured previously among our “Most Anticipated Horror Films of 2024” listicle, “The Substance” follows a fading celebrity (Demi Moore) who uses a black-market, cell-replicating drug that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself (portrayed by Margaret Qualley). Dennis Quaid also stars in this bloody feminist horror.

Never Let Go
Releases on September 27

Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry plays a distressed mother of two who has secluded her household from a mysterious evil that has terrorized their woodland surroundings for years. When one child begins to question the legitimacy of this outside evil, chaos ensues as they all discover its true terror.

Apartment 7A
Releases on September 27

Set in 1965 New York, Emmy-winning “Ozark” actress Julia Garner bills this prequel to 1968’s “Rosemary’s Baby”, which explains what happened in Apartment 7A before Rosemary. The franchise’s third film follows a struggling dancer (Garner) who has suffered a terrible injury; however, she is offered a shot at fame by a peculiar older couple, which becomes darker than at first glance.

Lee
Releases on September 27

From the director of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” Kate Winslet stars as American photographer Lee Miller in the eponymous historical biopic about the fashion model who became an acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II. Horror movie favorite Alexander Skarsgård and “Challengers” heartthrob Josh O’Connor also star in the prolific drama.

The Wild Robot
Releases on September 27

Lupita Nyong’o voices Roz, an intelligent robot stranded on an uninhabited island after a shipwreck. Among the animation’s noteworthy talents, “Heartstopper’s” Kit Connor portrays an orphaned goose named Brightbill, who helps Roz acclimate to the island’s harsh environment while bonding with its animals, including a fox voiced by Pedro Pascal.

Wolfs
Releases on September 27

What happens when two professional fixers are hired to cover up the same high-profile crime? Well, Brad Pitt and George Clooney will find out as the two “lone wolves” are forced to work together on Apple TV’s latest effort. Soon, the duo finds out they will not only have to make one crime scene disappear; they must get away with so much more to survive the night.

Megalopolis
Releases on September 27

Originally written in the early 1980s, Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” is finally here, featuring many Hollywood greats like Adam Driver, Shia LaBeouf, Aubrey Plaza, Grace VanderWaal, “SNL’s” Chloe Fineman, and more. Set in the glamorously fake city of New Rome, this sci-fi epic revolves around utopist artist Cesar Catilina (Driver), who conflicts with greedy mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito). However, his daughter Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel)– also Catilina’s love interest– could be the key to ending this age-old conflict and starting a new era for New Rome.

By now, “Brat” summer is in full effect, with Charli XCX already dropping hints of more club classics, rave rat anthems, and indie sleaze lore. On all accounts, “Brat” is a mainstream resurrection of late-2000s electronic: streaks of dystonic Limewire raves with the XCX world of Hyperpop – the one the British musician has reinvented continuously since 2016’s razor-sharp Jodie Harsh and the late SOPHIE-produced “Vroom Vroom” EP, now dubbed a magnum opus within the eclectic genre.

So, what is Hyperpop? Ex-Girlpool member and budding fixture in the genre, Harmony, feels her solo foray is easily passed off as “absurd pop,” even though the bombastic sound also verbalizes her current philosophical and cultural obsessions. LA-based illustrator Sean Ellmore, who works with artists such as vixen Brooke Candy, also imparted “juicy” words of wisdom that encapsulate Hyperpop. He defines the subgenre as “taking pop music and throwing it in a blender, putting it on ‘pulse’ and recording it. Master it, make it sound wet and juicy.”

Contrary to popular belief, Spotify didn’t invent Hyperpop. However, they were the first popular streaming service to dedicate a playlist to championing undersung trailblazers long before anyone cared. On a deeper level, Hyperpop is a community love affair that hypothesizes the future of popular music – not pigeonholed to a singular sound – where pushing the extreme is both its norm, and the ultimate mainstream turn-off.

English producers A.G. Cook and SOPHIE are among the figureheads atop the Mount Rushmore of Hyperpop, popularizing the subgenre throughout the 2010s, partly through Cook’s prestigious label PC Music and its holster of innovative, underground talent and the latter’s landmark 2017 debut album, “OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES”. Since befriending Charli, the mastermind trio ditched her “Boom Clap” innocence to craft a Mona Lisa caricature within music. However, Charli’s label, Atlantic Records, admitted they didn’t know how to market her cutting-edge, experimental new sound. Instead, the music industry seemingly tested Hyperpop’s dissonant synth harmony a different route, with bigger artists, namely on the SOPHIE-produced 2015 Madonna single, “Bitch I’m Madonna,” and avoided the connection altogether.

“The point is that we wanted to change pop culture,” SOPHIE, whose posthumous album is set to release September 27, once told Office Magazine about her intention with Hyperpop, “make it more real, make it more weird-sounding, make it more authentic like Missy Elliot did in the past, like any decent pop star has done.”

Still, Charli’s almost-decade-long commitment to collaborating with underground royalty – including Dorian Electra, 100 gecs, Slayyyter, Rico Nasty, Rina Sawayama, and many more – matching nuanced visual aesthetics to her dynamic soundscape, and being a full-time “365 partygirl” raised a new generation of music disturbers. Since “Vroom Vroom”, she has been preparing society for something different, soft-launching lush synths and industrial hard-ons in small doses with Charli’s 2022 sellout record, “Crash”– the necessary prerequisite for 2024’s clubbier, “Brat”, aka Hyperpop’s trojan horse into mainstream domination.

