Music Reviews
Sam Fender Is a Genuine Generational Talent
Sam Fender takes another big step forward on People Watching, which includes a satisfying collection of songs about the human experience.
Music Features
Katy Perry’s Mortality-Tinged ‘143’ Marks Her Smartest Era Yet
Katy Perry’s morality-tinged 143 is self-aware and cunningly invites fans to tune in to her “love frequency”.
Film
Moses Sumney’s ‘Blackalachia’ and the Forest
In Moses Sumney’s beautiful 2021 performance film Blackalachia, the forest is a friend, a threat, a looming watcher, and an extension of the narrator’s person.
Television
The Penguin’s Means, Ends, and Morality
‘The Penguin’ compels us to interrogate our morality: do we treat others in our lives only as means to an end?
Books
Ayşegül Savaş’ Weirdo Artists and Anxious Women
For Turkish author Ayşegül Savaş, a midway point between “normalness” and artistry seems both bridgeable and impossible.
Games
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II’s Success Lies in Its Meme-Worthiness
Arguably 2025’s best RPG video game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II‘s success stems largely from its humorous meme appeal.
Lists
10 Legendary Dance Rock Albums
Dance rock is so intricately involved with the two genres that it almost seems beside the point to mention their pairing. Yet, the style has been massively influential.
Interviews
Melodic Hardcore’s Stunning Mid-2020s Resurgence
Hardcore has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity since 2020. Subsequently, the past two years have brought a revived interest in melodic hardcore.
PopMatters Picks
Sam Fender Is a Genuine Generational Talent
Sam Fender takes another big step forward on People Watching, which includes a satisfying collection of songs about the human experience.