By ELIZABETH HERRERA

By ALEXANDER MARQUIS

Sometimes, the best things in life are free, and games are usually no exception. 

While paid games dominate the market for good reason – after all, most people make games to make a profit – there’s a whole world of demos, free games, and all sorts of interesting things out there. 

After playing quite a number of free games, some good and some bad, I feel that free games are better than some may expect, and in fact are often goldmines for new perspectives, small ideas, and inspiration. While they have their drawbacks, free games are generally one of the most interesting parts of the genre  and are great for beginners to video games overall. 

Free games have many advantages over paid ones, and should be considered a viable alternative.

Before proceeding, a word on vocabulary: “free” here doesn’t mean “free to play,” as in games that are free, but have optional or occasionally “optional,” in-game purchases. Some of these can be extremely fun or interesting to talk about, and will be here hopefully, but these aren’t the subject of the article. So, for sake of clarity, “free” means anything that doesn’t expect any payment from you: “free” games are free, be they demos, full games, or just little side-projects pushed onto Steam.

While scouring Steam at night for free games to play (I had, and still have, little money to buy games) I saw this obscure little game about something that sounded silly, a game called Dark Egg. After seeing it was a text adventure game “with a map,” the author thought to put it in a list with all the other free games and demos they found interesting, and thought not much of it. A few games later, I decided to give it a go. The moment the in-game character – which had not even been given a name, face or description outside a few lines of text – stepped into a rain-soaked town, it was obvious it was something special. 

A few hours later, over the course of a night and morning, I had found a game that not only mastered surrealist writing, but gave an entirely new perspective, a new well of ideas and moods to draw from and create. It only used text and a clear map of where to go, along with a barely present combat system, to immerse oneself in a world permanently wreathed by fog and snow, of monolithic ruins, and of genuine humanity in places least expected. 

Is it perfect? No, hardly. Some puzzles take forever to solve, the combat is little utilized and some of the characters feel repetitive (through the course of the game, there are TWO old men who miss their families, with much the same reaction if you discover said families’ ultimate fate), and just generally obtuse logic at times. However, it made me realize the value of free games.

Of course, not all free games or demos are Dark Egg – most are as one would expect. Some are like Kach. It’s easy to see Kach’s heavily stylized, extremely pixelated 3D environments, and get intrigued. An hour or so later, everything was extremely confused: what had just happened? The plot, as it could be understood, is that there is an older brother to a younger sister, who has a habit of hiding in haunted houses. After plodding along one, and finding out something about “morphosis,” the apparent method of transforming things into other things to heal them, at the cost of making them extremely aggressive, the player stumbled into a room to discover sister was dead, except she wasn’t, and the thing ended on a cliffhanger. Inspiring? Not exactly, even if there’s always appreciation of the work that this takes.  

However, be them great or bad, like the examples before, the point to be made here is that both of them are worth talking about. Even a bad game has something to say, something to repeat to friends, even if its just because of how stupid that something was. They’re both free, too. All it takes is storage space.

So what do good free games have to offer over paid games? Well, free games tend to offer an unique experience over a short period of time. These are typically used to explore smaller, more experimental stories, novel gameplay ideas, or generally new things. Some may explore the creator(s)’ life story, some may be developed over a day as a challenge (a practice known as “game jams”), some may be just to test a concept and some may be demos, but all of them offer something interesting.

Along with that, some of them are electrifying. Free games can be a major source of inspiration and new ideas, beyond what playing a paid game might have. Being able to play a lot of them over the course of a single afternoon due to their short playtime means one can blend together ideas and get a wide range of concepts. Often, the best approach to creation is to draw from a wide, wide variety of sources: free games can provide just that. 

However, there are some noticeable shortcomings. Free games rarely provide week-long epics that leave one stunned and overcome with emotion, or constantly rewarding multiplayer experiences. Their free nature means that they’re more amateurish, so optimization of space and performance is no guarantee: many of these games are perfectly fine to play, but some may be surprisingly taxing on the system. Always have the task manager open, just in case. 

FEATURE IMAGE: Keyboard and controller (NADIA CENICEROS/ Ethic News photo)

By SERENITY PALMERIN

Note: This review contains some spoilers.

Tim Burton’s newest show “Wednesday” was released on Netflix on Nov. 23 and longtime fans are eager to see whether it is worth the watch. Tim Burton has not directed anything since the live-action remake of Dumbo in 2019. Not only has he come to direct “Wednesday” but he has brought his long-time partner Danny Elfman to help him produce the music for the show.

Together Burton and Elfman have done 17 films in 37 years. Some of their greatest hits include “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Alice in Wonderland, Beetlejuice,” “Planet of the Apes,” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” The two talented artists have had bumps in the road regarding their relationship, with their disagreements affecting their projects in the past. However as they create more films together the more they strengthen their relationships and skills in filmmaking.

“Wednesday” gives a unique spin on the classic character Wednesday Addams from the original show “The Addams Family” created in 1964. Wednesday was expelled from her previous school and transferred to Nevermore Academy after assaulting a student who bullied her brother Pugsley. While she is at Nevermore, Wednesday struggles with making friends at her new school due to her detached personality and trust issues. She also struggles with the relationship she has with her family members, her mother Morticia Addams in particular.

When Wednesday first moves in she is welcomed by her new roommate Enid who is a werewolf without full control of her powers. The two have a striking contrast in their personalities, with Enid’s side of the room being bright and whimsical while Wednesday’s is dark and creepy. Originally, the two do not get along but they begin to bond during a school tournament where they must team up against a school bully. This jumpstarts a heavily one-sided friendship between the two, in which Wednesday cares for Enid but won’t admit it. Together they navigate through hardships and difficulties in their relationship and at Nevermore.

Unfortunately, Wednesday must navigate through much more than relationships and school bullies during her time at Nevermore. Wednesday is in her mother’s shadow as she struggles to meet up to Morticia’s legacy of excellence she left behind at the academy. Wednesday soon discovers that Morticia left behind a darker shadow with even darker secrets than Wednesday imagined. Secrets about her parent’s time at the academy and the dark history of the small town that she lives in. As she investigates these dark secrets she learns which of her friends she should trust, and which she should not.

“Wednesday” has queer representation and metaphors sprinkled throughout the show. Enid comes from a family of werewolves however she has yet to transform or “wolf out.” Her mother comes up with the plan to send her to conversion therapy for werewolves, which Enid heavily detested. Many fans saw this as a strong metaphor for repressed sexuality especially since the students at Nevermore are referred to as outcasts.

One of the characters named Eugene is overall a side character and the school’s beekeeper, however, he has more relevance later on in the show. Eugene has two moms who are mentioned and shown a couple of times throughout the series. They do not have much plot relevance but provide queer representation to the show overall.

Wednesday on Netflix credited with having an extremely diverse cast for the production of the show. (Just Jared Jr.)

Aside from queer representation “Wednesday” also provides representation for minorities. The show offers a very diverse cast with many of the main characters being minorities. The Addams themselves are a Hispanic family as depicted in the original 1964 series. The show does a great job of subtly showing Wednesday’s culture through her character. In the series, the Addams speak Spanish in short phrases to each other. They also bring up aspects of their culture such as how they celebrate Día de Los Muertos.

There are also metaphors for discrimination and the struggles of immigration sprinkled throughout “Wednesday.” Wednesday’s parents Morticia and Gomez Addams suffer discrimination at the hands of the town’s police chief and mayor often. The students at Nevermore all have some kind of power or are mythical creatures. The rest of the town looks down upon them and they are referred to as “outcasts.” It is a popular fan analysis that this is not just a metaphor for the repression of sexuality but a metaphor for discrimination that minorities face.

Wednesday honors the original Addams Family show through easter eggs and callbacks. (screenshot from PickPik)

During the entire duration of the first season of “Wednesday” , the series has many callbacks to the original Addams Family show and the movies. Possibly their biggest reference is the code to get into the secret society at Nevermore is to snap twice. Wednesday also hates pilgrims in the show and does not hide her feelings during a school field trip to the town’s history museum. This is a reference to the movie “Addams Family Values.” In this movie, there is a scene where Wednesday crashes her camp play with the true story of Thanksgiving dressed as Pocahontas in an act of defiance.

Many classic Addams family characters appear as a callback to the original, such as Thing, Lurch, and Fester Addams, who has been the most anticipated character to appear on “Wednesday.”  These are just a few examples of the many clever callbacks Tim Burton and his team have devised to make sure the fans never forget the original Addams Family.

Netflix hosts Wednesday Addams-themed drag show and faces accusations of queer baiting its viewers. (photo of Netflix screen)

“Wednesday” is a well-thought-out show that has hundreds of hands continuing to work on it. But as many tv shows do, Tim Burton’s newest project is currently facing some criticism and accusations. The biggest accusation that Wednesday is facing is that the show queerbaits its viewers into watching the show.