However, it’s a healthy reminder that the juggernaut genre was a term first coined by journalist Don Shewey while describing the Scottish band Cocou Twins. In conversation with music manager Noah Simon, he also expands on the genesis of Hyperpop, a topic he thoroughly demystified via his many multi-part YouTube deep-dives that wormed their way into stan Twitter (now known as “X”)-virality during the pandemic lockdown. “The roots and soundscapes of Hyperpop roots sorta belonged to “early internet” music, the MySpace scene, and that existed outside of Charli XCX or A.G. Cook,” Simon said. The Connecticut native enjoyed some free time before meeting emerging artist RYL0 in the studio. “Microgenres like Nightcore and ‘non-stop pop’, music played at [the online music venue] SPF420 snowballed into each other, landed on SoundCould, and somehow got the ‘Hyperpop’ label. Hyperpop was all these different, earlier internet community cultures that didn’t necessarily begin with A.G. Cook or [his label] PC Music.”

If anything, Ellmore, who is better known for his pop culture painting lessons on TikTok, which have amassed nearly 500,000 followers and 27 million likes on the platform alone, looks to Black Eyed Peas as an inaugural Hyperpop awakening. “I genuinely think we wouldn’t have hyperpop if we didn’t have The Black Eyed Peas’ ‘The E.N.D’ (2009) because of the amount of autotune, synthy sounds and just balls-to-the-walls experimenting,” Ellmore said, who was coincidentally among the insanely cool crowd at Charli XCX’s 32nd birthday party, alongside the likes of Lorde, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter and more. Other pop culture relics have influenced the many colors of Hyperpop: for example, Cook credited his production work on Charli’s “Number 1 Angel” (2017) as directly inspired by Britney Spears’s “Femme Fatale” (2011).

Since the rise of TikTok, Hyperpop has been synonymous with “scene” music – more categorized as My Space’s dark-electronic pop sound a la Spears’s 2007 cub hit “Gimme More” – and became one of the platform’s long-living trends that turned profitable. Spanish performer Rosalia notably cashed in on the trend with her 2022 junior album, “MOTOMAMI”, which made many year-end lists thanks to the fresh commercial edge from acclaimed Venezuelan-born experimental producer Arca.

However, as many mainstream talent tuned into the “now” moment, such as Camilla Cabello’s recent album “C,XOXO”– a predominately hip-hop-influenced record with Hyperpop flares– it became evident that labels were half-empty attempts at understanding the latest “buzzword”, according to Simon. “In my video on Hyperpop origins, I predicted that as Hyperpop became a major label buzzword and got absorbed into the mainstream, it would lose its subcultural edge and popularity. Once something becomes too popular, it’s no longer seen as cool, and people—especially the younger generation—move on.”

“In 2020, Hyperpop was defined by loud, abrasive sounds, metallic snares, distortion, and pitched-up vocals. It was at its cultural peak, with a dedicated Spotify playlist highlighting its prominence,” Simon continues. “But four years later, that specific sound has largely faded; it’s more abstract and falls under the umbrella of experimental pop music. Even these glossy, Y2K-inspired visuals were a big part of Hyperpop five years ago and have now been adopted by more prominent artists in the music industry and are somewhat disconnected from their beginnings.” Ellmore even echoes Simon’s sentiments, saying it’s “cool” that the mainstream is catching on to what the kids want to hear; however, Cabello is “just trying on the aesthetic for fun” compared to Katy Perry’s newest song dance album, “143”, enlists producers “who make the Hyperpop sound” like Slush Puppy (Kim Petras, Brooke Candy).

During its half-decade ascent, Hyperpop had many faces to fit into “pop” music, acclimating audiences at large for something bigger. With “Brat”, Charli pulled back the fillers, delivering an unapologetic and bold tour-de-force record that is HyperPop with a capital “P.” Though it didn’t top the Billboard 200 album chart, it went No. 1 in the subculture’s heart, longtime synth-loving acolytes who prayed for the subgenre’s worldwide acclaim even without the “cool” stamp-of-approval. Hyperpop isn’t important now because of Charli. Hyperpop is important because Charli’s record popped the lid on an underrepresented genre that made avant-garde music and its dedicated community, who always had the power to make “brat green” a cultural phenomenon since 2018.

Sabrina Carpenter calls “Short n’ Sweet” her sophomore album, even though she’s been releasing music for nearly a decade. The “Espresso” starlet likens the new release to “a companion [to 2022’s “emails i can’t send”],” but tells Variety it’s not the same — meaning pop’s princess finally has “full creative control being a full-fledged adult.” Most of that is, in fact, true: when inside the Disney machine — as was Carpenter as a star in the 2014 ‘90s sitcom reboot, “Girl Meets World” — the network’s breakout stars sign their soul away to Hollywood Records where they endure a grueling limelight cocktail that, oftentimes, end with a stint in rehab.

Luckily, that wasn’t Carpenter. She stuck to acting long after Disney, with roles such as Netflix’s “Tall Girl” duology, even while still chained to her former employer’s music entity. Or that was the case up until “emails i can’t send,” Carpenter’s self-proclaimed debut album, fifth overall, released under Universal Music’s Island Records label, and a masterful pop clapback at ex Joshua Bassett, who wrongfully painted Carpenter as the other woman in an unwarranted love triangle alongside fellow Disney breakout Olivia Rodrigo. More importantly, the 2022 release jump started the “Nonsense” singer’s metamorphosis from the scarlet “Disney ex-act” monogram towards pop superstardom.

Aside from making herself a household name while opening for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour during its international legs earlier this year, Carpenter’s “emails i can’t send” was pop genius. It was a 23-year-old’s flirty tell-all about being in love at the wrong time, brimming with chicken-scratched ramblings that are hypothetically poetic, and brewed with enough emotional turmoil to keep pop culture junkies awake unpacking not only its soft pop production, but the correlation between each lyric and tabloid headlines.

