Splendor Squalor (out now on Kanine), the second full-length from Brooklyn-based Xray Eyeballs, finds the quartet in a much poppier place than they were on their first effort, Not Nothing. The raw, energetic sound backing O.J. San Felipe’s husky vocals is still present, along with the perfect blend of nostalgia for sounds of the past with a vision decidedly focused on the future. But if Not Nothing felt like a Velvet ... Read More

After an especially traumatic breakup, Islands frontman Nick Thorburn moved from New York to Los Angeles, looking to find solace in a new environment. On Valentine’s Day of last year, Thorburn sat down at a piano and began to play what would become A Sleep & A Forgetting (out now on Anti-), an album in which Thorburn exorcises the demons of his heartbreak, showing both despair and forward-looking optimism. Recorded in just two ... Read More

Fake game shows were the name of the, yes, game, on this week’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race. For the mini challenge, Ru invented a four-round test of endurance called—wait for it—Beat the Cock. I will render its brilliance in detail for you here so that you may recreate it at home, because you are definitely, definitely going to want to play. The first round was essentially Pin the Tail on the Donkey, only the tail ... Read More

Last night on RuPaul’s Drag Race, things that we were only partially certain of became crystal clear. Phi Phi O’Hara, previously only semi-evil, went full Maleficent. The source of Willam’s high opinion of himself was revealed to be a guest stint on Sex and the City (which, by the way, ended eight years ago). Max Mutchnick, co-creator of Will & Grace, was every bit as demanding as you’d expect a TV executive to ... Read More

Melt, the title of Young Magic's debut (out now on Carpark), is just one word that could describe how the songs on this record came together. The album is not only a melting pot of the group’s talents but a retelling of their musical journeys, long in both miles and inspiration. In 2010, producer and Australian native Isaac Emmanuel found himself recording music while traveling across Europe and in the U.S. and Mexico. Coincidentally, ... Read More