 This accusation stems from the fact that in many ways Wednesday is advertised to be a very queer show. In the show there are metaphors of sexuality regarding feeling outcast and forced to change yourself, Eugene has two moms, and Enid and Wednesday become exceptionally close.

Many fans anticipated Wednesday to be a queer character, especially a character with conflicted feelings concerning attraction. Jenna Ortega, the actress of Wednesday, insinuates in interviews and tweets that Enid and Wednesday are a fitting pair. But then Wednesday does not get together with Enid but ends up in a triangle between two boys.

Regardless of whether or not Wednesday is queer many fans thought that her being in a love triangle is very out of character and does not do the original Wednesday justice. Jenna Ortega stated that Wednesday is not a “boy crazy” character and that she didn’t want her to be in a love triangle.

Netflix hides replies to their tweets that suggest that Wednesday Addams is queer. (screenshot from Pop Crave)

Netflix especially is facing criticism for hosting a Wednesday-themed drag show in celebration of the show’s release when the only queer characters in the show are Eugene’s moms. Netflix also hid replies to their tweets when fans suggested that Wednesday may be queer. Many fans feel silenced by Netflix for having their replies hidden and that the show gives the illusion of being queer to get viewers and then silences fans when they say it’s not.

Another big criticism of the “Wednesday” show is the computed generated imagery, especially with the monsters that appear in the show. Many fans felt that the CGI was far from perfect, especially for a show that Tim Burton directed. The CGI is said to have been so poor that it makes it hard to be scared when watching the show. A big element of “Wednesday” is the horror so many fans were left heavily disappointed in this aspect of the show.

Tim Burton’s newest series “Wednesday” has been a heavily anticipated series since he and Danny Elfman have come back to create a show after three years of absence. “Wednesday” features many classic Addams Family characters and has many callbacks to the original series. It does a great job of representing minorities and other communities however there is debate on how well it represents the queer community.

 “Wednesday” is meant to encapsulate the original Wednesday Addams and in many ways, the show succeeds without a second doubt. But the debates on the romantic aspect of her character and whether it does her character justice have been left unsolved. With the fanbase being divided over whether or not the show does Wednesday Addams justice, fans of the classic should watch it so they can decide the truth for themselves.

Featured image: Netflix releases the new show Wednesday which tells the story of the classic character Wednesday Addams. (screenshot from Trusted Reviews)

By JULIETA ROBLES

Mitsuki Laycock is a 32-year-old indie alternative artist. All of Mitskis’s songs have stories of the beautiful but tragic realities of life described in such a poetic way. 

She is Japanese and white and due to her father’s job, she moved around quite a bit. She grew up in Japan, Malaysia, China, Turkey, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mitski was originally going to study film at Hunter College but decided to transfer to The State University of New York Purchase College’s Conservatory of Music, where she studied studio composition. This is also when she made two of her albums Lush (2012) and Retired from Sad, New Career in Business (2013). 

All of Mitski’s songs have deep meanings. A personal favorite is “A Burning Hill” from the Puberty 2 album. This song describes realizing how she is finally taking responsibility for her self-destruction. She uses a forest fire as an analogy, “I am a forest fire, And I am the fire and I am the forest and I am the witness watching it, I stand in the village watching it.” Where the song is placed places a significant role, it is the last song in the album. 

Core themes in this album are emptiness, filling the void, and bringing yourself back up. Being full of the emptiness and not knowing where it is precisely from, but that that you are being consumed by it. To fill the emptiness, abusing substances or seeking validation from other people fills the void but makes you angry and even more empty because you find your happiness depending on your partner or the substance. It shows stepping back and seeing the damage that has been done, how you were the one hurting yourself all along. You finally realize that you are the only one that brings yourself back up, and the only way to do that is to be with yourself.

Another favorite in Puberty 2 is, “I bet on losing dogs.” The title itself has a big meaning on its own. Envision you are watching a dog fight, and your dog or the one that you are betting on is losing miserably. As you are seeing it slowly lose its life people ask if you are still betting on it. You and everyone around you know that the dog is going to lose but you will continue to bet on it.

One of the first lyrics in the song “ I know they’re losing and I pay for my place by the ring, where I’ll be looking in their eyes when they’re down, I’ll be there by their side, I’m losing by their side.” This makes the point of you trying to hold on to but you are slowly but surely losing grip. This message is repeated throughout the song in different words.

By CHRISTIAN CHAPPAROSA

Tatsuki Fujimoto is a manga author with a great rise in recent years. He started his career making one-shots and has a series ongoing currently. His works stand out so much, as he takes things with simple concepts and plots, to then twist and turn, subverting the expectations of readers both new and experienced within the medium. 

After recently reading a majority of his works, being his many one-shots and two manga series, he never misses. Easily the most versatile author out there. I completely believe he can make any kind of story in any genre and come out with a masterpiece, or at the very least be something incredibly enjoyable.

I find the plots in each of his manga to be not only interesting, but also carry some themes I can jive with. “Just Listen to The Song,” has the premise of a teenage boy confessing his feelings to a girl through a song he uploaded on the internet, but catching some unwanted attention. As an indirect summary, I’d relate it to the phrase, “It’s not that deep.” Or another one of his one-shots, “Sasaki Catches the Bullet,” dedicated to hyperbolically telling you the power of belief.  

It doesn’t stop within his storytelling, the art he creates is phenomenal. In his series, “Fire Punch,” the action sequences feel daunting, crisp, clear, and delightfully fun. Some are also extremely creative as well. I also feel that the premise of why his art is so amazing isn’t about having precise and clean linework, or putting meticulous details within each page, it’s the innate ability to have an idea formed and executing it beautifully. 

When it comes to his most popular series, both in terms of the manga and anime community, “Chainsawman.” A dark shounen that really catches your attention. Due to the series having been done by weekly release, the rougher edges of the art adds a gritty aesthetic, and in a way enhances your immersion, not being your typical everyday manga. 

More in regards to “Fire Punch,” I feel that this manga has waved itself over the threshold, between normality and complete pedal to the metal absurdity. It truly is nothing like anything I’ve ever read before. Interesting environment and story forming this conglomerate that calls itself a manga. 

What you also see a lot out of Fujimoto’s works is how he writes his characters. They’re defined within their stories, and despite their comical nature, do feel very human. Examples being his one-shots like “Look Back” depicting a story of two artists, “Love is Blind,” a man that won’t let even God stop him from confessing his love, and his most recent, “Goodbye, Eri,” a truly captivating experience, a manga I resonate with deeply. 

“Goodbye, Eri”  captures the premise of a boy using his phone to record his mother’s remain time before she inevitably passes from her illness, and after her death meets a girl on a rooftop for which he was going to commit suicide on. Being one of the many people confused on their first read of the story, it was a little jarring, but after many re-reads, it has become my favorite of Fujimoto’s works. How he is able to flesh out his characters so well in such a short amount of time truly astonishes me. 

Tatsuki Fujimoto is a staple within the manga community, not ever really knowing what he’d do next. The praises and compliments about his unmatched creativity you hear about is not something you should overlook. And within the recent years of massive popularity, I wouldn’t blame him if he ever showed massive amounts of hubris. 

By CELESTE VILLARREAL

When an album is inspired by heartbreak and battling an addiction, what is the outcome? Amy Winehouse’s album”Back to Black” sold an estimated 50 million records and is one of the best selling records in music history. 

Winehouse had her listeners in a chokehold when she released her #1 album, “Back to Black” on Oct. 27, 2006. Amy Winehouse is a jazz singer that combines her bluesy voice with an upbeat pop R&B sound. 

This album sheds light on the challenging struggles Winehouse faced early on in her career. Unfortunately, this album would later act as a foreshadow for her tragic fate.

The album starts with her #1 hit, Rehab and songs about heartbreak and perseverance follow after.

Winehouse released the most revolutionary and creative piece of art during her time. Winehouse speaks on all things that make us human, happiness, appreciation, empathy, anger and sorrow. All the emotions embedded into our lives as they go on are represented in these 11 songs. 

This album was much more modern than Winehouse’s previous releases. When Winehouse released her first album, “Frank” (an album named after her ex boyfriend) it was much jazzier and had more of a coffee house sound. “Frank” was an amazing album, but not as diverse as “Back to Black.”

This album collected a 4.9 star rating, according to google reviews. The Guardian even wrote an article calling the album the best of the 21st century.  There were lots of words in reviews used to describe the album including “incredible,” “amazing,” and “perfect.” 

Who could deny that Amy is a one of a kind artist? “Back to Black” collected 18.9 million streams and held the highest position on the charts for a whopping seven weeks. Winehouse went on to win five awards for this album.  We can all appreciate the genius it took to create such a masterpiece.