Needless to say, its follow up had to be more than a home run — it needed to be a grand slam — and as it would have it, Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” is an instant and undeniable knockout. Upon its first listen, it feels like a cosplay of Kacey Musgraves if Musgraves broke into Dolly Parton’s songwriting vault, yet still, Carpenter effortlessly manages to find a youth-centric flair that lends just enough sexy intrigue for limitless radio airplay — a knack of the singer’s as of late.

Summer blockbuster singles “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” are not only Billboard chart-toppers; they are the glittery centerpieces of “Short n’ Sweet.” Together, they make album opener, “Taste” (also the latest album single), an equally dazzling concoction of indie pop production spiked with “Jolene”-isms and a campy horror video treatment from legendary music video director Dave Meyers (Taylor Swift, SZA, Ariana Grande, etc.), which stars “Wednesday” actress Jenna Ortega. Compared to the album’s promotional singles, “Taste” is an accurate measure of Carpenter’s growth from 2022’s shy, doe-eyed snapshot to today’s kiss-stained siren.

“Good Graces” and “Bed Chem” also fall into modern pop perfection, where Sabrina’s sexual innuendo is more smoldering flirty than overcooked pandering. Though fun in their own right, these two tracks are polar opposites on the danceability spectrum: where “Good Graces” employs a bubbalicious phone synth that sages the space of indecisive lovers, “Bed Chem” is an underrated “softburn” that pulses between the sheets, the song’s groovy guitars, and Carpenter’s dreamy falsettos and oo-ahh adlibs.

The first half of “Short n’ Sweet” is perhaps what pop perfection is all about, entertaining listeners with a variety of late summer sunset melodies, namely on “Sharpest Tool,” where its dark love-stricken candor doesn’t necessarily bite the dust. The “we never talk about it” refrains bubble with the last bright remnants of summer love, and it’s a pure treat to witness the serendipitous moment when genius storytelling and beautiful acoustics rewrite a traditional sad song into something better than an album cushion.

However, Carpenter boxes herself inside the carefully curated “Short n’ Sweet” sound too soon. Every fresh pick-up line or disarming love-life detail past the 15-minute mark feels tired, no matter what order the album is played. By the time ballad-y tracks like “Dumb & Poetic” and “Slim Pickins” start playing, the nostalgic rays of “Sharpest Tool” have long dissipated. Instead, the lyrics shine like first-place trophies until they rub away green, pumped with fodder toxic relationship-isms, an uninventive Leonard Cohen comparison, and other predictable “red flag” behaviors that should’ve better smithed by the four-person songwriting team, compromising of Carpenter and Julia Michaels, before belting out situational hardships that were not only heard word-for-word on “emails i can’t send,” but better said by other (bigger) singer-songwriters.

Unfortunately, the repetitive nature of “Short n’ Sweet” also bores the naturally fun and horny nature of “Juno.” Lyrically, the buzzy track offers nothing different from “Bed Chem” or the album’s radio-candy singles, save for a few out-of-pocket explicits that make it an immediate fan favorite. However, aside from the track’s edgy soft-rock production, the album track isn’t all that memorable in the grand scheme of “Short n’ Sweet”, where brighter moments ultimately take the spotlight.

Perhaps the unclear inspiration surrounding “Short n’ Sweet” is part of the dilemma. Though it’s common for artists to put each other on their mood boards, they usually express such music connections as a selling point during press. Carpenter sold herself as the main attraction, which is a huge wager: although she is today’s pop princess, she’s a superstardom newbie and lacks the notoriety of influential figures like Dolly Parton, who clearly inspired this record’s coy lyricism.

Still, Carpenter takes another bold step forward and presents another modern pop masterpiece with “Short n’ Sweet.” She’s transformed from innocent promiscuity, to a mature adult who now has the final say in her love life: when things go right, she’s on a roll; when things fall through, Carpenter knows how to pick up the pieces. While “emails i can’t send” has a better lyrical grasp on sad songs, there’s no denying “Short n’ Sweet” is deserving of praise for promoting boy-optional love and fun, especially with the great “Sharpest Tool” spearheading the record’s retrospective relational turbulence.

Carpenter not sharing her album’s musical inspiration can be viewed as an industry no-no, but positioning herself main attraction ultimately safeguards Carpenter’s chance at becoming a pop music beacon for the new generation. For some clarification, “Short n’ Sweet” isn’t her ticket to pop stardom so much as it’s her victory lap, thanks to last year’s hyper-successful singles “Nonsense” and “Feather,” and recent summer hits “Espresso,” and “Please Please Please.” Every accolade from here on out is another cherry red-lipped kiss of success that was ten years in the making.

Las Vegas Swimwear Fashion Week made a splash at Resorts Zouks nightclub from August 15th to 19th, marking Art Hearts Fashion’s first foray into the city after successful runs in NYC, LA, and Miami. The four-day event kicked off with a vibrant party on Thursday, leading into a weekend packed with runway shows that celebrated creativity in swimwear.

Airstream, the iconic travel trailer brand, turned heads with its debut apparel collection, while the Las Vegas Autism Pride Center added a heartfelt touch with a runway show and a performance by the girl group 4th Impact. The energy peaked on Sunday when Macy Gray took the stage in a stunning floor-length, tulle ruffle-trimmed gown, delivering a performance that was as memorable as the fashion itself.

With 24 designers showcasing everything from avant-garde looks to classic swimwear styles, the event underscored Las Vegas’ rising status as a fashion hub. This wasn’t just a week of swimwear; it was a statement—Las Vegas is ready to take its place on the global fashion stage.

Sharnelguy

Vegas-bred and Los Angeles based Sharnelguy’s runway opened with a two-toned bikini and arm warmers, styled with a wide brimmed black bowler hat and statement beaded necklace. The first four looks were in tie dye camouflage print, followed by plums, lavender, sage and brown. Guy favors classic, clean, basic designs. The deep fuschia women’s one piece featured a deep notched neckline detail that would be lovely to see explored further in future collections. The cargo short-style men’s swim trunks are also robust conceptually.

