‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Lets You Pick Your Poison
Like Homer’s The Odyssey, Mike White’s The White Lotus is a parable for its times, warning viewers about the dangers of temptation.
Matthew Dwyer
Matthew Dwyer recently graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. He currently works in education and writes about pop culture, music, TV, and film on the side.
Tate McRae Is ‘So Close’ to a Being Bona Fide Superstar
Tate McRae’s well-crafted third album, So Close to What, cements her as a pop mainstay, but leaves the future unclear.
‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ at 25 and the Power of Perception
While The Talented Mr. Ripley acknowledges that 1950s-era gay men lived in hiding, Ripley uses his perceived status as a privileged male shrewdly.
Selena Gomez Stops Time on ‘I Said I Love You First’
Selena Gomez’s fourth album zooms out on her celebrity presence, zooms in on her personal life, and hints at happiness and conflict.
Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ Subverts Being Trapped in a Glass Castle
For her 1989 album, Taylor Swift wrote breakup songs that cleverly conveyed to fans she had personal freedom even from within her glass castle.
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Wherever You Go, There You Are: ‘Interstellar’ at 10 Resonates
Although it aims to portray humanity’s future, sci-fi film Interstellar‘s message – that our greatest asset and liability is ourselves – resonates in our times.
Lady Gaga Falls For Her Own Mythology on ‘Harlequin’
On Harlequin, a companion album to The Joker: Folie a Deux, Lady Gaga uses “vintage pop” to strengthen the mythology around her persona.
Sabrina Carpenter’s Glittery Matrix on ‘Short n’ Sweet’
Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet displays her ability to imbue pristine pop production with personal flair, sparking a long overdue breakout.
Beabadoobee Is Timeless on ‘This Is How Tomorrow Moves’
On her third album, This Is How Tomorrow Moves, Beatrice Laus, also known as beabadoobee, blends folk and rock to create a timeless fantasy world.
Ice Spice’s Good Karma on ‘Y2K!’
Ice Spice’s Y2K! may have an obvious title, named for her birth year, but she wasn’t born yesterday. In 2024, stating a fact is the realest thing you can do.
Clairo’s ‘Charm’ Is a Fatal Attraction
By using a fleeting moment of attraction as its concept, Clairo’s ‘Charm’ surveys the damage love affairs, both long-lasting and short-lived, can inflict.
Gracie Abrams and the Secret of Confessional Writing
The strong hooks on The Secret of Us provide the missing third dimension to Gracie Abrams’ songs and create a winning formula that could sustain more albums.