There was not much negative said about this album. Although the review done by Pitchfork.com was rather back handed, it wasn’t very critical on the quality of the album. This review was much more about how Winehouse chose to live her private life.

The review stated, ”She’ll be scheduled to perform, but there’s no guarantee what she’ll do, or even if she’ll make it through the show. And she’ll sing about her problems…” but not care what you think about them.

This really shows that their opinions were much more personal and less about the music.

Rehab

Rehab touches on the struggle and unwillingness to get professional help. When Winehouse had written this song she was battling with her label, arguing that she didn’t need professional help for her alcoholism and drug addiction. This song is really a cry for help. Being in denial didn’t shield Winehouse from the consequences of her actions. 

“They tried to make me go to Rehab But I said no, no, no

Yes I’ve been black, but when I come back

You’ll know, know, know l ain’t got the time

And if my daddy thinks I’m fine

They tried to make me go to Rehab But I won’t go, go, go

I don’t ever want to drink again I just, ooh, I just need a friend I’m not gonna spend ten weeks And have everyone think I’m on the mend

And it’s not just my pride

It’s just ’til these tears have dried”

You Know I’m No Good

Self depreciation and how critical Winehouse is of her own actions is clear as day in this song, almost giving reasons as to why her boyfriend should just stay away. She is her own worst enemy and this is her warning label. She makes it clear that self sabotage is one of many escapes. 

“There’ll be none of him no more”

I cried for you on the kitchen floor

I cheated myself

Like I knew I would

I told you I was trouble

You know that I’m no good”-

“Who truly stuck the knife in first

I cheated myself

Like I knew I would

Itold you I was trouble

You know that I’m no good

I cheated myself

Like I knew I would

I told you I was troubled

Yeah, you know that I’m no good”

Me & Mr. Jones

Winehouse has an almost intoxicating voice in this song. Slurred and strong, she effortlessly sings this anthem without holding back. This song is about the bond between her and the rapper Nas. They were both cheating on their partners at the time and the lyrics and beat add a sleazy jazz sound onto the justification of their infidelity. Winehouse spins the the song ‘Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul, an oldies classic which is just produced beautifully.  Winehouse’s genius really peaks in this song, taking a jazz classic and making it a modern day classic. Using real instruments and not artificial saxophones, pianos, and other jazz instruments isolated her from all of the newer artists and allowed her to create her own genre.

“Nobody stands in between me and my man

It’s me and Mr. Jones (me and Mr.

Jones)What kind of fuckery is this?”-

“You made me miss the Slick Rick gig (oh, Slick Rick)

And thought that I didn’t love you when I did (when I did)

Can’t believe you played me out like that

No, you ain’t worth guest list

Plus one of all them girls you kiss (all them girls)

You can’t keep lying to yourself like this (to yourself)”-

 “I still wonder ’bout the things you do

Mr Destiny, nine and 14

Nobody stands in between me and my man

‘Cause it’s me and Mr. Jones

Mr. Jones (me and Mr. Jones)

Me and oh”

Just Friends

As complicated as Winehouse’s life was, adding relationships to the mix was a way of coping for her. This upbeat and doowop sound is followed by feelings of confliction. She doesn’t want or need a relationship at the moment but she wants companionship. She can feel the distraction of this person wearing off. She mentions how bad her addiction is getting and their schedules keeping them apart as a reason to just keep it friendly rather than hurting themselves. She is emotionally detached and her feelings for this person are purely passionate. We can only assume that the person she is talking about is in a relationship because as she states, “And no, I’m not ashamed, but the guilt will kill you If she don’t first, I’ll never love you like her.”

When will we get the time to be just friends?

It’s never safe for us, not even in the evening

‘Cause I’ve been drinking

Not in the morning where your shit works

It’s always dangerous when everybody’s sleeping

And I’ve been thinking

Can we be alone?

Can we be alone?

When will we get the time to be just friends?

When will we get the time to be just friends?

And no, I’m not ashamed, but the guilt will kill you If she don’t first

I’ll never love you like her

Though we need to find the time To just do this shit together

Back To Black

Seperating from Blake Fielder Civil was one of Amy’s most agonizing eras. Publicly recognizing her husband’s infidelity and how devoted she was to him was not only brave but incredibly raw. In the Back to Black music video Amy is burying someone representing that Blake is in fact dead to her. After all of the devastation and gut wrenching pain she felt he had moved onto someone else and she was angry. This is a revenge song, shouting from the rooftops that he is dead to her.

”We only said goodbye with words, I died a hundred times,

You go back to her And I go back to I go back to us”

“Me and my head high ,

And my tears dry, 

Get on without my guy,

You went back to what you knew, 

So far removed, 

From all that we went through And I tread a troubled track, 

My odds are stacked,

I’ll go back to black.”

Love is Losing Game

This song highlights the rise and fall of Amy’s romance to Blake Fielder Civil. The melancholy song is a roller coaster of emotions represented throughout the whole album. Amy shows us her admiration and feelings of betrayal for her ex husband. The feelings of confusion and devastation are not discovered but pronounced in this song. 

“For you, I was a flame Love is a losing game,

 Five story fire as you came

 Love is a losing game 

One I wished I never played 

Oh, what a mess we made 

And now, the final frame

 Love is a losing game” 

“Played out by the band, 

Love is a losing hand, 

More than I could stand, 

Love is a losing hand, 

Self-professed, profound

‘Til the chips were down, 

Know you’re a gambling man, Love is a losing hand, 

Though I battle blind, Love is a fate resigned, 

Memories mar my mind, 

Love is a fate resigned, 

Over futile odds, 

And laughed at by the gods 

And now, the final frame Love is a losing game”

Tears Dry On Their Own

This song creates a sense of triumph, regret and reflection. Amy goes over how she went wrong trusting and getting attached to someone so unstable and abusive. Standing up on her own with a sense of relief when she discovers she doesn’t need him says a lot about her character. Her creativity shines throughout the album  when she goes back and forth with herself throughout these songs.. Deciding she doesn’t need him and realizing her worth back to reliving the past and craving what she once had with her husband. 

“My tears dry on their own,

 I don’t understand ,Why do I stress the man?

When there’s so many bigger things at hand, 

We coulda never had it all, 

We had to hit a wall, 

So this is inevitable withdrawal,

 Even if I stop wanting you, 

A perspective pushes through, 

 I’ll be some next man’s other woman Soon, 

I cannot play myself again, I should just be my own best friend.”- 

 “All l can ever be to you, 

Is a darkness that we know, 

And this regret I got accustomed to, 

Once it was so right, When we were at our high”

Wake Up Alone

The emotional dependency Amy has with her husband is no secret, especially in this song. She only feels okay during the day when she’s distracted, almost like the night brings about all of the emotions she’s been avoiding throughout the day and hits her like a wave being held back. He even haunts her while she’s sleeping and she expresses the sorrow she feels after waking up to reality and discovering his absence day after day. 

“It’s okay in the day, I’m staying busy 

Tied up enough so I don’t have to wonder where is he”- 

“Just disappears soon as the sun sets,

 This face in my dreams seizes my guts, 

He floods me with dread, Soaked in soul,

 he swims in my eyes by the bed”

Some Unholy War- This song goes on about the loyalty Amy feels towards her husband. She goes on to say that she refuses to let him go and she will be by his side through war. This says a lot about where her priorities lie and who she’s willing to put first, herself or her husband?

“If my man was fighting some unholy, War, 

I would be behind him, 

Straight, shook up beside him With strength he didn’t know, 

 It’s you I’m fighting for, He can’t lose with me in tow”

He Can Only Hold Her- Lingering feelings are no secret in this song. Amy touches on the never ending feelings she has for her ex, Blake. In a way she is defending the emotional infidelity she is commiting by being in love with her ex while being in an entirely new relationship. She still loves her ex no matter who she pursues.

“Even if she’s content in his warmth

She is played with urgency

Searching kisses, the man she misses

The man that he longs to be Now how can he have her heart

When it got stole?

So he tries to pacify her

‘Cause what’s inside her never dies

So he tries to pacify her

For what’s inside her, it never dies”

Addicted- Amy makes it very clear that she doesn’t see pettiness as a taboo topic . When something needs to be said she has no issue saying it. This song is about Amy’s best friend’s boyfriend pinching her supply. Taking what isn’t his and irritating Amy along the way. This song acts as a lighthearted joke to end a very depressing and emotional string of songs. 

“Once is enough, To make me attack, 

So bring me a bag and your man can come back. 

I’ll check him at the door make sure he got green, 

I’m tighter than airport security teams”

By JUSTEN NGUYEN 

 Joji, known for his songs “Slow dancing in the dark” and “Sanctuary” released his third studio album “Smithereens” on Nov. 4.