Pink Mellon

Miami brand Pink Melon presented a bright avant garde runway experience, complete with bedazzled starfish bras, bedazzled watermelon boogie boards, and bedazzled oversized money bags as accessories. The brand also showed more streamlined monochrome looks with low slung mesh pants— bedazzled at the bottom edge, of course— layered over their classic super high-cut one piece suits. Royal blue, teal, silver, red, and pink dotted the stage in addition to black, white and taupe. Something for everyone.

Love For Upcycling

Channeling sustainability, Love for Upcycling showed 34 looks constructed with reworked men’s ties. Silhouettes ranged from patchwork one pieces to vest tops and bandeaus. An especially successful use was the application of the tie as a trompe l’oeil belt, a motif we see repeated throughout the collection. The collection was full of vibrant colors that designers Jose Alexzander and Lilia Merchan chose to accompany and contrast the busy tie patterns. There was an especially eye-catching umbrella canopy composed entirely of ties.

David Tupaz

Vegas native couturier David Tupaz’s swim week was a feast of herringbone. The extremely cohesive collection was an elaboration on pattern: sailor stripes, plaid, herringbone, pinstripe— variegated and geometric, blown up and scaled down, tilted and spliced together. Pencil skirts and matching suits— even a matching Chanel-inspired piped duo— along with the occasional flowing maxi length stalked the runway. Exuding an almost old-school chic, no model was complete without an oversized rattan sun hat (in a variety of black-and-white blocks) and oversized matching sunnies.

Mister Triple X

LA based customs brand Mister Triple X focused on a sexy and powerful image through the use of mesh, leather, ultra high cut briefs for men and power suits for women. Reflective materials and animal print patterns were also in use. Some looks evoked rave and clubwear with black mesh and eclectic patchwork while others had a more casual loungewear feel. One capri length sequin skirt shown on a shirtless male model was quite dazzling. Designer Erik Rosete is also president of the producing organization Art Hearts Fashion.

Giannina Azar

Celebrity favorite label Giannina Azar showed a flamboyant and whimsical collection focused on botanical prints. Her signature beading served as delightful jewels, texturizing bikini tops, framing basque-style waist bands, dangling as oversized strands of trim, as well as weaving the entire surface of one fitted maxi skirt, resplendent in its geometry. The show opened with softer tones of cream and pastel before dancing its way into joyous and rich hues of cerulean, lemon, verdant, and sky.

For The Stars

Headed by John Meir, design house For The Stars is exactly as described. Championing intricate and breathtaking sculptural costumes for performers and artists, the house stands erected (open by appointment only) on melrose ave in la. Their runway at Las Vegas swim week opens with a series of leather-jackets, sharply tailored and well-adorned, before a short transitional cutout catsuit that takes us to the gleaming heights of theatrical, extended tendril collars, eagle head armored plate shoulders, floor length golden fringe and twin dragons.

Airstream

Airstream, the American company world renowned for producing rounded, gleaming chrome trailers for traveling, has made its first foray into apparel for the runway. Designers Haffner and Bonita Segall had about one month to put together the 33 look collection. Prominently featured are a metallic silver fabric, a black and white collage print of vintage airstream photographs, logo tees, licensed snoopy and charlie brown motifs, and plastic miniature dogs carried down the runway as accessories.

Existing in the gap between cultures, generations, and attitudes, 25 year old Rupal Banerjee felt the calling to forge her namesake casual high fashion brand: Ru by Rupal. In what retrospectively seems like a straight shoot to stardom, Rupal’s journey towards success seemed baked in— from her south asian immigrant background to her induction into Parson’s School of Design and the quick pivot to Public Relations and Marketing, traversing the sartorial spheres of New York and Los Angeles. Despite being a practiced New York Fashion Week constituent and a 30 Under 30 Forbes member, Rupal’s lilting tonality cast an effortlessly warm spell, dispensing advice like an endlessly welcoming older sister.

Heartily established as a quintessential “cool girl” brand and adored by celebrities such as Kali Uchis, Kehlani, Tinashe, and Jordyn Woods, Rupal injects everyday streetwear and casual wear with her specific lens of feminine, commanding attitude. In between conceptualizing a brand statement and establishing the possible energies of the “Ru Girl,” Rupal recounts her year of shifts. Personal changes have a tendency to crowd around twenty-somethings, and Rupal doesn’t emerge from frontal lobe development unscathed. Her fresh experiences of growth and regrouping only become more married to the process of creation as the seasons come and go.

Rupal’s pragmatic business-aware background shines as she pushes the brand forward, showing vibrant mesh minidresses, pleated monochrome maxi gowns, plain and patterned cargo bottoms, matching bomber jackets with tie closures… the Ru-niverse has always spanned on-trend basics and culture-specific design details. In a few years, the brand aesthetic has transformed and stepped out directly into the emboldened spotlight as the brand moves through its gestational first years. Particular brand signatures include chartreuse and blood orange, long form sari pleats, floral mandala motifs, and highly saturated gradient prints. Rupal kindly opens her inner workings as founder, designer, and person; even revealing some upcoming slogan contents I’m not allowed to share. Celebrate in anticipation for the next seasons, and reminisce in wholesomeness for what has come before, with Rupal Banerjee of Ru by Rupal.

You went to Parson’s for fashion design but studied public relations and marketing. Where did you learn how to sew?

Actually it started when my father was making these hand-sewn puppets for a school project of mine— such a wonderfully creative man, though he works as an accountant. Parson’s was a lot about marketing, but everything from designing to patterning to garment construction I picked up on my own, through my internships at bigger brands and by just doing. That’s really key, just going and doing. Executing your dream with intention.

