“I wanted to share my experiences because I felt that without it, people wouldn’t truly understand me. Although it was composed long before Michelle's arrival in Seoul, similar themes are also present in ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’. ‘This isn’t an album where I thought, ‘this will surpass ‘Jubilee’,’’ she acknowledges. ‘I aimed to create a record that was a stark contrast to [‘Jubilee’], intending a darker aesthetic both visually and sonically. I was eager to make a guitar album too, since the arrangements on ‘Jubilee’ were so expansive that I often lacked the space to simply play guitar while fronting as the vocalist. This discomfort lingered with me for the past three years.’
‘At first, I wanted to make a somewhat eerie record,’ she continues. ‘That seemed like an intriguing direction.’ The writing began with songs like ‘Honey Water’ and ‘Mega Circuit’, featuring ‘a lot of peculiar, suspended, dissonant chords’. However, she gradually found herself drawn back to themes of melancholy, becoming intrigued by mythology and its flawed heroes, filled with their own tragic shortcomings. ‘I’ve always had a deep interest in mythology, particularly Greek mythology, as I find it captivating that these gods are not virtuous; they’re quite corrupt and wield their power wrongly. They make errors and are unfaithful and cruel. Many of these songs... while not moral lessons, explore individuals wrestling with concepts of right and wrong.’
‘I discovered that the underlying thread in these songs revolves around people who yield to some form of temptation or are on the verge of upsetting some equilibrium in their lives. They are either facing consequences, dealing with regret, or attempting to find a way forward. As I composed more songs, I realized that was the narrative arc and connection.’
Michelle also utilized a writing approach she's cherished since her time in Little Big League: ‘writing from perspectives that are difficult for me to grasp or frighten me.’ Consequently, several tracks on ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’ are from the viewpoints of men facing feelings of alienation or misunderstanding. A sense of violence simmers beneath ‘Mega Circuit’; ‘Plotting blood with your incel eunuchs,’ she sings, ‘I could be the home you need.’
‘What I truly enjoy about creating music is the ease of shifting between fiction and nonfiction,’ she reflects. ‘I’m uncertain of their origins… perhaps they stem from reading or ideas I was contemplating personally or politically, like with ‘Mega Circuit’.
‘When I consider that kind of temptation, I think of a younger generation of men experiencing a power shift, feeling politically isolated and being drawn towards a political party that accepts them as they are rather than punishing them for differing viewpoints or confusion,’ she remarks, referencing a very relevant issue currently unfolding. ‘It’s a conflicting emotion of wanting to embrace a lost generation, which poses a serious political dilemma for everyone.’
'I was also preoccupied with that for ‘Orlando in Love.’ I was reading The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann and found the protagonist incredibly charming. I envisioned this whimsical, fancy, yet foolish character—sort of naive and easily manipulated into staying at the sanatorium. Regarding Orlando [in Matteo Maria Boiardo’s epic poem Orlando Innamorato], I imagined this man by the sea being seduced by fire. ‘Little Girl’ is about a father who has made numerous errors in his life, resulting in a peculiar relationship with his daughter, and he’s expressing regret about those choices.
‘I struggle to comprehend that viewpoint, and I believe there's a desire to foster compassion for such individuals to understand them better,’ she mentions, referring back to her earlier writing method. ‘I think we can come closer to addressing these issues if we confront them thoughtfully and compassionately, rather than dismissing them entirely. I find that approach more productive, which motivates me to seek it out.’”
JEZEBEL has never truly departed. From Ibiza to London, Tokyo to St. Tropez, it has always been more than merely a celebration; it’s a movement. On March 26th, they
Chappell Roan’s gradual ascent has now turned into a blazing fire. Following years of building momentum, 2024 marked the American artist’s shining moment with the release of her debut album.
.jpeg)
JADE continues to create one of the most intriguing narratives in modern pop, this time presenting 'FUFN (Fuck For You Now)’. It is a maximalist creation, the
Swiss producer NVST has released a new project titled 'Dreaming Of Us While Slowly Catching Fire In a Place I Never Belonged'. This project is now available and showcases the versatile artist.
Cyberpunk is currently regarded as the final significant popular interpretation of the future. Since its rise in the early 1980s, through the works of authors such as William
With their third album released within three years, Courting has maintained their upward momentum, demonstrating that they are an unstoppable force.
With her latest album ‘Jubilee’, Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast has become a GRAMMY-nominated artist and has a New York bestseller to her credit; however, no level of critical recognition can alter the stark truth of loss. A decade after her mother's death, her grief continues to evolve, and she is expressing it through the somber new project ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’.