The album is part of the label 88Rising, two years after his last album “Nectar.” His new album consists of nine songs with two previously being released before the album. 

Joji brings you a ride of emotions on each one of his albums. “Smithereens” puts the listener on an adventure through Joji’s mind and emotions.

Glimpse of Us

Originally released on June 10, “Glimpse of Us” was Joji’s first song to release since his album “Nectar” which was released back in the year 2020. 

This song takes the listener on a flow of emotions.

The opening line, “She’d take the world off my shoulders if it was ever hard to move,” suggests that Joji is talking about a girl that means a lot to him. 

In another line part of the opening verse, “Why then if she’s so perfect, do I still wish that it was you?” A follow-up from the previous line, Joji is talking about his ex and wishing she was his current girlfriend. 

In the chorus, Joji explains why he feels the way he does, “‘Cause sometimes I look in her eyes And that’s where I find a glimpse of us.” 

This is where he shows why he misses her and feels that his current relationship will never be as good as his ex.

Over this past summer on TikTok, “Glimpse of Us” blew up and currently has over 1 million videos that have been made to it on top with millions of views. On Spotify, the song has over 669 million streams being the most streamed on the album.

Feeling Like The End

The first new song on the album, “Feeling Like The End” lyrics express the heartbreak of false promises of a broken relationship.

From a personal view, “Feeling Like The End” has a type of staring at your ceiling at 2 am vibe. 

The heartbreaking song starts off with the chorus, “Too many, too many things we did together You used to promise me it would be forever. Feeling like the end, don’t think it will get better, baby.”

In this Joji speaks about  false promises from his ex and things they did together. 

“Feeling Like The End” currently has over 21 million streams on Spotify.

Die For You

Debuting with the album “Die For You” has hits deep in your emotions and in my opinion is better than The Weekend’s song “Die For You.”

Joji is still thinking about an ex from the past, the first two lines in the pre-chorus, “Burning photos Had to learn to let go” Joji is trying to get over his ex. 

In the chorus, Joji then expresses that even though its hard for him to let go of what they had he would still die for her, “I heard that you’re happy without me And I hope it’s true It kills me a little, that’s okay ‘cause I’d die for you.”

Like “Glimpse of Us,” “Die For You” has gathered a trend on TikTok with there being over 58 thousand videos made to the song and millions of views on those videos. Currently, “Die For You” has 75 million streams on Spotify.

Before The Day Is Over

The new song by Joji “Before The Day Is Over” starts off with background vocals and a slow-paced piano. 

The chorus, “I know it won’t be long I know you’re almost gone Hold on, let me in before the day is over Just let me in before the day is over,” expresses that Joji is having a hard time getting over his ex and doesn’t want to lose her. 

My view on “Before The Day Is Over” is that it has a reverse feel to one of his previous songs “Run”.

“Before The Day Is Over” is currently sitting on over 16 million streams on Spotify.

Dissolve 

“Dissolve” gives us a breakdown into Joji wanting to leave his body and leave everything behind.

Joji slowly breaks down giving the name for the song “Dissolve.” 

Joji depicts this in his lines, “It’s so hard just being me sometimes I wish I could escape out my mind.”

Currently on Spotify “Dissolve” is over 13 million streams.

NIGHT RIDER

“NIGHT RIDER” starts to show us the mentality of Joji and falling victim to his mind.

Joji goes in dept with being lost in his mind with the lines “Burning forever and ever, fully blazing I don’t remember no better days You know I’m waiting, just whenever.”

“NIGHT RIDER” is currently over 15 million streams on Spotify.

BLAHBLAHBLAH DEMO

Joji slowly spirals into his mind and it perfectly shows this as the beats go into a slower pace towards the end of “BLAHBLAHBLAH DEMO”.

The song starts over with the chorus, but the beat changes tempo when Joji says the first line of the chorus a second time, “I can make you feel it closer, baby, one more time.”

“BLAHBLAHBLAH DEMO” currently has over 12 million streams and is the least streamed on the album.

YUKON (INTERLUDE)

Originally released on August 26th, “YUKON (INTERLUDE)” created anticipation and hype for the SMITHEREENS album.

YUKON expresses Joji’s wild mind and a little bit of the reckless lifestyle he used to have before fame. 

With lyrics like, “Speeding up on that all-black Demon Going west, I don’t got no reasons I was throwing stones at Hercules Throwing them so perfectly Circles at the Chevron I can’t be forever youn,” Joji jumps into his former self a little bit and can’t accept he won’t be young forever.

“YUKON (INTERLUDE)” has currently over 45 million streams on Spotify.

1AM FREESTYLE

Joji reminisces about the past on “1AM FREESTYLE”.

Joji’s lyrics show us he’s afraid of being alone in this life. 

The chorus “You know you can make it But you can’t make it alone.” 

On the verse “I’ve been playing memories in my mind Wishing you were there like all the time” shows Joji misses his past and what he had then.

“1AM FREESTYLE” currently has over 16 million streams on Spotify.

Feature image: Album collage created by JUSTEN NGUYEN

By MONIQUE VARELA and MARSHALL SCOTT

Taylor Swift released her latest album, Midnights, on Oct. 21 at 12 midnight. The idea for the album was for it to be released exactly at midnight, however, due to the different time zones, Midnights was released at 9 PM pst, 10 PM mst, and 11 PM cst. 

The album has 13 songs in total with one song, “Snow on the Beach,” which features Lana Del Ray. 

According to nylon.com, “Midnights has also broken several streaming records, including being the most streamed album in 24 hours (184.6 million streams) and the most streamed act on Spotify in 24 hours (228 million streams).” 

Swift fans thought that Midnights had a different vibe than her previous albums, as she has a tendency to make her albums about past failed relationships, so the change is something fans thoroughly enjoyed. 

You’re On Your Own, Kid

You’re On Your Own, Kid was the fifth track on the “Midnights” album. The song is about Swift’s own personal journey navigating gaining fame, love, and the people she has lost and gained throughout her journey through fame.

Though the song lyrics seem to be more closely related to Swift’s romantic side and wanting a boy’s attention. Throughout the song she continues gaining fame but yet still feeling alone even around so many people who love her.

She also seems to briefly address her past eating disorder in the song with the lyrics “I hosted parties and starved my body.”

The song strongly suggested that this song is about growing up and learning to release negative things from your past. Learn to keep the positives about life instead of the negatives.

Lavender Haze

Many fans speculated that “Lavender Haze” was Swift coming out as bisexual due to the color association. 

Christobal Hastings CNN article “How lavender became a symbol of LGBTQ resistance” states,  “In 1969, the color came to symbolize empowerment. Lavender sashes and armbands were distributed to a crowd of hundreds in a ‘gay power’ march from Washington Square Park to Stonewall Inn in New York, to commemorate the Stonewall riots that had just taken place a month before.” 

However, the song is actually about Swift’s relationship with her partner of six years, Joe Alwyn. People speculated that Swift and Alwyn were allegedly engaged which was neither confirmed nor denied. 

The lyric “All they keep asking me is if I’m gonna be your bride” makes it seem like Swift is tired of people asking whether Alwyn and Swift are going to get married.

Swift has spoken on social media about her relationship before as well as talking about the song. 

On an instagram post, she talked about the meaning of the song stating, “My relationship for six years, we’ve had to dodge weird rumors, tabloid stuff, and we just ignore it. This song is sort of about ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff.” 

Swift also mentions in the instagram post how she decided on the name of the song, Swift looked up the meaning of the term “Lavender Haze” which was a common phrase used in the 50’s that meant being in love. 

Maroon

Maroon was the second track on the Midnights album and is suspected to have a lot to do with past flings with lovers. Maroon is assumed by fans to be her backtrack to Swift’s “Red” album ex Jake Gyllenhal and her romance with Harry Styles. 

In the album Swift uses many colors to describe her emotions throughout the songs, one example would be the color maroon. With the song fans get to see deep into Swift’s thoughts and what keeps her up at night. 

In the song she talks about a lover she once had and remembers the first night they spent together.  Swift recalls the days and nights she spent with the lover which she felt she could really be herself around them.

The color maroon resembles what it used to be which was a bright red but it slowly burned out and turned to maroon, the color suggests it was similar to how the relationship between this lover went. Swift and her lover didn’t understand how to fix the drift and silence that came between them and all she has left are the memories that keep her up at night.

Anti-Hero

Within the Midnights album, Anti-hero was the third song. This song was very relatable for some of  fans and for Swift, as the song is about Swift’s insecurities and her anxiety in both her public and private life. 

On one of Swift’s Instagram posts she states that the song is one of her favorites on the album, “This song really is a real guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself,  We all hate things about ourselves” Swift says. 

In addition she says “So yeah, I like ‘Anti-Hero’ a lot because I think it’s really honest.” There are many deep lyrics in the song which can be interpreted in different ways. 