Any favorite or least favorite materials to work with?

Favorite, I’d have to say mesh. It adds such dimension; it’s so malleable and versatile in fit due to its stretch; it turns down the opacity of any loud print or color and makes it more wearable, more approachable.

What do you find special about working in fashion in LA versus in NY?

Definitely driving! Especially for days when I am running around with bolts of fabric, from vendors to meetings to another location… Nothing beats just being able to pick up and go.I’ve for sure found that in LA there can be a prominent culture of superficiality. What you see on Instagram you can also see in people here. There can be such an emphasis on perception, whether it’s femininity or success or even how perfect someone’s smile is. I’m much inclined towards a different kind of dream. I’ve had a very special last year, invigorating for personal growth and changes, both trying and inspiring. I’ve been getting back into my spirituality. Things tend to come to me— I’m on an “I-love-you”-basis with all of my vendors, they really get it and love the pieces that they’re making, so every article is made with love from inception to delivery. I believe you attract things with the same beautiful intentions by being the beauty— beauty of the soul.

What’s your ultimate dream job?

Creative director. For a major house or maybe a sportswear brand. I have strong leadership skills, and what I love doing most is bringing a vision to life. I just launched a graphic design agency for this reason! Not many people know about these other things that I do.

I’m very driven by the concept of “What’s your purpose?”… I’ve been thinking a lot about it and I’ve realized I want my brand to be the ultimate “cool girl” brand— there’s all this pressure for women to dress a certain way, to perform a certain kind of femininity, but also retain independence, but not act too independent, but not be a gold digger, and all this stuff that we’re supposed to care about, when really— you don’t have to care. This is for you, you can wear whatever you want, whatever you think is cool.

What are the most exciting aspects of your next collection?

There are some pieces that are pretty specific to me and my experiences, but that respond and interact with the zeitgeist in a way that is playful and powerful. I can’t share too much on that yet! But it’s always sharing more parts of myself. Personal aspects— culture, silhouettes, spirit— it’s all pieces of me.

Exciting news is on the way, and we can’t wait to share it with you! Stay tuned for something special that’s just around the corner.

Charli XCX’s “Brat” album rollout has fully resurrected indie sleaze. Every party feels like an episode of “Skins”, each Boiler Room set hints at a remix record, and the prophetization of the Brooklyn “Brat” wall was beyond gay (read: “clever”). As the dance chanteuse stated herself, “Brat” summer isn’t over yet, dishing out culture-setting guest features with Lorde and Billie Eilish, and even prompting a left-field (and successful) endorsement in Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’s last-minute presidential campaign.

There’s no doubt that Charli XCX is the moment, but other artists certainly lived the “Brat” life before its iconization. Britney Spears is, undoubtedly, the OG “Brat” and even received a special remix of her will.i.am collaboration “MIND YOUR BUSINESS” at Charli’s 2023 FWB Fest set with PC Music’s A.G. Cook. Charli’s contemporaries Kim Petras and Slayyyter, who originally played in the Hyperpop sandbox, also attended the popstar academy for mainstream success. However, just like nightclub natives Rivern Moon, Chase Icon, and That Kid, creating provocative off-kilter bangers like “10 BAD BITCHES” or “James Dean” is in their blood.

“Brat” is also a huge win for the subculture, spotlighting under-the-radar internet folk whose Instagram “it” factor matches their digitally-obsessed productions, like Miss Madeline’s “OMG” and Chrissy Chlapecka’s “I’m Really Pretty”. In the same way, umru’s PC Music background offers a brief glimpse into his turntable dexterity, but when he shows up in the producer credits like “Firetruck (umru Remix)”, he raises the ordinary to extraordinary. The international entries are no joke either, but no one touches Ninajirichi’s electronic Midas touch– well, except for Izzy Camina, who certainly matches her DJ freak with the sweat-tastic collaboration “Ninacamina”.

Ahead are club bangers from Britney Spears, Kim Petras, Slayyyter and more that would receive the “Brat” stamp-of-approval from Charli XCX.

“10 BAD BITCHES” by River Moon, Chase Icon & That Kid (feat. Petal Supply, Warpstr, umru & Iglooghost)

The second single from River Moon’s debut album is a hyperpop Battle Royale from start to finish. But with Pedal Supply, Warpstr, umru and Iglooghost infusing the production with laser synths and bombastic bass, this rave banger’s sexually charged lyrics easily translate into a Mean Girls-esque “You can’t sit with us!”

“Ninacamina” by Ninajirachi & Izzy Camina

Electronic music never sounded better than on Ninajirachi’s turntable. For this “girl EDM” cut, the 24-year-old Australian teams up with the cyberpunk Britney Spears, aka Izzy Camina, with an ice-cold trance collaboration that slaves clubgoers to the dancefloor. “Ninacamina” perfectly cements their blended identity into a future classic.

“Firetruck (umru Remix)” by f5ve & umru

Described as “inter-dimensional dream agents from Tokyo”, f5ve is a five-member female J-pop group with a sweet tooth for the unexpected. Already, the group’s production easily passes experimental. However, New York producer umru– a hyperpop talisman– recharges the original two-minute duration of “Firetruck” with a high-energy tempo that nearly bursts at the seams for the remix– and it’s straight fire!

“Accelerator” by Blusher

According to the Australian pop trio, “‘Accelerator’ feels like Blusher with the saturation turned up to 200%”. They also described the single as a “big-budget action movie” and “James Bond in drag”, but really the track is a late-night car chase, holstered by revving engines, techno-inspired verses, and a detonator chorus. “Accelerator” is a rare gem of when absurd pop becomes commercial without sonic compromise.