Some of the lyrics such as, “I should not be left alone to my own devices” and “I end up in crisis” can be seen as relatable to her fan as some people believe they shouldn’t be alone because they’re afraid of what could happen. 

In her music video she shows thoughts on her weight and appearance which caused controversy against some of her plus-sized fans. During the music video, Swift stands on a scale and it read “Fat” which is what Swift felt because of her eating disorder. 

Mastermind

Mastermind was actually the last song of her “Midnights” album.  This song was revealed by Swift to be about Joe Alwyn and her relationship origin story.

This is not the first time Swift has referenced Alwyn in her music but this song recaps the beginning of their love. Swift and Alwyn were considered to fall in love at first sight at the 2016 Met Gala. In the song it constantly describes how she felt meeting Alwyn and how she immediately felt something special about him.

The chorus shares her dedication and stubbornness to making things work out between herself and Alwyn naming herself the “Mastermind” behind their relationship. The song shows a lot of dedication between their relationship and has a nice twist from her music about all her past relationships that didn’t work out well.

Snow On the Beach (feat.Lana Del Ray)

Snow On the Beach is the fourth song on the Midnights album. Swift’s idea for Snow on the beach is the wonderful feeling of someone falling in love with a person as they’re falling for you too. 

It’s almost the feeling of a dream and realization of love. Like other songs on the album, this song is also assumed to be about her relationship with Alwyn. Lyrics that support this claim are “You wanting me tonight, feels impossible.” 

Midnight Rain

“Midnight Rain” was the sixth track on Midnights. The song’s meaning isn’t exactly known, however, guesses can be made by paying attention to the lyrics being sung. 

The possible meaning towards the song could be that Swift did not want to be the small-town girl she wanted to be well-known but her partner at the time could not have wanted that for Swift and wanted to lead a “normal” life. 

The lyrics “He wanted a bride, I was making my own name.” could have represented this idea.

Question…?

“Question…?” was the seventh track in the Midnights album. The true meaning of the song is unknown but queer fans of Swift believe the song might have something to do with Swifts former best friend and rumored kissing partner, Karlie Kloss. 

Queer fans believe this to true because the context in the song. The song uses mainly she/her pronouns. 

In the lyrics “Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room?” could be linked to Swift’s song “dress” in her album with the lyrics, “Our secret moments in a crowded room” and “I don’t want you like a best friend, I only bought so you could take it off.” 

Vigilante S— 

The eighth track in Midnights is Vigilante S—. Vigilante S— is said to be about a wife finding out about her cheating ex-husband who has also done some white-collared crimes. 

This song is also Swift’s second song to ruin a man’s reputation to avenge one of her friends. Swift helps the ex-wife take revenge on the ex-husband, while they are said to look hot doing it. 

The song allegedly references Scott “Scooter” Braun, who Big Machine sold six of Swift’s songs to. As well as the feud between Kim Kardasian and Kanye West with the rumored album “Karma” that was then reworked into “Reputation.” Swift’s fan base is excited for the alleged official music video to drop. 

Taylor Swift’s ’Midnights’ album CD in the target music section which includes the 13 songs as well as three bonus tracks. (MARSHALL SCOTT/Ethic News photo)

Bejeweled

The song Bejeweled was the seventh track on Swift’s new album. This song is a feel good song and reminds the listener to not settle for less and to those who feel or have felt taken advantage of. 

The song discusses dating someone who doesn’t treat Taylor how she wants to be treated, she starts to feel under appreciated and loses her shine. As the song progresses Swift realizes she is better without him and with or without him she can still “make the whole place shimmer.” 

One thing about the song that really caught people’s attention when one of the lyrics described Swift dancing with another man while talking to her lover about this new man. People suspect this may be a reference to Tom Hiddlestone they met at the 2016 Met Gala  and famously danced with him while she was still dating Calvin Harris. The dance quickly hit headlines in May 2016 and in early June 2016.

Labyrinth

Labyrinth was number ten in the Midnights album. The song Labyrinth is another song about her current long-term boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. The song represents how Swift was afraid to fall in love with Alwyn because of her failed past relationship. 

The lyrics “Oh no, I’m falling in love again” shows how Swift really panicked when she found herself falling for Alwyn. 

Another lyric, “I thought the plane was falling down how’d you turn it right around” shows how she originally thought that the relationship could’ve turned out badly because of past experiences but in fact, it’s going the complete opposite. 

Karma

Karma was placed 11th in the tracking list.The song is based off an album that was not released, also called “Karma.” 

When the song title was announced fans believed the song would be a diss track to rapper, Kanye West, only for fans to find out that was not the case. 

The meaning behind the song is “a perspective of feeling really happy, really proud of the way your life is.” 

Swift says, “Feeling like this must be a reward for doing stuff right, and it’s a song I really love because I think we all need some of those moments. We can’t just be beating ourselves up all the time.” 

The song also represents Swift’s long-term determination to have a life-long career, the lyrics “Ask me what I learned from all those years, ask me what I learned from all those tears.” show that determination Swift has.

Sweet Nothings

Sweet Nothings was Swift’s 12th  track on her album. In Midnights Swift did not shy away from getting personal in her lyrics about her life and love life. This song discusses her highs and lows that come with being in the public eye and figuring out her peace and comfort with her partner of six years, Alwyn. The song discusses herself seeking comfort and shelter from the outside world with Alwyn. Going in deeper she feels safe with her partner and is comfortable enough with Alwyn to show her deepest thoughts and insecurities without feeling judgment. Swift feels safe with him and doesn’t have to ask him for compliments to receive them.

Midnights was the first album to be released after her two year hiatus, this album quickly began to be a fan favorite for the relatable topics in many of her songs on the album. 

The album talks a lot about her struggles in life and also her feelings and love towards her six-year long relationship with Joe Alwyn. 

Additionally, to the Midnights Album, Swift also made an extended version with seven more songs giving Midnights 3AM 20 songs. 

These albums can be found on Spotify, Apple music as well as Youtube music.

Correction: The original publishing of this article did not include analysis of the songs Anti-hero or Mastermind. It was corrected on Dec. 2 at 2:55 pm.

By MAXWELL BRIGGS

Netflix released a show titled “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” on Sept. 21 and there are differing opinions on this show and how the cases of Dahmer and his victims were depicted. 

Accuracy

One glaring issue people have with this show is the inaccuracy throughout the show. 

For example, Glenda Cleveland, played by Niecy Nash, lived in a different apartment building than Dahmer’s and wasn’t his next-door neighbor as depicted in the show. To some, this may not seem like something significant, let alone something to think is wrong. 

Still, when depicting real-life instances like the Jefferey Dahmer case, details must be accurate, out of respect to the people that were involved in that case, especially those who lost family members and friends to that man; they deserve to have stories shared truthfully. 

The police on the case were already making the case even harder to solve due to their own inaccuracies about Dahmer.  Even the most minor details that may seem minuscule and irrelevant need to be depicted properly because this isn’t just an instance of disturbing fiction. 

This isn’t something that can be rewritten or have a spin-off, and that’s what some viewers of the show forgot.

Permission

This leads to another concern regarding the show, the directors, Ryan Murphy and Dan Brennan, did not get permission from the victim’s family to make this show and include their deceased loved ones. 

Eric Perry, the cousin of victim Errol Lindsey, shared on Twitter on Sept.  22, “No, they don’t notify the victims’ families when they do this. It’s all public record, so they don’t have to notify (or pay!)”

It was disrespectful and unnecessary for the directors not to do the bare minimum by seeking out the victims’ families and asking them how they feel about the show idea before they go along with any final decisions for the show. 

No matter which way you look at the dilemma of asking for permission and risk not being able to go along with the main plan for the show or  getting permission from the victims’ loved ones and possibly having to alter the whole show itself,  the most reasonable option seems clear. 

There’s a possibility that co-directors couldn’t find any link of family or friends to some of the victims, or maybe their loved ones simply shut the idea down right away; either way, straightforward communication is necessary when handling such cases.

Casting

Another complaint is the casting choice, especially for one person in particular. 

It was a poor casting choice in the long run to cast Evan Peters, a notoriously known and loved horror actor,  to play Jeffrey Dahmer, a genuinely vile human being. 

While Peters has played immoral roles in the past (i.e. Kai Anderson from “American Horror Story,” a raging sexist, alt-right, Trump supporter), the issue is, Jeffery Dahmer isn’t just some creepy spooky slasher from a horror movie like Jason Vorhees or Micheal Myers. He was a real person, who impacted other very real people, but some viewers from the show have made some kind of disconnect between this show and the real events that the show is based upon. 

It just seems as if some fans of his long life work, the viewers that will watch whatever piece of media he’s a part of as long as he’s in it, forget the fact that this isn’t just a typical casting role for Peters to play, it’s based on real life, real stories, real people that had the misfortune of coming across that man.