“Optifine” by gabby start

Gabby start is the new persona under artist Gabriel O’Leary, formerly Knapsack, and his production wizardry is only getting better. “Optifine” is the epitome of Gabby’s metamorphosis: digitally articulate and deliciously proficient in Hyperpop– to the point where the track’s digital dubstep flourishes into an electronic trap without a hiccup.

“Really Hot” by Babymorocco

UK stud Babymorocco takes the artist’s narcissistic “himbo” persona through some neon-tinted electronic pulses on “Really Hot”– a track armed with juicy muscles, pretty girls and a thrumming bassline.

“James Dean” by Slayyyter

“I heard your new song and, bitch, it’s not giving!” Slayyyter rages on the deluxe track. Tinged with an old-Holywood aroma a la burned synths and backroom pop soirees, the Missouri native launches A-list disses throughout her sophomore album, but the strobe-like adrenaline of “James Dean” puts the pedal to the metal for bratty behavior.

“Drums” by James Hype and Kim Petras

“Unholy” singer Kim Petras trades her bubblegum pop prowess for some dancefloor sweat on UK producer James Hype’s latest heart-racing anthem. The electro-pop track’s shimmery house influence, supported by Petras’s coquettish vocals, bonafide the unorthodox sample of Justin Timberlake’s 2002 classic “Like I Love You” into a new-age party starter.

“OMG” by Miss Madeline

Internet hustler Miss Madeline’s forte is Myspace-core music, McBling’d with Lady Gaga’s “The Fame” and Britney Spears’s “Circus”, a vibe perfected by New York City nightlife– and her latest zinger, “OMG”, is one to beat, There’s simply no shortage of iconic behavior; the IM-coded tell-all is riddled with Manhattan locations and TMI shenanigans that just “keeps getting bitcher”, as the autotuned New Jersey diva proclaims.

“HATE YOUR GUTS” by INJI

INJI isn’t an obvious choice, but the UK visionary makes music “you can scream along to”. Enter the sparkly glitch of “HATE YOUR GUTS”, a straightforward post-breakup explosion after years of tongue-biting. Clubgoers usually expect the unexpected from their night-out soundtrack. However, the pop track’s standard melodic structure offers a repetition that makes every repeating phrase another excuse to be a bit bratty and unapologetically blunt– even if it’s reciting lyrics, you wish it were real.

“MIND YOUR BUSINESS” by will.i.am & Britney Spears

Today’s scene loves to reference; Britney Spears is the reference. It’s only right that Charli’s forever icon makes the list, partnered with none other than Black Eyed Peas’s will.i.am– another pop aficionado– with a super slick “hot girl” anthem. Even though “MIND YOUR BUSINESS” is technically the younger sister to “Piece Of Me”, the former is a revised archive masterpiece with witty paparazzi call-outs, addictive raspy vocals, and a heavy-handed foresight into the future of club music.

“I’m Really Pretty” by Chrissy Chlapecka

“They look at me and think that I’m so hot. […]I’m not just hot, I’m… I’m really pretty, you wanna kiss me,” Chrissy Chlapecka, resident pop connoisseur of “bimbo” music, whines on the hot-tempered single from her equally flamboyant debut EP, “Girlie Pop”. Chlapecka is another instance of an unexpected entry: the truth is Chlapecka’s bubblegum fantasy is barbed with enough steely production that her pouty lips and doll-like enunciation are deadly a combination for fun.

August isn’t the end of summer. If anything, movies are finally heating up, and filmmakers are releasing their edgiest stories yet. Though Marvel movies are box office gold, the campy alien world of “Borderlands” is just as deserving, considering its A-list cast, helmed by Cate Blanchett. Colleen Hoover’s hotly-anticipated film adaptation of “This Ends With Us” is finally hitting theaters later this month with Blake Lively, who will likely repopularize steamy romance with this New York Times bestseller. While M. Night Shyamalan’s “Trap” forms a psychological horror around the superstardom of Taylor Swift, Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut on a private island is a living nightmare in the best way possible.

Then, “Euphoria” star Hunter Schafer tries “final girl” fashion with her intense performance in Tilman Singer’s “Cuckoo,” and Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs are star-crossed lovers on Rupert Sanders’s dark fantasy “The Crow.” Meanwhile, classic franchises like “Alien” are being revived with new twists, as seen in the latest entry, “Alien: Romelous.” Ahead, don’t miss out on these films (and more) hitting theaters this August!

It Ends With Us

Releases on August 9

Blake Lively (“Gossip Girl,” “The Age of Adaline”) returns to the big screen for what’s to be the summer’s hottest romance yet. Based on the novel by Colleen Hoover, Lily Bloom (Lively) overcomes a traumatic childhood to chase her wildest dreams in Boston. However, the spark between her and neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) quickly pales her past hurt, including her first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), reenters her life. Will Lily succumb to her old wounds or pursue a love that blinds her future?

Borderlands

Releases on August 9

When Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett (“Tár,” “Carol”) takes a step outside drama films, we must step inside theaters. Based on the popular looter-shooter video game of the same name, director Eli Roth assembles an all-star cast — including Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt, and Jack Black — to breathe life into a ragtag team of misfits on a mission to save a missing girl who holds the key to unimaginable power.

Cuckoo

Releases on August 9

While Hunter Schafer slays the fashion game, “Cuckoo” sees the actress whisked away to the German Alps in what’s supposed to be a peaceful restart. Instead, the “Euphoria” stars as a death-defying final girl– who only gets bloodier the longer the movie progresses– fighting against a bizarre figure with only a Swiss-blade knife. Who is the perpetrator, exactly? Even she isn’t sure.