A question to those (specifically non-black cisgender heterosexual people) that have watched the ¨Monster¨ series and make jokes about what the victims had to live through before passing away for shock factor, or to the people who decided to dress up as Dahmer after getting inspiration from the show:

 How does fiction affect perceived reality; how do  real-life events affect fiction? 

And truly, is someone able  to decipher the fact that just because something is on television  it does not mean it can’t, doesn’t, or hasn’t already been carried out into reality.

In this case, unfortunately, it already has.

So there truly is no excuse.

Featured image photo collage designed by JUSTEN NGUYEN

By CHRISTIAN CHAPPAROSA

One of the most influential math rock bands, “Chon,” is a four-person group consisting of both Mario Camarena and Erick Hansel as the lead guitarists, Nathan Camarena as the drummer, and Esiah Camarena as the bassist (although there have been different bassists throughout the years of their tours). The band started small. As younger adolescents, Mario and Erick were already extremely talented guitarists with bright futures ahead of them. This was shown beautifully with their small demo EP in 2008. They decided they wanted to do live shows, so Mario had Esiah (his brother) on board, and also taught 11-year-old Nathan (little brother) how to play drums. With everything all together, the band is official. 

2008 Demo EP: 

-Across The Spectrum

-Mountains of Creation

-Temporarily Destabilized 

-Elliptical Illuminations 

This short EP shed light on Mario and Erick’s song-composing skills at a young age. Each song displays absurd and complex riffage. One could also hear how much another math rock band, “The Fall of Troy,” influenced the band’s sound in terms of guitar tone and riff ideas. As much as I enjoy each song from this sort of EP, a particular piece stands out between the four songs. Temporarily Destabilized has incredibly catchy rhythms and jazzy solos that will stay in your head for weeks. It’s also more significant in length and progresses more than any other song within the band’s whole discography. Overall an album that stands out and gets better every listen.  

Releases created before or after the 2008 EP:

-Newborn Sun

-O.G.

-Breathe

-The Perfect Pillow 

These releases were used regularly during the band’s live sets between 2009-2013. Newborn Sun would come to have a re-recording in their 2013 album, “Newborn Sun,” and The Perfect Pillow getting a re-recording in their 2015 album, “Grow.” I thought this era of Chon was their accumulation of all of their influences, mixed with finger breaking arpeggios and interesting solos. Although these songs have no right being as good as they are, this mesh isn’t quite what I’d define for the band as a whole, since I’d regard their first 8 songs as “refreshers for those that are tired of listening to metal.”

2013 Newborn Sun: 

-Potion

-Puddle

-Fluffy

-Dew

-Bubble Dream 

-Frosting

-Newborn Sun 

With this next EP, Chon still keeps their metal influence but makes a more significant push for melodies and atmosphere with short and sweet songs for “Potion” and “Frosting.” It is also home to their most iconic piece, “Bubble Dream,” which put them on the map and a staple for the math and prog community as a whole.. Also, “Dew” has a beautiful ethereal solo, and I think everyone should listen to this song. It shows how fast Mario and Erick have improved over the past few years. 

2014 Woohoo! EP: 

-Super Potion

-Knot

-Ecco

-Sketch

-Dust

-Suda

With each new release, Chon continues evolving their music and is not afraid to take risks. When I first listened to this EP, I wouldn’t say I was much of a fan then. But over the years, I became a little upset that I never listened to this small album as much as their other works. This EP is home to an interesting batch of songs, with only pure acoustic guitar on Super Potion written by Erick and Dust by Mario. Not only this, “Ecco” would be the band’s first song to have vocals sung by their bassist at the time, Drew Palisek. All and all, this EP has exciting ideas, especially with how “Knot” and “Sketch” have such groovy ending riffs and the beautiful melodies within “Suda.” 

2015 Grow(Band’s first official album):

-Drift 

-Story

-Fall

-Book (Feat. Matt Garstka)

-Can’t wait

-Suda

-Knot

-Moon

-Splash

-Perfect Pillow

-Echo (re-recording of Ecco)

-But (Feat. Matt Garstka)

After years of growing popularity, Chon was able to sign with a record label, Sumerian Records, and debut their first official album, fully licensed. At the time of the release, there were mixed opinions regarding the album, as almost half of it was re-recorded songs. But after time, it was much more appreciated; since this was the band’s first full album, they needed to showcase some of their best stuff to reach out to people newer to the band and the genre itself. But even with the convoluted reasonings, I believe this is the band’s holy grail album. “Story” and “Splash” structure the vibe you feel while listening to this masterpiece. “Can’t Wait” would be the crowd pleaser among the community, and “Fall” is, in my opinion, a perfect song from beginning to end. This album also features guest artist, well-renowned drummer, “Matt Garstka,” from the prog-metal band, “Animals as leaders.” The two songs featuring him really do mesh well with Mario and Erick’s writing. I forgot to mention that the band’s drummer, Nathan, doesn’t yet write any of their drum tracks, as his drum mentor, Brian Evans, is the one pulling the strings. 

2017 Homey Album:

-Sleepy Tea

-Waterslide

-Berry Streets (Feat. GoYama)

-No Signal

-Checkpoint

-Nayhoo (Feat. Lophiile, Masego)

-Here and There

-The Space

-Feel This Way (Feat. Giraffage)

-Continue? 

-Glitch (Feat. ROM)

-Wave Bounce

For Chon’s second album, they’ve decided to take even bigger risks and experiment with not only their sound but do collaboration pieces with other artists. They’re using more post-processing, different balances and effects within their songs while still incorporating their roots as a math-rock band. I am a little on the fence with this album as a whole. I didn’t really enjoy the featured artists’ songs, as I don’t think the songs are nearly as catchy or memorable as their other tracks. This also goes for the ones they did create as only the band, with the exception of “Waterslide,” and “Sleepy Tea,” as they are the face of the album. I will say I’m never not impressed by how the band can make such complex and virtuosic riffs that flow so well within each of their songs. 

2019 CHON Self-Titled Album:

-Ghost 

-Cloudy

-Gift

-Visit

-Petal

-Pitch Dark

-Rosewood

-If

-Spike

-Dead End

-Thanks

-Peace

With the third and, as of currently, the band’s final album, we hit a close. In retrospect, I’m happy that this album wasn’t my introduction to Chon. As a listener since “Grow,” you feel the total weight of each song, seeing how far the band’s come. “Ghost” was probably the best choice to use for the first track. It was a hopeful introduction into the rest of the album, with Mario and Erick completely shredding on their guitars. Despite the more simplistic melodies, Chon can really incorporate intense riffs and drum fills together without breaking the song’s initial flow. With regards to “Spike,” this song was definitely written as a callback to their earlier works, literally being able to hear the main theme of “Bubble Dream” at the end of the track. And the album’s final song, “Peace” completely subverts your expectations. Every track from this album has such distinctness, being able to tell one from the other. In conclusion, Chon has never made a bad song, but I just didn’t personally enjoy this album as much as I did with their other works; it all seemed just a little surreal that this would possibly be their last album they’d make.

By THEA LENDENG

There have been many interpretations of Elvis Presley’s life. These interpretations have caused Elvis to gain a lot of hate because of false facts. Although, with Austin Butler and the director, Baz Luhrmann, showed  Elvis’ name and reputation justice.

Austin Butler had two  years to prepare playing Elvis and during that time, he hired a professional swim coach that had also worked with the cast of “Bohemian Rhapsody”  to really get the shakes and wiggles down just like Elvis himself. 

After watching even just a few of his interviews, Butler expresses the type of pressure he felt having to portray Elvis in an acceptable and satisfactory way. He has stated, “What made me nervous was Elvis was so loved and so iconic, you feel responsibility playing any human that has actually lived, but with him it’s like, it’s a weight like I never felt before,” he said. 

Butler added, “And there’s a responsibility to his family and also putting his story into context. That’s the thing.”

He papered his walls with photos of the musician, and spent his days studying and mimicking Elvis’s movements in addition to his voice. Pouring himself into the role came with a cost for Butler. He put so much energy into resurrecting Elvis that his body revolted less than 24 hours after they finished filming.

Butler perfected the voice of Elvis since he had been working on it for 2 years with no end, so it has stuck with him. Fans and interviewers have wondered why Butler still has the voice of Elvis lingering in his own.

Butler said, “That was the voice I spoke in for two years. It was so habitual…You get done and you kinda don’t remember what your natural voice is.”

Butler singing all the songs in the Elvis movie has surprised many. 

Even personally, I believed he was just lip syncing until I got home and did my own research on it.I suggest watching the movie and interviews on your own, the effort put into the movie, not just by Austin Butler but the whole team did an outstanding job.

By EMERSON SUTOW

Originally starting as a graphic novel by Alice Oseman, “Heartstoper” has gained traction as a Netflix Original Series that was released on Apr. 22, 2022. The show follows a boy by the name of Charlie Spring and the trials and tribulations of being a gay teen in the Truham Grammar School for Boys.

Consisting of only eight episodes, the story has many forms of LGBTQ+ representation, including same sex couples, closeted LBGT students, and a transgender student. Although they are the main characters, their sexuality does not take over the entirety of their personalities like some other shows trying to show LGBT representation. Each character has a complex relationship with themself and who they are, along with the friendships between them and their classmates. 

One notable character is Elle Argent, a transgender student who recently transfered to the all girls school, Harvey Greene Grammar School for Girls, also know as Higgs. The show depicts her not being accepted and continuously called by her deadname and incorrect pronouns at school, which is a sad reality for many trangender people. 

The show takes place in England and begins with Charlie being in a toxic relationship with a boy named Ben. He had been using Charlie while he was still in the closet, causing a lot of pressure on Charlie making him feel more like an object to Ben than a boyfriend.  

Nick Nelson is then introduced as the tablemate of Charlie in his new form (or homeroom). Nick fits the straight rugby player stereotype and so Charlie is told to abandon his feelings for Nick after confiding in his friends, Elle, Isaac Henderson, and Tao Xu. His relationship with Nick continues and they eventually become close friends as Nick had asked Charlie to join the rugby team for his speed. 

This angers many of the characters including Nick’s friends on the rugby team and leads to many homophobic remarks to be made. This bullying is another sad reality for being an out member of the LGBT community and is more accurately representing than having the token gay kid as a side character trope. 

In the meantime, Elle is at Higgs and she finds a small group of friends, Tara Jones and Darcy Olsson. It is later learned they are a lesbian couple and furthers the representation past just the boys relationship. 

The rugby team, unaware of Tara’s relationship, tries repeatedly to get Nick to go on a date with her, as they kissed when they were younger. But Nick was too preoccupied with questioning his sexuality and developing feelings for Charlie. After taking many “am i gay?” quizzes and researching online, he comes to terms with being bisexual because he developed a crush on Charlie. 

This leads to another common situation where Nick isn’t ready to come out and face the harsh reality of his classmates’ views but still wants to be with Charlie. They are unofficially together  in secret with only telling their close friends who fully accept and respect them. 

Nick begins to bring Charlie around his friends and they then go to see a movie, with the promise that Ben and Harry(the leader of the group that often bullies Charlie) will not be there. Consequently, Henry is there and continues to give Charlie a hard time for being gay which leads to Nick standing up for him and getting in a fight with Harry which ends with Harry being suspended. 

After these events, Nick is ready to come out and officially be Charlie’s boyfriend . There is a very heartwarming scene where Nick’s mother accepts her son and his confession and his relationship with Charlie. 

Although the show has a bit of a happy ending, this is not the end of the story. The graphic novel already goes beyond the show with Nick and Charlie’s relationship and Netflix has announced the show will have 2 more seasons to follow more on their lives.

By ELLA FITZPATRICK

The classic American novel Little Women, was written by Louisa May Alcott in 1868 and has now been turned into a motion picture. The story follows the four March sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy as they experience the gender constraints of the time as well as poverty. They look up to their mother and her lessons that family and love come first, that one should always forgive no matter how hard it may be, and that one of the greatest joys is giving.

In this coming-of-age film, the four sisters navigate through the ups and downs of life’s uncharted map to become the truest, most authentic versions of themselves. They all must recognize their strengths and weaknesses and attempt to do better and learn from their mistakes. Their mother, Marmee, played by Laura Dern, plays a role model to look up to as well as someone to come to in a time of need. 

This movie adaptation also covers situations one may encounter in life such as disappointment, loss of trust, loss of a loved one, uncertainty, betrayal, and the judgement of others. Through all of this, they overcome adversity through love and kindness. 

Unlike most movies, there is no villain. Instead, the director, Greta Gerwig’s, adaptation of the film shows all of the characters inner struggles, whether it’s Jo’s loneliness, Laurie’s laziness and broken heart, Beth’s shyness, or Amy’s pressure to marry rich and support the rest of her family. The girls must also uphold the expectations of women in society to marry as an economic proposition and to take care of their children.

In addition, Greta Gerwig does an outstanding job of echoing the books characters whom were originally based off of the former Alcott sisters. Although the lives of the March girls were very different than the Alcotts, Jo March in the 2019 film, played by Saorise Ronan, reenacted a magnificent portrayal. Jo lived in New York as a writer and school teacher to pay the bills, similar to what Alcott did to support her family when writing Little Women. She was also a free spirit who redefined the trends of the time making her way in the world by not marrying and supporting herself while proving to others that “ Women…have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty” as Jo March had stated. It was palpable that she wanted to support herself and not depend on a man, to be a “free spinster” as Alcott had said in her journal.

In the end, the March girls were able to guide themselves with the life lessons they learned when following their hearts, whether it was to pursue their talents or to find love. The film exposes viewers to topics of the time including gender inequality and the American Civil War. This movie would be great a watch for viewers who enjoy quirky coming-of-age movies or even enjoyed Louisa May Alcott’s novel which is also followed by two others of the series. 

Featured Photo: The main characters of the novel stand together during a scene in a movie. (Photo Credit to Columbia Pictures)

By AVALON SALVADORE

“Dolly Parton’s America” is a new 9-episode podcast about Dolly Parton’s life and influence on pop culture. It is created and hosted by Jad Abumrad, a US radio host and creator of the series Radiolab. (Christine De Carvalho / WYNC Studios)

When you think of country music, what do you envision? Perhaps a pickup truck, a man in his cups singing about heartbreak or big cowboy hats, over the years country music has changed dramatically as it transitioned from soulful, heart wrenching tunes and to the bostrious pop-inspired country of today. The constant, however, remains the reigning queen of country herself: Dolly Parton. Parton’s journey in professional music started at the age of 10 when she began to perform in her community and slowly worked her way up to a duet with Porter Wagner  in 1967, which launched the budding singer into stardom. 

Parton’s musical career is absolutely awe inspiring. Although she is a formidable fixture in the country music world, Parton’s music goes beyond the realm of country. In the new podcast “Dolly Parton’s America,” host Jad Abumrad extolls Parton’s impact on America throughout her entire career. The podcast spotlights the country star’s outlook on the world, the depth of her  music and her mission to heal the divide that afflicts America’s political climate. 

The podcast opens with Abumrad inviting the listener on a journey back to the 2016 presidential election when America was arguably its most divided in recent history. Despite the ideological rift, Parton toured across America and attracted audience members from all walks of life. Parton reaches the hearts of people all over America, reaching countless communities such our very own Redlands. With the 2020 election on the horizon, the extraordinary way that Parton can bring people together may just be what Redlands needs during this time of strife and division. “Dolly Parton’s America” is just a glimpse into just how beneficial Parton’s music can be for individuals of all walks of life.

By AALEYAH WINSLOW

Note: If you have not watched the movie, this article contains some spoilers.

“You think your life is hard, I’m a high school junior wearing size 13 nikes, mens size 13 nikes, beat that.” Jodi Kreyman , played by Ava Michelle, the main character from the movie “Tall Girl” on Netflix, could not tell you the half of it. This movie takes the viewer through the “complex” life of Jodi. She is a tall girl who receives questions such as “how’s the weather up there” on a daily basis by her peers.

Jodi is not like other girls, especially when it comes to having a love life. Most girls do not struggle to find a boyfriend due to height restrictions, a sentiment which Jodi can’t share due to her height. There is a potential suitor, Dunkleman, played by Griffin Gluck, but he is too short for a tall girl like Jodi, as in 5’7” short. A typical relationship will have the girl shorter than the boy, which can’t be said for Jodi.

Since Jodi is taller, she has essentially given up on the chance of a love life at all, until the gorgeous foreign exchange student from Sweden walks into Chemistry class. Stig, played by Luke Eisner, stands at 6’2”, compatible to Jodi’s height. 

Throughout the rest of the movie, Stig and Jodi appear to fall in love. Life is now better for Jodi, because she has a good looking boy who just so happens to be taller than her. Towards the end of the movie, at a party, Stig is recorded denying his feelings for Jodi, and making her out to be crazy. Dunklemen, seeing this, gives a speech defending Jodi’s honor, and proceeds to fight Stig. Jodi later sees the video and realizes who she should really be with, and in the end, she and Dunklemen make a great couple

After watching the movie, many viewers wasted no time sharing their thoughts. Videos made on the Tik Tok app(an iOS and Android social media video app for creating and sharing short lip-sync, comedy, and talent videos), quickly surfaced, in response.