Close to You

Releases on August 16

Academy Award nominee Elliot Page (“Juno,” “The Umbrella Academy”) stars as a trans man who returns to his hometown for the first time in years. On his journey, he confronts his relationship with his family, reunites with his first love, and discovers a newfound confidence in himself.

Alien: Romulus

Releases on August 16

In the newest “Alien” installment, horror director Fede Alvarez revives Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett’s original characters in this space nightmare. Starring Hollywood’s buzziest actress Cailee Spaeny (“Priscilla”), a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the franchise’s iconic terror.

Blink Twice

Releases on August 23

In this island horror, Zoë Kravitz marks her directorial debut by enlisting Channing Tatum (“Magic Mike”) as a tech billionaire with a freak camera. When the wealthy and smitten Slater King (Tatum) invites cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) to his private island on a dream vacation with friends, something is clearly wrong with the getaway. Slowly, the paradise’s wild nights start blending into sun-soaked days, and partying vacationers start disappearing as Frida’s suspicions bubble. Frida will have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.

The Crow

Releases on August 23

Filmmaker Rupert Sanders (“Snow White and the Huntsman”) returns to big-budget productions for the first time in seven years, following 2017’s “Ghost In The Shell,” for this Bill Skarsgård-led fantasy. Instead of “It” clown prosthetics, the Swedish actor portrays a tatted demon-slaying assailant on a mission to save his true love, played by FKA Twigs in her first leading role.

Since the release of 2022’s “Munch (Feelin’ U),” Ice Spice’s raucous Bronx energy has been a perfect segway to more “build-a-baddie” anthems, or sexy theme songs that hype up the club, NY deli, and places Ice has no problem turning into her personal dancefloor. “Like..?,” the 2023 EP that followed, then saw the drill rapstress accumulate over 2.5 billion streams with the addition of singles “In Ha Mood” and a number of “Princess Diana” variants, notably powered by Nicki Minaj. What makes up the 24-year-old’s latest project, however, titled “Y2K!,” feels like a long cry away from what The New York Times once characterized as a “sharpshooter flow.”

For Spice, “Y2K!” seems to be a representation of the new Big Apple — a torch toward a new freedom for the Grammy-nominated rapper — One that’s hater-free, aggressive, and anti-“Actin’ a Smoochie.” Still, an album requires more than fake graffiti and an unrealized 2002 Sean Paul sample to reignite a Spice-ified Y2K experience. Instead, the project proves to lack even a college-grade thesaurus, and mistakenly rests on two-year-old Spice-isms that even make go-to producer RiotUSA’s addictive beats sound fatigued.

The most exciting elements to Spice’s “Y2K!” don’t lie in the record’s singles, its infidelity anthem “Did It First” with UK playboy Central Cee, nor its viral diss track, “Think U The Shit (Fart).” The gangsta rap roots of New York drill, most recognizable in the rags-to-riches discographies of Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G. and other greats, even converges with co-parent genre trap’s materialistic wealth game. Instead, Ice’s lyrical prowess has a strict lineage of colloquial wordplay (“No Clarity”) and unapologetic call-outs (“Bully Freestyle”). However, the rapper’s use of repetition often bites into her authenticity, namely on “Phat Butt,” a peak Ice Spice track laced with ferocious percussion wherein its braggadocious lyrics eerily mime Minaj instead of a razor-sharp missive to opps.

It’d be naive, however, to expect a lyrical Picasso out of a 24-year-old’s debut record, and remiss not to recognize the inner functions of the new album. After the Bronx native dropped the accompanying music video for “Oh Shhh…”, featuring Travis Scott, in tandem with the album’s Friday release, there was an obvious and predictable top note that the record couldn’t shake. Though Ice twerked her way around CGI butterflies and a form-fitting Statue of Liberty getup, the copy-and-paste lyrics shouldered a rough loss against the Astroworld rapper and ultimately got out-Ice’d altogether by other A-list collaboration, “Bitch I’m Packin’” featuring Gunna. The husky entry gave “Y2K!” some necessary grit, partly due to Gunna’s genius double entendres, but most importantly Ice’s sultry, no-frills cadence– quite the contrast to the artificially grandiose Travis Scott collaboration.

In the same vein, “Y2K!” still holds undersung “party girl” bangers with intentionally “super simple” and “digestible” lyrics, as she told Complex. First, the buzzy snares of “Plenty Sun”, where Ice hypothesizes the future of New York drill music better than past projects with a “son” complex and savvy elixirs a la Minaj. Although “Gimme A Light” underuses Sean Paul’s notorious dancehall sample, the real focus is Ice’s loud self-confidence rather than its tepid Billboard charting. Lastly, wedged between the “Y2K!’s” dance epicenter (“Did It First” and “Fart”), there stands “BB Belt” as a younger sister to 2023’s “Deli”, the perfect middleman between lazy trap and some serious money talk.

Ice Spice’s “Y2K!” doesn’t get everything right, but the culture chose to embrace the record for its artistic declaration, not its lyrical proficiency. In her two-year ascent to superstardom, the female emcee garnered multiple Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles, one of which went on to be nominated for the 66th Grammy Awards in the “Best Song Written for Visual Media” and “Best Rap Song” categories (“Barbie World”). Her other Grammy-nominated collaboration (on Taylor Swift’s “Karma”) even parlayed into 12 performances as Doja Cat’s opening act for The Scarlet Tour, which set her up for the Coachella 2024 mainstage. Now, on her own summer 21-show spree promoting “Y2K!” worldwide, the record is already a victory lap (that can be enjoyed with her Dunkin’ signature drink in hand!) But at the same time, “Y2K!” is the official start line of her mainstream career, where all sonic road bumps and creative mishaps are smoothed over before the next music era begins. And as Google’s second most-searched musician of 2023, it’s safe to say that even if “Y2K!” isn’t the best Ice Spice record to exist, the culture will always give her a second chance to redeem herself.