 There was a Tik Tok made where the creator started off by sharing the scene from the movie where Jodi explains how she is 6’1” and wears mens size 13 nikes. Next the creator edited in a part of themselves and said “I have cancer.”Another was made where a different creator played the same scene from the movie then edited in a part of themselves saying “I have abusive parents.”

These responses are bold and hit deep. It makes viewers of the movie and Tik Toks realize that there are problems worse than being tall.  Along with these Tik Toks, there have been several news articles written regarding the movie. These articles discuss how this movie is just like every other romantic comedy but just with the protagonist being a tall girl. For example, similar to all other romantic comedies, there is a girl, a crush, a best friend, and a mean girl. Viewers were upset at how being tall was victimized in a romantic comedy, and consequently gave “Tall Girl” a negative review.

By AHLORA SMITH

Endgame: the name that has been in the spotlight of the world’s attention for months.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has built the most splendid and bustling movie franchise in history over the past decade, destroying box office records and blowing the minds of viewers of all ages. All this has led up to the internet destroyer that is Avengers: Endgame, which was released April 26, six days shy of the 11 year anniversary of the original MCU release: Iron Man.

Now, Endgame was a giant roller coaster of emotions, as expected, so here are the top moments from the film for six infinity types, in honor of the six infinity stones.

There will be spoilers, and you have been warned.

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Humor

Scott Lang’s taco

Everyone’s favorite Ant-Man is simply sitting and enjoying his hard shell taco when Nebula and Rocket touch down in the Milano outside of the Avengers headquarters. Because of the wind from the ship’s turbines, all of Scott’s fillings flew from the taco, leaving him with a mere shell. Bruce then walks out and gives Scott two new tacos to compensate for his loss.

Professor Hulk takes a picture

This moment had audiences reeling, with a few of the Avengers sitting in a diner booth when the newly introduced Professor Hulk gets approached by a few young fans asking for a picture. After Scott takes it, he asks the kids if they would like a photo with him, since he is Ant-Man. The conversation then morphs into an entirely awkward but hilarious exchange when Bruce pushes the kids to take a picture with Scott while all three parties go in a circle of denials and encouragements. The exchange ends with the perfect button: “Hulk out!”

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Surprise/ Shock

Thanos is killed in the beginning

Endgame was supposed to be the epic saga leading up to the return of the decimated and ending with the death of Thanos, right? Wrong. Within the first 15 minutes, the Avengers tracked down Thanos and chopped off the gauntlet. After this, he revealed that he had used the stones to destroy them. In disgust and opportunity, Thor decapitates him and falls into a deep depression.

5 years later

Generally, Marvel speculators theorized that there would be some sort of time jump from Infinity War to this film, but the shock in the air still remains when the black screen flashes “5 years later.” This means a completely different movie than it could have been had the time jump been shorter or completely nonexistent. It means that the characters have now lived in a world where the decimation has simply been a part of life, and they can move on, although this is not the case for our Avengers.

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Sentimental

Scott reunites with Cassie

After returning from the quantum realm five years after he went in (thank you, Mr. Rat!), Scott rushes around the destroyed San Francisco after he finds out what happened while he was gone in hopes to find his daughter, Cassie. Of course, the five-year time jump means that Cassie is now a grown teenager, so the girl who opens the door to Scott is almost unrecognizable. Despite this, the pause that both actors take to completely give in to the moment is simply bliss for the audience, reminding them of their own dear relationships.

Tony’s last interaction with Howard

Over the past decade, audiences have seen flashbacks to the ever-complicated relationship between Howard and Tony Stark. We have seen a lot of emotional trauma and confusion in Tony’s life, but there is the everlasting love and attention that Tony wanted from his father that is so heart-wrenching. When he and Steve go back to the 1970s to retrieve the tesseract, Tony has a solid conversation with his father while his mother is pregnant with him. Funny, right? The conversation ends when Steve calls Tony over and Tony hugs his father, letting him know that it will be okay.

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MCU Fan Easter Eggs

Cap in the elevator

This is a fun reference to Captain America: The Winter Soldier in which Steve was in an elevator with some Hydra agents. In the movie, Cap politely asks, “Before we get started, would anyone like to get out?” before absolutely destroying everyone in the elevator single handedly. In Endgame, Steve got into an elevator with the men, giving audiences the impression of an impending and epic battle. Instead, he whispered a “hail Hydra” in order to get ahold of Loki’s scepter, which had the mind stone in it.

Harley Keener

The average Endgame viewer most likely did not recognize the lone teenage boy standing towards the back at Tony’s final send-off; however, for the keen MCU fans, this young man is recognized immediately. He is Harley Keener, a young boy from Iron Man 3. He finds that Tony broke into his garage after losing battery in his small town, and he helps Tony fix his suit and return home. The last that we see of Harley in that movie is Tony giving him a plethora of parts and robotics tools. It can be assumed that because he is at Tony’s funeral, they did continuously keep in contact, which is just painful to the mind and soul.

Bucky and Steve’s goodbye

In Captain America: The First Avenger, pre-serum Steve must say goodbye to his lifetime friend, Bucky Barnes, as he is being sent to fight in the war. In their final exchange, Bucky warns Steve, “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone,” followed by Steve’s “How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.” This exchange is reprised at the end of Endgame when Steve is about to go back in time, except the boys switch who say what. This makes the moment bittersweet for even people that wouldn’t understand the reference, but for MCU fans, it is the cherry on top of their epic companionship.

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Devastation

Natasha’s sacrifice

In an adrenaline-rushing sequence, the audience sees Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff trying to exchange themselves for the soul stone while preventing the other from doing it. The push, pull and shock of the sequence already leaves audiences at least melancholy, since one of them is obviously going to die. In the end, Natasha slyly latches Clint to the top of the cliff while he desperately holds onto her arm, unwilling to let go. With a final “it’s okay,” Natasha uses the force of kicking off the side of the cliff to slip out of Clint’s hold, leaving Clint and the audience absolutely distraught as the camera pans down to her body.

Tony’s final moments

Now, this moment closed the book on Tony Stark’s epic character development, and it is completely devastating. Tony wields the stones and snaps his fingers in order to rid the universe of Thanos and his army before succumbing to the radiation of the power that rushes through his body. The audience sees the huge radiation gash on his face before he finally collapses with the help of Rhodey. During this, Peter is again a significant part of a death, and he again makes it completely heartbreaking with his “We won, Mr. Stark” and “I’m sorry, Tony.” Tony’s final words are “Hey, Pep” to his wife before she tells him that it’s okay and that he can go.

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Satisfaction

Captain America wields Mjolnir

This is the moment that audiences have been waiting for since the infamous party scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron when everyone was attempting to lift Thor’s hammer, which can only be lifted by those worthy to rule Asgard. Steve is able to slightly lift it but gives up, leaving a worried Thor in the background of the scene. In Endgame, Thanos is holding Stormbreaker, Thor’s axe, to Thor’s chest, creating a parallel with the first movie when the roles were switched. There is then an angle to Mjolnir being lifted, which some audience members assume is Thor summoning it. On the contrary, the hammer is thrown at Thanos’ head and returns to none other than Steve Rogers. Audience reactions are fairly similar to Thor’s immediate “I knew it!”, leaving huge satisfaction for those that have followed the MCU over the years.

Tony and Peter’s reunion

In the middle of the epic battle, Tony is down for an exhaust break when Spider-Man hops into the frame to tell Tony his story. The very excitable teenager goes on a long and winded tangent of how the events were experienced from the perspective of the dusted as they returned to where the decimation occured. Tony cuts off Peter by throwing him off guard and giving him a warm hug, to which Peter remarks “Ah, this is nice.” Their relationship during the MCU has been funny and warm at the same time, starting with an awkward “hug” when Tony was opening a car door for Peter and ending with them clinging to each other as Peter is dusted away. This reunion and hug assures that Tony and Peter truly love each other, and it is beautiful.

The dance

Steve Rogers’ introduction to the MCU came in Captain America: The First Avenger also followed his relationship with the beautiful and strong Peggy Carter. During a conversation in the middle of this movie, pre-serum Steve and Peggy have a conversation that Steve has never danced before, and he tells her that he “just [hasn’t] found the right partner yet.” After this, there was no doubt that Steve wanted Peggy to be his dance partner. At the concluding moments of the movie, Steve and Peggy plan their dance date as he flies an enemy jet into the ice, where he would remain for 70 years. Over the course of the MCU, it is obvious that Steve never gets over his true love, and neither has she, as seen in The Winter Soldier when the 93 year old Peggy Carter cries upon Steve’s presence. Fans’ desire for them to have their dance is only amplified in the movies closer to Endgame, and it is finally given at the close of the movie. The flashback sequence of Steve and Peggy dancing to “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” is both a tear-jerker and quite possibly the most satisfying ending that the Russo brothers could have given to Marvel’s Infinity Saga.