If Towa Bird could ask Joan Jett one thing, she’d ask why the legendary guitarist plays the guitar so low. “Surely that [hand placement] would hurt your wrists,” she tells Beyond The Pines, half-joking. As a rising rockstar herself, Towa finds herself being likened to the iconic ex-The Runaways member in a recent Vogue feature, feeling equal parts gratitude and pressure to live up to the household name. And with the release of her long-awaited debut album, “American Hero,” which introduces a one-of-a-kind new voice in the world of alt-rock/pop, Towa is still finetuning her craft beyond the guitar. “I would ask Joan, ‘How did you make your career so lengthy?” She says, stewing on the question. “‘How did you find success in so many ways throughout so many different periods of your life? How do you pick yourself up after those extreme lows?’”

From her pandemic-era singing TikToks, which caught the attention of the likes of Olivia Rodrigo’s [who subsequently enlisted the “Boomerang” artist for her Disney+ documentary, “Driving Home 2 U (A Sour Film)],” to opening for Reneé Rapp’s “Snow Hard Feelings” tour alongside Alexander 23, Towa’s career continued to skyrocket at full throttle for quite some time. In contrast, the 25-year-old’s latest album “American Hero” slowly formed over a two-year period, Towa says — between shows, during vacation — anywhere. “Start to finish, the album took about two and a half years [to finish],” she says. “It was a long process, because I was figuring out how I wanted to sing, what I wanted to sound like.” She went on to break down the various clippings of inspiration she’d pieced together to conjure up the track — the end result being 35 minutes of high-energy, Y2K nostalgia reminiscent of classic garage-punk, ’90s Britpop, and nostalgic indie-rock, primarily informed by rock classics such as The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” (1969) and Prince’s “Purple Rain” (1984).

However, if Towa’s process is any indication, kicking off a new project often means going pen-first to the notepad to take down an ungodly amount of material in hopes that inspiration strikes. “The first year was me throwing shit at the wall and seeing what stuck — Nothing was solidified yet,” Towa recalls, rubbing her chin in thought. “I probably wrote around 100, maybe 110, songs for [“American Hero”]. From there, I filed it down to the tracklist you see today.”

Bound between 13 tracks featuring previous singles such as her indie-pop golden child debut single “Wild Heart,” the thrilling guitar of “American Hero” fits perfectly into any early 2000s rom-com soundtrack. Upon a closer look, though, the 25-year-old is presenting a new kind of hero to the younger generation.“The name [of this album] is supposed to be entirely satirical. I have no American in me — I’m not from here. I’m actually [in the United States] on a visa,” the Hong Kong-born artist clarifies. Towa split most of her childhood years between Thailand and London, referring to the latter as more of her hometown. “When I think of an American hero, I think of a very white, cis male. Someone very macho and strong, like Captain America, and, clearly, that’s nothing I embody.”

Towa’s “American Hero” brings much-needed vibrancy and spice to a rather repetitive portrait of straight “male gaze-y” romance that oversaturated mainstream music, or at least, the better part of it in recent decades. “In a way, I’m creating a new American hero: someone who’s not from here, who’s queer, biracial, and very proud of my identity.” Through this re-defined superhero mentality, Towa is able to live her truth as a lesbian, navigating queer love in all its confusing emotions, from falling in love with a friend on “Sorry Sorry,” to experiencing imposter syndrome during Paris Fashion Week on “This Isn’t Me.”

However, Towa says for others to inherently delegate her music to a queer audience only simply skims over the need for more mainstream lesbian representation. “I’m just writing about my life. I’m not trying to make queer music. I’m just writing about the people who I’ve fallen in love with, my friends, and my community. There’s not really an agenda,” she states. “There is the flip side to that — I never really had that much lesbian representation growing up. It’s really important that lesbian artists are in the spotlight right now. That makes 14-year-old me really excited and proud to be a part of something bigger.” Towa goes on to express that the shout-along-ready love song album track “Drain Me” is about lesbian sex. Taking a step back, the artist revisits the record’s theme of queer vulnerability, which, she says, was also born out of response to international anti-marriage legislation against homosexuals that made a young Towa feel unseen. “It is important to be that representation for someone, maybe for someone who had a similar upbringing to me, where society doesn’t accept you. But this body of music does.”

“The people who listen to this record, I just want them to be proud of who they are. It’s okay to feel angry, sad, happy, sassy – all the emotions,” she concludes on the album’s main takeaways. “I want people to feel their feels as though their thoughts have been articulated by someone else.”

All familiar hands were on deck for this record’s making, with producers like Luke Niccoli (Carly Rae Jepsen, Gwen Stefani), Thomas Powers of The Naked and Famous, and, most importantly, tour pal Alexander 23 (Rodrigo, Tate McRae). “We shared the same bathroom with each other for two months,” Towa said about life on the road with Alexander during Rapp’s tour. “I could put my arm out, and we would be touching, so we were definitely close and still are close friend. We hang out all the time.”

As no stranger to tour life, which can be as exciting to see a crowd as it is monotonous to ride a bus to the next city every day, Towa makes an effort to soak in the present moment. “Waking up in a new city every day is wildly disorienting, so I try to go on a run every morning and actually see the city to help me acclimate,” she recalls her favorite touring remedies. “After a show, me and the band would also get so drunk. We were on such a rock-and-roll tour.” For Towa Bird, it can only be assumed that as far as tours go, these are only the early days of a long road of opportunity ahead. “It was so much fun trying to fit in Joan Jett’s boots.”

Towa Bird’s debut album, “American Hero”, is out in stores and available on all streaming platforms. For more tour information, visit https://www.towabirdofficial.com/tour.